Chen Nan Shows His Might

Eggs' sorrow—that pain, like a stroke from the gods—was the nightmare of countless men.

It was as if thousands upon thousands of steel hooks had plunged into his lower abdomen, wantonly snagging and tugging at his intestines.

Even more despairing was that this pain could not be escaped. It was like entering ice-cold water naked; no movement could evade the agony that seeped into the marrow.

Li Huaming howled miserably, proving that he was still a man at this moment.

The pain made him nauseated and dizzy, cold sweat pouring from him.

Then he let out a huge "Blergh!" and vomited up yellow-green fluid.

If a computer malfunctioned, shutting it down and restarting it was not a bad solution. For a person, under extreme pain, fainting was equivalent to forcibly powering the computer off.

After vomiting, Li Huaming toppled forward, his face landing directly in that pile of vomit.

First, student Li Huaming's skin was quite thick. Second, the sour, foul-smelling, slick liquid he had vomited beforehand lubricated things, so despite the fierce friction between his face and the ground, he emerged without losing a single hair.

But once he fell, he could not get back up for some time, betraying the hopes so many people had placed on him.

Chen Nan pushed off with his half-bent left leg, rose into a graceful bow stance with his right leg, then sniffed his right hand and nearly vomited as well.

This was called asking for trouble. In psychology, it was known as benign self-abuse. For example, some people dug food scraps from between their teeth and always delighted in smelling them. Or when their chrysanthemum itched, after scratching it with a finger, they would give that finger a sniff too.

But smelling one's own might perhaps be a spiritual pleasure. It was not like Chen Nan's suicidal stunt, where one sniff made him want to puke.

The scene first fell silent. Like chickens and ducks in the night, suddenly hearing a noise and falling collectively mute—only to erupt into chaos with chickens flying and dogs leaping.

They were the same. All kinds of clamor broke out, though their general thinking was consistent: Chen Nan had won the duel through such underhanded means, so it should not count.

Shen Congyun and Lu Butong came over, and Chen Nan immediately asked them for bottled water to wash his hands.

Several teachers had already gathered together and begun discussing the outcome.

Because the winner of a duel was determined only by the result, with almost no regard for the process. Thus, even though everyone called Chen Nan's methods despicable and filthy, they could not change the fact that he had defeated Li Huaming.

Denial was absolutely impossible, because no one wished to break certain rules. Those people's shouting was merely because they were about to lose money.

Amid the uproar, Wang Bodan found a breakthrough. Why were these muddleheaded fools all thinking this was a duel?

Yes, an agreed wager had to count as a duel.

But had not the cause been an unwritten rule? Senior students could teach freshmen a lesson, putting some pressure on them to help them grow?

So he began stirring people up. Especially those who had lost money—Wang Bodan's words woke them like a thunderclap from a dream.

Two or three senior students suddenly erupted and charged at Chen Nan.

Chen Nan had already been on guard against this.

In fact, the moment he learned of that rule, he had thought that Wang Bodan would certainly use it against him. Otherwise, he would not be Wang Bodan.

Therefore, Chen Nan had weapons on him.

The Meridian Mandarin Duck Axes were already in his hands. Of the three attacking Chen Nan, one was chanting an incantation while the other two came slashing in from oblique angles.

Chen Nan focused on the one chanting. He could sense that changes in the surrounding electromagnetic field and radiation waves were likely connected to the spell.

And he knew that in this sort of battle, taking down the caster was the utmost priority.

So he stepped out with the Eight Trigrams Steps, his body moving like a swimming dragon as he slipped between the two attackers.

Before that chanter could finish the spell, Chen Nan's Meridian Mandarin Duck Axes had already arrived.

He showed no mercy. The weapon's curved blade swept across the man's throat, then severed one side of his carotid artery.

With his throat cut, the spell could not continue. Coupled with the hot blood gushing out, the student was plainly about to die.

A white figure flashed past and instantly arrived beside the student with the slit throat. One hand covered his throat and blood vessel, and a milky-white mist enveloped him.

A moment later, he placed the student face-down over his knee and struck his back with his palm.

The student choked out a huge mouthful of blood with a "Blergh!" before finally crying, "Ow!" He had escaped death by a hair's breadth.

Chen Nan knew it was Lu Fangliang who had acted. Only he could have.

The other teachers did not possess his reaction speed. What was more, people like Li Yu and Xun Xin would not care if one or two students died. They might even hope such deaths could drive Chen Nan away.

Chen Nan looked at the other two senior students, who had frozen in shock, and swept the blades of his Meridian Mandarin Duck Axes back and forth until sparks flew.

"If anyone else wants to die, come right ahead!" Chen Nan said coldly.

Those words were like weapons, striking directly into the two students' hearts. They shuddered in unison, finally realizing how terrifying Chen Nan was.

Unable to meet Chen Nan's piercing gaze, the two slipped into the crowd in perfect sync.

The Preparatory Academy was like an elementary school on Earth, teaching only the most basic things.

Those things were not enough to bring about earth-shaking transformations in them. In combat, they could not amount to much at all.

That was precisely why the great Transcendent Lineages did not take the Preparatory Academy seriously. They generally entered the Transcendent Academy directly.

From this, it could be seen that while any one of these students could easily defeat ordinary people if sent out into the world—

—when they encountered someone like Chen Nan, who had cheated slightly and experienced battles of life and death, their abilities were no longer so effective.

Naturally, bearing was involved as well.

If there truly had been someone among them with blood in his veins, unafraid of life and death and determined to fight Chen Nan, Chen Nan might not necessarily have won.

After all, he had not yet mastered even a single Transcendent ability.

"Bastard!" Li Yu came over and cursed. "At such a young age, you're already so vicious! How can this be allowed? I'll report this and have you expelled from the academy!"

Chen Nan sneered. "Teacher Li Yu, why are you in such a hurry to drive me away? Are you afraid I'll remain at this academy?"

Li Yu pointed at Chen Nan, his tone weakening as he said, "Y-you, what do you mean by that? We are upright and honorable. What do we have to fear? It's just that your character..."

Chen Nan cut him off with a sneer. **"Upright and honorable? Fine, upright and honorable. But how should I understand this 'we'? Who exactly does 'we' refer to? Let's put that aside for now. Three of them ambushed one of me. They've been enrolled longer than I have, they're more capable than I am, and they still launched a three-man ambush.

Under those circumstances, was I really too ruthless?

What I've experienced has taught me this: mercy toward an enemy is cruelty toward oneself.

Without the methods I displayed today, I don't know how many times I would have died already. You people should know that, shouldn't you?"**

Lu Fangliang had originally wanted to caution Chen Nan as well, but now he listened with great interest. It seemed Chen Nan's experiences were far more complicated than what the news had reported.

Li Yu stammered for a long while before reluctantly saying, "I don't know much about that, but this is an academy. No one will try to kill you. Just be more careful next time. Be more careful next time, that's all!"

Such seemingly imposing words were like a thug who had been beaten up and still had to throw out a line: "Just you wait!" The principle was the same.

Chen Nan merely sneered in silence, giving Li Yu a frost-covered step to climb down from. He could certainly take it, but he had better watch his footing—or he might still fall flat.

Li Yu called for Xun Xin to leave. Xun Xin gave him an "idiot" look, thinking, You said "we," and then you're calling me away? Isn't that a confession without being asked?

Li Yu realized that as well and prepared to leave alone.

But Lu Fangliang stopped him. "You still haven't paid the money you lost on the wager!"

Without looking back, Li Yu said, "I'll transfer it to you later. I didn't bring any money with me."

Xun Xin obediently settled his debt, his heart bleeding as he left.

Lu Fangliang did not let the remaining students off either. However, as a teacher, it was inappropriate for him to ask students for money, so he had them transfer it into Chen Nan's account.

One-to-five odds!

This time, Chen Nan collected nearly seventy to eighty thousand in one go.

By the time the payments were completed, it was already evening. Chen Nan took several roommates out for a late-night meal, then had some fun before returning to the academy.

The moment they entered the dormitory, the three of them heaped praise upon Chen Nan.

Chen Nan smiled helplessly, because he knew how heavy the price behind such praise had been.

But since he had stepped onto this road, he had to walk it through completely and resolutely.

No matter how many dangers and obstacles lay ahead, he had to persevere.

Before falling asleep, he thought of Lu Fangliang.

The speed and brilliance of his lifesaving technique had clearly far surpassed those teachers. It seemed Nature Masters were not utterly useless, with no practical combat ability.

This somewhat increased his interest in Nature Masters. Moreover, Lu Fangliang had always looked after him without ever making anything of it, which also gave Chen Nan a favorable impression of him.

Those feelings had already settled quietly in the depths of his heart, though Chen Nan himself had not paid them particular attention.

In his staff dormitory, Lu Fangliang was also pondering certain matters, unable to sleep.

The amount of information Chen Nan had displayed today seemed a little overwhelming.

That strange footwork, those combat techniques, that powerful mindset—and yet the boy was only a little over ten years old.

Did such a prescient prodigy truly exist in this world?

Setting those things aside, Lu Fangliang was certain of one thing: Chen Nan's future potential was boundless.

Those self-righteous people were not rushing to make a move and claim Chen Nan. Their neglect of him would surely make them regret it.