Chapter 20: You Are the Worst Student I Have Ever Taught!

Teacher Lu, who worried about his student's future, was currently distressed and deeply troubled.

Qian Limin, the student in question, was having a mental breakdown and felt utterly hopeless.

"Damn it, you think I don't want to break through my limits and kill you in return once I do, you old turtle?"

"I simply can't break through, you idiot!"

Seeing Qian Limin’s life hanging by a thread, Lu Wenwu pondered for a few seconds, strode over, pulled a pill from his backpack, and shoved it into the student's mouth.

[Intermediate Healing Pill]

"Hey, wake up! Don't just sleep there! If you don't break through now, are you really that useless?" Lu Wenwu said urgently.

His expression was so anxious and his words so earnest that an outsider would never have imagined how brutal he had been just moments before.

"You... you go too far! You go too far!"

Having been tortured by Lu Wenwu and then repeatedly humiliated by both healing pills and harsh words, Qian Limin finally burst forth with a glimmer of power that defied his own limits, fueled by extreme rage.

In an instant, his health bar, which had been nearing depletion, surged wildly. Even his maximum health capacity began to climb rapidly.

The flesh Lu Wenwu had pulverized broke free from the shackles of his human form, transforming into blobs of dark red, sludge-like biological mass. Qian Limin was reconstituting his body in a way that was sanity-shattering.

Seeing this, Teacher Lu, who had put in so much effort, finally wore a look of gratification and stepped aside to watch quietly.

"Outsider! You forced my hand! You asked for this!"

The sludge-like, dark red flesh constantly reorganized, haphazardly stacking itself into a humanoid shape. On a face that was still solidifying, red eyes brimmed with endless murderous intent and hatred. Of course, if one ignored the fact that this face lacked a nose, ears, and hair, the gaze was actually quite intimidating.

At the very least, it would terrify the neighbors' children.

Hmm...

The reconstituted Qian Limin looked somewhat like a humanoid Muk or an Ooze monster. It was the kind of creature that could give a passing female adventurer a very "doujin-style" experience.

Lu Wenwu watched the entire process of Qian Limin’s breakthrough with great interest. Now, the Eye of Insight provided a new scan result.

[King of the Polluted: Qian Limin (C-)]: 5800/5800
[King of the Polluted: Qian Limin (C)]: 5800/5800
[Current Status]: Extremely enraged, mentally twisted, arrogant, feeling vindicated.

The moment he saw the data, Lu Wenwu’s previously excited expression turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. This was because, above the health bar, a large "C" flickered with a minus sign that kept appearing and disappearing. It was as if two different health bars were frantically refreshing and switching places. It looked exactly like the glowing red name Qian Limin had in the Book of Life and Death.

"You deserve to die! You deserve to die! I will return everything you did to me a thousand times over!"

The abyss-like maw that occupied half his face opened and closed, releasing a soul-shaking mental fluctuation.

"I will..."

"Will what, you useless piece of trash?"

Lu Wenwu, losing his patience, couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on this thing. A tsunami of attacks instantly engulfed Qian Limin.

He was annoyed.

Very, very annoyed!

"Do you think you’re worthy of the hard work I put into tutoring you? You break through for half an eternity just to show me this?"

Lu Wenwu punched and shattered the right arm Qian Limin had just regrown, his eyes filled with intense grief and indignation.

"Damn it, refund me! Give me back my Intermediate Healing Pill!"

"I..."

Qian Limin was completely stunned. He was having an even bigger breakdown than before.

This wasn't right!

The script wasn't supposed to go like this!

I endured so much torture, put in so much effort, and even abandoned my human body to reach this breakthrough. Shouldn't it be my turn to counter-attack? Shouldn't I have the protagonist's treatment? Why am I still being pinned down and beaten?

I’m the one being beaten, I’m the one dying, and you’re the one acting aggrieved?

"Student Qian, Teacher Lu is very disappointed in you. Teacher Lu is utterly disappointed!"

Lu Wenwu gritted his teeth and threw a heavy punch. The Military Killing Fist, imbued with powerful vitality and amplified by his heavy artillery gauntlets, instantly shattered half of Qian Limin’s body. His maximum health of 5,800 was halved in a single strike.

His fists were like pile drivers on a construction site, raining down continuously and crazily.

"So, please, just die already to soothe Teacher Lu's hatred!"

"Boom!"

The final, peak punch landed, and the entire camp seemed to shake violently. In the center of a crater shattered like a spiderweb, a mass of purple, unrecognizable mixture lay pooled. The original red and black flesh had been pounded by Lu Wenwu into a fine paste, the blood and meat mixed perfectly. Even a master chef of Teochew beef balls would have given a thumbs-up, praising how well the meat paste had been processed.

[You have gained 100 Free Attribute Points.]

Phew!

That was alright.

That was truly exhilarating!

Lu Wenwu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. If he had only received 10 points, he might have truly been driven to the point of a mental breakdown. And he wouldn't have been able to do anything about it, forced to rage helplessly in his small dark room.

[You have killed the King of the Polluted, Qian Limin (Lv13~14)]
[You have completed the side quest—True Strength]
[Quest Description: The King of the Polluted’s mid-battle breakthrough did not stop your progress. You still heroically trampled him into the ground. A true powerhouse fears no challenge.]
[Your overall personal rating has been significantly increased.]

—

[You have completed the hidden quest—The Collapse of the Evolution Society]
[Quest Description: The power of cooperation is astonishing. Your sincere collaboration and absolute trust allowed you to complete a near-impossible miracle. From this moment on, this filthy city finally welcomes a new dawn.]
[You have received a hidden reward: Random Skill Grade Advancement Card]
[You have received a special reward: Mysterious Lucky Bag]
[Your final rating has been drastically increased.]

—

[You have completed the main quest—Assassinate the King of the Polluted]
[Final settlement is now underway.]

"It seems everyone did a great job; you all have a bright future ahead," Lu Wenwu waved at the stunned and numb Yuan Shi before the settlement. "Brother Yuan, let's meet again if fate allows."

Yuan Shi opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something. But the settlement time had arrived. Judging by his lip movements, it was likely the word "Thank you."

Accompanied by a flash of white light, Lu Wenwu and Mao Mao appeared simultaneously in the familiar small white room. The large golden dog looked perfectly healthy. Seeing Lu Wenwu, Mao Mao was overjoyed, grinning and panting as he pounced over.

"Master... hug..."

"Mao Mao, you really need to brush your teeth and take a bath when we get back..."

Lu Wenwu looked on with disdain as Mao Mao licked his face, making it even messier. The once handsome golden dog was covered in bloodstains; there would be a lot of cleaning to do when they returned.