Chapter 10: Breaking a Finger

Whoosh!

Streaks of energy criss-crossed in midair, forming an invisible net of energy.

Ji Hanyan retracted her hand. By relying on her sense of energy, she could roughly make out the net’s existence. A trace of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.

“You really did it. It’s an invisible net.”

“Unfortunately, it’s only invisible to the naked eye because of the refraction of light. If the opponent uses a perception Origin Skill to directly sense Origin Energy, it won’t be invisible anymore,” Su Chen sighed.

“No Origin Skill is perfect. As long as it can go undetected by the normal eye, that’s enough.” Ji Hanyan was still content. “Most people don’t continuously use a perception Origin Skill, especially low-tier Origin Qi Scholars. They lack the Origin Power to do so. On the other hand, if an opponent does opt to use their perception Origin Skill, rendering this Origin Skill useless, it’s still effective. Just that it will then be effective by draining the opponent’s energy.”

Su Chen was filled with admiration. “You’re right. I had to try it out in combat to find that use, but you instantly thought of it. Quite the genius, you are.”

“I just excel at combat, but I can’t compare to you.” Ji Hanyan glanced at Su Chen. “You’re the real genius, creating two new Origin Skills in a row. It seems like you can create them whenever you want.”

“Please, no more!” Su Chen waved his hands. “These two have already exhausted me.”

Su Chen was not actually all that tired, but exaggerating the amount of effort was an important practice for every dishonest businessman. After all, Su Chen truly didn’t want to spend any more time creating new Origin Skills.

He created new Origin Skills for a means to an end, not to pass the time. Su Chen possessed lots of preexisting knowledge and Origin Skills that he hadn’t learned yet, so there was no point in creating a new Origin Skill at the moment. If he did, he would be putting the cart before the horse.

Su Chen had only agreed to Ji Hanyan’s request because he wanted to experiment with Brooke’s formula a little bit. But now that he had, it was time to conceal his ability.

There was no need for the current him to pursue the creation of Origin Skills. It was better to focus on the existing ones for now. After all, he was more likely to succeed with those, and they could help him establish a firmer foundation.

Ji Hanyan didn’t mention it again when she saw the unwillingness in Su Chen’s eyes. “Forget about it. But if you ever think of something that could raise my strength...”

“I’ll let you know!” Su Chen replied seriously.

Ji Hanyan nodded.

“Right, what did you name it?” Ji Hanyan asked.

“I didn’t think of a name yet. Why don’t you pick?”

“Alright, let’s call it Clear Wind Net.”

“Okay!” Su Chen replied. The two of them smiled at each other.

As he was about to take his leave, Su Chen thought of something. He asked, “Right, have you heard of an old man with messy hair who doesn’t care about his appearance, yet is extremely powerful, most likely around the Light Shaking Realm? He looks slightly off his rocker.”

Ji Hanyan paused in thought, replying after a brief moment, “If it’s an old man, it’s definitely not a student, so he can only be a personal tutor. But I can’t really think of any personal instructors who have messy hair and don’t care about their appearances. As for someone who is off their rocker...... are you asking about him?”

——————————————

Su Chen returned to his room after bidding Ji Hanyan farewell.

The entire way, Su Chen was considering if he should return to the library or his dorm so he could conduct some experiments. He got waken up from his thoughts as he saw someone walking towards him.

It was the white-clothed youth who had been sent flying by Ji Hanyan.

With a fresh set of clothing, he had regained his elegant demeanor. Every strand of flowing hair on his head shone, and he gently fluttered a fan in his hand. It was already the depth of winter, so such a getup was quite out of place.

A small servant followed closely behind him, his expression one of flattery and adoration.

The white-clothed man blocked Su Chen’s path and said, “I’ll only ask you one question. What’s the relationship between you and Ji Hanyan?”

His tone was very rude. If it were anyone else, they would’ve flown into a rage already.

Su Chen understood what was going on. He smiled and said, “Don’t get any silly thoughts. Miss Ji and I aren’t related, and we only know each other because of a business interaction. She was happy when I saw her because I had what she needed. After she verified the goods, I got chased out as well.”

His tone was very polite and he spoke clearly and concisely. In a few sentences, he cleared up the misunderstanding.

Even though the white-clothed man was pretentious, he wasn’t completely unreasonable. He let out a sigh of relief and said, “So that’s how it is. How could Hanyan look favorably upon a non-bloodline individual like you with her eyesight.”

Do you know what speaking etiquette is?

Su Chen slightly knitted his brows, but didn’t argue with the youth. All he said was, “Since the misunderstanding has been cleared up, I will take my leave.”

As he said these words, he was preparing to leave.

Right then, Su Chen saw the small servant whisper something in the white-clothed male’s ear.

The white-clothed youth immediately faced Su Chen and said, “Wait a second. What did you give to Hanyan?”

Su Chen shook his head and said, “You’re better of asking Miss Ji that question. It’s probably not my place to say.”

The white-clothed male knitted his eyebrows. “You’d better tell me. I’ll meet any needs that she has in the future.”

He wanted to know because he knew not many things on this earth could move Ji Hanyan.

If it could gain a smile from Ji Hanyan, it definitely was hard to come by. If he were to help Ji Hanyan find those things, perhaps he could gain her affection. [1. Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind about this guy is r/niceguys.]

“This......” Su Chen scratched his head. “You might not be able to find it.”

“Hm?” The white-clothed male knitted his brows even more. He spread the fan in his hand open with a flourish, fanned himself twice and said, “In this world, there aren’t many things that I, Prince Bai Yihong, can’t find.”

“You’re quite self-confident,” Su Chen silently cursed.

The servant to his side leaned over and quietly said something.

Su Chen’s brows sharply knit together.

Many quarrels were in fact incited by servants with evil intentions.

Indeed, the white-clothed male paused for a moment, then gazed at Su Chen as he coldly said, “You almost tricked me with your ‘you might not be able to find it.’ You’re just a commoner without a bloodline, what can you possibly find that I cannot? Tell me, what exactly is the relationship between you and Hanyan?”

Anger surged in Su Chen’s heart as well. He coldly replied, “You already saw with your own eyes, so why bother asking?”

Bai Yihong’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this. His entire body began to tremble. “Impossible! Impossible! How could Hanyan fall for a person like you?”

“What’s wrong with a person like me? Why can’t Ji Hanyan fall for a person like me?” Su Chen retorted sarcastically.

“Of course she can’t!” Bai Yihong began to yell. “For you, someone without a bloodline, it’s already glorious enough to be admitted to the Hidden Dragon Institute. Yet you dare set your sights on a heavenly woman like her? You are way out of line!”

He jabbed his finger in Su Chen’s direction. “Immediately restrain your thoughts. I’ll make you suffer if you don’t.”

Restrain my thoughts?

Su Chen couldn’t help but think of Gu Qingluo.

To those from Bloodline Nobility Clans, everyone who wasn’t were beneath them.

They could not wear fancy clothing gilded with gold; they had to make way for nobility when walking on the streets; they could not marry those from Bloodline Nobility Clans; when taking care of business, Bloodline Nobility Clans were allowed to choose the easiest tasks; they were packed into areas near the border to serve as cannon fodder; if someone from a Bloodline Nobility Clan killed one of them, their punishment was almost nonexistent.

The flames of rage instantly engulfed Su Chen’s heart.

This was a hatred of everything negative about the bloodline system.

Bai Yihong’s finger was still placed on Su Chen’s forehead.

Su Chen stared at the finger. He suddenly asked, “How many contribution points is this finger worth?”

“What?” Bai Yihong was caught off-guard.

Su Chen reached out.

He grabbed the outstretched finger and twisted up.

Crack!

The finger instantly broke.