Chapter 50 - 43: Picking Up Money
At their head was none other than Director Liu, the dean of the third-year students!
However.
When they saw the scene inside.
It was as if they had been struck by a Body Fixation Skill; they froze on the spot!
They had been terrified, knowing the depths of madness Yan Shan could unleash in a desperate situation, and worried he might harm the students.
But now...
Yan Shan was dead?
Who killed him?
"Director!"
"Teacher!"
"Director, you’re finally here!"
"An attacker broke in just now! If Lin Yi hadn’t stepped in, we would’ve all been finished!"
The moment Director Liu and the other two appeared, the students, who were like frightened birds, instantly found their pillar of support. The fear they had suppressed for so long erupted in a torrent of jumbled shouts, their voices trembling with the urgency of having survived a catastrophe.
"Lin Yi?"
Director Liu’s gaze immediately swept across the floor.
The corpse of the Third-Grade Martial Artist Yan Shan lay crumpled there, his eyes wide with disbelief, horror, and the stillness of death. His neck was twisted at an unnatural angle.
The sight made even the seasoned Director Liu’s pupils contract sharply.
Then, he snapped his head toward Lin Yi, who stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.
As the dean of the third-year students, Director Liu naturally recognized this top student who consistently ranked first in his grade.
But... Lin Yi killed Yan Shan?
’The thought was too absurd!’
’Even if Yan Shan was severely injured and on the brink of death, with barely a hundredth of his strength remaining, he was still a genuine Third-Grade Martial Artist!’
’His bones and sinews were like iron, his Qi and Blood abundant. He was absolutely not someone an ordinary student could hope to challenge!’
’Lin Yi... how did he do it?’
’Unless...’
Lin Yi met Director Liu’s shocked and probing gaze, knowing full well what he was thinking.
He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly. Hiding nothing, he announced in a clear voice, "Teacher, I’ve broken through to become a First-Grade Martial Artist!"
BOOM!
Lin Yi’s personal admission was like a bomb dropped into the tense atmosphere of the shelter!
Although they had all seen him kill a powerful enemy with his bare hands and had their suspicions, the impact of hearing this earth-shattering fact confirmed by the man himself was still overwhelming!
"HISS... Lin Yi really became a Martial Artist?!"
"Heavens! Didn’t he just start Bone Tempering yesterday?"
"Two days! It’s only been two days! He completed Bone Tempering and broke through to First-Grade Martial Artist... all in one go? That speed... it’s inhuman!"
"A monster! He’s definitely a monster! The one with the highest Qi and Blood among us, Liu Yang, is only just over 9.15 and still cramming for the martial arts exam. Meanwhile, he’s already a First-Grade Martial Artist?! The difference is just... WAHHH..."
A storm of envy, jealousy, admiration, and disbelief swept through the students, the sound of their discussions nearly blowing the roof off.
Suddenly, a sour voice piped up, "Tch, what’s so amazing? It’s all because of that Dragon Blood Potion! If you gave me a bottle, I could become a Martial Artist right away too!"
"Hah!" Luo Qian, who had been standing guard by Lin Yi’s side, immediately whipped his head around and shot back, his voice raised, "Dragon Blood Potion? Do you have any idea how much that stuff costs? It starts at a billion! You can barely even find it on the market! The fact that Lin could get his hands on it is a testament to his ability. A patron with a keen eye for talent was willing to invest in him! You? Go home and ask your dad if he’s willing to empty out his life savings for you. Could you even afford it?"
These merciless words were like a bucket of cold water, leaving the student who had spoken red-faced and choking, utterly speechless.
The surrounding chatter also cooled down slightly at the mention of the very real figure of "one billion."
Listening to the students’ argument, Director Liu instantly understood. His eyelid couldn’t help but twitch when he heard the words "Dragon Blood Potion."
Even he was tempted by such a precious resource.
’But on second thought, Lin Yi’s status is different now. He’s the principal’s personal disciple, and I heard he even signed with a multinational corporation from North City’s Demon City. It’s only right for him to have these kinds of resources. It’s not my place as the dean of discipline to question it.’
’Still...’
’To become a Martial Artist in just two days...’
’Even with the help of the legendary Dragon Blood Potion...’
’To absorb its effects so efficiently... Lin Yi’s constitution must be monstrously talented!’
Director Liu suppressed his thoughts. His gaze toward Lin Yi now held a new level of gravity and expectation. He nodded in praise.
"You’ve reached First Grade? Excellent! You’ve done very well!"
The approval in his voice was far beyond his usual praise.
But Lin Yi wasn’t basking in the praise. He was more concerned about the situation outside and quickly asked:
"Director, what’s the situation outside? Are there still more attackers?"
Director Liu waved a hand, his expression calm and steady again.
"Don’t worry. It was just a group of four reckless thugs trying to take advantage of the chaos during the Red Moon disaster to cause some trouble. We’ve killed three of them. Unfortunately, one got away. He was quite slippery."
"One got away?"
Lin Yi’s heart tightened, and he instinctively glanced at Yan Shan’s corpse on the floor.
’Does the one who escaped know that I killed Yan Shan?’
’Will he come looking for revenge someday?’
Director Liu seemed to see through his worry. His eyes sharpened, and his tone took on an indisputable, murderous edge.
"Relax! The Public Security Bureau doesn’t mess around. I’ll take the body now. We’ll work with them to investigate these people’s backgrounds and issue a warrant. As long as he’s still within Huaxia, he won’t be able to escape!"
He paused, glanced around at the still-shaken students, and added reassuringly:
"You all stay put. This shelter is safe. The main gate outside was damaged by those scumbags, so we need to repair and reinforce it immediately. We can’t stay."
After he spoke.
Director Liu gestured to the teachers behind him. One of them stepped forward and effortlessly lifted Yan Shan’s stiff, heavy corpse as if it were a sack of potatoes.
The three of them quickly turned and left.
With the departure of the director and the others.
The atmosphere in the shelter suddenly changed.
All eyes—filled with envy, admiration, or curiosity—snapped to focus on Lin Yi.
In that moment, he was no longer the poor boy dedicated to his arduous cultivation, but the school’s one and only budding young Martial Artist, his talent just beginning to shine!
A living legend!
"Lin Yi, congratulations! That was awesome!"
"A First-Grade Martial Artist! You’re my idol!"
"Brother Yi, you’ve gotta look out for us from now on!"
The air filled with a chorus of congratulations and flattery.
With a gentle and humble smile, Lin Yi responded to each of his classmates’ well-wishes.
Even he couldn’t be completely immune to the small thrill of vanity that came with such glory.
Luo Qian sidled up to Lin Yi, rubbing his hands together, his face a rare mixture of sheepishness and anticipation.
"Lin, uh... now that you’re a First-Grade Martial Artist, getting into a top-ten university is a sure thing. Your bro here... has a bit of an odd request."
Seeing his friend’s expression, Lin Yi couldn’t help but tease:
"What? You want my autograph? I’ll warn you now, it’s not worth much yet."
"No, no!"
Luo Qian quickly shook his head, his eyes shining with a crafty glint.
"I was thinking... once you’re in university, say, at the School of History or whatever, if you ever go on a mission into an ancient tomb... could you... could you maybe grab a ghoul for me? Living or dead, either is fine. I just want to see one with my own eyes, you know, broaden my horizons!"
If that "unclean thing" inside his body wasn’t dealt with, he had no hope of ever pursuing the Martial Dao, which was why he’d developed an interest in excavating Pre-Qin tombs.
Lin Yi was amused by his strange request. He clapped Luo Qian on his sturdy shoulder and said, half-joking and half-serious:
"Done! Leave it to your brother! If I ever get the chance to raid a tomb, forget one—I’ll bring you back eight or ten ghouls! Guaranteed fresh! Then you can decide if you want to steam, braise, or boil them in a soup. Whatever makes you happy!"
"You’ve got a deal! Lin, you’re a true brother!"
Luo Qian beamed with joy.
"I’m going back to my Cultivation now,"
Lin Yi said, his smile fading as his expression turned serious.
"You’re still cultivating?!"
Luo Qian was so shocked he nearly jumped, his eyes bugging out like saucers.
"You just finished a fight, and you killed someone—no, I mean, you killed an attacker! Aren’t you tired? Don’t you need to rest?"
Lin Yi just nodded calmly.
"Of course I have to cultivate."
He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
As ordinary as eating or drinking.
Time!
Every single minute, every single second was precious right now!
There were still nearly fourteen hours until the Red Moon phenomenon ended!
With the efficiency of the Mosquito Avatar’s blood-sucking feedback and the healing effect of the Spiritual Essence, he could now advance his Bone Tempering progress by 1% every two minutes.
That was equivalent to the effect of one Bone Tempering Pill.
A Bone Tempering Pill was worth ten thousand Federation Coins.
In other words,
for Lin Yi,
time was money!
Ten thousand every two minutes, five thousand a minute!
He was basically just picking up money off the floor!
How could he possibly waste time?
Soon.
Lin Yi found a relatively clean spot in a corner and sat down cross-legged in a meditative posture.
His eyes closed slightly, and his breathing instantly became long and rhythmic.
He once again connected with his distant Mosquito Avatar, guiding the surging torrent of Qi and Blood to scour and temper his bones.