Chapter 14

In the cafeteria, under the wide-eyed stares of the surrounding disciples, Fang Can's right fist slammed out like a cannonball.

"Boom!"

With a dull thud of bone and flesh colliding, Fang Can's fist plunged straight into Li Qunfan's cheek.

The immense force sent Li Qunfan's head involuntarily snapping backward.

The next instant, Fang Can's left hand gripped the back of Li Qunfan's head and yanked it violently forward.

With a glint of malice in his eyes, Fang Can held Li Qunfan's skull with his left hand and pounded his forehead again and again with his right fist.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Without mercy, the sound of cracking bones echoed from both men simultaneously.

The circle of onlookers stood frozen, the entire cafeteria silent except for the rhythmic thuds rippling outward.

After two seconds of silence, a furious roar erupted from Li Qunfan's two companions.

If not for them holding his arms, Li Qunfan wouldn't have been defenseless, beaten like a slaughtered pig.

Both men simultaneously released their grip—one reached to grab Fang Can, the other raised a fist to strike back.

But the first man's grab was dodged by Fang Can's anticipatory lean back; the second man's fist froze halfway, for sect rules forbade striking newcomers.

Even if they reported it to the Enforcement Hall, they'd have no grounds.

They started the fight over stealing money—win or lose, blame would mostly fall on them.

"Hey—" Fang Can stepped back slightly, lips curling into a smirk: "Gentlemen, are you still going to continue?"

The two disciples hesitated, glancing at Li Qunfan—their group's leader now swollen like a pig's head, unconscious from the relentless blows.

Seeing their hesitation, Fang Can reminded them: "Looks like you've figured it out. Violating the rules means corporal punishment from the Enforcement Hall."

"Don't get cocky—wait a month, I'll get you back, damn it, I'm gonna beat your ass!"

Their faces twisted, yet even now they clung stubbornly to their roleplay.

Fang Can still smiled brightly: "Since you're this cowardly, I'm relieved—remember, absolutely no retaliation, okay?"

With that, Fang Can seized a solid wooden chopstick in one hand and charged straight toward them.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Seeing Fang Can charging, the two men's clenched fists instantly unclenched.

They couldn't fight, couldn't retaliate—forced to swallow their rage, they dragged the unconscious Li Qunfan out of the cafeteria.

"Huh!" Seeing them flee, Fang Can stopped, tossing the chopstick aside carelessly.

Hidden in his robe was the dagger he'd taken from those thugs—still untouched by blood.

'Still too weak.' Fang Can stared at the direction the men had fled, gently clenching his fist.

The calloused knuckles, barely healed, had split open again from the relentless strikes—yet Li Qunfan was only in deep unconsciousness. No wonder he was a Wu Zhiren; his face was damn hard.

Fang Can scanned the surrounding disciples, all frozen in shock.

Most were under twenty—though they trained daily, they'd never seen blood, never witnessed a newcomer overpowering three veterans.

Seeing Fang Can's gaze, most instinctively looked away, then realized how shameful that was, and glared back defiantly.

Ignoring them all, Fang Can turned, picked up his empty tray, got another meal, and returned to his corner to eat slowly and calmly.

This time, no one would bother him—next month, he'd finally have some peace.

In the following days, as Fang Can had predicted, everything remained calm as he trained.

Each day he swallowed a pill of arsenic, gaining a half-hour's Genius Experience Card—his progress, compared to ordinary cultivators, was divine.

Name: Fang Can

Body: 1.9

Spirit: 1.9

Qi: 1.9

Notes:

Tiger Demon's Eighty-Eight Caverns, Level 5: 743/16000

Flesh Alteration: 0.79%

……

Five days later, at dusk, after completing another circuit of the Tiger Demon's Eighty-Eight Caverns, Fang Can clenched his fist hard—his subcutaneous muscles thrummed with explosive power.

'No wonder it's called Mind-Only Martial Path—it makes no sense at all.' Fang Can narrowed his eyes.

His muscle mass hadn't increased much, yet his strength had surged by at least threefold.

At this moment, Fang Can felt his body evolving toward a perfect biological form—balancing strength, speed, defense, and flexibility alike.

Yet his Alteration Level on the panel still hadn't reached 1%.

He already looked forward to the day his flesh reached 100% alteration—what total power would he then wield?

'If this is the true power of the first stage of Martial Path—Transcending the Mortal Form—I'll reluctantly accept it.'

After finishing his daily training, Fang Can headed for the Scripture Library.

Seeing Fang Can arrive, the librarian smiled warmly.

"Li Lao, I'm back." Fang Can nodded politely, then sat down on the wooden chair.

"People like you who come to the Scripture Library are rare now," Li Lao sighed, picking up a book from the table: "Shall I continue reading you The Great Expansion Emperor's Biography today?"

"Yes, thank you."

Li Lao opened the book to yesterday's passage by candlelight and continued reading in a steady tone:

"The Great Chu Overlord, seeing he couldn't defeat the Great Expansion Emperor, flew into a rage so fierce his Three Corpse Spirits leapt in fury, channeling divine power…"

As Li Lao read, Fang Can closed his eyes, letting the old man's voice echo in his ears.

He'd tried learning characters before, but couldn't understand them—so he paid silver to have the librarian read aloud.

Thanks to the Genius Mode's perfect recall, once he matched the librarian's words to the written characters, he'd memorized most common characters.

He believed that after the warehouse keeper lectured him a few more days, he would be able to browse the books on his own.

Fang Can leaned lightly against the wooden chair and let out a soft yawn; the daytime training had drained too much of his energy, and now that he was idle, he could not sit still.

Mustering his spirit, Fang Can listened to Li Lao's rambling, but his head gradually drooped lower.

Suddenly, he felt a sensation of detachment rising from within his body; immediately, the entire world began to spin wildly. When he regained his senses, a blinding light pierced his eyes.

Almost instantly, Fang Can alertly reached for the dagger in his bosom, only to grasp empty air.

"What's going on?" Fang Can widened his eyes, yet everything before him was incredibly familiar.

The television playing before him, the crystal chandelier lit above, the soft leather sofa beside him, the smooth tiled floor beneath his feet...

"I'm back again?" A trace of disbelief flashed in Fang Can's eyes.

Having grown completely accustomed to life in another world, he never imagined he would have the chance to return to the modern era.

(End of this chapter)