22: Chapter 22 Are you the only one allowed to scheme against me?

Lin Fan was restless.

He didn't know where this intense unease was coming from; he only felt a stifling pressure in his chest.

How is the Immortal Master doing?

The plan couldn't have run into any trouble, right?

As long as he could break through the Three Yin Severed Meridian Body...

As long as he could step onto the path of the Dao...

He would be able to escape this status of a Handyman!

He would be able to make all those who looked down on him and bullied him kneel before him and kowtow!

Nothing must go wrong with this plan!

The Immortal Master said he would check the results in three days, and it was only the second day.

But that bad premonition gnawed at his mind like ants.

No!

He had to go and see!

Lin Fan stood up abruptly, putting even the daily chores he had to do as a Handyman out of his mind.

He calculatedly bypassed the patrolling Deacon Disciples, specifically choosing secluded paths to walk quickly toward the residential area for Outer Sect Disciples where Mo Zixing lived.

He had to confirm the situation with his own eyes.

He had to ensure the plan was foolproof.

Creeping cautiously all the way outside Mo Zixing's courtyard, Lin Fan held his breath and pressed himself against the wall, listening for a long time.

The courtyard was very quiet.

Could it be that Mo Zixing's cultivation had already been drained, and he was slumped in the house, unable to get up?

His heart filled with joy, and he nervously poked half a head through the courtyard gate to look inside, only for his body to accidentally bump into the gate.

Who knew that the gate, which appeared closed, would open directly with a creak after being touched like that?

Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat, and his movements froze.

Should he go back?

No, he had already come this far.

Gritting his teeth, he simply pushed the gate open and walked in, tiptoeing toward the door of the small house.

Lin Fan wanted to lean in closer to listen for any movement inside.

But a ray of sunlight shone from behind him, casting two overlapping shadows onto the door panel in front of him.

Two?

The hair on Lin Fan's body stood on end.

Without even thinking, he turned around, clenched his fist, and swung it fiercely at the shadow behind him!

But just as the punch was halfway through, his wrist was caught as if by an iron pincer, leaving him unable to move.

Mo Zixing grabbed his hand and watched his pale face with leisure, a half-smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he spoke slowly:

“Junior Brother Lin Fan?”

“Why aren't you working so early in the morning? What are you doing in my courtyard?”

Lin Fan's mind raced, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

Something was wrong!

This Mo Zixing's grip was very strong; he didn't look at all like he was weakened from having his cultivation drained!

Did the Immortal Master's plan... fail?

But he had no time to think about it now; he could only forcibly suppress the panic in his heart.

Lin Fan quickly withdrew his fist, bowed to Mo Zixing, squeezed out a submissive smile, and improvised a lie in a moment of desperation:

“Senior Brother Mo, please forgive me!”

“I... I was afraid that Senior Brother wouldn't have enough Spirit Stones for your subsequent cultivation, so I specifically saved up some Spirit Stones to bring to you as a small token of my appreciation.”

After hearing this, Mo Zixing almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

Sending Spirit Stones?

What kind of reason was that?

Mo Zixing complained inwardly, but on the surface, he acted as if he were happily accepting it, reaching out his hand and saying:

“Oh, there's such a good thing?”

“Then I shall accept it. Where are the Spirit Stones?”

Lin Fan was completely dumbfounded.

He had just made up a lie on the spot, thinking that Mo Zixing would at least say a few polite words of refusal.

Who knew this guy wouldn't have the slightest intention of refusing and would just reach out for them?

But the words had already been spoken; there was no taking them back.

Lin Fan could only grit his teeth and reluctantly pull thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones he had saved for over half a year out of his pocket, handing them to Mo Zixing.

Mo Zixing took them without the slightest hesitation and casually tucked them into his Storage Pouch.

At the same time, with a thought, he brought up Lin Fan's System panel.

[Name: Lin Fan]

[Gender: Male]

[Race: Human]

[Cultivation: None]

[Personality Traits: Selfish, Vindictive]

[Innate Luck: Child of Fortune (Red), Bottom-out Rebound (Gold)]

[Acquired Luck: Three Yin Severed Meridian Body (Black)]

Mo Zixing raised an eyebrow.

The golden [Remnant Soul Guidance] trait in Lin Fan's Acquired Luck had already disappeared.

It seemed that yesterday's act of shocking the Remnant Soul inside that Jade Pendant until its Soul Flew Away and Spirit Scattered had indeed affected Lin Fan.

Looking further up.

The hatred bar at the top of the panel had already burned past four slots.

It was only a tiny bit away from the maximum value of five slots.

Mo Zixing weighed the Spirit Stones he had just received and, seeing the look of pain on Lin Fan's face as he didn't dare to act out, deliberately teased him slowly:

“Giving me Spirit Stones for no reason, you must have something else to ask of me, right?”

“For example... are you still thinking about that Jade Pendant you gave me before?”

Lin Fan's face turned even paler, and he quickly waved his hands, his smile looking worse than a crying face:

“Senior Brother must be joking. Once something is given away, how can one still think about it?”

“This Disciple simply admires Senior Brother and wants to build a good relationship with you. I definitely have no other intentions!”

He spoke with conviction, but in his heart, a storm was brewing.

How did he know!

Could Mo Zixing have discovered the trick within the Jade Pendant?

Impossible!

The Immortal Master clearly said that the Spirit-Absorbing Formation in this Jade Pendant was extremely well-hidden.

How could Mo Zixing, a mere Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, possibly discover it?

“Is that so?”

Mo Zixing sneered, and the smile on his face slowly faded:

“Stop pretending. Inside that Jade Pendant you gave me, there's a Remnant Soul of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, right?”

As those words fell, Lin Fan's pupils dilated, and he stumbled back half a step.

He couldn't believe that Mo Zixing was actually fully aware of this secret!

“How did I know?”

Mo Zixing took a step forward, looking down at Lin Fan:

“Naturally, it told me itself.”

“It originally wanted to use the Jade Pendant to absorb my cultivation, but in the end, I convinced it. It decided to help me, someone with more talent, instead of a waste with a naturally severed meridian like you.”

These words were like a merciless hand, tightly gripping Lin Fan's throat.

He desperately wanted to tell himself it was fake.

But Mo Zixing not only knew about the Immortal Master, he even knew about his naturally severed meridian...

His only hope, the Immortal Master he regarded as a god, had actually betrayed him?

And joined Mo Zixing, the person he hated most?

His endurance, his expectations...

Had they all become a joke?

Lin Fan snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot, his whole body shaking uncontrollably, his voice filled with hysterical despair and hatred:

“You were already able to Cultivate, you already had a bright future, why did you have to stop me and snatch away my only chance!”

“I snatched away your chance?”

Mo Zixing sneered:

“Lin Fan, don't forget.”

“From the very beginning, you intended to use the Remnant Soul to drain my cultivation and Luck, turn me into a useless person, and use my life to trade for your so-called bright future.”

“What, only you are allowed to plot against me, but I'm not allowed to turn the tables?”

As soon as these words were spoken.

The last string in Lin Fan's mind snapped completely.

The flaming hatred bar at the top of the panel instantly surged.

The raging flames directly filled the last slot.

Five slots of hatred value were completely filled!

The overwhelming hatred almost set Lin Fan on fire.

He glared at Mo Zixing, his teeth grinding audibly.

Mo Zixing didn't care at all, his gaze locked on the System panel.

Next to Lin Fan's Luck trait column, an extraction button began to flash.

The System notification sounded:

[Target hatred value is full]

[Luck trait extraction conditions met]