97: Chapter 97: Curing All Dissent

A wooden board was heavily slammed into the lawn at the entrance of Villa A-1.

On it, two lines of large characters were written crookedly with a brush:

"Specializing in Curing All Kinds of Defiance, Also Selling Opportunities for Breakthroughs."

Horizontal Scroll: Honest Dealing with Young and Old Alike.

The handwriting was messy, and the ink was not yet dry.

A few drops of ink even trickled down along the wood grain.

But this did not affect the visual impact of this signboard.

Lin Fan moved a European-style palace chair and sat boldly behind the sign.

In front of him sat a coffee table dragged out from the villa.

On the coffee table, ten boxes made of waste newspaper were neatly stacked.

The craftsmanship was crude, and the design was haphazard.

On some, you could even see an advertising headline on the newspaper: "Postpartum Care for Sows."

"Take a look, come and see!"

Lin Fan held a megaphone, his voice spreading across the entire mountain peak area.

"Grand Opening Sale at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion Tianjiao Camp Branch!"

"Whether you're stuck at a bottleneck and feeling as uncomfortable as being constipated, or being hunted by enemies and in urgent need of saving your life."

"Just buy my blind boxes—turn your bicycle into a motorcycle, turn trash into a genius!"

"Don't miss out as you pass by! You won't lose out, and you won't be deceived!"

The hawking echoed in the empty valley.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

The geniuses living in the A-rank and B-rank areas stood at a distance, their expressions a colorful mix of emotions.

They looked at the youth sitting at the entrance of a luxury mansion, hawking like an old lady at a vegetable market.

Their worldview suffered a critical hit of ten thousand points.

This was the ruthless man who sent Chen Ao flying with one punch?

This was the madman who dared to bargain with the instructor, Lei Zhan?

Wasn't something wrong with this picture?

"What on earth is he doing?"

In the crowd, a young man with a long sword on his back frowned. "Cheating people out of money with a few crappy paper boxes? Does he think we're fools?"

"Just seeking attention."

Someone nearby snorted coldly. "He probably wants to use this method to get noticed. After all, he's from a small place and hasn't seen the world."

Although everyone was mocking him,

not a single person dared to step forward and overturn the stall.

Chen Ao was still lying in the medical pod.

That was a solid, undeniable track record.

Lin Fan looked at the crowd of onlookers who weren't buying and sighed in his heart.

This batch of leeks isn't very good.

Their vigilance is too high.

It looks like I need to find a shill or do a live demonstration.

Just then,

a thin, somewhat pale male student squeezed out from the crowd.

He wore a C-rank uniform, and the badge on his chest showed he came from a remote city in the west.

"Um..."

The boy looked at Lin Fan somewhat timidly, then at the sign on the ground.

"Can you really... provide an opportunity for a breakthrough?"

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

Business is here.

"Of course."

Lin Fan put down the megaphone, a smile as warm as spring appearing on his face.

"Classmate, I see a darkness between your brows and your aura is unstable. Have you been stuck at the Nine-Star Martial Artist level for a long time?"

The boy froze for a moment, then nodded frantically.

"I've been stuck for half a year... My talent is only A-rank. If I can't break through to the Martial Master Realm during this training camp, I'll be sent back."

At this point, the boy's eyes dimmed.

This was the pain of many low-level geniuses.

"Meeting is fate."

Lin Fan casually picked up a newspaper box and weighed it in his hand.

"Inside this is a budget version of an obstacle-breaking pill."

"Although it's not a pill, the effect is even better."

"Original price ten million. Since you're the first customer, I'll give you a discount."

Lin Fan held up five fingers.

"Five million, or 500 points."

"Of course, I know you've just arrived and don't have points. You can write an IOU, calculated at bank interest rates."

The surroundings erupted in an uproar.

Five million?

For a crappy newspaper box?

This is way too greedy!

"This is practically daylight robbery!"

"An obstacle-breaking pill costs eight million on the market, and his 'budget version' costs five million? Who knows if there's just a rock inside?"

The boy also hesitated.

Five million was not a small amount for him.

But he looked at Lin Fan's certain eyes,

and thought of his fate of being about to be eliminated.

"I'll buy it!"

The boy gritted his teeth and pulled a bank card from his pocket.

"This has all my savings, a total of 5.2 million."

"Good courage."

Lin Fan took the card and swiped five million directly, his movements smooth and practiced.

"The box is yours. Open it on the spot."

With trembling hands, the boy took the crude box.

Everyone's gaze focused on his hands.

Some mocked, some sympathized, but most were just watching the excitement.

*Rip.*

The newspaper was torn open.

There was no golden light, no strange phenomena.

Lying inside was a dark, chocolate-like object.

"What is this?"

Someone couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Is it really just mud?"

Lin Fan calmly pointed at the thing.

"Eat it."

The boy looked at the 'mud,' steeled his heart, closed his eyes, and stuffed it into his mouth.

It melted instantly.

A spicy, violent heat surged into his throat, then exploded into his limbs and bones.

"Ugh!"

The boy let out a muffled groan, his face instantly flushing red.

He felt as if a volcano had erupted inside him.

The originally rock-solid realm bottleneck was like paper in the face of this violent energy.

*Crack!*

A crisp sound came from inside his body.

Immediately after,

*Boom!*

An aura belonging to the Martial Master Realm suddenly erupted from him.

The surrounding air was pushed away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The boy opened his eyes.

His originally cloudy gaze became clear and sharp.

He clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within him.

"I... I broke through?"

The boy looked at his hands in disbelief, tears of excitement welling up.

"I broke through! I'm a Martial Master!"

The entire field was deathly silent.

Those who were mocking him just now were like ducks with their necks squeezed, unable to make a sound.

He really broke through? Just by eating a piece of black mud?

That was a major bottleneck that troubled countless people!

Five million in exchange for the Martial Master Realm.

This isn't a black-hearted shop; this is a charity!

"Holy crap! Is this for real?"

"That's a shill, right? Definitely a shill!"

"Shill your ass! I know that guy. He was almost obsessed with breaking through for the past six months. How could he possibly act so convincingly!"

After a brief silence,

the crowd exploded, and everyone's eyes changed.

From doubt to fervor, from contempt to greed.

They looked at the remaining nine boxes on the coffee table like a pack of hungry wolves looking at fresh meat.

"Boss! I want one!"

"I'll give you six million! Sell it to me!"

"Get out of the way! I was here first! Boss, I'll give you ten million!"

The crowd swarmed forward, waving their bank cards in a scramble.

The small stall that had no interest just moments ago instantly turned into a scene of old men and ladies at a vegetable market fighting over discounted radishes.

Lin Fan sat in his chair, looking at these crazy leeks, smiling so hard his mouth wouldn't close.

This scene suddenly felt somewhat familiar.

"Line up! Everyone line up!"

Lin Fan picked up the megaphone and roared.

"Anyone who cuts in line will be blacklisted immediately!"

"Also, the price has gone up!"

"Now it's ten million each, no bargaining!"

Raising the price on the spot—the true nature of a Shrewd Merchant.

But no one complained.

Compared to an increase in strength, what was money?

In the Tianjiao Camp, strength was everything, strength was resources, strength was the future!

In just five minutes,

the remaining nine blind boxes were sold out.

Those who didn't get one beat their chests and stamped their feet, while those who did held them like precious treasures.

The sounds of boxes being opened on the spot rose and fell.

"Oh my god! I got a Profound-rank high-grade movement technique!"

"This is... a Ten-times gravity room trial card? And it's private? I'm rich!"

"Hahaha! My old injury is healed! This potion is amazing!"

Every blind box opening was accompanied by a cry of surprise.

Lin Fan sat there, listening to the constant "ding-ding" sounds from the system in his mind.

[Ding! Host sold a blind box. Customer opened C-rank Breakthrough Mud. Triggered hundred-fold return. Obtained A-rank Marrow Cleansing Spiritual Liquid.]

[Ding! Host sold a blind box. Customer opened a Profound-rank movement technique. Triggered fifty-fold return. Obtained Earth-rank low-grade movement technique 'Cloud-Treading Steps'.]

...

Satisfying.

So satisfying.

This was his true purpose for coming to the Tianjiao Camp.

Fighting was just a means; earning returns was the core. Actually, he already had so many resources he couldn't use them all, but who would complain about having too much money?

Just as Lin Fan was preparing to pack up and go back to count his money,

the crowd suddenly went quiet.

The crowd that was originally crowded in front of the stall was pushed aside as if by an invisible giant hand.

A path was cleared.

A powerful aura approached from the end of the path.

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow and looked up.

He saw a group of well-dressed, extraordinary-looking young people walking over.

The leader was wearing a white martial arts uniform.

He was very handsome, the kind of handsome that carried a bit of wickedness.

A careless smile hung on the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were as arrogant as if he were looking at a group of ants.

Each of the people behind him radiated the aura of a high-level Martial Master.

As soon as this group appeared, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

"It's the Beijing circle."

Someone whispered in surprise, their tone full of wariness.

"The leader... seems to be the young master of the Tang Family, Tang Si?"

"*Hiss*, the Tang Family? That's a top-tier family in Beijing, even stronger than Chen Ao's Chen Family!"

"I heard Tang Si is already a Half-step Grandmaster. He came this time to compete for the top three on the Tianjiao List."

Amidst the discussions,

Tang Si led his people straight to Lin Fan's stall.

He stopped and his gaze swept over the sign that said "Specializing in Curing All Kinds of Defiance."

"Heh."

Tang Si gave a light laugh, his voice not loud, but carrying a thick sense of mockery.

"What big talk."

"Curing defiance?"

Tang Si turned his head, his gaze landing on Lin Fan.

That look was like he was watching a monkey that didn't know its place.

"I heard you beat up Chen Ao?"

"That trash Chen Ao—if he lost, he lost. That's just his lack of skill."