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Chapter 19: Reading for the Sake of Acting Cool
🕑 Added 2024-12-18 15:26:19 +0000 UTCThe future's extreme evaluation of Mu Qing labeled her as a stumbling block in humanity’s progress, a calamity-bringing demon king of her time.
Whether this evaluation held hidden truths was something Feng Qi couldn’t determine. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Mu Qing’s transformation was connected to the Crimson Research Institute.
The narrator’s subtle hints further suggested that the truth behind this matter might not be as straightforward as it seemed.
At this point, Feng Qi’s intentions were simple: approach Mu Qing and try to understand her.
If her eventual hatred for humanity was a result of being ostracized and bullied by those around her, he was willing to try to change her perspective and offer friendship.
However, if she was irredeemable and carried an innate disdain for humanity, he had already decided on a course of action.
To prevent that dark period of history and the formation of the Dawn Rebellion, Feng Qi would find a way to nip Mu Qing in the bud before her destructive potential could grow.
Beyond this, he also planned to investigate the Crimson Research Institute, though he knew such a task was beyond his current capabilities in both influence and strength.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Feng Qi lifted his gaze to Mu Qing. Coincidentally, Mu Qing looked up at the same moment, and their eyes met.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi grabbed the last boiled egg from Mu Qing’s tray, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed deliberately before speaking with an impish grin:
“Hey, senior, could you grab me some more breakfast? I’m not full yet.”
“Why don’t you get it yourself?” Mu Qing replied, her face an impassive mask.
“Because seniors should take care of juniors. Isn’t that just basic courtesy?”
Mu Qing stared at Feng Qi, her cold heart rippling faintly with a sensation she hadn’t felt in years.
Feng Qi didn’t treat her the way others at the academy did. To him, she didn’t seem like an outcast or a monster.
His gaze lacked the aversion, fear, or pity she had grown so used to seeing.
Sometimes, treating someone normally is the greatest form of respect.
And Feng Qi understood this better than anyone.
Saying nothing more, Mu Qing stood up, picked up her tray, and walked toward the self-service food counter.
Watching her retreating figure, Feng Qi allowed a satisfied smile to spread across his face.
“Saving a fallen demon king begins with breakfast,” he murmured to himself.
A few minutes later, Mu Qing returned, her tray once again piled high with food.
Feng Qi, showing no signs of restraint, reached out and began helping himself to the freshly gathered dishes.
The two ate together in silence for a long time. The dining hall gradually emptied as more and more students finished their meals and left.
Feng Qi eventually began to feel full—perhaps even overly so. His rate of consumption slowed, and each bite felt like a chore. Mu Qing, however, showed no signs of stopping. She continued to eat methodically, as if her appetite were bottomless.
Suddenly, a message flashed in Feng Qi’s mind:
[Energy replenished. Current energy: 0.43%.]
Glancing at the energy progress bar, Feng Qi rubbed his stuffed belly. He turned to Mu Qing and spoke abruptly:
“Senior, let’s be friends.”
The simple sentence hit Mu Qing like a bolt of lightning. She froze mid-bite, her expression momentarily dazed. She even choked slightly, needing a firm thump on her chest to recover.
“Why?” she finally asked, her tone tinged with genuine confusion.
“Because the song you played on the harmonica last night was beautiful. I want to learn it—if you have time, could you teach me?” Feng Qi said with a friendly smile.
“Maybe after you get to know me better, you can decide whether you want to be friends,” he added casually.
“I know your name is Mu Qing,” he continued before she could respond. “I also know you’re a Rune-Enhanced Human. So, can we be friends?”
“You’re… not afraid of me?” Mu Qing’s voice faltered, her guarded demeanor cracking ever so slightly.
“Why would I be? You’re human, and so am I. What’s there to fear?”
Feng Qi’s calm sincerity caught Mu Qing off guard. She wasn’t used to this—his words felt foreign, even intrusive. Accustomed to being treated like an anomaly, his warmth and openness unsettled her in a way she couldn’t quite process.
Her eyes darted away from his, and she abruptly stood up.
“I’m full,” she declared.
Without waiting for a response, she turned and hurriedly left the cafeteria.
Watching Mu Qing's retreating figure, Feng Qi called out loudly, “Senior! Wait!”
Mu Qing, who had already walked several meters away, stopped in her tracks and turned her head back.
“There’s still food left on your tray. Didn’t you hear what the cafeteria auntie said? Wasting food is shameful.”
Mu Qing glared at Feng Qi sharply before turning around and walking away, her pace quickening. Soon, she disappeared from his sight entirely.
“Looks like this will take some time. Did I go overboard just now?” Feng Qi muttered to himself, scratching his head.
Leaving the academy cafeteria, Feng Qi made his way directly to the library.
The rest of the day would be dedicated to diving deep into the intricacies of cultivation studies. He needed to pave the way for his future as a genius worthy of universal admiration.
Even though he had learned a lot under Old Wang's tutelage, Feng Qi felt it wasn’t enough. A future prodigy like him had to be a jack-of-all-trades, well-versed in every field.
After all, what if some interviewer asked him about a niche topic he wasn’t familiar with? Not being able to answer would be incredibly awkward.
Worse yet, he might even plagiarize a technique from the future in some obscure field without understanding it fully—only to embarrass himself later on.
The library was located at the heart of Star City Academy. It was a sprawling three-hectare building, with a towering statue of a bespectacled man holding a book standing at its entrance.
The inscription beneath the statue detailed the life of Lin Youshu, the founder of Star City Academy. He was one of the pioneers of cultivation techniques and a leading figure in the early days of humanity’s cultivation era.
Feng Qi paused briefly to bow respectfully toward the statue. Then, he walked past it and stepped into the library.
Inside, the library was already bustling with activity. Students moved among the rows of bookshelves, searching for materials, while others sat in quiet study rooms, flipping through their chosen books.
Approaching the front desk, Feng Qi asked the librarian for directions to the section on cultivation studies. After receiving a polite response, he made his way toward the indicated area and began browsing through the shelves.
After some searching, he pulled out a book titled "Intermediate Research on Cultivation Techniques - Volume III.”
Settling into an empty seat, Feng Qi opened the book and began reading.
As time passed, Feng Qi became fully absorbed in the text, immersing himself in the vast ocean of knowledge. He was so engrossed that he forgot everything else.
Cultivation studies encompassed a wide range of disciplines, including technique development, body refinement, magical arts, and medical applications. Among these, cultivation techniques formed the foundation, as they were essential for gaining specific abilities.
For example, Tiger Fist, the technique he had recently mastered, was a body refinement method designed to strengthen one’s physique. It could even grant practitioners the power to go toe-to-toe with domain creatures.
The field of magical arts, however, was the most complex and profound. It originated from humanity’s studies of the supernatural abilities displayed by domain creatures.
Researchers discovered that these abilities stemmed from the creatures’ manipulation of spiritual energy, which they used to outline intricate patterns in the air. These patterns altered the energy’s properties, unleashing extraordinary effects.
A simple example was the fireball technique. By guiding their internal spiritual energy to trace a specific star-shaped pattern, practitioners could ignite the energy and transform it into a fireball.
Over time, magical arts became the most prolific branch of cultivation studies, with tens of thousands of techniques developed, far surpassing the number of physical cultivation methods.
Medical studies, on the other hand, represented a fusion of cultivation techniques and magical arts.
For instance, practitioners of the technique Wood-Yi Qi could generate a particularly gentle form of spiritual energy, perfect for casting healing spells. Such spells often proved crucial in saving lives during critical moments.
It was common for domain battle teams to include several medical practitioners. Chen Youzi, the school nurse, was herself a retired medic from one such team.
Beyond these core disciplines, cultivation studies also included auxiliary fields like combat support, esoterics, and formations.
Fully mastering all these areas would require an enormous investment of time and effort. For now, Feng Qi decided to focus on technique research, the path he had already chosen to pursue.
Time flew by as Feng Qi immersed himself in his studies.
When he finally glanced at the clock hanging on the opposite wall, he saw it was already 11:00 AM.
But even this realization didn’t deter him from continuing.
“Becoming a universally acknowledged prodigy isn’t easy. If I don’t work hard, who will?” he muttered to himself, turning the page.
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