Lin Fan could not suppress the upward curl of his lips. In just five days, he had gone from an ordinary person to perfecting Iron Cloth Shirt, his strength surpassing a thousand jin and his body resisting blades and spears. His progress was nothing short of tremendous.
For some people, five days was not enough even to get started, yet he had already reached perfection.
"Perhaps... I really am a martial arts prodigy?" Lin Fan mused.
I mustn't get arrogant. I haven't officially tempered my flesh and become a martial artist yet. It's still too early for any of that, Lin Fan silently warned himself.
"Lin Fan, why haven't you gotten up and hauled yourself back up there to train?" A reprimand interrupted Lin Fan's thoughts. He saw the instructor staring at him with an unfriendly expression.
Lin Fan gritted his teeth and sprang to his feet with a kip-up. "Instructor, I've reached minor accomplishment in Iron Cloth Shirt," he said in a low voice.
The instructor frowned and strode over to Lin Fan. Lin Fan rolled up his sleeve, and the instructor scraped a fingernail hard across his skin, leaving a faint white mark.
Why does his skin feel tougher than Li Feng's? Doubt stirred in the instructor's heart, but he did not dwell on it. Deep down, he did not believe Lin Fan could cultivate faster than Li Feng.
"Reaching minor accomplishment in five days is nothing to be proud of. Only major accomplishment counts as truly crossing the threshold. Go report to the outer courtyard yourself," he said indifferently.
He really has interpreted unequal treatment to its fullest, Lin Fan sneered inwardly.
When Li Feng reached minor accomplishment, the instructor had personally taken him to the outer courtyard and stayed with him for half a day. Yet when Lin Fan reached minor accomplishment, he had to go alone.
Lin Fan cupped his hands and left amid congratulations from Wang Wu and the others.
Wang Wu exchanged glances with Meng Lin and the others, relief appearing in all their eyes. With Lin Fan becoming a Human Stake, there was hope of holding Li Feng off.
"I hope Brother Lin keeps progressing at this pace and doesn't fall too far behind Li Feng," Wang Wu murmured.
"He definitely will. Otherwise, with Li Feng's petty nature, if Brother Lin can't hold him off, we'll probably have to pack our bedding and leave," Meng Lin said, shaking his head.
"Let's wish Brother Lin well. Otherwise, I'm afraid even packing our bedding and leaving will be a luxury beyond our reach," another roommate said in a muffled voice.
The instructor swept his gaze over them, making no attempt to hide the contempt and derision in his eyes. "Still counting on Lin Fan to protect you? I don't mind telling you that the deputy hall master has already begun assessing Li Feng. As long as Li Feng reaches major accomplishment within seven days, the deputy hall master will take him as his final disciple. By then, Lin Fan won't even be able to protect himself."
The instructor's words were like a basin of cold water poured over Wang Wu and the others' heads. That sliver of hope in their hearts was completely extinguished. The sky had collapsed!
Lin Fan's steps faltered, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Once I reach the outer courtyard, I'll have to reveal my martial talent as appropriate and draw the attention of the hall's higher-ups. Otherwise, life won't be easy. A plan formed in his mind.
Lin Fan returned to the dormitory, packed his belongings, and left the martial arts hall's rear courtyard.
He glanced back at the low courtyard buildings, deeply imprinting the starting point of his martial path in his mind.
Then he turned his gaze toward the tall, spacious quadrangle courtyard ahead. That was the true face of the Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall. By comparison, the rear courtyard was merely a "woodshed."
The vermilion gates exuded an imposing presence. Above them, the four bold, powerful characters for "Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall" were written on a sign. A disciple in the hall's robes stood on either side of the gates.
Both disciples looked vigorous, their eyes bright and piercing. Few passersby dared meet their gazes.
The hall's disciples were all martial artists, possessing strength of several thousand or even over ten thousand jin. Ordinary people were scarcely stronger than ants before them. How could ants dare look a mighty dragon in the eye?
But there were exceptions. At that moment, a pair of eyes holding a trace of anticipation was watching them. They belonged to Lin Fan.
Soon, I'll be like them, becoming a martial artist and setting out on an extraordinary path. Filled with anticipation, Lin Fan climbed the steps toward the gates.
"Stop! No unauthorized entry into the Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall!"
A stern shout interrupted Lin Fan's imaginings. Both disciples were staring at him with unfriendly expressions, looking ready to strike if he took another step.
Lin Fan cupped his hands, his expression courteous. "Senior Brothers, I'm a Human Stake from the rear courtyard, here to report."
The two disciples' gazes sharpened at his words. One asked dubiously, "Shouldn't the instructor be bringing you here to report? Where is he?"
"Uh... perhaps he's busy," Lin Fan said helplessly.
The two disciples exchanged a glance, seeming to understand something, then waved Lin Fan inside.
"Another poor soul."
"Without the instructor bringing him here, who knows how Zhang Yu will bully him? He might end up with broken arms and legs today."
The two disciples' conversation reached Lin Fan's ears, and his heart chilled. He finally understood why the instructor had not brought him here. He was probably waiting for Lin Fan to be bullied in the outer courtyard.
Instructor, how very good of you. Sooner or later, I'll make you pay, Lin Fan vowed viciously to himself.
Beyond the gates was a broad courtyard. Lin Fan scanned the signs and found where the outer courtyard was located.
Before he even reached the entrance, Lin Fan heard waves of anguished cries coming from inside.
Standing at the entrance, Lin Fan saw that the cries came from a young man lying on a stretcher. An old man crouched beside him, binding the young man's right leg with boards and rope.
Clearly, the young man's leg was broken.
Being a Human Stake really is dangerous. Lin Fan's heart tightened.
"Elder Chen, how is my leg?" The young man's voice held intense apprehension and a sliver of hope.
The old man shook his head. "The bones in your lower leg are shattered. This is beyond my medical skills."
The last glimmer of hope in the young man's eyes was utterly extinguished. He looked as though he had been sentenced to death.
Lin Fan felt troubled by those words as well. A comminuted fracture meant permanent disability, a lifetime spent in a wheelchair. Who could accept that?
Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Fan saw a tall, imposing man approaching the young man swiftly, a faint smile on his face.
"Elder Chen, how is Liu Rui? Can he still be saved?" the tall young man asked.
Elder Chen cupped his hands toward him, his expression somber. "Eldest Senior Brother, the smaller bone in Liu Rui's right leg has shattered. There's nothing I can do."
A glint flashed through Eldest Senior Brother's eyes, and his smile widened. He looked at Liu Rui lying on the ground and met a pair of eyes filled with hatred.
"Zhang Yu, you bastard! You'll die a wretched death! Your whole family will-" Liu Rui cursed Eldest Senior Brother wildly.
Then he flew through the air and tumbled repeatedly across the ground. By the time he stopped, he was completely unconscious. Eldest Senior Brother withdrew his foot disdainfully.
"A piece of trash dares bark at me?" Eldest Senior Brother sneered. Then he turned his gaze to Lin Fan and frowned. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Lin Fan cupped his hands. "I'm Lin Fan, a new Human Stake here to report."
"So you're Lin Fan?" Eldest Senior Brother's expression became a half-smile. "I heard Junior Brother Li Feng mention you. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."
Lin Fan had not expected Li Feng to establish a connection with this Eldest Senior Brother so quickly. Judging by Eldest Senior Brother's conduct, his days clearly would not be easy.
At the thought of Liu Rui's fate, a chill ran through Lin Fan's heart. He did not want to become a cripple.