More students than usual were exercising at Shrek Square.
The theoretical courses for the first half of the new students' semester were nearing their end, and the classes were gradually moving on to physical conditioning.
Lin Feng had just received a notice from Teacher Mu Jin and come to do some extra training.
As soon as he stepped onto the track, he spotted two familiar figures.
Huo Yuhao was gritting his teeth, his face pale as he jogged forward. His breathing was ragged, and his steps had begun to stumble.
Not far ahead of him, Wang Dong hovered low in the air, spreading those dreamlike Light Goddess Butterfly wings and glancing back at him from time to time. Sunlight rippled across the wings with the sheen of a vast blue sea beneath a clear sky.
Even though this wasn't the first time he'd seen them, Lin Feng still found his gaze drawn irresistibly to them.
In fact, everyone on the track, boys and girls alike, seemed just like him. Almost no one could tear their eyes away from those magnificent butterfly wings.
They were simply beautiful.
Every beat of their wings scattered fine, sparkling motes of light, as if a river of stars had draped itself behind her.
It wasn't merely a visual delight. It was a beauty that seemed to strike straight at the soul.
No wonder it was hailed as the most beautiful Beast Martial Soul on the continent...
Lin Feng let out a soft breath, composed himself, and headed for the starting line.
As he passed Huo Yuhao, he reached out and pressed a hand to the boy's sweat-damp shoulder, quietly sending a gentle stream of Soul Power into him.
"Adjust your breathing and run with the rhythm. Don't just watch what's ahead; pay attention to your footing."
Huo Yuhao started, then looked up at him and nodded between breaths.
Up ahead, Wang Dong seemed to sense Lin Feng approaching. She turned gracefully, drew in her butterfly wings, and hovered in midair, meeting his gaze from afar.
Beneath the sunlight, the corner of her lips seemed to lift ever so slightly, as if in challenge.
With a few quick strides, Lin Feng caught up to Wang Dong and drew level with her. "Want to race?"
"Who's afraid of who? Don't go crying to Dean Yan when you lose."
"Just don't go tattling to that old hag Zhou Yi when you lose. I can't afford to cross her."
"Hmph!" Wang Dong said no more. Her butterfly wings suddenly beat, and she accelerated sharply, leaving Lin Feng behind by a short distance in an instant.
Lin Feng remained unruffled, his strides steady. His Soul Power flowed, and his pace quietly picked up until he was running alongside her again.
It had to be said that Wang Dong's ability to fly gave her a tremendous advantage in speed. The first hundred laps were a breeze for her.
But today, she was up against Lin Feng, who possessed a Body Martial Soul.
When they passed the hundredth lap, Lin Feng's breathing was even, and his expression remained unchanged. He even had enough energy to glance sideways at her.
"You... are you really a new student? How can you run so much?"
Wang Dong's breathing had grown slightly labored. She couldn't help speaking up, and the sheen of the butterfly wings behind her seemed to have dimmed somewhat from the expenditure of Soul Power.
"Guess." Lin Feng's lips curled upward as he sped up once more. "Keep up!"
"Hey! How can you still accelerate?! I—I give up!"
At the 120th lap, Wang Dong finally slowed down. She braced her hands on her knees and panted as she watched the figure still racing around the track.
Lin Feng finished after 150 laps, accelerating without pause throughout the final fifty.
Wang Dong stared at him as he stopped, his breathing still steady, and stood there in a daze.
They were the same age... The gap between them was absurd.
"Are you convinced?"
As he spoke, Lin Feng walked beneath the rest shelter and deftly pulled off his shirt, soaked through with sweat. Beneath it was a sharply defined physique, tempered through countless trials.
"Hey! W-why are you changing clothes in front of everyone?!" Wang Dong abruptly turned her face away, but the tips of her ears had already gone bright red, and her voice was unmistakably flustered.
"There aren't any girls around here. It's just the two of us. What are you getting embarrassed about?"
Lin Feng casually draped his wet shirt over the railing and unhurriedly picked up a clean one. His gaze passed over her flushed profile, a faint hint of amusement entering his voice.
"W-who's embarrassed?! I'm leaving!" Wang Dong seemed to have been stepped on the tail. She stamped her foot, turned, and walked off so quickly she might as well have been running away.
After all, this wasn't her dormitory. She couldn't demand that Lin Feng follow the dorm rules the way she did with Huo Yuhao.
The sudden voice from nearby made Lin Feng's brow furrow without him realizing it.
"The following students will step forward when their names are called: Tang Si, Xiao Liu, Ma Lu... Huo Yuhao."
Zhou Yi stood in front of Class One's formation, her voice cold and hard.
"You have repeatedly failed to meet the standards for physical training. Starting tomorrow, you needn't come to class anymore. The academy has expelled you."
"Teacher Zhou, please give us one more chance!"
"Please, teacher..."
The seven students who stepped out of the formation were ashen-faced. Three of the girls had already begun to cry.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head, quietly clenching his fists at his sides until his knuckles turned white.
Lin Feng hadn't wanted to get involved in another class's business, but when he heard the name "Huo Yuhao," he still stopped in his tracks.
After all, Huo Yuhao was his fellow disciple. His talent might be a little lacking, but he was still worth cultivating.
He looked at the arrogant old woman, his gaze turning cold.
She was nothing more than a Soul Emperor, yet with her husband Fan Yu's standing in the Sea God Pavilion and the Soul Tool Department, she threw her weight around like a tyrant in the outer courtyard.
People said the classes she taught had exceptionally high pass rates. Now it seemed she simply expelled every seedling who performed a little below par early on, leaving only the geniuses behind.
Being able to turn ordinary students into capable ones—that was real skill. What kind of achievement was this?
"Teacher Zhou Yi," Lin Feng said. His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried clearly enough for everyone to hear. "I suggest you think twice before expelling students so casually."
"Are all of Mu Jin's students so disrespectful to their teachers?" Zhou Yi's gaze swept toward him like a cold blade.
"If you insist on doing this, I don't mind bringing the matter to Dean Yan," Lin Feng said evenly, meeting her eyes. "You went from teaching sixth-years to teaching first-year students. If you're demoted any further, you'll lose your teaching qualifications altogether."
"How dare you—!"
Zhou Yi had been struck where it hurt. She flew into a rage.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings rose beneath her feet, and the formidable pressure of a Soul Emperor swept outward.
A dozen or so students nearby immediately turned pale and scrambled backward.
Lin Feng, however, didn't retreat a single step. He directly released his Body Martial Soul.
Not a single Soul Ring appeared, yet an aura as solid as a mountain and as blazing as fire surged from him, rising layer by layer. It met Zhou Yi's pressure head-on and held its ground.
Zhou Yi's pupils contracted, and she was shaken.
This new student had withstood her pressure without even blinking?!
"Don't disgrace Dean Yan, Lin Feng!"
"Way to go! That's Teacher Mu's student for you!"
"Brother Lin, don't start a fight!"
Shouts egging them on came from the onlookers in the distance. They clearly couldn't wait to see a good show.
Wang Dong's eyes widened in disbelief. At last, she had a faint sense of just how much weight the words "Dean Yan's personal disciple" carried.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Zhou Yi's expression shifted several times.
Her gaze passed over Huo Yuhao behind Lin Feng, then returned to the unfathomable young man before her. Finally, she gave a cold snort and gradually withdrew her pressure.
"Good. Very good. Dean Yan certainly took on an excellent disciple." Her voice rang out, but her words carried a cold concession. "I know Huo Yuhao is your fellow disciple. For Dean Yan's and Fan Yu's sake, he can stay. But the others can't."
"Fine." Lin Feng drew in his aura as well. "I have no objections."
Since she'd offered him a way to step down, he wasn't going to keep pressing her.
Some things had more force when left at that, rather than pushed to the point of a complete falling-out.
"Lin Feng, thank you!" Huo Yuhao hurried over at once, his eyes full of sincere gratitude.
"We're fellow disciples. No need to thank me." Lin Feng patted him on the shoulder, his voice softening. "But you'll have to do well with Teacher Fan Yu from now on. If this happens again, I might not be able to protect you."
"I understand. I will!"
"Lin Feng." A clear voice sounded from behind him.
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