1 Chapter 1 Public Opinion_1

Tianyuan Federation, Taibai Kingdom.

Hanyang University in Zanglong City.

In a not so dense woodland clearing, Li Pin, wearing a light blue short-sleeved t-shirt, was practicing a set of fist techniques.

The fist strength seemed average, as if the purpose was health preservation.

After a moment, a smile appeared on his face.

"Just as I thought, Soul Fusion has caused some special changes in me. I can precisely sense even the slightest enhancements in my cells, the slightest elevations in my Qi and blood. From these changes, I have formulated a new training program, increasing the efficiency of strengthening my Qi and blood by 2.4 times."

2.4 times.

In other words, what would have taken him a year to reach his peak, now only takes five months.

Yet, this is not the limit.

With continued attempts, he can become even faster.

"Ding Ling Ling!"

At that moment, the ringing of a phone echoed.

Li Pin's fist techniques stuttered, but he continued.

The phone continued to ring incessantly.

He did not react.

On one hand, his set of fist techniques was not yet complete.

On the other hand, he didn't know how to respond.

Anyone would feel unsettled if they suddenly acquired a strange mother out of the blue.

The phone rang persistently.

Only after about fifty seconds did the sound stop.

Less than half a minute later, the phone started ringing again.

"Avoidance is never the solution to a problem."

Li Pin took out his phone from his pocket and answered it.

Soon after, a voice full of worry and concern came through: "Son, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Li Pin answered.

"That's good, so good. Mom...I'm just worried about you …"

"I won't behave foolishly anymore."

Li Pin was the first to give her a definite answer.

"Good, good, Mom trusts you. Do you need any money, if not, Mom will send you some more."

"No need, I still have some."

"Take it anyway. You're about to look for work and internships out there. It'll be hard so you need to eat well."

"Mm, I understand."

Li Pin answered.

From the phone, the woman's voice chattered on for several minutes before finally saying, "Your sister wants to talk to you."

Soon after, a soft and tender voice rang out: "Li Pin, I bought you a Condensing Soul Incense. When can you come home and try contemplating?"

"Condensing Soul Incense?"

Li Pin scowled: "One costs tens of thousands, where did you get the money?"

"Don't worry about it. Your sister has saved some money from working all these years."

Li Pin stayed silent.

Were they trying to deceive a child?

Tens of thousands.

Not tens of yuan.

"You've always been smart and definitely have the potential to venture into cultivation and stand out."

The soft voice of the woman tried to persuade him.

"After contemplating the Star Gods for ten years, if I really had 'potential', I would have succeeded a long time ago. A Condensing Soul Incense won't change that."

Li Pin said, "Return the item."

"It's already been bought and can't be returned. Consider it a loan from your sister. In the future, when Li Pin becomes a Star Refiner, what's a Condensing Soul Incense worth to you?"

"Out of thousands, only a few have the 'potential'. I don't think I'm that lucky."

Li Pin," said decisively, "I should learn to accept my mediocrity. Sell the Condensing Soul Incense, I won't use it. Mm, I'll leave it at that."

As he said this, he hung up.

Looking at the gradually fading screen of his phone, Li Pin felt somewhat envious

Despite an average salary of just a thousand, the Condensing Soul Incense worth tens of thousands of yuan was immediately available when his "sister" said so…

How nice.

Yet, he, as an outsider, couldn't accept it.

Yes, an outsider.

He is not the original Li Pin, but a youngster whose soul comes from Lanstar.

On Lanstar, his parents died of illness early.

Deeply believing in life's fragility, he practiced martial arts from a young age to strengthen his body.

Through countless sweat and efforts, ten times more than an ordinary person's, he was finally close to achieving strength before his body started to fail him.

But his origin was humble, and he had neither guidance from a famous teacher nor a top-level heritage. Although he had made some achievements, he unknowingly ruined his body in the process. And unless he could refine his Qi into an elixir to slowly heal his body, he did not have much time left.

After three years of fruitlessly seeking a solution, he chose to refine the Elixir.

But…

He failed, and his consciousness scattered.

When he opened his eyes again, it was because he had been awakened by the water of the lake.

He was reborn in this body of the university senior "Li Pin," who had committed suicide by jumping into a lake because of the public pressure due to "making indecent advances to the goddess An Wanyi."

"With a body free of ailments, a mother who loves you dearly, a sister who cares about you, and a younger sister who regards you as her role model, yet you jumped into a lake because of public pressure? What were you thinking?"

There's nothing greater in life than the mere act of survival.

Li Pin looked at his fair hands, feeling the vibrant life force within his body.

22 years old.

Healthy, young.

A symbol of unlimited possibilities.

What a blessing!

After a while, Li Pin, who had calmed his inner Qi, looked up at the familiar yet unfamiliar sky.

"I have transmigrated over, but this isn't an orphanage scenario. I have a single parent, a sister, and a younger sister..."

For the past half a month, his mother had tried every way to show her concern, his sister Li Yunyan had done everything she could to support him, and his younger sister Li Yunyao had wracked her brains to find reasons to invite him out for relaxation…

"Healthy, young, quite handsome too…"

For this kind of life, he didn't know how to appreciate it.

He stood up, brushing off the bits of grass on his pants.

"From now on, I am Li Pin. I believe that, I can do much better than you."

…

"Director, over here!"

A yell echoed from the narrow path snaking through the woods.

Two youths, who had previously been hiding behind a tree, quickly approached a man in a suit and a sturdy middle-aged man.

"Director, this is Li Pin, the one who harassed Junior Sister An Wanyi and tarnished the reputation of our Hanyang University."

One of the young men pointed to Li Pin and said to the burly middle-aged man, "Every day I share a campus with a person like this, I feel like it lowers the whole university's esteem. Is the university going to expel him?"

"They're probably unable to expel him. Otherwise, if he tries to commit suicide again and dies in the university, the school could be blamed."

The other youth responded.

"I'm astounded at how he could come up with the method of suicide like jumping into a lake to threaten the school. Why didn't he just drown himself."

"It's always been the case that good people don't live long and the villains are left to torment for a thousand years. This Li Pin is a cancerous tumor in our school despised by everyone, he'll undoubtedly be a blight on society when he steps out into the world."

The two conversed without any semblance of mercy.

"Alright, there's no need to say more, can words kill a person? As long as he is eventually unable to continue studying at Hanyang University anymore, out of sight, out of mind."

At this moment, the man in the suit broke his silence.

Li Pin's gaze fell upon the group.

The man in the suit was Jing Yunshan.

He was the Vice President of the Student Union.

And an admirer of An Wanyi.

The middle-aged, burly man was the Director of Academic Affairs, Wang Gang.

"You all are spreading rumors without having witnessed what truly happened. Especially you, Jing Yunshan, the posts on the forum were instigated by you, right? Aren't you afraid of being humiliated if the truth comes to light?"

Li Pin stared at him calmly.

"Who told you that the university's investigation has not been concluded? The university originally intended to directly expel you. However, considering your poor mental health, they have decided to show mercy and put you on probation."

Jing Yunshan sneered.

"Did the results come out already?"

He was merely being put on probation?

Li Pin remembered this clearly, almost like a persistent grudge from his past life.

He and An Wanyi were classmates.

At the time, An Wanyi was being bothered by a rich young man and planned to use him as a shield by pretending to be her boyfriend. Li Pin, afraid of causing trouble, promptly turned her down.

He didn't know what happened afterward.

Yet, the next day, the entire campus was buzzing with news of him allegedly harassing An Wanyi. The previous host was universally despised and under the pressure of public opinion, he ended up jumping in a lake and dying.

The university's decision to put him on probation served as a confirmation of his guilt in harassing An Wanyi?

"Was this the university's final investigation result?"

Li Pin looked at the middle-aged, burly man.

"Li Pin, have you thought about the impact this scandal has and the tremendous negative influence it has brought onto the university?"

Wang Gang spoke calmly.

"Public opinion was formed due to someone deliberately spreading rumors and stoking the flames from behind the scenes. You should be dealing with those people."

"The most important thing now is to solve the problem."

"So, your solution to this problem is... to deal with me?"

"Setting aside the truth of the matter, can you with certainty say that you are completely blameless in this situation? Had you apologized to An Wanyi back then, things wouldn't have escalated to this."

"Apologize?"

Li Pin wanted to argue that he was not at fault, so why should he apologize.

But since the other party had already decided to disregard the truth of what happened, there was no point in saying anything more.

"Li Pin, you should be thankful that you jumped into the lake. Otherwise, the punishment wouldn't just have been probation."

Jing Yunshan sneered, "But it doesn't matter. After this blows over, I guarantee you won't be able to stay at Hanyang University for even one more day."

"Is that your grandfather, the school's director talking?"

Li Pin asked.

Jing Yunshan's mouth raised in satisfaction with his own identity, "Heh, young man, I'm teaching you a lesson about the harsh realities of society."

Li Pin didn't continue arguing with him. Instead, he turned his gaze towards Wang Gang.

"Be prepared to write a three-thousand-word self-criticism piece and accept public critique."

Wang Gang said in a stern tone.

Higher-ups demanded a swift resolution to Li Pin's disgrace of An Wanyi.

Between two evils, choose the lesser.

Compared to a future shining star like An Wanyi, dealing with an average student like Li Pin seemed like the best choice to calm the storm.

"A self-criticism piece?"

Li Pin laughed scornfully, "Have you lost your mind? You're openly targeting me and you expect me to write an apology meekly?"

"What... what kind of attitude is that!?"

Wang Gang's eyes bulged.

"Don't like it? Then expel me."

After saying this, Li Pin could not be bothered to waste any more breath. He turned around and left.

"You..."

Wang Gang's face turned beet red.

He was the esteemed Director of Academic Affairs, a societal elite earning over a hundred thousand a year. Was he just insulted mercilessly by an impoverished student who hasn't even stepped foot out of campus?

But if he were to expel him now...

If Li Pin were to act impulsively again and commit suicide on campus, the school would be held responsible. The stakes were high.

"He won't be pleased for long. Once this blows over, find an excuse to dismiss him directly. He's a third-year student, it'll be too late to continue his studies. Without even a university degree, he's destined to struggle at the bottom of society for the rest of his life, working as a manual laborer."

Jing Yunshan said contemptuously.

He was of a high status. Dealing with an ordinary student who had no power or influence should be easy.

...

On his way back to his dormitory, people kept pointing at Li Pin and whispering.

Junior Sister An Wanyi had an extremely high popularity in Hanyang University despite not having debuted yet. Her elder sister, An Youran was a hot star at Star Palace Entertainment Company.

An Wanyi portrayed herself as an intelligent beauty.

The scandal of Li Pin harassing An Wanyi had been the talk of the campus for half a month now.

Once the university announces its punishment, his reputation will be irrevocably ruined.

Those who are blamed by everyone will die without any illness.

Not everyone can withstand the violence of public opinion.

"They think that an ordinary person like me can't stir up any waves."

Li Pin quickly walked towards his dormitory.

Theoretically, this would indeed be the case.

Against the network of relationships and power of a large university, an ordinary person would be effortlessly trampled and left unable to resist.

"Li Pin" was an ordinary person.

But he was not.