Chapter 669: Bending the Waist

Nie Yan took Xie Yao along and went out with Lishi Huasha, Badguy, and others for a gathering. The news that Nie Yan was the infamous Mad Bandit Nie Yan quickly spread throughout the First Military Academy, becoming widely known and causing a massive sensation. At the same time, the news that Xie Yao was Yao Yao, the top Holy Speaker of the Bull Tribe, also spread rapidly.

To Faith players, Nie Yan the Mad Bandit was undoubtedly a godlike figure. Those who could be mentioned in the same breath as Nie Yan were few and far between, such as the Angel Warrior from Angel Ambition and Angel Drop’s Duo Duo. They were all formidable warlords who ruled their own domains, seemingly beyond the reach of ordinary players.

To their astonishment, someone as legendary as the notorious thief Nie Yan actually appeared at the First Military Academy—and he was their classmate, a freshman. This was completely beyond their expectations.

No wonder War God Leisu issued a challenge to Nie Yan. In their eyes, Mad Thief Nie Yan was an unpredictable figure, and in real life, he should also be a highly skilled expert. After learning that Nie Yan was the Mad Thief, everyone naturally categorized him as a top-tier expert.

Blue Bell and the others found a hotel and gathered together to celebrate. After everyone introduced themselves, Nie Yan was finally able to recognize who was who. Unexpectedly, there were quite a few elites from the Bull Tribe at the First Military Academy: Lishi Huasha, Badguy Who Can’t Be Killed, Wufeng, Heibai, Desire Touching Youth, Benzhi Demon, and also Xiaorong Not for Me, who had graduated long ago and couldn’t attend due to work commitments during the day.

There were also many second-tier team members, whom Nie Yan could recognize by name.

The First Military Academy was a place of outstanding people and talents. Those who joined the Bull Tribe generally had decent skills. They calculated that the average level of Blue Bell members was an astonishing level 93. Even the lowest-level player, considered the weakest, was level 89.

Nie Yan got along very well with Badguy and others. Badguy and others still greatly admired Nie Yan, especially after seeing Nie Yan defeat so many people like Song Chen in the afternoon, they were even more impressed. Although Nie Yan was younger than them, they still treated him respectfully, just like in the game.

Nie Yan’s gaze swept over the group. Lishi Huasha was the counselor, slightly older than them, occasionally teasing Nie Yan. The others interacted with him similarly to how they did in the game.

Lishi Huasha was undoubtedly a great beauty, elegant and graceful, with a very approachable demeanor. No wonder the members of Blue Bell affectionately called her “Big Sister.” Badguy Who Can’t Be Killed was as slick and talkative as he was in the game. Heibai was somewhat quiet and steady. Wufeng seemed a bit careless, quite different from his in-game persona, making it hard to believe they were the same person. Additionally, Desire was the youngest in the group. Benzhi Demon was slightly older than Desire, appearing very honest on the surface but hiding a mischievous streak.

Spending time with them was very pleasant.

“Boss Nie Yan, your hand-to-hand combat is amazing, teach us, okay?” Desire Touching Youth said with anticipation.

“Sure, just come find me in the Command Department classroom next time,” Nie Yan smiled.

Seeing Nie Yan getting along well with Badguy and others, and everyone highly respecting him, Xie Yao couldn’t help but feel proud of Nie Yan. It was not easy to earn the genuine admiration of such a talented and independent group of people.

Nie Yan looked around at the crowd and asked Xu Yan, “Why didn’t Fu Guangtao come?”

“Why should that guy come?” Xu Yan was very disgusted with Fu Guangtao.

“Let’s bury the hatchet. Earlier, when the guys from the Mecha Warfare Department came, he stood up too. Just for that, we can let bygones be bygones. I’m not petty. Let him come have a drink,” Nie Yan said. Although he wouldn’t recruit Fu Guangtao into his circle, he had decided to put their past conflicts behind them.

Xu Yan, Feizhe, and others pondered, gaining a new understanding of Nie Yan’s character.

Xu Yan nodded, “Okay, I’ll call him to come.”

After a while, Fu Guangtao was called over. His excitement didn’t subside for a long time. He never expected Nie Yan to personally invite him, feeling increasingly ashamed of his previous behavior. Although he didn’t dare to hope for joining Blue Bell, he still wanted to mend his relationship with Nie Yan.

After spending the afternoon with the members of Blue Bell, the gathering finally ended.

Nie Yan and Xie Yao said goodbye to them and took the bus back to the villa.

“I’m so happy today, finally met Huasha,” Xie Yao smiled happily. In the game, Lishi Huasha was one of Xie Yao’s closest female companions.

Nie Yan smiled. Getting to know Lishi Huasha and others meant Xie Yao wouldn’t be too lonely at the First Military Academy.

On the bus, Nie Yan browsed the First Military Academy’s forum on his phone and found it nearly exploding. Countless students were posting and discussing matters related to Nie Yan, with comments continuously flooding the screen.

“Kuangze Nieyan is actually a freshman here at our university, how amazing!”

“Now our school’s Faith team has hope. With Nie Yan the Mad Thief joining, powerhouses like Dongda and Beiyuan will have to make way.”

(Note: I made the following adjustments for natural English flow:

1. “狂贼涅炎” translated as “Nie Yan the Mad Thief” (common fantasy naming convention)

2. “step aside” changed to “make way” for more idiomatic competitive context

3. Adjusted sentence structure for better readability while preserving the triumphant tone)

“Would even a rogue like Nie Yan join such an ordinary organization?”

There were various topics on the forum. Some users even posted photos of Nie Yan and Xie Yao walking together on campus. Nie Yan’s appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding, naturally falling short of the handsome guys in the eyes of fangirls. However, being with Xie Yao, a beauty as exquisite as a celestial being, inevitably drew whispers behind their backs. Previously, many people thought Nie Yan wasn’t worthy of Xie Yao, but now they believed they were a perfect match.

Nie Yan saw these trivial discussions and simply smiled it off.

Back home, with plenty of time to spare, Nie Yan and Xie Yao worked out in the gym for several hours.

A while ago, Nie Yan had specially ordered some equipment, and now he could test his punch power and squat strength at the villa. He found that both had significantly improved, which was truly exciting.

Nie Yan threw a punch into the air, and the friction between his fist and the air created a powerful burst.

Since advancing to Shadow Dancer, Nie Yan noticed drastic changes in his body, possibly also related to the gaming pods. The limited edition gaming pods he and Xie Yao used could enhance muscle strength through nutrient solution and electric stimulation. Combined with various other factors, this led to Nie Yan’s remarkable progress.

At the First Military Academy’s gym, Leisu was doing squats with hundreds of kilograms on his shoulders, continuously sweating.

Xiao Yu entered the gym and walked towards Leisu. “I just got something interesting. Want to have a look?”

“What is it?” Leisu stood up under the weight, steadily put it down, and asked Xiao Yu.

“You see for yourself,” Xiao Yu threw his phone to Leisu.

Leisu opened the video on the phone, which showed Nie Yan single-handedly defeating more than thirty people including Song Chen.

“That guy is Song Chen?” Leisu said in surprise. He knew a bit about Song Chen, who had once ranked in the top six in the school’s hand-to-hand combat competition, with decent strength. There were also a few others he recognized, all relatively strong members from the Mecha Warfare Department. Such a group was defeated without resistance by Nie Yan. This guy was too terrifying!

“This guy should be even stronger than last time. According to data analysis, his punch power exceeds 1000 kilograms. In such a short time, his growth is too scary,” Xiao Yu couldn’t help but exclaim.

Leisu couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “No matter how hard I train, it seems the gap between me and this guy is widening. How did he train so fast?”

“We need to start sending people to approach him,” Xiao Yu said. He had already received orders from above to spare no effort in recruiting Nie Yan into the Heavenly King Organization. Nie Yan’s strength was too attractive to the military.

“I’ll go meet him,” Leisu said. He would have a duel with Nie Yan in the game.

“Okay, then this mission is assigned to you,” Xiao Yu said, walking out.

Watching Xiao Yu’s retreating figure, Leisu suddenly came to a realization and couldn’t help but swear, “Damn it, I’ve been fooled by you again. So all that talk was just to get me to approach the mad thief Nie Yan!”

Xiao Yu smiled. By the time he realized, it was already too late.

It was almost time to log in. Nie Yan and Xie Yao entered their gaming pods and returned to the game.

Nie Yan headed toward the direction of the Elders’ Council in the Granland Empire. He was going to claim the reward for becoming the Great Prophet.

It was still the Elders’ Council. The two Holy Swordsmen guarding the entrance remained as serious and diligent as ever.

The older Holy Swordsman with a beard immediately showed a respectful expression upon seeing Nie Yan: “Respected Great Prophet Nie Yan, Emperor Jobia is looking for you. Please follow me.”

Previously, when Nie Yan was still a scholar, the two Holy Swordsmen were polite but still carried an air of condescension. Now, their attitude had completely changed 180 degrees. Their tone when speaking to Nie Yan even had a hint of flattery, careful and cautious, fearing they might offend him in any way.

How arrogant before and how humble now! These NPCs were indeed so opportunistic!

Indeed, the title of Great Prophet made a difference. One could feel this just from the Holy Knights’ change in attitude. Only when one reached a certain level of prestige could these Holy Swordsmen be made to bow.

Nie Yan didn’t bother arguing with them. Following the Holy Swordsman, he walked into the Elders’ Council, passing through the long corridor, with the central meeting hall visible in the distance.