This entry is suspicious.

The rooftop of the teaching building.

The students gathered in small groups to smoke and chat. They were all senior high school students who were about to take the college entrance examination. The pressure on each of them was so great that they would go crazy if they didn't take a break to smoke a couple of cigarettes.

Given that most senior high school students are already over 18 years old and have reached the Qi Refining stage, the school does not strictly control this. Occasionally, when they come up to patrol, they only give verbal warnings if they are caught, which makes the rooftop a gray area in the school.

"Brothers, the sword cultivation major is expanding its enrollment again this year. I think I can get in."

"Go to hell! Expanding enrollment for these popular majors will only drive the cutoff scores sky-high. Last year, when sword cultivation expanded its enrollment, the number of applicants tripled compared to previous years, and the cutoff score rose by 20 points. My mom said that sword cultivation is definitely going to be a total idiot this year, and she wants me to apply for talisman cultivation as a safety net."

"I feel... it's not as good as civil engineering."

"Civil engineering is completely outdated. Go sit at the same table as computer science. You might as well go to a vocational school and learn prosthetic body repair instead."

"Is no one considering the medical field?"

"Holy crap, buddy, you've been driven crazy by the pressure. Is this something a human should learn? Come on, have some ice-cold menthol cigarettes to wake you up. My dad brought these back from his trip to Antarctica. They've mixed in a few milligrams of ice."

"Wow, awesome...!"

Beside him, Zhao Ting frowned slightly and quietly moved away from the drifting smoke.

Extreme ice is a rare and precious material that can only be mined in extremely cold regions. After a series of processing steps, the products made from it can dispel mental fatigue, refresh the mind, and cool the soul. It is undoubtedly a life-saving medicine for high school seniors whose mental tension is at its limit.

However, excessive smoking can have side effects, such as hallucinating fighting penguins.

Zhao Ting disliked the smell of cigarettes. If it were his classmates, he would have already told them to put out their cigarettes. However, he felt a bit insecure facing this group of senior high school students. Even from this distance, he could feel the violent and anxious aura emanating from them. The pressure was tangible. If he really angered them, they would dare to hit him.

Fortunately, Xie Shanshan brought Zhou Ran there at that moment.

As soon as Zhou Ran stepped onto the rooftop, two burly male classmates came up to her from the left and right, silently blocking her way.

"Sorry, I'm just doing this for money."

Xie Shanshan, completely devoid of her previous shyness, threw those words at Zhou Ran and quickly ran to the side to watch the show.

You have resolved a golden incident.

[Life Mark +1]

Xie Shanshan's mission was to lure Zhou Ran to the rooftop. Now that Zhou Ran has arrived, the conditions for resolving the incident are naturally met.

To Xie Shanshan's surprise, Zhou Ran's expected panic did not materialize. He remained calm and looked at the two burly male classmates beside him: "Who are you?"

"Ignore them, Zhou Ran, let's talk."

Zhao Ting stood with his hands behind his back, followed by a row of followers, each with their arms crossed, making quite a grand entrance. He himself was the biggest one in the group, clearly indicating that he was preparing to pursue a physical cultivation path.

"Hmm? This is going to be interesting. Will a fight break out?"

The others on the rooftop perked up at the sight, their faces beaming with excitement, eager to see what would happen.

[Zhao Ting], [Seventh Level of Enlightenment], [Thirtieth in Grade], [Tutoring Center Owner], [Proud and Arrogant], [Physical Cultivator], [Fitness Maniac], [Power Supremacist]...

Zhou Ran looked up and immediately understood—it was Zhao Ting.

Zhao Ting runs a tutoring center at the school, and his business is booming. Naturally, he won't allow anyone else to get a piece of the pie. Recently, his business has grown bigger and bigger, and Zhao Ting must have received the news. This is a show of force to him.

"Zhao Ting, I know you."

Zhou Ran showed no sign of nervousness despite the overwhelming number of opponents; he even kept his hands in his pockets.

"Then you should know why I called you here. You have two days to close your tutoring center. If you dare to take in any more students... be careful on your way home from school. Final exams are coming up soon, so don't accidentally break an arm."

When Zhao Ting saw that even with so many people he had brought, he still couldn't overwhelm the other party in terms of momentum, he knew that Zhou Ran was no ordinary person and that he had to play for real.

Using sacks to commit heinous acts... it's not like we haven't done it before!

"I should be the one saying these things to you."

Zhou Ran calmly said, "You have one week to close your tutoring center and transfer all students and tutors to me. Otherwise, I will break your limbs during this monthly exam practice."

It's just a threat, anyone can do that.

The monthly exam practice allows students to choose their opponents from across the entire grade, and many people use this opportunity to settle personal scores.

"oh!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the rooftop erupted in chaos. The senior students watching were in an uproar. This was no longer just making threats; it was a blatant provocation.

"This kid really dares to say that."

"Are all first-year high school students this wild these days?"

The senior students in grades 11 and 12 were greatly shocked and immediately became excited, looking forward to a real fight between the two sides, preferably with blood on the spot, to give everyone some fun.

"Zhou Ran, don't be stubborn. I'm doing you a favor by bringing you here to talk, so you'd better accept it," Zhao Ting said calmly, composing himself.

"I'm giving you the same advice. I'm giving you seven days, which is a favor to you. You'd better be grateful." Zhou Ran didn't back down an inch.

Zhao Ting's eyes finally flashed with cold light, and he was truly enraged.

Originally, he only intended to threaten and teach Zhou Ran a lesson so that he would obediently shut down the tutoring class and that would be the end of it. He didn't expect Zhou Ran to be so arrogant and want to mess with him.

Physical cultivators have abundant qi and blood, and their internal heat is naturally intense. At this moment, with a surge of anger, Zhao Ting wished he could punch the person on the spot.

However, it is absolutely impossible to hit someone at school. On the one hand, it violates school rules, and on the other hand, if you are caught hitting someone, you will be held legally responsible and have to pay compensation. One punch could cost at least 200,000 yuan, and if it gets out of hand, it will be difficult to explain to the parents.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Ting forcibly suppressed his anger: "Since you're so stubborn, let's see you in the monthly exam. I want to see if your methods are as tough as your words."

Zhou Ran casually picked at his ear and blew on it lightly: "That's it?"

"Bringing so many people here, and you think that's all? You're such a failure as a leader. You've no future following him. You'd be better off coming to me; the treatment there will definitely be better."

The followers behind him exchanged bewildered glances, while Zhao Ting's forehead veins bulged, his temples throbbed, and he stared intently at Zhou Ran as if he wanted to tear him to pieces.

"Want to make a move? Come on."

Zhou Ran pulled his hand out of his pocket, instantly switching to a fighting expression, but after waiting for a while, seeing that Zhao Ting showed no intention of making a move, he was greatly disappointed.

"You're too scared to fight but you're acting like a gangster? That's pointless. I'm going back to class."

Zhou Ran waved his hand and turned to walk back.

The next second, he froze.

Suddenly, Song Ci and Ming Shu appeared at the entrance to the rooftop.

No wonder Zhao Ting didn't dare to make a move... Zhou Ran instantly understood. With Ming Shu, the top student in the grade, there was no reason why Zhao Ting wouldn't dare to overstep his bounds, no matter how angry he was.

What a pity, they were trying to scam people out of their money.

"What brings you here?" Zhou Ran greeted them.

"...The bottle says you might be in trouble."

Ming Shu decisively betrayed his teammates and shifted the blame to Song Ci, but in reality, he rushed over in a hurry after hearing that Zhou Ran had been confessed to.

She forcefully controlled her blood flow to prevent it from rushing to her face. She had heard everything Zhou Ran said just now, and he was really... so handsome and domineering!

"Oh right, right, right." Song Ci nodded, pointing at Xie Shanshan, "I knew she wasn't a good person a long time ago. What kind of good person would confess their love and then take the other person to the rooftop?"

Xie Shanshan didn't dare to speak. First, Song Ci was ranked higher than her, and second, the top student in the grade was right next to her. The poor students didn't even have the right to speak.

"I didn't realize you were so clever. Thanks, but this is between Zhao Ting and me."

Zhou Ran didn't really want to owe them a favor.

Favors are the hardest things to repay.

Meeting Zhou Ran's gaze, Ming Shu forced himself to remain composed, his voice calm: "Since there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

After saying that, he pulled Song Ci and turned to go downstairs without any hesitation.

Zhou Ran then turned to Zhao Ting and said, "Now that they're gone, you can make a move anytime you want."

Zhao Ting's face was terribly gloomy. Why would Ming Shu come? Did Zhou Ran and Ming Shu know each other? No, no, no... it should just be Song Ci who dragged Ming Shu here. Song Ci is in Zhou Ran's tutoring class.

But this connection is something we can't afford to ignore; it's from the top student in the grade!

If Ming Shu were to say something like, "Zhou Ran's tutoring ability is better than Zhao Ting's," his tutoring class would immediately lose all its students!

Zhao Ting's eyes flickered; this time he had truly encountered a tough opponent and had to handle the situation with caution.

Let's find someone to subtly inquire whether Ming Shu and Zhou Ran have any relationship.

……

What happened on the rooftop quickly spread throughout the entire school thanks to the older students.

Before the morning was even over, Zhou Ran had already become a rising star on campus.

However, because he had been too withdrawn and introverted in the past, 95% of his classmates had never spoken a word to him, so not many people came to support him, and most people avoided him like the plague.

After all, Zhao Ting is very influential in the grade, and everyone is afraid of offending him, in case they get caught in the crossfire.

The situation was completely different for Ming Shu; during each break, someone would come to inquire about his condition.

Everyone was curious about her relationship with Zhou Ran. Some were just gossiping, some were secretly in love with Ming Shu and came to gather intelligence, and some were spies hired by Zhao Ting.

As we all know, when someone has a crush on another person, they will try their best to hide their feelings, for fear that others will find out.

Ming Shu was in this situation. She couldn't openly say that she knew Zhou Ran. If someone asked her "how well you know each other" or "are you very close?", she was afraid that she would give herself away if she didn't keep a straight face.

So she simply shifted the blame to Song Ci, claiming that Song Ci had dragged her to help.

What was said unintentionally was taken seriously by the listener; in Zhao Ting's ears, it took on a completely different meaning.

"Good, Ming Shu and Zhou Ran have nothing to do with each other, then I'm relieved. As for Song Ci... her family has some influence, but it's definitely not enough for her to get her family involved for Zhou Ran's sake."

In the classroom, Zhao Ting's eyes were gloomy. Kid, you asked for this!

In the afternoon, the second period had just ended.

Zhou Ran suddenly received messages from several students.

"Zhou Ran, I'm sorry, I have something to do and I can't come to the tutoring session for the time being."

"Zhou Ran, I'm having some financial problems. I probably won't be able to go to tutoring this month. I'll come back to you next month when I have the money."

The messages were remarkably consistent, all indicating that they could not attend tutoring sessions for the time being.

It's obvious that this was Zhao Ting's doing. He found these students offline and, whether through coercion or bribery, made them all sever ties with him.

Zhou Ran could understand; it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.

That's good. This way, I can spend more time on cultivation. After I crush Zhao Ting in the next monthly exam, I won't have to worry about not having students.

……

night.

Inside the training room.

Song Ci was not threatened by Zhao Ting at all, so she continued to come for tutoring. However, to Zhou Ran's surprise, one of her classmates still came for tutoring even though she was threatened.

[Shen Fei], [Sixth Level of Enlightenment], [281st in Grade], [Anime/Manga Enthusiast], [Gaming Master], [Constructionist], [Cynical]... [Tutoring Threat (Gold)], [Peach Blossom Dream (Gold)]

Shen Fei is a student in Class 2 of the first year of high school. He is slightly thin, his hair is always messy, and his schoolbag is covered with anime badges and keychains. He is the ultimate otaku who can spend money like crazy on his anime characters.

Zhou Ran was puzzled as this person ignored Zhao Ting's threats and continued to attend tutoring sessions: "Aren't you afraid Zhao Ting will cause you trouble?"

"I'm not here for tutoring, I need your help."

Zhou Ran was stunned.

Shen Fei cut to the chase: "I heard you've encountered some strange events before, so you must have a lot of experience. I've recently run into something weird, and I wonder if you can help me solve it."

Zhou Ran was even more taken aback: "If you encounter something strange, go to the relevant department. Why are you coming to me?"

"I don't trust any government agency," Shen Fei said seriously.

Zhou Ran glanced at the [Cynical] and [Establishment Player] icons above the other person's head and said, "Fine."

"What about private offices?"

"Too expensive, I can't afford it."

...Well, that's a really simple reason.

Zhou Ran scratched his head: "Then tell me what happened to you."

He guessed it was the "Peach Blossom Dream" above Shen Fei's head.

The entry for this event has been there ever since I met Shen Fei, but because Shen Fei is rather reserved, there has never been a suitable opportunity to subtly bring it up.

Unexpectedly, Shenfei came to us today.

The gold-level event entry has a low danger factor, and Zhou Ran wouldn't mind taking some time to help resolve it and obtain a life rune.

"About a month ago, I won a limited edition item from a virtual YouTuber, this is it."

As Shen Fei spoke, he took out a pendant from his pocket. The round crystal case contained a relief of a girl in a gorgeous dress. The girl had her eyes closed, a faint smile on her lips, and her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall. She exuded a dreamy and sweet aura.

"Ever since I got this pendant, I've had erotic dreams every night, dreaming of being intimate with a stunningly beautiful girl. These are no ordinary dreams; the feelings in them are terrifyingly real."

Shen Fei said seriously, "You've all had erotic dreams, right? Dreams are projections of the subconscious, but since we've never actually engaged in sexual activity, we lack the material at crucial moments and can't get to the key step."

"But in my dreams, everything felt so real. The touch, the temperature, even the scent of her body when I breathed were exactly the same as in reality. Every time, it made me feel like I was in heaven, and I could even remember every detail clearly after I woke up."

"Alas."

Song Ci looked disgusted, how could she finish speaking without batting an eye? How disgusting... This is practically sexual harassment, isn't it?

Zhou Ran coughed lightly: "You can continue."