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On the other side, Xiao Wu successfully claimed half of Tang San's bedding, leaving him feeling quite awkward in the situation.
Wang Sheng had injuries, but even pain couldn't halt the need for food. He called out, "It's lunchtime; let's head to the cafeteria together."
Wang Li, who had eaten dry rations with hot water in the morning, was already feeling hungry by this time and added, "Sure! It's a good chance to familiarize ourselves with the campus!"
Hearing this, Tang San lowered his head. He had no money; the earnings from Tang Hao's blacksmithing were all spent on alcohol. He had never eaten his fill at home, so he certainly didn't have any money for the cafeteria. He simply replied coldly, "You all go ahead; I'll manage with a bit of dry bread."
Xiao Wu hesitated and said, "Don't we need spirit coins to eat in the cafeteria?"
Wang Sheng was taken aback by her comment. Of course, food required spirit coins. He glanced at Tang San and then at Xiao Wu, quickly understanding their predicament: they had no money.
Despite being two innate soul power geniuses who could fight exceptionally well, Wang Sheng suppressed his heartache and patted his chest, declaring, "Let's go together to the cafeteria! I'll cover your meals for the next two days—consider it a celebration for our growing work-study team."
Xiao Wu immediately jumped up, full of energy, and exclaimed, "Yay!"
Seeing that Xiao Wu had agreed, Tang San hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you!"
With that, all the work-study students set off together. It was their way of survival; they would stick together and not easily separate.
On the way, Wang Sheng looked at Wang Li and suddenly scratched his head, saying, "Wang Li, why does it seem like the bruises on your face have faded? Is your recovery that quick?"
Wang Li looked at Wang Sheng, whose face was still mottled with bruises, and naturally wouldn't reveal the truth. Instead, he said, "It's probably because you went easy on me, so I recovered especially fast."
Wang Sheng knew that during their sparring match, he hadn't gone easy at all, but he dismissed it as not being a big deal and quickly forgot about it.
Wang Li didn't provide further explanation; some secrets were best kept to oneself.
...
*School Cafeteria*
This was a two-story building capable of accommodating over three hundred faculty and students for dining, so it was quite spacious.
Initially, everyone was chatting and laughing, but as they entered, they heard someone barking like a dog: "Tch, isn't that Wang Sheng and his gang of poor folks?"
The speaker stood between the stairs on the first and second floors, around eleven or twelve years old. He was relatively good-looking, but his eyes revealed a sinister, contemptuous, and disdainful glint that openly declared he was a villain—one who was easily struck down.
Xiao Wu was the boss of the Star Dou Forest, flanked by a Titan Giant Ape on her left and Azure Bull Python on her right. She was not someone who would let insults go unanswered. With Wang Sheng having covered her meals for two days, she stepped forward, hands on her hips, her brows furrowed, and shouted loudly, "Who let the mad dog bark around here?"
The person in the stairwell perked up; children in Douluo Continent matured quickly, knowing everything by eleven or twelve. Ignoring Xiao Wu's remark, he continued, "What a cute little loli! Wang Sheng, I'll let you off today, but we'll get to know each other better another time."
With that, he laughed and led his group of followers up to the second floor.
Xiao Wu wanted to chase after them, but Wang Sheng quickly stopped her. He was genuinely pleased with her willingness to stand up for others, but with his limited finances, he couldn't let her go upstairs. "Sister Xiao Wu, the second floor is for separate orders, and it's very expensive. We can't afford it. They can go up there freely, but we should stay down here."
Xiao Wu didn't understand money well, but seeing Wang Sheng's expression, she settled down.
Meanwhile, Tang San walked over to the approaching Yu Xiaogang and respectfully called him "Teacher." Yu Xiaogang wanted to take him upstairs, but after glancing at Xiao Wu, he decided against it.
When Tang San returned, Wang Sheng quickly spoke up, "Tang San, Master is not a teacher, so don't get it wrong. He's not a faculty member; he's just a guest lecturer. He doesn't teach classes or guide students—he's like someone living off free food. Flattering the Master won't get you anywhere."
Hearing this, Tang San frowned, and his voice turned cold. "Wang Sheng, the Master is my teacher. If you continue to disrespect him, don't blame me for being impolite."
After saying that, he lost interest in eating and left without looking back.
As for Wang Sheng, he scratched his head, realizing he was just trying to help Tang San, but ended up getting scolded. "What a lunatic!"
Wang Li witnessed everything but remained silent. What interested him more was the quality of the food in the cafeteria.
From his observations, most self-funded students ate on the first floor, with very few able to go upstairs; those who could were surely wealthy.
The food on the first floor didn't offer separate orders like the second floor, but there were still over a dozen dishes to choose from, both meat and vegetarian, all clearly priced.
Meat dishes generally cost four to six copper spirit coins, while vegetable dishes ranged from one to two copper spirit coins. Rice cost one copper spirit coin, congee one copper spirit coin, and various noodles were priced differently. Given that work-study students earned only ten copper spirit coins each day, their options were quite limited.
Without Tang San, everyone continued to eat. Wang Li spent six copper spirit coins on the simplest dish: one meat and one vegetable. Even among the many work-study students, this meal was enviable and made mouths water.
After finishing their meal, under Wang Sheng's guidance, they explored the academy, locating their future classrooms and the garden on the south side of the playground that needed cleaning.
Back in the dormitory, most of the work-study students began their training. They all came from humble backgrounds, and it was only through six years of study that they could reach level ten to become soul masters and graduate. Otherwise, the academy wouldn't recognize them as students of Nuoding Academy.
Even Wang Li was no exception. While he lacked a foundational meditation method, he had gained twenty-six experience points and wanted to try improving his soul power.
Sitting on his bed, he assumed a meditation posture, but in reality, he was communicating with the interface. At the position marked [Soul Power: Level 3 (54%)+], he used his will to touch the "+."
Soon, the entire panel shifted to [Do you want to start increasing your soul power? (Yes/No)].
Wang Li once again used his will to touch "Yes."
In an instant, he felt a tremendous upheaval within his body as all his soul power was drawn forth by an invisible force.
It surged forth like a dragon or snake, wild and unrestrained.
(End of Chapter)