In class, my calm retort was like a pebble tossed into a lake, shattering the silence that filled the room.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned from green to white. I'd struck at the fatal flaw in his theory, yet he had no way to refute me. The humiliation made his hatred of me quietly take root and sprout.
The theory class ended hastily. Yu Xiaogang packed up his things, then gave me a long look before leaving. His gaze was gloomy, filled with undisguised wariness and malice.
[The memory abruptly broke off.]
In the original story, that old bastard had always been narrow-minded and vindictive. Anyone who questioned his theories was secretly targeted at every turn. Today, I'd made him lose face, so there'd surely be no shortage of petty tricks in the days ahead. But I didn't care in the slightest. When soldiers came, I'd send generals to stop them; when floods came, I'd use earth to hold them back.
[My thoughts gently returned.]
From that day on, Yu Xiaogang began using his connections at Nuoding Academy to quietly trip me up.
During coursework assessments, my answers were clearly flawless, yet he deliberately lowered my scores and docked my credits for no reason. When the academy distributed resources like basic cultivation spirit stones and Body Tempering Grass, my share was always mysteriously smaller than everyone else's. Several times, it even vanished without a trace.
All his obstruction was carried out with extreme subtlety, without any overt signs of targeting me. Even when I went to argue my case with the academy instructors, I couldn't find a shred of evidence. I could only swallow the injustice.
Tang San watched it all unfold, a knowing smile often tugging at the corners of his mouth. In his view, it was only a matter of time before his teacher moved against me. With obstacles at every turn, I'd eventually lose my edge and never be able to outshine him again.
In the face of these underhanded tricks, I remained calm throughout.
I relied on the system, so I had no need for these low-grade cultivation resources in the first place. Spirit stones and medicinal herbs were dispensable to me. I continued to keep my abilities hidden, behaving myself in class and cultivating alone. I let Yu Xiaogang do as he pleased in secret, neither resisting nor arguing, quietly enduring it all.
The more I endured, the more I could lower the teacher and his disciple's guard. That was the outcome I wanted.
But this covert targeting couldn't escape Xiao Wu's keen eye.
Over the past few days, she'd gradually noticed that I always received the smallest share of the resources, and my coursework scores were inexplicably low. When she recalled Yu Xiaogang's gloomy expression after I'd questioned him in class, she immediately understood what was going on.
At dusk that day, the setting sun stained Nuoding Academy's training ground red. Xiao Wu made a point of finding me while I was meditating alone. Her little face was puffed up with anger, brimming with indignation.
"Brother Lin Chen, that teacher, Yu Xiaogang, is going too far! He's obviously targeting you on purpose! And Tang San just stands off to the side watching, sneaking glances and enjoying the show. He's awful!"
She hurried over to me, hands on her hips, not caring in the slightest whether anyone else might hear. She spoke plainly in my defense, her clear eyes filled with protectiveness.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the girl's sincere expression. A hint of warmth passed through my heart, and I soothed her gently. "It's nothing. They're just little tricks. They can't affect me, so there's no need to get worked up over something so small."
"But he's obviously being unfair!" Xiao Wu frowned and sat close beside me, her voice utterly firm. "No matter how others target you, I'll always stand by your side! I don't want to hang around someone as petty as Tang San!"
After spending all this time together, Xiao Wu had already seen the gloom and narrow-mindedness buried in Tang San's bones. Compared with the hypocritical, world-weary Tang San, I was steady and reserved, powerful yet kind to others. She felt far closer to me.
Her heart had long since turned completely toward me, and the course of events had entirely diverged from the original story.
I smiled faintly and nodded, without saying much.
That affection was enough. There was no need to rush; we could take things slowly.
Under the trees in the distance, Tang San happened to see the scene. Watching Xiao Wu openly defend me, jealousy and resentment sprouted wildly in his heart like weeds. He clenched his fists tight, and his gaze grew ever more sinister.
Yu Xiaogang's covert obstruction, Xiao Wu's devoted support, Tang San's hidden jealousy—their tangled conflicts quietly intertwined in the little world of Nuoding Academy.
And I continued to hold fast to my principles, keeping my Twin Martial Souls hidden deep within my soul and concealing my true level. I moved steadily forward amid the surging undercurrents, quietly awaiting the right moment to push Tang San and Yu Xiaogang into the abyss once and for all.
Before you continue