Nuoding Academy of Advanced Spirit Masters' work-study student dormitory, Seventh Dormitory, was less a dormitory than a slightly larger, shabby warehouse. The walls were mottled, the floor was rough concrete, and several worn wooden beds were scattered about carelessly. The air was filled with the distinctive scent of teenage sweat and vitality.
When the upperclassman work-study student leading them pushed open the creaking wooden door, the dormitory's noisy chatter fell silent in an instant. More than a dozen pairs of eyes turned toward the entrance, sizing up the newly arrived Tang San and Lin Kun with curiosity, scrutiny, and even a hint of provocation.
Most of these children were plainly dressed, some even in ragged clothes, but their eyes were unusually bright, carrying a resilience and wariness beyond their years. Their status as work-study students placed them at the bottom of the academy, making them more united while also making them worship strength even more.
The tallest and oldest-looking child stepped forward. He had dark skin, a sturdy build, and an air of maturity and authority that did not fit his age. Lin Kun recognized him. He was likely the current dorm leader of Seventh Dormitory, Wang Sheng.
"New work-study students?" Wang Sheng looked the two up and down, his gaze mainly settling on the more composed-looking Tang San. "My name is Wang Sheng, and I'm the dorm leader of Seventh Dormitory. What are your names? What are your martial spirits? According to Seventh Dormitory's rules, newcomers have to show their strength. The strongest becomes the new boss."
Tang San frowned slightly. He preferred peace and disliked such pointless fights, but he understood the principle of adapting to local customs. Just as he was about to speak, a faintly teasing voice from beside him beat him to it.
"Boss?" Lin Kun stepped half a pace forward, forcing what looked like a 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, then Xiao Wu would appear and defeat Tang San to become the new dorm leader. He had to do something, break this fixed sequence, and create an opportunity for himself! "Sounds pretty interesting. But Dorm Leader Wang, are you sure you want to fight now? What if another newcomer shows up later and turns out to be stronger? Wouldn't that make this fight pointless?"
Wang Sheng froze for a moment, clearly not expecting this skinny, sallow-faced kid to say something like that. The other work-study students burst into laughter as well.
"What, are you scared?" Wang Sheng said in a deep, muffled voice, his attention shifting to Lin Kun.
"Not exactly." Lin Kun spread his hands, doing his best to imitate a bit of modern-day roguishness. "I just think a wheel battle wouldn't be fair to you. How about this? Once everyone's here, we hold a 'King of the Hill Tournament.' Winner takes all, and we settle who's boss in one go. Nice and simple."
His words were half sincere and half false. He wanted to muddy the waters, but he was also stalling for time, waiting for that crucial person to arrive.
Tang San gave Lin Kun a surprised glance. This child from his village seemed much livelier than he had been back home—or rather, stranger.
Wang Sheng rubbed his chin, feeling that it made some sense. Just then, the dormitory door was pushed open again.
This time, everyone's attention was drawn over once more. But unlike before, when their gazes had been filled with scrutiny and provocation, most of the boys now had looks of amazement and curiosity in their eyes.
A girl stood in the doorway. Her pretty little face was fair with a rosy glow, soft and tender like a ripe peach that made one want to take a bite. Her long black hair was braided into a scorpion braid that hung past her hips, and her large, watery eyes shone with curiosity and liveliness. She wore pink clothes. Though new, they were simply styled, making it clear that her family circumstances were ordinary as well.
It was Xiao Wu!
Lin Kun's heart clenched violently, nearly stopping altogether. She's here! The key person is here! The system's countdown seemed to turn into a shriek in his mind!
"Is this Seventh Dormitory?" the girl asked in a crisp, pleasant voice, like a lark singing.
Wang Sheng came back to his senses. As the dorm leader, he stepped forward again to carry out his duties. "Yes, this is Seventh Dormitory. Are you a new work-study student too?"
Xiao Wu nodded. Her big eyes blinked as her gaze swept across the people in the dormitory, finally landing on Wang Sheng, Tang San, and Lin Kun, who stood in the middle. A sly smile curved her lips. "What were you talking about just now? Some King of the Hill Tournament? It sounds fun! Who's the strongest? I'm new here, so do I have to fight too?"
Her gaze finally settled on Tang San, as if her instincts told her that this quiet-looking boy might be the strongest.
Wang Sheng was just about to explain when Lin Kun jumped in first, saying in an exaggerated tone, "Wow, another expert! Things are getting lively now! Dorm Leader Wang, I think your position as boss is in danger!"
As he spoke, he seemingly casually shifted one small step toward Xiao Wu, closing the distance slightly. At the same time, every muscle in his body tightened, and his Mental Power focused to its limit. Like an athlete waiting for the starting signal, he calculated every distance and angle.
Provoked by Lin Kun, and seeing that Xiao Wu was only a girl, Wang Sheng felt he could not lose face. He snorted and said to Tang San, "Forget the rest for now, kid. Let's trade a few moves and see what you're made of!" With that, he let out a low roar. A faint yellow glow spread across his body as his Battle Tiger martial spirit possessed him, and he threw a punch at Tang San.
Tang San's gaze sharpened. With a mysterious footwork, he easily dodged Wang Sheng's attack. At the same time, his right hand performed Crane Controlling Dragon, pulling and pushing in one smooth, flowing motion. Wang Sheng only felt an irresistible force strike him. His sturdy body immediately lost balance, and with a cry of alarm, he staggered backward.
And because of Lin Kun's subtle positioning from that earlier step, the direction Wang Sheng fell in happened to lead straight toward Xiao Wu, who had just entered and was watching curiously!
Everything happened in the blink of an eye!
"Ah!" Xiao Wu had not expected the fight to suddenly involve her. Seeing Wang Sheng's sturdy body crashing toward her, she cried out and instinctively prepared to use Soft Skill to dodge.
Now!
A gleam flashed in Lin Kun's eyes. This was exactly the moment he had been waiting for—when Tang San used Crane Controlling Dragon and caused someone else to lose balance!
He had already calculated the angle. He pushed off the ground with all his strength! His meager First-level Spirit Power poured into his legs without reserve, allowing him to burst forth with unprecedented speed—not toward Tang San, nor to help Wang Sheng up, but seemingly in a flustered panic as he "lunged" toward Xiao Wu!
"Watch out!" he cried, as if he were about to push Xiao Wu away to stop Wang Sheng from hitting her.
His timing was exquisite, striking just as Xiao Wu was preparing to exert force and her center of gravity shifted slightly!
"Ah!"
Xiao Wu had never expected the frail boy beside her to suddenly lunge at her. The breath she had just gathered scattered, her foot slipped, and she immediately lost her balance, crying out as she fell backward.
Lin Kun's "lunge" was far too "fierce" to "stop," and he fell down along with her.
Bang! Thud!
Several dull impacts rang out in quick succession.
Wang Sheng fell to the floor, utterly bewildered. Tang San had defeated his opponent in one move and was about to withdraw his stance, but this sudden development left him stunned. Everyone in Seventh Dormitory stared wide-eyed at the scene before them.
On the floor, Lin Kun and Xiao Wu had fallen into a tangled heap. Lin Kun was on top, Xiao Wu beneath him. And their faces... were pressed tightly together.
The soft, warm, moist touch on his lips, carrying a faint sweet fragrance, was like the strongest current of electricity, instantly blasting through every thought in Lin Kun's mind. His brain went blank, leaving only the instinctive pounding of his heart.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Xiao Wu's watery eyes widened round in an instant, filled with utter shock, confusion, and helplessness. Her first reaction was not to push him away, but to freeze completely, seemingly unable to comprehend what had happened.
Ding! Mission Reversed First Kiss completed! Reward issued: one Beginner Gift Pack, 100 Breakdown Points. Detected that the host has completed a key plot reversal for the first time. Additional rewards: Basic Physique slightly improved, Hidden Charm Attribute slightly improved.
The system's cold yet timely notification jolted Lin Kun awake from his blank state.
He jerked his head up and scrambled to climb off the floor. His face instantly turned bright red as he stammered, "S-sorry! I... I didn't mean to! I was trying to pull you away... I was afraid he'd hit you..." He pointed at Wang Sheng, who had just climbed back up, his acting reaching its peak at that very moment.
Xiao Wu also abruptly sat up. Her pretty face was so red it looked ready to bleed, and even her scorpion braid had come loose. She covered her lips, staring at Lin Kun with equal parts embarrassment and anger, unable to speak for a moment. The sudden shock of having her first kiss stolen had thrown her thoughts into chaos.
The entire Seventh Dormitory was silent.
Everyone had seen it. This newly arrived kid named Lin Kun had actually... actually kissed that unbelievably beautiful new girl?!
Tang San's brows knitted tightly. He had seen it clearly. Lin Kun's move had looked frantic, but the angle and timing of his lunge seemed a little too "coincidental." Moreover, for some reason, seeing that girl accidentally kissed by Lin Kun caused a faint, inexplicable discomfort to flash through his heart, though he quickly ignored it. His attention remained focused on Lin Kun's sudden burst of speed. First-level Spirit Power, and he can move that fast? Is it a trait of his martial spirit?
Wang Sheng climbed to his feet, looked at this person, then that person, and was completely unable to understand what was going on.
Just then, the system notification sounded in Lin Kun's mind again:
Beginner Gift Pack opened. Obtained: Passive Spirit Skill: Insight Technique (Beginner): Allows rough inspection of the basic information of Spirit Masters or spirit beasts no more than ten levels above the user, including level, martial spirit, and Spirit Rings. Obtained: Active Spirit Skill: Mental Impact (Beginner): Consumes a large amount of Mental Power to inflict brief mental dizziness on a single target. Effect depends on the gap between both parties' Mental Power. Long cooldown. Obtained: Special Item: Disguiser's Mask (One-time use): Perfectly simulates one Spirit Ring manifestation lasting no more than ten minutes. Color and quantity may be chosen freely, but it has no actual Spirit Skill effect.
Lin Kun was first delighted, then his heart sank. He was delighted because the rewards were generous, especially the two Spirit Skills and that mask. They were exactly what he needed! But his heart sank because he sensed a cold gaze—Tang San's.
Though he had successfully completed the mission, he had also completely drawn the attention of this future protagonist, and it was negative attention at that.
"You... you bastard!" Xiao Wu finally came back to her senses. She jumped to her feet, her face crimson as she pointed at Lin Kun and stamped her foot in anger. Yet she did not immediately hit him. The strange feeling of that first kiss, coupled with Lin Kun's seemingly utterly sincere apology—his acting was truly flawless—had somehow prevented her anger from turning into a violent impulse.
Lin Kun wore a pained expression and bowed repeatedly. "Sorry, I'm really sorry! I was too clumsy! Are you okay?"
Xiao Wu huffed and turned her face away, though the tips of her ears were still red. She did not know what to do either.
Wang Sheng looked at the three of them and the strange atmosphere between them, then coughed, trying to salvage the situation. "Um... now that everyone's here, weren't we talking about a King of the Hill Tournament? So... are we still fighting or not?"
Xiao Wu was still angry. At his words, she immediately turned around, her big eyes glaring at Tang San and Lin Kun. "Fight! Of course we're fighting! You two, who's first? I'm going to beat all of you flat!" She was clearly venting her anger through the "fight."
Tang San took a deep breath, shifted his gaze away from Lin Kun, and looked at Xiao Wu. "I'll go," he said calmly.
A "fated" duel that should have belonged to Tang San and Xiao Wu now seemed to have taken on a different flavor after the accident Lin Kun had caused.
As for Lin Kun, he secretly let out a breath and wiped at the cold sweat that did not exist on his forehead.
He had finally passed the first hurdle without disaster. Though the process had been so thrilling that his heart had nearly stopped.
But as he watched Tang San and Xiao Wu stare at each other, and saw the fleeting trace of subtle resentment in Tang San's eyes that even he himself might not have noticed, Lin Kun knew that the broken plot had officially begun from this moment onward.
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