What's the difference between a River God and a wish-granting machine?

"Th-this guy!"

The sneer on Xiao Hongchen's face froze instantly, his heterochromatic eyes—one emerald green, one azure blue—contracting sharply!

Behind him, Meng Hongchen and that squad of elite soldiers had their eyes wide open, their faces filled with disbelief.

They had seen it clearly: this person had truly emerged from the River Water! Moreover, before this, they hadn't sensed a shred of Lin Feng's presence; it was as if he had appeared out of thin air!

Huo Yuhao and his two brothers were relatively calm; after all, this was already the third time they had seen this mysterious River God.

Lin Feng ignored the shock of the crowd. He simply locked his gaze onto Xiao Hongchen, his eyes devoid of any particular meaning, remaining as gentle as ever.

He spoke with a grin, his voice not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

"Oh, young Xiao Hongchen~"

He slowly raised the fishing rod in his hand. Ripples spread across the surface of the water as a figure was fished out from the river, suspended in mid-air.

It was a soldier wearing the same standard-issue armor, but his aura was completely different from the one who had jumped in!

His entire body radiated the iron-blooded, murderous aura of a survivor of a hundred battles, as if he were an Asura who had just walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood! Even just looking at him, one could feel the intense pressure emanating from his body.

The armor worn by this fellow was somewhat tattered, but it only added a touch of ferocity to the soldier.

Lin Feng pointed at this iron-blooded soldier and asked slowly:

"Is this the battle-hardened soldier you dropped?"

Gulp.

The soldiers behind Xiao Hongchen subconsciously swallowed their saliva.

They were all Soul Masters and could clearly sense that the soldier who had been fished out possessed an aura far stronger than their companion who had jumped in!

Th-this is impossible?!

Xiao Hongchen's heart was in turmoil!

As a genius of the Sun Moon Royal Academy, Xiao Hongchen could naturally see the terrifying nature of the soldier before him at a glance. If it were the previous soldier, Xiao Hongchen was confident he could defeat him with some effort, even if his Soul Power Level were lower.

But regarding this iron-blooded soldier before him, Xiao Hongchen knew that if it were a life-or-death battle, he would certainly be no match!

Just as his mind was reeling and he didn't know how to answer, a calm voice rang out in his ear.

"Answer truthfully."

It was Huo Yu. He didn't know what would happen if one lied, but it certainly wouldn't be anything good.

Xiao Hongchen took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. He looked at Lin Feng and answered in a deep voice:

"No."

The smile on Lin Feng's face grew even brighter.

"Mm, very good."

With a flick of his wrist, the Iron-Blooded Soldier vanished instantly, as if he had never appeared at all.

Immediately after, he raised his fishing rod once more.

This time, the one pulled up was a different soldier.

This soldier's aura was the complete opposite of the previous one; his expression was serene, and his entire being radiated a sense of reliability that put people at ease.

"Then, is this the soldier filled with loyalty and a belief in protection that you dropped?"

Lin Feng asked again.

With Huo Yu's reminder, Xiao Hongchen did not hesitate in the slightest this time.

"Also no."

The soldier vanished again, and this time, the original soldier appeared.

"Then, is this the soldier who looks ordinary and not special at all the one you dropped?"

"Yes."

What did he mean by ordinary and not special at all? He was, at the very least, his own elite guard. Xiao Hongchen forcibly suppressed the urge to retort in his heart.

"Heh heh..."

Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction, letting out a pleasant chuckle.

"You really are an honest, good child. So, I'll give all three soldiers to you!"

As his voice fell, he gave his fishing rod a light flick.

"Splash! Splash! Splash!"

Three figures were tossed out of the river by him, landing steadily on the bank.

They were exactly the two soldiers with vastly different temperaments, as well as the original soldier who had jumped into the river!

The three identical-looking people were now huddled together, though the auras they exuded were vastly different!

After finishing all this, Lin Feng's figure began to turn illusory. Carrying his fishing rod, he slowly sank into the water's surface, that lazy smile still hanging on his face, as if he had only done something trivial.

By the riverbank, a dead silence fell.

Everyone stood as if struck by a paralysis spell, staring dumbfounded at the scene before them that defied all reason.

What the three brothers of Huo Yuhao had said... was actually true!

If one person jumped in, they really would become three!

"An illusion... this must be some kind of powerful illusionary soul skill!"

A soldier finally couldn't hold back, his voice trembling as he spoke. He must still be dreaming; otherwise, how could something like this happen?

"No, this cannot be an illusionary soul skill."

Although Xiao Hongchen was also filled with shock, he could still distinguish reality from fiction.

He walked up to the three soldiers. Their auras were incredibly real; this absolutely could not be a fake image.

Meng Hongchen's eyes narrowed, and she spoke to Xiao Hongchen.

"Brother, we must report this matter to Grandfather immediately!"

The grandfather she referred to was none other than the Hall Master of the Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Empire, a Rank 9 Soul Master, titled "Hongchen"—Jing Hongchen!

Xiao Hongchen took a deep breath, his expression turning incredibly grave.

He knew his sister was right.

This matter was of great importance.

He immediately barked at a captain behind him who was still in a daze:

"You! Return to Mingde Hall immediately and tell Hall Master Jing Hongchen everything that has happened here, exactly as it occurred! Go, quickly!"

"Yes, Young Master!"

The captain shuddered, putting aside his shock. He turned and transformed into a streak of light, rushing toward Mingdu at top speed.

After arranging all of this, Xiao Hongchen's gaze fell upon the three identical soldiers.

He still had one major question in his heart.

What was the actual strength of these two extra soldiers? Although their auras were significantly stronger, what about in practice? Only by fighting them would he know the true difference.

"The three of you, spar with each other and see who is stronger."

The soldier exuding an aura of iron-blooded killing intent merely glanced coldly at his surroundings. He then found a spot to sit cross-legged, closing his eyes to rest, as if he were indifferent to everything around him and completely unconcerned with Xiao Hongchen's command.

How dare this guy ignore the Young Master's order? The guards were anxious and wanted to teach this arrogant fellow a lesson, but they were stopped by Xiao Hongchen. Now was not the time to worry about such things.

"I will fight you!"

The second soldier to appear smiled, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.

"Alright!"

The original soldier nodded. He absolutely could not lose; he could not let down the Young Master's expectations of him!

"Very well."

The two men took their stances, and their spirit rings lit up instantly.

They both had six spirit rings, with the exact same configuration!

The next second, both men moved simultaneously!

However, the result of the battle was completely one-sided!

"Bang!"

In just a single exchange, the original soldier was slammed violently into the ground by a clean, crisp shoulder throw from the second soldier. Dust billowed into the air, and the original soldier lost consciousness instantly.

The latter hadn't even used his Martial Soul Avatar; he had achieved a total crushing victory purely through superior combat technique and strength!

The entire scene fell into a deathly silence once again.

Everyone saw it clearly: this was not a battle between equals at all!

Their strength... it had truly increased! And it was an all-encompassing enhancement!

Xiao Hongchen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, though his gaze quickly returned to normal, replaced by a playful glint. This was truly interesting.

He was no fool; he knew very well what the existence of this river signified.

A mysterious place capable of splitting a person into three while simultaneously enhancing their strength out of thin air...

A strong premonition surged in Xiao Hongchen's heart.

The appearance of this river—no, the arrival of this mysterious River God...

Would completely change the landscape of the entire Douluo Continent!

And he, Xiao Hongchen, would be the witness to it all!

If the River God did not actively interfere in the affairs of the Douluo Continent, then... perhaps they could leverage the power of this River God to bolster the strength of the Sun Moon Empire and become the strongest force in the entire Douluo Continent!

The blueprint of his dreams had already been drawn!