"I have some medicine. I'll get it for you later," Jiang Nannan said, putting down his clothes with a hint of guilt.
"Let's talk about it later. I still need to work right now," Shi Yu replied casually.
The two of them returned to the cafeteria to continue serving food. Some of the onlookers had already dispersed, while others headed inside for their meals. A few students lingered, still chatting about the recent scene—particularly about Shi Yu's strange ability, which didn't seem like something a typical soul master could do.
After serving food and washing dishes, it was finally time for the staff meal—a part Shi Yu looked forward to most.
"How did you recover so quickly?" Jiang Nannan asked in surprise, noticing that the red marks on his back had vanished after the meal.
"Is it a bad thing that I recovered?" Shi Yu replied with a playful smile.
"Of course it's good! But… how could it be that fast?" she asked, clearly puzzled.
"I took a special crabapple flower before. Since then, my body's healing ability has gotten a lot stronger. Minor injuries like this recover in no time," he explained casually.
"Really?" Jiang Nannan still seemed doubtful, but let it go.
"By the way, how do you teleport like that? Even spirit masters with space-type martial souls can't usually teleport repeatedly like you. You're basically using the teleport skill endlessly," she asked, full of curiosity.
"My martial soul is space. I have a unique connection with it. I can teleport whenever I want," Shi Yu answered lightly, only sharing what he was willing to reveal.
He was careful not to mention anything he shouldn't. There were some secrets best kept to himself.
"With a martial soul like that, you'll definitely become a powerful soul master in the future," Jiang Nannan said sincerely.
"Then I'll humbly accept Senior Nannan's blessings," Shi Yu responded with a grin.
As he passed the dormitory entrance, Shi Yu greeted the man at the door. "Uncle, have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet," Moon En replied, eyes lingering on Shi Yu.
Under that stare, Shi Yu felt a little uncomfortable—as if he were being seen through—but he kept his composure and smiled. "At your age, it's better to eat on time. Don't starve your body."
"Yeah," Moon En responded casually.
Later, in the hallway, Shi Yu said goodbye to Jiang Nannan and headed back to the dorm. He didn't see Dai Huabin.
Sigh… I've somehow managed to offend Xu Sanshi for no reason, Shi Yu thought, rubbing his temples as he lay on the bed.
He hadn't intended to offend Xu Sanshi—one of the major characters, no less. But Xu Sanshi had started the fight, and once things escalated, Shi Yu had responded instinctively to provoke him back.
"I just hope this doesn't turn into one of those situations where a side character keeps showing up to cause trouble and ends up turning into a life-or-death enemy."
That sort of plot twist was far too common in stories.
He tried not to overthink it. One step at a time. There was no use worrying now.
It's kind of boring, Shi Yu thought after lying around a while. Not knowing what else to do, he sat up and began meditating.
That evening, Dai Huabin finally returned. As soon as he entered, he stared at Shi Yu and asked bluntly:
"Was it you earlier? The one who embarrassed that senior soul master today?"
He and Zhu Lu had been out for a walk when they overheard some students talking. The description—a space martial spirit, teen-level soul power—fit his roommate exactly.
At the moment, Shi Yu was seated cross-legged, cultivating. Hearing the question, he responded without opening his eyes, just as he had done before.
"I wouldn't say I embarrassed him. I just narrowly won the match."
"So it was you?" Dai Huabin said, his gaze shifting slightly.
"Then… those spider legs behind you—are they the Eight Spider Lances?" he asked again.
"What makes you think that?" Shi Yu replied, opening one eye.
Clearly, Dai Huabin hadn't been present earlier, yet he was able to guess. Just how did he make the connection?
"Well, you asked about the Eight Spider Lances earlier. And now people are saying you had eight spider legs. So, I put two and two together," Dai Huabin said plainly. "So it is the Eight Spider Lance. No wonder you were asking about the Sea God ancestor's spirit bone before."
"It turns out you were lucky enough to get your hands on such a powerful external spirit bone…" His tone became sour, like someone who had just bitten into a lemon.
"Yeah, luck," Shi Yu said lightly.
He knew there was no point in denying it. Too many people had seen it. Lying now would only insult Dai Huabin's intelligence.
"How did you get it?" Dai Huabin asked, curious despite himself.
"That's a secret. Not convenient to share," Shi Yu replied calmly.
He didn't mind people knowing what he had—but as for how he got it? That wasn't something he'd reveal.
Dai Huabin hesitated for a moment, then began meditating as well, saying nothing more.
Still, he couldn't help feeling envious.
He wouldn't normally care much about standard spirit bones. With his family background, he had ways to obtain them.
But external spirit bones were another story.
Even Shrek Academy wouldn't promise those. They were entirely dependent on luck among luck—rarer than a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Of course he was jealous.
The next morning, Shi Yu—who had wanted to sleep in—dragged himself out of bed to wash up. Today was the official start of classes for the new students, and being late would make a bad impression.
Dai Huabin also got up and got ready. The two didn't speak much—they weren't enemies, but they weren't close either.
After breakfast, Shi Yu walked out of the cafeteria and spotted Jiang Nannan ahead. He jogged to catch up.
"Good morning, Senior Nannan," he greeted cheerfully, biting into a steamed bun and sipping some soy milk.
"Good morning," Jiang Nannan smiled, breakfast in hand as well.
Beside her was her cheerful friend from before.
"Hey! Why didn't you say good morning to me too?" the girl with the chubby face pouted.
"Good morning to you too," Shi Yu said with a grin.
"So perfunctory," she muttered, puffing her cheeks.
"Why only steamed buns? Those are kind of dry," Jiang Nannan asked as they walked.
"I'm saving money. I can still afford steamed buns for now, but in a few days, I might not even have that," Shi Yu joked, taking another bite.
"I can lend you some. You need a good breakfast, or you won't have energy for class," Jiang Nannan offered kindly, already pulling out some coins.
"No need for now. I'll try asking my boss for a salary advance at lunch. If I talk smoothly, I might get lucky," Shi Yu said, gently stopping her hand with a smile.
"You really don't need to be polite with me," Jiang Nannan said sincerely.
"I'm not being polite. I just think it's unnecessary… for now. If it doesn't work out, I'll definitely come ask," he replied, still in good spirits.
"Alright," Jiang Nannan said, not pushing it further.
"By the way, Senior Nannan, anything I should be aware of for the first class?" Shi Yu asked after another sip of soy milk.
"Not really. Just show up on time, sit quietly, and listen. That's enough," she said.
The three of them walked together. With Jiang Nannan's help, Shi Yu easily found his classroom.
By the time they arrived, many students were already seated.
Shi Yu picked a seat near the back—a habit of his, preferring not to sit up front during class.
He glanced around the room. Among the students, he recognized only one face: Dai Huabin, who was sitting with a beautiful girl—Zhu Lu, no doubt.
They were his only acquaintances here. As for the rest? Strangers.
In terms of story importance, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were the only supporting characters from this class with notable roles.
He and Dai Huabin were both in freshman class five.
As for the protagonist, Huo Yuhao, he was in class one, which was on a different floor. It would be rare to even run into him.
But Shi Yu didn't mind.
He had no complaints about being placed in class five. He didn't feel disappointed. He didn't need to be in the same class as Huo Yuhao.
He didn't even have any strong desire to actively befriend him. There was no need.