The thirty seconds passed, and the scene instantly erupted into chaos.
"Chase him! Don't let that brat get away!"
"Don't worry, he won't make it far. We have people searching the whole city already."
The playground, previously buzzing with activity, gradually fell silent as the apology meeting was cut short. The crowd dispersed one after another. Those who needed to leave campus did so, while those staying behind—mostly people who considered themselves experts—rushed out to hunt him down.
The students of Haicheng University stood there in a daze, looking at one another with awkward expressions. No one had expected things to end this way. From this moment on, Ling Chen’s reputation for being absolutely incorrigible reached a new level in the hearts of every student.
"Did you see that? That brat used his crooked arts again!" Gu Mingxuan’s sidekick gritted his teeth; experiencing that twice in one day was enough to make him lose his mind.
"Is there really no way to handle him? I swear I can't take this anymore!" another sidekick chimed in.
Gu Mingxuan’s fury was no less than anyone else's. He clenched his fists and hissed, "Don't worry. That kid has offended too many people; he’s definitely not going to have a good time!"
Elsewhere, Jin Moyan wiped cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken. "What do we do? Ling Chen has really poked a hornet's nest this time."
Bai Youxia waved her hand dismissively. "That jerk deserves it. Once he gets what's coming to him, he’ll learn his lesson."
...
In a residential house on the outskirts of the city.
"Principal, where did you bring me?"
"To a place where no one can find you. Look at the mess you've made!" Cheng Boyuan glared at him fiercely.
"You aren't lying to me, are you? Can no one really find me here?" Ling Chen made it clear he didn't believe it.
"Shut up! Stay here and reflect on your actions," Cheng Boyuan said, his voice rising a few notches. With that, he ascended into the sky, ready to leave.
"Principal, where are you going? Are you abandoning me?" Ling Chen pouted, feigning innocence.
"I’m going to clean up your mess!" Cheng Boyuan replied, then vanished into the horizon.
Once Ling Chen was certain he was truly gone, the corners of his mouth couldn't stop twitching with a smile. Unable to suppress his excitement, he hurriedly summoned the system.
"Xiaodian, can I open the treasure chests now?"
【Ding!】
【Bronze treasure chest ready. Do you wish to open it now?】
"Open."
【Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Immortal Technique: Slip Away.】
Ling Chen: "???"
He tapped on the details to take a look. It turned out to be a martial art that could increase one's speed to an incredible degree. On Blue Star, martial arts were categorized into: God, Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, with each grade further divided into top, high, medium, and low tiers. Since the one he obtained was called an "Immortal Technique," it had to be pretty damn powerful, right?
It was just that the name was truly insane. Only the Xiaodian system could come up with something like that.
"Can I rename it? It's an Immortal Technique, after all—can't it be a bit more imposing?"
【Modification unavailable, dear. This name suits you perfectly.】
"666!" Ling Chen exclaimed, thinking it was just too brilliant.
【Silver treasure chest ready. Do you wish to open it now?】
"I can open two chests in a row? Usually, a silver chest requires two million rage points."
【Yes, host. You’ve managed to enrage quite a few people this time.】
"Open!"
【Ding!】
【Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Desolate Ancient Body!】
As the system’s voice faded, Ling Chen instantly felt his body change. It felt as if his muscles and bones were being completely reshaped, and even his level of existence had been elevated. As a fan of "Red-Haired Monster" in his past life, he naturally knew the value of the "Desolate Ancient Body"—it possessed terrifying physical strength!
"Not bad. These two are actually very helpful, unlike those previous useless skills." Ling Chen smiled in satisfaction. He then took out his phone, preparing to take on the trolls online.
"Damn, they're going all out?"
Ling Chen was stunned. The number one trending topic on the Hongbo Forum was actually a bounty warrant! He clicked on it immediately to check.
【Jianghu Bounty Warrant】
One: Anyone who provides accurate information on Ling Chen's location will be rewarded with 500,000 Blue Star Coins.
Two: Anyone who hangs him up and slaps him hard will be rewarded with 10,000 Blue Star Coins per slap.
Three: Other rewards to be determined; essentially, the harder you beat him, the higher the bonus.
Note: This reward is crowd-funded by Shaohua University and the general public.
Friendly reminder: Don't kill him.
Ling Chen left a comment: "Who issued this bounty? Was your mother waiting for the rain to stop before she sent you to the hospital?"
"Ring-ring—"
At that moment, his phone rang.
"Hello, Shuaishuai."
Sun Shuaishuai’s anxious voice came through the line: "Brother Chen, don't you dare come back! There are hundreds of people camping at the school gate, all of them at the Boulder-Breaking Realm or higher, and they're all saying they're going to hack you to death!"
"Got it, thanks," Ling Chen said.
"By the way, Brother Chen, where are you? I'm so worried about you," Sun Shuaishuai added, his tone shifting.
"What's this? You want to use my location to claim the reward?" Ling Chen chuckled maliciously.
"How could you say that! I'm not that kind of guy!" Sun Shuaishuai’s voice trembled; he clearly sounded terrified.
"Alright, that’s enough. Talk later."
After hanging up, Ling Chen sat cross-legged to begin his cultivation. For now, he needed to master the "Slip Away" technique so he would have another self-preservation skill under his belt.
...
In the conference room at Haicheng University, the senior faculty gathered to hold a heated discussion regarding Ling Chen.
"The Organization Department has already issued a public apology, and the Haicheng authorities have helped appease the public."
Cheng Boyuan nodded and said, "Regarding the punishment for Ling Chen, what are your thoughts?"
One senior administrator suggested, "Expel him immediately."
"What about you, Teacher Qin?" Cheng Boyuan looked toward her.
Qin Muwan sighed. Her anger had subsided quite a bit by now. "Although Ling Chen caused a huge scene this time, according to school regulations, it only counts as unprovoked harassment and bringing shame to the school. It doesn't quite reach the level of expulsion. I suggest a three-month suspension."
Hearing this, Cheng Boyuan nodded again. "Not bad. What do you all think?"
"Agreed. Let’s go with the Director's suggestion," the other administrators concurred.
Once the matter was settled for the time being, Cheng Boyuan frowned, his expression grave. "In a month, at the provincial competition, we’ll likely end up at the bottom again."
An administrator took over the conversation, sighing, "Shaohua University definitely won't let our contestants off easily. We’re going to face a lot of mockery and humiliation."
Another added, "There’s no helping it. They’ve enjoyed taunting us for years, and now, with Ling Chen having angered them so much, it will only be worse."
Qin Muwan looked quite dejected. "We’re going to be down one spot this time. Ling Chen’s slot is essentially void; we can’t count on him."
Cheng Boyuan smiled bitterly and comforted the group, "It’s fine. That spot was meant for him anyway. Since we always end up last, let's not dwell on it too much."