First Enjoy, Then Talk

Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, the group hurried toward the nearest human settlement.

Along the way, Tang Ya quietly leaned in toward Lin Feng and whispered, "Xiao Feng, are you really alright? My dark energy..."

Lin Feng casually fabricated an excuse: "I'm fine, my life is tough enough."

Hearing this, a flash of heartache crossed Tang Ya's eyes, and she softly urged, "This is too dangerous... promise me, you won't risk your life like that again."

"Alright, I promise you. But Teacher Xiao Ya must also promise me that you will act according to your own strength." Lin Feng responded with a smile.

"Mm." Tang Ya nodded, watching his smiling profile, as a certain emotion quietly took root in her heart.

As the sunset deepened, the group finally reached a small town where they could rest before nightfall, allowing their nerves, taut for the entire day, to finally relax a little.

Beibei was settled into a nearby clinic for treatment, and Huo Yuhao stayed behind to look after him.

Lin Feng went out with Tang Ya to gather information and prepare for the next day's journey.

"We evacuated in such a rush earlier that I forgot to look for fire-attribute soul beasts along the way. I'm afraid it won't be easy to find such an opportunity again," Lin Feng said, suddenly stopping in his tracks as if remembering something, and lightly tapping his forehead.

"Xiao Feng, have you reached a bottleneck too?" Tang Ya asked, glancing at him.

"Mm, my soul power is at level thirty."

"You're only twelve, and you're already at level thirty?" Tang Ya could not hide her shock.

Lin Feng merely smiled indifferently: "Haha, Teacher Xiao Ya, you joke. Your potential is no less than mine. In time, you may well carve out a path of your own, just like your ancestor Tang San."

"I hope so." Tang Ya sighed softly, her tone tinged with a hint of confusion.

Lin Feng said nothing more, though he knew clearly in his heart that Tang San had ultimately relied on the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, while Tang Ya had inherited only ordinary Blue Silver Grass. Cultivation was already an act of defying the heavens; to recreate such glory was easier said than done.

He changed the subject, his tone calm yet firm: "There is one other thing. I plan to return home tomorrow to pay respects to my parents, so I won't be returning to Shrek Academy with you all."

"Pay respects to your parents..." Tang Ya hesitated slightly, her gaze sweeping across the horizon as her voice lowered, then she looked up and said, "Then go."

Although Lin Feng was a transmigrator, he still felt the need to remember the kindness of the parents who had raised him in this world.

Three days later, after paying his respects to his parents, Lin Feng headed straight for Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy was located in the eastern part of Shrek City, situated at the intersection of the three great empires of the original Douluo continent and the Star Dou Great Forest. The fact that it could stand firm in such a perilous location was a testament to the profound foundation of the "number one academy on the continent."

Shrek City was vast in scale; Lin Feng traveled for a long time and still had not reached the main gate of the academy.

"Achoo—who is gossiping about me?"

Seeing the silhouette of the academy drawing near, Lin Feng couldn't help but sneeze several times, teasing himself in a low voice.

At this moment, on Sea God Island in the center of the academy, the current Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe, was listening to his personal disciple, Ma Xiaotao, report on her previous experiences with Lin Feng.

"I understand the situation," Yan Shaozhe mused. "Do not speak of this to outsiders for now. I have already claimed this Lin Feng. As soon as he arrives, bring him directly to see me. If there is nothing else, you may go and rest."

"Teacher," Ma Xiaotao did not leave; instead, her tone carried a rare hint of hesitation, "could you... let him stay near me?"

Yan Shaozhe looked up at her and shook his head with a chuckle: "Your little schemes... go arrange it yourself."

"Thank you, Teacher! I'm going to go camp out at the gate for him right now!"

Ma Xiaotao's cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned and darted away like a ball of fire.

Watching her nimble retreating figure, Yan Shaozhe sighed softly: "Plagued by evil fire, fortune and disaster are intertwined. It is a ten-thousand-year-old problem. Without the immortal herb Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, even with extreme ice, one can only provide temporary relief; it treats the symptoms but not the root cause. I hope this Lin Feng can truly bring a turning point."

Outside the main gate of Shrek Academy.

Lin Feng had just identified himself to the guards and presented his credentials when he saw their expressions suddenly turn to terror, as if they had seen something horrifying.

Before he could turn around, a wave of warmth surged from behind him. A soft yet scorching body pressed directly against his back, and he was immediately embraced by a pair of jade hands. Rapid, burning breaths brushed against his ear, nearly causing Lin Feng to lose his composure.

"Ah, Sister Xiaotao? You startled me."

"Don't move... let me be quiet, let me hold you for a moment."

Passersby cast sidelong glances; the hot-tempered Ma Xiaotao, known as the "Flame Maniac," was openly hugging a pretty boy at the academy gate, looking dependent and intimate.

Ma Xiaotao was quite tall, and at eighteen, she was well-developed, but Lin Feng was not far behind. At twelve, he was only half a head shorter than her, and he would likely catch up in another two years.

"Sister Xiaotao, are you alright? Should we find somewhere else to go? There seem to be more and more people around."

Lin Feng was at a loss, not daring to resist. Seeing Ma Xiaotao's abnormal state, he suspected her evil fire was about to erupt again.

"Mm, I'm fine. Wait, why is there a trace of extreme cold aura on you?"

"Uh, that's my second soul ring; it happens to be ice-attribute."

"To Sea God Lake!"

"Hey, Sister Xiaotao, why are we going to Sea God Lake? Shouldn't we go report in first?"

"Shh, we're taking off."

Ma Xiaotao wasn't exaggerating; her martial soul was the Evil Fire Phoenix, and she could indeed fly. She carried the flightless Lin Feng, swept directly over the crowd, and left the academy grounds in the blink of an eye.

The intense friction from the flight made the elastic sensation against his back feel even more intense and clear, and Lin Feng was nearly losing his grip on himself.

"What a massive tree..."

As the two flew over Sea God Lake, Lin Feng was immediately stunned by the towering tree on the island in the center of the lake. It was his first time seeing a tree so unrealistically large with his own eyes.

"Xiao Feng, quickly, let me see your second soul skill."

"Alright, Sister Xiaotao."

Before Lin Feng could react, Ma Xiaotao released him, sending him plummeting straight into the lake.

Splash—

Ma Xiaotao tucked her wings and dove headfirst into the water after him.

Glug, glug...

Not being a strong swimmer, Lin Feng instinctively released his Martial Soul. A biting cold ice lotus condensed in his hands, instantly freezing the surrounding water and allowing him to catch his breath.

Enjoy it first, worry later!

Seeing this display, Ma Xiaotao could no longer hold back. With uncontrollable excitement, she immediately released her own Martial Soul.

The two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings on her body were an indisputably powerful configuration, drawing the eye.

If anyone were on the lake surface at this moment, they would witness a bizarre sight—the water was frozen on one side and boiling on the other.

Below, Ma Xiaotao was melting the ice, swimming toward Lin Feng in a fusion of ice and fire. However, Lin Feng's soul power was only at level thirty, while Ma Xiaotao's was more than double his.

As Ma Xiaotao drew closer, Lin Feng's soul power consumption grew rapidly. The Phoenix Evil Fire began to invade his body, forcing him to circulate the Burning Art to devour it.

Glug, glug...

The ice melted completely, and Ma Xiaotao reached him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Due to their suspended positions underwater, Lin Feng was caught in a point-blank confrontation, his morality and instincts warring for control of his body.

Lin Feng felt Ma Xiaotao's body growing increasingly scalding. The Phoenix Evil Fire, mingled with a trace of the Hellfire from the beast Scarlet King, finally erupted in a massive surge.

The terrifying explosion actually shredded both of their clothes underwater.

It was clear that Ma Xiaotao's current eruption of evil fire was influenced by the Scarlet King from a few days ago.

What terrifying Hellfire!

The lighting underwater was poor; otherwise, Lin Feng would have been treated to a feast for the eyes. As for using spiritual detection, he considered himself a gentleman—or at least a gentleman who knew how to exercise restraint—and disdained doing such a thing.

Time ticked by second by second, and the evil fire was eventually absorbed entirely by Lin Feng.

Regaining her senses, Ma Xiaotao released Lin Feng, quickly changed her clothes underwater, and grabbed him, rushing out of the lake.

Whoosh—

Finally over. Oh no, my clothes.

Lin Feng realized his predicament and hurriedly covered his vital areas.

"Heehee, Little Feng, here are your clothes."

Looking refreshed, Ma Xiaotao didn't provide the "wet look" temptation one might expect; she had dried her clothes the moment she broke the surface.

Lin Feng nimbly donned the clothes Ma Xiaotao handed him.

"Sister Xiaotao, could you give me some warning next time? This was so sudden, I almost drowned."

"Mhm, it was this senior sister's fault this time. My apologies. Now, let's go to Sea God Island to see our teacher."

"Teacher?"

"You'll know when we get there. Let's keep a bit of mystery."

With that, Ma Xiaotao took Lin Feng's small hand and flew toward Sea God Island in the center of the lake.