Chapter 8 Planning

Steam from the bathroom misted over the mirror, gradually condensing into droplets that slid down.

Li Ang looked at the reborn version of himself in the mirror, slowly reining in the killing intent that had erupted just a moment ago.

"Phew—"

He let out a long breath of turbid air.

Li Ang stepped out of the bathroom, got dressed, and dried his hair.

He picked up a training saber from the weapon rack.

He performed several sets of the Basic Saber Technique at a slow pace, gradually calming the killing intent in his heart.

Stay calm.

The more power one possesses, the more one needs to remain calm.

"With Qi and Blood Stage Seven Perfection and a Great Accomplishment Saber Technique, I would indeed be a powerhouse in the lawless lands—the edge of the Chaos Zone. But within the Federation, I'm just an outstanding high school student. I still have to follow the laws and rules."

"Killing those two debt-collecting thugs from the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce would indeed be as easy as taking something from a pocket."

Finishing his saber practice, Li Ang exhaled the pent-up frustration in his heart.

Li Ang set down the training saber and sat on the somewhat worn-out sofa in the living room, his brow furrowing slightly.

"But... what happens after I kill them?"

This was a society ruled by law, or rather, a high-martial society that maintained an absolute legal order on the surface.

The Black Gold Chamber of Commerce wasn't some gang of street thugs; they weren't small-time punks.

They were a triad organization in the underworld of Longnan City.

Those two Qi and Blood Seventh Stage thugs were just the lowest-level enforcers. Killing them would only lead to being wanted by the Law Enforcement Team and facing endless retaliation from the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce.

More importantly, that 'Spirit and Flesh Transfer Agreement' had been signed by his predecessor in black and white; it was protected by Federation law and notarized by the Intelligence Network.

If he didn't resolve the debt at its source, even if Li Ang slaughtered all the thugs, he would still be a 'deadbeat' at the official level. He might even become a wanted criminal for murder, eventually getting expelled from the Safe Zone to die in the wilderness.

"What I need now is time, resources, and a legitimate identity."

"I want to take the Martial Arts University entrance exam and become one of the elite, not a desperate fugitive hiding everywhere."

Li Ang's fingers lightly tapped his knee as various thoughts churned in his mind.

If he didn't use force to solve it, then he could only pay back the money.

One point two million.

For the current Li Ang, he could gather that much just by hunting a few Second-tier Mutated Beasts in the wilderness.

But the problem was that three days was too short. Furthermore, his current identity was just a student; suddenly producing so much money from an unknown source would easily attract unwanted attention.

Now, I can only borrow momentum.

"I have to find an excuse and then find a 'lender' to borrow from."

"In Longnan No. 1 High School, someone capable of casually producing one point two million and willing to invest in students..."

Names flashed through Li Ang's mind, finally settling on one person.

The head of the Sophomore Martial Skills Department, Wu Changhe.

In Longnan No. 1 High School, Wu Changhe was a legend and an 'oddball'.

He was the only Kaiyuan Realm Expert in the school besides the principal.

Yet, not only did he lack the arrogance of an expert, but he was also particularly keen on his side business—promoting his self-made 'Wu's Golden Ratio Qi and Blood Strengthening Agent'.

In his predecessor's memory, many students from poor families with decent talent had received financial aid from Wu Changhe.

But these sponsored students all shared a common 'obligation'—whenever they were asked why they were progressing so rapidly, they had to give a thumbs-up, show a flash of white teeth, and shout: 'It's all thanks to Teacher Wu's Golden Agent! You won't know until you try it!'

This had almost become a public meme in the school, even making people a bit speechless.

Although his predecessor had excellent academic grades and was very polite, his martial Aptitude was simply too poor.

Coupled with a low self-esteem that valued Face above all else, he had never dared to approach Wu Changhe, let alone ask to borrow money.

But the current Li Ang was different.

He was now a 'peerless Genius' at Qi and Blood Stage Seven Perfection.

"Teacher Wu is in the Origin Opening Realm. One point two million is just the price of a few crates of high-grade agents to him."

"As long as I can prove I'm worth the investment and am willing to cooperate with his 'acting' for advertising, this money won't be a problem at all."

"Moreover, I can't say I owe money to loan sharks."

Li Ang's eyes flickered.

A teacher might sympathize with a student whose family member is ill, but they would definitely not like a gambler who borrows from loan sharks to gamble or squander. Even though his predecessor did it for martial arts, who doesn't understand the principle of avoiding suspicious situations?

"I've already thought of the reason... my only relative is seriously ill and needs urgent surgery fees."

Although it was a bit cliché, in any era, this was the most effective excuse to garner sympathy.

"To be safe, I can't just charge in blindly."

"What if Teacher Wu is in a bad mood lately? What if there's a flaw in my acting?"

"The simulator is the best rehearsal site."

Li Ang glanced at the System panel.

【Current remaining simulation attempts: 1】

Although the S-rank evaluation gave rich rewards, it didn't directly grant more simulation attempts.

However, perhaps because it was still the newbie reward period.

Life Simulation still had no cooldown, which meant he could perform the final simulation right now.

"In this simulation, I'm not looking to raise my martial Realm much, just to clear this path."

Li Ang took a deep breath, took a bottle of ice water from the fridge, and gulped it down in one go, letting his restless body completely calm down.

"System, start the third simulation!"

【Life Simulator is ready.】

【Detected innate talent: "Hardworking and Enduring (Green)" has been automatically loaded.】

【Randomly refreshing available talents for this session...】

The light screen flickered, and a new talent list appeared.

This time, it seemed his good luck had been used up in the last run; the talents that appeared were simply atrocious.

【Flat Feet (Grey)】: Your arches are flat; your soles will hurt after running for a long time.

【Tone Deaf (Grey)】: You have no sense of pitch; your singing is lethal.

【Tireless Teacher (Green)】: You are very patient when teaching others and can accurately point out their mistakes; your students usually progress quickly.

【Cilantro Lover (White)】: You think cilantro is a delicacy of the human world.

【Deep Sleeper (White)】: Once you fall asleep, nothing can wake you.

Li Ang looked at this row of talents, his eyelid twitching slightly.

This was way too unlucky.

There wasn't even a single blue combat talent; they were all lifestyle-related or negative states.

"I can only choose 【Tireless Teacher】."

Li Ang shook his head helplessly.

Although this talent looked like a skill for being a teacher and provided zero boost to combat power, it wasn't completely useless.

"Since I have to deal with Teacher Wu and stay in school for another two years, being able to guide others... maybe it can be used to farm favorability with classmates? Or maybe it can help me understand Cultivation Techniques by drawing parallels?"

In any case, it was better than "Flat Feet" or "Tone Deaf."

"I choose 【Tireless Teacher (Green)】."

【Selection complete.】

【Talents "Hardworking and Enduring (Green)" and "Tireless Teacher (Green)" have been loaded.】