The Diamond Vajra Fist guarded his body, while the Monkey Fist launched the attack.
Although Feng Lin didn't possess the profound martial arts to wield two genetic abilities simultaneously like Croft, he still maximized the power of his Ape Gene and Stone Fetus Gene in his own way.
Blood surged, heat waves rolled, warding off the cold.
His stone-like skin and iron bones shattered the sharp, blade-like ice shards one by one.
He pressed his fingers together like a sword and stabbed through the air.
"What?" A great sense of crisis arose in Croft's heart.
This scene completely exceeded his expectations.
In the past, once he unleashed his genetic abilities, the biting cold wind and raging snow and ice always trapped his opponents, making it hard for them to move freely, forcing them to submit obediently.
But this kid was completely unaffected, attacking with such ferocity.
*Chi!*
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air.
The wind and snow parted as a finger-sword shot forward rapidly.
Croft dodged instinctively, but the next moment, his cheek stung, blood dripped down, and his handsome face was immediately marred.
He instinctively wiped his face, looked at the blood on his palm, and flew into a rage. "You dare to ruin my face!"
For a cultivator, strength was the foundation—what use was good looks?
Feng Lin shook his head. Though Croft had strong vitality, he couldn't even see through this most useless of superficialities.
For that alone, Feng Lin wouldn't consider him a true opponent.
The cold wind howled, and snow filled the sky.
Yet Feng Lin remained unaffected, moving freely through it.
Due to a lack of nutrition, his vitality was inferior to his opponent's, but when it came to the enhancement and use of genetic abilities, Feng Lin was second to none among his peers.
His two genes had been strengthened to the extreme, meaning that few could interfere with his basic genetic abilities.
Even Croft's Ice Gene and Cold Wind Gene were useless.
Feng Lin strode forward, trampling through the wind and snow.
"What?" Croft's pupils contracted to pinpricks.
Having landed a hit, Feng Lin wasn't about to let this golden opportunity slip. He pounced again, like a hungry tiger chasing a lamb, swift as thunder.
Croft hurriedly dodged, sidestepping, a vicious glint in his eyes. "Die!"
He hooked his fingers like claws and suddenly grabbed out, icy energy gathering between them, forming three ice spears that shot forth violently.
If struck, an ordinary person would have a bloody hole punched through them.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Feng Lin's fists thundered like drums, his iron-hard fists shattering the ice spears.
Croft was about to strike again, his body radiating a chilling cold.
Feng Lin's stance didn't change. He raised both hands high and brought them down heavily, suddenly assuming the wrathful visage of a Vajra. He gathered his breath and let out a thunderous roar: "HUM!"
A sharp, startling shout!
The force of his breath was powerful, the roar shaking the soul.
Croft's whole body trembled, involuntarily pausing for a moment. In that instant, Feng Lin was already upon him. His descending hands blocked Croft's claws, his arms bent, and his fists shot out like venomous dragons emerging from their lair, striking fiercely.
The ice armor shattered instantly, crumbling into fragments.
Croft let out a miserable scream and was sent flying sideways.
In a single exchange, the difference was clear.
He crashed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably, unable to move.
Genetic Potential +8%!
Feng Lin felt utterly bored. Only an 8% increase in genetic potential? After fighting a group alone, exhausting time and effort, this was all the fortune he got?
It was clear that defeating these people posed little pressure for Feng Lin.
Their combat awareness was too poor!
In terms of vitality, they were no worse than the opponents he faced in the Virtual Martial Arts Tower—even stronger.
But unlike those battle-hardened virtual martial arts masters, these people were too cowardly in temperament, their techniques weak and ineffective, completely unable to unleash their true strength.
Especially Croft. His vitality was the highest, reaching 2.5, and his genetic abilities were strong. But unfortunately, he had been raised too delicately. The Ice Gene and Cold Wind Gene were both high-level abilities with considerable power, yet he only used them for long-range attacks, never developing close-combat techniques—clearly afraid of direct confrontation.
He probably scored high in the Virtual Martial Arts Tower by relying on his ability to control wind and snow, wearing down opponents until he won.
If it came to real, blade-to-blade combat, his fighting style had far too many flaws.
No wonder he could never surpass the school's top genius, Duan Yunliu.
A genius raised in a greenhouse was no genius at all!
At this rate, he would never surpass his rival.
Was this the school's second-best genius? Nothing special...
Feng Lin felt nothing but boredom.
His time in the Virtual Martial Arts Tower had been a transformative experience. He had recklessly challenged opponents time and again, unafraid of danger, and with the boost from free genetic points, his combat skills had skyrocketed.
In terms of combat instinct, he was far ahead of his peers.
Aside from the as-yet-unseen Duan Yunliu, no one in the entire school could put any pressure on him.
Without pressure, there was no motivation to improve.
Earth Middle School was, after all, just an ordinary school in Huaxia City. It now felt too small for Feng Lin.
"You dare hit me!" Croft lifted his head, his face full of humiliation.
"Are you not convinced?" Feng Lin continued. "So what if I hit you? What can you do? Call the cops? Get people to beat me up? Have the school expel me? No, you can't do any of that. You can only take it..."
Each word was like a knife, stabbing into Croft's heart. His body trembled involuntarily.
Indeed, this was an open and fair spar!
If he lost and then called for help, it would be a huge joke—no different from a kid who lost his lollipop running back to his mom!
No matter how Croft kicked up a fuss, it would only bring him shame.
By doing so, he would be telling everyone that he was no match for Feng Lin, that even outnumbering him, he was thoroughly beaten. From then on, he would no longer be the school's second-best genius.
More than the humiliation, Croft cared about his vanity and reputation as a genius.
Losing all of that was something his proud heart couldn't bear.
So he had to endure!
"Just you wait, Feng Lin. This isn't over!" Croft covered his face and stood up, trembling all over, as if on the verge of exploding. But he was helpless against Feng Lin. At least for now, he had to swallow this bitter pill.
Because after that exchange, he knew he was no match for Feng Lin!
How infuriating!
Grief and anger filled his heart. He turned and left, wanting to get away as fast as possible.
He didn't want to see the man who had brought him such humiliation and shame again.
"Wait!" Feng Lin stepped sideways, blocking his path.
"What do you want?" Croft was extremely wary.
Feng Lin showed a harmless smile, but his words sent Croft and the others plummeting into hell. "You think you can just leave? You came out of nowhere, pressed me for my secrets, and ganged up on me. Now you want to go without giving me some compensation? Do you think things are that cheap?"
"Are you extorting us?" Croft and the others widened their eyes in disbelief.
"What are you talking about? This isn't extortion!" Feng Lin said with a faint smile. "This is compensation for my mental distress, physical exhaustion, medical expenses...!"
He rattled off a long list of charges, making Croft and the others so frustrated they wanted to vomit blood.
"Don't even think about it!" they roared.
"Then there's no helping it!" Feng Lin shook his head, opened his personal chip, and played a projection.
"Hand over the secret to your strength, and I'll give you ten thousand star coins! Country bumpkin, you've never seen this much money in your life..." The familiar arrogant voice came from the footage. In front of the lens, Croft and the others' eyes nearly popped out, revealing shock and fear.
Feng Lin had recorded their earlier extortion attempt! Had he anticipated this all along, planning to extort them in return?
"There's no way around it! You've wronged me, and you have to compensate me. That's my legitimate demand. If you don't, I'll hand this recording over to the school and post it on the Star Network. Then the whole galaxy can see your glorious performance—how you bully your classmates. Don't blame me then..." Feng Lin said meaningfully.
"You're so sly! So vicious!" Croft and the others felt like vomiting blood.
What a case of "the thief who cried 'stop thief'!"
This was it.
They had come to extort Feng Lin's secret, only to be extorted themselves. They had no choice but to cave.
If that recording got out, they'd be caught red-handed, and their reputations at school would be ruined forever.
"A thousand star coins! Destroy the recording!" Croft stared at Feng Lin, his face dark.
"Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?" Feng Lin shook his head, too lazy to argue further. The next moment, he charged forward.
"What are you doing?"
"Let go of my star coins!"
"Don't take my high-grade nutrient fluid!"
...
Ignoring their protests, Feng Lin moved ruthlessly, stripping them of all their valuables.
These people were no match for him, and with the leverage he held, they could only roar in anger without daring to resist.
One hundred thousand star coins, twenty bottles of mid-grade nutrient fluid, two bottles of Green God-3 high-grade nutrient fluid, and three portions of super protein.
That was Feng Lin's haul, most of it taken from Croft, the generous fool.
What a good guy!
Feng Lin was smug. These rich idiots were loaded, practically handing him a windfall.
Satisfied with his gains, he didn't spare them another glance and left contentedly, unafraid of any trouble they might stir up.
Croft and the others were left standing there, faces flushed red, bodies trembling uncontrollably.
If they hadn't awakened their Mythic Genes and possessed strong vitality, they would have truly vomited blood from rage...