Chapter Thirty-Six: Biting and Disgusting

The circle that had originally been surrounded by dozens of people had now dispersed. Only two remained, their clothes and hair singed, standing beside the alchemy instruments and pill furnace placed in the center. The medicinal ingredients they had prepared were still burning in the fire.

Everyone was in shock, for the flame used in their pill refining had just erupted unexpectedly. Fortunately, no one was harmed.

The competition at hand could not possibly involve the kind of pills that were difficult to refine and required long hours. Both participants were already second-rank alchemists, crafting pills for the early stage cultivators to use for breath refinement—usually done within an hour or two.

Such pills required only those in the Heartstring Realm to channel their own spiritual power, activate some fire-storing tools, and did not even need the assistance of special alchemist earthfire.

Those adept at fire spells could easily complete the task by channeling their own power to ignite the flames. No one expected such a mishap.

The atmosphere was now exceedingly quiet, and awkward.

Anyone capable enough to captain a team at the Heartstring Realm was no ordinary student. It had been less than a month since enrollment, yet all possessed the skills of second-rank alchemists and cultivation above the second layer of the Heartstring Realm. How could they make such a basic blunder?

"The fire box exploded..." The student council members who had rushed out were dumbfounded.

A fire box did not store flames, but rather some special fire stones and materials that, when activated by spiritual power, could burn continuously—mainly used by alchemy apprentices and low-ranked alchemists when refining pills outside the alchemy room.

The fact that this device could explode was quite a revelation.

"Lin Qingyun..." At this moment, Mao Yiqiang, who had rushed out with the others, immediately spotted Lin Qingyun standing at the edge of the crowd.

All other concerns faded as he instinctively called out Lin Qingyun's name, prompting everyone to turn and look. Lin Qingyun was the same student who had caused chaos during the admission registration not long ago.

"Lin Qingyun, was this your doing?" Seeing Lin Qingyun present and surveying the scene, Mao Yiqiang immediately demanded.

"You should think before you speak. If you have no evidence, you'd better be prepared to take responsibility for your words. I just came in with everyone else to watch the commotion. How is this any of my business?"

With the new student practical trial approaching, Lin Qingyun had deliberately come to Haicheng University. He and Chao Ge had arrived one after the other, and Lin Qingyun had overheard their conversation after they rushed into the office.

Lin Qingyun paid no heed to that side, instead choosing to watch the spectacle here.

He strode toward the two students who stood stunned, gently waved his hand to extinguish the burning medicinal ingredients, and gazed at them up close.

"Looking at you, it's best not to form a team—you'll just drag others down. If you've already registered, then leave now. If not, hurry up and sign up."

The two students knew precisely what they were doing. Now, under Lin Qingyun's direct gaze, they felt uneasy. After the embarrassing mishap, with their clothes partially burnt, they could hardly carry on.

Neither was a staunch supporter of Mao Yiqiang. As Lin Qingyun spoke, he secretly sent a message into their ears.

"If you let others use you as pawns, you'd better consider whether your luck is strong enough. Are you sure you want to oppose me? If you lose a limb in the practical trial, do you really think someone will pay a great price to regrow it for you?"

---

"Even if you make it through the practical trial unscathed, are you sure everything will go smoothly for you at school? Are you prepared to face the all-encompassing retaliation of a corporate giant worth hundreds of billions?"

A direct and undisguised threat.

Of course, if Zheng Haoyue and her peers heard such words, they would never believe them.

But for these two, ordinary new students at Haicheng University who knew Lin Qingyun's identity, that was enough.

"Lin Qingyun, what are you trying to do? Are you threatening your classmates? Someone, retrieve the surveillance footage right now and check if Lin Qingyun tampered with anything." Seeing Lin Qingyun step forward and speak to the two, Mao Yiqiang hurried over to block him.

Chao Ge and Chu Qing had also come out, and seeing the scene, they were delighted. Suddenly, they felt a surge of confidence.

Though Chao Ge had sparred with Li Daoze recently, there was always a nagging sense of uncertainty. Now, with Lin Qingyun present, she felt inexplicably reassured.

"Deputy Minister Mao, our skills aren't enough for forming a team ourselves. We've already registered and won't be teaming up..." One spoke up, then lowered his head and left without a backward glance.

"I won't form a team either..." The other followed suit, shame-faced and anxious, quickly departing.

They had only agreed to team up after Mao Yiqiang had spoken with them, deciding to support him. Zheng Haoyue's group had been dominant lately, and associating with them seemed advantageous. But now, with things as they were, they dared not continue.

"Wait, we haven't checked the surveillance yet! Did he threaten you?" Mao Yiqiang tried to stop them, hoping they'd help investigate the fire box explosion.

But their minds were made up; they darted away at full speed and vanished in a blink.

"Minister, look..." The staff who had retrieved the surveillance returned. The footage showed Lin Qingyun standing on the sidelines, doing nothing. The fire box explosion followed, nothing more.

"With the footage, let me check the time..." Lin Qingyun glanced at the clock. "Now I want to see, if Zhao Chao and Chu Qing fail to register under these circumstances, how will you explain to the school? How will you answer the student council?"

"The student council put you in charge of registration, and this is how you operate? The council's power is truly vast—no rules at all, doing whatever you please?"

Lin Qingyun ignored Mao Yiqiang, speaking as if to himself while checking the time.

The onlooking freshmen had no idea what was happening, but hearing Lin Qingyun's words, they began to realize something was amiss.

Manipulating power for personal gain or covert schemes was one thing, but when such matters were laid bare, it was another entirely.

Some whispered to each other; others glanced at Mao Yiqiang.

Mao Yiqiang now felt what it was like to be thrust into the eye of the storm. Though they had been sparring with Chao Ge, Li Daoze had done most of the heavy lifting, and Mao Yiqiang had felt comfortable in his own domain.

---

Now, the sudden turn of events left him embarrassed and pressured.

"By the way, don't start talking about 'stable cultivation' as an excuse. We have past grievances, and if you use this as grounds, that's personal revenge. In that case, the school will have to investigate thoroughly—including those two who just left. I doubt they'd keep your secrets; let's see if they speak up."

Lin Qingyun controlled the situation with ease. As Mao Yiqiang stared at him in anger and confusion, Lin Qingyun casually added another line, plugging the other loophole Mao Yiqiang had used in the office against Chao Ge and her friends.

"Are you spinning stories for yourself? What a joke. This is the Organization Department's job; you don't need to tell us how it's done." Mao Yiqiang forced himself to retort, then turned to his subordinates and barked, "What are you waiting for? Clean up this mess and get back to registration; the work isn't finished yet!"

He had often mocked Li Daoze for being unable to handle Lin Qingyun and suffering losses. But as an observer, things seemed simple—facing Lin Qingyun himself, the pressure became real.

Unable to cope, Mao Yiqiang shouted at his team, then ignored Lin Qingyun and returned to the office.

With Mao Yiqiang gone, Chao Ge and Chu Qing completed their registration smoothly within minutes.

"These guys are like toads crawling over your feet—not biting, just disgusting. Whenever you deal with them, they'll find something to stir up trouble. These pests have to be factored into everything we do now," Chao Ge fumed as she left the registration area.

Lin Qingyun smiled lightly. "There's an old saying: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Keep your composure—take it as a form of tempering. When you can't use force, it's a test of wit and courage; when you can, it's a test of strength. Along the journey, you'll never lack such obstacles. The school's issues are child's play; there will be more ahead."

"As long as we grow stronger, these pests will soon be nothing but bugs to crush."

Dealing with such people and matters never angered Lin Qingyun. He responded calmly and casually. Were it not for current restrictions and his unwillingness to retrace his old path, he could easily avoid all such troubles.

"By the way, be careful in this practical trial. Since enrollment, Li Daoze and his group have been stirring things up behind the scenes. While there shouldn’t be many stronger than you among the freshmen, beware of them teaming up against you," Chao Ge nodded, suddenly remembering to warn Lin Qingyun.

She and Chu Qing had witnessed Lin Qingyun defeat Nangong Lingyue and had full confidence in his abilities, but that was one-on-one. Their concern was about him facing a group.

They weren't clear about Lin Qingyun's true strength, still believing the top freshmen were Nangong Lingyue and her cohort, but caution was necessary.

"Yes, I know," Lin Qingyun replied, unsurprised.

As they walked to Professor Qian's research institute, Chao Ge updated Lin Qingyun on recent sales and other matters. Though she sent detailed reports weekly, some nuances were better conveyed in person.

These matters were quickly discussed, and Lin Qingyun was satisfied with Chao Ge's decisions and actions.