C9 Everyone Was Not at Ease

"Get up!!!"

A sudden, ear-splitting shout jolted Faang Wei awake, his gaze landing on Jumpy, who seemed ready to commit murder. This guy was always pushing the envelope!

Who made the rule that only he could hear what this guy was saying? Was this not a curse?

"Stop dragging your feet. It's Monday, and you can't be late for the early class, or you'll be running eighteen laps!"

Jumpy struggled to hand Faang Wei his clothes, mindful not to let him tarnish his perfect record of never being late.

"..."

Faang Wei rubbed his eyes, the shout having completely banished any remnants of sleep. He got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and headed to the canteen for breakfast.

With Jumpy hurrying him along, he grabbed three buns and ate on the go, while someone munched contentedly on corn over his shoulder.

Guided by Jumpy, Faang Wei easily found his classroom, which was already filling up with students.

As Jumpy had briefly explained, Everdawn Academy's training focused primarily on Tai Chi, Eight Trigrams, Mimicry Fist, and Harmonious Fist.

An ancient saying goes, 'Cultivate the breath within, the muscles and skin without.'

This referred to the cultivation of these four fist techniques. With adequate training, one's body could be strengthened to endure the martial skills input by the chip.

Without sufficient Internal Energy, even high-level martial skills input would be useless, potentially resulting in a catastrophic explosion of energy.

This explained why Jin Zhuo had been so astonished by Faang Wei's technique.

It's worth noting that the current generation of Cyborgs was indeed lacking in strength.

Everdawn Academy had less than a thousand students in total. The largest group was the Yellow Class, with twenty classes of nearly fifty students each, totaling around nine hundred.

Following that was the Profound Class, with fifteen classes and nearly thirty students each, totaling around four hundred.

Next up was the Earth Class, comprised of five classes, each with a maximum of ten students, totaling roughly fifty.

At the pinnacle was the Empyrean Class, with a single class of only five members. Though they were cyborgs, their prowess was on par with the Pure Heart level.

With the use of high-level martial skills or those of exceptional proficiency, they might even rival the strength of Jin Zhuo.

But advancing beyond that would prove challenging.

This was precisely why Everdawn Academy couldn't compete with the nine great academies. There was an abundance of low-level students, but truly high-level Gifted individuals were scarce.

"Hey, hey, hey, where did you find this adorable little thing?"

An excited voice rang out. Faang Wei turned to see a classmate who was already poking Jumpy's head with familiarity.

Suppressing the impulse to bite the intruder, he scurried over to Faang Wei's side to make introductions.

"This is your desk mate, my best buddy, Han Dongchuan. He's a bit of a loose cannon, but I doubt he'll raise any suspicions. Just be yourself and you'll be fine."

"..."

Faang Wei chuckled awkwardly at the introduction. Was the whole school just a bit off-kilter? It seemed like everyone here marched to the beat of their own drum.

Without overthinking it, he simply said he found it in the woods and then took his seat.

But as soon as he sat down, Faang Wei felt a piercing gaze aimed directly at him. He glanced askance in the direction of the stare, unable to deny the tension.

She was just a young girl, yet she seemed to hold a grudge.

I didn't block your path to success, so why hold a grudge against me?

With a silent eye roll, Faang Wei straightened up and dismissed her, leaving Tung Xiaoxiao utterly confused.

She had tossed and turned the previous night, fretting that Faang Wei might tattle to the principal. Eventually, she resolved to face the music, prepared to leave if she was indeed bullied.

Yet now, confronted with Faang Wei's demeanor, it appeared as though... as though his indifference the day before was genuine.

Did he truly not care whether she stayed at Everdawn Academy or not?

They had grown up together, yet he didn't utter a single word of persuasion?

As the thought crossed her mind, a wave of frustration welled up within her. It was clear that they were the ones holding her back. Besides, the nine great academies hadn't rejected them, so why the need for such behavior?

Was he trying to make me feel guilty?

What reason did I have to feel guilty?

It wasn't as if I was the one preventing Everdawn Academy from moving forward. They simply lacked the capability, that's all.

The more she dwelled on it, the angrier Tung Xiaoxiao became. She stood up and strode over to Faang Wei.

Faang Wei, absorbed in watching a video, didn't notice her approach until Han Dongchuan nudged him. Only then did he look up and see Tung Xiaoxiao.

Seeing her, he couldn't hide his reaction.

"Do you need something, Tung Xiaoxiao?"

"Tung Xiaoxiao?"

Caught off guard by the formality, Tung Xiaoxiao blurted out —

"Are you seriously trying to cut ties with me? What's wrong with striving for my own future? How do you have the right to act this way toward me?"

"???"

At that moment, Faang Wei wore the puzzled look of an old man trying to figure out a smartphone. This girl was throwing him for a loop!

What was she getting at?

Wasn't she the one who was so eager to leave just yesterday?

Why was she suddenly making it my problem? I haven't done anything!

"Speaking of which..."

"Class is starting, everyone. Please return to your seats."

Faang Wei was about to inquire further when a middle-aged man entered and cut him off.

Still visibly upset, Tung Xiaoxiao made her way back to her seat, passing Han Dongchuan, who watched the drama unfold with a bemused expression.

"What did you do to her? I've never seen her this angry before."

"Beats me. Maybe it's a hormonal imbalance?"

"(╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴!"

Tung Xiaoxiao had barely taken her seat when she overheard the comment, and it nearly sent her hormones into a frenzy!

She pulled out her phone, tapped out a message, and hit send. A sense of relief washed over her only after the message was on its way.

Meanwhile, Faang Wei felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He unlocked it and squinted at the screen. The old adage rang true—

"Women and petty men are the most troublesome to deal with!"

Tung Xiaoxiao glanced over at Jumpy, clicking her tongue in disapproval, yet she remained silent. She was upset, but so was he!

After all, Everdawn Academy no longer relied on her. If she wanted to leave, so be it. Why keep her around as a backup plan?

That was quite the novelty!

"Okay, that's enough. No more talking. Put your phones away and set them to silent. If I hear a peep from anyone's device, I'm confiscating it!" Mr. Tung Peirong commanded, rapping on the lectern. The students quickly busied themselves with silencing their phones, and the room fell quiet.

Faang Wei didn't know much about Mr. Tung, nor was he particularly interested in learning more. He was aware that the teacher's strength was at the eighth level of Pure Heart and that he was Tung Xiaoxiao's foster father, and that was enough for him.

But according to Jumpy, the class actually appreciated Mr. Tung. He was strong, good-looking, and took his teaching seriously.

Despite his strictness, they believed in the saying, "A strict teacher produces outstanding students," and everyone was on board with that.

Being a cyborg already placed him a notch below a cultivator, so he had to push himself even harder.

Yet, Faang Wei believed there was no such thing as being inherently lesser or greater. Self-respect was paramount. If you don't respect yourself, who else will?