Moreover, when Ling Yun picked up the mirror in the dark to check himself, he found that his eyes did not emit a green glow like some animals with night vision; instead, they appeared normal, which reassured him considerably. However, what he didn't notice was that when he moved the mirror away, his image in the mirror did not disappear; instead, it turned its icy gaze towards the world outside the mirror.
Telekinesis cannot be used indefinitely. When Ling Yun simultaneously directed five pairs of chopsticks and five spoons to try to spell out several Chinese characters on the ceiling, his head finally began to throb violently, forcing him to stop further driving his thoughts.
Of course, this only applies to the precise control of telekinesis. In simple telekinesis, Ling Yun could move objects weighing over 100 kilograms remotely, but the effect diminished significantly beyond ten meters, eventually disappearing completely. Although Ling Yun didn't understand how telekinesis increased, he always had a feeling that with continued practice, his ability would continuously grow stronger.
Unbeknownst to him, Ling Yun's mindset had also changed. The resentment and anger he felt from being beaten and humiliated by Zhang Yunfeng and his gang of thugs had long since vanished. The power brought about by the change made him suddenly realize the enormous difference between himself and ordinary people. It was a gap in levels; the two were no longer comparable at all.
It's like an ordinary person suddenly winning a lottery jackpot of hundreds of millions of yuan. Whether materially or psychologically, it will quickly create a gap between them and the ordinary people around them who were just like them before. Past conflicts and frictions become insignificant or even laughable in the face of such a huge surprise.
As night deepened, Ling Yun finally drifted off to sleep. High above the night sky, however, a gigantic and eerie blood-red eyeball pierced through layers of dark clouds, its cold, merciless gaze penetrating countless material obstacles, fixed on Ling Yun directly below.
Chapter Three: The Tree Desires Stillness, But the Wind Never Ceases
The next day, Ling Yun arrived at the classroom on time for self-study. As usual, he sat down in his seat and began to bury himself in his book, completely ignoring the two shocked and bewildered gazes behind him.
The two pairs of eyes were naturally directed at Zhang Yunfeng and Li Lingling. Zhang Yunfeng arrived at the classroom of Class 1, Grade 12 very early. It wasn't that he wanted to attend class, but rather that after knocking Lingyun unconscious yesterday, he had been constantly on edge, worried about what might happen. So, he came to school with ulterior motives to see if Lingyun would come to class the next day. Of course, his main purpose was also to find Li Lingling.
In fact, he wasn't Li Lingling's boyfriend at all; he had only been pursuing her. So, when Li Lingling called him yesterday asking him to beat up Ling Yun to vent her anger, Zhang Yunfeng, who was looking for an opportunity to curry favor, was overjoyed and readily agreed. Afterwards, he told Li Lingling about beating Ling Yun, but didn't mention that Ling Yun had been beaten unconscious. Li Lingling was very pleased and invited him to dinner. Zhang Yunfeng was instantly smitten, excitedly agreeing repeatedly. The two agreed to go to a restaurant to celebrate after school at noon.
Actually, Zhang Yunfeng wanted Ling Yun to come to class. If Ling Yun didn't come, it was very likely that he had been seriously injured and hospitalized. This could lead to him being held accountable for assault. This wasn't the outcome he wanted. He hoped Ling Yun would appear with a bruised and battered face, looking utterly wretched. This would not only prove that Ling Yun was alright, but also satisfy his pride in front of Li Lingling. "You wanted me to beat him up to vent my anger? Look how pitiful he is!" he'd say. Then he could wait contentedly for his dream girl to throw herself into his arms—a truly happy ending.
But things seemed to have gone a little wrong. Ling Yun did appear, but he appeared completely unharmed. This not only relieved Zhang Yunfeng but also shocked him greatly. He thought that after yesterday's wild kicking, even if the kid was in good health, he would probably be bedridden for days. How come he was acting like nothing had happened today?
Li Lingling was mostly furious. Seeing Ling Yun unharmed, she assumed Zhang Yunfeng hadn't actually beaten Ling Yun and was just lying to her. She immediately flew into a rage. Zhang Yunfeng had to patiently explain, swearing to heaven that he had indeed beaten Ling Yun, and promising to find the other thugs from the previous night to testify. Li Lingling was only half-convinced, but her attitude towards Zhang Yunfeng became much colder. Zhang Yunfeng felt an intense hatred for Ling Yun; if it weren't for the teacher lecturing during morning self-study, he probably would have rushed forward and given Ling Yun a good beating in front of Li Lingling to prove himself.
Ling Yun flipped through his textbooks and problem sets with some boredom. This was a morning self-study session for physics. With the college entrance exam just a month away, Class 1 of Senior Three had already entered the review phase. The teacher was only focusing on explaining the key examples in the problem set. These examples were not simple; they were quite in-depth. Even the best students needed some time to understand and digest them before they could grasp the general idea.
In the past, Ling Yun probably wouldn't have understood it even after a week. Or he might have simply given up. He basically relied on guessing during exams. If he guessed right, it was luck; if he guessed wrong, it was just bad luck. But for some reason, now when he looked at these kinds of questions, his thinking became unusually clear. The questions were the same, the depth was the same, but now, in Ling Yun's eyes, they had become incredibly simple. He only needed to glance at the formulas in the textbook to immediately grasp the solution. Then, he compared it with the teacher's explanation, and it was completely correct.
Before the teacher had even finished half of the explanation, Ling Yun had already completed all the example problems. He then compared his answers to the solutions in the workbook, finding a 100% accuracy rate. However, Ling Yun no longer felt the initial excitement he had yesterday; clearly, this was another result of the mutation. He flipped through the workbook, then looked out the classroom window, his mind drifting away.
The physics teacher was a middle-aged woman in her forties with a somewhat sharp temper. She glanced at Ling Yun and saw him daydreaming, and immediately became furious. She thought to herself, "What time is it? Still daydreaming in class? If someone isn't good at studying, they're likely to give up easily." So she cleared her throat and shouted, "Ling Yun!"
All eyes immediately turned to Ling Yun, only to find him still lost in thought, expressionless, seemingly oblivious to the physics teacher's shouts. Many students chuckled secretly; they could tell Ling Yun was daydreaming and was sure to get a scolding. Zhang Yunfeng and Li Lingling were especially gleeful, eagerly awaiting Ling Yun's embarrassment.
Lingyun's deskmate gently nudged her arm and whispered, "The teacher is calling you." Lingyun then turned her gaze away from the window, but showed no sign of panic. Instead, she slowly stood up and calmly replied, "Teacher, you called me."
The physics teacher was slightly surprised. She looked at the student, who was neither particularly good-looking nor academically gifted, and immediately sensed his nonchalant and indifferent attitude. She was both angry and annoyed, and said in a shrill voice, "Lingyun, judging from your confident look, do you know all the problems?"
"Yes, teacher, these questions are very simple," Ling Yun answered truthfully.
The entire class booed, their gazes towards Ling Yun filled with disbelief and disdain. Those who disbelieved him were naturally the students whose grades were similar to Ling Yun's; to them, the questions were like gibberish, how could they believe Ling Yun could solve them? Those who were better at the subject were disdainful; they too struggled to understand the questions and naturally looked down on Ling Yun's boastful talk.
The physics teacher sneered, "Alright, Ling Yun, since you think the questions are easy, then tell me the answer to question twelve. I haven't explained this question yet, so please explain it to the class." As he spoke, he stared intently at Ling Yun.
Ling Yun didn't even glance at the exercise book, and said calmly, "Question 12 is a multiple choice question, and the correct answer is C. The explanation is as follows: From point A, the pendulum swings downwards until it hits the nail. The pendulum's length is L because the suspension point is the center of the circle. The period T is calculated using the period formula. However, this process only accounts for 1/4 of a complete period, i.e., t1 = 1/4T. Then the pendulum starts to swing around the nail... which is the oscillation period of the pendulum now, Tx = 1/4T + 1/2T' + 1/4T = 1/2T + 1/2T."
Silence, an unprecedented silence. The classroom was completely still. All eyes turned to Ling Yun in shock. Was this still the same quiet, unassuming boy who had never uttered a word? Who knew he was such a good student?
The physics teacher was even more shocked. Lingyun's problem-solving approach was not only unique but also simple, more direct and straightforward than the methods she would explain to her students when preparing lessons. It was simply perfect.
Had he seen this question and answer before? Or did he really think it was easy? The physics teacher gave Ling Yun a deep look, her anger from before long forgotten. She suppressed her excitement and said, "Well said, Ling Yun. Now, please explain the thirteenth question."
Ling Yun glanced at her with a hint of helplessness, still not looking at the exercise book: "The correct answer to question thirteen is B, and the explanation is as follows..."
The whole class fell silent again. If the first question was lucky, what about the second one?
The physics teacher nodded excitedly, "Continue." Ling Yun sighed inwardly. It seemed the tree couldn't remain still, the wind wouldn't stop. If things continued like this, not only would he not be able to keep a low profile, but he would attract even more attention. If he had known this would happen, he would have been better off pretending he didn't know. Even if his classmates and teachers ridiculed him, he wouldn't have made such a fool of himself. But since things had come to this, he could only bite the bullet and continue.
Questions fourteen, fifteen… Ling Yun answered each question accurately and explained them clearly, as if he had memorized the textbook and the standard answers. The physics teacher standing nearby listened with shining eyes, nodding repeatedly, as happy as if he had taken a stimulant.
The students were momentarily stunned, and they couldn't help but look at Ling Yun with admiration. Ling Yun was truly a hidden talent; he seemed unremarkable, but it turned out he was so good at studying.
Zhang Yunfeng's face darkened. He thought to himself, "I haven't been to class for months. When did this kid become so good at studying? Damn it, I'll show him what's what after school."
Li Lingling was both angry and jealous, her pretty face taut. She was one of the better students in the class, always ranking in the top three, yet she couldn't solve at least a third of the problems. Lingyun, on the other hand, answered them all so easily. Didn't this mean Lingyun's learning ability far surpassed hers? Yesterday she had mocked Lingyun for her poor academic performance, and today's reality was a slap in the face, something the proud and arrogant Li Lingling couldn't accept.
The physics teacher was beaming from ear to ear. He thought to himself, "No wonder some colleagues said that some students who were mediocre in their first two years of high school suddenly became outstanding students in their senior year. I didn't believe it then, but here I am!" This was fantastic! The physics teacher couldn't wait to go to the principal and tell him that he had discovered another promising student for a top university, adding to the school's reputation.
As Ling Yun calmly finished explaining the last question, a buzzing sound came from the classroom, and the morning self-study session rang out. A moment of silence fell over the classroom of Class 1, Grade 12, before a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted. The applause was long and sustained, dedicated to the unassuming Ling Yun. It was the students' most sincere applause for a classmate who had impressed them with his genuine talent.
Ling Yun sat down silently, feeling the sincerity of his classmates. Although he didn't say anything, he was deeply moved. Many years later, this touching scene still blooms vividly in the deepest and most important part of Ling Yun's memory.
The morning passed quickly, and it was soon lunchtime. A large number of students poured out of the school gate. This was a secondary school for employees of school children, and most of the students lived not far from the school.
Ling Yun followed the bustling students out of the school gate and was about to walk home when suddenly, a strong hand patted his shoulder.
Ling Yun stopped and turned around, seeing Zhang Yunfeng with a menacing expression. Not far away, Li Lingling was peeking and spying in their direction.
“Ling Yun.” Zhang Yunfeng grinned casually, just like when he beat Ling Yun up last night. “You’re pretty tough. I kicked you so much last night, and you were completely unharmed. I really wonder if you were born to be a punching bag, haha.”
Many students stopped and watched curiously as the two boys were about to clash. Many knew Zhang Yunfeng and that he was a thug. They couldn't help but wonder which student had been unlucky enough to provoke this scoundrel. But since it didn't concern them, they were happy to watch the show.
Ling Yun remained expressionless, but instead smiled and said, "Is that all you wanted to tell me? If there's nothing else, I'll be going now!" With that, he turned and left.
Zhang Yunfeng was taken aback, thinking that Ling Yun was timid and wanted to slip away quickly. He hurriedly took a few steps to catch up with Ling Yun and stopped him, saying, "Hey Ling Yun, what's the rush! You were very impressive today, and I haven't even congratulated you yet."
As he spoke, he gently slapped Ling Yun's cheek. The force was neither too light nor too heavy, seemingly a friendly joke, but to the person involved and others, it was no different from being slapped in the face—an equally great insult. At school, Zhang Yunfeng had insulted other students in this way many times. Many students were both angry and helpless, because they couldn't afford to mess with a thug like Zhang Yunfeng, and many would run away as soon as they saw him.
A slight smile appeared on Ling Yun's lips as he watched Zhang Yunfeng's hand slap his face without making a sound.
Chapter Four: Human Nature is Inherently Evil
A crisp "slap" resounded as a heavy blow struck Zhang Yunfeng's face. The slap was so powerful that it immediately made Zhang Yunfeng dizzy and disoriented, causing him to involuntarily spin several times and almost stumble and fall to the ground.
The students watching couldn't help but gasp in surprise. No one had seen clearly why Zhang Yunfeng reached out to slap Ling Yun, but Ling Yun slapped Zhang Yunfeng instead.
Zhang Yunfeng saw stars after being slapped by Ling Yun, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his face swelled up. Before he could react, he felt a tightness in his chest as Ling Yun grabbed him by the chest. Then, his feet lost their footing, and Ling Yun lifted him off the ground with one hand.