Chapter 135: Breaking Through the Tidal Society

"Arrogant!"

Seeing Lin Fan acting so insolent, the man who had shouted earlier let out a cold sneer. He curled his hand into a claw and lunged at Lin Fan, his true essence blooming with razor-sharp intensity. He was clearly a practitioner at the mid-stage of the Qi Pulse Realm.

"I said, tell Xie Haichao to come out!"

Lin Fan did not dodge in the slightest. As he watched the sharp claws flying toward him, he extended his palm to meet them head-on.

The man was delighted at the sight. Claw techniques were his specialty, and upon entering the Heavenly Book Academy, he had chosen a formidable one. Although he was only at the mid-stage of the Qi Pulse Realm, he had undergone perfect body tempering; his strength was such that even an ordinary late-stage Qi Pulse practitioner would struggle to withstand his strike.

*Bang!*

A dull thud echoed. The joy in the man's heart vanished instantly, for his claw had felt as though it struck solid diamond. Instead of crippling the youth's palm, his own hand was jarred and filled with agonizing pain.

He realized he had encountered a tough opponent—likely a late-stage Qi Pulse practitioner who had also achieved perfect body tempering. He didn't know how many acupuncture points the boy had opened, but at that thought, he immediately tried to pull his hand back.

He didn't want to suffer a secret loss. In any case, there were a full hundred members in the Sea Tide Society; he believed that once the others heard the news, they would rush back. With so many people, let alone a late-stage Qi Pulse practitioner, even their leader, Xie Haichao, would be beaten into submission if he stood alone.

"Since you stuck your claws out, why are you trying to leave?"

Lin Fan asked calmly. He had perceived every reaction of the man, and with a faint smile on his lips, he gripped his hand tightly, trapping him.

The man's expression changed abruptly, and he shouted, "What do you want?"

"Nothing much. Everything has a price!"

Lin Fan replied coldly. He lifted the man’s hand, which he still held firmly, and suddenly twisted it. A crisp, chilling sound of bone breaking rang out immediately.

"Ah, my hand!"

The man screamed at the top of his lungs, tears of pain streaming down his face. He realized this wasn't just a simple wrist fracture; his fingers, knuckles, and the bones of his entire palm had been crushed and shattered. Only then did he realize with horror just how terrifying the youth’s strength was.

*Bang!*

Lin Fan kicked the man, sending him flying. He crashed to the ground with a thud, and whether it was due to the force of the blow or something else, the man—despite being at the mid-stage of the Qi Pulse Realm—fell unconscious.

In that instant, the entire Sea Tide Society fell silent.

"Let Xie Haichao out, or else..."

Lin Fan’s lips parted slightly. He paused, then lifted his head to look at the hundred or so members of the society, declaring clearly, "I will tear through the Sea Tide Society!"

His words were light, yet they carried an inexplicable, overwhelming pressure. Coupled with the unconscious man on the ground, the weight of his statement was profound. Though he exuded no visible aura, everyone felt as if they saw raging flames burning around him; they knew his words were no mere joke.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, Lin Fan added, "By the way, my name is Lin Fan—the top-ranked freshman. Today, I accept everyone's challenge."

His tone remained utterly flat as he looked at the hundred members of the Sea Tide Society without a single ripple in his eyes.

"Damn, this Lin Fan is too aggressive! He actually broke into the Sea Tide Society just to say such bold words?"

"Indeed. His strength has improved; he's reached the late stage of the Qi Pulse Realm. No wonder that guy lost so miserably!"

"But even so, he’s bound to be overwhelmed by the Sea Tide Society. That guy wasn't even one of their top experts, only mid-to-upper tier. Defeating him won't intimidate the whole society!"

"True. And since he's accepting all challenges, I bet every freshman who hears the news will come running!"

"Look, the society members are moving!"

Among the countless onlookers—mostly second-year students, some veterans, and a few first-year students—many were marveling at Lin Fan’s arrogance and audacity. Daring to break into the Sea Tide Society and issuing such a challenge to so many people was more than just bold; it was a blatant show of contempt.

Moreover, by revealing his identity as the top-ranked freshman, wasn't he effectively telling everyone that defeating him would earn them a massive amount of merit points?

Even those who had newly joined the society—even if they didn't want to risk themselves for the group—would go mad for the sake of those merit points!

What was the most precious thing in the Heavenly Book Academy? Merit points!

With them, you had everything. Weapons, armor, cultivation manuals, martial techniques, pills, time—what couldn't be bought with merit points? If you wanted to kill someone or even wipe out a family in the outside world, someone would do it if the merit reward was high enough.

"You think that just because you beat Chao Nan, who is only at the mid-stage, you’re invincible? Let me tell you, you will pay for your arrogance!"

A man slowly stepped out from the crowd, looking down at Lin Fan with disdain. Lin Fan looked up to see a burly youth, roughly 1.9 meters tall—a full head taller than himself—sneering at him.

At that moment, the surrounding crowd erupted in whispers and gasps.

"Look, who is that?"

"It's Sun Tianyou, ranked 63rd among the freshmen, a late-stage Qi Pulse practitioner! When did he join the Sea Tide Society?"

"No idea, but rumor has it he's near the peak of the late stage. He's opened ninety-three acupuncture points!"

"Lin Fan has hit a hard wall now. He made quick progress, but how many points could he have opened? I don't believe he's already reached the peak of the late stage!"

The noisy chatter resumed, but only for a brief moment. Soon, silence fell again as everyone watched Sun Tianyou—who had been slapped unconscious by Lin Fan in a single blow—their mouths agape, wide enough to fit two eggs.

"Tell Xie Haichao to come out!"

This was the fourth time Lin Fan had said those words since entering the society, but while his previous remarks had felt heavy, this one felt like the sky itself was collapsing, pressing down on the hearts of everyone present.

It wasn't that no one in the Sea Tide Society could beat Sun Tianyou, but no one could do it so effortlessly, as if swatting a fly.

"Brothers, don't be afraid! Let's attack together! He agreed to everyone's challenge, didn't he? Plus, he broke into our headquarters—that's a violation of academy rules. Even if we all attack at once, we won't be blamed!"

Someone, unable to bear the pressure any longer, shouted out. His words seemed to awaken the rest.

Exactly! If they couldn't win in a one-on-one, they would just attack together. If they all moved at once, even their own leader would struggle to defend against it, let alone this freshman. And since Lin Fan had forced his way in, the academy wouldn't blame them for fighting back on their own private territory.

In an instant, the hundred members of the Sea Tide Society exploded like gasoline set aflame. They unleashed their true essence and charged at Lin Fan.

Of course, a large portion of them didn't forget to use their tokens to issue a challenge to Lin Fan. Even without the challenge, they had a reason to fight, but if he accepted, defeating him might allow them to leap to the top of the freshman rankings.

Lin Fan watched them swarm toward him and suddenly smiled. In that moment, he channeled his soul energy into his token and accepted every single challenge. Being highly ranked wasn't always a good thing, as you couldn't challenge those ranked lower than you unless they challenged you first.

In a duel, the loser not only lost their rank but half of their merit points to the victor. Now that everyone was attacking him, it played right into his hands. How else was he to tear through the Sea Tide Society?

Lin Fan looked at the charging crowd, smiled, and stepped forward. His figure appeared before the first person in an instant, his fist slamming into the man's abdomen.

*Bang!*

The man flew backward, slamming hard into the wall of the main hall before spitting out a mouthful of blood and falling unconscious.

At the same time, Lin Fan twisted his body, his left elbow striking another person’s chin. The man's mouth flew open, several teeth mixed with blood spraying into the air...