Inside the Mimicry Training Ground, thunderclouds churned as bolts of purple lightning slithered through the heavy clouds like silver snakes.
Dull rumbles of thunder echoed in the distance, and the air was steeped in a faint aura of lightning.
Lin Fan could feel that his cultivation speed was about fifty percent faster than when he cultivated on his own!
With the Mimicry Training Ground, his cultivation speed was even faster than it would be with the top-grade Stardust Magic Tool!
The Mimicry Training Ground wasn't open for cultivation at all hours. It only opened in the afternoon.
When Lin Fan emerged from the Mimicry Training Ground, he saw Bibi Dong waiting for him.
"Senior Brother!" Bibi Dong's eyes sparkled.
Lin Fan smiled and ruffled her hair. "Come on. It's about time we headed back."
The two left the Mimicry Training Ground and made their way toward the dormitories.
Bibi Dong chattered all the way about how cultivation had felt. Lin Fan listened patiently, occasionally chiming in.
As they passed the cafeteria, a waft of delicious aromas drifted out, and Bibi Dong's stomach betrayed her with another rumble.
Her little face flushed red. She tugged at Lin Fan's sleeve and gave it a shake. "Senior Brother, can we get something else to eat?"
Lin Fan laughed and nodded. "Sure. We used up a lot of energy today, so we should eat plenty."
The moment they entered the cafeteria, several gazes fell on them. It was Liu Er, Zhang Si, and the others who had been talking about Lin Fan that morning.
When Liu Er spotted Lin Fan, his expression darkened, and another line of text appeared above his head.
"Ding! Negative Emotion Value from Liu Er (Jealousy) +520"
"Ding! Negative Emotion Value from Zhang Si (Jealousy) +310"
Lin Fan chuckled to himself. Looks like these two really couldn't stop thinking about him.
During training, they'd provided him with plenty of Emotion Values, most of them negative.
But Lin Fan couldn't be bothered with them. He already knew all about them from Teacher Xu.
Ignoring them, Lin Fan went straight to the serving counter with Bibi Dong and piled their table high with food: meat, vegetables, and plenty of nourishing spirit food to replenish their blood and vitality.
After eating, the two returned to the dormitories.
"Senior Brother, I'm going inside now." Bibi Dong stood at the dorm entrance and waved her little hand. "I'll come find you tomorrow morning so we can go to class together."
"Okay. Take the evening to regulate your breathing and cultivate. Don't fool around," Lin Fan reminded her.
Bibi Dong nodded firmly, then went into the dormitory.
Lin Fan turned toward his own dormitory, only to see three people approaching.
They were Liu Er, Zhang Si, and a slightly chubby boy. All three looked hostile.
Lin Fan stopped for a moment, his expression calm. "What is it?"
Liu Er folded his arms and sneered. "Lin Fan, don't think you're all that just because the Saint Child is your master. You were putting on a show at the training ground today. Do you really think you're invincible?"
Zhang Si chimed in, "Exactly. You're just relying on your status. If it came down to a fight, you might not be able to beat us."
The chubby boy said ominously, "Know what's good for you and keep your head down at the academy. Stop hogging the spotlight, or you'll be sorry."
Lin Fan looked at the three of them, the faintest hint of a smile curling his lips.
The next moment, a series of system notifications rang in his ears.
"Ding! Negative Emotion Value from Liu Er (Jealousy) +666"
"Ding! Negative Emotion Value from Zhang Si (Hostility) +444"
"Ding! Negative Emotion Value from Wang Pang (Provocation) +555"
Emotion Values poured in one after another. Lin Fan was delighted, though his expression remained indifferent.
"Are you done?"
Liu Er froze. He hadn't expected Lin Fan to react like that, and his anger flared. "Don't get cocky, kid! Believe it or not, we'll teach you a lesson right now!"
As he spoke, Liu Er charged forward, swinging a fist at Lin Fan's chest.
Lin Fan sidestepped and nimbly dodged Liu Er's clumsy attack.
Following through, he struck Liu Er squarely in the back with his palm.
Liu Er hadn't expected Lin Fan to dodge his attack so easily. He was still stunned when he felt a force shove against his back.
With a thud, Lin Fan's palm sent Liu Er sprawling face-first into the ground.
Zhang Si and Wang Pang's expressions changed at once. Neither had expected Lin Fan to act so decisively.
"How dare you attack us!"
Zhang Si roared, and he and Wang Pang lunged at Lin Fan from either side.
Lin Fan's steps remained unhurried as Soul Power flowed lightly through his body.
Facing their pincer attack, he moved forward instead of retreating. He dipped slightly, easily dodged Zhang Si's grab, then drove his elbow into the other boy's stomach.
Zhang Si grunted and doubled over like a shrimp, instantly losing his ability to fight.
Wang Pang's bulky body barreled toward him. Lin Fan simply sidestepped and gave him a light tug.
Unable to stop himself, Wang Pang slammed headfirst into the nearby wall with a bang. His vision swam, and he couldn't straighten up for a long while.
In just a few moments, all three were on the ground, groaning.
How could they possibly withstand Lin Fan's strength?
The three boys were no match for Lin Fan.
"Ding! Negative Emotion Value from Liu Er (Humiliation) +999!"
"Ding! Negative Emotion Value from Zhang Si (Pain) +666!"
"Ding! Negative Emotion Value from Wang Pang (Regret) +888!"
As the notifications continued to ring in his ears, the corners of Lin Fan's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
He looked down at them, his voice calm yet weighted with undeniable pressure.
"The academy has rules. Private fights are forbidden."
"You started this. Don't blame me for showing no mercy."
Liu Er lay facedown on the ground, red-faced with pain and fury as he roared, "Lin Fan! Just you wait! I won't let this go!"
Lin Fan glanced at him coolly. "Any time. But if you block my way and provoke me again, you'll get more than a fall."
With that, he turned away from their sorry state and walked straight into his dormitory.
Zhang Si, Liu Er, and Wang Pang got back to their feet in disgrace, already regretting that they'd gone looking for trouble with Lin Fan.
If Bibi Dong hadn't been so beautiful and fallen for Lin Fan, Wang Pang wouldn't have come to pick a fight with him.
As for Liu Er, he simply couldn't stand Lin Fan showing off in front of everyone. If Lin Fan's status at the Martial Soul Academy hadn't kept him in check, Liu Er definitely wouldn't have dared to pick a fight with him.
"This is all your fault for dragging us into this fight with Lin Fan. Now we're in for trouble!" Wang Pang said resentfully to Liu Er.
"Hmph. You're the one who's useless. How's that my fault?" Liu Er grumbled.
"Enough. Lin Fan's the one to blame for all this. We'd better watch out for him from now on, or he'll teach us another lesson!" Zhang Si said.
Hearing that, Liu Er and Wang Pang both nodded.
Just as they were talking, Lin Fan received another wave of negative Emotion Values from the three of them!
Looking at where the Emotion Values had come from, Lin Fan smiled. "Good. Hate me, despise me. That way, I'll have an endless supply of Emotion Values!"
After a day of cultivation, his Emotion Values were already close to breaking the two-million mark!
In another two or three days, he'd be able to buy a Stardust Magic Tool. Then, with the added boost from the Mimicry Training Ground, his cultivation speed would reach astonishing heights!
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