After a full three seconds of silence, Lin Feng frowned, turned to Flender, and spoke with some uncertainty in his voice.
"Headmaster, are you sure... we didn't come to the wrong place? This is the Shrek Academy you mentioned?"
Flender coughed lightly twice and answered calmly without so much as blushing.
"That's right. This is Shrek Academy."
Lin Feng was left utterly disheveled in the wind.
Damn! He knew Shrek was poor, but he had never expected it to be this poor. There were only a few dilapidated wooden huts.
Oscar quietly shuffled over to Lin Feng's side, lightly nudged his arm with an elbow, and lowered his voice.
"Big Bro, we haven't been scammed, have we? This Shrek Academy is even worse than an orphanage. How about we run while he isn't paying attention?"
No matter how quietly Oscar spoke, it could not escape the ears of a Soul Saint.
Flender adjusted his slipping black-rimmed glasses. His expression remained calm as he swept his gaze over their disappointed faces and let out a faint sigh.
"This is the second lesson I'm teaching you: never judge things by appearances alone."
"The academy looks like this not because we're poor, but because I deliberately made it this way!"
"The path of cultivation is naturally strewn with thorns. What I want to temper is your will and state of mind, so that in this simple environment, you can cast aside your obsession with money and luxury and hold fast to your original resolve to become stronger."
"If you cannot even endure this little hardship and let external things interfere with your minds, how will you ever amount to anything?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Oscar again, disappointment in his eyes.
"Look at yourselves. You're already backing down before you've even begun. I'm truly a little disappointed."
Oscar's face instantly flushed at those words. An intense sense of shame surged through him, and even his ears burned.
He had actually doubted the headmaster and even wanted to run away. How embarrassing. It was simply too embarrassing!
Flender stepped forward, his voice booming.
"Tell me, why did you come to Shrek?"
Oscar was still somewhat timid and secretly glanced up at Flender, while Lin Feng remained calm.
"To cultivate and become stronger!"
"Is that all?"
Flender frowned, raising his voice another notch.
"Is that truly your determination to become stronger? How far can such determination carry you?"
"Tell me again. Let me feel your resolve. What is it for?"
Inspired by that imposing presence, Oscar's eyes blazed with fighting spirit as he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"To become stronger! So no one can ever look down on me again!"
Lin Feng also raised his voice.
"To take control of my own fate!"
Tsk, tsk! As expected of Flender the swindler. He really had some skill when it came to fooling people!
One speech after another had practically sent his little bro Oscar into a frenzy, filling him to the brim with fervor!
One month later,
At the outskirts of Star Dou Forest.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, and mottled light and shadow filled the woods.
A massive Dark Blue Blood Bear was pinned firmly to the withered yellow grass by one of Flender's hands.
Its bear paws frantically clawed at the ground, yet its enormous body did not budge in the slightest. It could only let out unwilling growls from its throat, its eyes filled with viciousness.
"Lin Feng, I searched through all the Martial Soul records, but I couldn't find the slightest mention of your Money Bag Martial Soul. Right now, I can't even determine whether it's geared toward attack, defense, or support."
"This Dark Blue Blood Bear has both offense and defense, along with a bit of self-healing support. It's just right for you to test things out."
He assessed the Dark Blue Blood Bear's age, frowned, then looked at Lin Feng and said in a deep voice,
"This Dark Blue Blood Bear is three hundred and fifty years old. For a Tool Martial Soul or a support-type Soul Master, its age is indeed on the high side."
"If it were anyone else, I would never dare let him absorb it. But you're different. With your temperament, there's a ninety percent chance you'll succeed."
"Still, I can't guarantee it with absolute certainty. I can only ensure that your body can withstand the Soul Power impact. But the tearing force of the Soul Power during the process will depend entirely on your own willpower to endure."
"Of course, if you're afraid of taking the risk, we can spend more time looking for one with a lower age—"
Lin Feng directly cut him off and shook his head.
"Headmaster, this one will do."
Three hundred and fifty years was not much of a risk. His soul was not something an ordinary six-year-old child could compare to.
Lin Feng took out the short dagger he had prepared long ago. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward, pressed his left hand against the Dark Blue Blood Bear's neck, gripped the dagger tightly in his right hand, and used the force of his body to decisively drive it with all his strength into the bear's most vulnerable point at the side of its neck!
Scalding dark blue blood instantly burst forth, splattering all over Lin Feng. It wound through the grass and quickly pooled into a small pit of blood on the ground.
The Dark Blue Blood Bear's growl came to an abrupt stop. Its enormous body twitched twice before going completely still.
Watching Lin Feng's decisive actions, Flender recalled the past month of training, and the admiration in his eyes grew even stronger.
Steady yet decisive, Lin Feng did not resemble a six-year-old at all.
Every time he trained, he pushed himself to the limits of his body and never once called for a stop or gave up.
This determination and perseverance were precisely why Flender dared to let Lin Feng take the risk. His state of mind far surpassed that of children his age. Even Dai Mubai, who was several years older than Lin Feng, could not compare.
Oscar stood to one side, his little eyes fixed tightly on Lin Feng's back. The admiration he felt for his big bro deepened even further.
The Dark Blue Blood Bear's corpse gradually lost its warmth, and a pale yellow century-old Soul Ring slowly rose from its body.
Lin Feng's heart leaped with joy. The Gold Bag Martial Soul instantly appeared in his palm, and he immediately focused his mind to begin absorbing his first Soul Ring.
Very soon, he would be able to uncover part of his Martial Soul's secret and verify the guesses he had formed over this period.
Surging Soul Power flooded into his meridians, instantly stretching the narrow channels until they throbbed with pain, as though countless fine needles were darting beneath his skin.
Lin Feng clenched his teeth, his brow slightly furrowed, and hurriedly calmed his mind to refine the Soul Power. Cold sweat slid down from his temples, soaking the loose strands of hair on his forehead before dripping onto the grass.
Flender watched Lin Feng's absorption process with complete focus, ready to handle any sudden situation at any moment. Then he glanced at Oscar beside him and spoke in a deep voice.
"Oscar, do you understand now why I wouldn't let you absorb a Soul Ring over three hundred years old?"
Oscar recalled how he had always slacked off during training and wanted to give up whenever things became even slightly difficult or tiring. Looking at Lin Feng gritting his teeth and enduring the impact, he knew that if it were him, he would have no confidence in withstanding such a Soul Power assault.
He immediately scratched his head awkwardly. His little face was bright red as he nodded guiltily.
"I understand, I understand."
"Headmaster, I'll definitely train seriously from now on. I'll learn properly from Big Bro and never slack off again!"
"I'll remember those words for now."
Flender nodded in satisfaction, then added another admonition.
"Lin Feng absorbing this Soul Ring today is worth two months of your hard cultivation."
"This time, it's two months. The next time you absorb a Soul Ring, the gap may become half a year. Later on, it may even become two years or five years."
"Although your talents are equally high, if you don't fight for it and don't work hard, the gap between you will only grow wider and wider."
Oscar's heart skipped a beat as he clenched his little fists.
The thought that the gap between him and his big bro would only grow larger in the future instantly filled him with an intense sense of urgency.
His previously somewhat lazy gaze immediately became resolute.
From now on, I have to train with everything I have.
Flender adjusted the black-rimmed glasses that had slipped to the tip of his nose, and the corners of his mouth secretly curled into an imperceptible smile.
As the saying went, it was not frightening when others possessed exceptional talent. What was frightening was when those with talent worked even harder than you did.
This was exactly the effect he wanted. He would use Lin Feng's drive to put pressure on the other students, only then could he completely invigorate the cultivation atmosphere at Shrek Academy.
Before you continue