Entering the Game

Lin Feng lay on his back atop the remaining ice, his chest rising and falling faintly. Eyes closed, he let out a long breath.

All that exertion had taken a heavy toll on him.

Ling Luochеn lay quietly on top of him, fully conscious now.

She could clearly feel the warmth rising from beneath her and the intimate contact between them, with nothing to come between them.

Her cheeks burned, and her thoughts were a tangled mess. She didn't dare look up at Lin Feng's expression, so she buried her hot face even deeper in the crook of his neck.

Silence spread between them, broken only by the soft mingling of their breaths.

"Senior Sister," Lin Feng finally spoke first, his voice tinged with apology. "Just now... I'm sorry. I..."

"It's all right. I said I'd bear the consequences myself. I won't blame you." Ling Luochеn cut him off quickly. Her voice was muffled, but there was little anger in it.

After saying this, she gently rested her burning cheek on Lin Feng's shoulder. She hesitated for a long while before asking in a soft voice, almost too quiet to hear:

"Then... do you think Senior Sister is good?"

"Of course you are. You..." Lin Feng answered without a moment's hesitation. Though tired, his voice was clear and certain.

"...Mm." Ling Luochеn cut him off with a quiet murmur. The satisfying answer eased the tension in her body.

At last, she lifted herself slightly, her ice-blue eyes gazing at Lin Feng's face in the dim light.

After watching him for a moment, she seemed to have finally confirmed something—or perhaps she was simply following her instincts. She slowly leaned down again... In the ice cavern, only their mingled warmth and pounding heartbeats remained.

Much later, Lin Feng finally helped Ling Luochеn completely stabilize the nascent source of that wisp of Mystic Ice Spirit Flame.

Only then did they reluctantly part and quietly straighten their clothes.

Once their breathing had settled, they left the lakeside ice cavern, where so much turmoil and so many accidents had taken place, and returned to the peaceful shore.

"Lin Feng, thank you."

Ling Luochеn gently took Lin Feng's hand. Her ice-blue eyes looked especially clear in the moonlight, brimming with sincere gratitude and a trace of emotion that had yet to fully subside.

"I truly don't know how I can repay you... I not only succeeded in controlling this ice flame, but my Soul Power also broke through because of it, taking me straight from level fifty-five to the threshold of level sixty. And, even more astonishingly..." She paused, a flash of irrepressible joy and shock in her eyes. "I... awakened a Spirit Ice Domain. You know how rare and powerful domain skills are. They're comparable to an Ultimate Martial Soul, the highest-tier control Soul Skills."

Her voice carried a dreamlike daze. What she had gained far surpassed her original expectations.

"Then I really must congratulate you, Senior Sister." Lin Feng smiled, sharing his own gains as well. "I gained quite a bit too. My Soul Power rose from level forty-seven to level fifty, so I've stepped into the ranks of Soul Kings. And while helping you stabilize the ice flame, I also learned a lot from your methods of controlling ice. I gained the Spirit Ice Domain too."

"Even if you gained a lot as well," Ling Luochеn shook her head, her tone serious and firm as her grip on his hand tightened slightly, "I'll always remember this tremendous debt I owe you. Whenever you need me, no matter when, you can come to me."

"All right." Lin Feng nodded, then continued, "I do have an idea. I plan to establish a sect of my own in the future, and when I do, I'd like to invite you to serve as an elder. For now, I'll keep the details and plans confidential. I'll tell you more when the time is right."

"All right. I accept." Ling Luochеn agreed readily, with almost no hesitation.

Ling Luochеn's Soul Power Level had now surged past Chen Zifeng and Gongyang Mo, both level fifty-nine, making her unquestionably the third-ranked member of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils.

And with the source of the Mystic Ice Spirit Flame within her and a rare, powerful Spirit Ice Domain under her control, once she obtained her Sixth Soul Ring and officially advanced to Soul Emperor, her true combat strength could very well surpass that of Dai Yueheng, the level-sixty Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor currently ranked second.

"If you have nothing else, Senior Sister, I'll head back and get some rest." Lin Feng could feel the new power inside him, along with his lingering exhaustion, and spoke up.

"Mm." Ling Luochеn answered softly, her ice-blue eyes fixed on him, emotions churning within them before finally settling into a clear, quiet murmur. "Thank you again, Lin Feng."

As she spoke, she stepped forward, lifted her arms, and gently circled them around Lin Feng's neck, giving him a brief but tight hug.

Her breath carried a familiar coolness, but there was unmistakable warmth in her embrace.

The hug lasted a moment. Then, as if she had finally drawn enough courage or comfort from it, she slowly let go.

"Get some good rest. See you tomorrow." She stepped back half a pace, her face bright with delight.

Lin Feng nodded and turned to leave.

Beneath the moonlight, Ling Luochеn stood silently by the lake, watching his retreating figure. The Ice Lotus mark between her brows glimmered in the night.

On his way back, Lin Feng suddenly remembered that his Soul Power had reached level fifty, meeting the minimum threshold Mu En had mentioned for visiting the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

The thought eased some of his fatigue.

He didn't return to the dormitory. Instead, he turned toward the academy's east gate and went straight to the little shop Tang Ya ran.

"Xiao Feng? It's been so long since you last came by." Tang Ya was sorting accounts behind the counter. When she looked up and saw him, a warm smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Xiao Ya." Lin Feng walked up to the counter without exchanging pleasantries and shared the good news at once. "My Soul Power has broken through to level fifty."

"Level fifty?!" Tang Ya's hands stilled. She jerked her head up, her eyes full of disbelief.

She remembered clearly that not long ago, Lin Feng had still been a Soul Ancestor. His rate of advancement was simply astonishing. She herself had struggled through countless hardships and was only level forty-four.

After her brief shock, delight rose to her brows, but then shifted into a hint of barely perceptible gloom and worry.

He was progressing so quickly, while she...

"That's wonderful!" Tang Ya pushed down her complicated feelings and smiled sincerely.

"Mm." Lin Feng nodded, gazing at her with determination. "Once I obtain my fifth Soul Ring, we'll set out. We'll go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and find the Blue Silver Emperor for you."

Tang Ya was slightly taken aback.

The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well... the Blue Silver Emperor...

Although the Darkness Power within her had been completely eradicated, awakening the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline was still her greatest hope for growing stronger in the future.

"Xiao Feng... thank you." Tang Ya parted her lips. A thousand words filled her heart, but in the end, they became only a soft, choked whisper. Her eyes quickly reddened and grew warm.

"Don't cry." Lin Feng softened his voice and gently wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eye. "Our sect master can't let people see her like this."

Tang Ya could hold back no longer. She stepped forward and threw herself into Lin Feng's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her face deep in his shoulder.