"This... this guy!"
The sneer on Xiao Hongchen's face froze, and his mismatched green and blue eyes suddenly narrowed!
Behind him, Meng Hongchen and the squad of elite soldiers all stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.
They had seen it clearly. This man really had risen out of the river! What was more, before that, they hadn't sensed Lin Feng's presence at all. He was as if he'd appeared out of thin air!
The three Huo brothers, by contrast, were relatively calm. After all, this was already the third time they had seen the mysterious River God.
Lin Feng ignored everyone's shock and simply fixed his gaze on Xiao Hongchen. His expression held no particular meaning; it remained as gentle as ever.
With a grin, he spoke. His voice wasn't loud, yet every person there heard him clearly.
"Young Xiao Hongchen~"
He slowly raised the fishing rod in his hand. Ripples spread across the water, and a figure was fished out of the river, floating in midair.
It was a soldier wearing the same standard-issue armor, but his bearing was completely different from the one who had jumped in!
A fierce, battle-hardened aura radiated from him, as if he were Asura himself, freshly emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Just looking at him was enough to feel the intense pressure he exerted.
The armor he wore was somewhat battered, but it only made the soldier look more fearsome.
Pointing at the battle-hardened soldier, Lin Feng asked leisurely:
"Did you drop this soldier, a veteran who's seen countless battles?"
Gulp.
The soldiers behind Xiao Hongchen swallowed unconsciously.
They were all Soul Masters, and could clearly sense that the soldier who had been fished out was far stronger than the comrade who had jumped in!
H-How was this possible?!
Xiao Hongchen's mind was in turmoil!
As a genius of the Sun Moon Royal Academy, he could tell at a glance how terrifying this soldier was. He was confident he could defeat the first soldier, even if it took some time, despite having a lower Soul Power Level than him.
But Xiao Hongchen knew that if he fought this battle-hardened soldier to the death, he wouldn't stand a chance!
Just as his mind reeled and he struggled to find an answer, a calm voice sounded in his ear.
"Answer honestly."
It was Huo Yu. He didn't know what would happen if Xiao Hongchen lied, but he was sure it wouldn't be anything good.
Xiao Hongchen drew a deep breath, forcing down his shock. Looking at Lin Feng, he answered in a low voice:
"No."
Lin Feng's smile grew even brighter.
"Mm, good."
He flicked his wrist, and the battle-hardened soldier vanished instantly, as if he had never appeared.
Then Lin Feng raised his fishing rod again.
This time, another soldier was fished out.
His demeanor was the complete opposite of the previous one. His face was gentle, and he radiated a reassuring sense of dependability.
"Then did you drop this soldier, whose heart is filled with loyalty and the will to protect?"
Lin Feng asked again.
With Huo Yu's reminder, Xiao Hongchen didn't hesitate this time.
"No, I didn't."
The soldier vanished again. This time, the original soldier appeared.
"Then did you drop this soldier, who looks completely ordinary and not at all special?"
"Yes."
Completely ordinary and not at all special? He was one of his elite guards, for goodness' sake. Xiao Hongchen suppressed the urge to complain.
"Heh..."
Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction and gave a pleased little chuckle.
"You're an honest, good boy. So I'll give you all three soldiers!"
As he spoke, he gave the fishing rod a light swing.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Three figures were flung out of the river and landed safely on the bank.
They were the two soldiers with completely different temperaments, along with the original soldier who had jumped into the river!
Three identical people now stood together, yet their auras were entirely different!
Having done all that, Lin Feng's figure began to turn indistinct. Holding his fishing rod, he slowly sank beneath the surface. His face still wore that lazy smile, as though he had done nothing more than a trivial task.
A dead silence fell over the riverbank.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the utterly irrational sight, as if they had been hit by a binding spell.
What the three Huo brothers had said... was actually true!
One person jumped in, and three really did come out!
"An illusion... This must be some kind of powerful illusion Soul Skill!"
One soldier finally blurted out in a trembling voice. He had to still be dreaming—otherwise, how could something like this be happening?
"No, this can't be an illusion Soul Skill."
Though Xiao Hongchen was just as shocked, he could still distinguish reality from illusion.
He went over to the three soldiers. Their auras were all completely real; this absolutely couldn't be an illusion.
Meng Hongchen's gaze sharpened. She turned to Xiao Hongchen and said,
"Brother, we have to report this to Grandpa right away!"
The grandpa she meant was Jing Hongchen, the head of Mingde Hall in the Sun Moon Empire, a Level 9 Soul Engineer with the title "Hongchen."
Xiao Hongchen drew a deep breath, his expression turning grave.
He knew his sister was right.
This matter was of immense importance.
He immediately shouted to a captain behind him, who was still standing there in a daze:
"You! Return to Mingde Hall at once and tell Hall Master Jing Hongchen everything that happened here, in full! Go!"
"Yes, young master!"
The captain snapped out of his stupor. No longer minding his shock, he turned and shot off toward Mingdu at full speed, transforming into a streak of light.
Once he had made the arrangements, Xiao Hongchen looked at the three identical soldiers.
He still had one major question.
Just how strong were the two extra soldiers? Their auras were certainly much more powerful, but what about their actual abilities? The only way to know the true difference was to fight.
"The three of you, have a match and see who's stronger."
The soldier radiating a battle-hardened aura merely cast a cold glance around before finding a place to sit cross-legged. He closed his eyes to rest, as if nothing around him concerned him in the slightest. He paid no attention at all to Xiao Hongchen's order.
How dare this guy ignore the young master's order? The guards were furious and wanted to teach him a lesson, but Xiao Hongchen stopped them. This wasn't the time to fuss over something like that.
"I'll fight you!"
The second soldier to appear spoke with a smile, his eyes alight with fighting spirit.
"Good!"
The original soldier nodded. He absolutely couldn't lose. He couldn't let down the young master's expectations!
"Excellent."
The two took up their stances, and their Soul Rings lit up at once.
They had the same six Soul Rings, with the same configuration!
The next moment, both moved at the same time!
But the fight was completely one-sided!
"Bang!"
With just one exchange, the original soldier was thrown hard to the ground in a clean shoulder throw. Dust flew up, and he lost consciousness instantly.
The other soldier hadn't even used Martial Soul Possession. He had crushed his opponent purely with superior fighting skills and strength!
Once again, the entire crowd fell silent.
Everyone had seen it clearly. This wasn't even a fight between equals!
His strength... had truly increased! And in every respect!
Xiao Hongchen slowly exhaled, then quickly regained his composure. A playful look appeared in his eyes. This was truly interesting.
He wasn't a fool. He understood perfectly well what the existence of this river meant.
A mysterious place that could split one person into three and even increase their strength out of thin air...
A powerful premonition welled up in Xiao Hongchen's heart.
The appearance of this river—no, the arrival of this mysterious River God—
Would completely change the balance of power across the Douluo Continent!
And he, Xiao Hongchen, would witness it all!
If the River God didn't interfere in the affairs of the Douluo Continent, then... perhaps they could use his power to strengthen the Sun Moon Empire and become the strongest force on the entire continent!
The blueprint for his dream had already been drawn!
Before you continue