Chapter 15 Next Round

The waiting area beside the platforms had turned into its own little marketplace of noise. Disciples who had already finished their matches mixed with those still waiting, forming loose clusters under the shade of the temporary canopies.

Lin Feng sat on an empty wooden bench with one leg crossed over the other.

"Stop smiling," Lu Cang whispered. "People already think you’re strange. If you keep smiling after sending Huang Fei off the platform, they’re going to think you’re arrogant too."

Arrogant, me? Never. " Lin Feng said.

A few steps away, a group of outer disciples from mixed blocks were not even trying to lower their voices properly.

"I’m telling you, Huang Fei underestimated him."

"Underestimated? He just tripped him."

"A win is a win. But next round won’t be the same. I heard he’s up against someone from Block A."

"Pan Qing?"

"If it’s Pan Qing, he’s finished."

Lin Feng’s ear caught the name and his eyes half-opened with interest.

One of the disciples noticed him looking and immediately turned his shoulder, as if eye contact alone might drag him into trouble. Another one, braver or dumber, snorted loud enough to be heard.

"What are you looking at? Enjoy the win while you still can. Some people only get one lucky match."

Lin Feng rested his cheek against his fist.

"Are you offering encouragement, or applying for the position of my next opponent?"

The disciple’s face stiffened. His companions quickly pulled him back before his temper could dig a hole for all of them. Even so, the irritation in his eyes was obvious.

[ Minor hostility detected ]

[ Rage Value +24 ]

[ Current Rage Points: 1,073 ]

Lu Cang covered his face with both hands.

"Can you not collect enemies while sitting down? Is that too much to ask?"

Before Lin Feng could answer, a new conversation drifted over from a nearby cluster of disciples. This one was more interesting.

"Five low grade spirit stones says he gets eliminated this round."

"Only five? Make it eight. Pan Qing isn’t Huang Fei."

"I’ll take that bet. The troublemaker is shameless enough to survive by dirty methods."

"You’re betting on shamelessness?"

"In the outer sect, shamelessness is a survival skill."

Lin Feng’s smile widened slightly. They were placing bets on him. A lanky disciple from the betting group glanced over, saw Lin Feng’s expression, and frowned.

"You hear us talking and still look happy? Do you even know who Pan Qing is?"

Lin Feng tilted his head.

"Enlighten me."

The lanky disciple clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed by the attitude, but the chance to show off information won out.

"Pan Qing is one of the cleaner fighters in Block A. He have a stable foundation and decent technique, and he hangs around the class monitor circle. He doesn’t make as much noise as Zhao Feng, but people who actually train take him seriously. He’s not a joke opponent."

"So he has face," Lin Feng summarized.

"What?"

"Nothing. Continue."

The disciple looked offended at being treated like a walking information slip, muttered something rude, and turned back to his group. His ears were slightly red.

[ Irritation detected ]

[Rage Value +19]

[Current Rage Points: 1,092]

Lu Cang leaned closer, voice shaking.

"Did you hear that? He’s with Zhou Ming. That means if you embarrass him, Zhou Ming’s people are going to like you even less than they already do."

"Which means they’ll think about me more," Lin Feng said.

"That is not the comforting sentence you think it is!"

Lin Feng leaned back on the bench and looked up at the high banner over the assessment plaza. The protective formations around the platforms shimmered faintly every time a fight ended hard. On the left, a disciple hit the boundary and the crowd reacted with a collective wince. And to the right, a winner raised his fist and got only scattered applause for it.

The whole place was a machine of pride and fear.

Perfect environment. A pair of younger disciples walked past their bench, whispering a little too loudly.

"That’s him."

"My senior brother said not everyone hates him. Some people think it’s funny when he messes with the arrogant ones."

"Funny until you’re the one he messes with."

They hurried on. Lin Feng watched their backs with mild amusement. An Enforcement disciple walked through the waiting area with a jade board under one arm, calling for certain winners to confirm readiness. The next round was approaching fast enough that the atmosphere had started to change. Conversations shortened. People rolled their shoulders. A few standing disciples closed their eyes and forced themselves into last-minute focus.

Lu Cang noticed the shift and looked even more miserable.

"Once they call your name, it’s over."

"Good," Lin Feng said. "Sitting too long is bad for circulation."

A shadow fell across them.

Lin Feng looked up.

The lanky disciple from the betting group had come back, this time with two others behind him. His expression had hardened into something more unpleasant.

Lin Feng examined him for a moment, then asked politely, "How many spirit stones did you put on me losing?"

The disciple visibly disliked the question.

"Enough."

"Then I hope you didn’t need them," Lin Feng said.

One of the companions bristled. "You—!"

The lanky one raised a hand to stop him, forcing a cold smile.

"Keep that mouth going while you still can. Pan Qing isn’t a clown you can trip."

They left before the exchange could turn into something the Enforcement Hall would notice. Even their retreat looked irritated.

[Targeted disdain confirmed]

[Rage Value +47]

[Current Rage Points: 1,139]

Lin Feng stood up from the bench and brushed imaginary dust from his sleeve.Across the waiting area, an Enforcement disciple lifted a recording jade and amplified his voice over the nearest platforms.

"Next round matches, prepare!"

Names began rolling out in clean succession. Each announcement pulled another disciple out of the crowd and into motion. The noise tightened. People stopped wandering and started positioning themselves where they could see.

Then the voice reached their side of the plaza.

"Lin Feng of Block C versus Pan Qing of Block A! Second platform!"

Lin Feng only rolled his neck once, eyes brightening as he looked toward the second platform. Through the gaps in the crowd, he could already see a tall disciple in neat robes walking up the steps with a cold, measured expression. Pan Qing did not talk to anyone on the way. The way the nearby Block A disciples watched him was enough to show he had status.

Lin Feng’s smile was genuine as he started walking to the platform.