I Level Up By Making Enemies

The Dao Lecture Hall was a massive, open air stone pavilion built onto the side of a steep cliff. Hundreds of outer disciples sat cross legged on small, hard cushions arranged in neat rows, all facing a raised wooden stage.

As Lin Feng walked into the pavilion, a sudden wave of whispers washed over the crowd. Dozens of eyes locked onto him. The news of what happened in the courtyard had clearly traveled fast.

Sitting near the front row was Zhao Feng. His robes had been changed, but his face was still incredibly tense, and his hands were tightly clenched into fists. Surrounding him were four or five larger, meaner looking outer disciples.

Members of the local ’Tiger Claw Faction’ that Lu Cang had warned him about. They all glared at Lin Feng with blatant, heavy promise of violence.

[Ding]

[Multiple targets detected harboring aggressive, hostile thoughts toward you.]

[Rage Value +5, +8, +12, +15... Total passive accumulation: 40 RP.]

Man, I love this place, Lin Feng thought, taking a seat right in the middle row. He didn’t even bother to cross his legs properly; he just sat with his knees up, leaning back on his elbows like he was watching a movie. Lu Cang sat beside him, trembling so violently, Lin thought the poor fella gonna pass out.

A moment later, an oppressive pressure descended upon the pavilion. A stern, middle aged man with a long grey beard and a face that looked he was chewing on lemons a moment ago stepped onto the stage.

This was Elder Mo, universally known by the disciples as Elder Iron Face.

”Silence,” Elder Mo commanded. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a faint ripple of Qi that made everyone’s ears ring. The pavilion instantly went dead silent.

Elder Mo cleared his throat and unrolled a long, ancient-looking scroll.

”Today, we will discuss the fundamental essence of the Flowing Wind Sect’s core philosophy: The Unburdened Breath. To truly command the wind, one must empty their mind of mortal desires, become as light as a feather, and allow the universe to flow through their meridians without resistance. Who can tell me the first step to achieving this state?”

A golden robed disciple near the front,an obvious teacher’s pet immediately raised his hand.

”Elder! One must fast for three days, meditate beneath the waterfall, and sever all thoughts of worldly wealth!”

”Excellent,” Elder Mo nodded, a rare, microscopic twitch of approval appearing on his face. ”A pristine answer. Ten contribution points to—”

”Actually, that sounds like a massive scam,” a loud, casual voice interrupted from the middle rows.

The entire lecture hall froze. Hundreds of heads slowly turned to look at Lin Feng, who was currently balancing a small inkbrush on his upper lip like a mustache.

Elder Mo’s hand froze over his scroll. His eyes narrowed into razor thin slits as he locked his gaze onto Lin Feng.

”Who spoke? Step forward.”

Lin Feng let the inkbrush drop from his face, caught it casually, and stood up. He didn’t bow. As a guy from a western country who grew up reading these novels for cheap entertainment, he couldn’t help but mock them.

O

”Me, Elder.I just think the logic is a bit flawed. You say to command the wind, we have to empty our minds and become light as a feather, right?” Lin Feng said cheerfully.

”Indeed. Are you implying that the sacred teachings of our Founding Ancestor are incorrect, junior?”

”I’m just saying, if you want to become light as a feather, why are we all sitting on these incredibly heavy, solid stone floors?” Lin Feng asked, gesturing around the pavilion.

”And more importantly, if we empty our minds completely, aren’t we technically just becoming brain dead? If the wind flows through us without resistance, doesn’t that just mean we have holes in our lungs? Statistically speaking, a wind that passes straight through a house means the house has no walls.”

A collective, horrified gasp echoed through the pavilion. Lu Cang covered his face with both hands, silently praying to whatever gods were listening to make his death quick.

Zhao Feng and his thugs looked entirely bewildered, their brains struggling to process the absolute, nonsensical disrespect being leveled at a Grand Elder.

Elder Mo’s face slowly transformed from stony indifference to a deep, volumetric shade of midnight black. The spiritual pressure around him spiked so violently that the ancient scroll in his hand began to crackle with static Qi.

[Ding]

[Elder Mo’s professional dignity has been severely vandalized in front of three hundred students. Rage Value +250!]

[Ding! The surrounding crowd is experiencing collective shock and intense irritation at your stupidity. Rage Value +180!]

[Total available Rage Points: 618!]

[Milestone Progress: 4/10 total people genuinely wish for your immediate demise. Keep cooking, Host!]

”Impudent... arrogant... BRAT!” Elder Mo roared, his voice detonating across the pavilion like a thunderclap. He slammed his palm down onto the wooden podium, shattering the thick timber into a cloud of splinters.

”You dare mock the profound Dao of the Flowing Wind?! You dare bring your worldly, uneducated ignorance into my classroom?!”

”I’m just asking questions, Elder! True learning requires dialogue!” Lin Feng shouted back, entirely unbothered, his eyes gleaming as the system notifications filled his vision.

”Dialogue?! I will teach you dialogue in the Reflection Caves for three months!” Elder Mo lifted his hand, a swirling vortex of sharp, miniature wind blades forming around his fingertips

”Kneel and accept your punishment, or I will personally shatter your cultivation right here!”

[WARNING: A high-level entity is about to strike you out of pure, unadulterated rage. Host is advised to utilize the System Shop immediately before becoming a human paste]

System! Buy the Talisman: The Ghostly Waving Hand! And put the rest of the points straight into my cultivation levels! Brute force it! Lin Feng commanded in his mind.

[Ding]

[Processing purchase: Talisman: The Ghostly Waving Hand (-100 RP).]

[Processing remaining points... Injecting pure Qi into Host’s Dantian...]

BOOM.

A massive, golden aura of spiritual energy suddenly erupted out of Lin Feng’s body. The sudden, violent influx of power tore through his newly opened meridians, expanding them to three times their original size. The sheer volume of the breakthrough energy was so immense that a visible shockwave of golden light rippled outward from his feet, blowing over several rows of empty wooden cushions.

[Ding] [Congratulations! You have successfully broken through to Qi Condensation - Level 2!]

Lin Feng’s hair blew wildly in the sudden, self generated wind. The weak, scrawny posture of his trash body filled out, his skin glowing with a faint, healthy luminescence.

Elder Mo’s wind blades dissolved into thin air. The angry Elder froze, his mouth hanging slightly open, his hand still raised in the air.

The entire classroom of three hundred disciples fell into a state of absolute, brain melting psychological paralysis.

” Two realms?” someone whispered from the back row, their voice trembling. ”He just broke through a level in a single breath? While arguing with an Elder?!”

”This guy... is he a hidden dragon genius?!” another disciple gasped.

Elder Mo stared at Lin Feng, his furious rage suddenly clashing violently with his instinctual desire to claim credit for discovering a monstrous, unprecedented talent.

”You... you... how did you...”

Lin Feng took a deep breath, feeling the incredible, heavy weight of Level 2 Qi Condensation circulating smoothly through his chest. He looked at Elder Mo, then looked down at his own glowing hands, and let out a loud, delighted laugh.

”Wow, Elder! Your teaching is amazing!” Lin Feng shouted, completely flipping the script with a brilliant, totally sarcastic smile.

”Your anger is so profoundly educational! I just listened to you yell at me, and I instantly understood the true meaning of the wind! Please, yell at me some more! My cultivation is so close to Level 3!”

Elder Mo’s brain completely short circuited. He looked at the shattered podium, looked at the glowing, perfectly healthy Lin Feng, and felt a sudden, massive surge of blood rushing to his temples. He couldn’t punish the boy now. If word got out to the Sect Master that an outer disciple achieved a triple breakthrough just by listening to Elder Mo get angry, the Sect Leader would force Elder Mo to spend the rest of his life yelling at walls to cultivate geniuses!

[Ding! Elder Mo is experiencing a profound identity crisis and extreme existential dread. Rage Value +300!]

Before Elder Mo could figure out whether to slap Lin Feng or offer him a promotion, Lin Feng slapped his own chest, activating the newly purchased talisman.

A massive, glowing, semi translucent neon pink hand suddenly materialized in the air directly behind Elder Mo’s head. The giant hand raised two fingers in a cheerful peace sign, then began to wave back and forth in a slow, incredibly mocking, synchronized goodbye gesture right over the Elder’s head.

The entire pavilion went utterly silent as three hundred disciples stared at the giant, pink hand waving behind their terrifying teacher.

Lin Feng grabbed his trembling roommate by the collar of his robes and began backing out of the pavilion with a casual wave.

”Class dismissed, everyone! Thanks for the notes!” Lin Feng yelled, before turning around and sprinting down the mountain path, his footsteps light as feathers, leaving a completely broken Elder and a deeply traumatized classroom in his wake.