Chapter 7: Tianqi Youth Class

The dining hall conditions at Tianjing are quite good, especially for the Mecha Department and the Starship Department. Ma Long is also splurging today, heading straight to the second floor. Here, there are all sorts of à la carte dishes, and from time to time, there are some rather good specialty ingredients, such as those from the Moon, Mars, and even specialty dishes from Titan.

Of course, they all originate from the Earth system; the main difference is the raw materials. The beef produced on Titan is unique, and the price of Titan beef is also unrivaled, absolutely deserving of the name "Tai Niu" (Too Beefy). The meat is fresh and delicious, juicy, and rich in rare energy; this is due to the unique elemental infiltration of Titan. For a Warrior, it is a tremendous supplement. Ma Long is clearly very happy; with one steak each, everyone is eating with great delight.

"Have you heard that Principal Long is seriously dissatisfied with the results of the previous Mecha Department class, so this year's team will be selected, and several team leaders have already been designated? One of them is your Class Monitor, Naiyi. I have high hopes for her; Hongtu and Zhao Zhihan and their lot are simply no good—what kind of trash are they playing?" With a small beer down, Ma Long's entire mood is soaring. "Wuzang, you must be on it, right?"

Wuzang nods and silently orders another steak. Ma Long's mouth twitches; he underestimated the appetite of these beasts. Damn it, he had just been acting cool and saying to eat as much as they wanted.

That was rash.

"I'll add one too." Zuo Xiaotang is not polite either; opportunities to fleece Big Head Ma are rare.

"Holy crap, where's your humanity? One extra at most, no more than that, my marriage fund is gone." Ma Long sees the situation is wrong and can no longer care about his pride. "How many team members has Naiyi chosen so far?"

"Currently, there's me; I don't know about the others yet."

"Really, Lao San in our dorm has the most potential; maybe in the future, we'll all have to cling to your thighs." Ma Long says without reservation. The Wu Family is an Ancient Martial Arts Family, after all. It's clear that his family is very strict with Wuzang; there isn't the slightest trace of a spoiled brat about him, and his training is the most diligent. With such good resources, high talent, and working harder than everyone else, if he doesn't succeed, who will?

Wuzang is a bit embarrassed. Sheng Man arrives. "Sorry, had something to do, I'm late. Is there any happy news today that you're eating so well?"

Before anyone can speak, Ma Long hurriedly says, "It's the first day of school, gotta boost the brothers' morale. Darling, come, here."

Ma Long had long since prepared a spot for Sheng Man. Sheng Man smiles slightly and sits beside Ma Long. Now a junior, Sheng Man has completely blossomed with feminine charm; every glance and smile is particularly tasteful. Although they have been dating for a year, their relationship is truly good. As soon as Sheng Man arrives, Ma Long stops paying attention to the others.

Fortunately, the three of Li Hao are already used to it, but for some reason, the beef on their plates suddenly doesn't smell as good.

Just then, two more people walk over with their trays, looking for seats. The dining hall, which was previously in loud discussion, instantly drops by several decibels, and people start whispering.

It is exactly Zhou Naiyi and Ye Tong. The news that Ye Tong has arrived at Tianjing Martial Arts has already spread; her popularity is ridiculously high, and she is also a highly anticipated newcomer this year. In fact, everyone thought that with her strength and fighting style, she would go to the NUP. Honestly, the NUP could offer better treatment, but she chose Tianjing instead.

Zhou Naiyi sees Li Hao. "Xiaotong, I'm going to say a few words to Li Hao, it'll only take a moment."

"Sister Naiyi, since we ran into each other, let's eat together," Ye Tong says.

Zhou Naiyi doesn't mind. The two walk over, and Ye Tong walks directly to Zuo Xiaotang's side, smiling slightly. "Senior, could you give up your seat?"

Zuo Xiaotang is instantly stunned and bounces up from his seat. "No problem, you sit."

Ye Tong carries her tray and sits beside Li Hao, while Zhou Naiyi sits opposite Li Hao. Everyone is wondering what these two are up to. Sheng Man greets them naturally; she is in the Journalism Department and is very familiar with Zhou Naiyi, and she is also very interested in Ye Tong.

"Li Hao, Principal Long has reformed the mechanism for participating in the Mecha Tournament this year. I will be one of the teams selected. Do you want to participate?" Zhou Naiyi asks.

Everyone at the table is stunned. Li Hao is also dazed. "Me? Forget it, having Wuzang in our dorm is enough."

"What if Principal Long specifically names you to participate?" Zhou Naiyi stares at Li Hao, trying to observe something from his expression.

The old principal moved him from the Journalism Department to the Mecha Department, and now Principal Long is giving him such an opportunity. Given Long Danni's personality, it is clearly not out of favor to anyone, but because there is something about Li Hao.

"Can I refuse?" Li Hao is dazed. What is this about? Could it be...

For some reason, Zhou Naiyi feels that Li Hao is avoiding something. Starting from yesterday when she wanted to help him train, if she thinks about it carefully, his words revealed a kind of lack of interest... perfunctory.

Yes, it is perfunctory, which makes Zhou Naiyi feel a little uncomfortable.

"No, this is a direct order from the principal. You must participate. As for whether you can stay, it depends on your performance," Zhou Naiyi says decisively.

Li Hao shrugs helplessly. "Class Monitor, I can participate, but you know my situation. I often work overtime at night, so my time for training might not be very stable."

Ye Tong, who is on the side, for some reason, has her eyes narrow slightly. *Clap! * She taps her plate, and everyone's gaze is immediately drawn over.

Ye Tong smiles. "Senior, I'm looking forward to being your teammate. With great power comes great responsibility. Sometimes, being proactive is better."

Ye Tong clearly has something else in mind, but who is this... Li Hao?

"Li Hao, you're hiding deep, aren't you? You usually look like you're not interested in anything; when did you get to know the God of Eyes?" Sheng Man asks curiously. The personalities of 4396 are all very iconic. Wuzang is a martial arts fanatic; he isn't interested in anything other than training and getting stronger. She even introduced a close friend to Wuzang, but he didn't even go—he's truly a blockhead. Zuo Xiaotang is a hardcore homebody, yet he is very talented in shooting. As for Li Hao, he is the one with the least presence, but it's hard to ignore him. Perhaps it's that inexplicable confidence and nonchalance.

Ye Tong looks at Li Hao. "Senior, it seems they don't know your true identity. After all these years, your personality really hasn't changed at all."

Zhou Naiyi and the others all put down their chopsticks, looking at Li Hao and Ye Tong.

"This, is there some misunderstanding, Junior Sister..." Zuo Xiaotang can't help but say. He knows Li Hao's situation: he grew up in an orphanage, seemed to have gone to some training in between, and after returning, he attended the preparatory class at Tianjing, and later got admitted to Tianjing Martial Arts. Others know this too.

"Do you know about the Solar System Apocalypse Youth Class?" Ye Tong says.

"Who doesn't know that? That Youth Class almost became a myth. It was the only time the Four Great Federations joined forces to do something. Everyone who came out of it was a top-tier powerhouse. Later, it seems there was a major accident, and it was never held again. Tsk tsk, a gold-plated brand," Ma Long says. Many of the powerhouses in this year's Mecha Tournament came from that Youth Class.

"Li Hao, should I continue, or will you say it yourself?" Ye Tong says with a half-smile.

Li Hao is stunned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "I thought it was something else. Yes, I did participate in that Youth Class. Later, something happened, and it disbanded. That was several years ago."

*Clang... *

Ma Long's spoon drops into his plate. The whole table stares at Li Hao, dumbfounded, especially Zhou Naiyi. Back then, she had wanted to enter that class too. Ordinary people might not know much about it, but the high-level officials of the major federations attached great importance to it. She had participated in the test but was eliminated in the first round.

"You mean, you know the Moon's War God Maxis? You know the Heavenly King Victor, and you... are classmates with the Mars Wolf King Basita from the Youth Class?"

(Remembering when I first entered university in 2000, the six brothers in the dorm all claimed to be from poor backgrounds, each one shouting more miserably than the last. But we discovered that one guy's locker was full of Nike and Adidas. Could we tolerate this? Under the "sincere exchange" of the other five of us, he finally admitted he was a Shanghai landlord, a rich second generation. We all fell into the same pit, no way out. The rest of our university days were very comfortable. The third update is here, partners, please collect and vote for monthly tickets, thank you!)