Chapter Eighteen: Fury

Liu Feng stood up, gathering his true energy and struck a nearby iron pillar.

With a resounding bang, the pillar forged from a special material bore a clear mark where Liu Feng’s fist had landed.

"As expected, this strength far surpasses that of the fifth tier," Liu Feng thought to himself.

He opened the door of the training room and stepped out. Night had already fallen.

At that moment, someone approached. Seeing Liu Feng emerge from the room, the person hurried forward. Because it was already dark, it wasn’t until the man came closer that Liu Feng saw him clearly—of average height and ordinary features, a man who would disappear into a crowd.

“Do you need something?” Liu Feng asked.

“I heard from others that you showcased impressive strength yesterday in the Black Demon Forest, so I came to get acquainted,” the man replied.

Liu Feng gave a faint smile. “People exaggerate. I’ve only just arrived here—what strength could I possibly have?”

“Don’t misunderstand me,” the man said. “I simply enjoy making friends. In the future, we can watch out for each other in class or even form a team for academy missions.”

Liu Feng had no interest in such matters. He only wished to become stronger as quickly as possible, believing that with greater power, his status would rise and his parents could live a better life. That was his sole ambition.

The man’s words were clearly a mere pretext; it was obvious he wanted Liu Feng to join the team he was assembling.

“You want me to join your team,” Liu Feng stated directly.

The man smiled slightly. “Exactly. I’ve noticed your strength and want you with us. It would boost our power as a whole—why not?”

“I don’t like being restricted. I can’t accept your offer,” Liu Feng replied.

“Don’t be so quick to decide. Give it some thought and tell me tomorrow,” the man suggested.

“Very well, I’ll give you my answer tomorrow,” Liu Feng agreed after a moment's consideration.

Without another word, the man left the training grounds.

After dinner, Liu Feng returned to the dormitory. Zhang Chen had already come back.

“Zhang Chen, has anyone asked you to join a team they’re organizing?” Liu Feng inquired.

“Someone did approach me, asking me to join his team. But I refused,” Zhang Chen replied.

“Why didn’t you want to join?” Liu Feng asked.

“I don’t want to be constrained by others,” Zhang Chen explained.

Liu Feng laughed. “You and I think exactly alike.”

“Remember our first trip to the cafeteria? That was when you had that conflict with Yang Dong. I have a feeling this matter could also get troublesome,” Zhang Chen remarked.

Liu Feng frowned slightly. “Let’s not dwell on it. We’ll deal with whatever comes our way.”

“Time for bed. Tomorrow’s problems can wait until tomorrow,” Zhang Chen said.

Liu Feng said nothing more, climbed into bed, and went straight to sleep.

At dawn, they went to class. The morning’s lesson covered foundational knowledge and passed quickly.

In the afternoon, Liu Feng returned to the training grounds. Just as he was about to begin, the man who had sought him out the previous night appeared again, this time accompanied by several others—evidently his teammates.

Upon seeing them, Liu Feng’s brow furrowed. He addressed the man, “I’ve made up my mind—I won’t be joining any team.”

Before the man could reply, another stepped forward. He had a pointed face and a monkey-like appearance, utterly unremarkable.

“Do you know who leads our team? He’s the third strongest in our class—called ‘Iron Fist’ Zhao Yang,” the man informed Liu Feng.

Zhao Yang turned to him and said, “That’s enough, Zhao Hua. If he’s unwilling, we won’t force him.”

Zhao Hua protested, “But Boss, he’s refusing your invitation outright. That’s a slap in the face.”

“What are you planning to do?” Zhao Yang asked.

“Leave it to me, Boss,” Zhao Hua answered. “I won’t go too far—we’re classmates, after all.”

“I trust you know what you’re doing,” Zhao Yang said.

While the two whispered, Liu Feng grew impatient. “Are you done conspiring? What do you want?”

“I’ve heard you’re strong. I want to spar with you,” Zhao Hua said.

“My strength is nothing special, and I have no wish to spar,” Liu Feng replied after a moment’s thought.

A tall man beside Zhao Hua spoke up, “Zhao Hua, he knows he’s no match for you. That’s why he doesn’t dare spar—he’d be too embarrassed to lose in front of the whole class.”

Another echoed, “Exactly. Zhao Hua, you’re ranked seventh in Class One, while he’s just an unknown. Of course he wouldn’t dare accept your challenge.”

Those who had previously trained with Liu Feng in the Black Demon Forest couldn’t stand it any longer. They knew well how strong Liu Feng truly was.

One of them interjected, “How do you know Liu Feng is afraid of Zhao Hua? I think he just doesn’t want to bother with the challenge, so he’s making excuses.”

Another chimed in, “I believe Liu Feng is only refusing out of consideration for Zhao Hua, not wanting to embarrass him in defeat. How could you twist it into Liu Feng being scared?”

The crowd split into heated debate, voices rising all around.

Hearing those who spoke in Liu Feng’s defense, Zhao Hua sneered. “What use are your words? The truth is plain to see—Liu Feng simply doesn’t dare spar with me.”

Someone, unable to bear Zhao Hua’s arrogance, retorted angrily, “Zhao Hua, you’re always throwing your weight around. Now that someone might be stronger, you want to recruit him, and when he refuses, you try to humiliate him. Isn’t that petty?”

Zhao Hua turned to the speaker with a cold smile. “And what if I am arrogant? If you don’t like it, step up and spar with me—let’s see if you have the strength to speak for others.”

The man’s face flushed with anger, but he said nothing more, clearly aware he was no match for Zhao Hua.

Zhao Hua, seeing his silence, sneered all the more. “Useless weaklings, all talk and nothing else.”

“Zhao Hua, you only act tough because you started out with higher cultivation than the rest. What’s there to be arrogant about?”

“How ridiculous. Even the strongest in our class doesn’t act as overbearing as you,” others muttered angrily, unable to contain their frustration.

Zhao Hua, however, was unfazed by their complaints. “If you’re so dissatisfied, why don’t you all come at me together? Do any of you dare?”

The offended group exchanged glances. “I don’t believe five of us together can’t defeat him.”

One of them declared, “Zhao Hua, since you’re so arrogant, the five of us will take you on together. Let’s see if you dare accept.”

Zhao Hua burst out laughing. “Weaklings are weaklings—no matter how many of you there are, you still can’t do anything to me.”

Without another word, the five leapt onto the central dueling platform. Zhao Hua followed suit, jumping up as well.

The five exchanged a look. One of them made the first move, thrusting a fist at Zhao Hua with a gust of wind—a punch that, if it landed, would surely inflict serious harm.

Zhao Hua faced the attack unhurriedly, extending a single finger. A sharp gleam shone at his fingertip, as if it were a real sword’s point, and he jabbed at the incoming fist.

With a thunderous crack, the man’s fist was struck by Zhao Hua’s finger and he was sent flying by the force.