After regaining consciousness, Jiang Xiang saw Lin Luo standing protectively before You Xun and Feier. Though he couldn’t possibly link Lin Luo to his mysterious displacement moments earlier, he recognized the stance of a guardian.

A crowd of classmates had gathered around them, tension thickening the air between Lin Luo and Jiang Xiang.

"So, you dare to stick your neck out too? *You?*" Jiang Xiang snarled, his face twisted with savage fury after the inexplicable incident. He shook a massive fist at Lin Luo. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way!"

Lin Luo remained silent. Having chosen to act, words were pointless.

His silence only escalated the danger.

"Jiang Xiang! You won’t bully Classmate Lin!" Li Wendong suddenly stepped in front of Lin Luo, voice trembling but resolute. "Lin is so slender, so delicate—how dare you raise a hand to him? I’d give my life to stop you!"

"And if you so much as touch Sister Lin’s pinky, Zhang Dajian, I’ll crush you!" Zhang Dajian moved to shield Lin Luo too, fully aware he stood no chance against the Awakened Jiang Xiang.

*Seriously? Where was this bravery when two actual delicate girls were being bullied?*

"Hmph. Playing the hero to save damsels?" Jiang Xiang’s laugh was ice-cold.

*Jiang Xiang, you’re dead.*

Unleashing his Awakened Barbarian strength, Jiang Xiang saw this as his chance to crush the class’s two strongest fighters and establish dominance by beating Lin Luo bloody.

"Today, you’ll witness Bro Xiang’s true power!"

"Go, Bro Xiang!"

"Teach them a lesson!"

His lackeys cheered wildly. Only Zhang Da, Jiang Xiang’s second-in-command, frowned deeply.

Like an enraged bear, Jiang Xiang charged at the trio.

Without Awakening, Li Ge and Zhang Da might have handled him. But now? Jiang Xiang’s raw power, amplified by his Barbarian Awakening, matched a Spark Level Two. How could ordinary students stand against that?

"Lin Luo!" You Xun, Feier, and Ziwan cried out in unison. This wasn’t childhood anymore—who could stop an Awakened beast?

Sweat beaded on Li Ge and Zhang Dajian’s foreheads as the hulking Jiang Xiang bore down on them—

Suddenly, a blur faster than any human eye could track flashed between Zhang Dajian and Li Ge.

***Thud!***

Lin Luo’s casual kick sent Jiang Xiang flying backward like a ragdoll—clear out of the camp.

Too fast.

To the class, it seemed Jiang Xiang charged… then simply vanished.

"Huh?!"

*Where’s Jiang Xiang?*

The camp fell eerily silent. Zhang Dajian and Li Ge still stood frozen in fighting stances. Jiang Xiang was gone.

"Lin Luo? When did you get in front of us? Where’s Jiang Xiang?" Zhang Dajian stammered, bewildered.

Classmates swiveled their heads, searching frantically.

"Bro Xiang! Bro Xiang~~!" His followers shouted, scouring the camp. No trace.

"What just happened? He was charging at us—poof! Gone?" Zhang Dajian muttered.

"Did… did he time-travel back?" Fei Zhai mused from the sidelines.

*If he really did, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.*

"I’ll… go check outside," Lin Luo said deliberately.

"Lin Luo, it’s dangerous out there. I’ll go with you," You Xun offered.

"No need. I’ll just scout near the camp. I’ll be fine." Lin Luo’s faint smile left the class utterly lost.

Beyond the camp, deep in the woods, Lin Luo found Jiang Xiang unconscious. He’d held back—no killing blow. But Jiang Xiang’s brutality was undeniable. Left unchecked, he’d become a true menace.

Lin Luo might not save lives, but the cosmic archives held other secrets.

A silent soul-seal shot from Lin Luo’s palm, piercing Jiang Xiang’s chest where his newly Awakened Spirit dwelled. It slithered into his Spirit Space, branding itself onto his core.

*That should suffice.*

Lin Luo turned back without finishing him or offering aid.

Unconscious in the forest, Jiang Xiang would never know: though he could Awaken and train like any other, his true strength would forever be capped at Spark Level One. No matter how hard he trained, he’d remain a Level One.

In the cultivation novels Lin Luo had read, transmigrators often possessed cheat-like techniques to slay higher-level foes.

Jiang Xiang? He might become the first transmigrator who could *only* fight enemies *below* his level.

This was the other world.

This was reality.

…

Much later, Jiang Xiang awoke with no memory of being kicked.

"Who… where am I?"

Bruised and battered for reasons unknown, he stumbled back to camp.

"Bro Xiang? What happened?"

"You’re hurt!"

His lackeys swarmed him.

"Joke’s on you—he can’t get hurt! Must be an Awakening allergy!" one blustered.

Dazed, Jiang Xiang spotted Lin Luo standing with You Xun and Feier. Memory flooded back—his confrontation with Lin Luo. Rage ignited.

"LIN LUO!" He jabbed a thick finger, roaring. Oblivious to his own disappearance.

"*Him again?*"

Lin Luo and Jiang Xiang faced off once more.

"Don’t fight him, Lin Luo! You can’t win!" Feier pleaded.

"As class monitor, I order you both to stand down!" You Xun’s voice, steadier now, cut through the tension.

Fight? Lin Luo had lost interest.

Watching Jiang Xiang’s "glorious" Level One life unfold in this harsh world held far more appeal.

Memories surfaced: back in Mystic City, Jiang Xiang had bullied him relentlessly—for looking too feminine, for being "weak." A cold smile flickered in Lin Luo’s heart.

*He doesn’t realize the forests here hold more than Goblins. Creatures far deadlier than a Level One brute. And Jiang Xiang… can’t even read a map.*

"Jiang Xiang," Lin Luo called out. "You’re strong in fights. But are you brave?"

"What did you say?" Jiang Xiang scowled, murder in his eyes. He’d meant to charge immediately—but a strange chill gripped him. His body ached with unexplained injuries, sapping his strength. The urge to swing faded.

"Dare to make a bet with me?" Lin Luo asked.

"A bet? What kind?" Though not sharp, Jiang Xiang—a Mystic City gangster—was a gambler at heart. He leaned in eagerly.

"You’re such a great hunter. How about we see who bags more prey tomorrow? There are… *plump* targets nearby." Lin Luo’s tone was light.

*Yes. Plump prey. Jackalmen… and deeper in the woods, unimaginable "encounters."*

The class froze.

"*What?*" Jiang Xiang’s swollen face twisted in disbelief. "You? Those twig arms couldn’t lift a doe! You think you can hunt?"

*He truly knows nothing of power.*

"Lin Luo, betting against Bro Xiang on hunting? Kid, that’s playing with fire," Zhang Da mused, grass dangling from his lips.

Boys shook their heads. Why provoke Jiang Xiang after his bizarre disappearance? No one connected the dots—it was unthinkable.

"Well," Lin Luo continued smoothly, hand resting lightly on his forehead, "I won’t be alone. We can each pick teammates. We’d hunt tomorrow anyway—food doesn’t gather itself. Why not make it interesting?"

Jiang Xiang tilted his head. *Makes sense.* His eyes gleamed viciously. "What’s the wager?"

"If I win," Lin Luo’s gaze sharpened, "you kneel before the whole class and apologize to the monitor and Han Lianfei."

"*Lin Luo…*" You Xun and Feier’s hearts swelled with warmth.

"You little—!" Jiang Xiang’s face darkened. Confident of victory, he sneered, "And if *you* lose, girly-boy? What could you possibly bet?"

"*Me?* Lose?"

"…"

Lin Luo had overlooked one thing.

He’d never considered *losing*. What *was* his stake?

Every eye locked onto him. Tension crackled. Helplessness flickered in Lin Luo’s eyes—

A fragrant breeze swept past him. Han Lianfei stepped forward, her ample bosom straining against her robe. "Whoever wins…" she declared, voice clear, "gets to have me as their companion for an entire evening."

"WHOA?!" The class erupted in electrified gasps.