I'm quitting!

Chapter 9 What genius? Talk to my clubbing!

Lin Xiaofan frowned slightly and instinctively pulled his leg back, but Shi Tiandi held on even tighter, snot and tears all over his face, making him sticky and messy.

"Hey—let go!" Lin Xiaofan kicked him away.

Shi Tiandi scrambled to his feet, tears streaming down his face, "Senior...I...I can't hold on much longer..."

Lin Xiaofan didn't respond, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "Let's start from the beginning."

Shi Tiandi wiped his face haphazardly and stammered, "Ever since...ever since I lost to you in the competition, I've been restless day and night...the way my fellow disciples look at me has completely changed. They used to respectfully call me 'Senior Brother,' but now they call me 'useless pighead' behind my back..."

"Oh?" Lin Xiaofan glanced at them sideways. "Just curse back, it's no big deal... Besides, you have the skills, you might not lose to those people if it really comes down to it."

"But...but that's not all..." Shi Tiandi's voice grew lower and lower, and he almost curled up into a ball. "I went into seclusion to cultivate diligently, but my Dao heart was already shattered, and my cultivation regressed instead of progressing...I finally managed to get a little sleep, but in my dreams, I was condemned by thousands...some people called me a waste, some said I didn't deserve to be a prodigy, and some...and some even encouraged me to end my own life..."

Suicidal tendencies?

Lin Xiaofan's heart stirred slightly, and his gaze fell on the top of the other person's head—

"Abnormal data for the Chosen One (?), to be cleared."

It turned out to be the case.

He sneered inwardly: The Script Management Bureau is going to create a new "protagonist".

His expression remained unchanged, and he simply said, "So, you've come to beg me?"

"Yes!" Shi Tiandi suddenly looked up, hope igniting in his eyes. "The one who tied the knot must untie it! Since you can dispel illusions with a single sword strike, you must have a way to save me!"

Lin Xiaofan traced circles on his knee with his fingertips, his mind racing with decisions—

Help? This guy has given me a lot of eye-rolls before.

Not help? The Script Management Bureau can eliminate an "unqualified protagonist" and then turn around and create an even more ruthless chosen one, who might even be tailor-made for you, the "rebel".

Between two evils, choose the lesser... It's safer to keep this piece in your hand.

Lin Xiaofan raised his eyes, his gaze icy, and stared directly at Shi Tiandi: "If you want to live, you have to listen to me."

"I'll listen! I'll listen to whatever you say!" Shi Tiandi kowtowed repeatedly.

"Sesame balls..." Lin Xiaofan called out, "Do you still have Yunnan mushroom powder?"

The fluffy fur on its back immediately stood up, and after pawing around a few times with its two front paws, it pulled out a small tuft of dusty powder from under its belly, holding it high: "Here! Maqiu's treasure!"

Thanks.

Lin Xiaofan took it and got off the bed. Shi Tiandi instinctively shrank back: "Senior... what is this?"

"A highly effective elixir, specially formulated to cure an unstable Dao heart." Lin Xiaofan smiled kindly, his tone gentle. "Come on, open your mouth."

"But...but its color...um!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Xiaofan swiftly shoved all the powder into his mouth.

"Waaah—!" Shi Tiandi's eyes bulged out, and tears streamed down his face.

"Don't talk, keep eating." Lin Xiaofan grabbed his crown with one hand and pulled it back forcefully, the powder sliding down his throat clean.

Three breaths later, Shi Tiandi trembled violently, his limbs jerking as if being pulled by something.

"My...my legs won't obey me!" Shi Tiandi cried and laughed at the same time, his body already swaying from side to side. "Why do I want to twist my hips? Why do I want to shake my head? Senior! Help—"

Lin Xiaofan ignored it, only staring at the awakening level above his head: 15%...28%...45%...

Slow, so slow! It's like a snail crawling.

"Don't hold it in!" Lin Xiaofan snapped. "Let all the emotions you've been suppressing come out!"

He pulled down the cattle whip hanging on the wall, flicked his wrist, and the tip of the whip cut through the air.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

The whip flashed, and Shi Tiandi's body was whipped around like a top, but he just wouldn't fall down—the medicinal effects of the Yunnan mushroom powder suppressed the pain, leaving only instinct to drive his limbs.

As dusk settled and the effects of the drug wore off, Shi Tiandi finally collapsed to the ground, his arousal level stuck at 63% without moving an inch.

Lin Xiaofan threw away the whip and stroked his chin: It seems that the "chosen one" setting is too rigid, and he himself does not have a questioning attitude towards the "world". He can't be moved by Dian Dian Gu alone.

He raised his hand and grasped at the air in front of him, his five fingers falling and caressing the invisible strings.

[Air Bass: When playing, targets within a 10-meter radius are forced to empathize, inflicting different debuffs depending on the music style. Limited to 3 uses per day.]

Lin Xiaofan's lips curled up: "Let's make it a little more exciting."

Fingers plucked strings in the air, and a deep, resonant bass sound exploded in the dilapidated house.

"Stop lying down!" Lin Xiaofan changed the rhythm, the beat suddenly intensified, "Feel the baptism of 'The Most Dazzling Ethnic Crazy'!"

Shi Tiandi suddenly sprang up from the ground, his limbs completely out of his control, his head shaking wildly, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly—

"Stay! Stay! Stay..."

Lin Xiaofan raised an eyebrow: "Wow, forced clubbing, the effect is outstanding."

The more he played, the more excited he became, and the more Shi Tiandi jumped around, shaking his head, twisting his waist, and kicking his legs—he did it all.

Awakening level is also soaring: 75%...88%...96%...

It's almost midnight.

100%!

Shi Tiandi fell backward and crashed straight to the ground, foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolling back, and his whole body convulsing.

[Rebelliousness Value +300]

"Phew...it's finally over."

Lin Xiaofan put away his air bass and wiped his forehead—just a few drops of sweat.

"These young people nowadays are so fragile; they only bounced around a couple of times before collapsing."

Maqiu darted out from the corner, grabbed a thin twig, and poked Shi Tiandi's face: "Is he dead? Maqiu thinks he's almost there..."

"Heh, I won't die." Lin Xiaofan squatted down. "At most, I'll have a sore back for a few days. After all, you can't generalize about everyone's constitution."

He dragged Shi Tiandi outside and thoughtfully grabbed two handfuls of dry grass to cover him.

"Get a good night's sleep, and you'll wake up to a new life." Lin Xiaofan clapped his hands, turned around, and went back into the house.

The wooden door closed, and he sat down cross-legged.

"Hurry, hurry... we can't waste today's 'atmosphere narration'."

A dazzling halo enveloped the woodshed. Lin Xiaofan closed his eyes and concentrated, striving towards the completion of the enlightenment stage.

Meanwhile, at Qingyun Sect, in the alchemy room.

Dan Xuanzi slowly opened his eyes. His nascent soul was already sitting steadily in his dantian, and his chubby little hands were still tightly gripping the "Forget-Worry Gold Bar".

"Awake?" Xianyunzi's voice drifted from the side.

Dan Xuanzi turned his head and saw the sect leader standing three zhang away, with three golden halo shaped like spirit wheat cakes floating behind him, and even faintly emitting a wheat fragrance.

"Sect Leader... Senior Brother?" Dan Xuanzi was momentarily stunned.

"Junior brother..." Xianyunzi took a few steps closer, "Do you know why you were able to break through the bottleneck and achieve the Nascent Soul stage?"

Dan Xuanzi shook his head blankly.

"It's all thanks to Senior Lin's guidance!" Xianyunzi exclaimed excitedly. "With a single gold bar of forgetfulness, he dispelled your obsessions; with a censer of fireworks, he illuminated your true path!"

"Lin...Lin Xiaofan?" Dan Xuanzi frowned. "But he doesn't exude any aura of a powerful being..."

"Don't be rude!" Xianyunzi's expression turned serious. "Senior can cleave the heavens and shatter illusions with a single sword strike. Concealing one's cultivation is as easy as turning one's hand for him."

Dan Xuanzi's pupils constricted sharply: "Could it be... that he has already reached the state of returning to simplicity and authenticity, content to live in seclusion, and disdainful of worldly views?!"

"Hmm! Junior brother, you truly live up to your reputation as a genius who once dominated the alchemy world. You grasped it immediately." Xianyunzi nodded with satisfaction.

Dan Xuanzi examined the gold bar in the Nascent Soul's hand, then glanced at the spinning "wheel" behind Xian Yunzi: "Senior Brother, I still have some doubts in my mind. I wonder if Senior Lin... would be willing to offer some further guidance?"

"There's no time like the present, and no better time than today." Xianyunzi grabbed his wrist. "Since you have unresolved issues, come with me to seek your advice."

"But I was so rude to my senior..." Danxuanzi looked troubled.

"Heh, junior brother, your life still lacks a bit of 'maturity'." Xianyunzi stroked his long beard. "The senior has long since transcended worldly affairs, so why would he care about your idle gossip?"

……

"Achoo!"

Inside the woodshed, Lin Xiaofan, who was meditating cross-legged, suddenly sneezed, lurched forward, and almost lost his balance.

"Strange... In the sweltering heat of summer, have I caught a cold?"

He rubbed his nose, and a chill inexplicably ran down his back.

"I have a bad feeling... Maybe I should find an excuse to go down the mountain?"