CHAPTER 135: CHAPTER 135: BLOODTHIRSTY SKILL

Luo Feng stood before Li Heshan, his cold gaze fixed on Lin Yun and the others. The atmosphere grew incredibly tense.

"Why is Lin Yun targeting Luo Feng and Li Heshan?"

"I heard Zhou Jian and Luo Feng clashed outside the Extreme Sun Great Hall yesterday. Zhou Jian was even injured by Luo Feng. Lin Yun and Zhou Jian are friends; he must be standing up for him."

"But for him to suddenly interfere when Zhou Jian and Li Heshan were fighting, that’s completely unjustifiable..."

"Shh, it’s better to keep such thoughts to oneself. If Lin Yun hears you, you’ll be in big trouble. Look at Li Heshan—if Luo Feng hadn’t stepped in, he probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for half a month!"

"Hmm, thanks for the reminder."

The students in the dining hall watched the standoff, their voices a low murmur of discussion. Some looked on with anticipation.

Lin Yun was the second-ranked master on the Hidden Dragon List; his strength was unfathomable. In the past two months, Luo Feng had seized the golden seat of Challenge King and defeated Duanmu Yu; his reputation was unparalleled. Both were prominent figures in the academy. If a fight erupted, it was bound to be spectacular.

Faced with Li Heshan’s rebuke, Lin Yun’s gaze turned cold as he said lightly, "This is the dining hall, not the martial arts grounds. You’ve damaged so many things. If I let you continue, it would be hard to explain. As your senior brother, it’s only natural that I stop you."

Zhou Jian, his eyes flashing with anger, glared at Li Heshan and Luo Feng, saying hatefully, "Senior Brother, they dared to attack right in front of you and even insulted you! This clearly shows they have no respect for you. They must be punished severely!"

Lin Yun looked up, his gaze fixing on Li Heshan. "You injured someone and damaged academy property in the dining hall. Do you plead guilty?"

"You!" Li Heshan’s face flushed red with anger at their coordinated accusations; he nearly coughed up blood.

Luo Feng took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Li Heshan. He looked at Lin Yun and said calmly, "These items were damaged by Li Heshan and Zhou Jian. Just now, Zhou Jian was the one who spoke rudely first, and Li Heshan only retaliated because he couldn’t bear it. Why are you only holding Li Heshan accountable?"

"Insolent! When did it become your place to speak?! Luo Feng, I haven’t even dealt with you for injuring Zhou Jian outside the Extreme Sun Great Hall yesterday, and now you dare to speak so brazenly here!"

Lin Yun had been forced to intervene for Zhou Jian earlier, losing face in the process. He was already furious, and seeing Luo Feng dare to talk back, he directed his full fury towards Luo Feng. As he spoke, a chilling aura erupted from Lin Yun, and his gaze sharpened.

Some students with lower cultivation levels turned pale when they felt this terrifying aura; it was as if a heavy stone was pressing on their hearts, making them extremely uncomfortable.

Lin Yun’s aura might have been imposing, but compared to the world-destroying killing intent emanating from the bracelet, it was insignificant. Luo Feng didn’t even bat an eyelid as he sneered, "What I choose to do is none of your business. Regarding yesterday’s incident, none of the instructors present said anything. What gives you the right to interfere? Or do you believe that being ranked second on the Hidden Dragon List allows you to act with such arrogance?"

"Hmm?" Lin Yun was momentarily stunned. Then, his expression darkened, his face turning ugly as if ink were about to drip from it. He said ominously, "What are you saying? Are you implying you want to fight me?"

Luo Feng met Lin Yun’s gaze, his own calm as ever, and said evenly, "If you insist on this unreasonable pestering, I don’t mind exchanging a few pointers."

Gasps rippled through the dining hall at Luo Feng’s words. Everyone stared at Luo Feng as if he had gone mad.

Who was Lin Yun? A super expert ranked second on the Hidden Dragon List! In the entire academy, only one or two individuals could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Although Luo Feng had defeated Duanmu Yu and Zhou Jian, those two were merely top figures on the Winged Tiger List. To the elite students of the Hidden Dragon List, they were insignificant.

No one had imagined Luo Feng would be audacious enough to provoke Lin Yun. This was practically a death wish!

Even Li Heshan was taken aback. Although he was disgusted by Lin Yun’s sanctimonious act, even if he were a hundred times bolder, he wouldn’t dare say such things to Lin Yun’s face. Worried Luo Feng would be at a disadvantage, Li Heshan tugged his arm and whispered, "Luo Feng, the qualification challenge is tomorrow. There’s no need..."

Luo Feng raised a hand, stopping Li Heshan. With a faint smile, he said, "I know what I’m doing."

Today’s events clearly showed Lin Yun was looking for trouble with him, and Li Heshan had only been dragged into it. He had no grudge against Lin Yun, yet the other party was relentlessly pushing him. Even a clay figure has some fight in it; how could Luo Feng swallow this humiliation? He could now make initial use of his killing intent and was confident he could fight a late-stage Essence storage Realm Martial Artist. He didn’t fear Lin Yun at all.

Lin Yun stared at Luo Feng, his face flushing then paling, his gloomy eyes flickering. Finally, he took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and looked at Luo Feng with contempt. "You want to fight me? Unfortunately, you’re not qualified. In the entire academy, only one person is qualified to make me act, and that’s Zi Yuan. Defeating a nobody like you would only dirty my hands."

Lin Yun’s words were filled with arrogance. Anyone could sense he didn’t take Luo Feng seriously in the slightest. However, no one in the dining hall thought Lin Yun was being arrogant; instead, they felt his words were justified. With Lin Yun’s strength as the second-ranked on the Hidden Dragon List, he indeed had the right to say such things.

Hearing this, Luo Feng gave a cold chuckle. His gaze swept over Lin Yun, showing no weakness at all as he said, "So I’m a nobody. I wonder, what would happen if you lost to a nobody like me? Would you perhaps cry about it?"

Lin Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he sneered, "I must say, of all the people I’ve met, you have the most courage! You’re also the most foolish! Even with another ten years, you wouldn’t have a chance to defeat me. Stop daydreaming."

Luo Feng rubbed his nose, a half-smile playing on his lips as he looked at Lin Yun. "Ten years? No need to wait that long. Tomorrow, at the qualification challenge, I will defeat you with my own hands."

"I’m afraid you’ll be eliminated before you even see me." Lin Yun didn’t want to continue the verbal sparring. He had already given others grounds for criticism by intervening for Zhou Jian against Li Heshan earlier. Staying longer wouldn’t help his image. He shot Luo Feng a cold glare, uttered a few meaningful words, and then left the dining hall with Zhou Jian and the others.

"What a perfectly good meal, ruined by a couple of appetite spoilers." Luo Feng glanced at the messy table, his lip curling.

Beside him, Li Heshan wore a wry smile. "You really aren’t afraid of anything, are you? Still thinking about food at a time like this." After a look around, Li Heshan suggested, "Let’s get out of here."

Luo Feng nodded, and under the astonished gazes of the other students, they left the dining hall.

Upon leaving the dining hall, Li Heshan said gratefully, "Luo Feng, thank you for earlier. If it weren’t for you, I would have been utterly humiliated today."

Luo Feng waved his hand dismissively, frowning. "You’re a grown man, stop being so dramatic!"

Li Heshan laughed heartily, clapping Luo Feng on the shoulder. "Alright, then I’ll be frank. You’ve offended Lin Yun now. What’s your plan? From what he said, it’s clear he won’t let you off easily."

Luo Feng clasped his hands behind his head and strolled forward leisurely. "What else can I do?" he replied nonchalantly. "I’ll deal with whatever comes my way. My goal is to reach the top three in the qualification challenge. I was bound to face him sooner or later; this just adds fuel to the fire."

Li Heshan looked at Luo Feng with a helpless expression. "I really don’t know what to do with you. But you’d better be careful. I have a feeling Lin Yun is stronger than a mid-stage Essence storage Realm cultivator. He might be like you, practicing a special cultivation technique and hiding his true cultivation level."

Luo Feng nodded but didn’t say anything.

The moment he laid eyes on Lin Yun, he’d sensed something strange about his aura. It was very possible, just as Li Heshan said, that the other party was concealing his true cultivation.

"If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be heading off now," Li Heshan said. Upon reaching a fork in the path, he bid Luo Feng farewell and went his own way.

Luo Feng also needed to prepare for the next day’s qualification challenge, so he didn’t linger in the academy and headed towards his own small courtyard. Back in his small courtyard, Luo Feng closed the gate and walked to the center.

If Lin Yun truly had concealed his cultivation, he was likely at the late stage of the Essence storage Realm. Luo Feng was confident he could easily defeat a mid-stage Essence storage Realm opponent, but he wasn’t nearly as confident against a late-stage one.

There’s only one night left; a significant improvement is impossible. However, if I can extend the time I can remain in the state of killing intent, defeating a late-stage Essence storage Realm Martial Artist might not be impossible. Looking down at the Tiger Soul Saber in his hands, Luo Feng murmured to himself.

With that thought, Luo Feng put away the Tiger Soul Saber, sat down cross-legged, and exhaled slowly, allowing his Soul Power to seep into his bracelet.

An overwhelmingly tyrannical killing intent surged forth, causing his entire body to tremble slightly.

WHOOSH! His eyes snapped open, blood-red, yet deep within those crimson pupils, a flicker of rationality persisted like a candle flame in the wind...

Time ticked by. Luo Feng spent the entire night repeatedly channeling his Soul Power into the bracelet to cultivate. This method of cultivation brought noticeable results; the length of time he could maintain his rationality progressively increased.

「The next morning.」

The sun crested the horizon, its golden rays bathing the young man seated cross-legged in the courtyard. Luo Feng slowly opened his eyes, a blood-red glint flashing in their depths before vanishing.

"It’s already the next day." Luo Feng exhaled, his gaze falling on the bracelet on his wrist, a look of joy spreading across his face. After a whole night of cultivation, he had progressed from maintaining his sanity for only one breath’s time to being able to hold on for four breaths! That was a threefold improvement!

Four breaths. If I seize the right moment, it’s enough to turn the tide of battle. A glint flashed in Luo Feng’s eyes. He stood up and mused aloud, "The effects of this state I enter are no weaker than the Duanmu Family’s secret technique, the Red Blood Technique. I should come up with a name for it."

"The Red Blood Technique works by boiling one’s blood to stimulate a Martial Artist’s potential. I use killing intent to enhance my power. Why not call it the Bloodthirsty Skill!" Luo Feng smiled, settling on the name for his martial art.

Just then, a hubbub of voices drifted over from the direction of the academy. Luo Feng looked towards the academy, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

The academy’s qualification challenge was about to begin...