The Value of Frenzied "Scanning" and Merit Points

For the next half month, Lin Xiao became a complete "invisible man."

He strictly adhered to a three-point routine: in the early morning, he'd go to the dilapidated courtyard of Yellow Class Nine to check in and go through Elder Sun's weak "roll call"; then, he'd dive headfirst into the Library Pavilion, "wandering" among the vast sea of books all day; in the evening, he'd return to his single-person dormitory, assigned to the most remote corner of the academy, to digest and integrate the massive amount of knowledge he'd "scanned" during the day.

This monotonous and regular life appeared as self-imposed degradation to outsiders.

"Look, Lin Xiao is going to the Library Pavilion again." "What a waste of talent. He was so fierce during the assessment, but now he spends every day on the first floor looking at those trash cultivation methods." "He probably couldn't handle being assigned to Yellow Class Nine and just gave up." "Heh, a dark horse is still just a dark horse. His foundation is insufficient, a flash in the pan."

All sorts of rumors quietly spread among the new students. Lin Xiao's image in everyone's minds gradually shifted from a mysterious super dark horse to a negative example like "the unfortunate prodigy."

Even Shi Lei and Su Yue, who occasionally encountered him on the road, were worried.

"Lin Xiao, this won't do!" Shi Lei deliberately blocked Lin Xiao at the entrance of the Library Pavilion one evening, saying with a look of anxiety, "What's the use of you reading these basic cultivation methods every day? We in Earth Class are already learning Human-Tier Mid-Grade Martial Skills, and Su Yue in Heaven Class has even come across fragments of Profound-Tier Cultivation Methods! If you continue like this, we'll be left further and further behind!"

Su Yue also walked over from not far away, her beautiful face filled with worry. "Yes, Lin Xiao. I know you must be feeling uncomfortable, but you can't just give up like this. My father said the academy holds a major competition every year. If you can achieve excellent results in the competition, you'll have a chance to re-adjust your class. You..."

Looking at these two friends who genuinely cared about him, Lin Xiao felt a surge of warmth.

He knew they couldn't understand his cultivation method. But he also couldn't explain the existence of the "System."

"I haven't given up," Lin Xiao said, his eyes calm and confident. "I'm just cultivating in my own way. Don't worry, I won't be left behind by anyone."

His words carried an undeniable power.

Shi Lei and Su Yue exchanged glances. Although still confused, seeing Lin Xiao's determined eyes, their worries lessened by half. They chose to believe this partner who always created miracles.

"Alright, then be careful yourself," Su Yue said, taking a small Storage Bag from her embrace and handing it over. "Oh, right, our inner armors are ready! Master Ouye's craftsmanship is truly renowned. These three inner armors have all reached the Human-Tier High-Grade level! Try them on quickly."

Lin Xiao took the Storage Bag and probed it with his divine sense. Inside, three pieces of inner armor, as thin as cicada wings, with a dark green hue and a cold touch, lay quietly. A faint Demonic Energy from the Swamp Giant Crocodile still lingered on the inner armors, hinting at their defensive capabilities.

"Great!" Lin Xiao's eyes lit up.

"Master Ouye said the material for this leather armor is excellent. If we can find higher-grade materials to integrate into it in the future, it might even be promoted to Profound-Tier Armor!" Su Yue said excitedly.

The three immediately put on their inner armors. The armor felt as light as nothing when worn but provided a great sense of security.

After bidding farewell to the two, Lin Xiao returned to his dormitory. He knew he couldn't remain "low-key" any longer. The accumulation of the past half-month had brought about some qualitative changes. It was time to reveal some of his strength to dispel his friends' doubts and silence those waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

More importantly, he had encountered a bottleneck.

All the cultivation methods, martial skills, miscellaneous talks, and illustrations on the first floor of the Library Pavilion had been "scanned" into the System's database.

The number of Human-Tier Low-Grade cultivation methods and martial skills in his mind had reached an astonishing thousand!

However, to access the second floor, which was on a higher level, a strict condition was required: one hundred Merit Points!

The one thousand Merit Points he received upon enrollment had been almost entirely consumed during his closed-door cultivation at the inn for purchasing auxiliary cultivation foods and medicinal herbs.

He was now in urgent need of Merit Points!

The next day, Lin Xiao did not go to the Library Pavilion.

He came to the academy's Mission Hall.

This was one of the liveliest places in the entire outer court. The huge hall was bustling with noise, and large light screens displayed various missions.

"Recruiting teammates to hunt 'Ironback Cang Wolves' in the Black Wind Mountain Range. Requirement: Body Refinement Fourth Level and above. Reward: Eighty Merit Points!" "Alchemy Hall urgently needs an apprentice to handle Level One Medicinal Herbs. Ten Merit Points per day. Requires meticulousness and patience." "Urgent request for 'Clear Spirit Grass' to neutralize Pill Toxin. Willing to pay fifty Merit Points!"

The academy's Merit Points were a more solid currency than gold coins. Here, Merit Points could be exchanged for pills, weapons, cultivation methods, and even private tutoring sessions with instructors.

Lin Xiao's gaze rapidly scanned the mission light screens.

Missions involving hunting demonic beasts offered the highest rewards but mostly required teamwork and took a long time. As for the menial tasks, they were too much of a time waste.

Finally, his gaze settled on a special light screen in a corner of the hall, which few people paid attention to.

"Combat Stage. Accepts challenges from anyone. Winning a match allows you to earn Merit Points from the loser's wager. Only three challenges per day."

This was the fastest way to earn money!

The corners of Lin Xiao's mouth curved into a confident smile.

He walked to the registration area for the Combat Stage and said to the senior student in charge of registration, "I am Lin Xiao from Yellow Class Nine. I wish to apply to open a challenge."

The senior student lazily raised his eyelids upon hearing this. When he saw the words "Yellow Class Nine" on Lin Xiao's jade token, a look of undisguised disdain flashed in his eyes.

"A student from Yellow Class dares to come to the Combat Stage? Kid, are you desperate for Merit Points? The minimum wager here is fifty Merit Points. Do you have that much?"

Lin Xiao remained silent, merely handing over his jade token.

The senior student took the token and swiped it on the artifact. Seeing the remaining thirty-odd Merit Points inside, the mockery on his face intensified. "Insufficient Merit Points to activate. Next."

Just then, an arrogant voice came from the side.

"I'll cover his Merit Points for him!"

Lin Xiao turned his head and saw Wang Chen and Li Mo walking over with a few followers, their faces contorted into sinister smiles.

"Wang Chen? Li Mo?" The senior student in charge of registration's attitude immediately became respectful upon seeing them.

"I heard that if both parties agree, the challenger can set the wager?" Wang Chen asked maliciously.

"Yes... yes, that's the rule."

"Excellent." Wang Chen looked triumphantly at Lin Xiao, as if at prey that had already fallen into a trap. "I, Wang Chen of Earth Class Three, challenge Lin Xiao of Yellow Class Nine! The wager... shall be one hundred Merit Points!"

He intended to use this method to humiliate Lin Xiao severely in front of everyone, taking back all the face he had lost during the assessment!

"Whoosh--"

The moment these words were spoken, the crowd around them erupted in an uproar.

"Wang Chen is challenging Lin Xiao? Now this is going to be good!" "Wang Chen is a cultivator at Body Refinement Third Level, and they say he's close to breaking through to Fourth Level. Lin Xiao, although he performed well during the assessment, was assigned to Yellow Class Nine. He definitely won't have made much progress in the last half-month. I'm afraid he's going to get crushed." "One hundred Merit Points! What a huge bet!"

Amidst the murmuring crowd, Lin Xiao's expression remained terrifyingly calm.

He looked at Wang Chen and said indifferently, "One hundred points? That's too little."

Wang Chen was taken aback. "Then how much do you want?"

"Five hundred points," Lin Xiao extended five fingers. "Do you dare?"

Five hundred points!

A collective gasp swept through the crowd. For a freshman, this was practically their entire fortune!

Wang Chen's face flushed and paled. But looking at Lin Xiao's calm gaze, and thinking of his own impending breakthrough, a surge of anger and arrogance welled up in his heart.

"Fine! Five hundred it is! I want to see how you, a good-for-nothing, will manage in the academy after losing all your Merit Points!" he gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Words are not enough. Put the Merit Points on the stage first," Lin Xiao said.

Wang Chen let out a cold snort, took out his jade token, and swiped it fiercely at the registration desk. The light screen immediately displayed his bet of five hundred Merit Points.

"Now it's your turn," Wang Chen said provocatively, looking at Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao shook his head. "I don't have money."

"Are you playing me?!" Wang Chen roared in anger.

"I didn't say I was betting," Lin Xiao's gaze shifted to Li Mo behind Wang Chen and his cronies. "My bet is all of you. If I win, each of you will pay me five hundred Merit Points. If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me."

"One against six!"

His words struck the crowd like a massive boulder, stirring up a tidal wave!

Everyone was stunned by Lin Xiao's insane gamble!

Even Li Mo hadn't expected Lin Xiao to dare play this big!

"Brother Mo, this kid is too arrogant! Take him down!" "Exactly! With so many of us, are we afraid of him alone?"

Li Mo's eyes flickered with uncertainty. He looked at Lin Xiao, always feeling that something was amiss. But now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he was trapped. If he refused, wouldn't it be admitting he was afraid of Lin Xiao?

"Fine! I'll bet with you!" Li Mo finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

A high-stakes gamble with a total bet of three thousand Merit Points was thus established!

The entire Mission Hall was ignited by this sudden duel. Countless students flocked towards the Combat Stage area.

On the Combat Stage, Lin Xiao and Wang Chen stood facing each other.

Below the stage, the crowd was immense.

"Wang Chen! Destroy him!" "Let him know the power of our Earth Class!"

Wang Chen's supporters let out earth-shattering roars.

Listening to the cheers around him and feeling the thrill of being the center of attention, Wang Chen felt a sense of elation. He looked at Lin Xiao, who remained expressionless opposite him, and sneered, "Kid, ready to die? I'll let you know that trash will always be trash!"

As his voice fell, the spiritual energy within him erupted, his Body Refinement Third Level aura fully revealed!

"Tidal Wave Palm!"

He let out a low growl, his body lunged forward, and a green light appeared on his palms. With layers of surging force, he slammed towards Lin Xiao's face!

However, facing this seemingly fierce attack, Lin Xiao didn't even bat an eyelid.

Just as Wang Chen's palm strike was about to hit him, he moved.

He neither dodged nor blocked.

He simply raised his right hand and pointed forward.

That finger strike looked plain and ordinary, even somewhat slow.

But this single finger strike seemed to contain some profound truth of heaven and earth. It struck first, hitting with unparalleled accuracy, landing precisely on the center of Wang Chen's layered palm shadows – the sole weak point where the forces converged!

"Pop."

A soft sound, like a bubble being popped.

Wang Chen's unstoppable Tidal Wave Palm force, like a deflated ball, instantly dissipated into nothingness.

Following that, an irresistible, supremely condensed finger force erupted through his palm!

"Crack!"

The sound of bone cracking echoed.

"Ah--!"

Wang Chen let out a piercing scream. Like a kite with a broken string, he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily below the stage. Clutching his mangled right hand, he writhed in agony.

One finger.

Just one finger.

The victor was decided.

The entire venue fell into dead silence.