16: Chapter 16 What the hell is this luck?

Teacher Zheng gave him an annoyed glare, but his heart was in a state of turmoil.

In that instant just now, he had clearly felt the aura emanating from Lin Fan.

The Fifth Grade Body Tempering Realm!

And that saber qi that was about to take form... a Perfection-level Lightning Saber!

"Three techniques at Perfection... Fifth Grade cultivation..."

Teacher Zheng felt a bit dizzy. Was this kid really a freshman? This setup would be enough to take the college entrance examination!

He turned to look at Xue Linglong, his tone severe.

"Xue Linglong! Sparring is meant to be done with restraint. What were you doing just now? Using a Ranked Martial Technique—were you trying to kill him?!"

Xue Linglong's body trembled, and her eyes reddened.

She glanced at Lin Fan, grit her teeth, and dropped the ruined sword in her hand. Without a word, she turned, jumped off the stage, pushed through the crowd, and ran out.

"This..."

The surrounding students looked at each other in dismay. No one expected this peak duel to end in such a manner.

Teacher Zheng sighed and waved his hand to disperse the spectating students.

"Alright, disperse! Go back to whatever you were supposed to be doing!"

After speaking, he walked up to Lin Fan and said in a low voice:

"Lin Fan, come with me for a moment."

The two walked to a corner of the training center.

Teacher Zheng looked at Lin Fan with a complicated expression. "You kid, you strike quite ruthlessly. If that Wind Thunder Palm just now had been any heavier, Xue Linglong's arm would have been ruined."

"Teacher, I'm the victim here," Lin Fan said, spreading his hands. "Besides, I already held back. Otherwise, she'd be lying in the ICU right now."

Teacher Zheng choked on his words, finding himself unable to refute that.

Indeed, given the strength Lin Fan had displayed, if he had truly intended to kill her, Xue Linglong wouldn't have lasted until he arrived to intervene.

"Forget it, let's not talk about that."

Teacher Zheng patted Lin Fan on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Do you know what kind of background Xue Linglong has?"

"A rich second-generation?" Lin Fan guessed casually.

"She is from the Xue Family of Qingxuan City, one of the Four Holy Cities."

Teacher Zheng's expression turned solemn. "The Xue Family holds immense power in Qingxuan City, and Xue Linglong is a direct descendant of this generation. Her coming to a small base city school like our Xuansheng is itself part of a special family mission. You defeated her today and even made her lose face in public; I'm afraid there will be plenty of trouble ahead."

"Qingxuan City?"

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.

In this world, humanity had established Four Holy Cities as their final bastions. Xuansheng Base City was merely a small satellite city dependent on Qingxuan City.

He hadn't expected this girl to have such a significant background.

"But don't be afraid."

Teacher Zheng straightened his back. "This is Xuansheng Third High School, my, Teacher Zheng's, territory! As long as you are in this school, no one can touch you! No matter how big the Xue Family is, their reach cannot extend into this school."

"Try not to lower yourself to her level in the future, but don't be a coward either. If she dares to look for trouble with you outside of school, tell me immediately."

Looking at this usually strict class teacher, a warm current surged in Lin Fan's heart.

Although Old Zheng looked fierce, he was quite protective of his students at critical moments.

"Don't worry, Teacher," Lin Fan grinned. "I'm a very reasonable person. As long as she doesn't come to mess with me, I'll definitely treat her like a goddess on a pedestal."

Teacher Zheng was speechless.

Like hell I'd believe you!

That Wind Thunder Palm just now looked like it felt pretty good to land!

After returning to the classroom, the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

Those defiant top students now looked at him with eyes full of awe and respect.

The strong are respected; this was the eternal truth of the martial world.

Lin Fan's battle had completely subdued everyone.

Teacher Zheng stood on the podium and tapped the blackboard.

"Alright, that little interlude is over. Now, I have an official announcement."

He scanned the class with a serious expression. "In one month, the first Outdoor Actual Combat Assessment for freshmen will take place!"

"Assessment location: The outskirts of the Trial Wasteland."

"The rules are simple: hunt fierce beasts to earn points. The five students with the lowest points will be kicked out of the Elite Class and demoted to the Ordinary Class!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole class immediately erupted in wails of despair.

This was the cruelty of the Elite Class—survival of the fittest, maintaining high-pressure competition at all times.

"However!"

Teacher Zheng raised his voice. "For the top ten students in points, the school will provide heavy rewards! Especially the top ten, who will receive a chance to enter the 'marrow cleansing pool'!"

"The marrow cleansing pool?!"

Hearing those three words, the students who were just wailing acted as if they'd been injected with chicken blood; their eyes turned green with envy.

Even the consistently lazy Lin Fan was startled.

The marrow cleansing pool!

He had seen this term online before.

It was said to be a cultivation holy land created by the school using mysterious spiritual liquids excavated from ruins combined with modern biotechnology.

Soaking in it could not only significantly increase one's cultivation but, more importantly, it could cleanse the marrow and refine the bones to improve one's aptitude!

For those martial artists stuck at a bottleneck or with average aptitude, this was a divine object that could change one's destiny!

"Improve aptitude..."

Lin Fan's heart began to race.

Although he had the system to add points to his Comprehension Ability, the Second Grade Aptitude of this body was always a fatal flaw.

Slow cultivation speed, poor meridian endurance, weak recovery ability... these were all shortcomings brought about by his aptitude.

If he could enter the marrow cleansing pool and raise his aptitude, combined with his max-level Comprehension Ability, that would be a true takeoff!

"I'm definitely taking a spot in the top ten!"

Lin Fan clenched his fists.

"Alright, that's all for today's class. Lin Fan, come to my office for a moment."

Teacher Zheng announced the end of class and specifically called out Lin Fan.

In the faculty office.

Teacher Zheng poured a cup of water for Lin Fan and motioned for him to sit.

This time, his attitude was even more relaxed than before, even carrying a hint of equality.

"Lin Fan, there are no outsiders here, so give me the real story."

Teacher Zheng stared into Lin Fan's eyes and asked bluntly, "What exactly is your true current realm?"

Although he had sensed the Fifth Grade aura on the stage, he still wanted to hear Lin Fan confirm it personally.

Lin Fan took a sip of water and didn't intend to hide it.

In this world, appropriately displaying talent could earn one more resources.

"Fifth Grade Body Tempering Realm," Lin Fan said calmly.

“Pfft—!”

The tea Teacher Zheng had just sipped was sprayed out in a single mouthful.

Although he had already guessed it, hearing the answer with his own ears still dealt him a massive blow.

"Fi... Fifth Grade?!"

Teacher Zheng didn't even bother wiping his mouth as he stared at Lin Fan with wide eyes. "You kid... do you know how long it took me to cultivate from First Grade to Fifth Grade back then?"

"Three whole years! And that was with me soaking in medicinal baths every day and using all sorts of resources!"

"And you... seven days?!"

Teacher Zheng felt a bit of tightness in his chest.

Was this the disparity between people?

He had once been known as a genius of his generation in Xuansheng City, but compared to the monster in front of him, he felt like he had lived his life like a dog.

"Luck, it's all luck," Lin Fan smiled modestly. "Maybe it's because my Comprehension Ability is relatively good, so I don't encounter many bottlenecks in cultivation."

"What kind of godly luck is that!"

Teacher Zheng rolled his eyes and calmed his emotions.

"Fine, regardless, the stronger you are, the better it is for the school."

Teacher Zheng took a golden bank card from his drawer and pushed it toward Lin Fan.

"This is your reward."

"The original prize for the rookie king was five hundred thousand, but given that your performance was truly astonishing, the principal made a special exception to double it! This is two million... oh no, one million currency!"

Lin Fan's eyes lit up, and he quickly reached out to press down on the bank card as if afraid it would run away.

"Thank you, Teacher! Thank you, Principal!"

One million!

This was a huge sum of money!

Adding in the money he had earned from selling the wolf and looting bodies, his net worth had now directly surpassed a million!