Newbie Guardians

Chapter 13 Transfer Student

The cafeteria, spanning four or five hundred square meters, boasted a high-ceilinged ceiling and was brightly lit. It had eight doors and hundreds of rectangular solid wood tables, neatly arranged with leather-backed chairs facing each other. Along the walls was a long row of display cases. Huang Xin, carrying a tray, walked around, taking over ten minutes just to glance at the menu – it was a veritable feast, featuring dishes from almost every part of the country. Huang Xin instinctively touched the few hundred yuan in her pocket; she'd just grabbed a few bills from her 30,000 yuan savings while cleaning her room, unsure if it would be enough for a meal. She could only choose a few seemingly inexpensive dishes, since none were priced, making her a little anxious. After selecting her food, she realized she couldn't find the checkout, so she followed Jin Jun to see how he paid.

Jin Jun glanced at him in surprise.

"Are you on a diet? You're eating so little? And it's all vegetables?"

"I...I just arrived, and I don't have much of an appetite..." Huang Xin stammered, sounding a little unsure of himself. "Who can compare to you? You're Young Master Qian!" Huang Xin muttered to himself.

Finally, Jin Jun made his selections: eight meat dishes including fish bones, abalone, and sea cucumber, three vegetable dishes, and a dish of century-old ginseng stewed with snow frog. Huang Xin was dumbfounded and felt increasingly uncomfortable. She decided she should never come with him again. It seemed that this cafeteria was exclusively for rich kids!

Jin Jun carried a full load of dishes to the dining table.

"Um... I haven't paid the bill yet..."

"Check out? What check out? All the dishes here are free. Didn't you notice they're not priced?"

"Ah!" Huang Shen almost wanted to pinch her thigh hard to see if she was dreaming—all of this was free! Then I...

"I suddenly have an appetite again, I'll go get a few more dishes."

Huang Shen put down his plate and ordered seven or eight more dishes, and finally didn't forget to order the century-old ginseng soup.

Jin Jun glanced at Huang Xin, seemingly understanding something. Whether it was due to high emotional intelligence or simply a quiet nature, he ultimately said nothing and buried his head in his food.

As Huang Shen ate, he realized he was almost full, yet there was still quite a bit of food left. Looking at Jin Jun, who had eaten everything clean, Huang Shen was utterly impressed; this guy could really eat!

Jin Jun noticed Huang Xin's incredulous expression and said calmly,

"I cultivate the metal element, which consumes a lot of physical energy, so my appetite is naturally larger, about three or four times that of an average person! What about you? Which element do you cultivate?"

"Ah! I...I didn't know! I just arrived today..."

"You don't know?" This time it was Jin Jun's turn to be dumbfounded. Looking at Huang Xin's serious expression, it didn't seem like she was joking. Finally, she added another sentence.

"are you serious?"

Huang Xin nodded and briefly recounted the trial process, omitting the final segment about experiencing the future, since young people are concerned about saving face.

Jin Jun seemed to be deep in thought.

"In that case, you may not have decided which system to study yet, and you need to take a training test first. Do you have a system you want to study?"

"I wonder if anyone here knows how to shoot arrows?"

"Of course there are. Archers are usually wood-type. If the test shows that you are suited to the wood element, then you can choose the archery profession."

"What if it isn't?"

"That's a bit difficult. You'll need to pass more tests, and the conditions are quite demanding."

"Oh, I see. Thank you!"

Jin Jun waved his hand.

"Don't mention it, we're roommates, we see each other all the time, no need to be so formal!"

"Okay, Brother Jin!"

Jin Jun was taken aback by the address of "Big Brother," but he didn't refute it, seemingly accepting Huang Xin as his younger brother.

In the end, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Huang Shen stuffed his stomach until it was round and bulging.

At nine o'clock the next morning, more than 300 new students gathered in the square. Principal Zhuge Ming was a white-haired old man in his sixties, over 1.8 meters tall, with a straight posture, vigorous spirit, and an air of authority when he spoke.

After a brief speech, the freshmen followed eight instructors to the training ground. The training ground was about the size of four football fields, divided into dozens of areas by lines of various colors. In the center was a small square of about 500 to 600 square meters, with seven three-meter-tall statues facing the center of the square. One of them had a long, pointed mouth and was holding a thunder hammer. Huang Xin guessed that it was Lei Zhenzi from the mythology.

In the center of the square is a crystal ball with a diameter of more than 30 centimeters, and below it is a golden cup. Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that the crystal ball is suspended in the air, with a distance of three or four centimeters between it and the base.

"Dear students, I am Liu Shiqi. You can call me Instructor Liu. This is the Martial Arts Training Ground. These seven statues represent the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder. The crystal ball in the middle is for testing attributes. Most people tend to lean towards one of them, indicating that they are best suited to cultivate that element. A small number of people possess two elements at the same time, and a very small number of people have all seven elements at their maximum, making them all-rounders. Throughout history, only three people have ever achieved this."

Instructor Liu paused, then added,

"Principal Zhuge is one of them!"

The new students were in an uproar, their eyes filled with reverence.

"The test is very simple, just hold the crystal ball with both hands!"

After saying that, he stepped forward, wrapped his arms around the crystal ball, and placed his palms on it. Two or three seconds later, a pale green, emerald-like halo with a radius of nearly three meters appeared around the crystal ball, which was extremely beautiful.

Instructor Liu released his grip, and the light disappeared.

"I specialize in the wind element, which is represented by a pale green light. Now, everyone line up and we'll take the test one by one. After you're done, the instructor will announce the answers immediately. Once you know your element, stand under your corresponding statue."

After Instructor Liu's explanation, the new students finally learned what each of the seven statues represented.

Human face with tiger claws is metal element, bird body with human face is wood element, human face with snake body is water element, beast body with human face is fire element, human body with snake tail is earth element, deer body with sparrow head is wind element, and bird beak with wingspan is lightning element.

After the test began, it was quickly determined that each element corresponded to a color: light gold for metal, dark green for wood, deep blue for water, orange-red for fire, light brown for earth, emerald green for wind, and blue-purple for lightning.

Among the more than three hundred freshmen, two were prodigies with dual specializations, making them the envy of many. When it was Huang Xin's turn, he took a deep breath and kept chanting "Wood! Wood! Wood!" in his mind. He slowly reached out and grasped the crystal ball, but it didn't light up for a long time, making him anxious and his forehead covered in fine sweat.

Instructor Liu comforted them,

"Let go for a couple of seconds and try again!"

Huang Xin loosened his palm, took a dozen deep breaths, and then, with a feeling of unease, placed his palm back on the surface.

A minute passed, and still there was no light.

The new students erupted in another uproar, their whispers reaching Huang Xin's ears.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

"Could he have gotten in through connections?"

"What's wrong with this world? Even the Guardians can cheat?"

"No way! This is a folklore academy! Even Tom, Dick, and Harry can sneak in?"

Huang Shen felt a chill run down his spine. Did he really have absolutely no qualifications?

Instructor Liu had never experienced this situation before, so he could only ask Huang Xin to come down and wait aside while the other freshmen were tested first. After the tests were completed, he would consult Principal Zhuge for his opinion.

Huang Xin hung her head dejectedly, biting her lip tightly, her face slightly pale. She clearly had no qualifications whatsoever, so how could she have received an acceptance letter! Why did her grandfather insist she attend the Folklore Academy? What secrets does this academy hold?

The agonizing days dragged on until noon, when all the new students had finished their tests. Except for Huang Xin and the two dual-discipline prodigies who were still standing in the center of the square, everyone else left with their respective instructors.

Instructor Liu, accompanied by two gifted students and Huang Xin, who had no qualifications whatsoever, headed towards the principal's office. After hearing the details, Zhuge Ming burst into laughter.

"Excellent! This year has been incredibly fruitful! Instructor Liu, please assign these three students to Class 3, Grade 2!"

"Principal, I didn't hear you clearly. Did you mean to place him in the second grade?"

"Yes! What's the problem?"

"No, no, I'll arrange it right away."

Huang Xin stammered,

"Mr. Principal, I..."

After instructing Instructor Liu to take the two dual-major students out, the principal patted Huang Xin on the shoulder and said earnestly...

"Young man, have confidence in yourself. You're the only student in this year's class to get a perfect score! Although I don't understand why you have no special talent, decades of experience tell me that you can create your own future! So, young man, don't underestimate yourself, and strive to walk your own path!"