The Resolve to Grow Stronger

Since Gao Yingjie had a mission to carry out, after arranging matters for Lin Feng, he joined the cleanup of the battlefield.

Lin Feng and Ying Suifeng also boarded the airship back to the Assassin Temple.

After pondering it throughout the journey, Lin Feng had already mapped out his plans for the future.

His top priority was to raise his spiritual power to 2,000 within five years, reaching the level of a Fifth Rank Assassin. He needed to unlock Morax's God's Favor Awakening and cultivate his Naginata Technique to the rank of "Complete Transmission."

After tonight's battle, Lin Feng had already touched the threshold of the realm of No-Thought. With further comprehension, a breakthrough was only a matter of time.

Strictly speaking, he only had five years left.

Once the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Competition ended, it would be time for the journey to Devil Expulsion Pass. It had originally been an ordinary Demon Hunt Squad trial, but in that battle, the Demon God Emperor would directly send three Demon Gods to attack Devil Expulsion Pass.

If his spiritual power had not broken through 2,000 by then, even if he used "Seven Gods Descent" and summoned Raiden Shogun to fight in his place, he likely would not stand a chance.

With less than 2,000 spiritual power, he could not possibly bring out Raiden Shogun's true strength.

If something truly went wrong then, what would he use to protect himself? To protect Cai'er?

...The road ahead was long and arduous.

"What's wrong? Are you that concerned about the Demon Hunt Squad Selection Competition?"

Ying Suifeng, seated opposite him, looked at Lin Feng, who had remained quiet ever since hearing about the Demon Hunt Squad Selection from Gao Yingjie.

"If you're worried about not keeping up, you can wait for the next one. You're still young."

Lin Feng shook his head. "That's not it."

"Then what is it?"

After some thought, Lin Feng asked, "Teacher, is there any way for me to quickly increase my spiritual power?"

The corner of Ying Suifeng's mouth twitched beneath his veil.

He could not help but grumble inwardly, Do you know what you're saying?

"In just one month, your spiritual power has already risen by nearly 200 points!"

"How much faster do you want it to be...?"

Ying Suifeng quickly composed himself and said as calmly as he could, "Increasing spiritual power is a gradual process. Once you break through to the Fifth Stage, your cultivation speed will increase. What you need to do now is build a solid foundation. You must not be too impatient."

Great. That was as good as saying nothing.

What he wanted was a way to rapidly reach the Fifth Stage.

After waiting for quite a while without receiving an answer from Lin Feng, Ying Suifeng looked up and saw the disappointed expression on his face.

They had not been together for long, yet it was the first time Ying Suifeng had seen such an expression on Lin Feng's face.

All other thoughts immediately vanished from Ying Suifeng's mind. He asked seriously, "Why are you suddenly so eager to increase your spiritual power?"

Lin Feng answered instinctively, "After today's battle, I suddenly realized that I'm still too weak. Just a heavily injured Fifth Stage Wolf Demon was enough to force me to risk my life. And that was only because you were there that I could fight without holding anything back. I knew you had to be watching me from the shadows, so I did whatever I wanted without regard for the consequences."

"But if one day you aren't by my side, can I still do what I did today?"

Lin Feng asked himself that question, and he knew he could not. He was afraid of death too.

Even now, remembering it made him shudder. If Paimon had been a little later, or Ying Suifeng had not intervened, he would already have been a corpse.

Ying Suifeng listened silently to Lin Feng's account, then smiled.

He smiled happily.

With a disposition like Lin Feng's, why would the Assassin Temple worry about not rising again? Why would humanity worry about not being revived?

Ying Suifeng's expression changed, and his voice carried the imposing authority of a Ninth Rank Expert without needing anger.

"Do you truly wish to grow stronger?"

Lin Feng was briefly stunned by Ying Suifeng's suddenly solemn tone, then nodded. "I do."

"Then what if I asked you to leave Cai'er for five years?"

"Leave Cai'er!"

Lin Feng hesitated. Cai'er had been the first person he saw after arriving in this world. Perhaps at first, he had merely thought she was beautiful—the wife he called out to every day from the other side of a screen.

But after spending a month together, Lin Feng realized that he truly liked Cai'er's personality.

Even now, he could feel that the person he most wanted to see upon returning to the Assassin Temple was Cai'er.

Leave Cai'er for five years...

Faced with such a difficult choice, Lin Feng instinctively clenched his hands.

Just as he was unable to decide.

In a daze, the scene of the village slaughtered by the Wolf Demon flashed through Lin Feng's mind.

Wails everywhere, severed limbs, blood flowing like a river...

Lin Feng released his clenched fists. He had his answer.

"I'm willing." Lin Feng's gaze was resolute.

"Good. Very good. As expected of my, Ying Suifeng's, disciple." Ying Suifeng abruptly stood up and heavily patted Lin Feng's shoulder several times.

Before, he had always thought that Lin Feng merely possessed heaven-defying talent, and that it was enough for him to fulfill his duties as a teacher. But from this moment onward, he truly acknowledged Lin Feng as his disciple from the bottom of his heart.

At that moment, Lin Feng also fully understood that if he wanted to grow quickly, he needed a teacher to protect him—at least until he had fully matured.

Perhaps from this moment onward, they were truly master and disciple.

"Teacher, could you be a little gentler? I'm only at the Third Stage." Lin Feng bared his teeth in pain as his shoulder throbbed.

"I was too happy for a moment." Ying Suifeng also realized that he had lost his composure.

Ying Suifeng quickly calmed himself, then looked at Lin Feng. "The fastest way to increase your strength is battle. Fight with the resolve to die! Constantly hone your combat skills in battle and cultivate a fighting style that belongs to you alone."

"With your physique, there are very few people in this world who can become your teacher. But don't worry. I will teach you everything I have learned in my life."

"Until the day you can stand on your own and find your own path."

"Mm, I understand, Teacher."

Seeing Lin Feng's serious expression, Ying Suifeng could not help teasing him. "So you can be this serious too, brat."

Lin Feng scratched his head and laughed. "The mood was right, wasn't it?"

"Alright. Once we're back, spend two good days with Cai'er. Three days from now, I'll take you to Devil Expulsion Pass."

"Ah!"

"Only two days?"

"Teacher, can't you give us another two days? Cai'er and I haven't seen each other for several days." Lin Feng said gloomily.

Ying Suifeng showed no mercy in response to Lin Feng's request. "This time, the Temple Master only approved five days of leave for me to take you to Knight Sacred Mountain. Letting you stay for two days is already the limit."

"I see... Then..."

"Stop!" Seeing that Lin Feng was about to start talking his way around it again, Ying Suifeng decisively cut him off. "Don't try threatening me with that 'I won't go to Devil Expulsion Pass' routine. I won't fall for it."

Ying Suifeng suddenly remembered something and looked at Lin Feng with a smile. "Haven't you always wanted to meet Cai'er's parents? They're stationed at Devil Expulsion Pass."

Lin Feng froze, then his pupils rapidly widened.

Flustered, he said, "Um... Teacher, I suddenly don't want to grow stronger anymore. Maybe I shouldn't go to Devil Expulsion Pass after all..."

What kind of joke was this? He often talked about Cai'er's parents, but he had never actually considered meeting his future father-in-law.

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

He was not ready yet.

Hearing Lin Feng's flustered words, Ying Suifeng smiled. "I never said you had to go as Lin Feng."

Lin Feng was stunned at first. Then his eyes lit up as he understood what Ying Suifeng meant.

That was right. If he approached Sheng Lingxin as an ordinary person, then slowly won over Sheng Lingxin and Cai'er's mother with his talent, would everything not fall into place naturally afterward?

While growing stronger, he could also win over his future father-in-law.

Two birds with one stone.

Under the cool night sky, a master and disciple quietly plotted how they would one day astonish Sheng Lingxin, the Military Chief of Devil Expulsion Pass...

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