Chapter 16: The Hungry Tiger Comes Calling (Part One)

This!
This!!
This!!!
Could this really be the Auxiliary Cultivation Manual?!
Shi Tiexin's mind was thunderstruck, his heart rocked beyond measure. The bold, shining characters were right there for him to see—there was no way not to believe it, but accepting it was another matter entirely.
At the Starworker Youth School—no, in the whole of Tumubao—the Auxiliary Cultivation Manual was a costly strategic resource. It was always in short supply on the market, and prices constantly climbed. Even qualified staff could not afford it for long. In fact, Shi Tiexin was seeing one for the very first time; he had never even known what the manual looked like before.
But these papers?
In the memories of that other consciousness, every so often the school would distribute a batch of papers for each subject. That is to say, every so often, they were given away for free!
Given away for free!!
The Auxiliary Cultivation Manual, handed out without charge!!
And not the kind that boosts speed by one or two percent, but high-quality manuals that directly enhance progress by twenty percent!
Shi Tiexin turned his head sharply to look at Zhao Qingmiao. That fellow was holding an entire stack of Auxiliary Cultivation Manuals—roughly forty sheets at a glance. If this stack were in Tumubao, that bean sprout would have been assaulted countless times already. But now, an ordinary bean sprout held it, utterly unguarded.
Auxiliary Cultivation Manuals were handed out in bulk, used up without worry, and more would be distributed over time. In his memory, there were even specialized instructors to correct mistakes and shortcomings in their use, and they openly shared knowledge, hiding nothing.
Is this the awe-inspiring dominance of the sacred land of Mind Technique cultivation? Is this the prestige of Phoenix Cry First High?
I yield. I, Old Iron, yield. This place truly deserves its reputation as a sanctuary; from now on, Shi Tiexin will fully make his way here!
However, it seemed that bean sprout wanted to reclaim the unused manuals—how could that be? I haven't used them yet! But apparently, this was the local custom. How could I keep them?
Bribery?

No money!
Threats?
Don't be ridiculous. The kid looked decent, and there were no grievances between them—threats would be beneath him.
The only thing left... was to say something nice and plead, see if he could bend the rules. But to ask for an exception right away—even Shi Tiexin felt embarrassed at the thought.
As he hesitantly turned around, he was startled to find Zhao Qingmiao already gone.
Does it even need to be said!
That big shot pulled out a blank sheet and slammed it onto the table, then glanced over with a gaze as fierce as if he would devour someone alive—the message was unmistakable. If I just stood there, was it to hear someone say, "I haven't done it"? If he slapped me, wouldn't it be my head that hurt?
These damned delinquent youths, quick to hit, quick to curse—truly infuriating!
Zhao Qingmiao felt aggrieved but dared not show it, returning to his seat to stew in silence. Yet after a moment, he surreptitiously glanced at Shi Tiexin, pushing his glasses, the lenses flashing icy white.
Hmph, arrogant—enjoy your arrogance while you can.
Strange as it sounded, he couldn't help but proudly proclaim—our trash class is not so easily navigated! Even the strongest dragon cannot suppress the local serpent. You, newcomer, so conspicuous, just wait for trouble to come knocking! I saw it last night: Zhou Nan was quite displeased. That troublemaker, full of cunning, would never willingly relinquish the position of Class Twenty-Eight's boss.
Looking around, Zhou Nan still hadn't shown up...
Perfect. He must be off recruiting reinforcements. When Zhou Nan returns, grabs you, and drags you to the black bathroom, you'll know what it means to regret bitterly!
Zhao Qingmiao was certain Zhou Nan was forging alliances.
Had Zhou Nan gone?
Of course he had.
And he went straight to the most ruthless crew in Phoenix Cry First High's freshman year—the infamous Black-Handed Hungry Tiger gang in Class Thirty, the top candidates for inheriting the Four Heavenly Kings, led by Teng Chaojie.
Among all the delinquent trash classes of the freshman year, if they were ranked by seniority, the top spot belonged to Liu Shufeng of Class Twenty-Nine. Though always acting foolish and spouting nonsense like "I, Liu Chuanfeng, am unbeatable," his strength was second only to Brother Dragon in the sophomore year, the sole freshman to seize a Four Heavenly Kings seat.

And Teng Chaojie was among the few who rivaled Liu Shufeng in power. His family seemed to wield considerable influence, and he was notorious for his ruthless, unrestrained brutality.
If Zhou Nan wanted to deal with Shi Tiexin, he would never approach Liu Shufeng; for all Liu could fight, act cool, and spar, he lacked any truly bad habits. No bad habits meant Zhou Nan would never see eye to eye with him.
Besides, if Liu Shufeng openly fought the newcomer and discovered a worthy adversary, sparking the kind of mutual respect found in hot-blooded manga, wouldn't that just hand the kid a powerful ally?
So in this situation, it was better to seek out the shameless, unscrupulous, vicious Teng Chaojie.
And Zhou Nan himself was wild, privy to secrets others knew nothing about. This time, driving the tiger to swallow the wolf, he was confident of success...

On a rooftop, several students draped in mechanical parts were puffing away, when Zhou Nan began shouting from afar.
"Brother Jie! Brother Jie, forgive me! I've come to atone for my sins, Brother Jie!"
The delinquents all turned, and their leader, a man with a sinister expression, stood up. He didn't look particularly tall or strong, his skin pale, face dotted with pimples, almost giving a pretty-boy impression. But his gaze was deeply unsettling, evil to the core.
He was Teng Chaojie.
"Oh, Nanzi's here." He took a deep drag, eyes darkly fixed on Zhou Nan. "What's up? Where's the cigarettes I asked you to buy?"
"I was just about to tell you!" Zhou Nan launched into his performance, aggrieved and angry. "Brother Jie, I had your cigarettes ready first thing yesterday morning, planning to deliver them last night. But then Zheng Fangtou showed up! Zheng Fangtou confiscated all the cigarettes, didn't leave a single one, Brother Jie!"
"Hmm?" Teng Chaojie's eyes narrowed dangerously. He inhaled deeply, picked up his cigarette, and suddenly jabbed it forward. The burning tip shot straight at Zhou Nan's face—startled, Zhou Nan watched as it only grazed his ear, sliding past his cheek.
A false alarm.
But the man's restraint seemed barely maintained.
"Damn it, are you sick?" Teng Chaojie spoke slowly, menacingly. "You lost my cigarettes and still came here to whine to me?"