A Flustered Li Linhai

"System, is it possible to cripple him?"

Staring at Ye Fan, who lay on the ground spitting blood, Chu Yi posed the question coldly to the system.

"I'm afraid not. But the host may attempt it nonetheless."

A mechanical voice responded, and a flicker of light flashed in Chu Yi's eyes.

Then let's give it a try.

With that thought, Chu Yi stepped forward.

Lifting his foot—thud—he brought it down directly upon Ye Fan's hand.

A shriek of agony rang out, echoing in all directions.

"Aaagh!"

So, it seems... this might work.

If I can't imprison you, if I can't kill you outright, then at the very least—

I can leave you crippled.

Not a bad outcome.

A trace of bloodlust surfaced in Chu Yi's gaze.

When it came to Ye Fan, he wouldn't hold back.

After all, in the original novel, his own fate had been nothing short of tragic.

And if he wanted to rise stronger, he would have to tread upon Ye Fan's corpse to climb his path.

With a chilling glint in his eyes, Chu Yi once again lifted his foot, this time aiming for Ye Fan's other hand.

Just as he was about to bring it down, ready to destroy both of Ye Fan's hands—

A flurry of cold steel flashed through the air.

Throwing up a cloud of dust.

Instinctively, Chu Yi retreated a few steps.

As the dust settled, he looked around—Ye Fan was gone.

"The Blood Realm Assassin List... Top Three."

Chu Yi muttered the words, and a fierce aura swept outward from him.

In his mind, another voice echoed.

"Congratulations, the host has mastered the first level of the Northern Sea Divine Art."

In a modest little courtyard—

On a patch of grass, Ye Fan pounded the ground in pain.

He had brought this humiliation upon himself.

He had set out to teach Chu Yi a lesson, only to be beaten into the dirt.

Now, he no longer knew what path to take for revenge.

But even as he writhed in agony, faint golden lights began to shimmer across his body.

Moments later, waves of spiritual energy began to surge from within him.

Not far away, his master—ranked third on the Blood Realm Assassin List—stood wide-eyed in shock.

After a brief moment of thought, he dashed into the house, rummaging through a box to retrieve a sapphire-like crystal core.

Within the core, strands of demonic energy swirled ominously.

With a steely glint in his eyes, Ye Fan's master clenched his teeth and tossed the crystal toward his disciple.

"Foolish child—catch!"

"Master..."

Biting down on the pain, Ye Fan reached out and took the core.

Immediately, the aura around him began to surge as if reacting to the crystal, exploding with newfound force.

And in that moment, Ye Fan realized—

He had stepped into an entirely new realm.

...

Along a quiet path, Chu Yi walked, conversing with the system in his mind.

"System, does your lottery wheel contain any cultivation techniques?"

He understood well—ancient martial arts were the lowest tier in this world.

True power lay with those who had stepped onto the path of cultivation.

"Ding. System functionality is still incomplete. Cultivation techniques will be unlocked once the host's Fortune Points reach 600."

Six hundred, huh?

Chu Yi checked—he barely had just over four hundred.

That meant he still needed a bit more than one hundred.

Forget it. No point worrying about that now.

After some time, he came to a stop.

"Shenghao Hotel."

Reading the name aloud, Chu Yi stepped through the entrance.

Inside Suite 888—

Huang Mao marveled at the extravagant decor, his eyes wide with awe.

He couldn't help but exclaim.

"Xing-ge, look at this place! So luxurious! I've never been anywhere like this before—what a sight!"

"Tch. Bumpkin. Never seen the world, have you?"

Li Bo sneered beside him, disdainful.

"If you're going to follow Young Master Chu from now on, you'd better stop gawking like a fool. Don't make us look like we're straight from the countryside."

"You—"

"You what?"

Just as the two were about to bicker, Chu Yi entered the room.

"What are you all doing? Order the food already."

Seeing them sitting there dumbfounded, Chu Yi chuckled.

"Alright, Young Master Chu."

"You should do the honors!"

The group quickly snapped out of their daze, nodding in agreement.

"Fine then, I'll order."

Smiling, Chu Yi took the menu.

He ordered without hesitation.

By the time he was finished, the total came to over ten thousand.

The others could only stare in wide-eyed shock, their scalps tingling.

In their hearts, their admiration for Chu Yi deepened.

And alongside it—a sense that they were being taken seriously.

Soon, the food was served.

Since they had afternoon classes, no one drank alcohol.

Still, through the conversation that followed, their loyalty to Chu Yi subtly solidified…

...

Back in the classroom, students began filing in one after another as the next lesson approached.

But in the back row, Li Linhai sat restlessly, anxiety written all over his face.

Why hasn't Ye Fan returned yet?

They had spoken earlier in the hallway.

At noon, while Chu Yi was eating, Ye Fan would ambush him and take revenge.

But now—

It was already past that time.

Why... why hasn't Ye Fan come back yet?