The morning sun felt different on Lin Feng's skin as he walked toward Green Leaf Town's main square. Warmer, maybe.
He could hear them before he could see them, that particular brand of laughter that came from people who'd never been on the receiving end of real pain. Chen Long holding court again, probably.
Lin Feng's new body moved like it actually belonged to him for the first time. Yesterday, this same walk would have been a stumbling shuffle toward inevitable humiliation. Today… today felt like the opening act of something bigger.
[Host! Your dramatic entrance score is hovering around a tragic 6/10. Might I suggest some mysterious wind effects? Perhaps a subtle aura of approaching doom?]
Not helping, Lin Feng thought back, but he was almost grinning.
The crowd had formed that familiar circle in the square's center. Chen Long stood in the middle like he owned the world, which, to be fair, he kind of did around here. Eighteen years old, built like someone had carved him out of stone, spiritual energy radiating off him in waves that made the air shimmer. Peak Qi Gathering cultivation, silk robes that cost more than most people's houses, and the kind of casual arrogance that only came from never experiencing loss.
The Chen family controlled half of Green Leaf Town's trade. Which meant Chen Long could do whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted, and everyone else just had to take it.
Until today.
"—can you believe the little cripple actually tried to hit back?" Chen Long was saying, gesturing wildly to his audience of sycophants. "I thought he was going to wet himself!"
Wang Lei, who functioned as Chen Long's primary bootlicker, jumped in with m enthusiasm. "he started crying halfway through the beating!"
"That's what happens," Chen Long flexed dramatically, "when trash forgets where it belongs."
[Oh, he's really laying it on thick today! This is going to be so satisfying to watch.]
Lin Feng pushed through the crowd. People stepped aside, not out of respect though, but out of habit. The same way they'd step around a pile of garbage or a stray dog.
"Look what we have here," Chen Long's voice carried that special tone bullies reserved for their favorite victims. "Did you come to apologize, crippled trash? Or maybe beg for mercy?"
Lin Feng stopped about ten feet away. Close enough to talk without shouting, far enough to move if things went bad fast. "Neither."
The single word carried more weight than it should have. Something about his voice had changed, less broken, more… settled. Like he'd finally figured out who he was supposed to be.
"Oh?" Chen Long raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you here?"
"To thank you."
That got everyone's attention. Chen Long's smile widened, thinking he was about to get the groveling apology he'd been expecting.
"Thank me?"
"Yesterday, you taught me something important." Lin Feng's voice stayed perfectly level. "You showed me that some people mistake being cruel for being strong."
The smile on Chen Long's face flickered. That wasn't quite the direction he'd been expecting this to go.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Lin Feng let a little of his new spiritual pressure leak out, just enough to make the air around him shimmer, "that you're about to learn the difference."
[DING! Philosophical burn detected! Style points awarded!]
The temperature in the square seemed to drop ten degrees. Chen Long's spiritual energy flared as he realized something had changed—Lin Feng wasn't radiating the broken desperation of a crippled cultivator anymore.
"That's impossible." Chen Long took a step back. "Your meridians are shattered. You can't even—"
"Couldn't," Lin Feng corrected. "Past tense."
He let his cultivation base manifest fully. Peak Qi Gathering, blazing clear enough for every cultivator in the square to sense.
The crowd went dead silent. Overnight breakthroughs were the stuff of legends, not something that happened to Green Leaf Town's biggest failure.
"Tricks!" Chen Long's voice cracked slightly. "You're using some kind of—"
"Test it."
Two words. Quiet, calm, and absolutely confident.
Chen Long's face went through several color changes, red to white to purple and back again. His spiritual energy started fluctuating wildly as anger warred with something that might have been fear.
"You dare challenge me?" The question came out as a roar. "I'll show everyone what happens when trash gets the wrong ideas!"
[Oh, he's really committed to this now. Target entering full rage mode. This is going to be therapeutic.]
"Chen Long, don't be hasty—" Elder Zhang tried to intervene from the crowd.
"Shut up!" Chen Long's aura exploded outward as he dropped into his combat stance. "I'll crush this bastard and remind everyone who rules this town!"
Iron Fist technique. His signature move, and probably the strongest thing in his arsenal. Spiritual energy coated his fists like metal gauntlets as he launched himself forward with everything he had.
Lin Feng waited.
And waited.
Then, almost casually, he raised his right hand and caught Chen Long's attack mid-strike.
The impact sent a shockwave rippling across the square, kicking up dust and making half the crowd stumble backward. When the air cleared, Chen Long stood frozen in place, his expression a perfect mask of disbelief.
His strongest attack. Stopped by one hand.
"Is that really all you've got?" Lin Feng's voice carried easily across the sudden silence. "I was expecting more from the 'genius of Green Leaf Town.'"
[Beautiful! Classic power demonstration! The crowd is about to collectively lose their minds!]
"How…" Chen Long's voice came out as a whisper. "This is impossible…"
"No." Lin Feng squeezed gently, and Chen Long's face went white with pain. "This is what happens when you misuse power."
A casual twist of his wrist sent Chen Long flying backward. He crashed through Mrs. Wu's fruit stand in a spectacular explosion of oranges and apples, coming to rest in a groaning heap among the scattered produce.
Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Even the birds seemed to have stopped singing.
Chen Long struggled to his feet, his expensive robes torn and stained with fruit juice. "This can't be happening. I'm Chen Long! My family—"
"Your family isn't here," Lin Feng said, walking slowly toward him. "It's just you and me. And everyone you've spent years terrorizing."
"Wait." Chen Long scrambled backward, all his earlier arrogance evaporating. "I was wrong. I apologize! I'll never bother you again!"
"No, you won't." Lin Feng raised his hand, spiritual energy beginning to gather around it like a small storm. "But not because you're apologizing. Because you're going to learn what it means to serve instead of taking."
"Please! I have money! My father can—"
"Can what? Buy your way out of consequences?" Lin Feng shook his head. "This isn't about money, Chen Long."
[Perfect setup for the mercy angle! Really drive home the character development!]
"Here's what's going to happen." Lin Feng's voice carried across the square for everyone to hear. "You're going to spend the next month making restitution to every person you've bullied. Furthermore, you'll spend two hours every day cleaning the town's streets. Community service."
Chen Long's mouth fell open. "Community service?"
"Unless you'd prefer I demonstrate what the Crushing Palm technique does to someone at your cultivation level?"
"No! No, community service is fine! Perfect! I choose community service!"
"Swear it on your dantian"
"Yes, yes"
[DING! Mission Complete: "Humble the Arrogant Fool"]
[Rewards: 500 System Points, Basic Alchemy Kit]
[Bonus Achievement: "Merciful Justice" - Your reputation with townsfolk has increased dramatically]
Elder Zhang stepped forward, his expression mixing amazement with approval. "Young Master Lin… I'll make sure he keeps his word."
"Thank you, Elder Zhang." Lin Feng turned to address the crowd. "Let this be a lesson for everyone. Real strength isn't about pushing down those weaker than you. It's about lifting people up."
The murmur that went through the crowd was completely different from before. Instead of mockery and disdain, he heard amazement, respect, and from several corners, whispered words of gratitude.
A middle-aged woman pushed through to the front, tears in her eyes. "Young Master Lin… thank you. My son… Chen Long broke his arm last month. We couldn't afford proper treatment."
More people came forward. Each with their own story of Chen Long's cruelty. Lin Feng listened to every one, his expression growing more serious with each tale.
[Host, you're developing quite the hero complex.]
"I understand," Lin Feng said when the stories finished. "Chen Long, it seems your debts are larger than we initially thought. We'll discuss the full extent tomorrow. For now, go home. Think about what kind of person you want to be."
Chen Long nodded frantically and stumbled away, his former followers trailing behind like beaten dogs.
As the crowd dispersed, still buzzing with excitement, Lin Feng felt something unexpected. Satisfaction, yes, but not the kind he'd imagined. This wasn't about personal glory or revenge. It was about actually making a difference.
[DING! Character development detected! Hero path officially unlocked!]
Walking back to his shack, Lin Feng found himself thinking about the system's earlier comment. "System, what exactly are you? Where did you come from?"
[Ah, the eternal questions! Unfortunately, Host, you're not high enough level for those answers yet. But I can tell you this—I was designed to help worthy individuals transcend their limitations. You passed the worthiness test when you chose mercy over revenge.]
"Worthiness test?"
[You had the power to crush Chen Long completely. To humiliate him beyond redemption. Instead, you chose a path that might actually help him grow. That's the mark of someone destined for greatness rather than tyranny.]
Lin Feng paused at his door. "And if I'd chosen differently?"
[Then you would have become just another powerful bully, destined to be defeated by the next protagonist who came along. The System doesn't create tyrants, Host. It creates legends.]
Back in his shack, examining the Basic Alchemy Kit the system had provided, Lin Feng couldn't help but smile. For the first time in either lifetime, he felt like he was on the right path.
The journey from trash to supreme was just beginning.
[DING! Daily Mission Available: "The Mysterious Herb Gathering"]
[Objective: Collect 10 Spirit Grass from the Whispering Woods]
[Warning: Area contains unknown dangers]
[Reward: Advanced Cultivation Technique Fragment]
[Accept mission? Y/N]
Lin Feng's eyes gleamed. "Accept."
[Excellent choice! But might I suggest some rest first? Even supreme beings need their beauty sleep.]
"System?"
[Yes, Host?]
"Thanks for the second chance."
[Don't mention it.]