Seeing this, Wang Wu gritted his teeth and pushed his remaining bowl of medicinal food in front of Lin Fan.
Lin Fan grabbed his hand. "I won't take this bowl no matter what, even if you pour it out!" His tone was utterly firm.
"Lin Fan..."
Wang Wu grew anxious again. He did not want Lin Fan's progress to fall too far behind Li Feng's.
"Drinking more doesn't necessarily help. The key is being able to digest it. I've already reached my limit, so drinking more won't do any good. Besides, I absolutely cannot let myself cut off your paths in martial arts!" Lin Fan said solemnly.
Seeing that Lin Fan would not entertain any discussion, Wang Wu let out a long sigh and took the medicinal food back. The other roommates, who had been about to do the same, could only give up.
With four bowls of medicinal food in his stomach, Lin Fan felt warm all over. A wisp of heat rose from the top of his head, and the wounds all over his body healed faster.
After the meal, Lin Fan soaked in the secret medicinal preparation for over an hour. Instead of returning to the dormitory, he headed for the slope. Since he had drunk two extra bowls of medicinal food, he could not let them go to waste.
Perhaps because there was no pollution, the moon in this world was very bright. Even without lamplight, Lin Fan could see his surroundings clearly.
Upon reaching the top of the slope, Lin Fan noticed a figure arrive at the bottom. Though indistinct, he could tell it was Li Feng.
Li Feng noticed him too. The two looked at each other from a distance, one high above, the other able only to look up.
Yet the one looking up remained oblivious. Li Feng smiled disdainfully. "Lin Fan, even extra training is just your dying struggle. My talent is better than yours, and I have more medicinal food. What do you have to fight me with?"
Lin Fan looked down at him. "Li Feng, the gap between us is just as it is now," he said mildly, then rolled down.
Li Feng froze for a moment, then looked at Lin Fan as though he were an idiot. After cursing, "Idiot," he started up the slope, already calculating how to deal with Lin Fan and his roommates once his Iron Cloth Shirt reached minor accomplishment.
Lin Fan rolled to the bottom and discovered that his Iron Cloth Shirt progress had increased by another ten points. His spirits surged. He felt that minor accomplishment in Iron Cloth Shirt was already within reach.
Lin Fan rolled down again and again. By the time he left, his Iron Cloth Shirt progress had reached Minor accomplishment 340/400.
He needed only six more rolls to enter the Minor Accomplishment Realm. It was not that he did not want to continue, but the medicinal potency of the secret preparation and medicinal food had already been exhausted. Continuing would deplete his body.
Li Feng had not left. Having drunk four extra bowls of medicinal food, he could still keep going.
Watching Lin Fan's retreating figure, he sneered. "Lin Fan, at this rate, I'm confident I can reach the Minor Accomplishment Realm within two days. What do you have to fight me with?"
"Wait and see!"
That was all Lin Fan said in response as he walked away without looking back.
"A dead duck's bill stays hard!" Li Feng sneered, then continued rolling down the slope.
Back at the dormitory entrance, Lin Fan found Jiang Tong sitting blankly on the ground, as though he had lost his soul.
Seeing Lin Fan return, a faint light appeared in his eyes. He grabbed Lin Fan's wrist as though clutching a life-saving straw.
Lin Fan stared at him coldly. "Jiang Tong, let go, or don't blame me for getting rough."
Anger and humiliation flashed through Jiang Tong's eyes, but in the end, only helplessness remained.
"Lin Fan, I was wrong before. I want to join you in standing against Li Feng. I'm willing to give you half my medicinal food," he said hurriedly.
"Heh..." Lin Fan scoffed. "Jiang Tong, half your medicinal food is already mine. You're offering me my own things? Do you take me for an idiot?"
Jiang Tong had never expected the honest-looking Lin Fan to be so shameless. He hated him, but circumstances were stronger than he was. He could only swallow his grievances and compromise.
"Lin Fan, I can drink just one bowl a day and give you the other five. That way, Li Feng will also get two fewer bowls. You'll benefit in two ways!" He raised his offer.
Lin Fan flung his hand off and strode into the dormitory. "Jiang Tong, you still don't understand the situation. Your medicinal food already belongs to Li Feng and me. What medicinal food do you have?"
Jiang Tong threw his arms around Lin Fan's leg, his tone pleading. "Lin Fan, I can wash your clothes and do whatever you say. I only ask that you protect one bowl of medicinal food for me each day!"
Lin Fan kicked him away without mercy. "Only now do you think of clinging to my thigh? It's already too late."
Jiang Tong lay on the ground in despair. He bitterly regretted not standing with Lin Fan last night, which had led to this outcome today.
Yesterday, he had still been smug about his own "wisdom." That morning, he had even mocked Lin Fan with abandon. He had never expected retribution to come so quickly.
The next morning, Jiang Tong's medicinal food was still divided between Li Feng and Lin Fan. This had already become a tacit "understanding" between the two.
Wang Wu and Meng Lin wanted to give Lin Fan one of their bowls of medicinal food, but Lin Fan refused. "There's limited time to train in the morning. Three bowls are enough. We'll talk about it at dinner."
The two thought that made sense and did not insist.
Things were completely different on Li Feng's side, however. Brother Li unceremoniously poured all his roommates' medicinal food into his stomach. As Zhao Tao and the others ate the rice in their bowls, it felt as hard to swallow as mud.
When training began, the consequences of going without medicinal food emerged. Jiang Tong passed out completely after rolling down just once.
The instructor flew into a rage at the sight and sent Jiang Tong flying with a kick. Jiang Tong rolled several times before stopping.
"Trash!" the instructor cursed.
But something even more infuriating happened afterward. Zhao Tao and his roommates all passed out on their second roll. The instructor's gaze looked murderous.
He slapped Zhao Tao hard across the face, jolting him awake.
"You bastards, what good are any of you? You've only rolled twice, and you're already passing out?" the instructor roared.
Fear appeared on Zhao Tao's face. He instinctively looked toward Li Feng and met his utterly cold gaze.
That gaze told him that if he dared tell the truth, he could forget about getting by here.
He felt utterly humiliated. He had thought he had found a powerful thigh to cling to, only to discover he had brought a demon upon himself.
"Instructor, I... I... I didn't sleep well last night," he said, his eyes shifting.
With the instructor's experience, how could he fail to guess what had happened? Had it been anyone else, he would certainly have investigated thoroughly.
But thinking of Li Feng's talent, he decided to keep one eye open and the other shut. The credit for training ten human stakes could not compare with that of training a single martial artist. In his eyes, Li Feng had the makings of a martial artist.
Watching this, Lin Fan's roommates secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, Lin Fan was not insatiably greedy. Otherwise, they would have ended up just like Zhao Tao and the others.
Lin Fan rolled from the top of the slope to the ground once more. A tremendous surge of strength suddenly filled his body. He felt he could shatter a rock with one punch, and the stinging pain of his wounds diminished greatly.
His eyes shone brilliantly. His Iron Cloth Shirt had reached minor accomplishment.
Fate bearer: Lin Fan Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence Aptitude: Ordinary Technique: Iron Cloth Shirt (Minor accomplishment 400/400), progress +1 each time practiced.