A group of twelve of them arrived in front of the cafeteria.
The cafeteria sat outside the teaching building, past the playground, with its entrance beneath a large tree.
It was quite spacious—enough to hold six entire classes and their teachers all at once.
It had two floors, each with three hundred seats.
"Those poor working students are here again!"
Several mocking voices echoed out.
Zhang Fan, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the others turned to look.
A group of senior students stood on the staircase between the first and second floor, sneering down at them:
"A bunch of broke losers who'll never set foot on the second floor!"
"And what are you supposed to be?"
Xiao Wu instantly got annoyed, though thanks to her master being rich, she was more irritated than worried.
"Are those the guys who always bully you?" she asked.
"Yeah…" Wang Sheng shuddered and took a few steps back.
"What's there to be scared of? Let's go up to the second floor and eat the best food they've got!"
Zhang Fan strode forward, leading the group up the stairs.
"You got money?" the lead senior student blocked Zhang Fan.
Tang San looked ready to throw hands. That guy's attitude was way too cocky.
[Tang Sect Rules: Disciples must not provoke trouble lightly, but if someone dares to attack first, they must respond with thunderous force!]
Just then, a middle-aged man hurried over.
"Teacher, you're here to eat too?" Tang San asked respectfully.
It was the Grandmaster. Calmly, he said, "Getting used to life here? Did you make your bed?"
"Thank you for the bedding, Teacher. I've got everything set." Tang San replied with admiration.
"Come eat on the second floor with me. Zhang Fan, care to join us?" Yu Xiaogang asked, clearly eyeing Zhang Fan as a potential disciple.
"Disciple, are you treating your master to dinner?" Zhang Fan replied with a sly smile.
"You're being outrageous!"
Tang San glared at him:
"The Teacher is being kind, and you still act so shamelessly?"
Tang San was fuming. For some reason, the Grandmaster reminded him of a godmother. Maybe it was because he lacked maternal love growing up? The Grandmaster was thoughtful, unlike his own silent, rock-of-a-dad.
Bah... Why do I keep thinking of him as a godmother?!
He mentally slapped himself.
"Tang San, are you nuts? How can you talk to the boss like that?This so-called Master of yours is just a guest at the academy!They say he's only here because he's friends with the dean—a freeloading slacker pushing fifty!He hasn't even broken through the Great Soul Master rank!And you're calling that your teacher? Did your brain get stepped on?"
Wang Sheng looked totally baffled.
"You're so rude. Who I choose as a master is none of your business!"
Tang San's eyes turned cold. "Want to spar about it?"
"Oh? You wanna spar too?" Zhang Fan pulled Wang Sheng to his side.
"What's your deal? Wang Sheng was helping you! This is how you repay him?"
Xiao Wu snorted and stood by Zhang Fan, both staring down Tang San.
"Ignore them. Let's go eat." Yu Xiaogang pulled Tang San upstairs with confidence, assuming working students weren't even allowed to eat up there.
"Come on. We're going up too." Zhang Fan marched upward.
"What now, you've got a godmother like Tang San? Pah, foster father—whatever…"
The senior student tried to block them again but realized he'd messed up his words—didn't bother fixing it.
"Second floor ain't for some stray cats and dogs like you! No soul coins? Quit pretending you belong. Get lost!"
"PAH—!"
Zhang Fan's slap came out of nowhere, lightning fast.
"AHH—!" The lead senior student screamed and spun down the stairs like a top.
"Ahhh…"He crawled up from the floor, face on fire, dizzy beyond belief. He hadn't expected the leader of the working students to have such power.
"Get them! He dares to hit me?!"
The senior student howled.
"BOOM—"
Before the last syllable left his mouth, Zhang Fan flashed forward like a god descending to earth.
"PAH—!"
Another slap landed—opposite cheek this time—sending the guy spinning again.
The rest of the senior students froze in place, scared stiff. The working student leader was too terrifying—more demon than human.
Even their boss got smacked silly. They weren't about to volunteer as punching bags.
Under Zhang Fan's command, they all ascended to the second floor like they owned it.
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San sat there, stunned to see them coming up.
"Huh… they actually have money?" Yu Xiaogang asked, a bit surprised.
"Zhang Fan does!" Tang San answered.
"Isn't he a working student? How does he have money?" Yu Xiaogang frowned.
"He's got more than a dozen gold soul coins! No idea where he got them from." Tang San shook his head.
"..."Yu Xiaogang had originally planned to use soul coins to slowly manipulate the poor boy into obedience.
He didn't expect this kid to already be loaded.
His strategy… backfired.
"That guy's sly as hell. He's got innate full soul power at level ten, tricked the Spirit Hall Deacon, and nearly tricked me too.He only exposed his strength during our spar back in Dormitory Seven."
Tang San sighed.
"So… you lost?"
Yu Xiaogang had overheard Wang Sheng calling Zhang Fan "boss." That was all the confirmation he needed.
"Yeah. He ambushed me!" Tang San muttered. He wasn't about to admit he lost fair and square.
Later, they entered Yu Xiaogang's room.
Yu Xiaogang poured him a glass of water. "You're six years old, level ten, with twin martial spirits. Summon the other one."
Tang San obeyed, raising his left hand. A black light gleamed, condensing into a black dog, faintly patterned on the head.
"Woof! Woof!"The moment the dog appeared—
Yu Xiaogang froze.
Eyes wide, he stared at the tiny black dog:
"Uh… why is it a dog?"
"This martial spirit is called the Haotian Dog!" Tang San said proudly. "It's got great strength!"
"Luo Sanpao!"
Yu Xiaogang instantly summoned his own spirit. A purple creature emerged—dog-shaped but pig-sized, over 1.5 meters long and wide. Drooping ears, big gentle dark-blue eyes, stubby limbs, and a bump on its head.
In truth, it was a mutated Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex. But due to its three-attack limit, it was called Sanpao.
"Our martial spirits are kind of similar!Mine's a mutated Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—turned weaker.But your Haotian Dog looks powerful. Definitely not a downgrade mutation!"
Yu Xiaogang analyzed.
"No wonder I want to call you godmother… Bah! I mean foster father… Argh! I said it wrong again!"
Tang San facepalmed. This gag would never die, huh?He gave a helpless smile and added:
"No wonder we became master and disciple!"
The two of them smiled at each other—two misfits who found each other, bonded by spirit beasts and bad luck.
It felt like destiny.
Destiny… like a bridge, burning in the mortal world…
Their gazes turned ever so slightly ambiguous.
(End of Chapter)