NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: Opening the System Mall
"What condition..."
Lin Feng couldn't help but ask.
"It's simple,"
Jiang Chen replied indifferently, "Just take one move from me and let me vent my anger."
'As expected!'
'He wants to make my life worse than death!'
'With my current mortal body, if I'm maimed by him, it really would be better to just die!'
Lin Feng clenched his fists tightly, his hatred for Jiang Chen growing deeper.
Not far away,
Li Kai and Liu Qing's expressions changed as they hesitated to step forward, but ultimately couldn't bring themselves to do so.
An Upper Grade Clarity Awakening Pill was simply too precious!
"What?"
"Weren't you once the center of attention? Don't you have the courage to take just one move from me?"
The corner of Jiang Chen's mouth curled into a cold, mocking smile.
"I... Accept!!!"
Lin Feng roared quietly, knowing that he had no other choice at the moment.
"Good."
"I'll only use one finger."
Jiang Chen nodded slightly and took a step towards Lin Feng.
Tap tap tap...
The sound of footsteps seemed to strike Lin Feng's chest like a hammer, his body tensing as cold sweat soaked his back.
The surrounding disciples looked at Lin Feng with indifference.
Li Kai and Liu Qing averted their eyes, unable to bear watching any longer.
The crowd seemed to envision Lin Feng's even more miserable future.
At that moment,
Jiang Chen raised his right hand and pointed a finger out across the air.
A circular stream of air burst from the tip of his finger, turning into a ripple the size of a basin and fiercely striking Lin Feng's chest and abdomen.
Bang...!
Lin Feng cried out in pain, his body flying backward and rolling three times on the ground before spitting out a mouthful of blood with a retch.
However, the surrounding disciples were all stunned.
They could easily tell that Jiang Chen hadn't struck with full force.
"What—what's going on?"
"Senior Brother Jiang actually struck so lightly?"
"All that build-up, but the outcome is so mild!?"
"With Li Kai and Liu Qing already retreated, why doesn't Senior Brother Jiang just beat Lin Feng to the point of maiming him?"
"..."
The surrounding disciples stared wide-eyed at the scene, unable to believe what had just transpired.
"You..."
Lin Feng propped up his trembling body with one arm and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his heart a mixture of relief and shocked disbelief.
He, too, couldn't believe that Jiang Chen had struck so gently.
Under that single finger, he sustained injuries that were difficult to heal, but not nearly as severe as the expected fate worse than death!
"Leave."
At that moment, Jiang Chen raised his head and squinted at Lin Feng, gently waving his right hand.
Hearing those words,
Lin Feng, without dwelling on the doubts in his heart, got up from the ground and dragged his aching body towards the mountain gate.
Gradually, his figure vanished into the mountain path.
"Senior Brother Jiang just let him go?"
"I think I understand now; we were mistakenly judging a gentleman with the heart of a villain. Senior Brother Jiang has never been that narrow-minded!"
"From the very beginning, Senior Brother Jiang was genuinely trying to help Lin Feng remain within the sect. It's just that the crippled Lin Feng didn't realize it!"
"True, Lin Feng rejected Senior Brother Jiang's help and brushed him off, yet Senior Brother Jiang still spared him lightly. Such magnanimity is truly admirable!"
"..."
The surrounding disciples couldn't help but whisper among themselves as they gazed at Jiang Chen, who stood with one hand behind his back and remained motionless.
Li Kai and Liu Qing looked at Jiang Chen with eyes filled with even greater gratitude.
"Alright, let's all disperse."
Jiang Chen glanced at the crowd and offered a light smile.
Little did they know that as a villain, he was eager to be rid of Lin Feng as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, due to his opponent's Son of Heavenly Fate status, he didn't dare to kill him outright.
His last condition for Lin Feng was meant to suppress and injure him.
The outcome was indeed satisfying.
At that moment, the two system prompts from earlier still seemed to echo in Jiang Chen's mind:
[Ding! You have successfully injured protagonist Lin Feng. Lin Feng's Heavenly Fortune value is temporarily reduced by 100 points (the maximum Heavenly Fate Value remains unchanged) and will recover after the injury heals.]
[Ding! You have gained 200 points of Villain Value!]
'Now the Villain Value is at 1100 points!'
'It's time to open the System Mall and redeem treasures. The anticipation is so thrilling, I'd better return to my residence first, lest I can't help but burst into laughter later!'
With that thought in mind, Jiang Chen suppressed his excitement, took a step forward, and soared off towards another mountain path.
Although a Spiritual Awakening Realm practitioner is already capable of flying through the air, doing so at their current realm consumes a significant amount of spiritual energy. As such, it is more efficient to fly by utilizing the force of the ground.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Chen arrived at the top of a cliff shrouded in clouds and mist.
A small pavilion with a courtyard had been constructed on the summit, serving as his residence.
He entered through the courtyard's protective formation.
"System!"
"Open the System Mall!"
Jiang Chen arrived in the quiet room and immediately issued commands to the System in his mind.
[Ding! Your Villain Value has met the requirement; the System Mall is now open!]
[Ding! Congratulations on opening the System Mall. You have obtained the Heaven-Defying Fate Changer 'Villain's Eye'!]
[Ding! The current System Mall is Level 1. Accumulating 10,000 Black Heavenly Fate points will unlock the Level 2 Mall!]
[Ding! You have a Level 1 Mall Gift Pack*1 available for claim!]
"..."
With the system prompt, a pair of illusory panels, visible only to Jiang Chen, materialized before him.
However, Jiang Chen didn't have the energy to examine them at that moment.
Due to the fusion of the Heaven-Defying Fate Changer, Villain's Eye, his eyes were undergoing a dramatic transformation!
After a while, the change finally ceased.
"It's finally over!"
Jiang Chen apprehensively took out a mirror.
Upon closer inspection, his eyes didn't appear to have changed at all; they looked exactly as they had before.
It was then that some information emerged in his mind.
[Villain's Eye: Capable of observing special status targets such as protagonists, heroines, quasi-heroines, supporting characters... Displays the basic information of the target.
The basic information includes their name, identity, and Heavenly Fate Value...]
"Wow!"
"With this, I'll be able to monitor the main character's Heavenly Fate Value!"
"When the protagonist's Heavenly Fate Value is weakened to the 'Decapitation Line,' I will be the first to know and seize the opportunity to eliminate him!"
"Moreover, I can also identify people who are close to the protagonist, discover more weaknesses through them, and prevent them from going undercover by my side."
"Tsk, this Villain's Eye is simply too powerful!"
Jiang Chen rubbed his hands together in delight.
Unfortunately, there was no one around for him to test his new ability on.
So, he reluctantly set it aside for now and turned his attention to the System Mall panel.
The illusory panel had four sections: 'Cultivation Methods', 'Medicinal Pills & Elixirs', 'Artifacts' and 'Others'.
Although the current System was only at Level 1, all four categories were accessible!
"Level 1 System Mall."
"Even though it's Level 1, it's incredible... it's possible to exchange for Heavenly Origin Realm treasures at the highest level!"
Jiang Chen's eyes widened as he gazed at the dazzling array of various treasures in the System Mall.
His heart raced, pounding like an ever-quickening drumbeat!
A Heavenly Origin Realm practitioner was already a formidable individual, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas. With a single strike, they could unleash devastating disasters at will.