Who are you calling a stable boy?!

Before she could get up, a large hand slammed down, carrying a powerful palm wind. It stopped abruptly just an inch from Yoruichi's nose, causing the continuing palm wind to ruffle Yoruichi's hair and making her still surprised eyes shrink slightly.

At this moment, the temple was suddenly silent.

"That's enough!"

A few seconds later, the lecturer’s somewhat hurried command broke the silence.

Immediately following this was the sound of many people gasping in shock.

"I told you not to be stubborn."

Withdrawing his hand, Zheng Jing muttered as he got up, ignoring the noisy crowd, and went straight to Aizen, who was standing there expressionless.

Seeing Zheng Jing approach, Aizen blinked behind his glasses, then revealed his usual gentle smile.

"Old Lan!"

Zheng Jing grabbed Aizen's shoulder and shouted joyfully.

"Does this mean I've got a long-term free meal card? The kind that lets you eat whatever you want!"

Chapter 65: How can a men's dormitory be complete without late-night talks after lights out?

"...Old Zheng, did you really only take this part into account?"

"What are you saying? What are you saying!"

Zheng Jing's eyes widened.

"With unlimited cafeteria meal subsidies, isn't such an important benefit worth my attention?"

Becoming the top student in a subject within your grade will grant you access to numerous benefits offered by the academy.

During lunch, Aizen gave Zheng Jing a detailed explanation of this information.

Among these benefits is the ability to receive unlimited meal allowances from the college cafeteria.

What is this concept?

Simply put, even with Zheng Jing's appetite, he could eat until he was stuffed at every meal in the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy's internal canteen.

Aizen still remembers that when Zheng Jing heard these words, his golden eyes seemed to ignite.

"So, Lao Zheng, tell me, besides this, what other rewards can one receive from the academy for becoming the top student in a single subject?"

"Uh......"

Zheng Jing withdrew his hands from Aizen's shoulders, and scratched his ears and cheeks a few times with the arms on his shoulders.

"...Tuition waiver?"

Aizen closed his eyes.

I managed to suppress the urge to sigh.

"Hey! You're such a gorilla!"

No one dared to stop the aggressive Yoruichi. Among the new students, who didn't know the true nature of this troublesome young lady of the Shihouin family?

They could gossip behind each other's backs that the dignified young lady of the Shihōin family had actually lost a hand-to-hand combat match to a vagrant transfer student from Rukōkai.

But few dared to provoke Yoruichi at a time like this.

"what?"

Upon hearing Yoruichi call his name, Zheng Jing, who had been somewhat timid in front of Aizen, immediately stood up straight!

"Who are you calling, Hakiye!"

"That's exactly who I'm calling!"

With her hands on her hips, Yoruichi stood in front of Zheng Jing and glared at him.

"Don't think that's all!"

"Oh, oh, oh, what's wrong? You can't accept defeat?"

"Who can't afford to lose?! Even if you win this time—"

"Hey, hold on, what do you mean I won? You're not going to say something like you were careless and didn't dodge, are you? Hmm? Master Ye?"

"...I lost! So what?!"

Yoruichi tiptoed and poked Zheng Jing's full pectoral muscles hard.

"Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"

That being said, Yoruichi also knew that if she used the same level of spiritual power... no, even if she used all her spiritual pressure from the start to fight Zheng Jing with eighth-level spiritual power, the outcome would still be uncertain.

But that doesn't stop her from being determined to compete with Zheng Jing!

—We finally have such an interesting new student, why should Yoruichi Shihouin let go of her?

"Look at what you're saying, as if you'd just accept a challenge if I asked. Hey, Old Lan, look at her—"

"Old Zheng, the evaluation of the top student in a single subject in the grade is only conducted at the end of the semester."

"..."

Zheng Jing, who was grinning at Aizen when he turned around, froze.

Aizen smiled and nodded at Zheng Jing.

"Oh? So your goal is to become the top student in your grade, alright?"

Yoruichi laughed too.

"Whether or not this fight happens in the future will not be up to you, Gorilla Master!"

"—Come on then, are you afraid of me?"

Turning his head, Zheng Jing lowered his head and met Ye Yi's gaze.

The eyes of two such beautiful pairs of eyes met, one of gold and the other of amber, and for a moment, many students present couldn't help but hold their breath and fall silent.

"...Speaking of which, you seem to know Aizen quite well? Did you know each other before?"

Yoruichi suddenly turned her head and looked at Aizen behind Zheng Jing.

"What? Do I need Haki to interfere with how I make friends?"

"Oh? A friend?"

Yoruichi raised his eyebrows.

"..."

Aizen remained silent, only lowering his face slightly and adjusting his glasses, the reflection from the lenses obscuring his eyes.

"Teacher, is there anything else I can do?"

"Huh? Uh, no, that's all. You performed very well. Zheng Jing and Shifengyuan, you can both rejoin the team."

The lecturer, who was suddenly called upon, seemed to finally remember his responsibilities as a teacher. He clapped his hands loudly.

"Next, we will practice in teams. If you can't find an opponent, you can come to me."

"Old Lan, let's go!"

Zheng Jing turned his head, patted Aizen on the back, and walked towards a corner of the dojo.

He figured that if he didn't contact Lao Lan, it would be Yoruichi who would come to him to continue.

With a smile and a nod to Yoruichi, Aizen turned around and followed Zheng Jing's steps.

"Humph......"

With one hand on her hip, Yoruichi raised the back of her hand to wipe the sweat dripping from her chin.

Before Zheng Jing arrived, among the new students, the one she cared about most was Aizen.

Although they had only faced each other once during a real combat exercise, Yoruichi always felt that this bespectacled man was hiding something, and given her personality, she would naturally want to do something about it.

And now...

She grinned and chuckled softly.

"It looks like I won't be bored for the next few years."

-

"call......"

Zheng Jing, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, let out a long breath.

"What's wrong? You look exhausted."

Across from him, Aizen, who was cultivating, heard the noise and spoke to Zheng Jing with his eyes closed.

Well... how should I put it...?

Zheng Jing muttered something.

He hadn't had a full day of classes like this for a while, and this sudden change really brought back some of the youthful feeling he had in high school.

"If you're really tired, go to bed early. It's also important to balance work and rest."

Aizen said softly.

"With your talent, Zheng Jing, why push yourself so hard?"

"Huh? Ha! Old Lan, you've misunderstood. As for training and cultivation, I've never forced myself in that regard, not even once."

"Oh?"

This topic seems to have piqued Aizen's interest.

He opened his eyes and looked at Zheng Jing.

Does Zheng Jing believe that spiritual practice should be done according to one's own desires?

"Hiss... How should I explain this...?"

Zheng Jing, scratching his head in frustration, rolled his eyes and suddenly had an idea.

"Old Lan, you like tofu, right? I saw that you had tofu dishes for both lunch and dinner."

"That's absolutely true."

Although it was unclear why Zheng Jing suddenly brought this up, Aizen still acknowledged it.

"If you're already a little full, would you refuse if I gave you another piece of delicious tofu?"

"Hmm... probably not."

"Right!"

Zheng Jing clapped his hands with a smile.

"People tend to have a greater capacity for tolerance and patience towards everything they like."

"...So, Old Zheng, you like cultivation?"

"I never do things I don't like, just as I rarely associate with people I don't like."

"Could I ask for the reason, or rather, the justification?"

In which aspect?

"Why do you like training? You know, in Rukongai, training is a rather luxurious thing."

Since it was already after lights out, Aizen naturally took off his glasses.

Without the lens separating them, he stared into Zheng Jing's eyes.

"Is it because you have some kind of goal? For example..."

"I want to become the strongest, or I want to change something."

Chapter Sixty-Six: If Heaven had not given birth to Zheng Laosan, the Ghost Path would have been shrouded in eternal darkness!

"laugh--"

When Zheng Jing suddenly burst out laughing, Aizen was taken aback.

"Sorry, Lao Lan, I didn't expect someone as smart as you to ask such a question. I couldn't help myself."

Zheng Jing waved his hand.