The days seemed to have been put on slow motion. Amid token commendations from the academy's higher-ups and the awed or curious gazes of numerous students, Ling Feng lived a simple, regular life. Dormitory-cafeteria-training ground on the back hill-dormitory. Three points along a single route, like an ascetic monk. He deliberately kept a low profile, even remaining somewhat aloof. The commotion brought about by his Hundred-Year Soul Ring had not gone to his head. He knew he might already have stirred up waves in the little pond of Nuoding City, but in the eyes of true powerhouses-such as that mysterious man in gray-he might not even count as a chess piece worth noticing.
That warning, heavy as a mountain, echoed constantly in his heart. Get stronger! Get stronger!! Get stronger!!!
It had become the only flame burning in Ling Feng's heart. With his system-enhanced physique and the nourishment of Soul Power, the injuries he had brought back from the Soul Hunting Forest had mostly healed. The numbness in his right arm had vanished, leaving only a slight sluggishness when he exerted force that would take time to work out. He devoted most of his efforts to cultivating the Purple Demon Eye and investigating the Thunderhorn Zheng's horn. When he activated the Purple Demon Eye, the world grew clearer, his ability to track movement soared, and he could even detect the faint flow of energy particles in the air. The horn felt heavy in his hand, containing violent lightning energy that gave his hand a faint tingling sensation on contact. Ling Feng tried guiding it with Soul Power and probing it with spiritual power, but both were like clay oxen sinking into the sea. Unable to find a way to use it for now, he could only give up and toss it into his storage ring to gather dust.
He was like a parched sponge, frantically soaking up every bit of strength and knowledge that could make him stronger. Yet in certain people's eyes, this almost ascetic attitude was sheer "arrogance" and "disdain for everyone."
It was another ordinary afternoon. Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting dappled light and shadow across the floor. Having finished the morning's tedious academic lessons and Soul Power meditation, Ling Feng dragged his slightly weary body toward Dorm Seven, the work-study students' dormitory. Practicing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer alone on the back hill had taken quite a toll. The corridor was silent. Apart from him, there seemed to be no one around. As he approached Dorm Seven's door, an extremely faint streak of purple flashed and vanished deep within his seemingly unremarkable eyes.
Here it is. His footsteps never paused, maintaining their original rhythm. Like the most precise scanner, his gaze silently swept over the space above the somewhat battered dormitory threshold. A fishing line, fine as a hair and nearly transparent, was stretched taut. One end was pinned into a crack at the edge of the doorframe, while the other extended above the half-closed door-where a wooden bucket filled with filthy water had been carefully wedged into the angle between the doorframe and the wall, its rim attached to the end of the line. If someone pushed the door open and touched the line, or opened the door far enough for the bucket to lose its triangular support, that bucket of sour, foul-smelling water would come pouring down on their head. Childish, but disgusting enough.
Next, he looked at the threshold beneath his feet. Several slick puddles of some unidentified liquid, gleaming with an oily sheen, had been smeared across the path anyone entering would have to take. Stepping on them would certainly make someone lose their balance in an instant. Finally, there was the white powder faintly visible through the gap in the half-closed door. Lime powder? Or something else that irritates the skin? A cold curve tugged at Ling Feng's lips. What an amateurish job. Looks like this is all Xiao Chenyu and his gang are capable of.
He stopped one step away from the door.
His spiritual power gathered slightly. Purple Demon Eye! Activate! Invisible telekinetic force wound around the transparent fishing line like the most dexterous hand. Snap! There was a nearly inaudible sound. The taut fishing line was severed in an instant! Almost simultaneously, Ling Feng's right hand shot out like lightning, pressing toward the bucket about to fall from a distance! A gentle yet incomparably precise fluctuation of Soul Power surged out. Not an impact, but a lifting force! The heavy bucket's descent abruptly halted, as though an invisible hand had caught it. Under Ling Feng's exquisite control of Soul Power, the bucket full of filth was steadily "plucked" from the corner of the doorframe without spilling a single drop. Without stopping, Ling Feng flicked his toe upward, pushing the door fully open with a deft application of force, then stepped aside. Like a calm director, he watched the trap become utterly useless before him. The slick substance on the threshold shone nauseatingly in the sunlight.
"Come out." Ling Feng's voice was quiet, yet carried a cold, penetrating edge.
Several stifled gasps and the rustle of clothing immediately came from the pile of miscellaneous objects in the corner behind the door. Several figures stiffly rose from their hiding place: the older troublemakers led by Xiao Chenyu. Before their smug, expectant expressions could fade, the strangely tranquil scene before them froze those expressions solid, turning them into shock and bewilderment.
How is he fine? Where's the bucket? How did the tripwire break?
"Did you set this up?" Ling Feng pointed at the oily puddle at his feet and inside the half-closed door. "And the stuff inside?" His tone was so flat it made their skin crawl.
Xiao Chenyu's face went from white to red, then from red to livid, as though someone had slapped him hard. Stiffening his neck, he shouted with a fierce front that masked his cowardice, "Y-you're talking nonsense! Who set anything up? Which eye of yours saw us do it?" "Exactly! What's wrong with us sorting things out here?" a lackey beside him hurriedly chimed in.
Ling Feng could not be bothered wasting words on these posturing clowns. "Very good." He nodded, his gaze settling on Xiao Chenyu. Then, beneath everyone's horrified stares, Ling Feng suddenly moved! He lifted the bucket full of filthy water steadily with one hand, his arm muscles tensing, yet his movements were lightning-fast! Without the slightest hesitation, he swung his arm hard! Whoosh-! A foul gust rushed toward them! Infused with Ling Feng's Soul Power, the heavy wooden bucket, reeking strongly of sour rot, flew straight toward the corner where Xiao Chenyu and the others had hidden, at an angle so precise it was almost devious! Too fast! Too sudden! Xiao Chenyu and his companions were scared out of their wits and instinctively tried to dodge or block. But it was too late!
Crash-splash!!! The huge wooden bucket slammed into the cramped corner piled with miscellaneous objects and instantly shattered! The filth inside-sour, stinking vegetable soup, greasy black water, and even rotten vegetable leaves-burst outward like a bomb! An indescribable, nauseating wave of stench instantly swept through the entire corner! Yellow, black, and green liquids cascaded down like a waterfall, completely engulfing Xiao Chenyu and his dumbstruck lackeys from head to toe! Sticky broth streamed down their hair and cheeks, while rotten vegetable leaves hung from their outer garments. Dead silence! A few seconds later.
"Bleurgh-!!!"
"Aaargh-!!!"
Miserable screams and successive bouts of retching tore through the dormitory building's quiet. Like a monkey that had jumped into a mud pit, Xiao Chenyu rolled frantically on the floor, trying to shake the filth off his body. But the more he moved, the farther the muck spread, seeping into his collar and smearing his entire body and face.
"Ling Feng!!! You bastard!!! I'll kill you!!" Xiao Chenyu howled hysterically, his voice cracking, mingled with the sour fluid churned up by his stomach acid. He was utterly wretched.
Ling Feng had already retreated several steps, expressionless, to avoid being splashed with filth. At the same time, he unobtrusively planted a foot on the oily puddle and ground it thoroughly into the dust. Without another glance at the scenes of human misery in the corner, he walked straight toward his bed by the window, as though he had merely tossed away a piece of garbage. Outside the dormitory, students drawn by the commotion poked their heads in, only to be promptly driven back by the pungent stench. They covered their noses, their faces showing both disgust and delight at others' misfortune.
In a fairly elegant residence in the western district of Nuoding City, Xiao Chenyu was crying with tears and snot streaming down his face. Although he had changed into clean clothes, that stench, which had sunk into his very bones, still seemed to linger in his nostrils. Adding oil and vinegar to the story, he poured out his accusations about the humiliation he had suffered in the dormitory.
"Brother! Brother! You have to avenge me! That little bastard! That work-study student! He's gone too far! He took the dirty-water bucket... sob... he poured it over my head! And he slandered me! How am I supposed to show my face at the academy now, Brother?" Xiao Chenyu wailed, the venomous resentment on his face nearly spilling over.
Xiao Yan sat in a grand armchair, his expression dark and still as water. As he listened to his younger brother's tearful accusations, the teacup in his hand creaked under his grip. Useless! Absolutely useless! He couldn't even pull off a prank! Instead, the other boy turned the tables and left him in such a disgraceful state! Xiao Yan was a figure of some standing in Nuoding City. His father was a steward at the city lord's residence, and he himself was a Soul Grandmaster above rank twenty, a teacher at the academy! And now his younger brother had been publicly doused in filth by a work-study student. It was his reputation, Xiao Yan's, that had been disgraced! The reputation of the entire Xiao Clan!
What enraged him even more was that Ling Feng. A Hundred-Year Soul Ring... the academy values him... even Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, that fellow with his eyes above his head, sees him in a different light... why?! Some country bumpkin who appeared out of nowhere! And back in the Soul Hunting Forest... the contempt deep in that brat's eyes when he looked at me... damn it all!
Crack! A sharp sound rang out.
The fine white porcelain teacup in Xiao Yan's hand was finally crushed by his raw grip! Scalding tea mixed with broken porcelain splashed all over the floor.
"Enough!" Xiao Yan snapped, his face so gloomy it seemed water might drip from it. Xiao Chenyu shuddered in fright, his sobs catching in his throat.
Xiao Yan rose, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the candlelight, exuding a sinister chill. He walked to the window and gazed out at the pitch-black night sky. "What good does all that wailing do?" His voice was bone-chilling. "You're less skilled than someone else, and all you can do is cry for your parents. Our Xiao Clan has no coward like you!" He slowly turned, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Chenyu like a venomous snake before finally fixing on the direction of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy outside the window. Enunciating every word, he said, "That little bastard... has been jumping around long enough." "It's time he truly understood..." "In Nuoding City, if you offend our Xiao Clan..." Xiao Yan's lips spread into a cruel, bloodthirsty curve, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his hands. A faint fluctuation of Soul Power carrying the scent of blood flickered over him and vanished. "...there'll be blood, not merely a bucket of dirty water!"