Grrr—
The same hollow rumbling came from Ma Xiaotao's stomach.
After a whole morning of Martial Soul Fusion Skill trials, they had not only burned through a tremendous amount of Soul Power, but had also pushed their bodies past their limits. Every insight had been cast to the back of their minds as the most immediate sensation—hunger—took over.
Besides, Lin Feng was right here. He wasn't going anywhere.
Ma Xiaotao released her arms and legs from around Lin Feng and stretched as she stood.
Her shapely figure was fully revealed beneath the icy blue light of the cavern. Her curves were breathtaking, and every inch of skin seemed to brim with vigorous life and heat, her languid ease after their exertions entirely unhidden.
Her hips were wider than her shoulders, blissful as an immortal...
Lin Feng gazed at her, deeply understanding the sentiment.
"Still looking?" Ma Xiaotao glanced back and caught his vacant stare. Her face warmed slightly, but she deliberately glared at him with a fierce scowl. "Get up. Let's go eat. I'm about to faint from hunger."
"I've been hungry since this morning," Lin Feng said as he slowly sat up, his tone plaintive. "But someone wasn't planning to let me go back then."
"You're in great shape," Ma Xiaotao replied, with all the confidence of someone who knew she had no case. She walked over and reached out to pull him up. "What's wrong with practicing a little longer? Hurry up!"
"Fine, fine. Let's go eat." Lin Feng let her pull him to his feet, stopped arguing, and briskly began putting on his clothes.
If he didn't get something to eat soon, he was afraid he'd become the first Soul Ancestor in history to faint from hunger.
Ma Xiaotao also took a clean outfit from her storage device. Turning her back to him, she changed with practiced ease.
The two soon arrived at the Inner Court cafeteria and took a seat in a quiet corner.
It was Lin Feng's first time setting foot in the Inner Court cafeteria. The place was indeed more refined and peaceful than the Outer Court.
His gaze swept casually around the room, then caught on a figure at the next table.
She was a woman with icy blue hair, dining alone. Her manner was as cold as snow, and her profile was strikingly beautiful.
"What are you looking at?" Ma Xiaotao followed his gaze and glanced over. The corner of her mouth lifted, but beneath the table, she showed him no mercy: she planted her foot on the top of his and deliberately ground it in. "Want your senior sister to introduce you? Hmm?"
"No, no, really, no need." Lin Feng sucked in a pained breath and hurriedly shook his head.
Who would have thought that the woman with icy blue hair seemed to sense his gaze? She lifted her eyes and looked over.
Then she picked up her tray and walked straight over, naturally taking the empty seat beside Lin Feng.
"You must be Junior Brother Lin Feng. I've heard so much about you." Her voice was clear and cool, like icy beads falling onto a jade plate. Turning to Lin Feng, she smiled faintly. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Ling Luochеn, from the Inner Court."
Under the table, Ma Xiaotao pressed down even harder with her foot.
"...Hello, Senior Sister Ling." Lin Feng kept his expression composed, though in his heart he was already lamenting the fate of his toes.
Ling Luochеn's gaze shifted subtly between the two of them, finally settling on Lin Feng's face as he struggled to remain calm. She glanced at Ma Xiaotao, who was smiling even as her eyes nearly spat fire, then suddenly pursed her lips in a knowing smile.
"Oh~ Did I interrupt some little game you two were playing?" She rose gracefully and picked up her tray. Before leaving, she turned back and winked at Lin Feng. "Then I'll leave you to it. Carry on~"
She walked away lightly, leaving behind a retreating figure full of meaning.
Ma Xiaotao gave a cold snort and finally lifted her foot.
Lin Feng quickly pulled his foot back, secretly grateful they were in a crowded cafeteria.
If they'd been somewhere deserted, he suspected that the scene might have gone beyond a foot-stomping. Ma Xiaotao might have started a fight with Ling Luochеn right then and there.
On the way back to the dorm after eating, Lin Feng didn't dare ask much. Still, he knew a little about Ling Luochеn: she and Ma Xiaotao were both members of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils.
Lin Feng guessed she might have come for the Mystic Ice Spirit Flame. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared so brazenly to provoke Ma Xiaotao.
It was probably that old fox Yan Shaozhe spreading the word again, shoving him into a pit of fire...
"Sister Xiaotao, let's call it a day with training."
"No." Ma Xiaotao answered briskly, glancing toward the cafeteria. "Ling Luochеn might be waiting for a chance to snatch you away. I'm responsible for your safety. Come on, back to my dorm."
Before Lin Feng could come up with another excuse, she took his hand and led him toward the dormitory without giving him a choice.
And so Lin Feng spent the entire afternoon and evening with Ma Xiaotao in her dormitory, reviewing all the insights they had gained from that day's Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
The next morning, before dawn.
Holding his aching waist, Lin Feng tiptoed out of Ma Xiaotao's dormitory. At last, he had temporarily escaped her gentle yet insatiable clutches.
After two days and nights of intense training that had been as harrowing as wading through deep waters and stepping on thin ice, the results were undeniably real.
His Soul Power Level had soared all the way to level forty-seven.
He was now not far from the minimum Soul King requirement for traveling to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Still, he knew that reaching the right level wouldn't be enough.
He also needed to find another powerful Exotic Fire Origin and advance the Burning Technique to the Earth Rank. Only then would he be confident enough to try devouring the legendary Exotic Fire Origin left behind by the Fire Dragon King.
Still holding his somewhat sore waist, Lin Feng turned and ambled toward the Class Nine dormitory.
The freshman assessment was just around the corner, and every day counted.
He was also turning over another matter in his mind: he needed to hurry and help that girl Wang Dong obtain her third Soul Ring.
This wasn't just about improving her strength. It was also directly tied to the generous reward from the Clear Sky Sect that Wang Dong had personally promised him.
It was the greatest sect in the world, one that boasted a Limit Douluo. Its foundations ran so deep that there was probably nothing in its treasury people could imagine but the sect couldn't produce.
The reward was worth a little extra effort.
With that thought, Lin Feng quickened his pace.
Soon, he returned to the Class Nine dormitory and went to Wang Dong's bed. Looking at her bundled up in her blanket and sleeping soundly, he reached out and gave her a firm but gentle shake. "Lazybones, time to get up."
"Mm... Lin Feng?" Wang Dong opened her eyes in a daze. Once she saw who it was, she rubbed them, her voice thick with sleep. "Why are you back so early..."
"Get up. We're going to the Star Dou Great Forest." Lin Feng got straight to the point. "We're getting your third Soul Ring. The freshman assessment is only a few days away. Don't dawdle."
"Soul Ring?" Wang Dong blinked, and most of her sleepiness vanished. She sat bolt upright. "Okay! I'll be ready in a minute!"
She got herself ready with brisk efficiency, and the two of them went to ask their homeroom teacher, Mu Jin, for leave.
"You're going to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a Soul Ring?" After hearing why they had come, Mu Jin considered for a moment before replying, "The two of you alone might be taking a risk. As it happens, a few Inner Court students are planning to head to the forest for some training soon. Chen Zifeng, Ling Luochеn, and Xixi. If you're willing, you can travel with them. You'll be able to look out for one another."
"Senior Sister Ling Luochеn?" Lin Feng's brows lifted slightly as the icy blue figure from the cafeteria flashed through his mind. He nodded. "With three members of the Shrek Seven Devils, it'll definitely be safer."
Wang Dong listened beside him without saying anything, silently memorizing the names.
Getting the chance to team up with members of the Shrek Seven Devils from the Inner Court was naturally an opportunity not to be missed.
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