"Coming!"
After answering, Shen Feng summoned the Leiming Blade and lit up his First Soul Ring. He slashed at the edge of the large pit, sending lightning flashing as earth and rocks slid down to bury all the corpses.
Following Oscar's shouts, Shen Feng made his way to a corner of the bandit stronghold.
His nose twitched slightly, and Shen Feng suddenly caught a pungent stench.
Looking closer, he discovered Oscar excitedly stirring a sizable cesspit with two arm-thick wooden poles. Every so often, he even fished out some black, stone-like objects.
"Xiao Ao, what are you doing? Fishing for shit to eat?"
Shen Feng furrowed his brows. His stomach churned, and nausea surged through him.
"Eat your damn grandfather! Look at what these are!"
Oscar laughed and cursed at him, then picked up a black lump with the poles and tossed it toward Shen Feng.
Shen Feng's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively drew the long blade from his back.
A flash of blade light split the black lump in two, revealing a glittering golden interior.
"Gold?"
Shen Feng froze, the corner of his mouth twitching. "What a fucking genius. They threw gold into a cesspit. Didn't it gross them out when they used it?"
Oscar chuckled. "That way, no one else would find it."
"I've already checked. These gold nuggets were all smelted from Gold Soul Coins. The bandits probably skimmed them off and planned to keep them instead of handing them over to their boss."
"They've stockpiled so much over the years. Looks like the two of us are in luck."
Shen Feng gathered Soul Power in his pupils to improve his vision. Only then could he make out, in the darkness, five or six black, solid lumps near Oscar's feet, ranging in size from a human head to a melon.
Shen Feng grimaced and looked at Oscar, speechless. "You're a real oddball. You found a treasure trove in a cesspit—and actually found treasure, too."
Oscar raised his brows smugly. "That's what you call a keen eye for wealth."
"Don't just stand there. Come help me fish them out."
Shen Feng sighed. "At this rate, how long will it take you to get them all?"
"Why not gather your Soul Power into threads and use it to sense them? Wouldn't that be faster?"
Oscar froze. "..."
"Damn it. Wine, women, wealth, and power really can make people stupid."
Throwing the poles aside, Oscar stretched out both hands. Pink strands of Soul Power extended from his fingertips and slowly probed into the cesspit.
Before long, the two of them had fished out one black, stone-like gold nugget after another.
After estimating the haul, they had around four hundred pounds, enough to mint roughly ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. (Twenty grams per coin.)
It wasn't a huge amount, but it was still a windfall.
More importantly, while they were fishing out the nuggets, Shen Feng unexpectedly spotted a Black Gold Treasure Box, about the size of a fist, disguised as a rock in one corner of the cesspit's stone wall.
He was lucky. The metal conducted electricity, which was how Shen Feng had discovered the treasure.
Black gold was more valuable than ordinary gold. A box the size of a fist was worth roughly a thousand Gold Soul Coins.
Even more surprising was what lay inside the box: a Millennium Cold Jade Tablet, three fingers wide and one finger long.
Cold Jade was icy to the touch, and the older it was, the more valuable it became. When worn close to the body by an ice-attribute Soul Master, it could slightly increase their cultivation speed. It was a rare treasure.
The Millennium Cold Jade Tablet Shen Feng and Oscar had obtained could help an ice-attribute Soul Master cultivate all the way to level forty. It was worth at least ten thousand gold coins.
They had tracked down criminals for a bounty and found treasure while wiping out bandits. This trip had earned Shen Feng and Oscar at least thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins.
It was the biggest haul they had made all year—a fortune by any measure.
As the saying went, murder and arson brought golden belts, while bridge-building and road-paving left no corpses. The ancients hadn't lied.
Several days later, Shen Feng and Oscar returned. As soon as they entered the tavern, they saw a group of unexpected visitors.
"Dean, Teacher Zhao, what are you doing here?"
The moment they stepped inside, Shen Feng and Oscar exclaimed in surprise.
Flender turned around, looking puzzled. "You two are..."
Shen Feng and Oscar exchanged a smile and pulled down the masks covering their faces. "It's us, Shen Feng and Oscar."
Flender's eyes widened. "How have you changed so much in just one year? I didn't even recognize you."
Zhao Wuji grinned and stepped forward, punching Shen Feng and Oscar in the chest. Two dull thuds rang out.
Oscar staggered back half a step, but Shen Feng barely swayed and remained perfectly still.
"Good lads. You've both gotten tough. Not bad, not bad at all."
"I really didn't expect you to keep growing after leaving the academy. If anything, you seem to have made even faster progress."
Oscar scratched his head and chuckled. "Not really. We've been rushing around all year, and we've been through plenty of hardships."
"These small improvements came from blood and sweat. If you ask me, life at the academy was much more comfortable."
Flender snorted. "Then come with us. Once we've finished what we're here for, we'll take you back to the academy."
Oscar waved both hands. "No, no, no. Life at the academy was comfortable, but it wasn't cool at all."
"Xiao Feng and I may have to sleep outdoors and live rough now. It's harder and more tiring, but we're freer and happier."
"If you made me go back to that cozy little nest now, you might as well kill me."
Shen Feng covered his mouth and chuckled. "Dean Flender, Xiao Ao and I have gotten used to being out on our own this past year. There's probably no chance of getting the two of us back to a quiet school life."
Zhao Wuji chuckled and leaned close to Shen Feng's ear. "Kid, you've seen blood, haven't you? The feeling of a life slipping away in your hands, of an enemy begging for mercy at your blade—it can feel good, but you must never become obsessed with it."
Shen Feng stiffened. He suddenly remembered that his hand seemed to be getting steadier when he killed people. Oscar was the same; killing a person was becoming little different from killing a chicken.
On their last mission, they had wiped out an entire bandit stronghold of more than three hundred people. He hadn't even hesitated before deciding to kill them all.
Oscar had even joked around while holding an enemy's head.
Thinking about it now, their state of mind really didn't seem normal.
In his previous life, he'd been an adult raised on revolutionary ideals. How had he become someone who treated human life as worthless?
Oscar had been a very kind boy, too, but now he also seemed not to care much about people's lives.
No, no. This wasn't right.
Zhao Wuji's words had jolted Shen Feng awake. He suddenly felt that he really ought to take a break. If he kept killing like this, something was bound to go badly wrong.
"Xiao Feng, Xiao Feng..."
Oscar's call suddenly brought Shen Feng back to his senses. "Huh? Xiao Ao, what is it?"
Oscar gave him a strange look. "The dean's calling you. This is our junior, Ma Hongjun!"
Shen Feng paused, then noticed a short, chubby boy about his age standing beside Flender, as well as the big, goofy-looking fellow beside Zhao Wuji.
"Hello, junior. My name's Shen Feng. I enrolled four years before you, so I'm your senior."
"Ma Hongjun. Martial Soul: Phoenix." Ma Hongjun stood in front of Shen Feng with his hands on his hips, belly thrust out as he looked up at him.
"Teacher says you're the most talented student Shrek Academy has ever had. I don't buy it. How about a match?"
In the next instant, purple flames rose around Ma Hongjun, and a bright yellow Soul Ring slowly revolved beneath his feet.
Dai Mubai folded his arms across his chest, the corners of his mouth lifting in an amused smile. He looked like he was waiting for a good show.
Seeing this, Shen Feng grinned. He casually drew the dagger from his waist, blurred forward, and appeared behind Ma Hongjun, placing the cold back of the blade against his neck.
"You're still a long way off. Come back when you've obtained your Second Soul Ring."
At the sight, Dai Mubai's pupils contracted sharply. He slowly lowered his arms, his confidence gone.
His hands clenched into fists, and his feelings were a tangled mess.
Was Shen Feng a monster? Dai Mubai was already level thirty. He had even learned Explosive Step and Collapse Fist, yet he still couldn't see Shen Feng's movements.
With a gap like this, how could he ever wipe away his past humiliation?
Was he really just a good-for-nothing?
No, he wasn't. Once he obtained a thousand-year third Soul Ring, he would definitely be able to defeat him.
Shen Feng, this time I'll make you disappear from my heart for good!
Glancing at Dai Mubai without drawing attention to it, Shen Feng suddenly felt he was being a little childish.
Why bother provoking someone who wasn't even worthy of being his opponent?
He shook his head with a wry smile, removed the dagger from Ma Hongjun's terrified neck, and cupped his hands toward Flender and the others. "Dean, Teacher Zhao, please wait a moment. Xiao Ao and I will turn in our mission, then come back to take care of you."
Flender smiled warmly and waved a hand. "Go ahead. Don't mind us."
After he spoke, Flender patted the stunned Ma Hongjun on the shoulder. "Hongjun, now you know there's always someone better out there. Let's see if you still work hard at cultivation when we get back."
Ma Hongjun's face flushed red. He looked at Shen Feng's retreating figure. "Teacher, how is he so strong?"
At the counter, Shen Feng and Oscar took five square wooden boxes out of their Storage Soul Tool and set them down one by one.
"Uncle Liao, we're here to turn in our mission."
Just then, Ma Hongjun hurried over and put his hand on one of the wooden boxes.
"Are these the items from your mission? What's inside? Can I take a look?"
Liao Yong laughed as he walked over. "Sure, kid. You can take a look."
"But let me warn you: you'd better prepare yourself before opening the box."
Ma Hongjun curled his lip. "Why all the secrecy? They're just materials from Soul Beasts."
"Let me take a look, and I'll get you something even better when I go Soul Hunting in the Star Dou Forest this time."
As he spoke, Ma Hongjun immediately popped open the box's latch and leaned in for a look.
"Ah!"
With a scream, Ma Hongjun fell to the ground in fright. Pointing at the box, he stammered, "A... a... a human head!"
"Hahahaha!"
Ma Hongjun's scream drew the attention of the Soul Masters in the tavern. Seeing his terrified expression, they all burst into laughter.
"Little chick, that scared you?"
"I remember this kid was bragging about taking Black Level missions when he first arrived. Now one head's got him almost pissing himself."
"Kid, with that kind of nerve, you'd better go home and suckle. You're not cut out for work that has you living on the edge of a blade like us."
"..."
"Quiet! If you want to keep making a racket, get out and do it!" Liao Yong roared, instantly silencing the commotion.
"You mangy bastards. Not one of you is any good, but you've all got plenty to say."
"He's only ten, and already a quasi-Soul Grandmaster at level twenty. What gives you the right to mock him?"
"What were you doing at ten? Playing in the mud at home? Sneaking a look at Widow Wang bathing next door? Or stealing Grandpa Liu's cane?"
Liao Yong had spent some time near Shrek Academy and knew exactly how powerful Flender and Zhao Wuji were.
If he angered those two, they might tear the place down.
Telling those men to shut their mouths was truly saving their lives.
Shen Feng laughed and helped Ma Hongjun up from the ground.
"Junior, you really are a bit of a scaredy-cat. You need to toughen up."
"But don't worry. Spend a year with me, and I guarantee you'll be using things like these as chamber pots at night without batting an eye."
Soul Hunting Town, guesthouse.
After turning in their mission in the tavern's main hall, Shen Feng and Oscar took Flender and the others to the guesthouse in Soul Hunting Town.
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