The students converged from all directions, surrounding Feng Lin in the middle. They wore cold smirks as they looked him up and down—clearly hostile.
"Zhao Kai, what do you want?" Feng Lin fixed his gaze on Zhao Kai, the leader, his tone flat and distant, pushing others away.
"Zhao Kai, is this the new genius Feng Lin from your class?" A chilling laugh rang out.
Zhao Kai, one of the top talents in the class, immediately put on a fawning, sycophantic expression and said respectfully to a tall white youth, "He is! Master Klot!"
The white youth stood a full two meters tall, with sharp features and a prominent, hooked nose. His entire demeanor was icy, his lean yet powerful frame resembling a humanoid leopard, radiating an extraordinary vitality.
Around him were a dozen or so lackeys, all with vitality levels of at least 1.0, their expressions fierce. These people willingly ran errands for the white youth, likely hoping to gain some benefits from Klot.
Feng Lin recognized this person.
In the interstellar era, Earth's various human races had long transcended regional boundaries, intermingling and even marrying, producing all kinds of mixed-race offspring. Although Feng Lin's Huaxia City was part of the ancient Earth Chinese Republic's territory, predominantly populated by yellow-skinned people, there were also black-skinned and white-skinned individuals, albeit a minority.
Klot was a well-known white genius at Earth Middle School, formidable and famous. Rumored to be the young master of a conglomerate in Huaxia City, his market value exceeded 200 billion star coins. With such a wealthy background, he could afford abundant cultivation resources, giving him an astonishing vitality of 2.5. In this virtual martial arts tower, his comprehensive evaluation score was three points higher than Feng Lin's, making him a clear rival.
Feng Lin didn't know why Klot was targeting him, but he remained on guard.
Clearly, Klot didn't see it that way. He cast a sidelong glance at Feng Lin, radiating utter contempt.
By then, Zhao Kai had stepped forward, interrogating Feng Lin harshly, "What are you standing there dumbfounded for? Master Klot is right here—why aren't you coming over to pay your respects?"
"We're all classmates," Feng Lin sneered dismissively. "It's the interstellar era, and you're still pulling this? Are you a gangster syndicate, demanding greetings? Since when did the school have such rules?"
"How dare you speak to Master Klot like that?"
"Ignorance is bliss! You're asking for death!"
"What audacity. Master Klot, should we beat him up first and make him submit?"
...
The lackeys chimed in with sarcastic tones, closing in with predatory stares, clearly not new to this.
Feng Lin showed no fear, assuming a fighting stance, ready to engage.
"Kid, you've got some nerve." Klot waved his hand, signaling his lackeys to disperse, and stepped forward to look down at Feng Lin. "But if you think one good performance lets you do whatever you want, you're dead wrong. The only true geniuses in this school are me and Duan Yunliu—there's no place for you!"
What you say goes?
Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Feng Lin couldn't be bothered to waste words on such a conceited fool—it was a waste of time. He was already subtly surrounded. In the past, this would have put immense psychological pressure on him, but now strength brought confidence. He cut straight to the point, "Then why are you here? If you've got something to say, say it. If you're a man, don't beat around the bush."
Klot's eyes narrowed. In all his past dealings, everyone had been respectful. He hadn't expected Feng Lin to be so insolent. He was about to lose his temper, but remembering his goal, he held back. *I'll tolerate you for now. Once I get what I want, I'll make you pay.*
"I'm here to ask you to do something," Klot said coolly. "Your sudden surge and strong performance mean you've stumbled upon a huge opportunity. Hand it over to me, and I'll give you ten thousand star dollars! You country bumpkin have never seen that kind of money in your life, have you?"
"What? You want me to give up the secret to my strength?" Feng Lin's face twisted with disbelief. These people were actually pressuring him to reveal his power's source.
*Brains are a good thing—wish you had one!*
Without a doubt, Feng Lin knew the secret to his strength was the gene formula. Now this guy wanted him to hand it over—was he insane?
This was the key to his own power. Once strong, he could get anything. Only a fool would trade it away. The gene formula itself couldn't be transferred, and even if it could, he wouldn't give it. Ten thousand star coins? Were they treating him like a beggar? Not even a million, ten million, or a hundred million would do—no amount would suffice.
"Heh heh heh..." Feng Lin chuckled, thinking the guy had lost his mind.
"What are you heh-ing about?" Klot's eyelids twitched, feeling mocked, his face darkening instantly.
"Heh heh heh... heh heh heh... heh heh heh..." Feng Lin didn't answer, just laughed in his face, his eyes full of blatant sarcasm. What else was there to say to someone like this?
"What kind of laugh is that?" Klot fumed, seeing Feng Lin refuse to comply, rage burning within him. Raised in luxury as the school's second-best genius, he had never been so disrespected. In this virtual martial arts tower, he was once again overshadowed by Duan Yunliu, no matter how hard he tried. What infuriated him most was that an unknown nobody was closing in, only three points behind—too humiliating.
Then Zhao Kai had come to him, detailing the kid's situation, and Klot immediately saw an opportunity. This kid, once at 0.4 vitality, had suddenly surged to 1.5—he must have gotten some incredible luck. Such a chance was wasted on a plebeian like him; only Klot deserved it. If he got it, he might surpass Duan Yunliu and become the school's top. Zhao Kai had even sworn he could make Feng Lin cough up the secret. Klot was thoroughly tempted.
But now, seeing the kid refuse, Klot glared furiously at Zhao Kai. "This isn't what you said! He's from your class—handle it!"
His tone was icy, implying Zhao Kai would face consequences if he didn't resolve it properly.
Zhao Kai's face stiffened. He stepped forward and barked, "Feng Lin, be smart and hand over the secret. Master Klot won't be lenient! This is good for you—that opportunity is wasted on you. From now on, you can follow the master and enjoy endless perks."
"Are you stupid, or do you think I am?" Feng Lin didn't hide his sneer. "If you want to be someone's dog, don't drag me into it!"
"You..." Zhao Kai was enraged. As one of the class's top talents, being called a dog was unbearable.
Seeing that Zhao Kai couldn't handle Feng Lin, Klot lost patience and urged from the side, "Hurry up!"
"Feng Lin, you're asking for death. Don't blame me for disregarding our class ties!" Zhao Kai's face turned ice-cold, looking at Feng Lin as if he were already dead.
*Blazing Meteor Fist!*
His fists burst into flames, and without another word, he struck. Fists flew out in rapid succession, flames tearing through the air like meteors, dense as rain and roaring. In an instant, they engulfed Feng Lin...