NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 120: Joker
For a moment, the entire hall froze.
Then, in a voice loud and firm, Zou Fang declared—
"I want to take Angola's life."
A single heartbeat of silence.
Then—
Chaos erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"Did he just—did he just say he wants to KILL Angola?!"
"Is he insane?!"
"No, no, no, I must've misheard!"
"I heard it too! He said it! He said he wants to take Angola's life!"
Breeder disciples reeled back in horror. Elder Fan Ming's eyes twitched. The other elder standing beside him nearly choked on his own breath.
Even Angola, the once-proud but now battered and bruised lizard, lifted its head weakly.
Its swollen, black-and-blue face twitched in sheer terror.
It shuddered.
It shivered.
It let out a pitiful whimper.
"Kraaah…?"
It didn't understand human language, but its instincts screamed that something was terribly, terribly wrong.
The lizard tried to crawl away.
It tried to drag its bloated, bruised body inch by inch toward safety.
But its limbs trembled too much.
It was too weak.
It could barely move.
Angola could only stare helplessly, eyes darting between the furious disciples, the elders, and—most of all—the terrifying human standing in the center of it all.
That human, Zou Fang, had just said…
He wanted to take its life.
It didn't know what that meant.
But it knew it wasn't good.
Its fat body quivered.
A single, miserable tear rolled down its swollen cheek.
And then, at that moment—Zou Fang realized what he just said.
His mind stopped.
His thoughts froze.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down his temple.
Then—panic.
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Did he just—?
Oh no.
OH NO.
He didn't mean it like that!
His heart dropped.
His breath hitched.
He scrambled to fix his words.
"N-no! Wait! I didn't mean it like that!" Zou Fang waved his hands frantically, looking at the horrified faces around him.
"I don't mean I want to kill that useless fat lizard!"
Silence.
The air was still tense.
The disciples still watched with suspicion.
The elders still looked unconvinced.
Even Angola—despite not fully understanding—did not stop shivering.
Zou Fang rushed to clarify.
"What I meant was—"
He inhaled sharply.
"My beast… wants to become like Angola."
Silence.
Someone blinked.
"Huh?"
Zou Fang nodded quickly.
"Yes. My beast… wants to be like Angola. It wants to become an important beast in the sect. Just like Angola!"
Slowly…
Very slowly…
The mood shifted.
The suspicion eased.
Realization dawned.
One by one, the disciples nodded.
"Ah…"
"So that's what he meant!"
"That makes sense."
"Yeah, yeah, Angola is an important beast, after all."
"I mean, of course! That's what he meant! Who would just randomly announce they want to kill a sect beast, right? Haha… right?"
The tension melted away.
The elders exhaled.
Even Elder Fan Ming stroked his beard thoughtfully.
Angola, however, was still trembling.
It didn't understand human words, but it knew something had just changed.
Yet…
It was still afraid.
It continued watching Zou Fang with terrified eyes.
Meanwhile, Elder Fan Ming nodded sagely.
"I see. So your beast… aspires to rise in status. It desires recognition."
Zou Fang nodded furiously.
"Exactly! That's what I meant!"
Elder Fan Ming stroked his beard. "A noble goal, indeed."
The other elder beside him hummed in agreement.
"Yes, yes. If your beast wishes to be recognized like Angola, then it must prove its worth."
Fan Ming turned his gaze toward Zou Fang.
"Tell me—what is the ability of your beast?"
A pause.
Zou Fang froze.
He wasn't prepared for this question.
Before he could think of an answer—
Fan Ming continued.
"Angola has an ability. A calming presence. His aura soothes both humans and beasts alike. He is an invaluable asset for our sect."
He gestured toward Angola, who was still curled up in a traumatized heap.
"Other important beasts have abilities as well."
He lifted a finger, listing them off.
"We have the Silverleaf Crane, whose feathers contain healing properties."
"The Cloud-Eyed Yak, which produces milk infused with spiritual energy."
"The Ember-Tailed Fox, whose presence boosts cultivation speed for disciples meditating nearby."
"The Spirit-Rooted Boar, which detects hidden herbs underground."
"Even the lowly Shadow-Marked Rabbit has value—it can absorb darkness and store it as energy."
One by one, he listed the special abilities of important beasts.
And he did not stop.
He continued.
And continued.
And continued.
Every time Zou Fang thought he was done, he added another one.
More beasts.
More abilities.
More explanations.
The room grew stuffy with sheer information.
Some disciples grew dizzy just from listening.
Zou Fang's mind spun.
Fan Ming was still going.
Still going.
Still listing.
Still explaining.
Still naming beasts no one had even heard of before.
Zou Fang's brain overheated.
"…And finally," Fan Ming concluded after what felt like an eternity, "there is the Sun-Spotted Turtle, whose shell absorbs heat and regulates temperature during extreme weather conditions."
He turned back to Zou Fang.
"Now—what is the ability of your beast?"
The hall fell silent.
Everyone turned their gaze toward Zou Fang.
Even Angola—still traumatized—peered weakly at him.
Zou Fang opened his mouth.
He hesitated.
He thought about Wei Long.
He thought about his beast.
He thought about the pure, overwhelming destruction Wei Long was capable of.
He thought about the utter chaos Wei Long could unleash.
And then…
After everything—
After all that build-up—
After all the anticipation—
Zou Fang finally answered.
"…I'm not sure."
Silence.
Complete, absolute silence.
A single disciple collapsed from sheer frustration.
Someone screamed internally.
Angola just closed its eyes and pretended to be dead.
And Elder Fan Ming?
Elder Fan Ming just…
Stared.
Suddenly, just like thunder, the hall exploded with laughter.
At first, it started as a few chuckles.
Then those chuckles turned into snickers.
Then those snickers turned into outright cackling.
Within seconds, the entire hall was roaring with laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"This guy—! He wants to be an important beast breeder, but his beast can't do anything?!"
"What a joke!"
"He doesn't even know what his own beast is capable of!"
"And he wants to be treated like Angola?!"
"Hah! He should at least lie properly!"
Even some elders couldn't suppress their amusement.
Elder Fan Ming rubbed his temples with a sigh. The elder beside him shook his head, muttering under his breath.
Disciples were holding their stomachs from laughing too hard. Some even staggered, nearly losing their balance.
"This is priceless! Absolutely priceless!"
"He actually thought he could just… ask to be important!"
"No skill, no talent, no proof—but he wants status!"
"I think I like this guy; he is hilarious to the extreme. He's been doing this since yesterday, and each word that comes out of his mouth keeps me entertained."
"Yeah, I finally accepted that it is him and he's just like this. I can't take it. Hahahaha."
Even the weakest breeder disciples, the ones who struggled in the sect, the ones who had never even dreamed of being a core disciple, couldn't help but laugh at Zou Fang's boldness.
Even Angola, who was still traumatized and shivering, peeked at the scene with dull, swollen eyes.
Despite its barely functioning state…
It somehow understood that Zou Fang had just made himself the biggest laughingstock in the hall.
It would have laughed too—if it had the strength.
Meanwhile—
Inside Zou Fang's Spiritual Sea of Consciousness—
Wei Long was seething.
"Tch! These fools… laughing at you like this!"
He paced back and forth, his tail swishing wildly. His glowing eyes burned with irritation.
"They don't know anything! Don't they realize how much potential we have?!"
Zou Fang, meanwhile, was dying inside.
His face twitched. His eye twitched.
His soul twitched.
"Wei Long… you do realize that I—"
But before he could finish, Wei Long spoke again.
"Zou Fang! Listen to me! We have a secret weapon! A talent that no other beast has!"
Zou Fang raised an eyebrow.
"And what is that…?"
Wei Long grinned.
"Bio-engineering!"
Zou Fang froze.
His stomach dropped.
"Wei Long… we CAN'T say that!"
"Why not?!" Wei Long scoffed. "It's the truth! We can modify beasts, improve breeding efficiency, create perfect nutritional formulas, optimize pill recipes, refine medicinal herbs, and even enhance beast evolution pathways!"
"Yeah, but…" Zou Fang hesitated.
He could already imagine the disastrous consequences of revealing such a thing.
If he admitted that his beast had bio-engineering capabilities—
One of two things would happen.
One: He would be treated like a lunatic and laughed out of the sect.
Or two: He would become a lab rat, a test subject, a valuable asset that would be monitored, interrogated, and dissected until every single one of his secrets was exposed.
Neither option was ideal.
"We have to keep it a secret." Zou Fang muttered.
Wei Long rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Then just tell them that your beast has an unparalleled ability to improve breeding conditions, optimize beast diets, and enhance overall cultivation potential."
Zou Fang paused.
"But… can you actually do all that?"
Wei Long snorted.
"Zou Fang. Do you doubt me? I, Wei Long, the ultimate predator? You are doubting me?"
"…A little."
"Unbelievable." Wei Long huffed. "Have you already forgotten how I created the perfect feeding formula yesterday? Or how I optimized the energy absorption rate of your Bashawk? I can do all of this and more!"
"But you're just guessing, right? You never really done that, right?" Zou Fang frowned.
"No! Well… maybe a little. But it's educated guessing! But I belive I can do it all."
"So in other words… you don't actually know for sure."
"Tch! Does it matter?!" Wei Long crossed his arms. "As long as we act confident, they won't question it! Never ever doubt me."
"You… want me to just wing it?" Zou Fang's face darkened.
"Exactly!"
Zou Fang let out a deep sigh.
"…Fine."
And so—
Zou Fang turned back to the hall.
The laughter had calmed down slightly, but many disciples were still giggling under their breaths.
Elder Fan Ming watched with amusement, clearly expecting Zou Fang to back down.
But instead—
Zou Fang stood tall.
He took a deep breath.
And then—
He began to speak.
"My beast has an ability."
Instantly, the murmurs stopped.
All eyes were back on him.
Some people still had grins on their faces, expecting more nonsense.
"My beast," Zou Fang continued, "has the ability to create the perfect breeding conditions. It can refine beast feed, enhance dietary efficiency, and optimize the spiritual energy absorption of any creature."
The crowd blinked.
Some people looked confused.
Others raised eyebrows.
But Zou Fang did not stop.
He pushed forward.
"It can analyze weaknesses in breeding stock and adjust their conditions accordingly. It can detect nutritional deficiencies and correct them. It can modify energy distribution pathways to ensure maximum growth potential."
The disciples stared.
Even Elder Fan Ming squinted slightly, as if trying to determine whether Zou Fang was speaking nonsense or something profound.
But Zou Fang wasn't done.
"It can refine medicinal ingredients to make them more potent. It can enhance pill effectiveness without additional materials. It can even adjust the properties of spiritual herbs to better suit the needs of specific beasts."
Still—no one spoke.
Some disciples shifted uncomfortably.
Some frowned.
Some even glanced at each other uncertainly.
Then, finally—
Someone burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
And just like that—
The entire hall collapsed into laughter once more.
"This guy! This guy is absolutely insane!"
"Optimizing energy pathways?! Enhancing medicinal properties?! What nonsense!"
"He might as well say his beast can predict the future while he's at it!"
"I've never heard such ridiculous claims in my life!"
Even Elder Fan Ming smirked.
"Boy. You have quite the imagination."
Zou Fang felt his eye twitch.
Even after all that—
Even after explaining everything—
Even after doing his best to make it sound convincing—
They still didn't believe him.
They still laughed.
They still thought he was a joke.
His fists clenched.
His teeth gritted.
And then—
In a voice that was steady, firm, and completely serious—
Zou Fang said—
"I'm serious."
The hall went silent.