I Level Up By Making Enemies

Lin Feng dragged a hyperventilating Lu Cang down the winding mountain path until Dao lecture hall was a safe distance behind them. The golden luminescence from his breakthrough was still pulsing faintly beneath his skin, making him feel like a human glow stick.

[Ding]

[ Name: Lin Feng (Jack)]

[ Current Zone: Flowing Wind Sect (Starter Area)]

[ Cultivation Level: Qi Condensation — Level 2]

”Wait,” Lin Feng noted, squinting at a small flashing icon next to his level.

”What’s this?”

[Status Effect: Qi Indigestion (Cosmetic).]

[Description: Your meridians are currently stuffed with unrefined salt from Elder Mo. Side effect: Every time you experience a smug thought, your hair will stand perfectly on end.]

Right on cue, Lin Feng thought about how beautifully he had ruined Elder Mo’s day.

ZAP.

His long, black dhair instantly stood straight up, stiff as a broom.

”Oh, come on,” Lin Feng muttered, trying to swat his hair back down. It immediately bounced right back up.

”L-Lin Feng...” Lu Cang whimpered from behind him. The scrawny boy was staring at Lin Feng’s vertical hair with renewed horror.

”Your... your head. Is this the back blast of a demonic technique? Are you about to explode?!”

”Relax, Little Lu. It’s called fashion,” Lin Feng said, smoothing down his robes.

”Where to next? All this speed running has made me starving.”

”The... the Dining Pavilion is just around the bend,” Lu Cang said, pointing a shaking finger toward a large, wooden structure where the smell of steamed rice and roasted spiritual vegetables was drifting out.

”But we shouldn’t go! Look!”

Lin Feng followed Lu Cang’s finger. Blocking the entrance to the Dining Pavilion were three older disciples wearing matching dark blue sashes over their robes. They were leaning against the wooden pillars, tossing copper coins back and forth .

But Lin Feng didn’t see majestic martial artists. Thanks to the system, he saw floating text tags hovering directly above their heads.

[Tiger Claw Thug A — Level 3 Qi Condensation]

[Tiger Claw Thug B — Level 3 Qi Condensation]

[Big Brother Xiong (Tiger Claw Leader) — Level 5 Qi Condensation]

The leader, Big Brother Xiong, was a massive teenager who looked like he had spent his entire life lifting heavy rocks. He caught a copper coin in his palm, slammed it onto the back of his hand, and locked his eyes directly onto Lin Feng.

”Well, well, well,” Xiong sneered.

”Isn’t this the outer sect’s newest ’genius.’? Zhao Feng told us you got lucky and caught him off balance. He paid us 10 spirit stones to ensure you won’t walk back to your dorm tonight.”

Lu Cang immediately dropped to his knees, clutching his canvas sack.

”Senior Brothers! I don’t know him! I’m just his roommate! I have three spirit stones, please don’t break my ribs!”

[Ding! Roommate Lu Cang’s cowardice is incredibly consistent. Rage Value +5.]

Lin Feng ignored his roommate, stepped forward, and adjusted his wide sleeves. He looked at Big Brother Xiong’s massive, imposing frame, then looked at the floating [Level 5] tag over his head.

Lin Feng was only Level 2, and because of his ”Paper Tiger” body, he didn’t actually know a single official fist form or sword strike.

But he did have a system shop, 518 remaining Rage Points, and a complete lack of shame.

”Wow, only 10 spirit stones to hire a bunch of thugs to beat me, I’m offended.”

Big Brother Xiong’s brow furrowed.

”Are you mocking me, brat?”

”Look at you guys. You’ve got the matching sashes and all those stuff. But if you split that three ways, that’s 3 spirit stones per person and there’s one still remaining.

The two Level 3 thugs looked at each other, their expressions suddenly shifting into mild confusion.

[Ding! Tiger Claw Thug A is experiencing corporate underpayment realization. Rage Value +30!]

[Ding! Big Brother Xiong feels his dramatic intimidation sequence is being thoroughly derailed. Rage Value +75!]

”Shut up!” Xiong roared, a faint, heavy brown aura of Earth element Qi coating his massive fists.

”I don’t care about the stones! I care about breaking your face! Die, junior!”

Xiong lunged forward, throwing a massive, straight punch aimed directly at Lin Feng’s chest. The air whistled from the sheer weight of the strike.

Because Lin Feng had no real martial arts muscle memory, his modern human brain immediately panicked. Instead of performing an elegant block or a parry, he simply leaned entirely backward like a collapsing folding chair.

WHOOSH.

Xiong’s massive fist passed exactly two inches above Lin Feng’s nose. Because Xiong had put all his momentum into the punch, missing the target completely caused him to stumble forward, his heavy boots dragging across the dirt.

Lin Feng, currently bent backward at a ridiculous forty five-degree angle, looked up at Xiong’s passing midsection.

System! Buy the ’Garlic Guard Pill’ from the shop right now! Lin Feng ordered frantically

[Ding]

[ Item purchased: Garlic Guard Pill (-30 RP)]

[Automatically deployed into Host’s respiratory system. Warning: Prepare for chemical warfare.]

Lin Feng stood up straight, opened his mouth, and let out a massive, Level 2 Qi infused breath directly into Big Brother Xiong’s face as the big man spun back around to strike.

It was an invisible, devastating cloud of pure, concentrated, celestial garlic odor that had been fermented in the deepest valleys of the system’s toxic database. The smell was so thick it practically had a physical texture.

Big Brother Xiong hit the wall of scent face first.

The Level 5 leader instantly stopped in his tracks. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. His heavy, Earth infused fists went completely limp as he clutched his own throat, his face turning an unholy shade of pale green.

”What... what is this...” Xiong gagged, falling to his knees and dry-heaving violently onto the pristine grass.

”Did you... did you eat a decomposing spiritual beast?!”

The two lower level thugs who were standing five feet behind him instantly clutched their noses, screaming in agony as the auxiliary blast of the garlic cloud reached them.

”My eyes! They’re burning!” Thug A wailed, stumbling backward into a nearby bush.

[Ding! Epic tactical disrespect achieved! You have successfully incapacitated a Level 5 Enforcer using nothing but terrible hygiene!]

[Big Brother Xiong’s pure, tearful hatred confirmed. Rage Value +180!]

[Tiger Claw Thugs A & B combined hatred: +120 RP!]

[Milestone Progress: 7/10 people genuinely wish for your immediate demise. Three more to go!]

Lin Feng stood amidst the coughing, wheezing bullies.

”See?” Lin Feng said cheerfully, his voice echoing toward the crowded Dining Pavilion where dozens of disciples were now sticking their heads out of the windows to see what the smell was.

”I told you 10 spirit stones wasn’t worth the pay.”