Chapter 7: 7. Mockery? Scorn?

7. Mockery? Scorn?

Entering the Welcoming Pavilion, Qin Yuan found a spot in a corner and sat down.

On the surface, he spoke with his classmates at the table as he should, appearing very natural.

In reality, he was a bit uneasy.

Who knew if suddenly, an alchemy furnace carrying Samadhi True Fire would fall from the sky—uh, wrong script, this isn't Journey to the West.

Who knew if suddenly someone would use an Ultimate Dao Emperor Weapon—wrong script again, this is Shrouding the Heavens.

Who knew if suddenly a group of prestigious people would bring so-called evidence to claim that he, Qin Yuan, was actually a descendant of the Monster Race—wrong script yet again, this is Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

He looked up inadvertently.

Shen Yaoqiao was walking over with a smile.

With a slim waist and long legs, her superb figure was an eye-catching weapon wherever she went.

For a moment, many people around raised their heads, their gazes following her figure as she moved.

Don't come over here.

Qin Yuan shouted in his heart.

"Everyone's seating is pre-arranged; your seat is at the main table. Mom arranged it specifically; see how much Mom cares for you."

Shen Yaoqiao sent a voice transmission.

I thank your mom—uh, it seems she’s my mom too; a godmother is still a mom.

Qin Yuan imagined the scene after agreeing.

As soon as he sat down, he received many resentful glares from senior students and teachers.

"Who is this kid? Why does he get to sit at the main table?"

"Yeah, why? Even I haven't sat at the main table yet."

"We should keep a close eye on him from now on."

Qin Yuan decisively sent a voice transmission to refuse: "No need, I'm sitting here just fine."

"Then I won't sit at the main table either."

Shen Yaoqiao's pace quickened slightly.

Qin Yuan suddenly felt someone watching him.

And it wasn't just one person.

He turned his head with suspicion to look.

Diagonally across the table, two handsome men with good looks and excellent taste in clothing were sizing him up.

Upon being spotted by him, they simultaneously revealed a "kind" smile that looked like it had been practiced in front of a mirror countless times.

These two guys.

Qin Yuan knew them well.

One was called A-Ji, the other A-Fei.

They came from prominent families.

Their fathers, uh, there was nothing worth saying about their fathers.

Their grandfather was very formidable, a great cultivator at the second heaven of the Dao Platform realm, one of the few in the current age.

A few years ago, when Qin Yuan came to Luzhou, he had even fought them (if one-sided bullying could be called a fight).

These two had a common preference.

Shen Yaoqiao.

And it was the kind of preference a sycophant has for a goddess.

Qin Yuan smiled at them with a feeling of sympathy.

Even without him, Shen Yaoqiao would never like them.

Their ending was destined the moment they chose to be sycophants.

Hmm, these two brats are actually using a strange treasure to probe my cultivation level. Fine, let you probe.

A-Fei and A-Ji immediately detected Qin Yuan's cultivation: second heaven of the Qi Refining realm.

He couldn't even touch the tail end of the first tier.

This was a great era where mighty power belonged to oneself; the high-and-mighty Shen Yaoqiao could not possibly like a weakling.

The two quickly exchanged a glance and both revealed faint, relieved smiles.

Thinking of each other as competitors, their smiles froze simultaneously.

"Scoot inside, I want to sit here."

Shen Yaoqiao, having arrived close by, said nonchalantly.

It was just like being in her own home.

Strictly speaking, that wasn't wrong; her father was the number one combatant of Luzhou Academy, and her mother was the Dean of Luzhou Academy.

A-Fei and A-Ji pulled out the chairs beside them at almost the same time.

It was practiced to the point of tears.

Qin Yuan not only made no move.

He even sent a voice transmission to warn: "Don't sit next to me."

If you won't let me sit, I'll sit anyway... Shen Yaoqiao's stubbornness lasted less than a second before she changed her mind and randomly found a seat to sit down.

She, Shen Yaoqiao, also cared about her reputation.

A-Fei and A-Ji, sitting diagonally across, were only slightly disappointed; after all, Shen Yaoqiao hadn't sat next to either of them.

"Qiaoqiao, this is the rainbow fruit ice cream I made for you by hand."

A-Fei took out a large box from his Metaverse (the localized name for the Qi Sea) that emitted a five-colored light and looked delicious.

"This is the first-grade tortoise jelly I made for you."

A-Ji also took out an exquisite box that emitted a cold chill and flashed with seven-colored light.

One look and you could tell a lot of effort had been put into it.

That Shen Yaoqiao loved sweets was no secret in their small circle.

No one was surprised that A-Fei and A-Ji brought out carefully prepared sweets.

"Thanks, I have no appetite."

Shen Yaoqiao waved her fair, slender hand and said with a sense of distance.

She glanced at Qin Yuan without leaving a trace.

Why wasn't it Qin Yuan who brought out the sweets?

If it had been Qin Yuan who brought them, no matter how bad they tasted, she would have finished them.

A-Fei and A-Ji were still only a little disappointed.

Similar things had happened to them too many times; they had long since become accustomed to it as a matter of course.

"If Qiaoqiao won't eat it, give it to us."

"Yeah."

This world was never lacking in thick-skinned people.

"As long as Qiaoqiao agrees, I have no objection."

A-Fei glanced at Shen Yaoqiao and said with a smile.

"Same here."

A-Ji followed up immediately.

"I have no objection."

Shen Yaoqiao answered very crisply.

The next moment, the people at the table scrambled for it.

The two large boxes of sweets were wiped out in the blink of an eye.

A-Fei and A-Ji's hearts were dripping blood; they had added many precious items into the sweets, and now, it was all for nothing. Despite being very, very unhappy, the two still wore full smiles.

After a while.

A-Fei, feeling a bit stifled, made small talk: "A-Yuan, why did you suddenly start wearing a hat?"

The gazes of everyone at the table landed on Qin Yuan's head.

Qin Yuan thought to himself, *Fool, this isn't a hat; this is a helmet Dao weapon I spent many days refining.*

As for why he was wearing it?

It was simple.

Who eats without wearing a helmet?

One must know that the most fragile part of a cultivator is the head, where the primordial spirit resides.

Once it suffers heavy damage, it is highly likely that the body will die and the Dao will vanish.

"This isn't a hat; this is a defensive Dao weapon to protect the head," Qin Yuan explained with a calm expression.

A-Fei froze for a moment, cursed him as a lunatic internally, then forced a smile: "You really came prepared."

Qin Yuan continued, 'thick-skinned': "This belt of mine, on the surface it's a belt, but actually it's a soft sword."

"What about this sword you're carrying with you?"

Aji asked curiously from the side.

Qin Yuan tapped the sword at his side, and a blue, cicada-wing-thin protective barrier appeared.

It bathed everyone at the table in a blue light.

"Actually, it is also a defensive Dao weapon. Are you convinced now?"

"No wonder you're so cool."

Aji teased.

"What if you were severely injured and unable to draw weapons from the Metaverse or your Dao platform, and your belt was gone too? I wouldn't know what to do then."

Afei said.

"That wouldn't stump me; this pair of socks of mine is also an offensive weapon."

Qin Yuan laughed.

Everyone at the table gaped; what kind of person was this?

This was a place where cultivators gathered, so why were they so timid?

"Don't be afraid, if anything happens, I will protect you."

Aji put on a full display of his big brother persona.

After saying this, he even deliberately glanced at Shen Yaoqiao.

Shen Yaoqiao showed no reaction on the surface.

She was likely feeling a bit of disdain for Qin Yuan in her heart.

"That's right."

Afei was not to be outdone.

Beside them, a senior student reached out a large hand and patted Qin Yuan's shoulder with a look of concern.

This, this, this... this was not what I expected.

Where was the mockery? Where was the disdain?

They could at least show some contempt in their eyes.

Could it be that because everyone was an adult, they were keeping their thoughts bottled up inside?

[Heart-to-Heart Connection]

Come out.

Heart-to-Heart Connection was a divine ability developed by Qin Yuan that could perceive the emotions of others.

Its accuracy was not very high.

Qin Yuan used Heart-to-Heart Connection to sense the people around him.

Except for Afei and Aji, who were not very sincere, everyone else's concern was genuine and came from the heart.

This, this... Qin Yuan was left completely bewildered.