Douluo Dalu: Sword!

Chapter 4: Dormitory Five — Showing Strength

Dormitory Five, a large yet simple room with ten wooden beds lined up against the walls, plunged into a tense silence.

The nine occupants present, all of whom appeared to be at least a year or two older than Gu Lin, stopped what they were doing.

The child's arrival was an anomaly. He didn't look like a working student. His clothes, though simple, were new and clean. His long black hair, impeccably tied back with a leather ribbon, and his delicate, serious face screamed "young master."

"Hey, kid. Aren't you in the wrong dorm?" The voice of one of the older students, a sturdy-looking boy, broke the silence.

There was a hint of mockery in his words. "The nobles' dormitories, for the paying students, are on the other side of the academy. This is where the working students sleep."

Gu Lin swept his dark, piercing eyes over the group. He wasn't intimidated. In his past life, he had faced boardrooms with executives far more dangerous than a few simple teenagers.

"I'm not in the wrong place," he replied, his voice sounding much calmer and more mature than his appearance suggested. "I am a working student, just like you."

"Hahaha!"

A tall, rough-looking boy with thick arms and a scar on his eyebrow stepped forward.

He was Shan Cong, the unofficial leader of the dormitory, and also the strongest among them so far. He crossed his arms, his muscles flexing against his uniform.

He saw Gu Lin's appearance and felt a pang of irritation. The boy was too handsome, too calm. He seemed like easy prey to further reinforce his authority in this room.

"A working student, are you?" Shan Cong sneered. "You don't look like one. Answer me, then. How old are you? What is your martial soul, and more importantly, what is your spirit power level?" It was a clear interrogation, as if offering no choice for refusal.

Gu Lin met his gaze directly, without looking away.

He had no time or interest in power games, but he knew that a show of force now would save him a lot of trouble in the future. The quickest way to earn respect in this world was through power.

"Six years old," he began, and a murmur ran through the room. He looked as if he were eight. "Martial soul, Sword."

"And the level?" Shan Cong pressed, impatient.

Gu Lin paused for a second before dropping the bomb. "Level ten."

If the room was silent before, it was now completely mute. Shock. Utter disbelief. Innate level ten? A genius that only appeared once a century? That was impossible.

"You're lying!" shouted a skinny boy named Li Wei, his face contorted with envy. "Prove it!"

Gu Lin didn't answer with words. He simply extended his right hand. With a low hum that made the air vibrate, a magnificent longsword materialized in his palm.

The blade was a deep black, like a fragment of the night, and through it ran thin purple lines that pulsed with a sinister light, like lightning trapped in glass.

The hilt appeared to be made of a dark, somber material, like obsidian. An aura of cold, cutting power emanated from the weapon, causing several students to instinctively take a step back.

"Wow..." The gasp came from the four girls in the room. Their eyes were fixed on the sword and the boy holding it.

"What an incredible martial soul!" said one of them, her face flushed.

"And it's not just the Martial Soul. He's also very handsome, besides being a genius!" whispered another.

Their open admiration was like fuel on a fire for Li Wei's envy. He, who was born with his spirit power at only level 3 and a common wolf martial soul, had never received such a look.

Seeing this newcomer, younger and more handsome, stealing all the attention was too much for him to bear. Rationality vanished, replaced by blind rage.

"That proves nothing! It must be fake! A mere tool martial soul can't have such strong spirit power!" he roared.

In the blink of an eye, Li Wei burst into action.

His body hunched over, and a white spirit ring shone beneath his feet. His hands transformed into sharp, gray wolf claws, and he leaped toward Gu Lin, aiming for the boy's face with a savage swipe.

"Kyaaa!"

The others' reactions were slow. The girls screamed in fright. Shan Cong's eyes widened, surprised by Li Wei's stupidity.

But for Gu Lin, the attack was a blur in slow motion.

'Stupid. I killed a Spirit Beast when I wasn't even a Spirit Master. You think you can touch me with your meager strength?' He smirked, but didn't say it out loud.

He could see every muscle contracting in Li Wei's body, the trajectory of his claws, the expression of fury on his face.

Without a shred of panic, Gu Lin took a single, small step to the side.

It was a movement so subtle and precise that it seemed he had barely moved at all. Li Wei's claws passed millimeters from his cheek, cutting only air. The attacker, unbalanced by missing his target, stumbled forward.

'Now it's my turn!'

Before Li Wei could recover, Gu Lin acted. He didn't use his sword; it wasn't necessary. His body, trained by the Star Jade Body Path, was a weapon in itself. He pivoted on his heel, a fluid and graceful motion that contrasted with the violence of what followed.

Woosh!

His foot moved in an upward arc, glowing with a faint layer of spirit power.

Bang!

The leather boot met Li Wei's chin with a dull, sickening thud. The impact was brutal. No one saw the kick clearly, only a blur.

"Gaah!"

Li Wei's body was thrown up and back, like a rag doll. He flew across the room, over one of the beds, and slammed hard against the wooden wall on the other side before collapsing to the floor in an unconscious heap. A trickle of blood ran from his mouth, and he likely had a few broken teeth.

Silence.

A deadly, heavy, and absolute silence. Everyone, including Shan Cong, stared with wide eyes, first at Li Wei's inert body, and then back at Gu Lin.

The six-year-old boy stood in the same spot, his posture relaxed, as if nothing had happened. His Sword Martial Soul was still in his hand, the purple lines pulsing gently. His expression was the same as before: calm, serious, almost bored.

Shan Cong swallowed hard.

Icy fear replaced his arrogance. That wasn't a fight. It was a suppression. The speed, the precision, the strength... This kid wasn't an ordinary genius; he was a monster.

He knew that even if he had joined Li Wei in the attack, they would have both been beaten together.

"He... he's incredible!" one of the girls finally broke the silence, her voice a mixture of fear and admiration.

Gu Lin glanced at them.

They were pretty, yes, but very childish. In his previous world, on Earth, they could all be considered first-class beauties, capable of becoming celebrities. But in his mind, the images of Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were the standard of heavenly beauty.

None of them in this room could compare.

He shook his head internally, dismissed his sword, and completely ignored the commotion.

Calmly, he walked to the only empty bed in the farthest corner, tossed his small bag of clothes onto it, and without a care for the body on the floor or the shocked stares, he sat down in a lotus position.

He closed his eyes, and the outside world disappeared. He sank into his meditation, circulating the energy of the Star Jade Body Path, feeling it nourish every cell of his being.

***

Hours passed. The sun set and rose.

Inside the dormitory, no one dared to disturb Gu Lin. Shan Cong ordered two boys to take Li Wei to the infirmary and warned everyone in a stern voice not to provoke the "Little Demon."

Unknowingly, in a single day, a new order had been established in that dormitory.

"Hm?"

Gu Lin suddenly felt a light touch on his shoulder. He finished his cultivation cycle and opened his eyes. A faint greenish glow, a remnant of his technique, shimmered in his pupils before vanishing.

In front of him, a gentle-looking girl named Mei Ling stood beside him, looking nervous.

"Uh... hello. It's morning already," she said. "It's your turn to clean the east field. The teacher left a notice."

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know."

Gu Lin nodded, his face as impassive as ever. But as he prepared to stand, his stomach, empty for more than a day, betrayed his facade. A loud, embarrassing growl echoed in the quiet room.

For the first time, a different color appeared on his face. A faint blush crept up his cheeks.

He stood up quickly and left the dormitory without another word, his head slightly lowered.

Mei Ling, seeing that rare crack in his apparent armor of indifference, couldn't help but smile.

Maybe he wasn't a monster, after all.

.

.

An hour later, the work was done.

Gu Lin went to the cafeteria, his stomach protesting loudly. But his steps suddenly slowed, gradually stopping as he noticed the person in his line of sight.

"Isn't that..."

Across the courtyard, he saw the most energetic girl he had ever met: a long scorpion-shaped braid down to her buttocks, a pink outfit, pink stockings, and an aura of contagious joy.

Xiao Wu.

He recognized her instantly and also noticed Tang San's absence from the group.

'Grandmaster must have taken him to get his first spirit ring, probably. It seems the story is proceeding as it should, even with my presence,' he thought, but made no move to approach.

There was no reason for him to. Their paths, for now, were different. He simply walked past them and went his own way.

In the cafeteria, he grabbed a generous portion of food and sat alone, planning his next steps.

First, go to the Spirit Hall in Nuoding to register. The official status of a Spirit Master came with benefits. Then, money. He needed a lot of money to buy more resources for his cultivation. That meant hunting more Spirit Beasts.

Not only that, but he also needed to increase his own battle experience. His cultivation technique came with special moves, but he still needed to train to use them skillfully.

As he was lost in thought, two shadows fell over him, blocking the light from the front.

He looked up. Two older students, wearing the higher-quality uniforms of the paying students, were standing in front of his table. Their expressions were arrogant and their gazes, hostile.

"Look what we have here," one of them said with a sneer. "A working dog trying to pass as a person. We heard you caused some trouble in the dorm yesterday."