Chapter 3

When Hong Xiuting covered his face and squatted to the ground, his classmates immediately burst into a commotion, with several male students lunging forward with wild gestures.

Lin Jixin kicked down two people in quick succession, grabbed a hand in front of him, and pulled hard, bending his waist and twisting his body to lift the owner of the hand over his head like a windmill, spinning him around.

Shouts of alarm rose from all around, and the people who had surrounded them quickly backed away, clearing a space.

Lin Jixin casually threw the boy into the air, listening to his loud screams as he crashed into a group of friends, knocking them down.

No one dared to rush forward again.

Lin Jixin calmly looked at Hong Xiuting, who was squatting on the ground with his face covered, and pulled out a large wad of bills from his backpack, throwing them at him: "No need to give me change!"

The bills hit Hong Xiuting's head with a loud thud, and colorful paper scattered everywhere. Lin Jixin took Sun Xueqiang and started walking out, and the crowd automatically made way for them.

Casually flipping through the textbook in front of him, Lin Jixin twisted his body in boredom. As soon as he moved, the soreness in his waist made him groan softly.

His desk partner turned his head in surprise but quickly returned his gaze to the podium under Lin Jixin's cold stare.

Reaching out to touch his waist, Lin Jixin frowned.

He had strained his waist when he threw the boy yesterday. He had somewhat underestimated the strength of his current body. Fortunately, that move had intimidated everyone, or if they had really fought, even if he had won, he would have been covered in bruises.

Putting his hand into the desk, he gripped the new handgrip he had bought and squeezed hard. The burning soreness in his palm and arm muscles told him his body had reached its limit. Although he wished he could improve his physical condition in a day, he knew Rome wasn't built in a day.

His gaze swept over the room. Sun Xueqiang, who was sitting diagonally in front of him, had his head hanging low, clearly still reeling from the shock of what had happened yesterday.

It was better to end it this way. It was just a spur-of-the-moment action, and Lin Jixin had no intention of getting entangled in it further.

During the lunch break, he ate a little and then headed north of the school to an old, dilapidated building. This was the school's abandoned old gymnasium, which had been around for over a decade. The school had always wanted to renovate it but lacked the funds. He came here to use the leftover equipment for exercise.

The leftover equipment consisted of two parallel bars.

They were simple door-shaped structures made of three metal rods welded together, standing on a wooden floor. The rough welds were left exposed, which was why they had been abandoned. Buried deep in the ground, they were of no interest to anyone who might have taken them.

Lin Jixin tidied up the area a bit, then did several sets of exercises on the parallel bars, continuing until his body ached all over before collapsing in exhaustion.

Panting, he didn't even want to waste time resting. Lying on the ground, he stretched his hands in various difficult positions, his face turning white from the pain of pushing his body to its limits. His mind, however, was racing.

Time was short, and there was still much to do. Staying at school every day was inconvenient, but he didn't want to draw too much attention. It was a dilemma.

At that moment, he heard voices outside the door.

"Slow down, slow down!" It was an urgent male voice.

"Why slow down? I'm not afraid of losing face, but you are!" A woman's angry voice replied.

The footsteps quickened, and the two people approached.

Lin Jixin quickly gathered the scattered items and hid behind a pile of broken desks.

The wooden door creaked open, and the young couple who had been talking walked in.

The woman looked furious, but her exceptionally beautiful face made her anger seem alluring.

Ding Jing, Lin Jixin recognized her immediately.

It wasn't just because of her beauty but also because of her background and the scandal surrounding her.

No one would have thought that the daughter of the former mayor would be a regular Chinese teacher at a third-rate high school. After she left, her nude photos and videos had gone viral, becoming the favorite of many internet users and filling hard drives of all sizes.

At the time, she was the topic of conversation both online and at school, so Lin Jixin naturally recognized her.

"What kind of person is Hong Chengxiao? He wants me to have dinner with him!" Ding Jing turned her head, her fine eyebrows raised high.

"It's just a formality," the well-dressed man said with a pleading look. "There are so many people there, and with your status, what can he do? It's just a matter of giving him some face and meeting him."

"Meeting him?" Ding Jing snorted. "Is it worth you coming all this way to invite an unwelcome person like me just for a meeting?"

"Unwelcome? Not at all."

Seeing Ding Jing frown, the man quickly added, "There were some unpleasant incidents in the past, but we are still siblings. Once things are over, they're over."

"Besides, Dad may not say it, but he's always thinking about you. This could be a chance for you to go back."

Seeing Ding Jing's expression soften, he pressed on, "Dad is getting old, and his health has been poor recently..."

"Poor health?"

"Yes, he was hospitalized for high blood pressure a few days ago..."

"Hospitalized? Why didn't you tell me!"

"You know Dad's temper. How could I tell you?" After a pause, Ding Jing's brother continued, "This is a good opportunity. If you go to dinner with Hong Chengxiao, Dad will know you're doing it for him. You know his personality; he's tough on the outside but soft on the inside. You're his daughter. If you take the first step, his anger will subside."

At this, Ding Jing's brother paused, looking at her expectantly.

Ding Jing mused, "I'll think about it."

"What's there to think about? It's not a big deal. It's settled!" Her brother, seeing that the matter was decided, was overjoyed. "I'll come to pick you up."

Seeing her brother about to leave, Ding Jing hurriedly said, "Tell me, what's wrong with Dad?"

"It was quite serious at the time..."

The two continued talking as they walked away.

Once they were gone, Lin Jixin emerged from behind the pile of debris.

He could see through Ding Jing's brother's lies from his eyes, gestures, breathing, and emotions. Clearly, he wasn't telling the truth.

What did it have to do with him? He quickly dismissed it from his mind.

Even for simple exercise, two parallel bars were far from enough. He didn't want to be discovered, so he had to think of a way to bring more equipment here quietly.

Time passed unnoticed, and when Lin Jixin's muscles began to show definition, it was already over ten days.

That evening, the sky turned dark before school was out, with heavy clouds hanging low, as if about to fall.

Sensing a heavy rainstorm, the students and teachers scattered as soon as the bell rang, but Lin Jixin remained seated at his desk.

Looking out the window at the low, dark clouds, his mood was even darker than the sky. His ears were filled with the sounds of battle cries and screams, the intense sadness that kept him awake at night...

He couldn't distinguish his feelings—excitement, anticipation, tension, unease, fear, and timidity—all these emotions surged up, almost overwhelming him.

He finally stood up. Whatever the outcome, good or bad, life or death, he was certain it would be different!

Outside, large raindrops began to fall, and the once bustling campus was now empty, as if the world had suddenly become desolate. Only the sound of the heavy rain hitting the ground could be heard. In this curtain of rain, Lin Jixin strode forward.

Turning right out of the school, he walked through two streets and boarded a bus to Dongze City.

He knew that the current heavy rain was caused by a weak temporal disturbance. The violent energy that had escaped from the temporal rift had once changed the world, and he was one of its beneficiaries. However, he didn't plan to follow the same path.

Unlike Yujiang City, Dongze City, three hours away by bus, was the center of the energy outbreak. According to his knowledge, a small amount of "Seven-Pronged Crystal" would fall in Dongze City. These meteorites, which carried immense energy, would create a group of lucky individuals who would grow into renowned strong figures. This time, Lin Jixin wouldn't miss the opportunity.

Due to the bad weather, the bus was sparsely populated, and the passengers were unusually quiet. He found a window seat, and the large raindrops hitting the bus and windows made a loud pattering sound. Water streaks ran down the glass, and the outside was pitch black, occasionally illuminated by lightning, like silver snakes slithering across the sky.

In this silence, the bus finally arrived at the outskirts of Dongze City.

This was indeed the center of the storm. Lin Jixin could clearly feel that the weather was getting worse as they approached Dongze City. The rain was heavier, and strong winds were blowing, making a howling sound as they hit the bus. The passengers gradually showed signs of unease.

Finally, the bus arrived at the station. Ignoring the storm outside, the passengers, with or without umbrellas, rushed out.

Putting on a hood, Lin Jixin was the last to get off. Standing in the rain, he hesitated, unsure which direction to go, when he suddenly heard someone call out.

"Hey!"

Looking up, he saw a girl in a black car, half-rolling down the window, waving frantically, apparently offering him a ride.

He calmly turned his gaze away and continued walking down the street, hearing the girl's annoyed complaint behind him.

Soon, the car sped past him, splashing him with water, and the girl's giggles followed.

This time, he got a good look at the girl, who was far above average in appearance.

However, the girl, who had driven away, definitely didn't see his frosty expression.

He suddenly laughed to himself, his expression softening. This wasn't the age of slaughter! Since he had decided to enjoy life, constantly thinking about fighting wasn't appropriate.

Glancing at the mud and water on his body, he chose a direction and started walking.

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**End of Chapter**