Trouble Comes Knocking

Inside the Mimicry Training Ground, thunderclouds churned, and purple lightning darted through the thick clouds like silver snakes.

Muffled rumbles of thunder echoed faintly, and the air was permeated with a subtle scent of lightning.

Lin Fan could feel that his cultivation speed was about fifty percent faster than when he practiced on his own!

Relying on the Mimicry Training Ground was even more effective than the highest-grade Stardust Magic Tool for boosting cultivation speed!

The Mimicry Training Ground could not be accessed for cultivation at any time; it only opened in the afternoon.

Emerging from the Mimicry Training Ground, Lin Fan saw Bibi Dong waiting for him.

"Senior Brother!" Bibi Dong's eyes sparkled.

Lin Fan smiled and ruffled her hair. "Let's go, it's about time, we should head back."

The two walked out of the Mimicry Training Ground and headed toward the dormitories.

Bibi Dong chattered all the way about her experiences during cultivation, while Lin Fan listened patiently, occasionally chiming in with a few words of agreement.

As they passed the cafeteria, waves of fragrance wafted over, and Bibi Dong's stomach let out an uncooperative growl.

Her face flushed red, and she tugged on Lin Fan's sleeve, shaking it slightly. "Senior Brother, can we get something to eat?"

Lin Fan chuckled and nodded. "Alright, you've expended so much energy today, it's only right to replenish it."

Just as they stepped into the cafeteria, several gazes landed on them; it was Liu Er, Zhang Si, and the others who had been gossiping about Lin Fan that morning.

Seeing Lin Fan, Liu Er's expression darkened, and a line of notifications popped up above his head.

Ding, negative emotion value (jealousy) from Liu Er +520

Ding, negative emotion value (jealousy) from Zhang Si +310

Lin Fan chuckled inwardly; it seemed these two really couldn't get him out of their minds.

During the training session, the two had provided him with quite a bit of emotion value, the vast majority of which was negative.

However, Lin Fan couldn't be bothered to pay them any mind; he had already learned their backgrounds from Teacher Xu.

Ignoring them, Lin Fan went straight to get a table full of food for himself and Bibi Dong, balancing meat and vegetables, along with plenty of spirit food to nourish their vitality.

After finishing their meal, the two returned to the dormitory.

"Senior Brother, I'm going in now." Bibi Dong stood at the dormitory entrance, waving her small hand. "I'll come find you tomorrow morning to go to class together."

"Alright, make sure to meditate and cultivate properly tonight, don't get distracted," Lin Fan cautioned.

Bibi Dong nodded vigorously before entering the dormitory.

As Lin Fan turned to head toward his own room, he saw three people walking toward him.

It was Liu Er, Zhang Si, and a slightly chubby boy; the three of them wore unfriendly expressions.

Lin Fan paused his steps, his expression indifferent. "Something the matter?"

Liu Er crossed his arms and sneered. "Lin Fan, don't think you're all that just because you have a Saint as a master. Acting all high and mighty at the training ground today—do you really think you're invincible?"

Zhang Si chimed in from the side, "Exactly. You're just relying on your status. If we really fought, you might not be our match."

The chubby boy added with a sinister tone, "Be smart and keep a low profile in the academy from now on. Don't always try to steal the spotlight, or else... you'll regret it."

Lin Fan looked at the three of them, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The next second, system notifications rang out in his ears one after another.

Ding, negative emotion value (jealousy) from Liu Er +666

Ding, negative emotion value (hostility) from Zhang Si +444

Ding, negative emotion value (provocation) from Wang Pang +555

With each batch of emotion value credited, Lin Fan was overjoyed, though his face remained impassive.

"Are you finished?"

Liu Er was stunned; he hadn't expected this reaction from Lin Fan, and his anger flared even higher. "Don't get cocky, kid! Do you think we won't teach you a lesson right now?"

As he spoke, Liu Er charged forward, throwing a punch toward Lin Fan's chest.

Seeing this, Lin Fan sidestepped, nimbly dodging Liu Er's clumsy strike.

He followed through with a palm strike, hitting Liu Er squarely in the back.

Liu Er hadn't expected his attack to be dodged so easily by Lin Fan, and while he was still stunned, he felt the force of the push against his back.

With a bang, Liu Er was shoved to the ground by Lin Fan's palm, landing face-first in the dirt.

Zhang Si and Wang Pang's expressions changed instantly; neither of them had expected Lin Fan to act so decisively.

"You dare fight back!"

Zhang Si roared, and he and Wang Pang lunged at him from both sides simultaneously.

Lin Fan's footsteps remained unhurried as he circulated his soul power within his body.

Facing their pincer attack, he didn't retreat but advanced instead, crouching slightly to easily evade Zhang Si's grab, then following through with an elbow strike that landed right in the other's abdomen.

Zhang Si let out a muffled groan, his body arching like a shrimp in agony as he instantly lost all combat capability.

Wang Pang's portly frame came charging in, but Lin Fan simply sidestepped and gave him a light tug.

Unable to check his momentum, Wang Pang slammed headfirst into the nearby wall with a bang, seeing stars and unable to straighten his back for a long while.

In the span of a single breath, all three of them were sprawled on the ground, wailing.

How could they possibly withstand the strength of Lin Fan?

These three peers were simply 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!

Listening to the constant notifications ringing in his ears, the corners of Lin Fan's mouth curled up imperceptibly.

He looked down at the trio from above, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable pressure.

"The academy has rules; private fights are forbidden."

"Since you were the ones to strike first, don't blame me for being impolite."

Liu Er lay on the ground, both pained and furious, his face flushed red as he roared, "Lin Fan! You just wait! I won't let this go!"

Lin Fan glanced at him indifferently. "I'll accompany you anytime, but if you dare to block my path and provoke me again, it won't be as simple as just falling down."

With that, he stopped looking at their pathetic state and turned to walk straight into his dormitory.

Zhang Si, Liu Er, and Wang Pang scrambled to their feet in a sorry state, already regretting having come to cause trouble for Lin Fan.

If it weren't for the fact that Bibi Dong was so beautiful and had taken a liking to Lin Fan, Wang Pang would never have come here to stir up trouble.

As for Liu Er, he simply couldn't stand Lin Fan showing off in front of others; if it weren't for the constraints of his status at Martial Soul Academy, he certainly wouldn't have dared to provoke Lin Fan either.

"It's all your fault for coming to mess with this Lin Fan. Now look at us, we're going to have a hard time from here on out!" Wang Pang said to Liu Er with resentment.

"Hmph, you have no skills of your own, who can you blame for that!" Liu Er retorted with dissatisfaction.

"Alright, all of this is still Lin Fan's fault. We need to be on our guard against him from now on, lest we get another beating!" Zhang Si interjected.

Hearing this, both Liu Er and Wang Pang nodded.

Just as they were speaking, Lin Fan received another wave of negative emotion values from the three of them!

Looking at the source of the emotion values, Lin Fan's lips curled upward. Good, hate me, loathe me—that's the only way I'll have a constant stream of emotion values!

After a day of cultivation, his emotion values were already nearing the two-million mark!

In another two or three days, he would be able to purchase the Stardust Magic Tool. Combined with the amplification from the Mimicry Training Ground, the cultivation speed he could achieve would reach a staggering level!