Before long, Hai Tuo's patience met the end of its wick and was immediately expunged as a result of Shi Long's continued slithering on the ground while grasping his eye that had just been transplanted into a new one.
Humiliated by Shi Long's act, Hai Tuo clenched his fist tightly. He's resolved to teach the trash a lesson.
"You dare to act like that, huh? How amusing?!" In his mind, Hai Tuo was thoroughly convinced that the man on the ground was just acting as if he was in pain to have an excuse not to follow him.
For him, Shi Long's act was a serious disrespect to someone on the Human Roll. Even if it was an Outer Court ranking, he's extremely proud of himself to reach that height in just a year. It was enough to bloat his head full with air.
"Prepare yourself, you trash! You dare act like you're hurt in front of me? Let's f*cking turn that into reality!"
Hai Tuo bellowed as the spiritual qi started to gather in his fist. To answer the disrespect, he's going to unleash his favorite technique, the Rock Shattering Fist!
It's the technique that brought him the win against the Rank Holder Man Ling. The result of that duel was the one that earned him a place in the Human Roll.
For him to easily resort to using a Martial Technique speaks to his character as a person. A proud kid who couldn't afford to be slighted.
Whether it's another bout of his unluckiness or not, the pain Shi Long was enduring subsided, stopping his shouts. However, Hai Tuo already finished the preliminary movements to execute his Rock Shattering Fist and it's impossible for him to stop anymore.
Feeling the dense spiritual qi gathered in Hai Tuo's fist, Shi Long sweated bullets. He's only a 3rd stage Spirit Gathering Realm disciple, he's aware that if he was hit by it squarely, the resulting damage would be disastrous!
He could be bedridden for a week, effectively failing his first mission!
Shi Long gulped his saliva as the incoming ill intent from the twerp shrouded his person. He had to do something. He couldn't let what happened in his past life be repeated.
As Hai Tuo's fist gradually covered his sight, Shi Long pooled his meager spiritual qi and covered his body with it as he desperately rolled himself to the side.
BAAM!
The ground shattered beneath the force used by Hai Tuo but Shi Long was successful in his attempt to evade it. Some debris flew in his direction and made a straight gash on his cheek but that's insignificant. He avoided being bedridden!
Ignoring the searing pain, Shi Long hurriedly knelt with his forehead kissing the ground, "Wait, Senior Brother! I repent!"
'This is what being weak does to people. I'm still currently too weak to even try to complain about his violence. Also, this twerp has the possibility of being a Protagonist even if it's low. If I wanted to get out of this pitiful situation where I was, I must find myself a Protagonist I can leech off to first!' He thought at the same time as he acted repentant.
This kind of humiliation was already ingrained in his mind. For nine years, he was treated and disdained as a trash who never had any hopes of reaching higher stages. In fact, Hai Tuo calling him trash wasn't hurting him at all, he had already become numb from that nickname. Just that being called trash and continuously being treated as one weren't the same. He'd rather erase that tag completely now that he was given a new lease on life.
When Hai Tuo saw Shi Long dodging his fist, it only increased his annoyance towards the trash. He was about to follow up with another Rock Shattering Fist but he stopped upon seeing Shi Long kneeling sincerely in front of him.
Seeing that scene immediately dispersed his annoyance.
Kneeling to someone other than one's elders and master was something disgraceful for others. However, to have someone kneel in front of him, Hai Tuo felt he became more dignified. Shi Long was giving him the respect only reserved for an elder!
He's an 18-year-old brat. With his ego of being someone on the Human Roll. Ass-kissers can have a great time following him. Inflate his ego to get some benefits from him or his family.
Because of that, Hai Tuo came up with an excuse to stop himself from hitting Shi Long. 'Punching trash for being trash would just disgrace me.'
"Hum… As long as you understand. Now get up and follow me." Hai Tuo harrumphed before turning around to continue on his way. The previous rage seemingly gone in the wind.
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
Inflating someone's ego was something Shi Long already mastered before. That's how he lived until the day the sect was attacked. Though there were times he thought of ending his miserable life, he held onto a tiny hope that he could still get out of his trashy situation.
However, that hope eventually shattered and was forgotten completely as years of no progress passed before him.
He was already called more harsh nicknames than trash and the likes by most of his peers who started later than him. No matter how hard he tried, his talent towards cultivation only amounted to that, only reaching the 3rd Stage Spirit Gathering Realm. He believed that even if he cried rivers of blood at night or tried to draw a magic circle to summon a devil to make a pact with, the devil himself might reject him for being such hopeless trash!
The only thing that could save him was luck! A heaven-defying amount of luck that could break the shackles of having non-existent talent as well as his unending misfortune!
Alas, he's not a protagonist like those from the novels he had read in his leisure time during his life in his previous world.
Even if Shi Long tried to incorporate or propagate whatever technology he could think of from that world – still useless. He's not someone who could remember everything about something he only skimmed through once or twice. He was just an ordinary guy who passed his days normally before transmigrating. He even started to wonder if those novel protagonists were secretly genius to remember every single detail on how to fry a sunny-side-up egg perfectly!
'Let's see if you're a protagonist. If you are then I'm in luck, I will treat you as my dear senior brother to leech off that luck. If not, then I just have to look further. The system gave me a time limit of a week. It may be considered how rare a genius protagonist is. I doubt someone is like that in this sect. Most of them are well-fed with herbs by their families, after all.'
Shi Long was lost in his thoughts as he followed Hai Tuo's steps. The kid already made a turn before he stood up from kneeling on the ground so he failed to see Hai Tuo's Protagonist Halo.
Once Hai Tuo appeared in his sight again, he didn't hesitate anymore and activated his new eye.
[Host has activated Eye of Destiny Peeker]
[Using the eye will provide the host with searing pain. Please endure. You'll get used to it soon enough.]
'Again?! Motherf—"
The same as when it was transplanted to him, the System didn't let him finish cursing as the pain immediately coursed through his newly transplanted left eye. He helplessly grimaced as he tried to endure from crying out in pain again.
The only saving grace was… At the same time as the searing pain attacked him, the vision from that eye changed.
From a colorful world, it changed to a black and white landscape with something on Hai Tuo's back being highlighted.
"That's his Destiny Halo? Well, shit!" Shi Long blurted that out loud, due to the pain that he was feeling which made Hai Tuo stop in his tracks once again.
From behind the kid, a small halo the size of a baseball hovered. Forget one meter, it didn't even reach the size of a ruler! Also, it's not white but red!
'What does red mean anyway? Antagonist?' Shi Long thought amidst the pain.
"Huh? Did you say something?"
Since he's still feeling happy from how Shi Long knelt in front of him, Hai Tuo's words were lenient this time. However, his frown started growing once more.
Shi Long was still in a state of extreme pain, his mind was convoluted. He had no idea that he was uttering what was inside his mind. Shi Long gritted his teeth and unconsciously shouted at the same time as the pain buzzed through his head
"Hai Tuo, you're also trash!"