Ch75.1 - A New Perspective

The entire hall fell into an awkward silence.

The principal, looking visibly uncomfortable, stepped forward to defuse the situation. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Who brought the cat?”

The students in the front row exchanged uneasy glances, clearly embarrassed by the question. But before the silence could stretch any longer, Nanfeng raised his hand and said, “Reporting to the principal, it was us.”

“Nonsense!” the principal snapped. “Why would you bring a cat to such an important event? Go back and write a self-reflection letter!”

Nanfeng let out a resigned sigh. “Yes, Principal.”

If this had been an ordinary student from another school, they would have been kicked out without question. But he wasn’t just any student—he was from the SA class, a group with privileges that set them apart. Even bringing a cat to an event like this was barely an issue.

Standing on the stage, Lu Xingwang looked down at the kitten below.

For a long moment, their gazes met—one human, one feline. Jian Mei’s heart clenched with longing. Turning into a cat hadn’t bothered him much at first; he’d assumed he would simply change back when the time came. But what he never expected was to run into Dazhuang-ge here, completely out of the blue!

The principal noticed the crown prince staring at the cat and hesitantly asked, “Your Highness, do you dislike cats? If so, I can have it taken away.”

Rumors claimed the crown prince had an unpredictable temperament, making the principal wary of making assumptions.

Frankly, securing Lu Xingwang’s presence at the event had already been an unexpected stroke of luck, so he was determined to ensure the prince’s comfort.

Lu Xingwang’s deep eyes finally shifted away from the cat. His voice was calm as he said, “No need.”

And so, the much-anticipated speech by His Highness, the Crown Prince began. The students of this prestigious academy all carried a certain sense of pride, yet none had any objections to Lu Xingwang standing on that stage.

Some even went so far as to take out their notebooks and start jotting things down.

Meanwhile, others secretly snapped photos and uploaded them to the campus forum, swooning:

“The crown prince is so handsome.”

“His voice is insanely attractive.”

“Even with those scars, he looks ridiculously cool in that mask!”

No matter the planet, no matter the world, one thing never changed—there would always be hopeless beauty fanatics.

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With the ceremony officially over, the SA class students began filing out of the hall.

Near the entrance, some students caught sight of the crown prince speaking with the principal. A few bolder ones lingered at a distance, too nervous to approach but too curious to leave.

Jian Mei wanted to take a look too, but Qiao firmly held him down. “Mei, the principal isn’t too fond of little kittens, you know.”

Nanfeng smirked. “Oh, come on. It’s not the principal he wants to see—I’d bet anything he’s after the crown prince.”

Jian Mei didn’t argue. In a way, Nanfeng was right—he really did want to see the crown prince. And there was nothing wrong with wanting to see Lu Dazhuang either! The real issue was that they wouldn’t let him go!

The group was being ushered toward the emergency exit, heading back to their teaching building. The farther they got, the more anxious Jian Mei became, until at last, he let out a desperate little cry. “Meow~”

The soft, high-pitched meow rang out sweetly, delicate and impossibly endearing.

The sound of that meow wasn’t loud. But for some reason, the moment it rang out, Lu Xingwang, who had been speaking with the principal, suddenly turned around.

Despite the people standing between them and the moderate distance, his sharp and dark as ink gaze seemed to cut through everything and land directly on Jian Mei.

For a moment, it felt like they were locked in a silent exchange across space.

Even the principal, who had been speaking with Lu Xingwang, sensed the shift. Following the crown prince’s gaze, he hesitated before asking, “Your Highness, is something wrong?”

Lu Xingwang slowly withdrew his gaze and replied in a measured tone, “I heard that this year, the SA class made an exception and admitted an extra student.”

The principal was secretly startled. As expected of the crown prince—nothing ever seemed to escape his notice, as if all secrets were laid bare before him.

With no other choice, he admitted, “Yes. There is a student named Mei. He’s quite unique, so we made an exception and admitted him. But what’s strange is that his stone is the exact same color as yours was back then, yet he cannot harness the five elements. Even I haven’t been able to figure out why. Perhaps Your Highness might know something?”

Lu Xingwang thought to himself,Of course, I know—that’s my divine power.

However, his expression remained cold and unreadable as he said, “I’ve never seen or heard of such a case before. But since the principal brought it up, I’d like to meet him myself.”

As a member of the royal family, his unique constitution prevented him from openly investigating someone or calling them out directly. Doing so might provide some level of protection, but it would also make it easier for those with ulterior motives to take advantage of the child—or even target Jian Mei.

When it came to matters of uncertainty, Lu Xingwang’s greatest strength had always been his ability to strategize. He had already waited an entire year. Now, as the moment approached, he would take things one step at a time to achieve his goal.

Naturally, the principal had no suspicions. “Now that I think about it, it’s rather odd. That child didn’t show up for the ceremony this time.”

“The SA students these days are completely unruly. Compared to when you were here, they’re a mess,” the principal said with a helpless chuckle. “You’ve seen it yourself—just look at them.”

Lu Xingwang remained composed, his expression cool. At the principal’s words, he replied smoothly, “It’s been a long time since I last visited that building. Seeing them today does bring back some memories.”

The principal, clearly pleased, immediately offered, “Then allow me to take you for a stroll!”

Lu Xingwang’s plan had worked. Yet, outwardly, he remained as polite as ever. “Then I shall gratefully accept your offer.”

On the other side—

Jian Mei wasn’t sure if he had been recognized. But the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed. After all, who could possibly identify someone just from their appearance as a cat? That wasn’t exactly scientific.

“The car is here,” Nanfeng announced.

One by one, the group boarded the vehicle.

In the end, Jian Mei never got the chance to speak with the crown prince. Sitting in the car, he looked a little dispirited. Qiao, assuming his mood was due to his transformation, reassured him, “I’ll contact the clan leader as soon as possible to ask about it.”

“Is everything okay?” Ying asked from nearby.

Qiao glanced down at the kitten in his arms. “Honestly, I’m not sure. This is the first time I’ve ever transformed a living creature. Before this, my ability wasn’t anywhere near strong enough for something like this. I don’t know how it happened.”

“I had a similar experience,” Ying added. “That time, I suddenly got stronger when I had to save Mei. But afterward, when I tried practicing, I couldn’t do it again.”

Nanfeng smirked. “So basically, all of your problems started after touching him, huh?”

It was meant as a lighthearted joke to lift the mood. But the moment he said it, an eerie silence filled the car.

Nanfeng’s smile slowly stiffened. After a long pause, he muttered, “No way…”

Unbelievable. Was this some kind of enhancement-type priest?

It was terrifying—how could someone have an ability that seemed so useless yet was actually so broken?

Nanfeng hesitated. “Can I try it?”

The moment Jian Mei saw Nanfeng reaching toward him, his fur bristled, and he bared his tiny fangs, making it clear he wasn’t letting him get close.

Nanfeng clutched his chest in exaggerated heartbreak. “Do you really hate me that much?”

Ying smirked. “Serves you right. Who told you to be such a jerk to him at the start? Regretting it now, huh?”

“I was just testing things out!” Nanfeng edged a little closer. “Come on, don’t be mad, don’t be mad. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll steal Ying’s little fire dragon for you to play with.”

Jian Mei curled up in Qiao’s arms, completely ignoring him.

Ying yanked Nanfeng’s ear. “What did you just say?”

Nanfeng let out a sharp hiss of pain. “Ow, ow! I was wrong, okay?! Auntie, please let go! What, you wanna brawl in the car?”

These two were always on the verge of a fight.

Yunshi, ever the calm one, reminded them, “That’s against school rules. If you get caught, you’ll have to write a self-reflection.”

Sure enough, after that remark, the two of them finally settled down—a little, at least. For now, they gave up on the idea of brawling in the carriage. After all, there was nothing more painful in this world than writing a self-reflection report.

Jian Mei still looked sulky.

Back at the dorm, Qiao wasted no time contacting his family. He asked his parents if they could reach his grandfather. When Qiao’s father heard that his son had somehow managed to transform a living person, he was utterly stunned. “You actually reached that level?”

Right now, only the old man could pull off something like that!

Even Qiao’s father himself struggled with transformation magic, so how did his son suddenly become this powerful?