Ning Zhiquan smiled. "Brother Hex, Wang Meng isn’t here yet."

"If you hadn’t mentioned him, I’d have forgotten he even existed. Oh well, let’s just ignore him."

A glimmer of anticipation flashed through Ma Tian’Er’s eyes. "Brother Hex, let’s just wait a bit longer. The one-year mark is tomorrow, after all. I think Wang Meng will come."

"Hehe, since Junior Sister Ma says so, we’ll wait a bit more."

Li Tianyi leaned back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other. He had also been training desperately, but he ignored all recruitment offers from factions, regardless of their strength. It wasn’t that he looked down on the power of the factions; he simply had no interest.

Suddenly, Ma Tian’Er’s eyes lit up. She heard a familiar set of footsteps outside.

’There was a time,’ Ma Tian’Er thought, ’when I believed I could face this calmly. Times had changed, everything around me had changed, and so I should have changed too.’

’But why? She knew Wang Meng wasn’t the same person he used to be, so why couldn’t she control her own feelings?’

In the blink of an eye, a smiling face appeared before them.

Wang Meng had appeared. Seeing the familiar Ma Tian’Er, the still-scruffy Li Tianyi, the beaming Mingren, and even the stone-faced Tang Wei... it all felt so endearing.

’What could time and environment really change?’

Before Wang Meng’s smile could fully form, the faces of the two senior Holy Hall disciples darkened.

"Wang Meng, you sure are putting on airs!" Mu Ziqing said coldly.

Initially, Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing hadn’t wanted to bother with Ning Zhiquan’s group. They brought nothing to the table, and even the strongest among them, Ning Zhiquan, was only average. Who could have imagined that Ma Tian’Er and Li Tianyi would perform so well?

Especially after Ma Tian’Er became a member of the Empress Faction, which was like a direct ticket into the Cultivation Academy’s inner circle—a truly incredible feat. Coupled with Ma Tian’Er’s gentle personality, Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing naturally took it upon themselves to look after this little group of Holy Hall Disciples. Just to cater to Ma Tian’Er, they were really putting on an act, playing the part of benevolent Seniors.

"Wang Meng, Brother Mu is only scolding you for your own good. What have you been doing this past year? We Holy Hall Disciples are a team. Here, we can only rely on each other. Not participating in group activities is a grave mistake!"

Hex Zui said earnestly.

Mingren beamed, knowing the two were playing good cop, bad cop.

"Seniors, Wang Meng has surely been focused on his cultivation. And he’s here now, isn’t he? Wang Meng, it’s been a while!"

Mingren laughed and gave Wang Meng a hug.

Li Tianyi came up as well, and the two bumped fists. Time and circumstances could change some things, but some things would never change.

"Junior Sister Ma, everyone’s here now. Let’s begin."

Hex Zui’s attitude toward Ma Tian’Er was completely different—extremely respectful.

The waiters outside began to move. Wang Meng sized up Ma Tian’Er. ’Looks like the girl’s been doing well,’ he thought. ’She’s in great spirits and full of energy.’ Although he had been busy, he’d heard about Ma Tian’Er’s rare Wood of the Five Elements attribute and that she had joined a faction. That put his mind at ease.

Once the initial tension eased, the atmosphere became quite pleasant. This was mainly because Wang Meng wasn’t the focus, and Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing clearly didn’t want to ruin the good mood over him.

At the table, it was Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing who did all the talking, while the others mostly listened.

They were humoring Ma Tian’Er, but it was the two seniors who were paying. Given the "generosity" of their two seniors, everyone else naturally played the part of a good audience... which also meant they could eat more.

Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing were talking up a storm while Wang Meng and the others ate as if there were no tomorrow. This was especially true for Wang Meng and Tang Wei. Expenses within the Cultivation Academy were not low, and everyone had to keep a budget. Wang Meng had been quite frugal over the past year, so with a rare free meal, of course he was going to eat his fill and enjoy it. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Tang Wei held back even less. It was a free meal; not eating would be a waste, so he might as well eat his fill.

"Another plate!" Tang Wei, who already had a large appetite, was not being polite at all.

"I’ll have a plate too!" said Wang Meng.

Li Tianyi elegantly wiped his mouth. "Me too."

Every time one of the three opened their mouth to order more, Mu Ziqing and Hex Zui visibly winced. By the end, their mouths were twitching, but in front of Ma Tian’Er, they could only grit their teeth and bear it, maintaining an appearance of great magnanimity.

Little did they know that Wang Meng and his two friends were not the type to stand on ceremony...

Fortunately, Mingren and Ning Zhiquan felt some "pity" for the two seniors’ wallets and only ate sparingly. They were more worldly-wise.

"For you all, the real challenge begins tomorrow. I assume the Star Ring has already explained the procedure to you. Don’t rush. The first battle is very important. Choose your opponent well, and don’t be nervous. Normally, in a random match, you should encounter opponents of similar strength. Whoever is more ruthless, whoever performs better, will win."

Mu Ziqing got to the main point, displaying his experience as a senior.

"You can’t be arrogant, but you can’t lose confidence either. The Holy Hall’s low ranking is a reflection of the overall resources of our Four Directions Small Thousand World. In terms of individual strength, the gap isn’t that large."

Hex Zui explained, but his explanation somehow lacked conviction.

"Seniors, please rest assured. We will give it our all."

"We’re not worried about Junior Sister Ma," Mu Ziqing said with a smile. "Junior Brother Li and Junior Brother Ning should be fine too, as long as they have a bit of luck."

"Mingren, Tang Wei, and Wang Meng, the three of you need to be careful. Especially you, Wang Meng... can you stop eating for a moment?"

Hex Zui said.

Wang Meng nearly choked and quickly stopped eating. "You’re right, Senior. I will of course do my utmost not to disgrace the Holy Hall!"

"You... This isn’t about disgracing the Holy Hall, it’s about your life! In the first year of combat, you absolutely must maintain a twenty percent win rate. Otherwise, you’ll be taken away and disposed of immediately. There’s no room for negotiation."

Mu Ziqing said.

"Hehe, if you’re lucky, you might run into the ’Master.’ That would be extremely fortunate."

Mingren laughed.

"Haha, that would be a stroke of incredible luck! I really don’t know where that guy popped up from. A lot of people have their eyes on him, but you guys shouldn’t get your hopes up. The chances of that are extremely low."

Hex Zui laughed as well.

"A ’Master’? Or a faker? Is he any good?" Wang Meng asked.

"Wang Meng, I think it would be great if you could run into him. This guy is basically your savior. Anyway, he’s just some pathetically weak dude, but he keeps on fighting. No one knows how many matches he’s lost. That’s why everyone calls him the ’Master.’ It’s a joke—he’s the most genuinely naive fool you’ll ever meet."

Hex Zui laughed. If there were more people with such a self-sacrificing spirit, everyone’s lives would be much easier.

"A pity he won’t live much longer," Mu Ziqing said, shaking his head.

Wang Meng’s mouth fell open. ’Could it be... I can’t be that unlucky, can I?’

Seeing the astonished look on Wang Meng’s face, the two of them thought he was scared, which only deepened their contempt for him.

"Alright, regardless, as your seniors, we wish you success right from the start!"

Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing said. It had to be admitted, they really did look the part of seniors.

After the gathering ended, Hex Zui and Mu Ziqing naturally escorted Ma Tian’Er as she left. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)