High Martial: I Use Everything as Swords

"M-Mr. Han, I... I wasn’t trying to shake you down. Th-the academy gave this on their own initiative..."

Han Feng didn’t say anything, just waved a hand, gesturing for the man to leave.

Seeing this, Old Liu let out a sigh of relief before turning and hurrying away as if something terrifying was chasing him.

After Old Liu left, Han Feng’s gaze returned to the bright red total at the bottom of the light screen, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.

Total: 12,520,000 Contribution Points.

He immediately logged into his school account. His balance was less than fifty thousand.

The Merit Points from Dragon’s Fang Port hadn’t been settled yet, so he was currently flat broke.

Han Feng sat on the sofa, looking at the astronomical fine, and shook his head helplessly.

’I just ran a casual experiment last night, and the school charged me this much? This is straight-up robbery!’

’No way. I have to talk to Vice Dean Chen about this.’

’I’m willing to pay, but more than twelve million is just too much.’

He opened his communicator and dialed Chen Beixuan’s number.

The call connected, and Chen Beixuan’s foxy old face appeared on the screen.

Chen Beixuan was holding a Zisha teapot and looking at Han Feng with a beaming smile.

"You’re awake? You slept pretty soundly last night."

Han Feng held up the bill, a bit exasperated.

"Dean Chen, isn’t this fine a little too harsh?"

"Over three hundred fish, all put on my tab in one night. My stomach can’t digest all that."

Chen Beixuan took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "The academy has always handled accidents by the book."

"Those were the old Headmaster’s pride and joy. For the sake of those fish, he once guarded the Celestial Pool for three months."

"Now they’ve all been turned into cooked fish soup. The fact that you’re not being asked to pay extra for damages to his reputation is already because I pleaded your case."

Han Feng sighed. "I don’t have that kind of money in my account."

Chen Beixuan narrowed his eyes, his tone becoming intriguing.

"Not enough money?"

Chen Beixuan seemed to have anticipated this. "Then we’ll just put it on your tab for now," he said slowly.

"You’re the chief consultant for the ’Shadow’ project. This bill can also be counted as part of the project’s future R&D budget."

"Think of it as... a necessary cost for technology verification."

His tone shifted, and he grinned like a sly old fox.

"Of course, if future R&D funds happen to produce a few more brilliant new results like the ’Central Harmony Talisman’..."

"...the finance department... would probably be more than happy to help you write off this ’cost’."

Han Feng cursed inwardly.

’This old schemer was just waiting to spring this on me.’

Chen Beixuan’s smile vanished, his expression becoming exceptionally serious.

"Han Feng, about what happened last night, I feel it’s necessary to give you a warning."

Han Feng’s heart skipped a beat. He dropped his flippant attitude and said seriously:

"I’m listening."

"Your Talent—we old folks have all seen it."

Chen Beixuan said gravely, "To construct a Magic model with that level of precision, and even make Energy undergo Transformation, all while at the Enlightenment Realm of Cultivation—that kind of ability already surpasses the bounds of normal Martial Arts."

"This is both a good thing and a bad thing."

Chen Beixuan leaned forward, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn. "The tree that stands tallest in the forest is the one the wind will surely break."

"Before you have truly grown strong, prematurely exposing such unconventional abilities will only attract unnecessary covetous attention."

"If Lei Zhentian, Su Qinghe, and I hadn’t immediately locked down the news last night, East Sea City would have been in an uproar by now."

"Those eyes lurking in the shadows... if they knew you weren’t just a Talented with Spiritual Power, but also one capable of casting Tier Four Late Stage Magic, they would stop at nothing to study you."

"I’m sure you wouldn’t want that."

Han Feng nodded silently.

He understood what Chen Beixuan meant.

Last night he had gotten a bit carried away. The thrill of controlling that power had made him forget his surroundings.

This was a school, with too many people and prying eyes.

"In the future, if you want to test such a powerful ability, don’t do it at the school."

Chen Beixuan’s tone softened slightly.

"I’ll talk to Li Tiecheng and get you access to a sealed military weapons testing island in the East Sea."

"It has the highest-level shielding Force Fields. You can mess around there however you like."

"But out in the world..."

Chen Beixuan paused and held up a finger. "Unless you advance to the Tier Four Divine Containment Realm and possess Divine Sense and a domain sufficient for self-preservation, otherwise, for any ability with power at or above Tier Four Middle Stage, don’t use it if you don’t have to."

"And if you do use it, you must cut down the grass and pull out the roots—leave no witnesses alive."

"Understand?"

Han Feng nodded heavily. "Understood."

This was the survival wisdom of the older generation of experts.

Hide your strength.

Only dead men tell no tales.

"Alright, that’s all. Prepare well for the Kunlun exchange meeting in half a month."

Chen Beixuan picked up his teacup again, and the communication cut off.

Han Feng stared at the extinguished holographic image and let out a long breath.

Though Chen Beixuan’s call had been a reprimand, it was clear from his words that he was looking out for him.

It also served as a sobering wake-up call.

’Right now, I’m a glass cannon. I can dish out massive damage, but my body is still fragile.’

’If someone gets close to me, or if I run into an expert skilled in assassination, I’ll still be in grave danger.’

"My strength is still not enough." The fact that he had such powerful abilities but couldn’t use them at will was frustrating.

"In the end, it all comes down to a lack of strength."

"Strength is the foundation for survival and for obtaining everything else in this world."

Having figured out the heart of the matter, Han Feng cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts, sat cross-legged on his bed, and prepared to begin his first cultivation session in the Enlightenment Realm.