The Entry-plundering Demon Hunter

After he finished speaking, Lin Yi lifted Xiaoqi up in his palm.

He picked up Xiaoqi’s food box and walked toward his own room.

The moment the door closed...

The smile on Wei Shang’s face vanished instantly.

He raised a hand to pinch his chin.

"My face was about to freeze from all that smiling. Should we go get something to eat first?"

Wei Shang said, looking at Feng Lei.

Feng Lei was already starving by this point.

Lin Yi and Wei Nan hadn’t slept all night, and neither had Wei Shang or Feng Lei.

In fact, the two of them were even more tired than Lin Yi.

They had searched for them in Jail City all night, practically turning the place upside down.

Now that they saw Lin Yi had returned safely, their frayed nerves could finally relax.

A wave of exhaustion washed over them.

They were sleepy and tired, and their stomachs protested with a GRRRRRUMBLE.

Wei Shang nodded. He and Feng Lei left the dorm and headed straight for the cafeteria.

...

「Zone 1 Dormitory Cafeteria.」

Feng Lei and Wei Shang had just walked in.

There were a few more students eating here this morning than yesterday.

And they were all in groups of two, three, or four to a table.

Apparently, having just enrolled yesterday, they weren’t very familiar with each other yet.

After a day of interaction, their relationships had warmed up.

Feng Lei and Wei Shang grabbed their trays and got some breakfast.

They picked an empty table and sat down.

They had barely taken two bites when four students walked over with their trays.

They sat at the table next to them.

"Last night was too dangerous. We almost lost our lives in there!"

"What happened? What was it?"

another student with short hair asked in surprise.

"Ugh, don’t even get me started. We went to Jail City yesterday, right? It was fine at first, pretty smooth sailing. Then our luck ran out and we ran into a 3-star Demon Beast. We almost died there!"

"Just when we were both in despair, ready to die, a few people showed up. They killed that 3-star Demon Beast with ease and basically saved us!"

"For real? Did you get a good look at which school those students were from?"

"Xingwu University. They go to the same school as us!"

"Holy crap! Don’t tell me they were upperclassmen? You guys have some seriously good luck!"

"They weren’t upperclassmen. The second-years have already moved to other zones for their missions, haven’t they? The only ones who can enter Zone 1 are newly enrolled first-years!"

"Oh, right. We have people that awesome in our year?"

"What if I told you... they were Martial Arts candidates from the Old District?"

"From the Old District?"

For a moment, all of them fell silent.

It was clear that everyone eating in the Zone 1 cafeteria was a local student.

They were also the best of the best among this year’s new students at Xingwu University.

They carried an air of superiority in their very bones.

To them, the fact that they had been saved by Martial Arts candidates from the Old District...

...was a disgrace in itself.

Wei Shang glanced back at the students who had just been talking.

They all had their heads down, eating, no longer discussing the matter.

Wei Shang grinned. "No wonder Lin Yi doesn’t trust us. There’s too much hostility and division between the local students and those from the Old District!"

"The students from the Old District want to integrate into the New District, but the local students reject them!"

"Heh... It’s truly an ironclad rule that’s hard to break!"

Wei Shang sighed and shook his head.

Feng Lei stuffed an entire steamed bun into his mouth.

He chewed a few times and swallowed. "Never mind what other people think. You should focus on how you’re going to earn Lin Yi’s trust. You made a solemn vow to Old He, you know!"

"If you can’t earn his trust within three days..."

Before Feng Lei could finish, Wei Shang looked up and shot him a glare.

"Can’t you just shut up and eat? I will definitely make Lin Yi trust me within three days!"

Feng Lei glanced at Wei Shang out of the corner of his eye.

He sighed and shook his head without a word.

’Earning Lin Yi’s trust in three days is just too difficult. Just now, when they met Lin Yi, Feng Lei could feel that Lin Yi was keeping a distance from them. And it wasn’t a small distance, either. Breaking through that barrier wouldn’t happen overnight. Trust is something you can’t see or touch. It’s purely an expression that comes from the heart. Besides, they’ve only been roommates for less than two days. On what grounds could he expect to earn Lin Yi’s trust in such a short time? If it were really that easy, it would just prove that Lin Yi’s character wasn’t all that great anyway.’

"Why don’t you talk to Old He and ask him to give you a few more days?

It’s impossible to build trust in such a short time. He’s constantly on guard around us!"

Feng Lei said in a low voice.

This time, Wei Shang didn’t speak, just kept his head down and ate sullenly.

But his mind was racing.

’How can I build a good, trusting relationship with Lin Yi and break through this barrier?’

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

"That’s it! How did I not think of that?"

Feng Lei jumped, startled, and looked up at Wei Shang.

He saw him pull his phone from his pocket, open a web browser, and type a few words into the search bar: [How to gain someone’s trust].

After craning his neck to read it...

Feng Lei was rendered utterly speechless...

「In the Martial Arts Alliance conference room.」

Seven old men sat around a conference table.

The so-called Martial Arts Alliance was not run by a single person.

But by seven, all of them white-haired old men.

They were all old generals who served as Defenders of their respective regions.

Moreover, they were the leaders of the seven great families.

Yi Nanshan was, sure enough, seated among them.

"Gentlemen, the future Martial God has arrived in the New District. I don’t think I need to say any more, do I?"

"He is the hope of our New District, and the future of all humanity!"

"His growth will determine the very survival of the New District!"

"In recent days, the beasts within the Restricted Area have begun to grow restless!"

"Among them, several beasts with powerful auras have appeared, wanting to break free from the shackles of the Restricted Area!"

"And just a few days ago, the alliances of other nations also discovered similar situations!"

"Powerful beasts have appeared in the Restricted Areas they are responsible for defending!"

"It’s as if these beasts share some kind of connection, wanting to break their shackles together and make a comeback!"

"If that time comes, the entire world will be plunged into another catastrophe!"

"We humans will face utter devastation, and the world will become a living Hell!"

"Therefore... the importance of the Martial God is self-evident!"

"My proposal is that we find the future Martial God and have our Martial Arts Alliance cultivate and protect him!"

"Until he grows into a true Martial God!"

As he finished speaking, the old man shot a deliberate yet seemingly casual glance at Yi Nanshan.

The other old men also turned their gazes toward him.

But Lao Yi just sat there with his eyes closed.

As if he were asleep, completely ignoring the others’ stares.

After a long moment, Old Yao chuckled and said, "Lao Yi, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Hmm...? Huh? What?"

Yi Nanshan froze for a second, then slowly opened his eyes.

It seemed he hadn’t heard a single word of what had just been said.

Old Yao’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.

However, he still forced a smile and said, "About the future Martial God... what do you think about the Martial Arts Alliance cultivating him ourselves?"

Yi Nanshan laughed. "Oh, that? Well, wouldn’t you have to find him first and ask for his opinion?"

"A bunch of us old men sitting here deciding this matter for him... do you think that’s appropriate?"

"Find the person, then ask his opinion. At the very least, you need to get his consent, right?"

Old Yao: "..."