Three Years Minimum

"See that? That's the school's foundation."

Xu Fei smiled at Chen Feng. "And this is only high school. College is even more terrifying—there are tons of upperclassmen, counselors, teachers, professors, and so on. Touch one, and a whole group comes after you. Their internal competition may be fierce, but when dealing with outsiders, they stand united."

"What does that have to do with me?"

Chen Feng stretched lazily.

"Don't you regret failing the college entrance exam?"

Xu Fei gave him a half-smile.

"What would it change if I hadn't failed? Would I become someone like them?"

Chen Feng pointed at the students in the sea.

Xu Fei and the others wholeheartedly agreed. Strength was certainly important, but Jin City High School had clearly neglected the most important thing—character! With personalities like those students', even if they became incredibly strong after graduating and entering society, they would probably still be played to death by others.

"That female student is pretty nice!"

Zhou Ling suddenly winked at Chen Feng. He followed her gaze and saw Su Jin—the only student who had not gone into the sea to search for anything.

Xu Fei draped an arm around Chen Feng's shoulders and grinned lecherously.

"Get lost!"

Chen Feng shot him a look of utter contempt.

After surviving several life-and-death crises together, they had grown much closer. But Chen Feng had also seen this guy's true nature—he was nothing but a sleazy bastard. No wonder Zhou Ling loved taking shots at him whenever she had the chance.

As for Su Jin...

Chen Feng really had no thoughts about her.

Girls with that kind of style were a little too much for him.

As they chatted, the fiery clouds in the sky suddenly scattered. Two figures emerged from the air—it was Wang Yao and Zhou Wenwu, who had been fighting.

"Is it over?"

Everyone looked over and froze.

The greatsword in Wang Yao's hand was clearly shorter, as if it had been forcibly severed. Her little face had gone pale with rage as she glared fiercely at Zhou Wenwu. Yet Zhou Wenwu looked even worse off. Though he had no real injuries, half his beard had been burned away.

"Little girl, if we keep fighting, the others may arrive too."

Zhou Wenwu smiled bitterly.

"Hmph."

Wang Yao sneered. "For every one who comes, I'll kill one!"

"How about this?"

Zhou Wenwu gave another bitter smile. "I know your Old Wang, more or less. Let's find the Sea Dragon Essence Blood first, then go back and slowly discuss who it belongs to. How does that sound?"

"Fine."

After pondering for a moment, Wang Yao finally sheathed her sword.

Zhou Wenwu shook his head with a bitter smile. The younger generation was truly becoming more and more frightening.

"Have you found it?"

Zhou Wenwu looked toward the teachers.

"No."

Everyone lowered their heads in shame.

"Still no?"

Zhou Wenwu frowned. "Hurry up. We need to find it before the others arrive..."

"Why make it so difficult?"

Wang Yao sneered.

Boom!

Endless flames surged forth.

Wang Yao thrust her broken sword into the seawater.

Whoosh—

Terrifying power rippled through the waters. The seawater instantly began to boil, turning into steam under the horrifying heat. The water throughout the entire sea region was falling at an astonishing speed.

Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.

This little girl was actually going to evaporate the entire sea region!

"Holy crap."

Xu Fei's mouth hung open for a long while.

Chen Feng's expression also changed slightly. He was not shocked by Wang Yao's strength—he had suddenly remembered that if she discovered he had hidden that thing...

Chen Feng's mouth twitched slightly.

The students who had helped the teachers search for the Sea Dragon Essence Blood were all drenched in cold sweat, terrified that Wang Yao might take a dislike to them and evaporate them along with it.

Thus, under everyone's watchful eyes, Wang Yao forcibly evaporated the entire sea!

That place had turned into a desert!

Yet...

There was nothing inside!

"Where is the Sea Dragon Essence Blood?"

Wang Yao radiated killing intent.

All the seawater had vanished, but the Sea Dragon Essence Blood had vanished as well.

"Hm?"

Zhou Wenwu's heart jolted too. He said coldly, "Who found the Sea Dragon Essence Blood? You'd better hand it over immediately. Some things are not yours to take."

"We really didn't."

Everyone smiled bitterly.

"Hmph!"

Zhou Wenwu sneered.

Though he did not possess Wang Yao's tyrannical strength, his foundation was even deeper than hers. His terrifying spiritual power swept across everyone.

Yet he found nothing.

Wang Yao searched them one by one as well, but the Sea Dragon Essence Blood had simply vanished!

"Old Man, you actually dared play tricks right in front of me."

Wang Yao was the first to point her sword at Zhou Wenwu. It had to be this Old Man who had secretly had those teachers find the item and transport it away.

"It really wasn't me."

Zhou Wenwu's face turned livid. "Not a single person left just now, and there's nothing here capable of teleportation. If there were, would you not have sensed it?"

"Hmph."

Wang Yao snorted coldly.

Right before two immensely powerful Gene Warriors, the Sea Dragon Essence Blood had vanished just like that.

Even after everyone had been searched, including Chen Feng and the others who had not gone into the sea, the Sea Dragon Essence Blood was still nowhere to be found.

"Could it be related to those people?"

Zhou Wenwu suddenly thought of something. "Since they arranged all this, perhaps they had some hidden method. You severed that guy's arm at the time. If they used some method to fuse blood into the Sea Dragon Essence Blood and control it from afar, it may already have left this place."

"Damn it."

After thinking it over, Wang Yao realized it really was possible.

"Looks like we'll have to demand an explanation from them."

Zhou Wenwu sneered. "They harmed so many of my students. If I don't make them pay a price, they won't understand just how precious the students of Jin City High School are."

Wang Yao looked at him coldly.

Neither of them trusted the other, but under the circumstances, there was nothing they could do.

Only after another round of inspections were they finally allowed to leave.

"Did you find it?"

Wang Yao glanced at Wang Yue.

"No."

Wang Yue answered timidly.

"Useless."

Wang Yao did not hold back at all.

Wang Yue hung his head, not even daring to talk back.

The crowd gradually dispersed. Just as Chen Feng, Xu Fei, and the others were preparing to leave, Wang Yao suddenly spoke. "Chen Feng, come here."

Chen Feng's body stiffened, and his heart sank. Had she discovered it?

Xu Fei and the others looked at Chen Feng in surprise. Thinking of Chen Feng's earlier words—"I can guarantee that we'll survive"—they were instantly shocked. Chen Feng actually knew this Little Girl!

This terrifyingly powerful expert!

"Go on."

Xu Fei patted Chen Feng on the shoulder.

Chen Feng forced an awkward smile, his body somewhat stiff.

"What?"

Xu Fei saw Chen Feng's awkward reaction and asked in surprise, "Don't tell me you two have some other kind of history?"

Chen Feng's expression became even more awkward.

Stealing the Sea Dragon Essence Blood—calling it history was an understatement. It was practically a blood feud.

"Holy shit, there really is?"

Xu Fei's teasing expression suddenly turned serious as he looked earnestly at Chen Feng. "Brother, let me tell you, even though she's very strong, she looks really young. Don't blame me for not warning you—three years minimum, maximum..."

"Get lost!"

Chen Feng's face darkened.

However, before Chen Feng could make a move, a blade-sharp gaze swept over them. Xu Fei's expression changed drastically as a ball of flame descended from the sky without warning.

"Whoosh—"

The flames flashed, and Xu Fei's handsome hair was instantly burned away completely.

"My hair..."

Xu Fei stood there in utter confusion.

He touched his head, and a pile of ash fell down.

"That'll teach you to talk too much."

Zhou Ling and the others held back their laughter as they forcibly dragged the dazed Xu Fei away.

Chen Feng's mouth twitched. He could only carefully approach Wang Yao.

"Speak."

Wang Yao kicked Wang Yue.

"Th... thank you."

Wang Yue stared fixedly at Chen Feng, forcing those two words out through clenched teeth.

"No need, no need."

Chen Feng immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're even."

Wang Yao said indifferently.

"Understood."

Chen Feng gave a bitter smile.

This girl really did not give him any face at all.

Her meaning was simple. He had saved Wang Yue's life back then, and later, she had saved Chen Feng's life. That settled everything; neither owed the other anything.

Chen Feng smiled and was about to leave when Wang Yao suddenly spoke.

"The Sea Dragon Essence Blood—is it with you?"

Swish!

Chen Feng's heart lurched violently, and he nearly suffocated.

"How could that be?"

Chen Feng replied calmly, "I didn't even go into the sea."

"That's true."

Wang Yao recalled that and stopped questioning him.

"Then I'll be leaving."

Chen Feng nodded to her before calmly walking away. No one knew that once he had left, he was drenched in cold sweat, his clothes nearly soaked through. That Little Girl's eyes were truly terrifying. Chen Feng had even thought he had been discovered!

"Why did you make me thank him?"

Wang Yue said viciously, "He must have discovered you were here, which was why he saved me. Clearly, he should have been thanking me instead!"

"Hmph."

Wang Yao rolled her eyes at him. "If he hadn't taken the lead, neither the Sea Dragon Essence Blood nor the mastermind behind it would have appeared. But the disappearance of the Sea Dragon Essence Blood..."

Seeing Wang Yue still glaring fiercely at Chen Feng, she said flatly, "Stay away from him in the future."

"A mere Beginner Producer, and I'm supposed to be afraid of him?"

Wang Yue was unconvinced.

"This Chen Feng isn't that simple."

Wang Yao shook her head.

"Other than being a little lucky, what else does he have?"

Wang Yue sneered. "I'm not stupid enough to cause him trouble right now, but once I make something of myself, he'll be nothing more than a stray dog beneath my feet."

Wang Yao's little face grew solemn, and she said nothing more.

Chen Feng...

She looked toward the figure gradually disappearing in the distance and fell into deep thought.