Lin Feng paid no attention to their shocked expressions and calmly laid out his grand plan to make money.
"We can charge by rank. Soul Masters pay five silver coins, Soul Grandmasters two Gold Soul Coins, Soul Elders four, Soul Ancestors ten, Soul Kings twenty, Soul Emperors forty, and Soul Saints sixty."
"Jobs above Soul Saint are too risky and could expose us, so we won't take them under any circumstances."
His gaze suddenly sharpened, flashing with a caution far beyond his age.
"Also, in case anything goes wrong, we need to dig two tunnels leading to the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest. If we really run into trouble, we'll be able to get away safely."
After saying that, he looked up at the two of them, utterly composed.
"Headmaster, Uncle Zhao, take a look. Are there any flaws in my plan?"
Hearing that he had even planned their escape route so flawlessly, Zhao Wuji stood dumbfounded before clapping his hands.
"Lin Feng, you're a damn genius!"
Flender looked at Lin Feng with a complicated expression, the corner of his mouth twitching.
This scheming, this foresight, this way of raking in money—it felt far too familiar. It was practically the scent of a swindler... no, a fellow professional.
He shot Lin Feng an annoyed glance.
"Tell me honestly, brat. Have you been plotting this for a long time just to make money?"
Lin Feng chuckled and stepped closer, promptly naming the split.
"Headmaster, Uncle Zhao, I'll take half of whatever we earn, and you two can divide the other half. How does that sound?"
A road to untold wealth lay before them, and both their hearts skipped a beat.
Just look at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the richest sect in the world. Support-type Soul Masters might be difficult to cultivate, but they truly made money fast.
Zhao Wuji's heart nearly leaped from his chest as he looked eagerly at Flender.
"What do you say? This business is guaranteed profit!"
In the end, Flender had to make the decision.
As a flying agility attack system Soul Saint, his speed surpassed everyone present. Even ordinary Title Douluo could not catch him in a short time. With Lin Feng's Blue Buff providing endless Soul Power regeneration, even if they encountered a tough opponent, they could retreat unharmed at any time as long as they were not surrounded.
Seeing Flender still deep in thought, Lin Feng softly provoked him.
"Headmaster, what are you still worried about? You're a dignified Soul Saint. Show some courage!"
"Enough, enough. Don't try to provoke me, brat!"
Flender glared fiercely at him, but the smile on his face could not be hidden. He waved a hand with feigned sternness.
"I agree. Now get lost and train. Stop loitering around here."
Lin Feng's eyes lit up. Afraid Flender might change his mind, he spun around and hurried off.
"Got it! I'm going to train right now."
Watching him dash out the door, Flender's stern expression instantly crumbled. He lifted the cold tea from the table, took a sip, and could not help laughing as he cursed.
"What a little fox. A natural money-grubber."
Zhao Wuji leaned closer, waggled his brows, and lowered his voice with a meaningful look.
"Old Flender, we've been friends for decades. Don't hide it from me. Tell me honestly... is this kid the illegitimate son you secretly had outside all these years?"
"If you've really let go of what happened back then, you have to drink a couple with me tonight!"
"Pfft—"
Flender sprayed out the tea he had just swallowed, choking and coughing until his face turned red. He immediately cursed in irritation.
"What the hell are you talking about? Get out, get out! Stop talking nonsense!"
Zhao Wuji wore the expression of someone who had already seen through the truth. Shaking his head, he walked out while continuing to mutter.
"Exactly the same. That money-grubbing look, it's practically..."
Thirty kilometers outside the Star Dou Forest's perimeter,
a rest-stop market,
Vendors along the roadside called out one after another, their stalls packed tightly together.
"Take a look! Thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider venom, the perfect poison!"
"Bandages and fast-acting antidotes! Essentials for entering the forest!"
"Secret family-made ration pills! One pill lasts two meals, two pills last a whole day!"
Amid the clamor, several teams preparing to enter the forest to hunt soul rings casually glanced at the walls and immediately stopped in their tracks.
Fresh advertisements had been pasted all over them.
The words "Rapid Soul Power Recovery" were especially eye-catching.
Someone reached out and tore one down. Several people gathered together to read it.
"Still worried about running out of Soul Power?
Come to Soul Recovery Pavilion and return to peak condition within one minute!"
"Soul Power exhausted? Afraid your enemies will strike while you're weak? Afraid you'll miss your chance to hunt? Come to Soul Recovery Pavilion!"
"Run into an enemy with depleted Soul Power but lack the strength to act?
Come to Soul Recovery Pavilion! Turn the tables in one second and fill yourself with confidence!"
Seeing the blunt and arrogant advertising copy, the group burst into laughter.
"This owner is quite the character. He can brag without even drafting a script."
"Qiangzi, look at this. Full Soul Power recovery in one minute? Running false advertising in a place where people live by the blade—aren't they afraid someone will smash up the shop on the spot? Hahaha!"
"Not even a Ten Thousand Year Soul Skill would dare claim it could fully restore Soul Power in one minute, and the price is this cheap too. Who would believe it?"
But as they laughed, one person's eyes froze on the large red words at the bottom of the notice, and his voice softened.
"Guaranteed by a Soul Saint. If your Soul Power isn't fully restored, you don't pay."
Within the group, Shen Lang frowned and spoke quietly to the captain.
"Captain, we're running out of time. That Ten Thousand Year Black Phosphorus Wolf King will be taken by another group if we wait any longer."
"With a Soul Saint guaranteeing it, why don't... we give it a try? Even if it's fake, we won't lose much money."
The mercenary captain, Li Mang, clenched the notice, his knuckles tightening slightly. He glanced at the location, folded the paper away, and strode forward with a wave of his hand.
"Let's go! I want to see whether this Soul Recovery Pavilion really has what it takes."
"If they dare fool me, I'll turn their shop upside down!"
The group marched off aggressively toward the location listed on the notice.
At the end of the street,
a two-story building stood in a corner. The three gilded words "Soul Recovery Pavilion" on its signboard gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
Second floor of the building.
Lin Feng wore a black-and-white half mask that concealed his entire face, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Through the one-way mirror, he could clearly see the hall downstairs. He nodded in satisfaction.
"Uncle Zhao, when the time comes, sit beside me and block anyone who wants to test us. Perfect."
"Everything is ready. All we need now are customers."
Not long after, a rough voice sounded from the entrance.
"Is this Soul Recovery Pavilion? I heard you can restore Soul Power to full within one minute?"
Flender lounged in a rocking chair without even lifting his eyelids much, leisurely taking a sip of hot tea.
"Forty Gold Soul Coins."
Li Mang had already been holding back a bellyful of anger over being ignored and was about to flare up, but the instant his eyes touched the faint Soul Power pressure emanating from Flender—
Remembering the masks and the words "Guaranteed by a Soul Saint" on the advertisement, his pupils suddenly shrank, and his anger was instantly suppressed.
Forty Gold Soul Coins for a Soul Emperor... that was right.
"Old Wolf, pay him!"
Shen Lang hurried forward and respectfully placed forty Gold Soul Coins on the table.
Lin Feng raised his palm, and the Blessing Gold Pouch slowly appeared. A yellow soul ring quietly lit up as he chanted in a low voice.
"Blue Sentinel Power!"
At the same moment, Zhao Wuji released a trace of his Soul Power, and a heavy, mountain-like pressure enveloped the entire room.
A deep-blue halo, shimmering with faint light, silently descended upon Li Mang.
The next second,
Li Mang's entire body trembled.
The Soul Power in his body, which had originally been reduced to only half, began to surge upward wildly at a rate visible to the naked eye.
His empty meridians were instantly filled with Soul Power. That feeling of power, so abundant it seemed boundless, came too quickly and felt too unreal.
He looked up in shock toward the source of Soul Power on the second floor, but all he saw was a cold mirror.
Just as he tried to probe deeper with his Soul Power, an unfathomable pressure crashed down upon him and directly knocked his Soul Power back.
Before you continue