Douluo Continent
Eastsea City.
Eastsea Academy.
Another day passed. This was Fan Lin's third day of the school life and he had learnt a better cultivation method, better acting skills and better classmates management skills.
The last one was mostly due to the extravagant performance of Tang Wulin and the added speech from Wu Zhangkong.
Now the whole class had let go of their judging behaviour and adopted communism.
Fan Lin got rid of the silly thoughts in his head and went to take a bath.
A few minutes later, he doned his school uniform and was ready to attend his classes.
Wu Zhangkong was definitely a teacher who was true to his word. He immediately began the physical training class he had spoken of the day before.
The basics of physical training was running.
In the intermediate division of Eastsea Academy, there was a track field with an 800 meter long loop. They(the students) were ordered by Wu Zhangkong to run ten laps around this track in the morning as a warm up.
All the other students started to make audible complaints on the field but when they saw Wu Zhangkong take out two heavy chains, each weighing ten kilograms and fashioned into metal shirts, for Tang Wulin and Xie Xie to wear, all the normal students didn't dare say anything.
'And that's the price of being in the limelight. You can get the admiration and respect of the people but you also have to bear the burdens that it brings.'
Fan Lin thought and started to silently run along with the whole class.
Xie Xie was an Agility System Battle Soul Master, so despite wearing a 10 kilogram metal shirt, he was still very fast at the beginning(😏).
On the other hand, Tang Wulin's pace wasn't fast, but it was as steady as an army's march. The others just have varied paces with Fan Lin in the middle as he always made sure to adjust his pace to that of the average of the class.
Two laps later however, Xie Xie and the other students' pace began to slow. Fan Lin was still advancing slowly with them.
They were panting and heaving after four laps, and their lungs felt as if they were burning. The metal shirt began to feel even heavier.
Fan Lin was still fine at the moment. Due to the fact that he was playing with the authorities in the Glorybound City constantly, he made sure to train his stamina and running speed.
For the current Fan Lin, his legs were like Chun Li's except they were not that thicc or big. They were slender and smooth like a girls but had strength that should not be scientifically possible according to his physique and muscle mass.
Now Fan Lin was able to run 40 kilometres without any break. He could run that distance even when he had his 200 kg stuff packed in his storage device with him. He was that strong.
While the others had dragged down and Wu Zhangkong was looking at the fight between Xie Xie and some unknown girl who wasn't wearing the school uniform, Fan Lin chose to increase his pace and complete his ten laps as fast as he could to watch the fight between the girl and Xie Xie.
He knew that the unknown girl who was fighting with the class representative Xie Xie was none other than Gu Yue. The female protagonist of the series.
'She should be, right? I have already read the book till 415 something chapters of that series. It shouldn't matter to me. What I am going to do is different from her. She wants Tang Wulin and I don't swing that way.'
Fan Lin thought while completing his race, unaware of the gaze of Tang Wulin who was latching behind him for three times in a row.
In a few minutes, Fan Lin had completed his final lap whereas the fight between Gu Yue and Xie Xie had ended with Gu Yue as the obvious winner. After the fight, Wu Zhangkong ordered Xie Xie and Gu Yue to join the running.
Fan Lin was the only one that has finished his laps as Tang Wulin had to do twenty laps and the others were not even on their eighth one.
So the moment Wu Zhangkong look at the only student that was not running and was avoiding his gaze, Fan Lin nearly forgot that he was going to lie low.
"You there, why are you not running?" Wu Zhangkong asked the kid who he identified as the second possessor of the Blue Silver Grass martial soul in his class with a raised eyebrow.
"I have sprained my ankle. Can't run?" Fan Lin said without any guilt or conscience.
Wu Zhangkong carefully looked at his legs. They were fine.
"Rest now but you have to do double the training in the afternoon." Wu Zhangkong icily said and looked at the other students while ignoring Fan Lin. He thought it was another case of laziness and doubling his afternoon training was a suitable punishment as running 10 laps were just the warm-up.
As for Fan Lin completing the 10 laps, he didn't even consider it a possibility as he had seen Fan Lin get rammed in the head with the tool spirit of the weak chicken girl yesterday.
He thought that if Fan Lin really had a good physique than he would not have lost in a single hit.
"I will." He muttered emotionlessly to the words of Wu Zhangkong. Internally, he heaved a sigh of relief.
If he was caught today then his act at the competition would have exposed and that would have double the suspicion that was on him.
'Who knows what kinds of things a Soul Emperor does in his free time. If he decided to investigate me then it would be over. I need to stronger as fast as I could as time is running away from my clutches.'
Fan Lin thought while sitting on the ground to rest alone while bearing the brunt of the gazes filled with envy and hate of the other students who barely had any strength to complete the final laps.
The afternoon class resumed with the physical training regimen that was even harsher than what they had in the morning. Where had the Theory and Knowledge class gone to? Wu Zhangkong's explanation was simple.
With the current standard of the class, what was there to learn about Theory and Knowledge? When had the Icily Arrogant Prince Charming words been reasonable?
Running was better in the sense that they could persevere. But when it switched to frog jumps, the field was filled with students of class five lying on the ground in less than 30 minutes.
A full day of physical training had these nine year olds crawling back to their dormitories.
"Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue come find me after your dinner." Wu Zhangkong mentioned coolly as the class ended, ignoring all the others.
Fan Lin looked at Wu Zhangkong while slowly walking to his dorm. He was trembling as he walked while his head was sunken down. This was due to the 'extra' practice that Wu Zhangkong promised in his mind.
Fan Lin calmly walked to his dorm and onto his room. The moment he closed his dorm gate, his legs stopped trembling and he streched his body.
'Acting to be weak isn't something new to me. This should be enough to erase any signs of suspicions that he had on me.'
Fan Lin went near his bed and sat down on the floor. It was near evening so he closed his eyes and started cultivation.
This was the only thing that he can do now. He couldn't go and act outside as the incidents at the Glorybound City was still fresh in the minds of people and he was sure that there would be some people that would be paying attention to any suspicious activity done by kids.
Since he left so many clues pointing to kids as well.
Fan Lin had everything planned and the only thing that he needed to do now( also the thing that he was doing) was to avoid the limelight.
Wulin was the protagonist and he would be fine in the limelight.
Fan Lin wasn't. He had to stay as far as he can from the people's view because even a single mistake could end their lives.
"Who told me to become a criminal?"
*Hmph*
Fan Lin chuckled.
Four hours later.
"The efficiency of training is low as expected."
Fan Lin got up, stretched and went towards the Eastsea Park.
Eastsea Park wasn't far from Eastsea Academy. One could reach the park after a 10 minute stroll by following the path next to the exit of the academy. The park was accessible to the public at no charges at all. In the morning the park was filled with many citizens doing their morning exercises while at night, it was a different matter altogether.
As one strolled into the park, their senses would be greeted with a rush of nature's perfume – a blend of the crisp scent of the plants and the floral sweetness from flowers, which refreshed their minds. Fan Lin felt himself gradually relaxing. His Bluesilver Grass was a plant martial soul, and he was currently surrounded by fields of Bluesilver Grass. This was the environment he liked best.
The results of cultivation in the Eastsea park was much better than if he were to meditate back in the dorms.
Following the gravelled walkway into the park, one would realise the differences in the size of the trees. The deeper into the park, the larger they became. Eastsea Park had a history of over a thousand years, long before even the Eastsea Academy had been founded. With its rich history, the park contained many varieties of rare trees.
As he moved deeper into the park, the feeling of returning back to nature revitalised the martial soul within him.
Fan Lin sat down on the ground and started eating.
Eastsea park was a hangout place for the students of Eastsea Academy, the teens in the Advanced Soul Master course specifically prefer to visit the Eastsea park at night.
Fan Lin especially cultivated four hours in his dorm to avoid the teens in the advanced course that came to Eastsea park.
Fan Lin came here to cultivate as the cultivation speed here was 40 percent faster than the dorms and that wasn't low for the current him.
And soon the night passed.
Starting from the next day(the morning).
Wu Zhangkong continued to drill the arduous physical training to the whole grade with the only exception of Wulin.
The students from the first grade's class five couldn't withstand the physical education class anymore, and on the third day, all of them fell into a mess on the ground. This was a return to the original schedule of having physical training class in the morning, then theory and knowledge class in the afternoon.
Fan Lin finally didn't have to act like he was all tired and nearly on his deathbed.
As physical training classes were shortened to only half a day, the students felt more relaxed and nobody complained.
Fan Lin also continued to do his cultivation and spirit ring ability experimentation to his fullest.
Just like that, two weeks passed and he got the procurement of his herbs.
Fan Lin checked all the herbs and made some samples from them. The results that he got were expected but still shocking.
"With this, I should be able to make the half energy serum and..."
Fan Lin said while looking at the herbs.
Only a part of the herbs were to be used for the creation of the Half energy serum. The other was for the creation of a final failsafe.
He needed money for most of his plans and as a adult he knew the best way to earn money- take it from others.
Fan Lin wasn't kind but he wasn't heartless as well. He was chaotic neutral as a reference.
"Say, the officials and the big gangs must have a lot of black money, don't they?"
A lazy night wind and with a tomato in his hand, Fan Lin made plans to massacre all the gangsters and corrupt officials to get money.
"And thankfully, I know the best time for it as well. So just when should I start?"
"The final exams of the Class Promotion exams it seems."
Fan Lin looked at the bright moon. It was the 5th day of the week and nothing was going to happen.
He entered deep meditation and further enhanced his cultivation speed.
Sometime later, a figure appeared beside him and waited for him to stop his cultivation.
"How the progress?"
Fan Lin asked without opening his eyes.
"The procurement has been delivered. I have also prepared the scapegoat and you can begin by the time you planned."
The figure said and disappeared.
Fan Lin entered deep meditation again, his eyes reflecting the moonlight above him.
Once again time seemed to pass at a faster rate as he was drowned in the work that he himself created.
🌤️
Class Promotion Tournament was a grand event for Eastsea Academy and was held annually. This was because the Class Promotion Tournament was the only event where the whole academy participated.
The advanced academy had their own advanced division Class Promotion Tournament, keeping their event separate from the intermediate academy's tournament.
They would show off their most exceptional students in the tournament and the city would record their info and archive it. As for the upcoming Class Promotion Tournament, it was crucial for obtaining a recommendation to enter high class academies in the future.
The rewards were also equally as generous. Classes that obtained exceptional results in the tournament would gain not only a change in rank, but the teacher in charge would also receive commendations.
As a result, the Class Promotion Tournament had become a symbol of honor and glory over the years. Being defeated by a lower ranked class was considered a disgrace, while defeating a higher ranked class was considered glorious.
The reason the tournament was held three months after the start of class was to give the teachers enough time to choose the students who would participate, and also to provide ample time to plan their tactics.
There was a moderate wind blowing and a beautiful sun shining down on this day. The blue sky was void of clouds for as far as the eye could see. A competition stage stood in the middle of the intermediate division's field. Although it was called a competition stage, it was actually just a 10 centimeter thick metal plate with a diameter of 100 meters. It occupied the majority of the field's area, and there were many soul barrier devices surrounding it, guarding against any potential accidents that may occur during the matches.
Today was the first day of the tournament. For the sake of not disturbing the studies of the students, the tournament was held after school. At that moment, the bell rang, marking the end of the school day. Students began pouring out of the school building. Despite this, only a few headed towards the competition stage.
For a match between class five and class four of the new first graders, how could it possibly be worth watching? The upper graders viewed a match such as this with disdain. They wouldn't come to watch the matches until the next day, when the first grade's class three stepped onto the stage.
After the bell rang, the students of the first grade's class five lined up neatly and made their way to the field, standing to the side. After three months of special training, class five had a completely different aura about them now. Although their talents weren't remarkable, under Wu Zhangkong's instruction, their stamina had made outstanding progress and their soul power had also increased greatly.
The students of the first grade's class four arrived in twos and threes just a while later. It seemed that they weren't worried about the match at all.
A short and stout teacher walked over to Wu Zhangkong's side, wearing a massive grin. "Teacher Wu, your students are pretty good! I'm nearly dying from how orderly they are in their line. My class four's students are so undisciplined. As such, please start off leniently on my class four today! Although we might not be able to be promoted to class three, you must help us preserve our position as class four."
Wu Zhangkong shot him a glance before returning his gaze to the front, completely treating him as air.
'Annoying'
Fan Lin thought while observing the events in front of him.
6 weeks have passed since the night at Eastsea Park. Fan Lin had grown a little in his temperament, mainly his brooding. During the six weeks, he completed everything regarding the plan that he was going to execute and was waiting for the final time.
As for what the final time was?
Fan Lin remembered that the last day of the Class promotion exams had catastrophic weather conditions that delayed it by a week.
During the storm, all the academy staff and students were not allowed to leave school.
The storm was so fierce that it made the whole Eastsea City enter a period of lockdown for a week.
Fan Lin's gazed deepened as the plan repeated out in his mind.
He was going to poison a whole lot of people during that day, then use the storm to cover up his trails.
An easy plan.
As for why that day?
In the beginning, Fan Lin thought of laying low for the entire year and cause a big massacre before going to Shrek but that plan was scrapped out due to many reasons.
He was already wanted as a killer. If a sudden massacre occurred and he went to Shrek after that, considering his place of coming and martial soul, there was a chance he would be branded as the perpetrator without any qualms.
He was a child from the Glorybound city that the child killer originated from and he was an orphan to boot.
Now, if he were to suddenly change his school and got an admission quota to the Legendary Shrek Academy and then enroll in it as well, with his still trash Martial soul, then there could be only two things.
One that he had twin Martial soul and was scouted by someone in the top for his secondary Martial soul, thus gaining resources for his cultivation or that he was an Evil Soul Master that was the child killer who just looted a lot of money.
Regardless of whichever it would have been, Fan Lin would have been a goner, because he doesn't have twin Martial soul nor anyone to 'invest' in him.
And that's why, he was going to cause the 'big boom' during the start of his academic year, then lie low for the next few months, then transfer to another alliance, where everything else had already been prepared, without causing any suspicion.
It took him six weeks and dozens of killings to complete this part of the plan.
From finding the right broker and dealers to making deals with them, then quietly preparing for his transfer in another alliance and then finally getting Shrek's entrance examinations quota without alerting the Federation.
Finally after all this time, he was finished and now he just had to wait and act when he needed to.
That was why he was looking at the annoying Class promotion exams in front of him with an expression as if he had something sour to eat.
'To make even my expression change, just how annoying is this going to become?'
Fan Lin once again thought while looking at everyone.
His annoyance was mainly due to the time waste ceremony that was happening where the teacher of Class four gave his speech first, then the principal came and gave his speech, then the chairman came and said some lines of his own, then about his life and then about how students should be like, then the announcer started to give lengthy introduction about every student that was participating in today's class promotion exams and only then did the students went to the platform.
All of this happened as Fan Lin and the rest of the class 5 was standing on the side of the platform and acting as the bystanders of the tournament.
If you look at the faces of other students of Class 5, they were cheerfully listening while he was the only one with a sour expression.
Basically he was over reacting like a sassy something due to the fact that he was an adult on the inside and he never liked to listen to someone, anyone, until he wanted to.
Some thing's were hard to change.