As evening approached and the setting sun bathed the earth, Lin Feng, dressed in a blue robe streaked with blood, arrived at the gates of Ernst Institute. Beibei stood on his shoulder, and a half-meter-long "little tiger" followed behind.
The "little tiger" was naturally Spined Iron-Armored Dragon Sadius. At Lin Feng's insistence, Sadius had shrunk and even tucked away the spikes on her back. At first glance, she really did look like a "little tiger."
"I'm finally back." Seeing Ernst Institute, Lin Feng felt a sense of peace settle over him.
Ernst Institute and the Magical Beast Mountain Range were complete opposites. No one dared to kill indiscriminately here, and the atmosphere was pleasant. The Magical Beast Mountain Range, by contrast, was a world of magical beasts, where the strong ruled and the weak were eliminated. Bloodshed could break out at any moment.
"It's Lin Feng." The guards at the gates naturally recognized the famous student and didn't stop him.
Lin Feng nodded slightly to the guards, then entered Ernst Institute. As he walked along the academy's streets, quite a few students who had already left their classes spotted him and began whispering among themselves.
"That's Lin Feng. Look, there's blood on his clothes. He must have just come back from the Magical Beast Mountain Range. I heard he went there last year and didn't even take the year-end test. It's been a full ten months—staying in the Magical Beast Mountain Range for ten months is incredible!"
"Dixie reached the sixth rank as a magician in last year's year-end test, but Lin Feng didn't take the test."
Hearing the whispers, Lin Feng paused in surprise. "Dixie is back? Then Dilia must be back, too."
At once, he changed direction and headed for the Sixth Grade Wind Magic Classroom.
It was Wind Magic class, and Lin Feng knew that unless something came up, Dilia—the diligent, studious girl—would never skip class.
At the classroom, Lin Feng peered through the window. Sure enough, Dilia was sitting in the front row, listening attentively as the instructor explained the principles behind the Wind Roar spell.
A year and a half had passed, and Dilia had grown more mature. Now sixteen, she had lost all the childishness in her face, replaced by the glow of youth. Her long golden hair and sweet, lovely features made her a rare beauty. And since Dilia practiced Wind Magic, her long attunement to the wind element lent her an added air of grace.
As he gazed at the woman he loved, listening so intently to the lesson, Lin Feng was utterly entranced.
"Is that Lin Feng? The academy's number-one genius?"
A sudden cry jolted Lin Feng back to reality.
It had come from a female student sitting beside Dilia. She had happened to glance over at Lin Feng and, unable to contain herself, let out a gasp.
"Lin Feng?"
At the sound of his name, Dilia immediately turned around. She saw Lin Feng standing outside the window, his broad build and familiar, handsome face, and—
Lin Feng smiled faintly, entered the classroom, and politely bowed to the stunned instructor. "I'm sorry, instructor. I'm late."
"N-no problem!" the instructor stammered.
Though he was Lin Feng's instructor, he genuinely admired the academy's greatest genius. In his Sixth Grade Magic Class, apart from Dilia, the youngest students were all in their twenties. And he himself, despite being close to forty, had only just reached the eighth-rank Magus level.
Lin Feng walked over to the girl who had gasped and smiled. "Could I sit in your seat?"
"Y-yes, of course!"
The girl immediately moved over, giving Lin Feng her seat right beside Dilia.
She had long since heard that Lin Feng and Dilia were a couple. Eight years earlier, the scene of Lin Feng openly declaring his love for Dilia had caused a stir throughout the academy. Anyone with even a hint of a gossipy streak had heard about it.
"So that's Lin Feng? He's so handsome. And he sounded so gentle just now. And..."
For the rest of the class, the girl's thoughts ran wild. Most of the other girls in the class were no different.
Lin Feng sat down beside Dilia and gestured for the instructor to continue. Then he turned his head and gazed fixedly at her, not caring that he was sitting in the front row or whether his behavior might distract the students behind them.
Dilia had always been rather reserved. With Lin Feng staring at her so unabashedly in front of everyone, she was so embarrassed she could hardly bear it, yet her heart was filled with joy and sweetness.
During the year and a half apart from Lin Feng, Dilia had spent every moment pining for him, too distracted to practice at all. That was why her strength hadn't improved in the slightest and she was still at the peak of the sixth rank.
Suddenly, Dilia felt a hand clasp hers beneath the desk. Startled, she didn't pull away. Her already flushed cheeks turned even redder.
"Boss, I, Beibei, despise you! You've got a sweetheart and forgotten your brother. Boo-hoo, I'm so pitiful!" Beibei's voice suddenly rang in Lin Feng's mind.
"Go find somewhere else to cool off. Can't you see your sister-in-law and I are reuniting after being apart for so long?" Lin Feng replied crossly. "Take Sadius to the dormitory first. I'll come over after class."
After doing his best to teach for ten minutes, the instructor noticed that the students were all focused on Lin Feng. With no other choice, he told them to spend the rest of class studying on their own.
The academy's number-one genius was far more captivating than he was. And since Lin Feng was a genius who rarely showed himself, his classmates were all the more curious about him. With Lin Feng there, the instructor was naturally ignored.
When the bell rang, Lin Feng took Dilia by the hand and led her straight out of the classroom.
In a secluded corner, Dilia finally couldn't hold back any longer. She threw herself into Lin Feng's arms and sobbed softly.
"Lin Feng, I never want to be apart from you again."
Lin Feng could only smile bitterly to himself. He had once said those very words to Dilia, and now she was saying them back to him. But could he keep that promise? No. He still had a great debt to avenge. And not long ago, he had released Dylan. If nothing went wrong, the Day of Destruction caused by Dylan in the original story would still happen as expected. If Dilia was still here when it came, she would be in extreme danger. Lin Feng wouldn't allow her to stay here.
"I may not be able to do that." Lin Feng struggled with himself for a moment before deciding to tell her the truth. The time had come to tell Dilia some things.
"W-why?" Dilia gazed at Lin Feng through tear-filled eyes. "Do you not love me anymore?"
Lin Feng felt Dilia's body tremble. Hearing her question, he hurried to say, "Of course I do. Not until the mountains lose their peaks and heaven and earth unite would I ever leave you."
"Th-then why do you still..." Dilia asked hesitantly.
"There are things I can't explain to you right now. You'll understand when the time comes. Just remember that you'll always be the one I love most." Lin Feng whispered tenderly in Dilia's ear.
At that, Dilia's heart finally settled.
"Come on, Dilia. I want to show you something." Lin Feng took her hand and headed for Dormitory 1987.
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