The setting sun slanted westward, dyeing the Wilderness gold and crimson.
The four of them walked along the road back to the academy. Each was tired, but excitement glittered in their eyes.
The packs on their backs bulged with their richest haul from the mission: the Steel Fang Rat King's Demonic Core, hide, and sharp teeth, along with the materials from more than twenty ordinary Steel Tooth Rats. A rough estimate put the total value at over 300 Academic Credits, not counting the 50 Academic Credits each of them would receive as a mission reward.
"We hit the jackpot! We really hit the jackpot this time!" Zhao Tie Zhu carried his heavy pack, yet his steps were so light he seemed ready to float. "I've never earned this many Academic Credits at once! When we get back, I'm buying the best medicinal ingredients for a body-tempering bath, and I'm getting a sturdier shield!"
"Don't celebrate too soon." Though Zhou Ming could hardly hide his delight, he remained levelheaded. "The most dangerous time in the Wilderness is often when you're returning with a full haul. Plenty of hunting parties aren't wiped out while hunting, but ambushed on their way back."
Chen Dahu nodded and warily scanned their surroundings. "My dad said you have to be twice as careful on the return trip. Some people don't want to risk hunting for themselves, so they wait along the only road and rob other people of their spoils."
Lin Fan walked at the front without a word, but his senses were already stretched to their limit.
The keen hearing granted by [Basic Footwork] let him pick up the slightest sounds within a hundred meters, while the [Basic Breathing Technique] heightened his awareness of the surrounding vital energy as it circulated. It was a mysterious sensation, as if the whole world were appearing in his mind in another form.
Suddenly, he stopped.
"There's someone," Lin Fan said quietly, raising a hand to signal the group to halt.
"Where?" Chen Dahu immediately gripped his long saber.
"Fifty meters ahead, behind that boulder." Lin Fan narrowed his eyes. "Three people. They've hidden their auras, but their heartbeats are too loud."
Zhou Ming's expression darkened. "So they're robbers after all."
"What do we do?" Zhao Tie Zhu asked nervously. "Go around?"
"We can't." Lin Fan shook his head. "This is the only road back to the academy, and there are steep slopes on both sides. They chose this spot for the ambush because of the terrain."
"Then we fight our way through!" Chen Dahu gritted his teeth. "We just killed a Steel Fang Rat King. Are we supposed to be afraid of three robbers?"
"No," Lin Fan said. "Let's see how things go first. If it's a misunderstanding, all the better. If it's not..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The four continued forward, but their formation had quietly changed. Lin Fan remained in front, Chen Dahu took the rear left, and Zhou Ming and Zhao Tie Zhu moved to the rear right, each close enough to support the others at a moment's notice.
They covered the fifty meters in no time.
As they passed the boulder, three figures emerged from behind it and blocked the middle of the road.
They were three young men who looked to be around twenty, dressed in Jiangnan Academy uniforms. Different insignias were embroidered on their cuffs, marking them as upperclassmen. The leader was a bald man with a scar across his face and a vicious look in his eyes. On his left stood a Tall Thin Man, idly twirling a dagger. On his right was a Short Fat Man, carrying a thick iron club over his shoulder.
"Well, well, new students?" The bald man grinned, baring a mouthful of yellow teeth. "You've got quite a haul there, carrying so much."
The Tall Thin Man twirled his dagger, his gaze sweeping over the four packs. "Steel Tooth Rat materials? And... is that the Rat King's aura? Tsk, tsk. You got lucky."
The Short Fat Man planted his iron club on the ground with a thud that made the earth tremble. "Put the stuff down and you can leave. We only want the materials, not your lives."
It was robbery in broad daylight.
Lin Fan remained calm. "Upperclassmen, we're new students at the academy. We've just completed a mission to clear out Steel Tooth Rats. These are mission materials—we have to turn them in to the academy for Academic Credits."
"A mission?" The bald man scoffed. "Out in the Wilderness, who cares whether it's a mission or not? The rule is, whoever sees it gets a share. We've been waiting here for ages. We can't have wasted all that time."
"Exactly," the Tall Thin Man chimed in. "You younger students need to learn the rules of the Wilderness. Your first lesson as freshmen is learning to share."
Chen Dahu couldn't take it anymore. "Share? You call this robbing us!"
The Short Fat Man glared at him. "Watch your mouth. Don't make it sound so ugly. We're helping you carry the load so you don't get too tired. This is an upperclassman's concern for his juniors."
Zhou Ming pushed up his glasses. "And if I say no?"
The bald man's smile disappeared. "Then don't blame your upperclassmen for teaching you to 'respect your seniors.'"
The air instantly crackled with tension.
Lin Fan suddenly spoke up. "How should we address you, upperclassmen?"
The bald man was taken aback, then puffed up with pride. "Listen up. I'm Zhang Kuang, a second-year student. This is Li Rui, and this is Wang Tie. Our Mad Wolf Squad has a bit of a reputation in the Regular Class. Be smart and cooperate, and you can avoid a beating."
"Senior Zhang Kuang." Lin Fan nodded. "If we hand over the materials, will you really let us go?"
"Of course." Zhang Kuang thumped his chest. "We're only after money. We don't hurt people. That's the rule of the road."
"Fine." As Lin Fan spoke, he slowly lowered his pack.
Chen Dahu and the others stared at him in surprise.
"Brother Fan, you..." Chen Dahu blurted, panicking.
Lin Fan raised a hand to stop him, then continued addressing Zhang Kuang. "But, senior, I have a question."
"What question?" Zhang Kuang asked impatiently.
"The academy's rules forbid students from fighting without cause, let alone robbing others of their property." Lin Fan spoke calmly. "Aren't you afraid the academy will punish you for this?"
Zhang Kuang burst into laughter, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Punish us? Kid, you're too naive. The academy never gets involved in what happens in the Wilderness. As long as nobody dies, who's going to care if a few new students lose some materials?"
Li Rui laughed too. "Every year, the freshmen have to pay 'tuition.' It's tradition. You're not the first, and you won't be the last."
Wang Tie swung his iron club. "Quit wasting time. Put down your stuff and get lost!"
Lin Fan nodded as if he finally understood. "I see. There are no rules in the Wilderness, only strength."
He set his pack all the way down and straightened up.
"So," Lin Fan said, looking at Zhang Kuang, "if we're stronger than you, can we take your things too?"
The three men froze.
Then they burst into even louder laughter.
"Ha ha ha! What did he say? Stronger than us?" Zhang Kuang laughed so hard tears nearly came to his eyes. "A new student who's been at the academy for a month thinks he's stronger than us second-years?"
Li Rui wiped the corner of his eye. "Junior, did the demonic beasts scare you out of your mind? The three of us are all 2nd Grade Martial Artists, and Senior Zhang Kuang is already a 2nd Grade, Third Stage. What about you? One 1st Grader, and three who haven't even reached the 1st Grade..."
Wang Tie raised his iron club. "Looks like we'll have to teach you a lesson before you learn how high the heavens are."
The fight was about to break out.
Yet Lin Fan remained exceptionally calm.
He quickly assessed them in his mind. Zhang Kuang was a 2nd Grade, Third Stage, likely a power type. Li Rui was a 2nd Grade, First Stage, skilled with his dagger and probably a speed type. Wang Tie was a 2nd Grade, Second Stage, and his iron club packed tremendous force—another power type. The three must have worked together often, but their loose formation showed they clearly didn't take the new students seriously.
That was their opening.
"Dahu, take on Wang Tie. Just hold him off," Lin Fan said quickly and quietly. "Zhou Ming, Tie Zhu, keep Li Rui occupied. I'll handle Zhang Kuang."
"Brother Fan, Zhang Kuang's a 2nd Grade, Third Stage!" Chen Dahu warned him.
"I know," Lin Fan said. "Stick to the plan."
Before he'd even finished speaking, Zhang Kuang had lost patience. "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Wang Tie, get them!"
"On it!"
Wang Tie roared and charged at Chen Dahu, dragging his iron club behind him. The club carved a deep furrow in the ground as it went, its momentum frightening.
Chen Dahu wasn't the least bit afraid. He raised his long saber and met the attack head-on. Saber clashed with club in a shrill metallic clang. Chen Dahu staggered back three steps, but held his ground.
"You've got some strength!" Wang Tie said in surprise, then swung his club again.
At the same time, Li Rui darted around the flank like a ghost, aiming for Zhou Ming and Zhao Tie Zhu, who looked like the weakest targets. But Zhao Tie Zhu didn't back down this time. He braced his shield forward, protecting Zhou Ming behind him. Li Rui's dagger struck the shield, sending up a few sparks.
"Not bad with a shield," Li Rui said flippantly. He darted again, searching for an opening.
Meanwhile, Zhang Kuang had already walked up to Lin Fan.
The two stood five meters apart.
"Kid, I'll give you one last chance." Zhang Kuang clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. "Kneel and apologize, leave the stuff behind, and I'll let you off this once."
Lin Fan didn't answer. He simply assumed the opening stance of [Basic Fist Technique].
It was plain and unadorned, utterly unremarkable.
Zhang Kuang laughed in fury. "Fine, fine, fine! I'll break your bones and show you how far beneath me you are!"
He moved.
A 2nd Grade Martial Artist was indeed far faster than a 1st Grade Martial Trainee. Zhang Kuang crossed the five meters almost instantly, his right fist blasting toward Lin Fan's face with a whoosh. The punch had no flourishes; it was pure force and speed. A faint glow of vital energy even shimmered over his fist—the beginnings of projecting vital energy beyond the body.
For an ordinary 1st Grade Martial Trainee, that punch would have been enough to put him in bed for a month.
But Lin Fan wasn't an ordinary 1st Grade Martial Trainee.
The instant the fist reached him, Lin Fan moved.
He didn't dodge or block. He threw a punch of his own!
[Basic Fist Technique]—Straight Punch!
Just as plain and unadorned, just as unremarkable.
But his punch was faster than Zhang Kuang's!
"What?!" Zhang Kuang's pupils contracted.
He hadn't even seen Lin Fan move. All he felt was a terrifying force crashing into his fist, followed by pain that pierced to the bone.
Crack!
The crisp sound of breaking bones rang out.
Three knuckles in Zhang Kuang's right hand snapped instantly. The force sent him staggering backward, his face deathly pale.
"You..." He stared at Lin Fan in disbelief.
Lin Fan drew back his fist, his expression calm. "Senior, your punch was too slow."
"You're asking for death!" Zhang Kuang flew into a rage. He turned his left hand into a blade and chopped toward Lin Fan's neck, vital energy flaring around it. This strike was driven by fury and hit even harder than the last.
Lin Fan still didn't dodge. He met it with a palm of his own.
[Basic Fist Technique]—Push Palm!
Their palms collided, and the force burst in every direction.
This time, Zhang Kuang staggered back five steps. His left arm went numb, nearly losing all feeling. Lin Fan only swayed slightly; his feet remained firmly planted.
"Impossible!" Zhang Kuang finally realized something was wrong. "You're clearly a 1st Grader. How can you be this strong?!"
Lin Fan didn't answer. He took the initiative and attacked.
He stepped forward, his fist following his body.
He used the most basic moves in [Basic Fist Technique]: Charge Punch, Hook Punch, Swing Punch, Elbow Strike, Knee Strike... Every move was as simple as could be, yet each one was blindingly fast and terrifyingly powerful.
Zhang Kuang scrambled to defend himself, only to find he couldn't keep up with Lin Fan's rhythm at all.
The moves looked simple, but in Lin Fan's hands they seemed to come alive. Their angles were tricky, their force unpredictable, and each collision left Zhang Kuang's blood and vital energy roiling.
What was even more frightening was Lin Fan's seemingly vast combat experience. He could always anticipate Zhang Kuang's moves and cut off his attacks before they landed.
"Who... who are you?!" The longer they fought, the more shaken Zhang Kuang became.
"A new student. Lin Fan." As he spoke, Lin Fan landed a Side Kick in Zhang Kuang's stomach.
Pfft!
Zhang Kuang spat out a mouthful of bitter fluid. His body doubled over like a shrimp, then flew backward and slammed heavily into the ground.
On the other side, the fight was nearing its end too.
Though Chen Dahu was weaker than Wang Tie, he had plenty of combat experience and a steady saber technique. He focused entirely on defense, keeping Wang Tie firmly tied up. Wang Tie had all the strength in the world, but couldn't break through Chen Dahu's defense, and he howled in frustration.
Li Rui had it worse. He'd meant to take care of Zhou Ming and Zhao Tie Zhu quickly, but hadn't expected the two new students to work so well together. Zhao Tie Zhu's shield defense had no gaps, while Zhou Ming kept pointing out Li Rui's openings from the side and occasionally harassed him with hidden weapons. Unable to break through, Li Rui grew increasingly impatient.
When they saw Zhang Kuang defeated by Lin Fan, both of them froze.
"Boss!" Wang Tie cried.
Li Rui turned and tried to run.
"Going somewhere?" Lin Fan blurred into motion and blocked his path.
Li Rui gritted his teeth and thrust his dagger at Lin Fan's throat. It was a desperate strike, and it was incredibly fast.
But Lin Fan merely tilted his head slightly, letting the dagger skim past his neck. At the same time, he slapped Li Rui in the chest.
Bang!
Li Rui flew like a kite with its string cut, slammed into the boulder, and passed out.
Seeing that, Wang Tie finally panicked. He dropped his iron club and raised both hands. "I surrender! I surrender! Spare me, junior!"
The fight was over.
From start to finish, it had taken less than three minutes.
Zhang Kuang lay on the ground, his right fist mangled and blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with shock and unwillingness.
Wang Tie knelt on the ground, trembling.
Li Rui was unconscious.
As for Lin Fan and the others, aside from Chen Dahu's minor injuries and a few new scratches on Zhao Tie Zhu's shield, they were almost completely unharmed.
Lin Fan walked over to Zhang Kuang and crouched down.
"Senior, I understand the rules of the Wilderness now," he said calmly. "The strong can rob the weak. Right?"
Zhang Kuang's face turned ashen, but he couldn't answer.
"Then now," Lin Fan said, reaching out his hand, "hand over your Academic Credit cards."
"What?!" Zhang Kuang's eyes widened. "You... you're going to rob us?"
"I'm not robbing you," Lin Fan corrected him. "I'm 'sharing.' We should return some of that upperclassman concern you showed us."
Chen Dahu and the others came over, their expressions complicated as they looked at Lin Fan.
They hadn't expected him to do this, but on second thought, it seemed only right. If they had lost today, would Zhang Kuang and the others have spared them? No.
That was the rule of the Wilderness.
Zhang Kuang gritted his teeth, pulled a silver card from his clothes, and tossed it to Lin Fan. "There are 80 Academic Credits on it. Take them all!"
Wang Tie hurriedly handed over his card too. "I've got 50 Academic Credits."
Li Rui was still unconscious. Lin Fan searched him and found a card with 60 Academic Credits.
190 Academic Credits in total.
"Thank you for your 'concern,' seniors." Lin Fan put away the cards. "Now, would you mind leaving?"
With Wang Tie helping him up, Zhang Kuang got to his feet and glared at Lin Fan. "Kid, I'll remember you. This isn't over!"
"I'll be waiting," Lin Fan said coolly.
Zhang Kuang and the others left in a sorry state, not even taking Li Rui's iron club with them.
The Wilderness fell quiet again, with only the wind blowing past.
"Brother Fan..." Chen Dahu trailed off.
"Think I was too harsh?" Lin Fan asked.
Zhou Ming shook his head. "No. I think you did the right thing. If we hadn't been strong enough today, we'd have ended up much worse off than they did."
Zhao Tie Zhu said quietly, "It just feels... unreal. We beat second-year students and even took their Academic Credits."
"This is the world of martial arts." Lin Fan looked at the three of them. "There's no right or wrong, only strength. Today's lesson matters more than any theory."
He paused, then continued, "But don't go around spreading this yourselves. There's no need to hide it either. Zhang Kuang and the others lost face badly today, so word will get out. All we have to do is be ready."
"Ready for what?" Chen Dahu asked.
"Let's take on more challenges." Lin Fan looked toward the academy. "When we show our strength and value, some people will try to step on us, while others will try to win us over. The days ahead won't be peaceful."
The four packed up and continued on their way.
The sun had completely set, leaving only a streak of dark red on the horizon.
By the time they returned to the academy, turned in their mission, and exchanged their rewards for Academic Credits, night had fallen.
But just as Lin Fan had expected, word had already begun to spread.
Early the next morning, news swept through the Regular Class: the four new students, Lin Fan and his companions, had robbed the second-year Mad Wolf Squad in the wilderness. Their leader, Zhang Kuang, had broken his right hand, and Li Rui was gravely injured and unconscious.
In no time, Lin Fan's name had spread throughout the Regular Class.
Some admired him, some envied him, some feared him, and others... plotted in secret.
In a corner of the academy, Wang Hao heard the news and angrily smashed the teacup in his hand, his face darkening.
"Lin Fan... you again!"
Meanwhile, in the dean's office, Chen Daoxuan listened to Teacher Zhang's report, a glint of interest in his eyes.
"Basic Fist Technique defeated a third-stage Grade 2 fighter... That's interesting."
Before you continue