Translator: CinderTL
Fang Zhiyou was utterly stunned when Feng Qi produced his Star City Academy faculty ID.
In Fang Zhiyou's eyes, Feng Qi was only a few years older than him. How could he already possess a teaching credential?
Just as Fang Zhiyou was struggling to process this, Feng Qi pulled out the Human Outstanding Contribution Silver Medal, leaving him completely dumbfounded.
"Is this... real?"
Seeing Fang Zhiyou's incredulous expression, Feng Qi nodded. "Do you think anyone would joke about something like this?"
Hearing Feng Qi's confirmation, Fang Zhiyou was completely convinced.
He had initially dismissed Feng Qi as a dreamer with wild ideas, but now he realized how little he truly knew about him.
To have earned the Outstanding Contribution Silver Medal and become a teacher at Star City Academy at such a young age, Feng Qi must possess extraordinary abilities.
"Now do you believe me? Tell me your thoughts," Feng Qi asked with a smile, observing Fang Zhiyou, who was still reeling from the shock.
I was wondering why you went back to your dorm to get your faculty ID and Silver Medal before coming out. Turns out you were planning to show off all along! He~tui!
Faced with Feng Qi's renewed invitation, Fang Zhiyou remained silent for a long moment before nodding firmly.
"I trust you and the Silver Medal. I'm willing to develop virtual games with you."
"You won't regret it," Feng Qi assured him with a smile.
"But my parents... they might not approve," Fang Zhiyou said, his expression troubled.
"That's an easy fix. I'll help you."
"How?" Fang Zhiyou asked, surprised.
"You'll find out tomorrow. Now eat up, don't waste it." Feng Qi grinned and lowered his head to continue eating.
A few moments later, having eaten his fill, Feng Qi finished his meal.
He turned to the night market stall owner, who was grilling skewers, and called out, "Boss, the bill."
The stall owner was a slightly overweight middle-aged man with a receding hairline, leaving only a few tufts of hair clinging stubbornly to the top of his head, as if a strong gust of wind might send them packing, turning his Mediterranean hairline into baldness.
He strolled over to the table, smiling. "The total is 3089. I'll round it down to 3000 for you."
Fang Zhiyou's expression turned deeply awkward, clearly indicating that his bank card balance was insufficient to cover the meal.
Feng Qi, who had never intended to let Fang Zhiyou pay, smiled and stood up to settle the bill.
At that moment, the night market stall boss, holding a QR code sign, noticed the Silver Medal lying on the table. His expression immediately shifted to one of profound surprise.
"Is that the Human Outstanding Contribution Silver Medal?" he asked, his eyes widening.
After a few careful glances, the boss suddenly withdrew the QR code and turned to Feng Qi, who had already taken out his phone to scan it.
"This meal's on me," he said.
Feng Qi immediately shook his head. "Boss, don't misunderstand. The Silver Medal isn't for you to see, and we're not trying to get a free meal. We'll pay what's due."
"Is this Silver Medal yours?"
"Yes," Feng Qi nodded.
"My father was a domain warrior on the front lines. His lifelong dream was to earn a Medal of Honor. I understand the significance behind this medal. Your contributions to humanity deserve this small gesture of gratitude. If you don't mind, I'll cover your meals here from now on."
Perhaps this is the meaning behind your struggles. Even amidst humanity's flaws, there remains a beauty worth preserving.
Hearing the Narrator's words, Feng Qi felt a warm current flow through his heart.
However, Feng Qi politely declined the boss's offer to treat him.
"Boss, since you understand the significance behind this honor, you should know it's not meant to be used for free meals. If I went around using it to freeload, I'd be tarnishing its meaning. I can't accept this meal for free. Just charge me whatever you normally would."
Hearing this, a hint of shame crossed the boss's face. He nodded.
"I can charge you, but I have to give you a discount. You have to let me save face. How about... 50% off?"
"That's too generous. I'll definitely give you face, but I can't let you lose money. 90% will do."
"Let's meet in the middle—70%."
After some haggling, Feng Qi reluctantly paid 80% of the bill, much to the boss's displeasure.
Feng Qi regretted letting the boss see the Silver Medal. Using such an honor for personal gain made him feel ashamed.
Tsk tsk, the Silver Face Medal—this thing is so useful! It's practically essential gear for showing off in public.
Ignoring the Narrator's comment, he turned to Fang Zhiyou beside him.
"Go home now. I'll handle your parents. Just wait for my message."
"Brother Qi, I should have treated you this time," Fang Zhiyou said, looking slightly embarrassed.
"I'm the one who ate the most, so how could I let you pay? Besides, you don't have any income. That little money you have is from your parents," Feng Qi said, patting Fang Zhiyou on the shoulder with a smile.
"Thank you. I'll definitely treat you when I have money."
"Then you'd better earn a lot! I might bring someone with an even bigger appetite next time."
"No problem!" Fang Zhiyou replied with a serious nod, thinking Feng Qi was joking.
After Fang Zhiyou left, Feng Qi hailed a taxi and departed, waving goodbye to the night snack stall boss who enthusiastically invited him to return.
Back in his dorm room by 7:30 PM, Feng Qi sat down at his desk and began browsing the latest news on the academy forum.
A particular post caught his eye:
The New Student Team Competition starts in a month! How high do you think Star City Academy will rank in the Eastern Division this year?
OP: Star City Academy's Little Tyrant
Content: First, as always, here's the latest intelligence I've gathered.
The New Student Combat Class has a total of ten classes, and it's certain that every class will participate in the upcoming competition.
Next, let's introduce some of the more formidable classes and individual students.
First and foremost, the class I'm most optimistic about is Combat Class Six.
This class has 82 students, with over half having prior experience in cultivation studies and art magic. The remaining newcomers primarily focus on cultivation exercises, making their overall strength exceptionally high.
Among them, Shen Zhesheng, Bi Caiying, and Min Xingwen stood out as particularly outstanding during the intensive training.
Following closely are Combat Class Two and Combat Class Eight... (omitting 3,000 words)
I also have high hopes for Combat Class Three, which houses Liu Yue, the strongest newcomer.
Other notable students in this class include the Xia Family Brothers—Xia Long, Xia Hu, and Xia Bao—as well as Yan Yue. All of them demonstrated remarkable prowess during the intensive training and hail from domain combat teams, making them highly skilled in practical combat.
As for the remaining newcomers in Combat Class Three, their combat performance has been generally average.
Xu Hongyun, in particular, has shown extremely lackluster combat abilities, seemingly just filling a roster spot.
The only real concern for Combat Class Three is their limited number of participants.
The New Student Team Competition is a team-based event, where numerical advantage plays a crucial role.
The maximum number of participants per class is 60, but Combat Class Three only has 11 freshmen. Securing a good ranking in the Team Competition will be a significant challenge.
Considering all factors, Combat Class Six remains my top pick.
Here's my prediction for the final standings of this year's New Student Team Competition at Star City Academy: fourth place.
The data above was compiled from intelligence gathered during my intensive training period. While I've analyzed it thoroughly, some details may not perfectly align with reality. Please forgive any discrepancies.
Now, let me explain why I believe Star City Academy will likely finish fourth.
Before posting this, I reviewed the freshman combat class rosters of other academies in the Eastern Region.
I believe the strongest contender is Winterfrost Academy's Combat Class One.
This class boasts several descendants of high-ranking members from S-Class Domain Combat Teams. Since childhood, they've nourished their bodies with spirit plants cultivated within Domain Fields and gained early exposure to cultivation studies. With guidance from elite instructors and practical combat training within Domain Fields, their combat prowess is truly formidable.
In my opinion, Winterfrost Academy's Combat Class One is the clear favorite to win the championship.
Next up is Victory Academy's combat class.
As the strongest elite combat academy in the Eastern Region, Victory Academy has consistently dominated the New Student Competition, claiming the championship title year after year.
Although Victory Academy only has one combat class, its freshman enrollment reaches 300 students. To select just 60 elite participants from this pool of exceptional candidates, the academy employs a rigorous selection process, choosing the best of the best. This demonstrates the formidable strength of Victory Academy's combat class.
Therefore, teachers of the New Student Combat Class should immediately begin training their students in team combat. With such formidable opponents in this year's New Student Team Competition, we can't afford to lose face!
Finally, here's the latest announcement from the Ministry of Education regarding the Team Competition:
The prize money for this year's competition has been increased as follows:
Champion: 6 million cash (3 million for the supervising teacher, 3 million for the class fund) Runner-up: 3 million cash (1.5 million for the supervising teacher, 1.5 million for the class fund) * Third Place: 1 million cash (500,000 for the supervising teacher, 500,000 for the class fund)
With both financial rewards and prestige at stake, teachers of the New Student Combat Class, lead your little cubs to victory!
Below the post, numerous teachers and students from various academies had left comments.
They all seemed highly interested in this year's New Student Team Competition, eagerly discussing the strengths of different academies and classes, and analyzing their potential rankings in the competition.
Feng Qi wasn't particularly interested in team competitions.
What caught his attention was the substantial cash prizes awarded to the top three teams.
The supervising teacher of the winning team would receive half of the prize money.
If his team won the championship, he would receive a cash reward of 3 million yuan.
This sum would be enough to brew Clear Heart Wine, allowing him to enter the Dream Realm four times.
The thought made his heart race.
Moreover, he believed that leading Combat Class Three to victory might not be as difficult as he initially imagined.
Since Lin Ran and Mu Qing were only nominally enrolled in Combat Class Three, they were unlikely to participate, as they were no longer considered new students.
Otherwise, if Mu Qing alone participated, she could easily secure the team competition championship, turning the entire event into her personal showcase.
Even without Mu Qing and Lin Ran, Combat Class Three still possessed a bug-like combatant in Liu Yue.
It was certain that Liu Yue's performance during the New Student Intensive Training didn't reveal the full extent of his capabilities.
Hailing from the Heaven-Reaching Road, historical records showed him single-handedly annihilating a Top Domain Battle Group in the future.
This demonstrated the terrifying scale of his power.
Combined with the Xia Family Brothers and Yan Yue, their collective combat strength would undoubtedly rival that of any other New Student class.
As for the rest of the class, they were merely accessories, participating for the sake of it, going through the motions.
After browsing the forum for a while longer, he closed his computer.
Sitting at his desk, lost in thought for a moment, he pulled out his phone and dialed Bai Fusheng's number.
A few seconds later, Bai Fusheng's aged voice answered:
"Why are you calling me so late at night?"
"Grandmaster, I need your help."
"What is it this time?"
"Here's the situation: I've found a prodigy in virtual technology, but his parents want him to enroll in the cultivation technique program at Star City Academy. With his grades, he has no chance of getting into Star City High School, so... I was hoping you could persuade his parents. As the principal of Star City Academy, they're sure to listen to you."
After Feng Qi's explanation, Bai Fusheng understood the situation.
After a long silence, his voice came through the phone:
"Are you sure you won't be hindering him?"
"Even if he continues his studies, he'll only get into a second- or third-tier cultivation academy. He'll likely never achieve anything significant in his life. But if he joins me in researching virtual technology, his talent will have limitless potential."
"So you fancy yourself a talent scout now, eh? Found yourself a thoroughbred horse?" Bai Fusheng's teasing voice came from the other end of the line.
"You know what? There might be something to that."
After some casual conversation, Bai Fusheng finally agreed to his request.
He would call Fang Zhiyou's parents tomorrow using the contact information provided, hoping to engage in a meaningful discussion and persuade them.
Next, all he had to do was wait for the Ministry of Education's approval, then have Bai Fusheng arrange his work area and accommodation.
Once these steps were completed, the creation of Savior could officially begin in earnest.
(End of the Chapter)