Getting back to the dormitory was harder than the assessment itself.
Fatty Wu was practically vibrating with excitement. He buzzed around Jiang Fan like an oversized bumblebee, offering massages, tea, and dried meat.
"Brother Jiang! Senior Brother Jiang! Ancestor Jiang!" Fatty Wu cried, trying to rub Jiang Fan's shoulders while walking backward. "You hid your strength so deep! Stage 3! That's Inner Sect level! You're going to be rich! Do you need a servant? I can wash your socks!"
Jiang Fan swatted his hands away. "Wu, if you don't shut up, I'm going to use my new strength to throw you through the roof."
"Understood! Silence! I am a tomb!"
They reached Hut 402. Jiang Fan practically shoved Fatty Wu onto his own bunk and drew the curtain.
"I need to... meditate," Jiang Fan lied. "Do not disturb me unless the mountain is on fire. Actually, even then, don't disturb me. Just drag my body out."
He flopped onto his bed, grabbed his pillow, and closed his eyes.
System. Open Shop.
[DING!]
A golden interface replaced the blue status screen. It looked like a high-end online store, complete with spinning 3D models of items.
[ ❖ IDLE SYSTEM SHOP (Level 1) ❖ ]Current Balance: 500 IP (Idle Points)
Jiang Fan's eyes scanned the catalogue. His heart beat a little faster. This was the most important part of any game—the loot.
[FEATURED ITEMS]
Divine Dream Scripture (Rank: Mythical)Description: Allows the user to create a clone in the Dream Realm that cultivates 24/7.Cost: 10,000,000 IPJiang Fan's Reaction: "Skip. Too expensive." Pill of Eternal Slumber (Rank: Earth)Description: Puts the user into a coma for 1 year. Grants massive XP, but you cannot wake up even if eaten by a tiger.Cost: 5,000 IPJiang Fan's Reaction: "Tempting, but risky." Automatic Loot Retrieval (Passive Feature)Description: Any item dropped by an enemy within 10 meters is automatically teleported to your Inventory. No need to bend over.Cost: 300 IPJiang Fan's Reaction: "Oh. That's the good stuff."
He scrolled down to the [Skills] section. He needed something practical. Now that he had revealed his strength, people like Zhao Feng would come looking for trouble. Fighting required effort. He needed a way to win fights without actually trying.
His eyes landed on a skill book with a gray cover.
[ Skill: Drunken Cloud Step (Modified: Sleepwalker Version) ]
Type: Passive / EvasionEffect: When the host is distracted, relaxed, or asleep, the body will instinctively dodge incoming hostility using minimal movement.Success Rate: 100% against equal or lower realm enemies.Cost: 450 IP.
"Perfect," Jiang Fan grinned. A skill that let him dodge while daydreaming? It was made for him.
[ Confirm Purchase: 'Sleepwalker Step'? ][ YES ]
[DING! 450 IP Deducted. Learning Skill... ]
A rush of cool energy flowed into his legs. It felt strange—like his muscles had suddenly developed a mind of their own.
He had 50 IP left. He browsed the [Misc] section and found something essential.
[ Self-Cleaning Talisman (Permanent) ]
Effect: Repels dust, sweat, and grime from the user's body and clothes. You never need to shower again.Cost: 50 IP.
"Sold."
Jiang Fan sighed in pure bliss. No more showers, no more laundry, no more dodging attacks manually. He was living the dream.
BANG!
The door to the hut flew open, slamming against the wall with a deafening crack.
Fatty Wu shrieked and fell off his bunk.
Jiang Fan didn't flinch. He remained lying down, staring at the ceiling. "Wu, I told you. Unless the mountain is on fire..."
"Jiang Fan!"
A familiar, hateful voice filled the small room.
Jiang Fan tilted his head slightly. Standing in the doorway was Zhao Feng. He wasn't alone; he had brought two lackeys—burly disciples with wooden clubs. Zhao Feng's eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't slept in days (which, to be fair, he hadn't).
"Get up, you cheat," Zhao Feng spat, stepping into the room.
"Zhao Feng," Jiang Fan yawned, sitting up slowly on the edge of his bed. "I thought you'd be busy celebrating your ten spirit stones. Why are you in my room?"
"You used a trick," Zhao Feng hissed, clenching his fists. "I don't know what artifact you used to fool the Testing Stone, but you can't fool me. You're trash. You've always been trash."
He cracked his knuckles. Qi flared around his body—Stage 2 Peak.
"I'm here to expose you," Zhao Feng growled. "If I beat you to a pulp, the Elders will see that your 'Stage 3' strength is fake. Break his legs, boys."
The two lackeys stepped forward, raising their clubs.
Fatty Wu scrambled into the corner, covering his head. "Help! Murder! The Young Master is murdering people!"
Jiang Fan sighed. He looked at his fingernails. "I really just bought a self-cleaning talisman. I don't want to get blood on my robes."
"Arrogant!"
The first lackey swung his club. It was a vicious overhead strike aimed right at Jiang Fan's skull.
Jiang Fan didn't look up. He was busy picking a piece of lint off his sleeve.
Swish.
At the last possible second, Jiang Fan's head tilted two inches to the left. The club smashed into the mattress, inches from his ear.
The lackey froze. "Huh?"
Jiang Fan didn't even acknowledge the attack. He just leaned back slightly to stretch his neck.
Swish.
The second lackey thrust his club toward Jiang Fan's ribs. Jiang Fan's torso twisted unnaturally, like a piece of paper in the wind. The club missed his chest by a hair's breadth.
[ System: Sleepwalker Step Active. Evasion Successful. ][ XP Gain: +10 ]
"What are you idiots doing? Hit him!" Zhao Feng screamed.
Both lackeys attacked at once. A flurry of strikes rained down on the bed.
To an outsider, it looked insane. Jiang Fan was sitting on the bed, looking bored, occasionally scratching his nose or adjusting his collar. Yet, every time a club came near him, his body would slide, dip, or lean just enough to let the weapon pass harmlessly.
It was like trying to hit smoke.
"Stop playing around!"
Zhao Feng lost his patience. He drew a steel dagger from his belt—a violation of sect rules—and lunged.
"Die!"
The dagger aimed for Jiang Fan's throat.
Jiang Fan finally looked up. "You know," he said, his voice calm. "You really have bad posture."
As the dagger approached, Jiang Fan's leg shot out. It wasn't a powerful kick. It was a lazy, low sweep.
Because Zhao Feng had put all his weight into the thrust, he couldn't stop. He tripped over Jiang Fan's foot.
CRASH.
Zhao Feng flew face-first into the wooden bedpost. His nose crunched with a sickening sound. He collapsed onto the floor, groaning, blood pouring from his nose.
The room went silent.
The two lackeys dropped their clubs, staring at Jiang Fan in horror. They hadn't even seen him move. One second Zhao Feng was attacking, the next he was eating the floorboards.
Jiang Fan stood up. He dusted off his self-cleaning robes.
He walked over to Zhao Feng, who was trying to crawl away, tears streaming down his face.
Jiang Fan crouched down.
"Zhao Feng," he whispered. "You work too hard. You're stressed. That's why you're clumsy."
He reached into Zhao Feng's robe and pulled out the pouch of 10 Spirit Stones—the prize Zhao had won earlier that day.
"I'll take this as compensation for the door you broke," Jiang Fan said, pocketing the stones.
[ System Alert: Loot Acquired. +10 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. ]
Jiang Fan stood up and looked at the two trembling lackeys. He pointed at the unconscious Zhao Feng.
"Take your trash with you. And close the door on your way out. I have a nap to finish."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION][ Reputation Update: The Outer Sect now fears you. ][ Hidden Quest Triggered: "The Ice Queen's Curiosity" ]
While Jiang Fan was looting his rival, he didn't notice a small, mechanical hummingbird hovering outside his window. Its crystal eyes recorded the entire fight.
High up in the Inner Sect, in a workshop filled with freezing mist, Gu Ling watched the projection on a crystal screen.
Her fingers, which were polishing a blade, stopped moving.
"He didn't use Qi," she murmured, rewinding the image of Jiang Fan's dodge. "He moved... instinctively. Like water."
She looked at her own paralyzed legs. Then she looked back at the lazy boy on the screen.
"Interesting," she whispered. "Bring him to me."