As Flender flew with the two of them, he began calculating ways to make money, his brows twisted into a knot.
Lin Feng's martial soul might be a bottomless gold-devouring pit, but since he had taken him in, he could not simply leave him to fend for himself. He had to find a way to gather enough money to unlock his soul skills.
Beside him, Lin Feng focused on sensing the abundant Soul Power within his body, a faint smile curling his lips. He was now a level-twelve Soul Scholar.
Oscar had absorbed a two-hundred-and-fifty-year soul ring yet had only risen to level eleven, leaving him inwardly astonished.
It was only a difference of a hundred years, yet the gap in Soul Power was so great.
Oscar had absorbed a soul ring of around two hundred and fifty years and reached level eleven afterward. He had never expected a mere hundred-year difference to create such a huge disparity.
The next day,
Inside a simple wooden cabin at Shrek Academy, the wooden table and chairs had a rustic charm, while sunlight streamed through the window lattice and fell across the floor.
With a loud bang, the wooden door was pushed open with force.
Zhao Wuji strode inside and looked at Flender, who sat in a chair with his chin propped on one hand and his gaze unfocused. He asked in a gruff voice,
"Flender, what exactly is going on with that kid Lin Feng's martial soul? Is he an attack-defense type, or a Support System?"
Flender came back to himself, rubbing his throbbing temples as he gathered his scattered thoughts, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness.
"Support System."
The moment Zhao Wuji heard that he was another Support System soul master, he immediately understood why Flender looked so troubled.
Support System soul masters were already bottomless pits when it came to cultivation resources. The academy was not well-off to begin with, and now there was another one. Things would only get tighter.
Raising a brow, he stepped forward and slapped the wooden table, speaking carelessly.
"Flender, it's only two Support System soul masters. If us old guys pool our resources, can we really not afford them? Is that enough to make you worry yourself sick?"
Flender gave a bitter smile and shook his head, then told him everything about the unique nature of Lin Feng's martial soul.
From the conversion rate of the Blessing Gold Pouch's gold-devouring coin forging, to the absurd Soul Power recovery effect of Blue Sentinel Power, to the twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins needed to unlock the second soul skill.
At first, Zhao Wuji listened absentmindedly, but when he heard that Blue Buff restored 3% of Soul Power per second, his eyes instantly widened in shock.
When he heard that unlocking the second soul skill required twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins, he sucked in a cold breath, his scalp tingling as his voice abruptly rose.
"What! Twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins!"
Flender shot him a glance. Seeing his reaction, he asked,
"What? You think it isn't worth it?"
Zhao Wuji froze for a moment. After recovering, he stroked his bare chin, pondered briefly, then nodded heavily.
"Worth it. Of course it's worth it!"
"An ordinary thousand-year soul bone costs far more than that, let alone a ridiculous soul skill like this. Even the effects of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Skill can't compare."
The moment he finished speaking, Flender's eyes suddenly lit up. His previously slumped body straightened at once, and he even leaned forward slightly in excitement as he slapped his thigh.
"I've got it!"
"We can use this kid's soul skill to make money! His recovery speed is so absurd that we can take jobs from outsiders. One Gold Soul Coin per use—getting twenty thousand won't take long."
Zhao Wuji's brows furrowed, his tone clearly concerned.
"It's a good idea, but wouldn't that attract too much attention?"
The two of them were Soul Saints, considered top-tier powerhouses within a kingdom, but this was still only a kingdom.
Across the entire Heaven Dou Empire, there were countless soul masters stronger than them. If this soul skill were exposed, the trouble would be immense.
At that, Flender's fingers stopped rubbing the edge of the table, and half of his earlier excitement instantly cooled.
How could he not have considered that?
They could still suppress smaller forces with two Soul Saints, but if behemoths like the Upper Three Sects or Spirit Hall set their sights on them, Shrek's meager foundations would not be enough to protect Lin Feng. The academy itself might be flattened.
The two exchanged a glance, hesitation written across both their faces. Only the sound of wind outside the window lattice remained in the wooden cabin.
Just then, the wooden door was gently pushed open.
Lin Feng walked in. When he spotted Zhao Wuji inside, his steps paused slightly, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
"Uncle Zhao, Headmaster."
"You brat, you didn't come looking for me to borrow money, did you?"
Flender turned to look at him, a teasing smile tugging at his lips as he deliberately put on a stern face.
"Let me make this clear first: not even half a Gold Soul Coin."
Lin Feng walked over and casually leaned against the table, a smile on his lips.
"Headmaster, listen to yourself. I didn't come to borrow money today. I came to give you money. Since Uncle Zhao is here too, we can discuss it together."
He straightened slightly, his expression turning serious.
"Headmaster, I plan to use my soul skill to earn some money on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest."
"But you know I'm purely Support System. I don't have much ability to protect myself, so I need an expert who can hold the fort and keep others in line."
Flender's eyes filled with surprise. He had not expected this kid to have thought of the same thing as him, much less acted on it so quickly.
He gave a helpless laugh and shook his head, though his tone grew grave.
"You brat, I told you just yesterday not to be too impatient, to take things steadily. Yet after only one night, you're already unable to sit still?"
"Lin Feng, have you really thought this through? Once even a hint of your soul skill leaks out, the trouble it brings won't be ordinary trouble. It'll be fatal!"
"Those major powers will use any means necessary to seize you."
The smile on Lin Feng's face vanished completely. He lifted his eyes to meet Flender's gaze directly, his expression firm and without the slightest hesitation.
"Headmaster, I've weighed the pros and cons. There are risks, but they won't be too great."
"Besides, I'm a Support System soul master. Relying on my own soul skills to find a way forward and gather cultivation resources is the path I should be taking."
He was more anxious than anyone. Time would not wait for him.
The best period to consume Whale Rubber was from the Soul Scholar stage to the early Soul Elder stage. The younger one was when consuming it, the better the effect.
Even a fine thousand-year-grade piece of Whale Rubber cost around a hundred Gold Soul Coins. His pockets were completely empty right now; he could not even afford basic cultivation resources.
Money! He desperately needed a great deal of money right now!
Zhao Wuji crossed his arms, his brows knotted together as he asked in confusion.
"Why go all the way to the Star Dou Forest? Can't you do it in Suotuo City?"
Lin Feng smiled calmly. Without a trace of a child's awkwardness, he slowly laid out his complete reasoning with clear logic.
"Uncle Zhao, Suotuo City is our home ground. If we expose ourselves here and someone starts watching us, we could easily end up trapped, unable to advance or retreat."
"Business is about supply and demand. Most soul masters in Suotuo City only fight in soul arenas, so demand is limited. But the Star Dou Forest is different..."
His eyes darkened slightly, his tone certain.
"Once you enter, it's nine deaths and one chance at life. Time is life—pursuit by enemies, hunting soul beasts, sudden accidents, anything can happen."
"Tell me, if you only had to pay a few small gold coins to restore your Soul Power to its peak within one minute, would you be willing?"
He sighed inwardly.
Blue Buff's duration was still too short. He wondered whether it could be upgraded later.
Flender and Zhao Wuji froze on the spot, their faces blank and their eyes wide as they stared at the six-year-old child before them.
Neither of them could believe that such meticulous, seasoned words—words that even accounted for every risk—had come from a little kid who had only recently awakened his martial soul.
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