[Restart Volume] Chapter 228: The Song Ends, the Guests Depart—Those Fated Shall Meet Again

Mo Xing, standing at the back, noticed that the instructors were looking at him and lowered his head in embarrassment.

“The results for the theory examination will now be announced. The subject is worth a maximum of three hundred points.” Teacher Apocalypse clapped his hands.

The Titan Rings on the students’ hands began to flicker again, and another string of luminous numbers appeared.

“One hundred and eighty-five points!”

“I... I broke two hundred!”

“Ah, I was just a little short!”

“Are all of you really scoring that high?”

“I’m doomed! I only got a little over a hundred!”

As the students chattered among themselves, Mo Xing did not join in. He had never been good at dealing with people. After a week at the academy, he knew only Shi Yan and the others—people he was already fairly familiar with.

Come to think of it, his theory score was the result of his hard study with Shi Yan and the others’ help.

Yet when the awkward number “two hundred and fifty” appeared on his Titan Ring, Mo Xing had no idea whether he ought to be pleased.

A theory score of two hundred and fifty was actually considered quite high among the results of the freshman assessment.

Of course, Mo Xing had no idea.

Suddenly, the number on his Titan Ring changed to “three hundred and fifty.” Mo Xing frowned, while the students nearby began discussing it among themselves.

“New students, do not panic,” Teacher Apocalypse said, clapping his hands.

“The score now displayed is the sum of your regular performance and your theory examination score,” Teacher Apocalypse continued. “All freshmen whose combined score in the two subjects has reached three hundred and fifty points, please gather on my left.”

Mo Xing followed the surging crowd to Teacher Apocalypse’s left.

“How many are there this time?” Teacher Long Lian asked.

“Seven thousand five hundred and sixty-four,” Teacher Su Yunzhou replied.

“Finally, we will announce the practical examination results and the final total score.” Teacher Apocalypse clapped his hands. “The practical examination is worth a maximum of five hundred points.”

The Titan Rings flashed once more. The students lowered their heads to look at their scores, and an uproar erupted all around them like a landslide.

“My goodness! My practical score is that low?”

“How did I only get a little over a hundred?”

“My score in this subject is even lower than my regular score!”

“Same for the two of us!”

“This grading is way too harsh, isn’t it?”

Mo Xing looked at his own result. His practical examination score was three hundred and sixteen.

Although his performance in the individual competition had been terrible, he had done fairly well in the team competition, barely managing to salvage his practical score. He had no idea whether his total would be high enough to qualify him to remain at Saint Sky Royal Academy.

“Finally, we will announce everyone’s total score, as well as this year’s passing line.” Teacher Apocalypse raised his voice.

“All freshmen who have reached the passing line, please come to my right! That’s right, my right this time!” Teacher Long Lian paused.

“This is a moment of glory, and also a moment of parting,” Teacher Su Yunzhou said.

“We hereby thank all the freshmen who took part in the assessment. On behalf of every teacher and student at Saint Sky Royal Academy, we offer our highest respect to all of you who are passionate about pursuing your dreams.” Every instructor raised their right hand in salute.

A deep tolling of bells came from the distance. Brilliant light shone from the Titan Ring on Mo Xing’s hand as two strings of numbers and words rolled continuously across its surface before finally coming to a stop—

“Passing line: 650 points”

“Individual total score: 666 points”

Mo Xing was stunned at first, then let out a small sigh of relief. He had scraped through without incident. He could continue studying at Saint Sky Royal Academy, remain roommates with Great Master Zhang Zhihao and the others, and finally fulfill the promise he and Shi Yan had made long ago!

“Boo-hoo—”

Mo Xing turned his head and saw many people nearby crying, while others embraced one another in farewell.

“I... I can’t stay anymore...”

“It’s all right. We’re still friends.”

“Let’s say goodbye here...”

“Don’t say that. We’ll see each other again.”

“You big jerk! You promised we’d get through the freshman assessment together! Boo-hoo-hoo!”

“I’m sorry... darling.”

“You... In the end, you still fell just short.”

“I’m sorry... I’m afraid I won’t have the chance to take you to the back street for delicious food anymore.”

“I... I hereby announce that our four-person dormitory group is disbanded!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? As long as our hearts remain together, the brothers will never part!”

“That’s right! Everyone, keep in touch!”

“Stop crying. You all passed the assessment. You should act like true men and carry our hopes with you as you create glory for yourselves at this academy!”

Watching them, Mo Xing felt tears inexplicably welling in his eyes, and a faint sadness settled over his heart.

The scene before him reminded him of the graduation gatherings he had attended with his former classmates. No matter how reluctant they were to part, no matter how many memories they shared, in the end they still had to say goodbye.

Mo Xing sniffed, then turned and followed the flow of people toward the other side.

Every song must end, and every gathering must break apart. Those destined to meet will meet again.

“It seems that young Mo Xing passed the assessment as well.” Teacher Long Lian watched Mo Xing disappear into the crowd.

“Of course he did. Otherwise, wouldn’t it break your heart?” Teacher Apocalypse said.

“Hmph. Aren’t you the same?” Teacher Long Lian stroked his little mustache.

“He may not be the most outstanding, but he is certainly a child with great potential. If it were up to me, I would hope a student like him could stay.” Teacher Su Yunzhou spoke calmly.

“By the way, Yunzhou, how is the quality of this year’s freshmen?” Teacher Long Lian asked.

“Not bad. There are a little over eleven thousand one hundred who passed, a little over five thousand two hundred whose results are pending, and the rest have been eliminated.” Su Yunzhou smiled faintly. “The base number we need to assess is rather large, and it takes quite a bit out of me, so for now I’ve only calculated it to the nearest hundred. We’ll have to wait for the Academic Affairs Office to announce the exact figures.”

“Mm. It should be about the same as last year,” Teacher Apocalypse said.

“Personally, I think the Academic Affairs Office should just post the results on the notice board and let the students check them for themselves. But every year at this time, all the freshmen and teachers have to gather here and reveal the results little by little. It practically wears out these old bones of mine.” Teacher Long Lian coughed.

“A-Lian, every year at this time we have to listen to you complain about the way the results are announced.” Teacher Apocalypse laughed. “As I always say, I think this method does more good than harm. Having so many people gather together isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“It also gives us a chance to properly bid farewell to those students we once taught who have been eliminated.”

...

“I’m back!”

Mo Xing pushed open the dormitory door, but no one answered.

“Huh? Where did everyone go? Don’t we all have the day off today?” Mo Xing muttered to himself. He checked the bedrooms and bathroom, but found none of his roommates.

He had just returned from the Hades Training Ground and wanted to share his freshman assessment results with his roommates, only to discover that they had all gone out.

He walked over to the balcony and glanced around. There was still no one there.

Come to think of it, the dormitory he lived in occupied a rather unusual location. Situated at the southeastern corner of the first floor of Rayne Apartments, it had a small lawn outside the balcony. Enclosed on the sides by tall shrubs and a railing, it formed a half-secluded space.

Put plainly, it was a backyard!

He could plant a few flowers there, take a small stool outside in the afternoon to bask in the sun, read the newspaper while sipping tea, and stroke a well-behaved cat in his lap. It was practically the life of a retiree!

When one grows old, one has no choice but to steep goji berries in an insulated thermos!

Wait!

He was still young. Why had he already begun fantasizing about retirement? Wasn’t that a little too unambitious?

“Meow—”

A cat suddenly cried out behind him. Mo Xing turned around and discovered Senior Brother Cai Hong standing in the doorway, holding an orange cat in his arms.

“Junior Brother Mo Xing, you’re back?” Senior Brother Cai Hong held the cat with his left arm while changing into slippers with his right.

“Mm-hmm. I just got back.” Mo Xing nodded. “Senior Brother, whose cat is this?”

“This one? Her name is Moonshadow. She’s the shop’s mascot.”

“The shop is about to undergo renovations and an upgrade, so the manager asked me to bring her back to the dormitory for a while,” Cai Hong added. “You’re not afraid of cats, are you, Junior Brother?”

“Of course not! There are plenty of cats in my hometown too. I often feed them.”

Mo Xing stepped in from the balcony.

“That’s good.” Senior Brother Cai Hong smiled. “But that fellow Mianhua is terrified of cats. Once, he accidentally stepped on a cat’s tail while walking down the street. The moment the cat cried out, he dropped to the ground and begged for mercy. There were quite a few students there to witness it! That was the darkest chapter of his life, ha-ha.”

“By the way, don’t tell him I told you, and don’t mention it to anyone else either. Otherwise, that fellow will challenge me to a duel again.” Cai Hong chuckled.

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I won’t go around telling people.” Mo Xing raised a finger and swore.

“If Senior Brother Mianhua is so afraid of cats, why did you bring one back?” Mo Xing asked, puzzled.

“I couldn’t help it. I’m still an intern, so I don’t dare disobey the manager’s orders.” Cai Hong placed a hand on Mo Xing’s shoulder. “Besides, you surely don’t want Senior Brother Mianhua to remain like this forever, do you? As his roommates, we have to help him overcome this unfortunate fear of cats!”

“Uh... that seems like a rather difficult task.” Mo Xing hesitated.

“Meow—”

The cat in Cai Hong’s arms cried out again.

“Oh no. She’s hungry, and I forgot to bring her cat food.” Cai Hong set the cat on the floor and continued, “Junior Brother Mo Xing, there are some ingredients in the kitchen cupboard, and there are fire stones beside the stove. I’ll have to trouble you to work your magic and perform another miracle from the heavens.”

“What?”

“I’m good at cooking food for humans, but how am I supposed to prepare food for a cat?” Mo Xing froze.

“Junior Brother, I believe in you!” Senior Brother Cai Hong looked at Mo Xing, his eyes shining as though they were saying, You are the greatest chef under heaven. You can absolutely do this.

“Meow—”

The cat cried out again, scratching her head with a little paw.

“See? Moonshadow agrees too.” Senior Brother Cai Hong pointed at the cat. “All right, I’m counting on you, Junior Brother! I’ll be right back!”

“This...”

Before Mo Xing could say anything, Senior Brother Cai Hong turned and ran out. One sentence echoed through the corridor:

“Believe in yourself!”