Chương 45: Respect for Names

In the pitch-black dormitory room, a human silhouette on the pale green curtains twisted and turned.

It then quickly disappeared.

"Lin Shuxuan, Lin Shuxuan!"

Li Rufeng called out urgently to Lin Shuxuan, who was inspecting under the bed.

"There's a shadow on the curtain. Why are you looking under the bed?"

"Let me check our respawn point."

Lin Shuxuan made an excuse, saying that he had just sent a message to Yu Xin, who was about to take her beauty nap.

This room is exactly the same as Yu Xin's dormitory during her university days, even the beds are exactly the same.

I immediately searched the corners to see if there were any things left behind by my senior; this wasn't out of any ulterior motive, but out of concern that such things might be taken by someone with ill intentions.

It's so clean, but I'm so disappointed... Lin Shuxuan got up and walked to the curtains, then pulled them open.

There was nothing there, as if the enormous shadow was just an illusion.

"It's probably just a projection in some corner. Don't scare yourself."

Lin Shuxuan didn't believe in urban legends; the reason they seemed so strange before was because of the Star Orbit Society.

He was somewhat familiar with the organization's capabilities, and he hadn't had a similar feeling just now.

However, it must be admitted that if that scene were shown on the TV show "Approaching Science," it would have taken at least three episodes.

Indeed, we must trust science.

Li Rufeng, tightly wrapped in the blanket, agreed.

Lin Shuxuan was disdainful.

"Can you get out of bed before you speak? You're clearly a martial arts expert, how can you be afraid of something like this?"

Li Rufeng was somewhat annoyed.

"Ignorant! Ghosts can't attack people in bed, don't you even know that?"

"In the name of the Lord of the Universe, protect my people from evil influence!"

"Please, please stop. I was wrong. I shouldn't have told that ghost story."

Ignoring her roommate's noise, Lin Shuxuan went to sleep.

......

At the center of the silver-white circular building, sunlight streams through the openwork ceiling onto the central arena.

In the arena, six swift, wind-like fist shadows clashed.

Every move they made was accompanied by the echoing roar of a dragon.

It was Lin Shuxuan and Qin Feng.

The four-armed monster, bare-chested and with bulging muscles all over its body, punched Lin Shuxuan squarely in the chest, sending him flying.

With his lungs injured, his breathing became disordered, and his punching power suddenly collapsed.

This is the Federation's strongman... Lin Shuxuan adjusted his breathing. He believed that with twenty years of cultivation, he had mastered the Dragon Fist Heart Sutra to a high level. Martial arts always have their limits.

Using Dragon Fist to fight, he should theoretically be fearless against anyone.

But when facing Qin Feng, he always felt that his moves were a notch below, even though Qin Feng's movements were already perfectly standard.

Across from him, Qin Feng's eyes flashed with deep astonishment; Lin Shuxuan's fist techniques were precise and methodical, a level of skill that suggested at least twenty years of martial arts experience, yet he was only a few years old.

I really don't know where Guan Yunyang found this freak... but...

"Your Dragon Fist is missing the most important thing: the intent of the fist."

"This fist technique was comprehended by the Federation's ancestors when they fought against strange beasts and faced life and death. If you can't understand why you're throwing a punch, you'll never reach the highest level of Dragon Fist."

At this point, Qin Feng felt a little embarrassed and scratched his head.

"You're too young, it's too early to tell you this, but I really don't have much more to teach you."

He spread his arms wide, and Lin Shuxuan's Dragon Fist skills had reached near perfection. The level beyond that could not be achieved through teaching.

"The meaning of the fist is so profound... The Federation's fist techniques are so advanced..." Lin Shuxuan sighed. The cultivation infused by the system was completely genuine, without hesitation, confusion, or frustration; he practiced the optimal movements for twenty years.

However, without the pressure of negative emotions forcing martial artists to reflect, the punches they practice will always lack a certain soul.

"Who in the Federation is the best at using Dragon Fist?"

In the path of martial arts, the capable come first. Lin Shuxuan wouldn't become arrogant just because he received the reward from the event; he wanted to learn a few tricks from others.

Qin Feng's gaze revealed a hint of nostalgia.

"Zhou Tianze, even if I gave up my human form, I was no match for him in Dragon Fist. But he died in the 'Deep Cave'... What a pity."

Lin Shuxuan never expected that his casual question would stir up Qin Feng's painful past. Judging from the slight trembling of the other's twenty fingers, he must have a deep connection with Zhou Tianze.

Gathering his thoughts, Qin Feng was somewhat puzzled.

"Your martial arts skills are more than sufficient. Once you embark on the path of cultivation, you will have a place among this year's Federation Nine Stars. Choose the Ash Earth Fist Master; it's the perfect choice."

Lin Shuxuan did not answer. Admittedly, the Ash Earth Fist Master could help him improve his strength, but what would happen afterward?

There are far too many people walking this extraordinary path. How can we obtain the materials needed to reach the highest level of this path?

He never considered transcendence to be his ultimate goal. With the help of the Hextech system, he set his sights on the ultimate path from the very beginning.

The competition is bound to be extremely fierce.

But the path from the 'deep cave' is different.

Lin Shuxuan had consulted the materials and found that the research on the deep cave passage was already very comprehensive, except for one natural barrier.

A martial arts expert at level 30 in terms of life energy is too fragile compared to that container; but without that container, they cannot level up.

This vicious cycle is the only problem.

As a result, very few people have embarked on this path in the past thousand years of the Federation. Presumably, the end of the path does not require facing competition from the Federation, and one can even rely on the power of the entire Federation.

This restriction was just right for Lin Shuxuan, who had already broken through his energy level barrier and possessed twenty years of martial arts cultivation.

Stronger and easier, this path was practically tailor-made for him.

The Federation recognizes that the 'Deep Cave' is the most dangerous ecological zone. This path is far more powerful than the others, and the combat strength of the corresponding beasts is also exceptionally strong.

Unfortunately, Guan Yunyang did not have the corresponding body shell of the Deep Cave Beast. Due to its powerful effects, it was marked as a non-sale item by the Federation and hung in the military academy.

50000 credits, which is equivalent to 5000000 yuan, is not expensive. However, credits are the school's currency and can only be collected through activities within the military academy. They cannot be converted into federal currency.

However, as the leader of the Seven Sons of the New Sea, he receives a fixed 2000 credits every month.

Even if he does nothing, he can save enough by his junior year of college, but of course, that's too slow.

Faced with Qin Feng's question, Lin Shuxuan shook his head and remained silent.

Anyway, it will be.

"You'll definitely die if you tolerate this!"

Don't be arrogant!

Countless geniuses thought the same way as you, and in the end, they all died.

He would offer advice like that, only to be proven wrong again; this kind of drama was so boring that he didn't want to repeat it.

"Thank you for your advice, Professor Qin Feng, but I haven't decided which one to accept yet."

Qin Feng works as a martial arts instructor at the military academy and has the authority to allocate venue resources; the fact that this fighting arena can now be booked out is entirely his doing.

A cold, hard voice rang out, like metal striking stone.

There have been recent posts about you on the forum. Do you need our help to clarify anything?

With thick, sword-like eyebrows and dark, ink-black eyes, Gong Yuan crossed his arms and asked a question after the two finished their conversation.

He is the head of this year's freshmen, similar to the dean of students in my previous life. With him as a guarantor, all those boring rumors will disappear.

Lin Shuxuan couldn't help but admire the quality of Guan Yunyang's connections... If he, a complete novice, could get the support of these two, he would be like a fish in water at the military academy.

But he shook his head and refused.

"It's okay, everything will be clear after the match."

The more opponents he defeats in a match, the greater the benefits he can gain; Lin Shuxuan would love for all the players to challenge him to a one-on-one duel.

Otherwise, relying solely on a monthly income of 2000 credits, it would take forever to accumulate enough credits for the beast's body.

"The Tang family is one of the nine major clans in the Federation, with a profound foundation. Tang Hao is different from the opponents you have faced before."

"Moreover, the terrain on the field is complex. If someone sets up a sneak attack in advance, even with your strength, you could suffer a great loss if you're not careful."

Gong Yuan continued to offer reminders.

Indeed, in these kinds of competitions, teams can purchase traps and items in advance, giving them a significant advantage in the battle.

But he has a vision for the future.

According to the Hextech system, the venue for his duel with Tang Hao has been determined. All he needs to do is arrive and ambush in advance to gain the upper hand.

"I understand, I will carefully formulate tactics."

Lin Shuxuan nodded seriously.

......

Time passed, and with the completion of the federal exams and the filing of scores, the federal military academy welcomed its new students for the year.

The trepidation of leaving their hometown mixed with the pride of entering military academy made these young people in their early teens eager to find a common topic to build friendships with their classmates.

"Hey, have you heard of Lin Shuxuan? He's super popular right now."

"Is it because they are very strong?"

"No, it's said that he is the illegitimate son of a high-ranking official, and he was only recently recognized by his family. The family compensated him with a championship."

"Really...?"

"Not only that, he also has a corrupt personal character..."

Similar rumors were passed down by word of mouth.

The pavilion on the hill behind Lingyun Dormitory.

Lin Shuxuan finished his day of cultivation.

After this period of cultivation, my life energy level has increased again, and I am not far from level 45.

Cultivation is tedious and boring, so I can only pass the time by impersonating others on forums.

Thanks to the fierce criticism of "Lin Shuxuan", the ID "Kuangshu" has recently gained a lot of followers, and every day when I wake up, I am greeted by a whole bunch of praise.

The original poster is not afraid of powerful figures.

The original poster dared to speak out.

[The original poster should take the lead.] This is how we, as students, should be!

"That's the kind of person I am; I need praise and compliments to live a happy life..." Lin Shuxuan continued scrolling through the posts.

But then I found an insulting message.

[Yi Yu: Don't you have a brain? The video of the Shinkai Martial Arts Competition is right there, can't you go watch it?] Lin Shuxuan was a little stunned. He was now a member of the Lin Hei group. Given the current public opinion, how could anyone possibly attack him?

This comment, which defended Lin Shuxuan, quickly became the subject of team building activities.

[Extreme Martial Arts Master: 666, we've caught Lin Shuxuan's alt account. He definitely can't stand being anonymous and trying to exonerate himself.] [Candy Craftsman: The person upstairs makes a good point. I checked the account's history; the previous IP address for this account was Xinhai City.] [The Martial Arts Master replied: Haha, I knew it! You're a coward, too afraid to even pee.] Of course, there are also rational and objective people.

[Disciple: Perhaps I was just an uninformed bystander, but frankly, the video of Lin Shuxuan's match almost stunned me.] [I recommend checking out this post: #10, 000-word analysis: How Lin Shuxuan put on a show in the martial arts competition#] [This poster has explained Lin Shuxuan's tricks very clearly; you'll understand after reading it.] Some people with bad tempers are not so easy to communicate with.

[Zhang San: You *****, I***] That's a bit too harsh... Lin Shuxuan silently reported Zhang San's account, and soon, a line of red text indicated that it had been banned.

"Yiyu" should be Jiang Yu's ID. Indeed, judging by the time, he has already enrolled in school... Looking at Jiang Yu's account that was being cyberbullied, Lin Shuxuan silently covered his face.

Jiang Yu is gentle and refined, but he only knows how to say things like "lower intelligence," "not using your brain," and "you guys are just targeting Lin Shuxuan."

They were quickly rendered speechless by the various refutations on the forum.

The most important question is, "If Lin Shuxuan is so strong and so protective of his own, why didn't he show up when Tang Hao was around?"

Jiang Yu couldn't answer.

Indeed, if Lin Shuxuan was truly as protective and vindictive as he appeared during the competition, why wasn't he present when his teacher, Yu Xin, was humiliated?

Could it be that she had a stomachache and went to the toilet?

Looking at Jiang Yu, who had been on hundreds of floors of team building, Lin Shuxuan felt a little sorry for him and almost revealed his true identity.

But then I thought that this would just be another pitiful person being cyberbullied, so I let it go.

Fortunately, the strength of the Federal Military Academy speaks for itself. As long as he defeats Tang Hao fairly and squarely, such rumors will disappear in an instant.

This is also why he refused Gong Yuan's intervention. Even if he controlled the public opinion on the surface, could he really change the students' inner thoughts?

Lin Shuxuan silently used his authority as the forum moderator to delete Jiang Yu's post, as a way of protecting him.

Otherwise, by the end of tonight, he'll probably be subjected to a team-building exercise on the highest floor.

A private message came in.

[Yiyu: I'll remember you. Lin Shuxuan will prove himself sooner or later. When that happens, you'll have to post an apology to him.] Lin Shuxuan: "..."

After this whole mess, he lost interest in posting anything to stir up trouble and focused on preparing for tomorrow's match.

In addition to receiving extra credits from the military academy each month, early-admission students can also familiarize themselves with the map and develop tactics in advance.

In contrast, regular students are forced to enter the competition the day after enrollment, which is extremely rushed.

"That's the advantage of the test server..." Lin Shuxuan sighed.

"One step ahead, and you're ahead every step of the way. Gain an advantage at the start and then turn your credits into resources to improve your strength."

How can regular students who enroll later compete with those who were admitted early?

As he pondered, two girls with strikingly different appearances, both stunningly beautiful, appeared before him.

Ye Lingyue's long, silvery-white hair flowed down, contrasting with her small, bright red lips. She wore a white dress with puff sleeves, revealing her delicate shoulders. She then obediently adjusted her skirt and sat down in front of Lin Shuxuan.

As she bent down, a sweet, youthful fragrance wafted out.

Hai Lanlan is childlike-looking but brainless.

Lin Shuxuan suddenly got a little angry. These two girls didn't even voice their support for him online. Of course, it wouldn't have made much difference anyway, but Jiang Yu had already done so, and they were just pretending to be dead.

Express your doubts.

The two women looked at each other, both a little embarrassed. It was Ye Lingyue who mustered her courage and asked: What is a forum?

That's true, pretty girls don't use Tieba (a Chinese online forum)... Lin Shuxuan thought for a moment and decided there was no need to subject the two of them to corruption, so he went straight to the current topic.

"Let me explain tomorrow's tactics."

Lin Shuxuan unfolded the map and pointed to one of the points.

"We're going to set up an ambush here. I have 2000 credits, and I'll use 1000 of them to buy traps. We'll set them all up here!"

The slow-witted Hai Lanlan naturally had no objections, but Ye Lingyue raised her little hand in question.

"I object. This location doesn't seem crucial, and I don't think there's any point in setting up an ambush there."

"Objection overruled."

Ye Lingyue pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.

"Any more questions?"

"have!"

Hai Lanlan suddenly raised her hand as well.

"What should we have for dinner?"

"..."

After the pre-battle meeting ended, Lin Shuxuan led the two towards the canteen.

Ye Lingyue frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, she said:

"I still think that lying in ambush there is not a good choice. The probability is too low, and we probably won't run into anyone..."

The girl, who has a terrible sense of direction, isn't very confident in her own judgment.

Normally, there's a 99% chance you won't find anyone... Lin Shuxuan's objective assessment.

But he has a cheat code.

......

The next day, at the competition venue.

Lin Shuxuan spent 1000 credits to set up an ambush within the coordinates.

Tang Hao's expression was furious, his heterochromatic eyes darting around wildly, and he shouted:

"Lin Shuxuan! You are despicable and shameless! Who, who leaked my advance route?!"