Chapter 61: Merciless Win
"You know..." Lin Yuan sighed, stroking his chin. "Sometimes, letting something go is wiser than fighting to keep it."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Fang Xin scoffed, his face spasming in pure disdain.
"Tsk... Are you all deaf?" Lin Yuan sneered, clicking his tongue, offering a pathetic gaze to Gu Fang Xin. "Give me the crystal."
The eerie silence increased between them. The rustling leaves seemed to halt for a second. Then, Ying Yue burst into a sardonic laugh, crossing her arms tightly.
"You are late, Lin Yuan," Ying Yue scorned, her face serene.
"Sigh~" Lin Yuan sighed, nodding his head slightly.
"You didn’t find this crystal," Ying Yue muttered, taking a slow step forward. "You didn’t fight the beast guarding this exit or pathway. And now you simply want us to hand it to you?"
"Haha! You are correct!" Lin Yuan nodded slightly, his demeanor calm and unbothered. "Hand over the fucking crystal to me!"
"Hahaha! Have you gone mad, Lin Yuan?" Gu Fang Xin burst into a mocking, boisterous laughter.
"Do you think I am joking, you brainless brat?" Lin Yuan’s expression sharpened, intense murderous intent emanating from his gaze.
"Lin Yuan, go find another crystal. There are two remaining in the forest." Chen Yu Ming frowned, instinctively stepping closer to the crystal.
"No," Lin Yuan insisted, nodding his head. "I want this one."
"Ehh??" Gu Fang Xin stepped forward, his expression darkening vehemently as he clenched his fists. "Fuck off!"
"What a beautiful suggestion!" Lin Yuan grinned, a scary shimmer lingering on his face. "But I reject it dumbass."
"Then what will you do?" Gu Fang Xin sneered, stepping closer toward Lin Yuan. "Beg us?"
"No, negotiating with fools like you is tiring..." Lin Yuan glanced toward the jade crystal resting in Chen Yu Ming’s hands, then darted his eyes over to Gu Fang Xin. "And begging fools is humiliating. I would rather kill myself than beg idiots like the three of you!"
"Watch your mouth, you bastard!" Ying Yue’s gaze sharpened, gritting her teeth in anger.
"Why?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, letting out a calm sigh. "Will you cry?"
"You—!"
"Or perhaps all three of you can continue standing here like starving dogs, arguing over a single meat chunk," Lin Yuan mocked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Lin Yuan!" Chen Yu Ming gritted her teeth, her breath twisting in annoyance.
"What?" Lin Yuan boasted, raising his head high.
"You came here alone!" Chen Yu Ming scoffed, her knuckles turning white. "There are three of us."
"Yes bitch," Lin Yuan mocked, laughing hard. "I can count."
"Then stop acting so fucking arrogant!" Chen Yu Ming yelled, bursting out with rage. "I am still calm only because you are Chen Ming’s friend!"
"Hahaha..." Lin Yuan laughed, holding his stomach while laughing. "You are acting like a superior forgiving a slave!"
The laughter was calm. It didn’t possess the frantic arrogance of Huo Ren or the hot-headed rage of Gu Fang Xin. It was the laugh of a predator watching its prey.
Whoosh!
A faint layer of leafy green beast essence suddenly oozed out from Lin Yuan’s body, swirling expeditiously around his fists. The dry leaves around his feet rattled and scattered, his robes fluttering against the wild gust.
"Beast essence?!" Gu Fang Xin enraged, his eyes widening in disdain.
"Using beast essence against fellow disciples means immediate disqualification!" Ying Yue frowned in sheer disbelief.
"I know," Lin Yuan’s voice suddenly became commanding, it was fully different from the mockery, calm words before. "But Master Teng Lianhua never mentioned a rule about not harming the other group’s disciples. He just mentioned ’No internal conflicts - If any disciple intentionally attacks another in their group, both shall be disqualified’."
"But, you three are not in my group..." Lin Yuan continued, a cunning grin curling on his lips. "So I can kill you all here!"
The heavy silence descended upon the Academy Great Forest. The wind stopped lingering around them.
Thud!
Lin Yuan took one step forward.
The three disciples straightened their stances, their bodies freezing in panic and despair.
"I am already tired," Lin Yuan murmured, the leafy green essence increasing, casting an eerie shine over his calm face. "I fought a Rank four beast today."
’He killed a Rank four beast?’ Gu Fang Xin grimaced, his eyes squinting in fear. ’How can he be that powerful?’
"I was nearly crushed," Lin Yuan continued, taking another step. "I need to go out and find out which motherfucker sent that beast into the forest."
"I watched death charge toward my face." Lin Yuan’s smile disappeared, his expression was devoid of emotions. "And now... you three brats are wasting my time."
The pressure emanating from his body increased, suffocating their willpower. Gu Fang Xin gulped, a bead of sweat crawling down from his left temple. Lin Yuan’s eyes were calm, and that was what frightened them the most.
"If you attack me..." Lin Yuan whispered, stopping just five paces away from them. "...I will rip your hearts out. I will mangle your bodies in a way that the masters struggle to understand which body part belonged to whom."
Ying Yue grimaced, listening to Lin Yuan’s words.
"Lin Yuan..." Chen Yu Ming whispered, her hands quivering in fear. A cruel, chilling smile slowly curled slightly onto Lin Yuan’s face.
The forest felt like a graveyard, the air around them becoming insanely suffocating.
Gu Fang Xin’s fists trembled from rage and fear of humiliation.
’This bastard... He’s bluffing.’ Gu Fang Xin muttered in his mind, twitching his tongue slightly.
He desperately wanted to believe that Lin Yuan was bluffing, but his survival instincts screamed. The leafy green essence around Lin Yuan was stable, and controlled. His breathing was normal, and his hands weren’t shaking. This wasn’t a fake bluff. Lin Yuan looked like a demon calmly explaining what he intended to do if they didn’t submit the crystal.
Ying Yue glanced toward Gu Fang Xin, then toward Chen Yu Ming. None of them dared to speak.
"Three." Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed, starting a count.
"Three?" Gu Fang Xin frowned, his voice cracking. "What the fuck is three now?"
"I am counting. Two." Lin Yuan continued counting, closing his eyes with a smile on his face.
"Lin Yuan, you fucking lunatic!" Gu Fang Xin yelled, his face spasming in fear.
"One." Lin Yuan opened his eyes, stepping forward with an intent to kill Gu Fang Xin.
"WAIT!" Chen Yu Ming shouted, her voice rattling under the pressure.
Without a second thought, she immediately threw the jade crystal forward into Lin Yuan’s hands.
Whoosh!
Lin Yuan’s hand darted out, catching the crystal meticulously. The beast essence vanished into the thin air.
The eerie silence returned again. He looked down at the beautiful jade crystal emitting its gentle glow, then darted his eyes back up at the three petrified disciples. A mocking, victorious smile curled on his lips.
"See?" Lin Yuan turned around toward the exit, exposing his back to them without an ounce of fear. "Letting go was easier than fighting."
"Bastard..." Gu Fang Xin murmured, his face became red with rage, his veins popping on his forehead.
Lin Yuan stopped. He slowly tilted his head, looking over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto Gu Fang Xin.
"What did you say?" Lin Yuan swaggered, a faint shine reflected from his eyes.
Gu Fangxin immediately became silent, bowing his head in fear. ’I can’t fight Lin Yuan now! He even killed Gu Shiyan, even though his power was amplified by demonic cultivation... Damn it!’
"Hahaha..." Lin Yuan continued walking, his steps calm. His mocking laughter slowly scoffed as he disappeared. "Good boy!"
Gu Fang Xin clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails cut deep into his palms, making thin streaks of blood lines.
"That demon..." Ying Yue released a long, heavy breath, her knees almost giving out from the pressure. "Did you seriously want to test whether he was bluffing or not, dumb Gu Fang Xin?"
Gu Fang Xin remained silent, staring at the ground.
Chen Yu Ming frowned, seeing her shivering hands.
The three looked toward the left pathway where Lin Yuan had vanished.
A few minutes later, Lin Yuan arrived before the exit barrier. The jade crystal in his hand radiated a warm light, causing the barrier to ripple like disturbed water.
Lin Yuan slowly stepped forward.
Whoosh!
The barrier accepted him. At that same moment, the mysterious, booming voice of the forest reverberated throughout the Academy Great Forest.
"Third to clear the trial was a disciple from Qing Clan — Lin Yuan!"
Outside the forest gate, Chen Ming immediately stood up from the grassy ground, his face shining up in grace.
"Hahaha! I knew it! I knew that bastard would make it!" Chen Ming flattered, clapping his hands.
"Third?" Master Teng Lianhua slowly raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise wavering on his face.
Lin Yuan calmly stepped through the exit. Chen Ming rushed toward him, grinning widely.
"How did you find another crystal so fast?" Chen Ming queried in anxiety, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"I asked politely," Lin Yuan darted his head back at the forest exit, a calm, cunning smile appearing on his face. "And the Gu Fang Xin team blessed me with this win!"
"Really?" Chen Ming frowned, blinking in confusion.
"Yes!" Lin Yuan continued walking past him.
Behind them, Teng Lianhua narrowed his eyes suspiciously, sensing that something was wrong, but he remained silent.
Lin Yuan ignored the master’s gaze. The ring shimmered on his finger, and then the Turtle Beast’s voice burst into a heartfelt laugh.
’Politely? Hahaha! Lin Yuan, your definition of politeness is terrifying!’ the Turtle Beast boasted, laughing hard.
Lin Yuan grinned as he walked toward the academy training hall.
’Fear is a strange thing,’ Lin Yuan thought, elucidating his way of observation. ’A sword will prove its sharpness only after cutting someone. But fear... fear only needs imagination. And I politely created that fear in those three brats!’
The scene of Gu Fang Xin, Ying Yue, and Chen Yu Ming silently giving their reward without a fight swirled in his mind.
Lin Yuan closed his eyes for a brief moment, enjoying the cool breeze outside the forest.
"The strongest fear is not the pain one has already suffered. It is the pain one believes is about to come." Lin Yuan muttered to the empty air, smiling.
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