Lin Feng's gaze shifted and landed on the buff shop beside it. He stared eagerly at the Shadow Overlord shrouded in darkness at the very top.
Then he saw the eye-catching unlock price below it: "One million Gold Soul Coins." He could not help clicking his tongue.
"One million... Who knows when I'll ever gather that much."
He muttered silently to himself,
I can only hope my cheap teacher pulls through and brings more investment funds next time.
Heaven Dou City.
Inside the imperial palace,
Qian Renxue had changed out of the crown prince's formal attire and into a plain white palace dress embroidered with gold. Her golden hair was loosely pinned behind her, revealing the breathtakingly beautiful face usually hidden beneath a mask.
She lounged lazily in her chair, holding the letter that had just arrived from Suotuo City and reading it word by word.
"Thank you, Teacher, for lending me such a powerful expert. Uncle Long was very professional and useful—he was great. These gold coins and gemstones are my filial offering to Teacher. I hope Teacher likes them. The gift has been sent; refusal and return are not accepted."
When she saw that forceful line—"refusal and return are not accepted"—a genuine smile rarely bloomed in Qian Renxue's usually cool, calm eyes. Her dimples appeared faintly, though sadly, no one was there to witness such a beautiful sight.
She continued reading the latter half of the letter.
"Teacher, remember to balance work and rest and eat properly. Your student has recently developed a new dish. When we meet next time, I'll make it for Teacher to try..."
Qian Renxue poured the exquisite pink gemstone from the envelope and stared at it somewhat absently.
The gemstone shimmered with a brilliant glow beneath the lamplight, without a trace of impurity.
"Is this what it feels like to be cared for? So this is how wonderful it is... It feels so nice!"
Qian Renxue raised her eyes toward the direction of Suotuo City, tenderness and anticipation surfacing in her gaze without her even noticing.
"Soon... We'll meet again very soon..."
Three years later,
Shrek Academy,
Morning light streamed through the window lattice, falling upon the handsome youth meditating cross-legged on the bed.
The youth wore a fitted golden outfit, and Soul Power flowed steadily around him.
After an unknown amount of time,
He slowly opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed through them before he let out a long breath of turbid air.
"Three years. A full three years."
Lin Feng clenched his fist, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
I've finally reached level thirty, the Soul Elder realm.
The innate cultivation defect of a Support System spirit was far more severe than he had initially imagined.
A normal soul master with Innate Full Soul Power could reliably reach the threshold of Soul Elder within two years, yet he had forcibly spent an entire extra year.
And that was only because, over the past three years, he had poured in countless cultivation resources, absorbed soul rings beyond his level, and consumed top-grade Whale Rubber to build himself up with everything he had.
Over the past three years, his correspondence with Qian Renxue had never stopped, and the bond between master and student had steadily deepened. The immortal herb plan he had kept buried in his heart could finally be put on the agenda.
The thought of unlocking more Godly Gear in the shop after absorbing his third soul ring made Lin Feng immediately jump out of bed and race outside in a hurry.
In an open little square,
Flender stood with his hands behind his back, conducting cultivation checks for Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun.
The moment the results came out, Flender's face darkened. He looked at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun and barked sharply.
"I'd like to ask the two of you—do you have any shame left?"
"You two have Power Attack System Beast Spirits, yet you nearly got overtaken in training by a food-system soul master. Especially you, Ma Hongjun. Look at those results of yours. I'm embarrassed to call myself your teacher."
Ma Hongjun immediately grew anxious. He craned his neck and protested unwillingly.
"Dean, I haven't been slacking off. I honestly completed every cultivation task you assigned me. How can you put all the blame on me? If anyone's to blame, it should be—"
Halfway through his words, he met Flender's deadly stare and instantly wilted. Lowering his head, he obediently shut his mouth.
"Fine, fine, blame me. It's all my fault..."
Seeing this hopeless disciple, Flender's anger surged. He let out a cold laugh.
"Yes, blame me. Blame me for underestimating the potential of you two. Starting today, both of your daily training loads will be tripled."
"What?! Tripled?!"
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun abruptly raised their heads. Their vision went dark, and they nearly collapsed on the spot. They hurriedly pleaded with miserable expressions.
"Dean, isn't... isn't that too much? We'll definitely work twice as hard from now on..."
Flender did not even raise an eyelid. He ignored their pleas completely, then turned toward Oscar beside them, his face instantly brightening.
He raised a hand and patted Oscar's shoulder, his eyes filled with satisfaction as he praised him warmly.
"Oscar, you've done very well. Excellent."
"I hope you can maintain this state and keep moving forward. Time will prove everything. Not a single bit of your effort will be wasted."
"Follow Lin Feng's example. Don't learn from these two brats."
Receiving the dean's praise, Oscar became so excited that his face reddened. He immediately straightened his back and answered loudly.
"Yes! Dean, I definitely won't disappoint your expectations."
Just as Flender caught sight of Lin Feng rushing over from the distance, he immediately grinned. Adjusting his glasses, he spoke teasingly.
"Oh! See what I mean? I'd barely finished talking about someone, and he showed up."
He looked Lin Feng up and down.
"Xiao Linzi, judging by how happy you are, don't tell me you've broken through to level thirty?"
Lin Feng halted, surprise appearing on his face.
"Oh, not bad, Dean! I only broke through less than two minutes ago, and you actually guessed it?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun's eyes widened as round as saucers. As though they had seen a ghost, they cried out in unison.
"You really broke through to level thirty?!"
"Lin Feng, you're not joking, are you? An eleven-year-old Soul Elder? How is that possible?"
Flender burst into hearty laughter and heavily patted Lin Feng on the shoulder, nearly making him stumble from the force.
"Good lad. I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
An eleven-year-old level-thirty Soul Elder, and one with a Support System spirit whose cultivation speed was innately slower than others—throughout the entire history of the soul master world, this was unprecedented.
The word genius was no longer enough to describe Lin Feng. He was simply a monster.
Flender adjusted his glasses. The smile on his face faded as he turned toward the three stunned boys, his expression suddenly becoming grave.
"What's impossible about it? Think carefully about where the gap between you and others lies. Why can others do what you cannot?"
"Mubai, you're older than all of them, but the advantage brought by age won't last forever. Go back and think it over properly."
"Yes, Dean."
Dai Mubai responded with an indifferent expression. The instant he lowered his head, an irrepressible flash of jealousy flickered through his eyes as he looked at Lin Feng.
Talent. It was talent again.
If I had such heaven-defying talent, would I have had to flee the Star Luo Empire in such a sorry state?
He sneered inwardly.
So what if his talent is good? He's just a support soul master, useless trash who can only hide behind others and rely on them to survive forever.
Beside him, Oscar's joy vanished without a trace as immense pressure came crashing down upon him.
He secretly clenched his fists.
Level thirty? The gap between Big Brother and me is growing wider and wider. It seems my efforts still aren't enough.
Only Ma Hongjun remained lost in his own world the entire time, his mind occupied with where he could vent his frustration after training. He did not take this matter to heart in the slightest.
Lin Feng was already two years older than him. Wasn't it only natural for Lin Feng to be stronger? What was there to make such a fuss about?
Before you continue