ebookslot Chapter 75 The Promise
Chapter 75 The Promise
After the student council members left, the room was quiet for a few seconds. The roommate who was eating instant noodles slurped the noodles down, put down his fork, and said to Lin Chen, "Bro, don't even think about it. Qin Hao is the grandson of Vice Principal Qin Cang; he's all-powerful at school. You can't beat him." The other roommate, who was playing on his phone, also looked up and added, "Exactly. Being in a regular class is pretty good too; at least you don't have to scheme against those people."
The one squatting on the ground didn't say anything, but glanced at Lin Chen with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
Lin Chen didn't reply, turned around and left.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the bulletin board downstairs, several layers deep. He squeezed in, and the list of core class members, pasted on the glass window, was printed on gold-embossed paper. Qin Hao was first, followed by Leng Feng, Su Ling'er, and Chu Fan. There were thirty names in total, but his name was not among them.
The buzzing of voices around me filled my ears.
"This is so unfair! Lin Chen got the highest score in the country on his graduation exam, why isn't he allowed into the core class?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down, or we'll be finished if Qin Hao's people hear us. His grandfather is the vice principal, who dares to offend him?"
"Sigh, what can we do when someone has a wealthy grandfather? We poor kids have no choice but to accept our fate."
A short boy squeezed through the crowd, his face flushed, muttering, "I couldn't even get into the top 37 in the country, what makes them so special?" A tall boy next to him tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Stop messing around, it's no use."
Lin Chen stood in front of the bulletin board, his eyes fixed on the name on the list—Qin Hao. He lightly flicked his fingers along the seam of his trousers, his gaze gradually turning cold.
He is not one to accept his fate.
He earned his spot in the core class with 12700 battle merits, risking his life in Qingyang City. Apartment 302 was also written down in black and white on the list for him. No one can take it away from him.
"You must be Lin Chen?"
A crisp sound came from behind.
Lin Chen turned around. A girl in a light blue dress stood in front of him, carrying a brown medicine box with a label on the lid: Pill Department - Su Ling'er. Her skin was very fair, and her eyes were big and round, like two washed grapes, with slightly upturned corners. When she smiled, she had two shallow dimples.
"I'm Su Ling'er, from the Pill Refining Department." She switched the medicine box to her left hand and extended her right. "I just heard them talking about you. Qin Hao went too far, bullying people just because his grandfather is the vice principal. I saw your graduation assessment; you were very impressive."
Lin Chen squeezed her hand, then quickly let go: "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Su Ling'er waved the medicine box in her hand. "I'm here to give the freshmen some liniment for sprains and bruises. They'll be useful during the military training at the beginning of the semester." She pointed towards the crowd. "By the way, I know Chu Fan from the core class. He's a genius in the formation department and a very nice person. There's also Leng Feng, from the military. Although he looks cold, he's very upright. They all think you should be in the core class."
As soon as he finished speaking, two boys walked out of the crowd.
The man in front, dressed in military camouflage, was tall with broad shoulders like a door. He had short hair, a square face, and piercing eyes that made people instinctively want to back away. He walked up to Lin Chen, paused, and nodded. He didn't speak, but the nod was heavy, as if to say, "I know you."
The man behind, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and clutching a thick, tattered copy of "General Theory of Formations," pushed up his glasses, revealing bright eyes behind the lenses. He looked at Lin Chen and said, "Lin Chen, I've studied your graduation assessment materials. The method for breaking the Twelve Capital Heavenly Fiend Formation, using that kind of force, is not something an ordinary person can do. Your strength fully qualifies you for the core class. We do not agree with Qin Hao's actions."
Lin Chen glanced at Leng Feng, then at Chu Fan, a surge of warmth welling up inside him. In this place where no one knew anyone, there were still people willing to stand up and speak up.
"Hmph, a bunch of good-for-nothings together, do they think they can turn the world upside down?"
The crowd parted to make way. Qin Hao, accompanied by a dozen or so followers, swaggered over. He wore a core class uniform with silver embroidery, a gold brooch pinned to his collar, and a white jade pendant twirled in his hand, the cord winding between his fingers. His face was fair, and his features were handsome, but the corners of his mouth always turned down, as if he found fault with everything.
He walked up to Lin Chen, stopped, and looked down at him condescendingly.
"Lin Chen, I'm warning you, don't even dream of getting into the core class. Apartment 302 is mine. If you know what's good for you, stay in the regular class. Otherwise—" He paused, his tone slow and deliberate, "I'll make sure you can't stay at Xingwu University."
The henchman behind him immediately chimed in, "That's right! Get back to Qingyang City right now, this isn't a place for you!"
"A special admission student from a small border town dares to compete with Young Master Qin for something?"
"Young Master Qin, stop wasting your breath arguing with him."
The surrounding students were so frightened that they all backed away, some even running away, afraid of being dragged into the trouble. Su Ling'er's face turned pale, and she subconsciously moved closer to Lin Chen. Chu Fan frowned, while Leng Feng remained expressionless, but clenched his fists.
Lin Chen looked at Qin Hao with a calm gaze.
"The spots in the core class, and Apartment 302, are all mine." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "You can't take them away."
"Heh, quite the boast." Qin Hao laughed, a cold laugh. He slipped the jade pendant into his hand, tilted his head, and looked at Lin Chen, his eyes narrowing as if he were sizing up a clueless rat. "If you've got the guts, come and fight me on the sparring platform. If you win, you get a spot in the core class and Apartment 302. If you lose, get out of Xingwu University and never come back."
The surroundings suddenly became quiet.
Everyone was staring at Lin Chen. The air seemed to be pressed down by something; even breathing could be heard.
Su Ling'er tugged at Lin Chen's sleeve and shook her head. Chu Fan pushed up his glasses and said in a low voice, "Lin Chen, Qin Hao is in the late stage of the Meridian Opening Realm and cultivates the Xuan-rank high-grade technique 'Azure Wind Technique.' He's consistently ranked in the top three among the freshmen. Don't be impulsive."
Leng Feng didn't speak, but his brows furrowed even more.
Lin Chen did not hesitate.
"it is good."
In short, it was decisive and efficient.
The crowd erupted in uproar.
"Is he insane?"
"A mid-stage Meridian Opening Realm cultivator fighting a late-stage cultivator? Isn't that suicide?"
"Qin Hao has been trained by renowned teachers since childhood and takes all sorts of miraculous medicines. How can Lin Chen, a special student from a small border town, possibly compete with him?"
Qin Hao laughed, a satisfied laugh. He clapped his hands, as if he had just finished watching a good show: "Good, that's tough. See you on the sparring stage after the opening ceremony tomorrow. Don't run away at the last minute."
He turned and walked away, his followers trailing behind him like a flock of ducks, still making noise.
The crowd gradually dispersed. Su Ling'er looked at Lin Chen, her eyes filled with worry. Chu Fan sighed and remained silent. Leng Feng walked to Lin Chen's side, paused for two seconds, and then said, "Don't hold back on the sparring stage."
Lin Chen nodded.
The setting sun shone from behind him, stretching his shadow very long, all the way to the bulletin board, past the gold-embossed list of core students, past the name "Qin Hao".