"Junior, if there's nothing else, your senior sister should get going," Wu Ming said, bending down and leaning close to Lin Feng's ear. Her breath was sweet as orchid, and her voice carried an unmistakable note of seduction. "From now on... remember to come visit your senior sister often."
"My body really can't take much more, Senior Sister. Please, have mercy..." Lin Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice carrying genuine fatigue and helplessness. He was practically on the verge of tears.
Wu Ming was only twenty-six, yet her energy and initiative rivaled those of a thirty-year-old...
"Then next time, your senior sister will bring more supplements," she said with a soft laugh. Rather than holding back, she continued whispering in his ear, her warm breath teasing his flushed earlobe. "How about thousand-year-old whale rubber? A small piece costs fifty or sixty thousand Gold Soul Coins, doesn't it? At your young age, you need supplements most—you're still building a strong foundation."
"Th-then I'll have to let you spend the money, Senior Sister." Lin Feng knew he couldn't refuse, so he went along with her words. Then he added sincerely, "I also hope you can temper your Golden Crow True Fire to its utmost limits soon and evolve into the legendary Three-Legged Golden Crow."
"That depends..." Wu Ming reached toward Lin Feng's bare abs and continued teasing him by the ear. "On whether you... can satisfy your senior sister."
After Wu Ming finished that suggestive remark, the smile at the corner of her lips deepened.
She suddenly leaned down and gently pressed her soft lips to Lin Feng's sweat-damp forehead. It lasted only an instant, like a feather brushing past, yet left a distinct sensation.
Only then did Wu Ming slowly straighten. The brilliant golden wings of light behind her flickered, sending shifting radiance across the ice cavern.
"See you tomorrow, Junior~" She winked, her tone light and cheerful. Then she added, with a rare hint of thoughtfulness, "Just kidding. Get some good rest."
With that, she didn't linger. Her figure darted out of the ice cavern as lightly as a feather, soon vanishing into the rippling blue light above.
Silence returned to the ice cavern. Lin Feng lay back on the ice and gazed up at the hazy blue ice overhead.
After a long while, he finally let out a resigned sigh, rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, then struggled to sit up.
The four Exotic Fire Origins had now all been gathered on his Fire Lotus Martial Soul, and the Burning Technique had successfully advanced to the Earth Rank.
As for the Red Dragon Heart Fire Origin, it had yet to condense. Wu Feng's cultivation was still too shallow, and forcing her to condense it would only pull up the seedlings to help them grow. He could only see whether the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well had a suitable Immortal Herb.
That old hag Zhou Yi also had a Red Dragon Martial Soul, and she was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor. By all rights, she was the ideal ready-made choice.
But given their past falling-out, and the fact that she was married, if Fan Yu found out... Lin Feng figured he'd be chopped in half by him.
That path was far too risky. No matter how he looked at it, it was out of the question.
Lin Feng turned his thoughts elsewhere. He had plenty of pressing matters to deal with.
The freshman assessment was coming up, but he could apply to skip it. After all, there was no point in a Soul King bullying a bunch of Soul Grandmasters and Soul Masters.
The top priority was going to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. It was not only for Tang Ya's sake, but also because of the great opportunity waiting there.
Lin Feng gathered his thoughts and temporarily set aside the jumble in his mind.
The road had to be taken one step at a time. For now, he should go talk to Yan Shaozhe about the freshman assessment.
Before long, Lin Feng arrived at Bright Phoenix Courtyard.
The courtyard was serene, ancient trees cast their shade, flowers bloomed in profusion, and birds sang from every direction.
Yan Shaozhe was seated at a stone table. When he saw Lin Feng enter, a warm smile appeared on his face.
He lightly raised a hand and pointed. The little stove on the stone table lit by itself, and the water in the pot soon boiled. The aroma of tea drifted through the air.
"Xiao Feng, it's been a while. Sit down and try some tea I just got." Yan Shaozhe gestured for him to sit.
"Thank you, Teacher." Lin Feng sat down and accepted the teacup.
"I've been busy making preparations for the freshman assessment lately, so I've neglected to guide you." Yan Shaozhe took a sip of tea, his tone tinged with apology.
"You're too kind, Teacher." Lin Feng set down his cup and paused briefly before getting to the point. "Actually, I came to see you about the freshman assessment. I'd like to apply to... skip it entirely. I'm willing to give up the rewards for core disciples as well."
"Oh?" Yan Shaozhe's hand stopped with the cup halfway raised. He looked up at Lin Feng, surprise flashing in his eyes. "Why don't you want to take part? Do you feel... your opponents are too weak to interest you?"
"Yes." Lin Feng admitted it frankly, meeting Yan Shaozhe's gaze. Then he calmly added, "And I just... advanced to Soul King. It really wouldn't be appropriate for me to take part in a freshman assessment made up mostly of Soul Grandmasters and Soul Masters."
"..."
A brief silence fell around the stone table.
Yan Shaozhe stopped moving altogether, the rim of his cup hovering at his lips. He stared in astonishment, wondering if he'd heard wrong.
"...Wait?" He slowly lowered his teacup and looked at Lin Feng, needing to confirm what he'd heard. "Did you just say... Soul King? Level fifty? I didn't mishear you, did I?"
He remembered clearly that during the last Sea God Pavilion Meeting, Lin Feng had been only a Level 47 Soul Ancestor. How much time had passed since then?
Under his teacher's nearly scrutinizing gaze, Lin Feng remained calm and simply nodded. "Yes. I successfully devoured Senior Sister Wu Ming's Golden Crow True Fire. After my Soul Power reached Level 50, I obtained a Soul Ring on my own. I'm now stable at Level 53."
"..."
Yan Shaozhe was silent for a long time. His deep gaze rested on Lin Feng's composed face, and he knew he needed to take another look at his direct disciple—not merely reconsider, but completely reassess him.
A twelve-year-old Soul King.
The word "genius" could no longer describe this. He was a terrifying existence who could overturn the Soul Master World's understanding of cultivation, a talent the likes of which had never been seen before.
One had to understand: breaking through to Soul Elder by the age of twelve already made someone a prodigy chosen from ten thousand.
Yet Lin Feng had crossed two entire major realms.
With cultivation and potential like his, he was fully qualified to skip straight from freshman to the Inner Court. He could even... be selected as one of the Shrek Seven Devils.
"You..." Yan Shaozhe began slowly, as if searching for the right words. In the end, he shook his head with a self-mocking laugh. "...I can't even call you a monster anymore. Maybe there isn't an accurate word for you at all."
He picked up the tea, now lukewarm, but didn't drink. Then he continued, his tone complicated. "It seems there's not much I—or even the Academy—can teach you about cultivation anymore."
He spoke candidly, with a trace of melancholy that was hard to put into words.
Lin Feng was like a peerless double-edged sword, its sharpness fully exposed.
If the Academy could put him to good use, everyone would be delighted. With him, the Academy might reach unprecedented heights in the future.
But if one day he turned against the Academy... Yan Shaozhe didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
The sea was wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky high enough for birds to fly.
This child's world was never destined to be confined to a corner of Shrek. His outright rejection of the Ultimate Soldier Project had already been a clear and dangerous signal.
He had a path of his own to walk, and he was striding down it at a startling pace.
Still, one thing offered Yan Shaozhe some comfort—and gave him room to consider the situation. Lin Feng was still willing to call him "Teacher," and had come to tell him of such a major breakthrough of his own accord.
That meant his direct disciple still felt some recognition and attachment toward the Academy and toward him as a teacher.
Besides, there was no great power standing behind him... There was still a chance.
"Lin Feng, do you have any long-term plans for what comes next...?"
Yan Shaozhe let the shifting emotions fade from his face and looked at Lin Feng again, asking cautiously.
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