Perhaps afraid of being implicated, Lin Chen's classmates didn't keep their promise. They jointly demanded a different teacher.
Avoiding harm and seeking benefit was human nature, so Lin Chen understood.
What surprised him, though,
was that no one brought up either Gangzi being "humiliated" in public or Tang San losing his dignity as a man.
It was as if none of it had ever happened.
But after thinking it over, Lin Chen figured it out. Most likely, Tang Hao—whose hands and feet had been chopped off—had warned Yu Xiaogang.
Otherwise, given Gangzi and Tang San's personalities, there was no way they would pretend nothing had happened.
Since Yu Xiaogang was still the teacher, Lin Chen simply went straight to the dean of studies and asked for the privilege of skipping two classes.
The dean only tested him on a few basic things about Spirit Masters before agreeing.
As for Xiao Wu...
The knowledge was all in the textbooks. She could just spend some time studying on her own each day. It wasn't as if a junior Soul Master Academy taught anything profound.
That left Lin Chen with more time to cultivate.
Apart from eating, drinking, and taking care of his needs, he spent nearly all his time cultivating, only occasionally stopping to sleep.
Before he knew it, Lin Chen had been at Notting Academy for a month.
That morning, he slowly opened his eyes. A hint of delight rose to his face before he could stop it: he had successfully broken through to Level 20.
It was time to go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Only...
As the greatest opportunity on Douluo Continent, the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well were undeniably important to the protagonist group.
Without the Immortal Herbs, only Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Oscar would have any hope of becoming Titled Douluo.
Ma Hongjun had a chance too, but he was too lazy and often lingered in places of pleasure. He had practically no hope of cultivating to the rank of Titled Douluo.
If Lin Chen stripped the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well bare, it would definitely have a huge impact on their fates.
But if Lin Chen wanted to get a reward, he had to edit a script. How could he write one that would achieve the effect he wanted?
Wait.
Couldn't he just write any script related to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?
As long as Tang San and the others had no chance to obtain the Immortal Herbs, their fates would naturally change drastically.
Once he had a plan, Lin Chen quickly came up with a script.
But Notting City was too far from Heaven Dou City. Editing the script now could lead to unforeseen changes, so he might as well wait until he was closer.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Just as Lin Chen was lost in thought, someone suddenly knocked on the dormitory door.
"Lin Chen, it's time for breakfast."
Xiao Wu's voice came from outside, forcing Lin Chen to put the script aside for now.
"Coming."
Lin Chen got dressed, climbed out of bed, and went to open the dormitory door.
"Let's go."
On the way to the cafeteria, Lin Chen suddenly said, "I need to leave for a while. I'll be gone for about half a month to a month."
"Huh?"
Xiao Wu turned to look at him, her face full of confusion.
Lin Chen continued, "If you want to leave, this is your best chance. It's also your only chance."
He still hadn't decided what to do with Xiao Wu, so he might as well use this opportunity to test her.
If she took the chance to run, Lin Chen wouldn't have to bother with her anymore. It wasn't as if he'd be short on Spirit Rings or Spirit Bones.
If she ran, so be it.
She'd be the one missing out on a chance to change her fate.
If she didn't run, and obediently waited for Lin Chen to return at Notting Academy, he wouldn't mind giving her an Immortal Herb and taking her in.
It was all up to her.
"Then what am I supposed to eat?"
Xiao Wu didn't say anything about whether she'd run or not. Instead, she was concerned about her meals, as if she'd never even considered leaving.
"I'll leave you some money for food."
Lin Chen didn't know if Xiao Wu was pretending, but he didn't particularly care either way.
"All right, then."
Xiao Wu nodded and said no more.
She seemed unfazed on the surface, but inside she was terribly conflicted.
Should I run?
If I do, what if he's just trying to trick me?
If I stay...
What if he's telling the truth? If I miss this chance, will I still have any way to survive once he can withstand a 100,000-year Soul Ring?
Xiao Wu was caught in a dilemma.
Lin Chen and Xiao Wu ran into Yu Xiaogang and Tang San at the cafeteria entrance. The two merely snorted and went upstairs.
With Tang Hao's warning, Yu Xiaogang naturally didn't dare provoke Lin Chen again.
But he was still the Grandmaster. He had his pride, all right?
If he had to curry favor with someone who'd humiliated him in public, what would become of his dignity?
Tang San went without saying.
If his teacher hadn't repeatedly stressed that Lin Chen had a powerful background and forbidden him from seeking revenge, he would have wanted to kill Lin Chen on the spot.
How could he possibly make friends with Lin Chen again?
Lin Chen didn't care about their attitude. He didn't have to go to Shrek, after all. He could just live however he pleased.
Besides, if he insisted on making trouble for Flender and the others, Yu Xiaogang wouldn't be able to stop him.
Lin Chen and Xiao Wu went up to the cafeteria's second floor and quickly got their food. While they were eating, he heard Tang San and Yu Xiaogang talking about the stipend.
If they hadn't mentioned it, Lin Chen might have forgotten that he still had a script waiting to be acted out.
And when he heard Yu Xiaogang tell Tang San to go with him to Spirit Hall to collect the stipend after morning classes,
Lin Chen nearly lost it.
Well, well.
Could Scarface really have the good fortune to, uh, do that to a god?
This...
But Scarface was only a Soul King. He might not be able to withstand Tang San's Hidden Weapons.
No, he had to patch things up.
System, begin editing.
When Wang Dong ambushed him, Tang San sensed the attack at once and retaliated without hesitation, firing the Silent Sleeve Arrow.
But to his surprise, his Silent Sleeve Arrow failed to fire.
Wang Dong saw Tang San standing there like a fool, raising his hand despite having clearly noticed the attack. He slammed his fist into Tang San's temple.
Tang San dropped like a stone.
After taking care of Yu Xiaogang, Wang Dong carefully searched both of them and took Tang San's Silent Sleeve Arrow and Storage Soul Tool.
[Editing complete!]
Lin Chen smiled faintly.
Without his Hidden Weapons, Tang San couldn't possibly defeat a Soul King with only the Tang Sect Secret Arts. All that was left was to let Scarface...
Lin Chen couldn't help glancing at Tang San, his eyes full of pity.
He hoped Tang San could bear this humiliation.
After breakfast,
Lin Chen gave Xiao Wu some Gold Soul Coins, then left Notting Academy and went to an empty alley.
"Wuhen!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wuhen appeared out of thin air in the alley.
Although Wuhen had absorbed Tang Hao's two Spirit Bones, they were only a little over 30,000 years old and hadn't helped him break through to Level 98.
Lin Chen asked curiously, "Is that a spatial Spirit Skill?"
Wuhen nodded. "It is."
Lin Chen nodded. "Let's go. Take me to Sunset Forest."
Wuhen grabbed Lin Chen by the shoulder, and the two of them vanished from the alley.
Before you continue