Chapter Seventy-Seven: I Am a Cultivator

That faint golden aura seemed to manifest in the very moment that Pang Invincible spoke. To be honest, as the delicate shimmer of gold began to emerge, Lin Yi found himself deeply astonished.

Pang Invincible, it appeared, had encountered some extraordinary fortune—had he awakened an innate talent, or consumed some precious treasure to bring about such a transformation?

Lin Yi squinted his eyes, and seized the opportunity; with a subtle movement of his mind, he summoned the energy meter from the mysterious space within his “God-Slaying Sutra,” letting it slip quietly into his hand.

The energy meter began its measurement. Lin Yi noticed that, facing Pang Invincible directly, the meter displayed an energy value of 263!

Surpassing 200—this meant that Pang Invincible truly possessed a surge of energy within his body, otherwise such a reading would be impossible.

With a value of 263, Pang Invincible had already transcended the rank of E-class Warrior, becoming a D-class Warrior.

E-class Warriors possessed only 100 points of energy, whereas D-class required at least 200.

However, to attain C-class Warrior status, one needed a value of 500.

Pang Invincible’s energy still fell far short of that threshold.

Lin Yi had never studied the titles of warriors before, but now realized they were much the same as the general ranking system!

In other words, Pang Invincible had now become a low-tier warrior?

When had Pang Invincible grown so strong?

The faint golden light on Pang Invincible’s body continued to intensify.

Lin Yi watched carefully, and finally discovered the golden hue was, in fact, the effect of sunlight.

There was no actual radiance emanating from Pang Invincible, but beneath his skin, golden flecks began to appear.

That gold deepened gradually, mingling with a tinge of bronze.

This signified that the very color of his skin was changing.

As Pang Invincible laughed loudly, everyone around watched in awe; the hues upon his body only made him appear more handsome.

But soon, someone couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The first to laugh was Lin Yi.

Lin Yi’s laughter was so loud that many began to wonder, and soon, more and more joined in.

Pang Invincible’s originally exquisite short black hair, now under the influence of the golden light, began to shift toward bronze—and then, one by one, strands began to fall.

His hair started to drop!

In the blink of an eye, Pang Invincible became bald, his head utterly devoid of hair.

As Lin Yi laughed, and the crowd looked on in confusion, the falling hair fluttered in the wind.

From bronze to gold, then to a mottled white, as if dusted with snow.

Laughter erupted from the crowd, though many struggled to restrain themselves.

Pang Invincible was now so powerful, people felt compelled to suppress their amusement—how could they not, with his newfound prowess?

But…it was truly ridiculous!

“I…damn it…”

Hearing the laughter, Pang Invincible, who had expected a chorus of envy, jealousy, and flattery, was left completely stunned.

He noticed hair falling from his head, though it looked white and mottled; he refused to believe it was his own.

Only now did Pang Invincible realize, it really was his own hair—he had become bald, facing the woes of hair loss at such a young age.

A curse welled up inside him, though he wasn’t sure whether to utter it.

I’m bald, but stronger.

Pang Invincible mused over this, then saw some around him struggling to hold in their laughter, faces flushed red; his discomfort grew.

He then shouted, pointing straight at Lin Yi: “Lin Yi, what are you laughing at? Is it so funny that I’m bald?”

He thought his strange transformation and powerful appearance would frighten Lin Yi into silence.

But to his surprise, Lin Yi’s smile never faltered.

Lin Yi pointed at Pang Invincible’s fallen hair, then at his forehead, and replied, “It’s hilarious. You look even uglier bald.”

That was it—the final blow.

Pang Invincible’s defenses shattered.

He instinctively clenched his fists, nearly as large as sandbags, and as the jeers around him multiplied, he turned in fury, rushing toward a nearby flower bed—only seven meters away.

There, he picked up a red brick, and with a squeeze, it crumbled to dust.

He grabbed another brick and, with a loud thud, struck it against his own head.

The crowd gasped in surprise as the brick shattered upon impact.

Pang Invincible laughed, “So what if I’m bald? So what if I’m ugly? I’m still a powerhouse. Lin Yi, you dared laugh at me? Fine, we’ll settle new scores and old—I’ll slap you now and see if you can still laugh!”

He dashed toward Lin Yi, the earlier display with bricks a deliberate show of strength.

His bronze skin glimmered in the sunlight, radiating an unusual brilliance.

With a crackling sound, Pang Invincible came within reach and swung his massive hand—a sandbag-sized fist transformed into a palm—toward Lin Yi’s face, threatening to knock out his teeth.

Lin Tianwen, Mars, Bai Qi, Zhao Wujie, and the seven brothers from the dorm all wanted to help Lin Yi.

But Pang Invincible moved with such speed—his attack came without pause, far too quick for anyone to intervene.

As his enormous palm was about to strike Lin Yi’s face, Lin Yi shook his head and said, “That strength isn’t nearly enough. A mere warrior dares to bully me? Do you even know what my power is now?”

With that, Lin Yi raised his hand vertically, blocking Pang Invincible’s attack.

Everyone thought Lin Yi was mad—no one believed he could emerge unscathed from Pang Invincible’s blow.

But reality proved otherwise.

When Pang Invincible’s massive palm collided with Lin Yi’s forearm, he felt as if he had struck solid steel; a dull thud echoed. Despite Pang Invincible’s bronze skin and apparent toughness, in comparison to Lin Yi it was like metal meeting an even harder alloy, sliced clean through.

A heavy sound resounded.

Then, with a sharp crack, Pang Invincible’s defenses collapsed—three finger bones fractured instantly.

The intense pain made him cry out in agony.

His bronze coloring vanished completely, his skin returning to normal.

“Ahhh…”

Pang Invincible howled, “Impossible! How can this be? Lin Yi, you…you’re a warrior too?!”

This single sentence stunned the crowd.

As Pang Invincible continued to cry out, Lin Tianwen, Mars, Bai Qi and the others gathered around Lin Yi, ready to help.

In that moment, their eyes widened, jaws nearly dropping, at a loss for words as they stared at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi’s display had truly changed their view of him.

Many had feared Pang Invincible’s slap would leave Lin Yi disfigured.

Now, they realized how mistaken they were—Lin Yi was even stronger than Pang Invincible, who had already awakened his innate talent.

To think Pang Invincible, with his unusually hard palm, would injure himself attacking Lin Yi—who would believe such a thing?

Shock after shock thundered through the students’ minds.

It was utterly incredible, beyond belief!

“So it was all true—the rumors online. I saw posts about a rebellious youth, dyed hair yellow and red, claiming connection to the Red Mist. I thought it was fake, but now it’s clearly real.”

“Of course it’s real! Not only are all sorts of strange things happening, but monsters and demons are real too—and these warriors with extraordinary abilities, it’s all true. Pang Invincible is fierce, but Lin Yi is fiercer!”

“This time, I must become a disciple of a sect! I want to be as strong as Lin Yi. Hey, did you notice? Lin Yi seems even more handsome now?”

…

The crowd buzzed with excitement!

Some were filled with ambition, believing that with effort and potential, they too could cultivate and become as strong as Lin Yi.

Others were worried—even humans had been altered by the Red Mist, gaining special abilities!

What about monsters and demons?

Perhaps those beings were even stronger, far more unpredictable.

Regardless, this episode made Lin Yi’s fame spread even wider, and his physical transformation attracted the admiring gaze of many female students, who found him increasingly handsome.

Oh no—that was the feeling of infatuation.

That sensation of weak knees.

To date Lin Yi would be blissful, envied by countless others!

Some girls’ eyes began to sparkle like stars.

Lin Tianwen and the others crowded around Lin Yi, bombarding him with questions, all eager to know how he had grown so strong, and become a warrior.

It was obvious—Lin Yi was a true practitioner.

Some even asked if he was a cultivator.

Lin Yi considered, and finally told everyone he was indeed a cultivator.

The crowd erupted in excitement.

Pang Invincible was carried away by his sycophants; though his fingers were broken, his display of extraordinary talent convinced everyone he had a real chance of being recruited by a sect.