Era of Mist

Shi Tiexin suddenly understood. ’So that’s what this is about.’

He honestly hadn’t realized it was a problem, because from his perspective, it was nothing. At the Tumu Castle Orphanage and the Star Worker Union School, this sort of thing was extremely common—well, okay, dunking someone in a piss bucket wasn’t *that* common, mostly because they didn’t have piss buckets.

But if students didn’t fight and struggle amongst themselves, how would you determine who was superior and who was inferior? How would you know who was strong and who was weak? He had lived his whole life in an environment like that and had long since grown used to it. Deep down, he didn’t think it was a big deal at all.

The other consciousness in his spiritual domain trembled, frantically feeding him the relevant rules. Only then did Shi Tiexin realize that something like this was considered a serious violation of the school’s code of conduct—far more egregious than roaring in class.

Shi Tiexin was speechless. ’Holy crap, you can’t be serious?’

’But it makes sense. If the system wasn’t like this, how could those guys be such weaklings? In my world, if a wimp like Teng Chaoguo dared to call himself the Clean Street Tiger, he’d have been shoved into a latrine to eat shit by the time he was five.’

’Whatever, forget all that. I, Old Tie, am an open and honest man. I call it as I see it. Even if the consequences are severe, I would never stoop to lying!’

’—But I *can* choose to remain silent~~ Hehehe~~’

He quickly tried to talk some sense into himself. ’Just let it go... take it easy... Don’t be so hard-headed. I just got disciplined for breaking school rules yesterday. If I get caught for another serious violation today, I might actually get expelled. So I’d better keep my mouth shut...’

’Still, a world that doesn’t even let you fight? What kind of bullshit rule is that?!’

Shi Tiexin remained silent, which didn’t surprise Zheng Kaoming. Though their interactions had been brief, in Zheng Kaoming’s eyes, Shi Tiexin was the quiet, honest, and simple type, yet he was also an ambitious student. With a personality like his, he most likely wouldn’t speak up to defend himself when faced with slander.

"Hah, not talking? Did you think you could just bribe all of Class Twenty-Eight to lie for you, then destroy the evidence, and that would be the end of it? Get a student to wash the bathroom floor, pour half a bucket of water into the piss bucket... Who’s going to go and check the concentration and purity of what’s inside? These are all petty tricks. They do nothing to clear your name."

As Zheng Kaoming spoke, he impassively continued to observe Shi Tiexin’s reaction.

And Shi Tiexin was, in fact, getting a little pissed off.

It was a matter of perspective, of worldview. He could understand that roaring and causing a scene in class was a violation of the rules. After all, in his other world, if you yelled and flipped a table while a mentor from the Heart Technique Sacred Land was teaching, you wouldn’t just be moved to another class—you’d be lucky if they only beat you senseless, destroyed your foundation, and threw you out.

So, when he was being punished, even though Shi Tiexin felt he had been somewhat wronged, he had, for the most part, accepted it and hadn’t thought of trying to argue his case.

But beating up Teng Chaoguo? Deep down, Shi Tiexin didn’t consider that a big deal at all. No matter how much information his other consciousness fed him to explain the situation, it couldn’t change his worldview. As far as he was concerned, a little punk like Teng Chaoguo deserved a beating. Besides, Teng Chaoguo had started it, and he had just fought back. That was nobody’s business but his own.

’Besides, it was related to my Mandate Mission. How could I *not* fight him?’

’It was just a fight! Why are they making such a big deal out of it? What, I’m not allowed to beat up a few delinquents?!’

Shi Tiexin was indignant, but he wasn’t an idiot. He knew he couldn’t argue with Zheng Kaoming right now, so he kept his mouth tightly shut. But his breathing grew ragged, and he found it difficult to hide his emotions.

A glint flashed in Zheng Kaoming’s eyes. ’Look! Look at the deep anger in his eyes, and that indignation that comes straight from the heart! My, Zheng Kaoming’s, perception is as sharp as a hawk’s; I’m never wrong. If a person had truly done wrong, it would be impossible for them to show such guiltless defiance.’

’It seems those four really did frame him. There’s no doubt about it, one hundred percent!’

’Still, I have high hopes for a student like Shi Tiexin. Letting him languish in the trash class would be a waste of his character. Jade must be carved to be perfected. I’ll have to give him a little push, add some fuel to the fire.’

"Hah, still not talking? Fine. It doesn’t matter whether you admit to it or not. We can drop the subject. I only want to talk about one thing. Shi Tiexin, will you have money for food next semester?"

’Huh? What does he mean? I won’t be able to eat?’

Just as Shi Tiexin was puzzling over this, his other consciousness suddenly began to tremble violently. A stream of information flowed into his mind, and he suddenly understood—he really *was* out of money for food! His meal card running out of funds today wasn’t a coincidence. In this world, he was practically penniless and had been in long-term financial difficulty.

’No wonder I’m so underweight. I really haven’t been eating well.’

’No, that’s not right.’ Another piece of information came through. Shi Tiexin frowned and said, "I have a contract with the school."

"Correct. After you became the Champion Scholar on the entrance exams, the school did sign a contract with you. As long as you enrolled at Fengming First Middle School, we would waive all your tuition, miscellaneous fees, and book costs, as well as provide you with a scholarship to cover living expenses. The school will not break its contract; the terms we signed will absolutely be fulfilled. However, don’t forget that the scholarship clause had an addendum: you must remain in an elite class to receive that year’s scholarship funds."

’Elite class? Was that really in there?’

The other consciousness trembled even more violently. As fragmented information streamed in, Shi Tiexin realized Zheng Kaoming wasn’t bluffing. That clause really existed!

Back then, several schools had wanted to sign Champion Scholar Stone, but the terms offered by Fengming First Middle School were comparatively generous. Moreover, the Shi Tiexin of this world was an orphan with no parents, so the scholarship was a huge draw for him.

At the time, he was Champion Scholar Stone; how could he ever have imagined not being able to stay in an elite class? Back then, the restriction seemed like no restriction at all. Who knew that fortunes can change in just three months? You can’t just assume a poor kid is destined for greatness. Now he was both poor and a loser, dropped into the trash class to become a broke loser!

’Which means...’

"Which means, if you can’t fight your way back into an elite class by the first-year final exams, you won’t even be able to add funds to your meal card!"

Shi Tiexin’s eyes widened. ’Holy shit. Does that mean... I have to bully those four guys on a long-term basis?’

’Hmm... Not that there’s anything wrong with that.’

’However, if I can get my hands on the Heart Skill Secret Manual, I should be able to fight my way out of the trash class and into a regular one. At least then I won’t have to live across from the bathrooms anymore. The stench is literally killing me.’

"Shi Tiexin, beating up classmates, serious violations... do you feel like you’re adapting well to the lifestyle in the trash class?" Zheng Kaoming didn’t care what Shi Tiexin was thinking, a cold smile on his face as he spoke. "Since you’re adapting so well, my recommendation for how to handle your case is very simple. Next semester, unless you test your way into an elite class, your treatment will not change one bit. You’ll continue living across from the bathrooms, and you’ll continue eating pig slop from the trash class service window."