First Encounter in Dorm Seven, Confrontation with the Gang Leader

The dormitory for the auxiliary students of Nuoding Academy of Advanced Spirit Masters, Dormitory Seven, was less a dormitory and more a slightly larger, crude warehouse. The walls were mottled, the floor was rough cement, and several dilapidated wooden beds were placed haphazardly. The air was filled with the unique scent of youthful sweat and vitality.

When the senior auxiliary student leading them pushed open the creaking wooden door, the noisy chatter inside the dormitory instantly fell silent. A dozen pairs of eyes, curious, scrutinizing, and even carrying a hint of provocation, turned in unison towards the doorway, sizing up the newcomers, Tang San and Lin Kun.

Most of these children wore simple, even tattered, clothes, but their eyes were exceptionally bright, possessing a resilience and wariness that belied their age. Their status as auxiliary students placed them at the bottom of the academy, which made them more united, and also more reverent of strength.

A boy, the tallest and seemingly the oldest, walked over. He had dark skin, a sturdy build, and his eyes held a maturity and authority unbefitting his age. Lin Kun recognized him; he should be the current dorm leader of Dormitory Seven, Wang Sheng.

"New auxiliary students?" Wang Sheng sized them up, his gaze primarily falling on Tang San, who appeared more composed. "My name is Wang Sheng, and I'm the leader of Dormitory Seven. What are your names? What are your Martial Souls? According to the rules of Dormitory Seven, newcomers must demonstrate their strength, and the strongest becomes the new boss."

Tang San frowned slightly. He preferred quiet and disliked such pointless conflict, but he understood the principle of going with the flow. Just as he was about to speak, a slightly teasing voice from beside him cut in.

"Boss?" Lin Kun took half a step forward, forcing a seemingly relaxed smile onto his face, though his heart was pounding like a drum in his chest. He knew that, according to the original story, Tang San would easily defeat Wang Sheng next, followed by Xiao Wu's appearance, defeating Tang San and becoming the new dorm leader. He had to do something to break this established flow and create an opportunity for himself! "Sounds interesting. But, Brother Dorm Leader, are you sure you want to fight now? What if more newcomers arrive later, and they're even stronger? Wouldn't that mean you fought for nothing?"

Wang Sheng was taken aback, clearly not expecting the scrawny, sallow-faced boy to say that. The other auxiliary students also burst into laughter.

"What? Are you scared?" Wang Sheng grunted, his attention drawn to Lin Kun.

"Not scared, exactly," Lin Kun shrugged, trying to imitate a bit of modern-day swagger. "I just think a series of one-on-one fights isn't fair to you. How about this: once everyone has arrived, we have a 'King's Competition'? The winner takes all, and the boss is decided in one go. Much cleaner."

His words were half true and half false; he wanted to stir up trouble and also buy time, waiting for that key person to arrive.

Tang San glanced at Lin Kun with some surprise. He felt that this fellow villager seemed much livelier (or perhaps stranger) than he had been in the village.

Wang Sheng stroked his chin, finding some logic in Lin Kun's words. Just then, the dormitory door was pushed open again.

This time, all eyes were drawn to the doorway once more, but unlike the previous scrutiny and provocation, most of the boys' gazes now held a hint of astonishment and curiosity.

A girl stood at the entrance. Her pretty little face was fair with a rosy blush, and her tender appearance was like a ripe peach, making one want to take a bite. Her long black hair was braided into a pigtail that hung down past her hips, and her large, watery eyes exuded curiosity and liveliness. She wore a pink outfit; although new, its style was simple, suggesting her family's circumstances were also average.

It was Xiao Wu!

Lin Kun's heart gave a violent lurch, almost stopping. She was here! The key person was here! The system's countdown in his mind seemed to turn into a piercing shriek!

"Is this Dormitory Seven?" The girl's voice was clear and pleasant, like a lark singing.

Wang Sheng snapped back to attention. As the dorm leader, he stepped forward again to fulfill his duty: "Yes, this is Dormitory Seven. Are you also a new auxiliary student?"

Xiao Wu nodded, her large eyes blinking. Her gaze swept over everyone in the dormitory, finally settling on Wang Sheng, Tang San, and Lin Kun, who were standing in the middle. A sly smile curved her lips. "What were you just talking about, the King's Competition? It sounds like fun! Who's the strongest? I'm new, do I have to fight too?"

Her gaze finally fixed on Tang San, as if she instinctively felt that the most composed-looking boy might be the strongest.

Just as Wang Sheng was about to explain, Lin Kun beat him to it, exclaiming in an exaggerated tone, "Wow, another expert! This is getting even more exciting! Brother Dorm Leader, I think your position as boss is in jeopardy!"

As he spoke, he subtly shifted a small step towards Xiao Wu, closing the distance slightly. His muscles tensed, and his mental energy became highly focused, like an athlete waiting for the starting gun, calculating the distance and angle of every step.

Provoked by Lin Kun and seeing that Xiao Wu was a girl, Wang Sheng felt his pride pricked. He snorted and said to Tang San, "Never mind the rest for now, kid, let's spar and see your skill!" With a low growl, a faint yellow light emanated from him as his War Tiger Martial Soul manifested. He threw a punch at Tang San.

Tang San's eyes sharpened. He executed a subtle footwork technique, easily evading Wang Sheng's attack. Simultaneously, he used Crane Controlling Dragon with his left hand, guiding and pushing. The movements were fluid and natural. Wang Sheng felt an irresistible force transmit through him, his sturdy body immediately losing balance. With a startled cry, he stumbled backward.

And the direction he fell was precisely where Lin Kun's subtle positioning had placed him moments before, directly towards Xiao Wu, who had just entered and was watching curiously!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye!

"Oh dear!" Xiao Wu hadn't expected the conflict to suddenly involve her. Seeing Wang Sheng's sturdy body hurtling towards her, she let out a small cry and instinctively prepared to use a Soft Skill to dodge.

Now!

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Kun's eyes. This was the moment he had been waiting for – the instant Tang San used Crane Controlling Dragon, causing others to lose their balance!

He had calculated the angle perfectly. He stomped his foot with all his might! His faint First-level Spirit Power was poured into his legs without reservation, allowing him to unleash unprecedented speed – not towards Tang San, nor to help Wang Sheng, but seemingly in a clumsy, panicked rush towards Xiao Wu!

"Watch out!" he exclaimed, as if trying to push Xiao Wu away to prevent her from being hit by Wang Sheng.

His timing was impeccable, hitting the exact moment Xiao Wu was about to exert force to dodge, her center of gravity shifting slightly!

"Ah!"

Xiao Wu hadn't anticipated the skinny boy beside her suddenly lunging at her. The breath she had gathered dispersed, her footing instantly slipped, and she lost her balance, falling backward with a cry.

And Lin Kun's "lunge" was too "forceful" to "stop," so he tumbled down with her.

Bang! Clatter!

Several muffled thuds sounded in succession.

Wang Sheng fell to the ground, utterly bewildered. Tang San, having subdued his opponent with one move, was about to retract his technique when he was stunned by the sudden turn of events. Everyone in Dormitory Seven stared blankly at the scene unfolding before them.

On the ground, Lin Kun and Xiao Wu had fallen in a heap. Lin Kun was on top, Xiao Wu beneath. And their faces... were pressed tightly together.

The soft, moist, faintly sweet sensation on his lips acted like the strongest electric current, instantly shattering all of Lin Kun's thoughts. His mind went blank, leaving only the instinctive pounding of his heart.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Xiao Wu's large, watery eyes widened instantly, filled with extreme shock, confusion, and helplessness. Her first reaction wasn't to push him away, but she froze completely, seemingly unable to comprehend what had happened.

[Ding! Mission [The Reversed First Kiss] completed!] [Reward issued: Novice Gift Pack, 100 Breakdown Points.] [Detected host's first completion of a key node reversal, additional rewards: Basic Physique slightly increased, Hidden Charm Attribute slightly increased.]

The system's cold and timely prompt jolted Lin Kun out of his blank state.

He abruptly lifted his head, fumbling to get up from the ground, his face instantly turning crimson. He stammered, "S-sorry! I-I didn't mean to! I was trying to pull you away... afraid he'd hit you..." He pointed at Wang Sheng, who had just gotten up, his acting skills reaching their peak at this moment.

Xiao Wu also sat up abruptly, her pretty face flushed as if it might bleed. Her pigtail was slightly disheveled. She covered her lips, her eyes glaring at Lin Kun, a mixture of shame and anger rendering her speechless for a moment. The impact of her first kiss being suddenly stolen left her heart in disarray.

The entire Dormitory Seven was silent.

Everyone had seen it – the newcomer, Lin Kun, had actually... actually kissed that unbelievably beautiful new girl?!

Tang San frowned deeply. He had seen clearly that Lin Kun's move, though seemingly panicked, had an overly "coincidental" angle and timing. Moreover, for some reason, seeing the girl accidentally kissed by Lin Kun, a fleeting, extremely subtle discomfort flashed through his mind, though he quickly dismissed it. His gaze was primarily focused on Lin Kun's burst of speed, "First-level Spirit Power, to have this speed? Is it a characteristic of his Martial Soul?"

Wang Sheng got up, looking from one to the other, completely confused by the situation.

Just then, the system prompt in Lin Kun's mind sounded again:

[Novice Gift Pack has been opened.] [Acquired: Passive Spirit Skill: Insight Technique (Beginner): Can roughly view basic information (level, Martial Soul, Spirit Ring) of Spirit Masters/Spirit Beasts no higher than your own level 10.] [Acquired: Active Spirit Skill: Mental Impact (Beginner): Consumes a large amount of mental power to cause brief mental dizziness to a single target (effect depends on the difference in mental power between both parties). Has a long cooldown period.] [Acquired: Special Item: Imposter's Mask (One-time Use): Can perfectly simulate the manifestation of Spirit Rings for no more than ten minutes (color and quantity are self-determined, no actual Spirit Skill effects).]

Lin Kun felt a surge of joy, which was immediately followed by a dip. The joy came from the generous rewards, especially the two Spirit Skills and the mask, which were like a godsend! The dip came from the cold gaze he felt – from Tang San.

Although he had successfully completed the mission, he had also thoroughly captured the attention of this future protagonist, and it was negative attention.

"You... you bad guy!" Xiao Wu finally reacted, jumping up, her face flushed red as she pointed at Lin Kun, stamping her foot in anger, but she didn't immediately lash out. The strange experience of their first kiss and Lin Kun's seemingly sincere apology (his acting was top-notch) strangely prevented her anger from turning into a violent impulse.

Lin Kun put on a pained expression and bowed repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I was just so clumsy! Are you okay?"

Xiao Wu snorted and turned her face away, but the tips of her ears were still red. She didn't know what to do either.

Wang Sheng looked at the three people in an awkward atmosphere and coughed, trying to salvage the situation, "Um... since everyone's here. Weren't we talking about the King's Contest? Now... are we still fighting?"

Xiao Wu, still fuming, immediately turned her head upon hearing this, her big eyes glaring at Tang San and Lin Kun, "Fight! Of course, we're fighting! You two, who's going first? I'm going to beat you all down!" She clearly took her anger out on the prospect of a fight.

Tang San took a deep breath, shifted his gaze away from Lin Kun, and looked at Xiao Wu, saying calmly, "I'll go."

The "fated" confrontation that originally belonged to Tang San and Xiao Wu seemed to have changed its flavor after the unexpected interlude caused by Lin Kun.

Meanwhile, Lin Kun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

The first trial had finally passed without major incident. Although the process was so stimulating it nearly made his heart stop.

But looking at the way Tang San and Xiao Wu were looking at each other, and the fleeting, perhaps even unnoticed by himself, subtle rift in Tang San's eyes, Lin Kun knew that the corrupted plot had officially begun from this very moment.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.