C4 Conflict
Ling Chen's attention was drawn to the speaking girl.
She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, with a sweet and adorable face, and long, silky hair. Even in her school uniform, her natural charm shone through.
Her dark eyes sparkled like jewels, her nose was pert and straight, and her cherry-colored lips were irresistibly kissable.
Her name was Su Wanqing, the class president in Ling Chen's class and also his desk mate. Her strength had reached the impressive Fifth Heaven of the Warforged realm.
She was, without a doubt, the most formidable person in Ling Chen's class.
The sight of Su Wanqing made Liu Fei visibly uneasy.
In terms of background and martial prowess, Liu Fei was no match for Su Wanqing.
Ling Chen hadn't expected to run into Su Wanqing here, but it was a welcome surprise.
Su Wanqing had always looked out for him in the past, possibly because his own strength was lacking, which triggered her protective instincts.
Ling Chen had always felt somewhat ashamed of this.
Su Wanqing approached Ling Chen and fixed her gaze on Liu Fei, asking, "May I stand in for him?"
At her words, Liu Fei's expression darkened. He retorted, "When the esteemed Class President Su speaks, who would dare to refuse?"
"Trash will always be trash, always hiding behind a woman."
It was unclear who whispered this, but it instantly altered the expressions of both Ling Chen and Su Wanqing.
Ling Chen stepped forward, locking eyes with Liu Fei and his group, and declared, "Do you think you're so wealthy? To me, you're nothing but garbage, not even worthy of comparison!"
This statement sent Liu Fei and his companions into a rage.
Liu Fei exploded with fury, "Insolent fool! Everyone knows you're the bottom of the barrel. And yet you have the audacity to say we're inferior to you?"
"Exactly, exactly. Where did you get the courage? Who do you think you are?"
"In the entire Empire Academy, everyone knows you're the lowest in cultivation. How can you even dare to say we don't measure up to you?"
Ling Chen remained unfazed by the insults hurled at him by the group.
He gave them a cold snort, his eyes flashing with contempt.
This only infuriated Liu Fei and his companions even more, causing them to screech in rage.
"Jerk! You're the one forcing our hand!"
Liu Fei swore furiously as they raised their fists to strike.
"Stop, all of you!"
Su Wanqing stepped forward, extending her arms to block Liu Fei and the rest.
Seeing Su Wanqing standing protectively in front of him, Ling Chen felt an odd sensation.
Was he...
Being protected?
Then, Liu Fei fixed a furious gaze on Su Wanqing and said, "Su Wanqing, he's the one who provoked us. Step aside, or don't blame us for not holding back!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Su Wanqing's face flushed with anger as she warned them, "Fighting outside the academy is a violation of Empire Academy's rules!"
Upon hearing this, the group visibly tensed, their expressions filled with concern.
Clearly, they feared the consequences of breaking the academy's rules, which could jeopardize their graduation.
With no one else stepping forward, Su Wanqing quickly reassured Ling Chen in a hushed tone, "Don't worry, Ling Chen, I'm here for you."
At her words, a smile broke across Ling Chen's face.
He nodded, replying softly, "Okay."
His smile captivated Su Wanqing; she couldn't help but gaze at him, spellbound. She was almost certain this was the first time she had seen him smile so warmly.
Before, Ling Chen had always kept his head down, barely speaking to anyone.
His transformation was astonishing to Su Wanqing.
Meanwhile, Liu Fei noticed Ling Chen still chatting and laughing with Su Wanqing, completely ignoring his presence...
Enraged, Liu Fei bellowed, "Ling Chen! Do you have the guts to face me one-on-one? If you win, we'll forget about the Crimson Reishi!"
"Yeah, do you have the courage to take us on? Do you?"
Su Wanqing's expression darkened as she heard Liu Fei and his friends' taunts.
They were well aware that Ling Chen's abilities were not on par with theirs, yet they still made such a challenge.
It was an obvious attempt to bully him!
At that moment, Ling Chen and his companions were surrounded by the bustling crowd of the marketplace.
Upon hearing Liu Fei's challenge for a duel, a crowd quickly gathered to watch the spectacle.
As the onlookers multiplied, Su Wanqing's expression grew increasingly grave.
Ling Chen simply couldn't accept Liu Fei's challenge at this point.
It would be utterly humiliating to get beaten now.
Yet, in that moment, Ling Chen was indifferent to the size of the audience.
His sole focus was on teaching Liu Fei a lesson and testing the extent of his newfound strength after his transformative rebirth.
Su Wanqing caught sight of Ling Chen's clenched fists and looked at him with astonishment.
She couldn't believe it—was Ling Chen actually ready to throw a punch?
This wasn't the Ling Chen she knew.
The Ling Chen she was familiar with would prefer to take a beating himself rather than resort to violence.
Liu Fei, noticing the growing crowd, allowed a cold look to cross his face.
The larger the audience, the more Ling Chen would be humiliated.
"Ling Chen, do you dare to fight?" Liu Fei asked, his voice dripping with contempt.
Ling Chen responded with a scoff, "Don't try to goad me. If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"
"No!" Su Wanqing interjected the moment Ling Chen finished speaking.
She couldn't stand by and watch Ling Chen get hurt.
Then, Ling Chen turned to Su Wanqing and said, "Branch leader, I appreciate your help, but I need to handle this on my own. Please, don't interfere."
Su Wanqing shook her head in response.
How could she stand aside? She insisted, "Ling Chen, don't be reckless. I can take care of this."
What had started as a trivial issue had escalated beyond Su Wanqing's expectations.
Suddenly, a group of five or six people emerged from the crowd and approached Liu Fei's side.
One of them inquired, "I thought you looked familiar. So it is you. What's going on?"
Seeing the newcomers, Liu Fei replied with a nonchalant shake of his head, "You recognize Ling Chen from Class One, right? A penniless guy trying to compete with me for something..."
Liu Fei casually explained the situation to the individual with a smile.
After listening, the person's gaze abruptly shifted to Ling Chen and Su Wanqing.
He declared, "Branch Leader Su, since Ling Chen thinks he's better than us, let's settle it with a fight. If he can actually defeat us, we'll concede that we're not his equals. And if he wants the Crimson Reishi, he can have it—we'll cover the cost!"
Su Wanqing's face grew noticeably colder upon hearing these words.
She had recognized them as fellow students from Class 3 as soon as they approached.
It was clear to her that they were up to no good, intent on picking on Ling Chen.
Ling Chen, of course, also recognized them, but he wasn't concerned.
In his view, it didn't matter how many like Liu Fei showed up—they were inconsequential.
Taking a deep breath, Ling Chen turned to Su Wanqing and said, "Branch Leader, you don't need to worry about this. Please step aside."
Su Wanqing immediately shook her head in response, "Ling Chen, don't be reckless. You could get seriously hurt..."
"Enough with the chatter. Do you really think you can handle this?"
Just then, a fierce shout erupted.
A surge of spiritual power launched an assault on Ling Chen.
Su Wanqing was caught completely off guard and couldn't react in time.
"Watch out!"
With a sharp cry, Ling Chen's demeanor shifted.
He quickly pulled Su Wanqing to his side by the waist and countered with a palm strike.
The student who had attacked Ling Chen was sent flying back.
Everyone was taken aback by Ling Chen's swift action.
No one had anticipated that he would detect the ambush.
Even less expected was his ability to launch a counterattack.
"Ling Chen, you..."
In that moment, Su Wanqing was somewhat dazed.
She had failed to notice the incoming strike, yet Ling Chen had reacted instantly.
Ling Chen gave Su Wanqing a reassuring smile before withdrawing his hand from her waist.
Su Wanqing's cheeks flushed slightly as she came to her senses.
But then her eyes filled with confusion.
If she wasn't mistaken, Ling Chen's counter was just as powerful as her own.
Ling Chen then stepped forward, causing the previously bold group to retreat a step.
At that moment, the group was wrestling with a mix of emotions, as they began to sense that something was off.
Wasn't Ling Chen supposed to be a nobody? How then could he suddenly manifest such potent spiritual power?
Amidst their frustration, Ling Chen beckoned to them with a taunting gesture and challenged, "Come on, weren't you eager for a showdown? Why are you all backing away? Let's go!"
Their unexpected assault had thoroughly enraged Ling Chen.
He had to set them straight; otherwise, they'd continue to mistake him for an easy target.
Having witnessed Ling Chen's recent display of power, none of them dared to step forward again.
"Liu Fei, you wanted a match with me, right? Make your move!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Fei's face subtly shifted as he instinctively stepped back.
In that instant, Ling Chen closed the distance with a swift step, reaching Liu Fei's side in the blink of an eye.
Before Liu Fei could even muster his spiritual power, he found himself sprawled on the ground.
Ling Chen then turned his menacing gaze toward the rest of the group.
They were instantly filled with dread.
Who could possibly stand up to him?
Liu Fei might not have been the strongest, but he was a Third Heaven Warforged warrior.
Yet, he was floored by a single move from Ling Chen. Just how formidable was Ling Chen's current level of cultivation?
As astonishment painted their faces, Su Wanqing watched Ling Chen with an increasingly dreamy gaze from behind the crowd.
Ling Chen stretched his limbs and then fixed his eyes on the one who had boldly challenged him upon arrival.
"So you're Lan Tian, huh?"
Bang!
Without any surprise, the man was sent flying with a kick.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
...
One after another, more than a dozen met the same fate, not even lasting half as long as Liu Fei before being kicked away by Ling Chen!
