The afternoon sun shone brightly over the school campus. The courtyard, which had been chaotic only minutes earlier, slowly returned to normal as students walked back toward their classrooms.
But the whispers had not stopped.
Everywhere Lin Tian passed, people were talking.
"Did you see how he broke the stick?"
"He defeated all three of them in seconds!"
"I didn't even know he could fight."
Lin Tian heard the murmurs clearly, but his expression remained calm.
For him, the attention was unnecessary.
In fact, it was dangerous.
He had learned an important lesson in his previous life: true strength should remain hidden until the right moment.
Fame attracted enemies.
Power attracted trouble.
And right now, Lin Tian needed peace in order to cultivate.
He walked quietly down the hallway toward his classroom.
The noise behind him slowly faded, but many students still glanced at him with curiosity.
When he entered the classroom, several of his classmates immediately looked up.
One boy near the door whispered to his friend, "That's him…"
Another student leaned forward.
"Lin Tian, is it true you beat Zhao Ming?"
Lin Tian placed his bag on his desk calmly.
"It was nothing," he replied simply.
But the class clearly didn't believe that.
"How can it be nothing?" another student said. "Three people attacked you!"
Lin Tian sat down by the window.
His gaze drifted toward the sky outside.
"It was just a misunderstanding," he said quietly.
His tone was so calm that the conversation slowly died down.
Most of the students eventually returned to their own activities.
However, one person continued watching him carefully.
It was a girl sitting two rows away.
Her name was Su Mei.
She was known as one of the smartest students in the class.
Quiet, observant, and rarely involved in school drama.
But her sharp eyes had seen the entire fight earlier.
And something about Lin Tian's movements bothered her.
They had been too precise.
Too controlled.
Almost effortless.
She leaned her chin on her hand, studying him silently.
"Something is different about him," she thought.
Meanwhile, Lin Tian seemed completely unaware of her gaze.
But in reality, he had already noticed.
His spiritual senses were much sharper now.
Even small changes in people's attention were easy for him to detect.
However, he pretended not to notice.
Drawing attention was the last thing he wanted.
Instead, he closed his eyes slightly and began focusing on his breathing.
A faint flow of spiritual energy circulated quietly through his body.
Of course, he was careful not to reveal anything.
Cultivating openly in a classroom would attract far too much suspicion.
But even a small amount of silent breathing practice helped maintain his energy flow.
As the afternoon classes passed, Lin Tian kept a low profile.
Whenever someone asked about the fight, he simply brushed it off.
"It wasn't a big deal."
"They just slipped."
"I was lucky."
Eventually, the rumors became less dramatic.
Instead of seeing him as some mysterious fighter, most students began assuming it had simply been a lucky accident.
Exactly what Lin Tian wanted.
After School
The final bell rang.
Students poured out of the classrooms and headed toward the school gates.
Lin Tian packed his bag slowly.
He waited until most of the crowd had left before standing up.
But as he walked toward the door, a voice stopped him.
"Lin Tian."
He turned around.
Su Mei was standing behind him.
Her expression was calm but curious.
"Yes?" Lin Tian asked.
She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"You're stronger than you pretend to be."
Lin Tian's eyes narrowed slightly.
But his expression remained neutral.
"I don't know what you mean."
Su Mei crossed her arms.
"I watched the whole fight."
Lin Tian said nothing.
She continued.
"Your movements were too precise. You didn't panic even once. And when you broke that stick… it didn't look difficult for you."
Lin Tian looked at her quietly.
This girl was more observant than most people.
But that didn't mean he needed to explain anything.
"You're overthinking it," he replied calmly.
Su Mei stared at him for several seconds.
Then she sighed.
"Fine. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't push."
She turned and began walking toward the door.
But before leaving, she said one more thing.
"Just be careful."
Lin Tian raised an eyebrow.
"Zhao Ming isn't the type to give up easily."
Then she left.
The classroom became quiet again.
Lin Tian stood there for a moment.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"That girl is smart."
But she was also right about one thing.
Zhao Ming would likely try to cause trouble again.
However, Lin Tian wasn't concerned.
Compared to the enemies he once faced in cosmic battles, a school bully meant nothing.
Still, hiding his true power remained important.
For now, he needed to appear ordinary.
An ordinary student.
An ordinary life.
At least until his cultivation grew stronger.
Lin Tian walked out of the school building and headed toward the street.
The evening sun painted the sky orange and gold.
As he walked home, he quietly focused on something else.
That mysterious energy he had sensed earlier.
It was still there.
Faint.
But persistent.
Hidden somewhere beyond the city.
Lin Tian's eyes glowed slightly with determination.
"That place…"
"It might be the key to my next breakthrough."
The path of cultivation had only just begun.
And Lin Tian intended to walk it silently.
Hidden in plain sight.
Until the day his true power could shake the heavens once again. ✨📖