novelraw Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4 : Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Transfer to the School Across the Street? Gladly!!
"Stop!!"
In an instant, Sun Long's rage was replaced by fear, and he roared at the top of his lungs.
Driven by pure survival instinct, he frantically mobilized all the true qi in his body and concentrated it on the side of his face.
He had a terrifying feeling that if Li Mu's bamboo strip landed on his face, he would either die or be gravely crippled!
But Li Mu had no intention of pulling back at all.
Bang!
Unable to withstand such a violent impact, the bamboo strip exploded into splinters.
Sun Long was sent flying sideways by the blow. He crashed into several students, then rolled across the ground several times.
The entire arena fell silent as a tomb.
"Abyss monsters are not going to stop just because you ask them to..."
Li Mu dusted the splinters from his hands and returned Li Xiaohong's own words to her without changing a single one.
At the same time, the system prompt appeared.
【Victory! Triumph Points +19】
【Note: The stronger the opponent is compared to the host, and the heavier the damage dealt, the more Triumph Points gained.】
"Yes!!"
A shout suddenly burst out from among the surrounding students, then immediately disappeared again, clearly because the speaker was afraid of being remembered by Sun Long.
But that single cry instantly ignited the atmosphere.
A whole group of students raised their fists and shouted, "Well done!"
Who cared anymore? The law did not punish the masses. If they wanted to shout, they would shout. Was Sun Long really going to retaliate against every single one of them?
At that moment, Sun Long's mind was completely blank.
Blood was streaming out of his ears.
The violent ringing in his ears and the buzzing in his skull made him unable to hear anything outside.
Blood was also seeping continuously from his face, making him look like a swollen purple-black pig's head!
An overwhelming sense of humiliation engulfed him.
Only then did Li Xiaohong, who had finally snapped back to her senses, explode completely.
She let out a shrill scream, and the students who had been shouting instantly quieted down.
Li Xiaohong's eyes were so wide that they looked ready to bleed.
"Who told you to fight back? Who gave you permission to fight back?! I told you to stand there, and you just ignored me like it was nothing, didn't you?!"
As she shouted, she stormed up to Li Mu and, without another word, swung her hand at his face.
That slap was practically worthy of becoming a self-created martial technique. From the force to the angle, it was all so smooth!
Unfortunately for her, Li Mu was faster!
Smack!
Li Mu slapped Li Xiaohong first.
The force was so great that one could clearly see a tooth fly out of her mouth.
Li Xiaohong dropped straight to the ground.
"Li Xiaohong, who are you trying to fool? Weren't you the one whispering in my ear just now, telling me to bring out my real strength and teach Sun Long a proper lesson?"
"I do not care what grudge you and Sun Long have between you, but do not use me as your weapon and then pretend to be innocent!"
After saying that, Li Mu strode forward.
And, without missing by so much as an inch, stepped right across Li Xiaohong's face as he passed.
She was stunned rigid by sheer shock for several seconds.
Her brain was practically about to burn out.
Even if she were beaten to death, she could not have understood why Li Mu dared to hit her. Why he dared disobey her!
Nor could she remember ever saying such a thing.
But when she noticed the way Sun Long was staring at her like he wanted to devour her alive, disbelief mixed with endless fury in his eyes,
Li Xiaohong suddenly understood.
Li Mu had set her up!
"No, that is not true! I never said it! I really never said that!"
Clutching her face, Li Xiaohong hurriedly tried to explain to Sun Long, stepping forward to help him up.
"Get lost!!"
Sun Long kicked Li Xiaohong to the ground with one foot, then staggered off toward the infirmary with both hands covering his face.
"Longlong, Longlong, listen to me explain!"
Li Xiaohong scrambled up miserably and chased after him.
At once, the surrounding students burst into laughter.
"I am dying. There is no way Li Xiaohong would have said something like that, right?"
"Li Mu's hatred for the Li family is not an act. Even an idiot could tell he was deliberately driving a wedge between them."
"Whether it was a setup or not does not even matter. The key is that Sun Long, that dumbass, believed it!"
"I never noticed before, but Li Mu is actually something else!"
"Sigh, who knows whether this is a blessing or a disaster? Li Mu has thoroughly offended both the Li family and Sun Long now!"
As the students chatted among themselves, they gradually dispersed.
Li Mu, meanwhile, made his way all the way back to the classroom.
He had been studying how to use the system the whole time.
Although the system provided many divine abilities,
in the early stages, when Li Mu still had very few divine arts and spells, he would still have to rely on this world's cultivation methods and martial techniques.
Otherwise, he would just be a reckless brute who only knew how to throw wild punches.
Granted, if those wild punches were strong enough, they could still beat people to death.
But this world had true qi.
Cultivation methods were the various ways of using true qi.
They were mysterious and profound arts that countless powerful predecessors had painstakingly developed.
If used well, cultivation methods could cleverly enhance your combat power.
And Li Mu had already felt it while using Nine Steps of Earthwalking just now.
With the support of the Unranked Heavenly Immortal Art, anything he cultivated would yield twice the result with half the effort!
Those fifty years of insight came with no direct increase in cultivation,
but in terms of the depth and breadth of actual combat ability, the benefit was enormous.
And right now, the thing that could most directly increase his combat strength was Divine Weapon Art.
One Triumph Point increased the weight by one jin.
That meant if he could gather thirteen thousand five hundred points, he could catch up to the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
But Li Mu understood this very clearly.
Even if the weight reached that level, it still would not compare to the Great Sage's divine might.
He neither possessed the Great Heavenly Immortal Art, nor was his weapon the sea-calming divine iron.
And simply increasing the weight was useless.
If his physical body and cultivation could not keep up, then even if he barely managed to wield it with Mountain-Bearing Art, his body would still be as fragile as paper.
He would not even need to hit anyone with the divine weapon. He would snap his own waist first!
And speaking of weapons—
with Divine Weapon Art as his support, the only suitable choice for Li Mu was a staff.
Large weapons were too cumbersome and inconvenient to use.
Smaller weapons, on the other hand, would not bring out the advantage of Divine Weapon Art.
The Battle Triumph System.
If he did not carry a staff, it would be an insult to this entire set of divine abilities.
"Li Mu, Li Mu!"
Just as Li Mu was studying all this, a male student hurried into the classroom and rushed straight up to him.
"Hm?" Li Mu looked perfectly calm. He could already guess what this was about.
"The Dean of Discipline is... is calling for you."
Panting heavily, the boy pointed downstairs.
Li Mu smiled, stood up, and walked straight toward the disciplinary office.
He had beaten Sun Long into that state. There was no way Sun Long would be able to take part in tomorrow's Abyss military training.
In this world, if a martial artist wanted to become strong, then in the end, the only path was to face Abyss monsters.
That was why the educational system and the military system in this world were deeply intertwined.
And Abyss military training was the first great event after awakening one's talent.
Three days of military training, followed by the Abyss First Battle.
Facing Abyss monsters.
Even with military training, the fatality rate remained appallingly high.
But martial artists had no choice. They had to come into contact with Abyss monsters and combat as early as possible.
That was extremely beneficial to a martial artist's growth.
It preserved their fighting spirit, and it also allowed their cultivation and practical combat ability to rise rapidly through battle.
So only those who distinguished themselves in the Abyss First Battle could be considered true powerhouses.
Whether it was the individual or the school, both would gain the attention of every major circle.
Sun Long had been a coward to begin with. After being injured by Li Mu, he had now been handed a perfect excuse not to participate in the Abyss First Battle.
If the Dean of Discipline did not fly into a rage over that, it would be strange.
But Li Mu was not afraid at all, because he had not broken the law.
Between martial artists, as long as there were witnesses to a fair fight, injuries did not count!
Martial artists needed to preserve their fighting spirit, after all.
If injuring someone meant legal liability every single time, then who would dare fight?
How could they preserve any fighting spirit at all in that case?
Quite a few students had already gathered outside the disciplinary office.
Behind the desk sat the Dean of Discipline, Liang Hai, who looked coldly at Li Mu as he entered.
"Director."
Li Mu closed the door behind him and stood calmly in the open space, accepting Liang Hai's scrutiny.
Liang Hai said nothing. He simply stared at Li Mu for a full minute.
A surge of irritation rose at once in Li Mu's heart.
If you have something to say, then say it. What are you playing at with this profound act?
Sensing that the outcome would probably not be pleasant, Li Mu decided to be cautious. He secretly turned on the recording function on his phone.
Phones in this high-martial world were far more advanced than the ones on Earth.
Thanks to development by users of spatial talents, the recording function no longer required the camera to be pointed directly at anything.
It could form spatial images right from inside a pocket.
The only differences were the size of the recording range and the clarity of the picture and sound.
After staring at Li Mu for a long while, Liang Hai finally spoke in a low voice.
"Li Mu, do you know the difference in value between you and Sun Long?"
"I do not," Li Mu replied calmly, shaking his head.
"Hmph. It seems you still cannot accept reality!"
Liang Hai let out a faintly mocking snort.
A cold laugh rose in Li Mu's heart.
Just two days ago, when Li Mu had awakened his S-rank talent, Liang Hai had been the very first to drag him into the office.
He had spent half an hour talking about things like "never forget your teacher's kindness" and "repay a drop of water with a gushing spring."
And now, after only two days, there was suddenly a difference in value between him and Sun Long.
Truly a classic.
Liang Hai stretched out two fingers with open contempt.
"I am giving you two choices."
"First, go apologize to Sun Long and Li Xiaohong! I do not care what method you use! You will obtain their forgiveness!"
"Second, get out of this school immediately!"
"This is the last—"
Before Liang Hai could finish, still swaying his head with disdain in his eyes—
"I choose the second one!"
Li Mu's voice was crisp and resolute.
At once, anger flared in Liang Hai's eyes. He stared straight at Li Mu for quite some time again.
"I said, I choose the second one! Please hurry up and give me the expulsion letter. I am in a rush!"
Li Mu met his gaze head-on and enunciated every word.
He really was in a rush!
He needed the expulsion letter so he could immediately go find another school.
He had to stand out in this Abyss First Battle under the identity of a student.
That was extremely important.
A true man could not go even a single day without power!
And in this high-martial otherworld, that was even more true.
And in this world, the greatest power of all belonged to the Abyss Suppression Army!
Li Mu had to climb to the very summit of power.
Only then could he crush the entire Li family with ease.
If the speed of his rise fell behind that of the Li family,
then he would still end up being trampled underfoot by others!
As long as he could stand out in this Abyss First Battle,
he would swiftly enter the sights of the upper ranks of the Abyss Suppression Army.
Since he had awakened the Battle Triumph System, if he still chose to play the part of someone who merely kept his head down and endured,
then he might as well go back and continue being a beast of burden!
"Heh heh heh heh..."
Liang Hai laughed in anger, nodding repeatedly as he picked up his phone.
As soon as the call connected, his voice turned cold as ice.
"Third Year, Class Nine. Li Mu. Pull up his file and expel him!"
Something was said on the other end, and Liang Hai immediately shot to his feet, his voice rising by an octave.
"No need to report it!! Do I, Liang Hai, not even have this much authority? I said expel him! Right now!!"
"Prepare the expulsion letter and send it to my office immediately!"
With that, Liang Hai slammed the phone down hard.
Then he looked at Li Mu again with a deliberately amused expression.
"As your teacher, this is the final lesson I am giving you."
"People always have to pay the price for the choices they make! Tell me, isn't this lesson vivid enough?"
"And I can even point you toward a bright road."
"Across the street, Blackwater High School is so desperate for students that it is practically going insane. They will take in any kind of trash."
Li Mu smiled instead.
"Thank you for the reminder."
Liang Hai let out a cold laugh.
Not long after, a staff member from Academic Records hurried in, carrying a document envelope and a letter of expulsion.
Liang Hai could not even be bothered to look at them. He merely lifted his hand slightly.
"Take the expulsion letter you wanted and get out."
Li Mu could not be bothered to waste another word either. He picked up the file and the letter, then strode out of the disciplinary office.
Out of the school gates.
Li Mu did not pause for even a moment. He headed straight for Blackwater High School across the road.