The desk legs scraped against the floor, emitting a teeth-grinding sound. Lu Mingfei reached out, pushing something away, and a warm sensation brought him back to reality.
Chen Motong stood to the side, steadying Professor Manstein, who Lu Mingfei had almost pushed over.
“It’s unbelievable. Lu Mingfei’s stamina wasn’t this good during the morning test,” Manstein said, his face filled with surprise.
Lu Mingfei looked down at his hands. There was no rusty high-backed seat, and outside, the anxious Instructor Fuyama Masashi was waiting for him.
“The exam is over, don’t be nervous! Everything you just saw was a spiritual vision effect,” Chen Motong said softly, taking Lu Mingfei’s answer sheet.
Manstein also gently stroked Lu Mingfei’s back. “Good boy, it’s over. No one will hurt you here.”
“Spiritual vision…”
Lu Mingfei slumped back into his chair, resting his hands on his forehead. Those scenes were so vivid, so empathetic. Was it really just a spiritual vision?
“Don’t worry, it’s all normal. The first time I had a spiritual vision, I saw my mother lying in bed, her soul being pulled away by a shadow, and then my mother died.”
Chen Motong said in a low voice, “It was a very real scene. Not only did I see him take my mother’s soul, but I also saw that person’s face clearly.”
Lu Mingfei looked up at Chen Motong, but he couldn’t see any sadness on her face.
“Is that so? I also saw a boy, and I saw his face clearly.”
“It’s all normal,” Manstein said. “When I had a spiritual vision, I also had similar hallucinations. Both my ears were filled with whistling wind, so loud I couldn’t even speak.”
“The exam is over. You perfectly completed the 3E Exam. Now you just need to wait for Noma to confirm your S-rank evaluation. You are a well-deserved S-rank.”
“I understand,” Lu Mingfei mumbled, nodding his head.
“Go get some rest. Tonight, Noma will send you the course selection form. Guderian has probably already recommended courses for you, and you also have Fingel by your side. Make the best arrangements,” Manstein said, taking the nine answer sheets from Chen Motong’s hand and placing them in a sealed box.
Lu Mingfei froze. Nine answer sheets?
Fingel had only given him eight answers!
Did I really write another one myself?
When the nine answer sheets were bound together, Lu Mingfei clearly saw the first answer sheet, which contained content beyond Fingel’s answers.
I really did write one myself.
Lu Mingfei confirmed the content on the paper, but he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
No way… My drawing skills… could they be that good?
“Can I ask one more thing? How was my state when I was answering?” He stopped Manstein.
“Very elegant, with a confident smile on your face. Each stroke was like a work of calligraphy and painting,” Manstein praised. “Your Golden Eyes were also very impressive. I couldn’t fully appreciate that majesty through the surveillance, but almost no one approached within six feet of you at the time.”
“They were all scared away by you.”
“Understood, thank you, Professor.” Lu Mingfei’s emotions finally stabilized, and he stood up to bid farewell to Professor Manstein.
Fingel was waiting for him at the entrance of the teaching building. Seeing Lu Mingfei looking gloomy, he couldn’t help but elbow Lu Mingfei’s chest.
“That expression? You didn’t get caught cheating, did you? You didn’t rat me out, did you?”
“How could that be? Not only was I not caught, but even if I were, I’m not the kind of person who would rat out my senior brother,” Lu Mingfei said righteously.
“What if they tortured you severely?”
“Then I’ll treat you to a meal, Senior Brother,” Lu Mingfei said, scratching his head and smiling.
“So, what are we eating tonight?” Fingel took advantage of the situation.
“Let’s eat pig trotters,” Lu Mingfei stuck out his tongue, making Fingel feel disgusted.
Late at night, Dorm 303 in District 1.
Lu Mingfei was lying in bed selecting courses. With Professor Guderian’s thoughtful care and Fingel, a master of slacking off, he got the most balanced schedule.
“Ah, I have an 8 AM class tomorrow?” Lu Mingfei sighed. “That means no more sleeping in.”
Fingel glanced at Lu Mingfei’s phone screen.
“‘Magical Mechanical Design’? This will probably be your toughest class this semester. The teacher for this course is Mans Rundstedt. He’s an absolute exam fanatic. He calls roll in every class, so be careful,” Fingel warned.
Lu Mingfei was startled and quickly set 30 alarms from 7 AM to 7:30 AM.
“Does anyone check for tardiness or early departures?” he asked casually.
“Of course. Haven’t you met Professor Manstein? He personally checks the clock-in status of students attending the 8 AM class tomorrow. Don’t forget to clock in tomorrow. Don’t underestimate the perseverance of the Disciplinary Committee Chairman!”
Fingel’s expression was serious, as if there was a history of blood and tears hidden within it.
“How terrifying,” Lu Mingfei grumbled.
“I should have known not to choose this course. I really fell for your and the professor’s evil schemes.”
“You’re going to die sooner or later anyway. While you’re still energetic in your freshman year and don’t have any thoughts of lying around like a corpse, choosing it now is the best option,” Fingel comforted him, his eyes still fixed on the computer screen.
An email notification suddenly appeared in the lower right corner of the screen.
“Attention, first-year freshmen: The Level 1 Magical Mechanical Design class scheduled for tomorrow morning has been canceled. Professor Rundstedt will send the lecture notes for Chapter 1 to your email inboxes.”
“Wow, there’s actually such a good thing!” Lu Mingfei beamed, starting to turn off the 30 alarms.
“Professor Rundstedt might have gone on a mission,” Fingel closed the email and continued, “Didn’t you say that Ye Sheng and his team were transferred to Sichuan? The professor might be the team leader for this mission.”
“Team leader professor?” Lu Mingfei was puzzled.
“The academy often suspends classes for several weeks because professors are out on missions, as many professors also work part-time for the Execution Department,” Fingel said, “the Execution Department’s secret missions.”
“Related to dragons?” Lu Mingfei guessed.
“Of course. They must have found some important clues to cancel the class temporarily.”
Sunlight streamed in through the porthole. The person sitting in the shadows closed the video of Lu Mingfei using a sniper rifle to kill Chu Zihang and Caesar, then leaned back in his chair and silently exhaled.
Looking out the porthole, there was a river, and the ship was passing between two mountains.
“Fingel is indeed worthy of being the most outstanding A-rank. Only he can perform such methods so skillfully,” the middle-aged man across the table sighed.
“It’s just a pity.”
“This is why we changed our educational policy. The war with the Dragon Race, perhaps, can only truly be changed by extreme single-person combat,” the principal said softly, “The One.”
“We need a Dragon Slayer like Menek Kassel, one whom even the Dragon Kings fear.”
“Perhaps. Is that why you rated Lu Mingfei as S-rank?” The middle-aged man frowned. “So far, I haven’t seen anything special about him. I don’t think he can surpass Caesar or Chu Zihang. Compared to them, Lu Mingfei is missing too many things.”
The principal shook his head. “You’ll know soon enough, perhaps right here, in the river beneath our feet.”
He stood up and looked out the porthole. It was the high-water season, and on the sandbars along both banks, small white flowers bloomed on the dark green grass.
“When does the Kui Men Plan begin?”
“In a week,” Mans said. “Ye Sheng and Yaji are both ready. They are the best people under me, and with the modified Moniyahe, I am confident.”
“I hope there are no accidents, King of Bronze and Fire, the noble First Generation,” the principal said, looking down at his feet.
“I wish them a safe return.”