Chapter 53: The "Connections" Class

After receiving his uniform, Feng Qi skipped collecting other items like textbooks and headed straight to the principal's office.

Knocking on the door, he heard Bai Fusheng's voice from inside.

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Feng Qi saw Bai Fusheng dressed in a traditional Tang suit, leisurely brewing tea.

"Shi-gong, what's the plan for me next?" Feng Qi asked directly.

Smiling warmly, Bai Fusheng gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. "I've already arranged everything. Sit down first."

Once Feng Qi was seated, Bai Fusheng pulled a class schedule from his drawer and handed it to him.

"You'll be in charge of the Combat Class Three for the 23rd cohort. The students in this class are rather unique... You'll understand once you meet them."

"Combat Class Three?" Feng Qi's thoughts immediately went to that phony monk he had just met. It seemed like this was his class.

"Shi-gong, can you explain what makes this class so special?" Feng Qi asked curiously.

With a chuckle, Bai Fusheng replied, "There are only 11 students in this class, all of whom are special admissions. In other words, they didn't enter through regular exams, similar to your friend Mu Qing."

"So, they're all here through connections?" Feng Qi sighed, a hint of helplessness in his tone.

His ideal was to train human elites who could influence the future, not babysit a bunch of privileged students with no real skills.

"Regular classes require certified teachers, and unfortunately, I couldn't bypass the system for you. So, I created a class exclusively for special admissions to give you a chance to teach. But don't underestimate these students. Some of them are exceptionally gifted. You'll understand once you interact with them."

Thinking back to the phony monk, Feng Qi couldn't help but feel skeptical.

Noticing the doubt on Feng Qi's face, Bai Fusheng added, "Don't look at me like that. If you're dissatisfied, we can explore other options. But for now, you're the homeroom teacher for Combat Class Three."

"Fine. I'll give it a try," Feng Qi said, reluctantly agreeing.

Leaving the principal's office, Feng Qi returned to his dormitory. After settling his belongings, he checked the time and saw that it was almost 11 a.m.

Taking out his phone, he called Mu Qing and Lin Ran, inviting them to lunch. After confirming the meeting, he left the dorm and headed to the academy cafeteria.

The midday sun blazed overhead, scorching the ground.

Upon entering the cafeteria, Feng Qi spotted Mu Qing and Lin Ran already seated in a corner on the north side of the room.

Grabbing a tray, he headed to the self-service area to get his food. The cafeteria, as usual, was thoughtfully stocked with cooling beverages like mung bean soup, lemonade, and winter melon tea, along with desserts like ice cream and popsicles.

Star City Academy's food never disappointed.

Filling his tray to the brim with a variety of dishes, Feng Qi made his way to the corner and sat down beside Lin Ran.

"Welcome back, Teacher Feng!" Lin Ran teased with a grin.

"So, how's the latest edition of Advanced Spell Theory I got you?" Feng Qi asked.

At his words, Lin Ran's smile froze. Without saying a word, he lowered his head and focused on his meal, clearly trying to avoid the topic.

Seeing Lin Ran's reaction, Feng Qi immediately knew he hadn't been studying seriously. Despite Lin Ran's extraordinary understanding and talent in spell research, his dream was to study cultivation techniques—a pursuit that baffled Feng Qi.

He'd seen people waste food, but Lin Ran was wasting his own exceptional gifts.

Suppressing his exasperation, Feng Qi turned to Mu Qing. "Senior, I have a favor to ask."

Mu Qing looked up, her cheeks puffed with food as she chewed, her expression adorably puzzled.

"You probably heard from Lin Ran that I'll be taking over a freshman class as their homeroom teacher."

Mu Qing nodded, still chewing as she mumbled, "And?"

"I'd like you to join my class and become one of my students."

Mu Qing blinked, visibly stunned by his proposal.

While attending Star City Academy, Mu Qing, as a special admissions student, enjoyed significant freedom.

Preferring solitude, her learning methods revolved around self-study. Most of her time was spent oscillating between the academy cafeteria, library, and the body refining room, dedicated to her self-training.

The thought of interacting with classmates made her uneasy. She believed that if others knew about her circumstances, they would surely view her through a lens of prejudice, something she was unwilling to endure.

"Senior, not everyone is like that. I became your friend, didn't I? You need to try connecting with people, be brave," Feng Qi said earnestly.

On the side, Lin Ran chimed in enthusiastically, "Can I join your class?"

"Sure, as long as you can convince the principal," Feng Qi replied with a grin.

"Dealing with Old Bai won't be an issue. But have you discussed Mu Qing's case with him?" Lin Ran asked.

"My class is composed entirely of special admissions students, so it won't be a problem," Feng Qi reassured. Turning back to Mu Qing, he added, "Senior, don't hesitate. Trust me."

Faced with Feng Qi's sincere invitation, Mu Qing finally nodded.

Seeing her agreement, Feng Qi smiled warmly.

The rise of the scavenger rebellion, known as the Dawn Rebel Army, was closely tied to Mu Qing—that much Feng Qi was certain of. At the same time, he also believed that before Mu Qing established the rebel army, the scavengers posed no real threat to the residents of the city.

Though the city dwellers and scavengers didn't always see eye to eye, there had never been a case of scavengers attacking the city or causing deliberate harm. In contrast, the scavenger-formed domain combat squads often collaborated with city defense teams to clear out domain fields, and the city regularly provided supplies to support the scavengers outside its walls.

The relationship between city dwellers and scavengers was more akin to the dynamic between the citizens of two nations. At their core, both groups were human, coexisting in the same homeland. When the homeland faced external threats, they stood united to fend off invaders.

Although occasional conflicts arose, none of them were significant enough to warrant hostility or aggression from the scavengers toward city dwellers. Resolving the misunderstandings and easing the tensions between the two groups was something Feng Qi planned to work on gradually.

But most crucially, he had to address the root cause—Mu Qing, the eventual harbinger of chaos.

Even now, Feng Qi couldn't fully comprehend why so many scavengers chose to follow Mu Qing and rebel against all of humanity. There seemed to be hidden truths within that part of history—truths that significantly influenced the trajectory of human civilization.

Before uncovering those truths, his priority was to ensure Mu Qing didn't make any wrong moves.

Feng Qi had extensively studied Mu Qing's abilities. She was recorded in history as the only person to achieve near-perfect fusion with rune crystals. Additionally, she possessed a unique ability to absorb energy from food, making her growth potential terrifyingly high.

In her first battle post-rebellion, she single-handedly crushed the Black Reef combat squad—an A-Rank domain squad—and claimed hundreds of lives. Later, she managed to hold off dozens of top-tier combat squads on her own, her combat prowess akin to a humanoid beast.

Ensuring the future stability of this potential threat was paramount.

Recalling the image of Mu Qing he had seen in the future database—a tall, commanding woman with a frosty demeanor and an air of a formidable antagonist—Feng Qi couldn't help but glance at the present-day Mu Qing. Her expression was adorably naive as she ate, cheeks puffed with food.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reconcile the two drastically different personas. The gap was just too wide.