The dorm hall echoed with laughter.
"Look at him—Ye Feng the Genius! More like Ye Dog the Clown!""Haha! Did you see the video of him getting thrown out of the Inner Court? Ten thousand likes!""Trash from the slums trying to climb the dragon gate? Know your place, worm."
Ye Feng stood motionless in the corridor, drenched from head to toe. His robes were torn. His badge—once a mark of honor from Azure Class—had been ripped off and stomped on, still lying in a muddy puddle.
He didn't respond.
Not to the laughter. Not to the spitting. Not even to her—Lin Ruyan, the girl he gave everything to—now standing beside Liu Wushen, heir of the Liu Clan and the one who'd orchestrated his downfall.
Her lips curled.
"You should've known, Ye Feng. Climbing above your station never ends well."
Ye Feng blinked once. The pain in his ribs made it hard to breathe.
But the pain in his chest?
That was the real wound.
He turned away in silence and limped into the rain, clutching the last remnants of his dignity like shards of broken glass.
📍 [System Initialization…]
[Warning: User's Reputation = 0][Host Detected: Humiliation Level—MAXED OUT][Condition Met: Pride Crushed × Betrayed × Publicly Mocked × Dumped = SYSTEM BOOT COMPLETE]
[Sovereign Slap System v1.0]-- Activated
Would you like to begin your slap-based journey of revenge and superiority?▸ Yes▫ No
Ye Feng's eyes flared open in the rain. A faint, glowing interface hovered before him.
"What the…?"
System: Relax. You're not hallucinating. Just broken enough to be interesting.
"...Yes," he muttered and thought that even the system was mocking his state.
[New Title Acquired: Fallen Genius]
Effect: Increases EXP gained from public humiliation by 10%.
[New Skill Unlocked: Slap Returner (Lv. 1)]
Description: Reflects verbal or physical humiliation with 2x momentum if done within 10 seconds. Bonus effect if witnessed by crowd.
[Passive Activated: Iron Face]
Ye Feng slowly stood, blood running down his lip—but his spine straightened.
The rain felt warm now.
**
Back in the hall, Liu Wushen was still smirking when Ye Feng returned—eyes calm, gait unbroken.
"You again?" Wushen sneered. "Didn't I tell you to crawl back to the gutter?"
Ye Feng's lips twitched. "I did. But the gutter asked me to take out the trash first."
[Trigger Detected: "Public Comeback Attempt"]▸ Challenge Liu Wushen verbally?▸ Physically retaliate?▸ Use "Slap Returner (Lv. 1)"?
Ye Feng thought and said real men don't make choices; choose all three.
SMACK.
The sound echoed like a thunderclap across the courtyard. Liu Wushen staggered back, cheek red, mouth agape.
Silence fell.
Then—
[Face-Slap Successful!]
+50 EXP (Critical Face-Slap)+20 Reputation Points+1 Public Infamy Level+1 Skill Combo Unlocked: Mockery Multiplier (Lv. 1)
[System: Mmm. That was satisfying. Want to go for a double slap next time?]