Desperate Situation and Fortuitous Encounter

The setting sun was like a red-hot branding iron, pressing heavily down on the roof of Tianhai Third High School's dilapidated teaching building.

The air was thick with the muddled smells of cheap boxed meals and sweat.

Lin Xiao shoveled the last bit of rock-hard rice into his mouth, chewing until his cheeks ached.

Leaning against the greasy cafeteria wall, he rolled a crumpled sheet of paper between his fingers—the tuition arrears notice.

The number printed on it was like a venom-coated needle, jabbing at his nerves again and again.

"Tsk, are they trying to hurry me to my grave?"

He snorted and casually crumpled the paper into a ball, hurling it into the nearby trash can with all the force of his frustration.

The motion was stylish enough, but only he knew that the little food in his stomach had long since been digested. He was starving.

He was genuinely handsome, with sharp brows and bright eyes, a high nose, and a habitual, faintly roguish smile at the corners of his mouth. Paired with his washed-out school uniform, he somehow gave off an unrestrained, carefree air.

Unfortunately, in a place where fists and background spoke louder than anything else, a handsome face was utterly useless.

Everyone knew that Lin Xiao of Class 7, Senior Three, had nothing but a good-looking shell. His pockets were even cleaner than his face, and he could not even afford the most basic Body Tempering Fluid. He was the bottom-ranked student in the martial arts class.

"Hey, Brother Xiao, still looking?"

Someone lightly bumped his shoulder. It was his best friend, Fatty Wang, who jerked his chin toward the cafeteria entrance with a suggestive look. "Who are you watching? Su, the campus belle?"

A small commotion broke out at the cafeteria entrance.

Su Qingxue was walking out, surrounded by several girls.

She wore a perfectly tailored white martial arts uniform, which made her skin look even fairer than snow and her figure as straight as a lone bamboo stalk on a frozen mountain.

The golden glow of sunset fell across her cool profile, making even her eyelashes seem dusted with gold.

The noisy surroundings seemed to part automatically for her. Wherever she passed, the boys' eyes lit up, yet they instinctively held their breath, not daring to act recklessly.

Lin Xiao's gaze stuck to her as well, openly sliding over her slender waist and straight, long legs. His Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.

"Tsk, she really is easy on the eyes." He smacked his lips and prodded his cheek with his tongue. "Too bad she's an iceberg. She could freeze a man to death."

His tone held a touch of sour envy, along with the numb unwillingness of someone crushed beneath a vast difference in status.

He knew his own place. A swan like that was only worth taking a couple of bites from in his dreams.

"Move! Are you all fucking blind?"

A brutal roar, harsh as a broken gong, shattered the brief silence.

The crowd split apart like water struck by a stone, opening a passage.

It was Zhao Hu!

The man stood nearly two meters tall and was built like a brown bear walking on two legs.

His head was shaved close, and a gold chain as thick as a little finger hung around his neck, swinging with every brutish step.

Flesh piled over his face, and a savage scar slashed diagonally from his brow to the corner of his mouth, adding even more menace to his already ferocious appearance.

He was the school bully—and a genuine One-Star Martial Artist!

Among the Senior Three students, most of whom were still martial apprentices, he was a beast that could walk sideways wherever he pleased.

He had just finished playing basketball, heat steaming off his body. His sweaty hand seized a thin boy by the collar and shoved him aside as if he were a chick.

"Get lost! You're blocking your Tiger Grandpa's way!"

The boy stumbled into the wall, his face deathly pale. He did not dare utter a single word.

Zhao Hu's gaze swept over the divided crowd like a searchlight before finally locking onto a petite girl beside Su Qingxue.

It was Su Qingxue's best friend, Zhou Xiaoya.

Zhou Xiaoya had delicate features. Now, under Zhao Hu's undisguised gaze, filled with naked possessiveness, her little face turned pale with fear, and she instinctively shrank behind Su Qingxue.

Su Qingxue frowned slightly. A trace of disgust flashed through her cool eyes, but she said nothing.

She knew how overbearing Zhao Hu was—and how powerful his background was.

Zhao Hu grinned, revealing smoke-yellowed teeth, and walked straight toward Zhou Xiaoya. His fan-sized hand was about to land on her frail shoulder.

"Little Xiaoya, why hide? Come chat with Brother Hu..."

The surrounding students were furious but dared not speak. One after another, they lowered their heads, afraid of bringing trouble upon themselves.

Just before that sweat-stinking, powerful hand touched Zhou Xiaoya's shoulder—

"Hey, Zhao Hu."

A slightly lazy voice rang out, carrying the metallic scrape of steel. It was not loud, but it pierced clearly through the oppressive air.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the source of the voice.

Lin Xiao!

At some point, he had left the wall. With both hands in his pockets, he tilted his head slightly. The roguish smile at his lips seemed to deepen, but his eyes held no warmth. They were like ice-tempered blades, pointed straight at Zhao Hu's suspended hand.

"The girl clearly doesn't want it. Isn't your hand reaching a little too far?"

Lin Xiao's voice was not loud, and was even somewhat unhurried, yet it was like a stone thrown into a dead pond, instantly stirring a thousand waves!

Silence!

Absolute silence descended over the cafeteria entrance.

Fatty Wang's eyes nearly bulged out. His chubby face instantly lost all color. His lips trembled as he tried to pull Lin Xiao back, but his hand withdrew halfway as if electrocuted.

The surrounding students seemed frozen in place. They stared fearfully at Lin Xiao, then at Zhao Hu's face as it darkened at a visible speed, as if watching a madman about to be crushed.

Zhao Hu's movement froze.

Slowly—extremely slowly—he turned around. His bell-like eyes first showed astonishment, then instantly ignited with rage at being provoked by an ant!

A vicious aura erupted from his burly body like a tangible cold tide, making the calves of several nearby students go weak. They nearly collapsed.

"What did you say?" Zhao Hu's voice seemed squeezed through his teeth, every word carrying the smell of blood.

He stared fixedly at Lin Xiao with the look one might give a piece of rotten meat about to be stomped into the mud.

Lin Xiao's heart gave a violent jolt. A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head!

That was rash!

Su Qingxue's cool yet faintly helpless gaze, Zhou Xiaoya's trembling appearance, and Zhao Hu's arrogant, overbearing face had combined to fan some inexplicable rage within him.

He had calculated that Su Qingxue's background was not simple. This act of "defending justice" might let him make a connection. At worst, he could leave a good impression on Zhou Xiaoya. However he looked at it, he would not lose out...

But now, looking at the murderous glint in Zhao Hu's eyes, he truly understood that the fury of a One-Star Martial Artist was far more terrifying than he had imagined!

Yet things had already come this far. Cowering now? He might as well be beaten to death outright!

Lin Xiao forced down the tremor in his heart. His hands, still in his pockets, clenched tightly, his nails nearly digging into his palms.

He forced himself to meet Zhao Hu's murderous gaze. The trace of a roguish smile on his face did not collapse; instead, it stretched wider, carrying the ruthless desperation of someone who had decided to smash the pot and sink the boat.

"What? Are you deaf? I said you, Zhao Hu—your hand is too fucking cheap!"

He practically roared the final three words, and his voice exploded through the dead air.

"Looking for death!"

Zhao Hu erupted completely!

He felt that his dignity—as a martial artist and as the school bully—had been trampled and ground into the dirt by this piece of trash!

A beast-like roar exploded. His enormous body blasted forward, whipping up a vicious wind. His wok-sized fist came without any fancy movements, wrapped in suffocating force as it tore through the air and slammed straight toward Lin Xiao's face!

A faint layer of earthen-yellow light even shimmered over his fist. That was the True Qi of his Raging Bull Strength!

Too fast! There was no way to dodge!

Lin Xiao's pupils contracted sharply, and every hair on his body stood on end!

He instinctively crossed both arms in front of his head, tensing his muscles to the absolute limit.

"Bang!"

A dull, teeth-aching crash rang out.

Lin Xiao felt as if a speeding truck had rammed him head-on!

An overwhelming force smashed viciously into his arms, and his bones made sounds of unbearable strain!

The arms shielding his head instantly went numb. His entire body flew backward like a broken sack, both feet leaving the ground.

"Ugh!"

The pain forced a short groan from him as his body traced an awkward arc through the air.

"Clang! Crash!"

His back slammed into several discarded empty food barrels stacked beside the cafeteria wall. The metal containers crumpled from the impact, sending greasy wastewater and leftover food splashing over Lin Xiao from head to toe.

The pungent stench of rot engulfed him instantly.

Lin Xiao hit the ground and rolled several times before stopping.

Every bone in his body felt scattered, while the searing pain in his arms made his vision go black in waves.

"Brother Xiao!"

Fatty Wang was scared out of his wits. He wanted to rush over, but one vicious glare from Zhao Hu sent him stumbling back, his entire body stiffening.

Zhao Hu walked over step by step. His heavy footsteps were like the drumbeats of death, pounding on everyone's hearts.

A cruel grin twisted his face as he stopped before Lin Xiao, who lay sprawled on the ground. He looked down at him, his eyes full of the amusement and savagery of a cat playing with a mouse.

"A good-for-nothing who can't even afford Body Tempering Fluid dares meddle in my business?"

Zhao Hu's voice was cold, filled with undisguised contempt.

He raised his foot. The thick sole of his steel-plated, reinforced basketball shoe gleamed with a metallic chill.

Lin Xiao struggled to push himself up, but stabbing pain shot through both arms, leaving him unable to exert any strength.

He raised his head. Oil and blood streaked his face, yet his eyes remained locked on Zhao Hu. The innate defiance and roguishness in him had not completely gone out, even in this desperate situation.

"Ptui!" He spat out a bloody, filthy wad, baring bloodstained teeth in a savage, crazed grin. "Zhao Hu, is bullying the weak all you're capable of?"

Those words completely ignited the powder keg!

"Sharp tongue! Today I'll make sure that foul mouth of yours can never speak again!"

A vicious glint blazed in Zhao Hu's eyes. His raised foot descended with tremendous force, ruthlessly stomping toward Lin Xiao's chest!

If that kick landed solidly, Lin Xiao would be crippled even if he did not die!

Lin Xiao's pupils shrank to pinpoints!

The shadow of death had never been so clear!

He instinctively tried to roll away, but the pain wracking his body and the martial-artist-level pressure from Zhao Hu made his movements as slow as if he were trapped in mud!

It's over!

Just as the heavy sole was about to stamp onto Lin Xiao's chest—

Buzz!

Time seemed to have been pressed to a halt.

Absolute silence. Absolute nothingness.

Within the suffocating silence and darkness, a point of icy, pure blue composed entirely of light suddenly blazed to life deep within Lin Xiao's consciousness, like a supernova exploding!

The light rapidly stabilized and extended, outlining a rectangular shape of absolute rationality and geometry, radiating an inhuman chill.

Immediately afterward, rows of blocky characters composed of the same blue light emerged across the screen, devoid of emotion and carrying a chill that seemed to pierce the soul:

Critical vital signs threshold detected... complies with forced activation protocol...

Searching for a compatible host... confirmed... biological signature locked...

Core unit 'Martial Arts Modifier'... loading... 10%... 50%... 100%...

Loading complete.

The cold, concise, emotionless notification did not sound through Lin Xiao's ears. It rang directly within the core of his consciousness, which was on the verge of collapse. Every syllable felt like an icicle drilling into his soul!

At the same time, the blue screen stabilized completely before Lin Xiao's "eyes."

On the left side of the screen was an extremely crude human outline, sketched in lines and throwing a punch!

Several glaring little words were labeled beside it: Target: Zhao Hu.

Inside the human outline, several lines representing the paths of True Qi were clearly visible, flickering with an earthen-yellow glow.

One thick path extended from the Dantian to the right arm before gathering at the fist. It was flashing and pulsing wildly, representing the deadly blow Zhao Hu was about to unleash!

Raging Bull Strength! Lin Xiao recognized the crude path!

Yet at a crucial point along that violent route—an extremely subtle bend on the inner side of the elbow—a glaring, constantly flashing red X had been clearly marked, like a blood-drenched wound!

A tiny note appeared beside it: Node: Quchi (False). True Qi overload and stagnation; structure fragile. Forced release may cause energy backlash and damage the meridians.

At the moment the screen appeared, time seemed to stretch infinitely.

In the real world, Zhao Hu's foot, carrying the aura of death, was less than ten centimeters from Lin Xiao's chest!

That savage face and explosive killing intent were displayed by the screen in an almost cruel slow motion.

Run? Dodge? His body would not obey him!

Block? The bones in his arms might already be cracked!

Despair, like a cold tide, instantly submerged Lin Xiao.

"No!"

A hysterical desire to survive, born from the instinct of life, erupted within his soul like a volcano!

It was the purest and most frenzied will, transformed from an ultimate fear of death!

At the instant the blue screen appeared, all his spirit and every thought lunged desperately toward the crimson X representing the fatal weakness in Zhao Hu's technique, like a drowning man clutching the last strand of straw.

"Change! Change it for me!"

The thought had no sound, yet it was the most resolute cry of his soul!

The instant Lin Xiao's will touched the crimson X—

On the screen, the violent earthen-yellow path representing Zhao Hu's fist suddenly trembled at the fragile node marked Quchi (False)!

It was as if an invisible, ice-cold hand originating from the level of rules had lightly plucked a "string" that was already stretched to its limit, its internal structure carrying minute cracks.

Buzz!

In the real world, the flow of time returned to normal.

Zhao Hu's foot, infused with all of his Raging Bull Strength True Qi and descending with absolute confidence, was only an inch from Lin Xiao's filthy chest!

The savage grin on Zhao Hu's face had twisted to its limit. He seemed already able to hear the pleasant sound of bones breaking!

Yet in that split second—

"Ugh... pfft!"

An odd, muffled groan, as if someone had squeezed his throat, suddenly burst from Zhao Hu's throat!

The True Qi in his right arm, which had been surging powerfully and was about to unleash terrifying force, reached the crucial node on the inner side of his elbow and suddenly seemed to slam into an invisible wall while traveling at high speed!

Boom!

A wave of earthy-yellow energy far more violent and chaotic than the one that had struck Lin Xiao before, completely out of control, exploded inside Zhao Hu's own arm like a barrel of explosives that had been detonated—especially at that fragile node!

"Crack!"

The clear snap of breaking bone was enough to make one's scalp crawl!

"Ah—!"

A shriek so piteous it sounded inhuman suddenly tore through the air!

Zhao Hu's massive, mountain-like body jerked rigid, then began convulsing violently and uncontrollably, as if all the bones had been pulled from it!

His right leg, which had been infused with his full strength and was poised to stomp Lin Xiao to death, instantly lost all power and flopped limply to the ground.

His right arm, meanwhile, twisted inward at an utterly bizarre angle. A large section of the elbow joint visibly collapsed, while stark-white bone fragments pierced through his flesh and sleeve, exposed to the air amid a gush of blood!

Pain! An indescribable pain instantly devoured Zhao Hu's nerves!

The grim smile on his face froze completely, contorting into utter agony and disbelieving horror!

He staggered backward several steps like a drunk, leaving a bloody footprint on the ground with every step. Finally, with a thud, he dropped to one knee and clutched his right elbow—the joint as if it had been smashed apart by a giant hammer—with his left hand.

Beads of sweat the size of beans streamed down his deathly pale face, mingling with the blood, while beastlike, painful wheezes came from his throat.

The world fell silent once again.

This time, the silence was filled with utter absurdity and deathly stillness.

At the cafeteria entrance, all the watching students, including Su Qingxue and Zhou Xiaoya, stood as if petrified, their eyes bulging so wide they nearly popped from their sockets!

They had their mouths open, yet could not make a sound. Their minds were completely blank, utterly unable to comprehend this scene that overturned everything they knew!

What had happened?

How had the arrogant martial artist Zhao Hu, after stomping down with all his strength, ended up with the bones of his own arm bursting out?

And why was he screaming so horribly?

Only Lin Xiao, sprawled in the filthy water and trash, his entire body wracked with pain and nearly suffocating, slowly and with immense difficulty raised his head amid Zhao Hu's earth-shattering shriek.

The cold notification chime, like the afterecho of a judgment, faintly reverberated deep within his mind:

Command received... Target "Zhao Hu"—martial technique "Raging Bull Strength"—node "Quchi (Pseudo)"... Parameter modification complete.

Source Energy Points: +0.5 (First successful interference).

On the second floor of the abandoned stadium, behind a dusty, dilapidated window lattice, a faint glint of reflected light silently vanished into the depths of the shadows.