Lin Feng strode over to Tang Ya, Beibei, and the others.
Since he had yet to receive his Shrek uniform, he could only take out the token Ma Xiaotao had given him to prove his identity.
The girl smiled warmly. "Hello, little brother. My name is Tang Ya, he's Beibei, and this is Huo Yuhao. What's your name?"
"Hello, everyone. My name is Lin Feng."
Lin Feng looked at Tang Ya, who seemed about sixteen. With her long black ponytail and still-youthful face, it was hard to imagine she was the current sect leader of the Tang Sect.
"Brother Xiao Feng, meeting is fate. Would you like to join our Tang Sect? We may be a little small, with only the three of us, but we still have plenty of powerful cultivation techniques."
Tang Ya asked with shining eyes. Having just recruited Huo Yuhao, she seemed quite confident.
"Really? I've long admired the Tang Sect's reputation."
Lin Feng agreed readily. He wasn't interested in those trash cultivation techniques and Hidden Weapons. He simply wanted to help Tang Ya, a girl whose life had been hard, yet who remained tenacious.
Besides, when he entered the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, having the Tang Sect's backing would keep Soul Beasts from attacking him. He could also get his hands on quite a few opportunities for free.
After Tang Ya explained the Tang Sect and its members, they held the apprenticeship ceremony. It was quick and simple.
When Lin Feng heard that Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul had a Mental Attribute, he remembered that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's target was a Mental Attribute Soul Master. He couldn't help feeling fortunate to have gotten there first and seized this great opportunity.
"Let's go, Xiao Ya. We'll look for a Mandala Snake. Yuhao, Xiao Feng, you two come along as well. You can observe some Tang Sect techniques later."
Beibei spoke up, laying out what they would do next.
As it turned out, Tang Ya had already cultivated to level thirty and urgently needed a third Soul Ring to advance to Soul Elder.
Another Mandala Snake. If it could talk, would it say, "I nurtured a god," or just "Aminos"?
Blue Silver Grass flowed like water, while the Mandala Snake stood like iron. What a pair of sworn enemies...
Lin Feng grumbled inwardly, but he still sincerely admired Tang Ya.
Without Blue Silver Emperor parents, Blue Silver Grass could hardly produce Soul Power at all. Even if it did, its level would be very low.
Tang San's bloodline had been diluted over ten thousand years, yet his descendant Tang Ya had still managed to cultivate to this point. How much blood and tears had she shed along the way?
After searching for a while, Lin Feng finally detected a thousand-year Mandala Snake with his exceptional spiritual power.
Lin Feng quietly warned them, "This Mandala Snake is two thousand years old. Its age is very high. Teacher Xiao Ya, absorbing its Soul Ring will be dangerous for you."
Tang Ya narrowed her eyes and said gravely, "If our ancestors could do it, then I, Tang Ya, can do it too."
Beibei hurriedly tried to persuade her. "Xiao Ya, don't be rash. I understand how badly you want to revive the Tang Sect, but that isn't your responsibility alone."
Tang Ya said, "I've made up my mind."
Lin Feng thought for a moment before replying, "Perhaps I can help. I have an abundant life force that I can transfer to you."
Tang Ya's face brightened. "All right. Thank you, Xiao Feng. Beibei and I will take the lead in the attack. You and Yuhao can provide support."
"Then let's get started!" Beibei ordered, immediately moving into action.
Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring appeared around him—a standard Soul Ring Configuration. Blue-purple lightning coursed over his body. His right arm swelled, covered in dragon scales as he completed the initial stage of Dragon Transformation.
Beside him, Tang Ya displayed two yellow Soul Rings. Her Soul Ring Configuration was just as good. Blue vines coiled around Lin Feng and Huo Yuhao behind her.
The Mandala Snake sensed them from nearby. It hissed—a warning.
The battle was about to begin.
The Thunder Dragon Claw tore through the air. Beibei used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his figure darting like lightning as he charged toward the Mandala Snake's flank. His right claw, wrapped in dazzling lightning, slammed down hard.
But the next instant, his expression changed drastically. His Soul-Power-filled strike hadn't even managed to break through the Mandala Snake's defenses.
"Careful! This Mandala Snake has mutated! Its defenses are incredibly strong!" Beibei shouted. He immediately activated his Soul Skill, and Thunderbolt rained down.
But just as the lightning net enveloped it, the Mandala Snake twisted around, its venomous fangs bared. It bit into Beibei's left arm, the one that hadn't undergone Dragon Transformation.
"Ah—my arm!" Beibei cried out in pain.
"Beibei!" Seeing this, Tang Ya hurriedly released the vines. With a flick of her wrist, a green vine coiled around Beibei's waist and pulled him back.
The Mandala Snake wasn't about to sit around and wait for death. It turned and attacked Tang Ya, who had weaker cultivation.
At that critical moment, a figure swept forward like a falling star.
"I'll help you!"
Lin Feng stepped forward like a bolt of thunder, an aura interwoven with ice and fire erupting from him.
Back off!
Lin Feng's fists struck like dragons, wreathed in terrifying Evil Fire. His first punch slammed into the snake's seventh inch, his second shattered its fangs, and his third pierced straight through its lower abdomen.
Every blow carried the force to collapse a mountain. Wherever his fists landed, flesh and blood flew. He actually punched right through the Mandala Snake.
Huo Yuhao, watching from the sidelines, was stunned by such a violent fighting style. His ten-year Wind Baboon Soul Ring couldn't even help land a hit.
Tang Ya and Beibei were also rooted to the spot, momentarily dazed as they stared at that savage figure.
"Teacher Xiao Ya, hurry and finish it off!" At Lin Feng's urgent shout, Tang Ya snapped back to her senses. Undisguised excitement flashed in her eyes.
She flicked her fingers. A thick vine, sharp as a sword, pierced through the wound in the snake's body and straight into its head.
The battle was over, and a purple Soul Ring slowly rose into the air.
Tang Ya paid no attention to the Soul Ring and hurried over to Beibei.
After confirming that Beibei wasn't in serious danger, she turned back and asked Lin Feng how he was. Lin Feng told her he was fine.
Only then could Tang Ya finally set aside her anxious worry. A feeling of indescribable surprise and admiration welled up inside her.
He was almost the same age as Huo Yuhao, yet his performance in battle had been even more formidable than Beibei, a three-ring Soul Elder.
"Teacher Xiao Ya, go absorb the Soul Ring. Leave Senior Brother Beibei's poisoned wound to me. I'm good at this."
Lin Feng's voice was gentle. As he spoke, he walked over and bent down to examine the blackened wound on Beibei's left arm.
"Thank you... I'll leave Beibei in your hands."
Tang Ya nodded, then sat cross-legged and began guiding the thousand-year Mandala Snake's Soul Ring.
Lin Feng carefully cleaned Beibei's wound and used Fire Lotus to drive out the poison. His movements were practiced.
Seventeen hundred years was the limit for most Soul Masters absorbing their third Soul Ring, while this Soul Ring was over two thousand years old.
Before long, Tang Ya's face began to pale. She bit her lip until blood seeped from it, fine beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead as her body began to tremble.
"This is still too much for her."
Lin Feng sighed and quickly moved behind Tang Ya. He gently placed his palm against her back and slowly transferred his gentle, vigorous life force into her.
Feeling the life force flow into her, Tang Ya's tense expression eased slightly, but soon she fell into an even deeper struggle.
"No... Mom, Dad!"
She seemed to have fallen into a boundless nightmare. Blue Silver Grass surged wildly around her, out of control, while strands of black mist spread through the air. Then it tightly entangled the two of them inside an impenetrable cage of vines.
The Iron Blood Sect? I'll remember that.
Through their spiritual link, Lin Feng read the painful memory buried deep within her heart: the Iron Blood Sect had seized the Tang Sect's foundation, and Tang Ya's parents had died defending the sect.
"Don't leave me..."
Tang Ya murmured unconsciously, clinging tightly to Lin Feng beside her as if he were her last hope.
"I'm right here."
Lin Feng replied softly. He didn't pull away, but continued to send her soothing Soul Power. Gradually, her disordered breathing steadied, and the black mist on the Blue Silver Grass quietly faded away.
Phew... Did she make it?
As the Soul Ring's energy fully fused with her, a vigorous life force surged around Tang Ya. When she opened her eyes, light flowed through them, and her entire aura had transformed.
She had crossed the threshold of level thirty. From then on, she was a true Soul Elder, a genuinely powerful Soul Master.
The vine cage receded like a tide. Tang Ya looked up and met Lin Feng's gaze from inches away. She realized she was still in his arms, and her cheeks flushed red.
"Congratulations, Teacher Xiao Ya, on advancing to Soul Elder," Lin Feng said with a smile.
He knew perfectly well that Tang Ya's uncontrollable Darkness Power had only subsided for the moment. He had no idea when it would erupt again.
Tang Ya didn't get up right away. Instead, she raised both arms and gently wrapped them around his neck, whispering in his ear, "Thank you, Xiao Feng."
The name "Xiao Feng" came out naturally, carrying an unmistakable intimacy.
Lin Feng gently held her by the shoulders, his eyes filled with both affection and pity.
Seeing the two embracing, Beibei turned beet red. He immediately cleared his throat and said, "Now that the Soul Ring has been absorbed, we shouldn't linger here. We should get moving."
"Mm, let's go." Tang Ya reluctantly released Lin Feng and stood up. Three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—slowly appeared beneath her feet. Her Soul Power was now clearly stronger than Beibei's.
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