142: Chapter 142 The Storm Arrives, Smear Campaign Spreads Across the Internet, The Killing Scheme is Complete

He could even hear the heavy breathing of students exercising several hundred meters away, as well as the subtle sound of the blood and Qi flowing within their bodies.

"Tempering the body with earthly demon yin fire and nourishing the Meridians with the warm current of Dragon Qi—the results are even better than I imagined."

Lin Qi stretched his limbs, his joints letting out a series of crisp, popping sounds.

He could feel his body overflowing with an unprecedented sense of power.

The toughness and width of his Meridians had improved by at least thirty percent.

This meant he could unleash True Qi more sustainably and violently without worrying about his body being unable to withstand the strain.

Shouldering the zhan ye heavy sword, Lin Qi's figure flickered a few times before vanishing into the dense forest of the back mountain.

By the time he returned to the dormitory area, it was already broad daylight.

However, the atmosphere on campus was completely different from when he had left.

Quiet?

Far from it.

The entire Longya Academy was like a pot of boiling oil that had been set off, completely exploding with activity.

Students were rushing everywhere, gathered in small groups with faces full of complex emotions like excitement, agitation, and tension.

Lin Qi was stunned by the sight as soon as he reached the teaching building.

A massive holographic poster hung on the outer wall of the teaching building.

The poster featured imposing figures, some wielding lightning, some treading on Flying Swords, and others draped in Dragon flames—each exuding the Aura of a world-destroying powerhouse.

In the very center of the poster, a domineering slogan was written in bright red characters.

[Federal Prodigy Tournament — The Stairway to Godhood Begins Here!]

It wasn't just the teaching building; even the electronic bulletin boards by the road and the large screens in the cafeteria were looping highlights of past championship winners.

In the videos, those young geniuses possessed the power to move mountains and fill seas with every move, making one's blood boil with excitement.

"Holy crap, is that the 'Thunder God' from Kyoto University? One move of Myriad Thunderbolt Hell cleared an entire forest of Yao Beasts. That's just insane!"

"The 'Dragon Girl' from Magic City War Academy isn't bad either. They say she has a rare Dragon Clan Bloodline and can shatter a mountain peak with one punch!"

"Compared to them, our Five-Academy League was practically child's play."

The students' discussions continuously reached Lin Qi's ears.

Lin Qi had no interest in these empty titles. Just as he was about to bypass the crowd and head back to his dorm, a chubby figure charged toward him like a cannonball.

"Qi-ge! My dear brother! You're finally back!"

Zhang Wei grabbed Lin Qi's arm, his face full of an urgent and angry expression as if he had seen a ghost.

He was still clutching a tablet computer tightly in his hand.

"Something huge has happened!"

Looking at his friend's frantic state, Lin Qi simply asked a calm question.

"Did your billion arrive?"

"It arrived, but now is not the time for that!"

Zhang Wei thrust the tablet in front of Lin Qi, showing a striking news headline on the screen.

《Shocking Inside Story! The Fake Champion Who Rose by Luck and Cheating, The Greatest Disgrace of the Five-Academy League!》

The article was published by a very influential media outlet in Kyoto.

Lin Qi scanned it.

The content was written with "evidence and logic," first listing his Blank Slate data of LV.1 and all attributes at 5 in detail, mocking him to the extreme.

Then the tone shifted, beginning to drop heavy hints.

The article "casually" mentioned that Lin Qi had frequently visited the underground black markets of Tianhai City and had dealings with certain figures of "mysterious backgrounds."

Between the lines, it guided readers to believe that Lin Qi had used a prohibited drug undetectable by conventional means or some kind of evil sacrificial ritual to obtain an eerie power completely inconsistent with his data.

Below the article, the comment section had completely descended into chaos.

"I knew something was wrong! A LV.1 Blank Slate defeating an S-rank Talent? This is an insult to my intelligence!"

"Heh, the regional competitions in the Eastern Theater Command are indeed deep waters. Any random freak can become a champion."

"A cheating piece of trash like this should be permanently banned! He has defiled the word 'champion'!"

Worse was yet to come.

Zhang Wei's fingers trembled as he scrolled down.

The seed players of the other four top-tier super academies in the Federation—Kyoto University, Magic City War Academy, Central Military Academy, and Apocalypse Fortress Academy—had actually issued collective statements at the same time.

The contents of the statements were largely the same, with only one core message.

They disdained competing on the same stage as an "cheater" of unknown origin and strongly demanded that the Federation Tournament Organizing Committee conduct the strictest review of Lin Qi.

Among them, the seed player from Kyoto University hailed as the favorite to win, the "Thunder God" Li Pojun, was the most vocal.

"Does a buffoon who doesn't even follow the digitized rules deserve to participate in the Prodigy Championship? If the committee doesn't disqualify him, I will personally expose all his ridiculous tricks on the stage and let him know that in the face of absolute power, all Evil Paths are futile!"

This was no longer a simple matter of questioning.

This was a premeditated and organized public opinion siege.

Behind it, the shadow of the Kyoto Li Family was clearly visible.

Their goal was clear: to thoroughly ruin Lin Qi's reputation through public opinion before the tournament even began, destroying his psychological defenses and making him the laughingstock of the entire Federation.

"Qi-ge, these bastards are crossing the line! They're throwing mud! This is slander!"

Zhang Wei was shaking with rage, his eyes turning red.

He could not tolerate seeing the Qi-ge he viewed as a god being smeared so recklessly.

However, Lin Qi's reaction left him completely dumbfounded.

Looking at the vicious comments on the screen and Li Pojun's arrogant declaration, Lin Qi didn't look angry at all. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a row of white teeth.

He smiled.

And he looked quite happy.

"Qi-ge, you... are you okay?" Zhang Wei was a bit worried that Lin Qi had been driven mad by anger.

"I'm fine, better than ever."

Lin Qi handed the tablet back to Zhang Wei and cracked his neck.

"Good. The higher they're put on a pedestal, the harder they'll fall. But this time, it's them who will be falling."

His tone was flat, yet it carried a chilling intent that made one's heart skip a beat.

Trying to crush me with public opinion?

How naive.

Such childish tricks didn't even have the right to cause a ripple in his heart, given his Martial Saint Soul that had experienced countless life-and-death battles.

Just then, a cold figure appeared behind them.

It was Instructor Su Qing.

She was still wearing that black combat suit that outlined her stunning curves, but her expression was even colder than usual.

"Follow me."

Instructor Su Qing was concise, leading Lin Qi and Zhang Wei to her private training hall.

"Have you seen what's happening online?" Instructor Su Qing looked at Lin Qi.

Lin Qi nodded.

"The Li Family is pushing this from behind; they want to ruin you."

Instructor Su Qing's voice carried a hint of gravity. "The public pressure is immense now, and the organizing committee can't hold out much longer."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"To respond to the public outcry and for the sake of so-called 'fairness,' the committee just passed a temporary resolution."

"At the registration site tomorrow morning, a public, live-streamed data re-verification test will be conducted on you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei's face went pale.

"A live stream for the whole network? Isn't that just putting Qi-ge on the chopping block!"

Instructor Su Qing ignored Zhang Wei. Her gaze remained locked on Lin Qi's face, as if trying to detect even the slightest hint of panic.

But she was disappointed.

Lin Qi's expression was as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

"This trap is very malicious," Instructor Su Qing's voice grew even colder. "It's a dead end."

"Everyone's eyes will be fixed on that data testing machine."

"If the test shows your data is still all attributes at 5, you will become the biggest joke in the Federation. All your previous achievements will be attributed to 'luck' and 'weak opponents,' and you'll be nailed to a pillar of shame."

"But if there's any abnormal fluctuation in your data, even just a little, the charge of cheating will be immediately confirmed. You'll be disqualified on the spot and might even be taken away by the Federal Security Bureau for investigation."

"No matter the result, you will be in the most disadvantageous position."

After Instructor Su Qing finished speaking, the training hall fell into silence.

Cold sweat had already broken out on Zhang Wei's forehead.

This was indeed an unsolvable dead end.

The opponent's overt scheme was played very skillfully, leaving you with no choice at all.

However, Lin Qi looked as if he had just heard something interesting.

He stretched, his joints popping once again.

"A dead end?"

He looked at Instructor Su Qing and grinned.

"What I'm best at is turning a dead end into a path forward."

With that, he turned and patted the shoulder of the still-dazed Zhang Wei.

"Fatty."

"Huh? Qi-ge, I'm here!" Zhang Wei snapped out of it.

"Get your money ready."

A glimmer of greed, like that of a money-grubber, flashed in Lin Qi's eyes.

"The betting market this time might be so large it'll make you question your life."

Seeing the confident look in Lin Qi's eyes, Zhang Wei's worries and fears inexplicably dissipated by more than half.

He nodded vigorously.

"Understood! Qi-ge, I'll go contact all the major casinos right now! We'll bet our entire billion!"

Just then.

The communicator on Lin Qi's wrist vibrated slightly.

He raised his hand to take a look.

It was a message from Mo Lao, consisting of only a short sentence.

"Kid, get to the library quickly! Regarding the second Realm of [Yu Step], I seem to have... deduced something incredible!"