"Brother, you need to be careful. Don't let Gu La fool you—I don't think he's a good person," Na'er whispered telepathically to Tang Wulin, her fork absentmindedly poking at her cake.
Tang Wulin raised his head from the mountain of food, glanced at Gu La's retreating figure, then at his sister's slightly puffed cheeks, and couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I know. But it seems like you're particularly concerned about him?"
"Not at all!" Na'er quickly denied, her silver hair swaying gently as she shook her head. "I hate guys like him who look like pretty boys."
In the distance, Gu La sat opposite Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan. Though his back was turned to Tang Wulin and Na'er, the smile on his lips deepened.
The evolution of his martial soul had not only granted him immense power but also heightened his spiritual abilities. The two siblings were only three meters away—too easy to eavesdrop on their telepathic conversation.
"Gu La, are you going to the forging room today?" Xie Xie asked curiously. "I heard you made quite an impression the other day. Everyone in class is talking about you."
Gu La stirred the concentrated potion in his cup, the surface reflecting his pale golden pupils. "Just basic operations. If you have any forging requests, feel free to come to me—I'll give you a 50% discount."
"Really?"
Xie Xie's head shot up so suddenly that the braised pork on his chopsticks fell back into his plate with a plop. He had heard that Gu La was already a sixth-rank blacksmith—if not for his soul power level limiting him, he would've broken through to the Saint Craftsman rank long ago.
For such a master craftsman to offer a discount was like winning the lottery.
But a moment later, Xie Xie's shoulders slumped. He poked at his rice with his chopsticks. "Never mind. Our group has Wulin. We probably won't have extra forging tasks."
As soon as he said this, his face flushed red—clearly, it was his and Xu Xiaoyan's sub-professional levels that were dragging the team down. They were still stuck at Level 1 Manufacturer and Designer, unable to fully consume the metals forged by Tang Wulin, leading to an overproduction of metal within the group.
Gu La raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping between the two. "What's going on with you two? Are you saying that after joining the Tang Sect, you've been too busy with missions to find someone to teach you your sub-professions?"
He took a sip of the potion and continued, "Your family backgrounds are much better than Tang Wulin's. You should understand how important sub-professions are for battle armor masters. After three years, how could you still be at Level 1?"
Gu La relentlessly grilled them, his words cutting deep. Xu Xiaoyan's face instantly turned bright red, her head bowed so low it almost touched her food.
Her slender fingers nervously twisted the hem of her clothes as she thought of the stack of untouched designer textbooks in her room, feeling a pang of guilt.
Xie Xie clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He wanted nothing more than for Gu La to shut up, but every word he said was true. It wasn't that they didn't understand—it was simply laziness.
Over the past three years, he had indeed accompanied Tang Wulin on many Tang Sect missions, but every time he picked up the manufacturer's manual, he'd fall asleep. Forget spending money to hire a teacher—he hadn't even tried.
Xu Xiaoyan was no different. She preferred staying home as a shut-in, indulging in teenage romance novels. If it weren't for her reluctance to fall behind her teammates, she wouldn't even meditate.
Their captain, Tang Wulin, hadn't said anything because he was always swamped with responsibilities and didn't have time to micromanage his teammates. Gu La took it upon himself to lecture them, thoroughly satisfying his urge to moralize.
"We…" Xie Xie opened his mouth but found no excuse to defend himself.
Gu La's voice wasn't lowered, and Tang Wulin, not far away, heard every word clearly.
His voracious appetite immediately diminished. He wanted to turn around and defend his teammates but didn't know what to say. In the end, he silently lowered his head, mechanically shoving food into his mouth, tasting nothing.
"Sigh." Gu La suddenly let out a soft sigh, his golden eyes revealing a hint of genuine envy. "Sometimes, I envy you guys."
Unaware of the impending crisis, living carefree lives without the constant pressure of being chased.
Xie Xie thought this was mockery and instantly flared up with anger. "You shouldn't go too far—"
Crash!
He stood up so abruptly that his movements fully showcased the explosive power of an agility-focused soul master. His shoulder collided solidly with the tray in the hands of a passing girl. The metal tray arced through the air, scattering food all over the floor.
Yuanen Yehui stood still, her black combat attire accentuating her slender frame. She lowered her eyes to look at the spilled food, then raised her emotionless gaze to stare at Xie Xie.
"Compensation." Two short words, yet they carried an undeniable force.
Xie Xie's anger hadn't subsided, but he wasn't unreasonable enough to refuse. "How much? I'll pay you." His tone still held a trace of impatience.
Yuanen Yehui remained expressionless as she stated a number: "10 contribution points."
"Are you robbing me blind?!" Xie Xie's exclamation drew sidelong glances from nearby tables. He pointed at the spilled food on the floor. "Isn't the cafeteria food free? At most, I'll compensate you with federal credits—why do you need contribution points?!"
Yuanen Yehui stayed emotionless, looking at Xie Xie as if he were a jumping monkey. Still, she calmly explained, "I'm a work-study student. The food isn't free for me."
Xie Xie's anger abruptly stopped. His hand, raised halfway, awkwardly scratched his head. He turned to Xu Xiaoyan and Gu La, lowering his voice. "Shrek Academy still has work-study students?"
Gu La nodded, lightly tapping his glass with his fingertips. "Indeed. It's said to be a system deliberately kept to temper the willpower of students. If you feel your resolve is lacking,"
A faint smile played on his lips, "you can apply to try it out and strengthen your willpower."
Yuanen Yehui's gaze shifted to Gu La, her memory of him vivid—he had once defeated ten opponents single-handedly in a practical battle. Her well-like eyes seemed to say: What grudge do you have against this kid?
The noisy chatter of the cafeteria seemed to fade away at this moment. Xie Xie stood there, feeling as if everyone's eyes were on him.
He pulled out his student card and swiped 10 contribution points on Yuanen Yehui's terminal, his movements stiff as if carrying out some punishment.
"Be more careful next time."
Yuanen Yehui pocketed her terminal and turned to leave, her short black hair swaying gently with her steps.
Xie Xie heavily plopped back into his seat, feeling utterly frustrated by this meal.
Xu Xiaoyan stole a glance at him, then quickly lowered her head. Tang Wulin's distant silhouette appeared unusually silent. Only Gu La continued to sip his potion calmly, his pale golden eyes reflecting the varying expressions of the three.
Not long after Xie Xie sat down, a commotion erupted at the entrance of the restaurant.
A blond youth strode in, sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows and bathing him in a golden glow.
Yue Zhengyu, heir to the Holy Angel family, forever carried that innate air of arrogance.
"Well, well, if it isn't our café maid. Still refusing to give me your contact information?"
Yue Zhengyu locked onto Yuanen Yehui, who was cleaning up the trays, a mocking smile curling his lips, his eyes filled with both caution and disdain.
Yuanen Yehui paused briefly in her movements but quickly resumed, not even raising an eyelid.
This blatant disregard obviously enraged Yue Zhengyu. He strode over and stepped on the tray she was about to pick up.
The metal tray emitted a shrill, deforming sound.
"I'm talking to you. Didn't you hear me?" Yue Zhengyu looked down at her condescendingly. "Evil creatures like you really are uncultured, aren't you?"
The noise in the cafeteria gradually quieted down as everyone's attention focused on these two.
Gu La set down his glass, his pale golden pupils contracting slightly. Upon closer inspection, there was a faint flicker of joy in his eyes—the kind one might see when spotting a fat sheep.
Xie Xie frowned. Though he had just argued with Yuanen Yehui, Yue Zhengyu's blatant provocation made him uncomfortable. Xu Xiaoyan nervously grabbed Xie Xie's sleeve.
Yuanen Yehui finally raised her head, a flicker of dark red light flashing in her pitch-black eyes. "Move."
"What if I don't?" A faint white glow began emanating from Yue Zhengyu's body as three purple soul rings rose from beneath his feet. "Let me see what happens when you reveal your true identity as an evil soul master. How will you stay in Shrek then?"
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
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