The air in the cramped dormitory turned heavy, saturated with the metallic scent of pulverized bone and the sudden, suffocating pressure of Lin Feng's presence.
CRACK.
The sound wasn't just a break; it was an explosion. Under the 100x Critical Hit multiplier, Lin Feng's grip didn't just fracture Zhao Hu's wrist—it turned the radius and ulna into fine white powder.
"ARGHHHH! MY ARM! MY ARM!" Zhao Hu collapsed, his knees hitting the floor with a sickening thud. The "Heavy Fist" he was so proud of now hung limp, like a wet rag attached to his shoulder.
The two lackeys behind him, Xiao San and A-Gou, took a frantic step back. Their faces, previously twisted in arrogant sneers, were now masks of pure, unadulterated terror. They looked at the blue status screen hovering over their boss—a screen only Lin Feng could see—which now flashed a violent, pulsing crimson.
[Status: Crippled / Mental Trauma]
[Hidden Stat: Cowardice (99%)]
"You... you used a forbidden artifact!" Xiao San stammered, his hand trembling as he reached for a concealed dagger. "A trash like you couldn't possibly possess such strength! The Sect Law forbids—"
"Sect Law?" Lin Feng cut him off, his voice as calm as a frozen lake. He took a single step forward, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop by ten degrees. "The Law says the strong eat the weak. Ten minutes ago, I was the meal. Now..."
He vanished.
Before Xiao San could even draw his blade, Lin Feng was standing inches from his chest. Using the Chaos Devouring Manual, Lin Feng didn't strike with a fist; he placed a palm gently against Xiao San's abdomen.
"Devour."
A miniature black vortex swirled in Lin Feng's palm. Xiao San's eyes bugged out as he felt his hard-earned Qi—his very life essence—being ripped out of his dantian. It was like having his soul dragged through a needle's eye.
[Ding! Chaos Devouring Manual activated!]
[Absorbing Qi from Target: Xiao San...]
[Cultivation Progress: 5%... 15%... 40%!]
[Host has broken through to Body Refining Stage 4!]
Xiao San fell like a puppet with its strings cut, his skin turning a sickly grey. He wasn't dead, but his path of cultivation was scorched forever.
Lin Feng turned his gaze toward the last remaining bully, A-Gou. The boy didn't even try to fight. He scrambled toward the door, his pants soaked in a humiliating puddle of yellow. "D-Demon! You're a demon!"
"Run," Lin Feng whispered, his eyes glowing with a faint, predatory gold. "Tell everyone. Tell the Inner Disciples. Tell the Elders. Tell Elena that the man she killed is coming back to reclaim his debt."
The Calm Before the Storm
As A-Gou's frantic footsteps faded down the hallway, Lin Feng sat back down on his wooden bunk. He ignored the groaning Zhao Hu on the floor. He closed his eyes, feeling the new, jagged power of the Chaos Devouring Manual circulating through his meridians.
In his past life, he was a fool who believed in hard work and loyalty. In this life, he would be the predator.
[Ding! Hidden Quest Completed: First Blood Reversal.]
[Reward: 500 System Points.]
[Store Unlocked: The Void Armory.]
Lin Feng scrolled through the store, his eyes landing on an item that made his heart skip a beat.
[Item: Heavenly Mask of a Thousand Faces (Price: 10,000 Points)]
Description: Conceals your true cultivation and aura from anyone below the Immortal Realm.
"I need more points," Lin Feng muttered. "And I need them fast."
Suddenly, the Perception of the Void triggered. A notification flashed at the corner of his vision, glowing with a sinister purple hue.
[Warning! High-Level Entity Approaching!]
[Identity: Senior Sister Liu Ruyan (Inner Disciple)]
[Affiliation: Silver Wing Sect Spy / Elena's Confidante]
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed into slits. Ruyan. She was the one who had poisoned his tea the night before the final battle in his previous life. She was Elena's shadow, a viper hidden in silk.
The door creaked open again. This time, there was no bang. Just the soft, rhythmic click of silk boots. A woman in flowing white robes stepped in, her beauty enough to make any mortal man lose his mind. She looked at the carnage on the floor, then at Lin Feng, her expression shifting from shock to a practiced, sugary concern.
"Lin Feng? What has happened here?" she asked, her voice like honey. "These brothers... did you do this? My poor junior brother, you must have been so scared to lash out like this."
She stepped closer, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder—the same hand that had held the poison.
Behind her, hidden from her view, Lin Feng saw the System prompt:
[Current Objective: Assassinate or Subjugate?]
[Hidden Plot Detected: She is carrying the 'Sect Master's Letter' containing the coordinates to the Ancient Dragon Tomb.]
Lin Feng didn't pull away. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her flush against his chest. He could smell the faint scent of jasmine... and the underlying bitterness of the poison she always carried.
He leaned into her ear, his voice a lethal caress. "Sister Ruyan, you're early. The poison isn't ready yet, is it?"
Ruyan froze. Her blood ran cold as she felt a sharp, cold object—not a blade, but a finger charged with pure, devouring Qi—pressed against her throat.
"How... how do you know about that?" she gasped, her facade shattering.
Lin Feng smiled, a look of pure, chilling malice. "Because I've already died once, Ruyan. And this time, I'm not the only one going to hell."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: CRITICAL CHOICE DETECTED!]
Option A: Kill Ruyan now and take the Dragon Tomb coordinates (High Risk, High Reward).
Option B: Force her into a 'Soul Slave Contract' and use her as a mole inside Elena's inner circle.
Lin Feng's eyes flashed with a dark light as he reached for the System interface. But before he could click, the room shook with a thunderous roar from the sky.
"LIN FENG! ACCEPTE YOUR DEATH FOR CRIPPLING SECT DISCIPLES!"
The Great Elder had arrived early. Someone had set a trap—a trap even Lin Feng didn't see coming.
Who betrayed Lin Feng's position so quickly? And can his 100x Critical Hit save him from a Master-level opponent while he's still at Body Refining Stage 4?
The real nightmare has just begun.