I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

At the Star City Academy cafeteria.

The three-member "foodie squad" gathered around a table in the north corner, enjoying their lunch with gusto. Their expressions were filled with satisfaction.

Even Lin Ran, who initially approached eating with restraint, had been influenced by the group. He now believed that small bites lacked the true spirit of a dedicated eater. Large bites were the only way to feel fulfilled.

However, Lin Ran's capacity always gave out quickly. After a short time, he would run out of stamina and lose all motivation to continue eating.

At the moment, Feng Qi was scooping up garlic oysters from his plate while gripping a tomahawk steak in his left hand. He was eating with great enthusiasm.

Free food really does taste better, he thought. Otherwise, if he had to eat like this every day on his own dime, he'd never be able to afford it.

His thoughts wandered as he glanced at Mu Qing.

Compared to Mu Qing, Feng Qi's appetite seemed almost insignificant. She could easily eat an amount that would put him to shame, as if they were on entirely different levels.

If eating required money, Mu Qing's situation would undoubtedly be worse than his.

"Senior Mu Qing, I think that after you graduate and join a domain combat squad, all the money you earn will have to go toward buying food. It might not even be enough—you might have to borrow from us," Feng Qi remarked, looking at her with mock seriousness.

Mu Qing, her cheeks puffed up with food, paused mid-bite. A thoughtful look crossed her face, followed by a slight furrow of her brow as a trace of concern appeared. But in the end, she simply shrugged it off and resumed eating.

"Enjoy food while you can. Who cares if you're hungry tomorrow?" Lin Ran joked with a grin as he looked up.

"Good point—let's eat!" Feng Qi replied, diving back into his meal.

After half an hour, their meal was finished. Feng Qi, now feeling stuffed, waved goodbye to Mu Qing, who was still eating, and began walking with Lin Ran toward the academy's training field.

It was now noon, and new students who had finished their lunch were lounging on the grassy field, enjoying a brief respite.

Groups of students from different special training classes sat in circles, listening as their instructors delivered lectures from the center.

Among the eleven new trainees, Feng Qi had interacted with only two—Lü Yue, the monk, and the enigmatic Bai Yi. He recognized the other nine only by their appearances, as he hadn't had the chance to learn about them in detail.

Among these nine, Xia Long, Xia Hu, and Xia Bao were brothers from the Hundred Beasts Domain Combat Squad. All three were towering, muscular men whose performance during training had been exceptional. It was clear they had prior experience with body refinement cultivation techniques.

Jia Yi, from the Eight Trigrams Formation Research Institute, had a scholarly demeanor. He always wore a gentle smile during training, exuding a sunny disposition.

Feng Qi recalled that in a message his future self had left in the mailbox, Jia Yi was described as having infiltrated the Crimson Research Institute and consistently provided critical intelligence to the organization. He was undoubtedly a promising talent—assuming he wasn't a double agent.

Yang Xiaoxin and Cai Guo were both girls, one from the Star City Military Department and the other from the Medical Research Institute. Despite their privileged backgrounds, they showed no signs of arrogance and worked diligently during training.

Le Ping'an, from the Institute of Technological Research, was an utterly unremarkable-looking individual—the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

Feng Qi wasn't surprised that Le Ping'an, despite his technological background, had chosen to study at Star City Academy instead of enrolling in institutions like the Institute of Technology or the Academy of Future Sciences.

After all, a child's preferences don't always align with their parents' expectations.

Take Mo Fei, for instance. Both of his parents were cultivators, but from a young age, he had been passionate about mechanical sciences and aspired to become a great inventor.

Lastly, Xu Hongyun was a chubby young man who was often seen gasping for air during training. Despite his struggles, he demonstrated commendable determination, enduring the exercises no matter how drenched in sweat he became.

Xu Hongyun's background was particularly noteworthy—he came from the influential Fractured Sky Group, a family with considerable financial resources.

The Fractured Sky Group was also one of the three major sponsors of Star City Academy.

Through Bai Fusheng, Feng Qi learned that a portion of the academy's annual cafeteria expenses was covered by the Fractured Sky Group's sponsorship.

Classic offspring of capitalists.

Over the past few days, Feng Qi had been spending time at the training field, observing the special training sessions to analyze the trainees' behaviors and personality traits. His goal was to identify any potential double agents or threats lurking among them.

So far, his efforts had yielded nothing. Every trainee performed admirably, leaving no obvious leads.

"Qi-ge, something fun's about to happen!" Lin Ran suddenly interrupted his train of thought.

Looking up, Feng Qi saw the trainees from various special training classes being led by their instructors to form a large circle in the center of the field.

Standing at the center of the circle, Bai Fusheng scanned the gathered students with a smile before speaking. "Let's liven things up today. I'm sure many of you have already been exposed to cultivation techniques beyond the basics. Here's your chance to show off your skills. We're going to hold a special training duel. Each class will choose one representative to compete. The class whose representative wins will get the afternoon off."

Cheers and excitement rippled through the students.

They were all top-tier talent from various academies, confident in their abilities. This was the perfect opportunity to showcase their skills and potentially earn special recognition for the rest of their academic journey.

"You have 30 minutes to choose your class representative. Instructors, take your classes aside and discuss," Bai Fusheng announced.

At his command, the instructors led their students away to begin deliberations.

What followed was a chaotic scramble within each class as trainees argued and sparred to prove themselves worthy of representing their group.

Among the commotion, Lü Yue once again captured Feng Qi's attention.

Clad in his black training uniform with his long hair tied and coiled neatly behind his head, Lü Yue carried an ancient-style longsword on his back, exuding the aura of a classical swordsman.

His combat style was brutally efficient, often relying on the simplest, most direct techniques to incapacitate his opponents. After swiftly defeating several of his classmates, Lü Yue was unanimously chosen as his class representative.

Feng Qi didn't know much about Lü Yue personally, but according to the notes his future self had left behind, Lü Yue was by far the strongest combatant in his class.

More importantly, Lü Yue was tasked with the vital mission of protecting humanity's brightest talents.

The intelligence about a mysterious organization safeguarding humanity's prodigies had been uncovered during one of Lü Yue's missions, where he reported it back to the group.

Another trainee who drew Feng Qi's interest was the monk. Although he often came across as unreliable, his combat prowess was undeniable.

That being said, his battle strategy leaned heavily on comedic value—his head served as both a weapon and a shield, seamlessly integrating offense and defense.

Unfortunately, his lack of refined technique eventually cost him. His opponent managed to exploit a critical opening, taking him down.

As for Xia Long, Xia Hu, and Xia Bao, the trio's fighting style was nothing short of ferocious. Before each fight, they would remove their shirts, revealing rippling muscles that struck fear into anyone watching. Their techniques were wide and aggressive, embodying raw, unrestrained power.

Ultimately, Xia Long emerged victorious and was chosen as his class representative.

The remaining seven trainees showed relatively unremarkable combat capabilities.

Xu Hongyun, the chubby heir of the Fractured Sky Group, didn't even qualify to compete for his class's representative spot. Resigned to his role as a spectator, he sat in the outer circle, occasionally clapping enthusiastically for his classmates. He blended so well into the background that he might as well have been a prop.

Amidst the preparation and deliberation, Bai Fusheng's booming voice called the trainees back to the center. The inter-class representative duel was about to begin.

Feng Qi couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation for the upcoming matches, particularly those involving Lü Yue and Xia Long.