8: Chapter 8 Oh, a fierce wolf with an iron back? Who are you trying to scare?
Red Hair and Green Hair followed closely behind, their faces twisted in ferocity as their weapons struck toward Lin Fan's left and right ribs, cutting off all his paths of retreat.
A distance of three meters was but a blink of an eye for a martial artist.
Seeing the tip of the dagger about to pierce Lin Fan's cheap combat suit, a look of cruel satisfaction appeared on Bald Third Brother's face.
A genius?
A dead genius is nothing more than a lump of rotten meat!
However.
At the moment the dagger was less than three inches from Lin Fan's back.
Lin Fan, who had been "concentrating" on picking up money, straightened his spine.
"Clang—!"
A clear and stirring ring of a blade suddenly exploded, sounding like a dragon's roar.
Without looking back, without turning around.
A streak of light from the blade, so fast it was indescribable, swept out from under Lin Fan's arm at an angle that defied physical common sense!
This strike was as fast as lightning and as powerful as a thunderclap!
The air was sliced open by this strike, letting out a sharp hiss.
Bald Third Brother only felt a blur before his eyes as a sudden chill came from his neck, followed immediately by that chill rapidly spreading to his right ribs.
"So... fast..."
His consciousness was still stuck in the pleasure of a successful sneak attack, but his vision began to weirdly rotate and fall.
In the final moment of his life, he saw Lin Fan's eyes, still as calm as water, and that battle saber still dripping with blood.
Only then did he realize the terrifying fact: this youth's greatest strength wasn't his fists or palms at all, but his saber technique!
Perfection Level... Lightning Saber!
Puchi!
Blood gushed out like a fountain. Bald Third Brother's upper body slid off at an angle; he had been cut in two by a single strike!
"Third Brother?!"
Red Hair and Green Hair's offensive came to a screeching halt. The ferocity on their faces froze instantly, turning into endless horror and despair.
Before they could even react, two more flashes of the blade swept past.
Swish! Swish!
Two fine heads soared into the sky, their faces still wearing that ghost-seeing expression.
The three headless corpses swayed for a moment before all falling forward into the dust, staining the greed and evil on the ground a bright crimson.
Lin Fan slowly sheathed his saber in a fluid motion, without a single drop of blood touching even the corner of his clothes.
"In your next life, remember to keep your eyes peeled."
Looking at the tragic scene on the ground, Lin Fan's stomach churned, but he forced himself to endure it.
This was his first time killing someone.
But he knew very well that this was the world of martial artists. The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. If he had been soft-hearted just now or been half a beat slower to react, the one lying on the ground now would be him, Lin Fan.
If he wanted to become a man above others, if he wanted to master his own fate in this era of the Myriad Races Invasion, this was the price that had to be paid.
[Ding! Killed a sixth-grade Body Tempering Realm martial artist, obtained evolution points: 57!]
[Ding! Killed a sixth-grade Body Tempering Realm martial artist, obtained evolution points: 61!]
[Ding! Killed a sixth-grade Body Tempering Realm martial artist, obtained evolution points: 55!]
A series of pleasant system notification sounds instantly diluted the discomfort in Lin Fan's heart.
"Each person actually gave over fifty points?"
Lin Fan's eyes lit up. Previously, killing those first-order, first-grade Wasteland Lizards only gave 3 points. These three humanoid mobs were practically a gift pack!
Adding the 110 evolution points given by that Iron-Backed Fierce Wolf from before.
This wave was a huge profit!
"Indeed, a horse doesn't get fat without night grass, and a man doesn't get rich without a windfall."
Lin Fan took a breath and began to skillfully loot the corpses.
Besides the card and battle saber that Bald Third Brother had proactively handed over, he also found two anonymous bank cards on them, and... an exquisite small porcelain bottle.
Lin Fan opened the stopper, and a dense medicinal fragrance instantly hit his nose, making his spirit feel refreshed.
At the bottom of the bottle lay three pills the size of longan fruit, with a rounded color and a faint shimmer flowing on the surface.
"body tempering pills?!"
Lin Fan stared at the pills, and then a surge of wild joy welled up.
This was good stuff!
body tempering pills were the hard currency of martial artist cultivation. A single one could significantly increase the speed of blood and qi circulation and help expel impurities from the body. They sold for at least fifty thousand currency each on the market, and were often in short supply, requiring a martial artist badge to purchase.
These three guys had probably saved up money for a long time, preparing to use them to break through to the seventh-grade realm. He hadn't expected it would all benefit Lin Fan in the end.
"Three body tempering pills, worth one hundred and fifty thousand!"
Lin Fan carefully put away the medicine bottle, his ambition burning in his eyes.
"With these three pills, plus the system's points, I'm confident I can break through to the fifth-grade Body Tempering Realm before the entrance exam! When that time comes, whether it's Zhang Qiang or some other genius, they'll all be trampled under my feet!"
After packing up the spoils, Lin Fan walked over to the corpse of the giant Iron-Backed Fierce Wolf.
This whole pelt, the claws, and the wolf teeth were all top-tier forging materials; they could at least sell for a good price.
Dragging the wolf's tail with one hand and carrying his battle saber in the other, Lin Fan strode toward Xuansheng City against the setting sun.
Although his back looked thin, it exuded a heart-palpitating sharpness.
Xuansheng City, the Martial Artist Guild hall.
This was the most prosperous and bustling place in the entire base city. Countless martial artists came here every day to turn in missions, sell materials, and buy equipment.
A huge crystal chandelier cast a soft light, and the polished marble floor reflected the passing figures.
"Make way! Please make way!"
Lin Fan dragged the heavy corpse of the Iron-Backed Fierce Wolf, squeezing into the crowd with effort.
The bloody smell emitted by the beast's corpse was out of place with the high-end fragrance in the hall, immediately drawing sideways glances from the people around.
"Holy crap, who is this kid? Why did he drag such a big dead wolf in here?"
"Looking at that school uniform... is he a student from the Third High School? Are students these days so fierce?"
"Tch, I bet he just picked up the scraps. Look at the wound on that wolf; it was killed in one strike. How could a student do that?"
Whispers rose from all sides.
Lin Fan turned a deaf ear and dragged the corpse straight to the front desk.
"Hello, I want to sell this beast." Lin Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke to the female staff member behind the counter.
The female staff member, wearing exquisite makeup, was looking down at her phone. Hearing him, she looked up, glanced at Lin Fan, then at the bloody wolf corpse on the floor, her eyes filled with disgust.
"Go to the back of the line to sell materials! Don't you see all these people?"
The female staff member's tone was blunt as she pointed to the long line on the other side of the hall. "Also, you'll be fined for making the floor dirty. Don't you know the rules?"
Lin Fan frowned.
He looked at the line over there; there were at least dozens of people. It would probably be dark by the time it was his turn.
"I'm in a hurry, can you make an exception? This Iron-Backed Fierce Wolf is quite fresh; the quality of the pelt will drop if it's processed too late," Lin Fan explained patiently.
"Oh, an Iron-Backed Fierce Wolf? Who are you trying to scare?"
A burly man waiting in line nearby laughed sarcastically. "Kid, if you want to cut the line, just say so. Don't use that kind of excuse. Even if it were a Thorny Tiger, you'd still have to wait in line here! Who do you think you are? The Guild President's illegitimate son?"
"Exactly. Students these days really don't know the rules. Carrying a dead dog and thinking you're some hunting master?"
A burst of laughter immediately erupted around them.
Lin Fan's face darkened, and his fists subconsciously clenched.
This was reality. Without strength or background, one would be subjected to mistreatment everywhere.
He was about to turn around and join the line, not wanting to waste time arguing here.