"Come out, Firefox!" the senior student roared. He pushed away the two friends who were helping him up and staggered forward. A fiery red spirit power erupted from his right hand, coalescing into the phantom image of a fox made of pure flame. In the next instant, the phantom merged with his body. It was an attack-type beast Spirit.
Seeing this, Huo Feng also summoned his Iron Sword. A steady white glow of spirit power wrapped around his arm as he gripped the hilt.
"A bunch of work-study students who don't know their place," the senior sneered. As he spoke, a single, plain white halo of light rose from his feet, circling around him.
A Spirit Ring! Huo Feng thought, his eyes narrowing. He had never seen one in person before, but he knew this had to be it. If he remembered correctly, a white Spirit Ring was from a beast that was at least ten years old but less than a hundred. For a student this arrogant, possessing only the lowest-grade Spirit Ring was almost comical.
"That kid's in for it now." "Our boss is a level twelve Spirit Master! One spirit ability and that kid will be crying for his mommy!" "Just wait 'til he's on the ground begging for mercy!" "And that feisty little loli needs to be taught a lesson, too."
The senior's friends started bragging loudly, conveniently forgetting how their boss had just been humiliated.
Huo Feng's expression grew serious. His opponent had a Spirit Ring and a spirit ability. Even if it was just a ten-year one, it gave him a significant advantage.
"Let's see how you like this!" the senior shouted. His right fist was engulfed in intense flames as he lunged forward, throwing a punch straight at Huo Feng.
Huo Feng met the attack head-on, leaping into the air and bringing his sword down with both hands.
Clang!
The impact sent a shockwave through the air. Huo Feng was thrown back more than ten steps before he managed to steady himself, and he could see faint black scorch marks on his sword. His opponent had also been knocked back ten steps, and he shook his hand, wincing in pain.
Their earlier exchange could have been written off as a sneak attack. But this time, even with his Spirit Ring and full power, he still hadn't gained an advantage. The senior student's face twitched, his pride completely shattered. He had lost his temper.
"First Spirit Ability!" he roared, "Giant Fireball!"
A fist-sized ball of fire began to form in his palm, crackling as it rapidly grew larger.
"That's enough! Stop it!" A cold, commanding voice cut through the tension. "This is a cafeteria, not your personal sparring ring!"
The fireball, which was halfway formed, sizzled and vanished as the senior student hastily retracted his power. He saw who had spoken. It was Yu Xiaogang, the Grandmaster. Although the man held no official position at the academy, everyone knew he was the Dean's personal friend. No student would dare to defy him.
"Grandmaster, I..." the senior started to protest, unhappy that he hadn't gotten his revenge, but a single cold glare from Yu Xiaogang silenced him. The matter was over.
Huo Feng dismissed his Iron Sword. His plan had been to find an opening to make contact with the senior and sacrifice him to end the fight quickly. Yu Xiaogang's arrival had saved him the trouble.
"Grandmaster," Huo Feng said, giving a respectful nod.
Yu Xiaogang acknowledged him, then his eyes scanned the crowd of work-study students behind Huo Feng. After a moment, he frowned slightly. He had been looking for Tang San.
"Isn't Tang San with you?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
"He wasn't feeling well, so he's resting back in the dormitory," Huo Feng replied with a calm smile.
A flicker of emotion crossed Yu Xiaogang's usually stiff face. "I see," he said. He then walked over to a food stall, bought some items, had them packed, and left the cafeteria without another word.
With Yu Xiaogang gone, the senior students didn't dare to start a physical fight again, but that didn't stop their mouths. "Poor guys," "paupers," and other insults filled the air as they loudly ordered their food, making sure the work-study students could hear every word.
"Brothers, today's meal is on me! Eat as much as you want!" their leader announced, puffing out his chest. His anger immediately subsided as he saw the envious looks on the faces of Wang Sheng and the others. "What are you looking at? Can you even afford to smell this food?"
That was it. Huo Feng sighed. He really hadn't wanted to show off. But some people just kept pushing.
Alright, I'm done pretending. Time to show my cards.
Under the watchful eyes of both groups, Huo Feng walked straight to the same stall where the seniors had just ordered their expensive meal.
"Hey, kid, you don't actually think you can afford anything here, do you?" "Yeah, look at how poor you are. Don't embarrass yourself!"
Wang Sheng grew anxious. He worried that his new boss was being provoked into doing something reckless. He hurried over and whispered, "Boss, don't listen to these jerks. It's not worth it. Let's just go downstairs. My treat!" He patted his chest with an honest smile.
"Go tell the others to find us a couple of tables," Huo Feng said calmly. "Dinner's on me tonight."
Then, to the utter shock of Wang Sheng and everyone watching, Huo Feng slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out four glittering gold soul coins. He placed them on the counter.
He then pointed at the senior students' table. "We'll have the same thing they're having," he told the stall owner. "But make every dish a large portion."
"What?" "Gold soul coins!" "Are those... four gold soul coins?!" "Boss, am I seeing things?"
Wang Sheng's head was spinning. Where did his boss get four gold soul coins? That was the equivalent of four hundred silver, or forty thousand bronze! It was more money than he had seen in his entire life.
Across the room, the senior students who had been getting ready to enjoy their meal and the show were frozen in place. They stared, dumbfounded, at the small, expensive portions on their own table, then back at Huo Feng. Their leader, who had just taken a bite of rice, choked and spat it out.
This meal wasn't cheap, even for him. He had only ordered it to show off in front of the work-study students, and even then, the small portions had cost him three gold soul coins. Now, this kid had ordered the same meal, but in large portions. The humiliation was unbearable. He was lucky he only spat out rice and not a mouthful of blood.
"Right away!" the stall owner said, his eyes wide as he scooped up the gold coins. Soon, massive, steaming plates of food were brought out.
Huo Feng and his friends gathered around two large tables and began to eat with gusto. Across the room, the other group of students stared at their own food, their faces growing uglier by the second. Anyone watching would think they were eating dirt, not a luxurious meal.
Later, outside the student dormitory, Yu Xiaogang met with Tang San alone. He handed him the food he had bought from the cafeteria.
"I've already spoken with the academy," he said. "You don't need to attend classes tomorrow. I'm taking you to find a suitable first Spirit Ring." He paused, then added, "When Huo Feng gets back, tell him he'll be coming with us."