Dean, Congratulations on Striking It Rich!

Li Mang's heart shook violently. He immediately withdrew all probing intent and bowed in apology.

"Forgive me, sir. I acted on impulse just now and offended you."

Shen Lang hurriedly took out another ten gold coins and placed them on the table, apologizing in a low voice.

"Forgive us, sir. We all live with blades at our throats, so we're bound to be a little sensitive..."

"Let there be no next time."

Flender cast him a cold glance and did not pursue the matter further.

He had long expected this sort of situation.

In barely a dozen seconds, Li Mang's Soul Power had fully recovered to its peak.

He took a deep breath. The way he looked at Soul Recovery Pavilion had completely changed, leaving only reverence.

"Old Wolf, ask the brothers whether they need their Soul Power restored."

Before long, Shen Lang led four Soul Ancestors into the hall.

Flender frowned and said coldly,

"Only one at a time."

Standing behind the one-way mirror on the second floor, Lin Feng cast Blue Sentinel Power on the four of them one by one. From time to time, he refreshed his own Blue Buff to maintain his Soul Power.

Azure halos lit up again and again, then faded away again and again.

Each time, a Soul Master returned to peak condition within half a minute.

Li Mang gave Flender a deep bow, then solemnly cupped his hands toward the second floor, laughing heartily with delight.

"Many thanks. The advertisement spoke true—you truly live up to your reputation!"

With that, he led his team out of Soul Recovery Pavilion in great strides.

Watching them leave, Lin Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

So this was the danger of the Soul Master world? A single probing remark, a wisp of Soul Power used to investigate—everywhere hid flashing blades and drawn swords. If not for Flender and Zhao Wuji, two Soul Saints, holding the fort, today's consequences would have been unthinkable.

But then he thought of how they had earned over a hundred Gold Soul Coins in just a few minutes. The profits were simply terrifying.

A golden gleam instantly lit up in Lin Feng's eyes.

"The twenty thousand gold coins needed to unlock Red Buff suddenly don't seem so impossibly far away."

"Make money! Keep making money!"

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside a crude wooden hut at Shrek Academy,

Lin Feng held a small medicine bottle in his hands, his little face scrunched up in distress and his eyes full of heartache.

"This Whale Rubber is way too expensive! A piece that's a thousand years old costs two hundred Gold Soul Coins. Would ten-thousand-year-grade stuff start at over a thousand?"

"Sure enough, Soul Master cultivation burns money from beginning to end."

He stopped hesitating, pulled out the stopper, and tipped his head back to drink the Whale Rubber, which had been melted into liquid, in one gulp.

The original work said it had to be melted into liquid, so it should be fine. At worst, it was like taking an aphrodisiac...

But after waiting for quite a while, his stomach remained utterly calm, without the slightest reaction.

Lin Feng was instantly dumbfounded. He touched his lower abdomen, and his face darkened on the spot.

"Could it be... that crooked merchant scammed me? Selling fake goods to a six-year-old kid?"

He clenched his little fists in fury, gritting his teeth.

"Fine, fine, fine! What I hate most in this life is crooked merchants. You dared to cheat me? Just you wait."

Just as he got up to settle the score, a berserk, scalding current suddenly erupted from his dantian and swept through every limb and bone!

Lin Feng's eyes lit up, and wild joy filled his heart.

It's here! The Whale Rubber's effects have finally kicked in!

The next second,

he realized something was wrong.

The skin all over his body instantly flushed red. Blistering heat burned outward from within, sweat immediately covered his forehead, and his clothes were soon soaked through and sticking to his body.

"Hot... so hot!"

Perhaps because his body was too young, the fire of desire had turned into sheer heat, while his mind remained clear.

Daring not to delay, he immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and circulated his meditation method, guiding the medicinal power through his meridians in cycle after cycle, slowly refining the berserk energy and integrating it into his muscles and bones.

An hour later,

Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of scorching white vapor. The heat throughout his body had completely dissipated.

Clenching his fist, he clearly felt the surge of strength in his muscles and bones. He bent down, picked up a solid wooden stick as thick as his wrist from the ground, and exerted a little force with his palm.

Crack!

The wooden stick snapped cleanly into two.

Looking at the deep finger marks on the broken wood, Lin Feng contentedly brushed the wood chips from his hands, a smile curling at his lips.

"Sure enough, the first dose of Whale Rubber works best."

"Hey! Big Brother, you're actually here! I'm dying of thirst. Water, water..."

Oscar, who had just finished training, staggered in while supporting himself on the doorframe. His little face was flushed, his head drenched in sweat, and his clothes soaked through.

Seeing Lin Feng, who rarely stayed in the dormitory even for a week at a time, he froze for a moment. But he had no time to be surprised. In three quick strides, he pounced on the table, grabbed the kettle, and gulped down several huge mouthfuls before finally letting out a long breath.

Lin Feng glanced at his sweat-soaked clothes and casually asked,

"While I was gone, you didn't slack off with Dai Mubai, did you?"

Oscar slumped into a chair and weakly shook his head.

"You work so hard, Big Brother. How would I dare slack off?"

"I don't want you leaving me behind. We promised that we'd see the view from the pinnacle of Soul Masters together."

His lightly spoken words were full of determination.

"Not bad."

Lin Feng revealed a gratified smile and took a small medicine bottle from beside him, handing it over.

"Drink it."

Oscar took the medicine bottle, shook it, then held it up to his nose and sniffed it, his face full of curiosity.

"Big Brother, what is this?"

"Good stuff. Don't ask. Just drink it."

Lin Feng's tone was calm.

Oscar had always trusted Lin Feng completely. Without another word, he tipped his head back and drank it in one gulp.

Before two seconds had passed, heat spread throughout his body. His little face turned bright red, and he fidgeted restlessly as he tugged at Lin Feng's clothes.

"Big Brother, I'm so hot. I feel awful!"

"Don't worry. Feeling awful means it's working. Bear with it and it'll pass. This is a treasure for tempering the body."

Lin Feng reassured him calmly, then added lightly,

"Oh, right. This medicine costs you four hundred Gold Soul Coins. Put it on your tab."

Oscar froze, warmth welling up in his eyes.

This heat current was even more powerful than the dean's medicinal baths. He knew exactly how precious this stuff was.

"Big Brother, you should use something this precious yourself in the future. Don't waste it on me..."

"Who said I was giving it to you?"

Lin Feng cut him off directly and turned toward the door.

"I'm lending it to you. Don't forget the four hundred Gold Soul Coins you owe me. Stay here and don't run around."

You call me Big Brother, so how could Big Brother eat meat without giving you any soup? I can't let you lose at the starting line.

Oscar looked at Lin Feng's retreating back, tears instantly flooding his eyes. Though he was young, he could tell who truly cared for him.

"Big Brother! I'll work twice as hard. I definitely won't hold you back."

Lin Feng pushed open the door to the dean's office with a broad smile, rubbing his little hands together as he approached and said cheerfully,

"Dean, congratulations on striking it rich!"

The corner of Flender's mouth twitched when he saw that shrewd, calculating look on his face. Thinking of how most of his little treasury was about to be emptied, he sighed through gritted teeth in pain.

"What striking it rich? You brat are clearly the reincarnation of a Gold-Swallowing Beast. Whenever you come looking for me, all I get is financial ruin."

With a pained expression, he pointed at several large, heavy bags of gold coins that had long been prepared in the corner, then impatiently waved his hand.

"Take them and get out. Hurry up and scram."

Having spent so much time with him, Lin Feng immediately noticed that the amount was wrong. His expression darkened slightly, and he seemed displeased.

"Dean, what are you and Uncle Zhao doing? We agreed I'd only take fifty percent, but this is clearly seventy percent."

A trace of gratification flashed through Flender's eyes. He casually glanced out the window and laughed as he scolded,

"Oh? Did the sun rise in the west? I've seen people complain about getting too little money, but never someone trying to give money back."

"Enough nonsense. This is exactly enough to make twenty thousand gold coins. It's time for your second soul skill to unlock."

Seeing that Lin Feng still wanted to speak, Flender snorted and put on a stern face.

"Don't think it's being given to you for free. This is a loan, and the interest is ten percent."

Hearing such a high interest rate, Lin Feng's eyes instantly widened, his face full of disbelief.

"What? Ten percent interest? Dean, seriously? You're even fleecing your own people?"