Two and a Half Years, Growth and Change

The campfire crackled, firelight dancing across Feng Yun's face.

He had already changed into clean robes.

He sat cross-legged beside the fire, upright and proper, his back ramrod straight.

During this time, he had developed a habit.

As soon as Yun Yun wore an expression that said she was about to speak, he automatically entered lesson mode.

After all, his master was usually gentle, yes.

But when it came to teaching, she was as strict as could be.

Tonight, however, Yun Yun did not put on that stern face.

She sat opposite Feng Yun.

The firelight reflected on her cool, elegant face, softening that aloof air of hers considerably.

Yun Yun's gaze fell on Feng Yun. After looking him up and down, she nodded in satisfaction.

"Wind Blade Art, Gale Stab, Wind Soaring Step, and Steel Essence Armor. Four high-level Yellow Rank Dou Techniques, and you've already cultivated them all to major achievement."

Her tone was still cool, but there was a trace of pride hidden at the end of her words, so faint it was hard to notice.

"Yun'er, your talent is quite good."

"!"

Feng Yun's heart instantly bloomed with joy.

There it was, there it was!

His master's praise!

The bitter smiles from training from morning until night every day.

Being harassed by hundred-year spirit beasts, and chased and bitten by thousand-year spirit beasts.

There had been several times when he had nearly left his life in Soul Hunting Forest, yet he had never shed a single tear.

But now, with this one compliment from his master, his nose actually felt a little sour.

"It's all because Master taught me well!"

Feng Yun grinned like an idiot.

Yun Yun shook her head slightly. "There's no need to be modest."

"When you first gained entry into all four Dou Techniques, I already said that your talent was enough to rank in the top three among all the younger generation I've ever seen."

"Now that you've reached major achievement, among your peers in this world, there are already few who could match you."

Feng Yun was praised so much that every pore on his body seemed to open up.

If this were a game in his previous life, a system achievement notification should have popped up above his head by now: "Master's Approval · Epic Achievement."

But Yun Yun's tone suddenly shifted.

"However, compared with your Dou Techniques, what surprised me even more was how well you've integrated your twin martial souls."

"After all, martial souls are the most mainstream cultivation method under this world's rules."

Twin martial souls.

Feng Yun subconsciously raised his right hand, and with a thought, a ray of azure light gathered in his palm, transforming into a three-foot-long sword.

The blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, its entire body flowing with a faint azure halo. In the night, it looked like a segment of solidified moonlight.

Twin martial souls were extremely rare on Douluo Continent.

Innate full soul power paired with twin martial souls was rarer still.

Feng Yun gripped the Green Phoenix Sword and casually flourished it.

The azure radiance flowing over the blade dragged out a beautiful arc in the night, with the faint sound of wind singing within it.

"Master, to be honest, I still find it strange even now."

Feng Yun lowered his head to look at the sword in his hand, his expression turning somewhat subtle.

"This Green Phoenix Sword is clearly a tool martial soul, but its attribute amplification effect is way too strong."

Any wind-element attack released through the Green Phoenix Sword directly doubled in power.

He paused, weighing his words.

"This sword doesn't feel like a sword. It's more like... a sword-shaped staff."

"A sword-shaped staff?"

Yun Yun found the term somewhat novel and tilted her head slightly.

That small movement made her usual cool, aloof bearing seem a little more lively.

The moment Feng Yun saw his master make that expression, he perked right up and immediately explained, "It means holding a sword but not using it to cut people, using it like a staff to cast wind blades instead."

"...Heretical nonsense."

Yun Yun gave him a four-word evaluation.

"But it works, Master!"

Feng Yun's eyes shone as he leaned forward.

"Think about it. When the enemy sees me holding a sword, they'll definitely think I'm going into melee."

"Then I slap a wind blade right in his face."

As he spoke, he even gestured with his hand. "What's that called? A Melee Mage! Physical deception!"

Yun Yun looked at his smug expression, the corner of her mouth twitching. In the end, she still did not dampen his enthusiasm.

However, Feng Yun was right.

The Green Phoenix Sword's effect was indeed more like a "wind-element amplifier" than a "melee weapon."

After stacking passively with his two soul skills, the power of Feng Yun's wind-element attacks had reached an utterly unreasonable level.

That was also why that four-thousand-year Mandala Snake had been chopped up by him in just a few sword strikes yesterday.

Generally speaking, a soul master capable of hunting a four-thousand-year soul beast alone had to at least be at the Soul Ancestor level.

Yet he had done it as a Grand Soul Master.

That Mandala Snake probably never figured out, even in death, how a two-ring Grand Soul Master could hunt a four-thousand-year soul beast so easily.

However, Yun Yun could be certain of one thing: this Green Phoenix Sword was not the complete form of Feng Yun's second martial soul.

Its existence might have something to do with her.

Especially after discovering that once Feng Yun's soul power increased, her own soul spirit power had become stronger and more condensed as well.

Yun Yun was even more certain that the relationship between her and Feng Yun was not as simple as that of an old granny in a ring.

Unfortunately, even she could not understand the reason behind it right now.

Feng Yun was immersed in his memories and realizations.

He did not notice that Yun Yun's expression had already changed.

She put away her earlier gentleness, her gaze turning serious.

"Feng Yun."

The tone of this call was completely different from before.

Feng Yun immediately sat up straight!

After two years as master and disciple, he already knew every tone his master used like the back of his hand.

This tone meant there was serious business.

And it was a big deal.

Yun Yun slowly said, "Do you still remember how long it has been since you left the Wind Sword Sect?"

Feng Yun froze.

Why was Master suddenly bringing this up?

Wait!

When the engagement had been broken off in the sect hall, he had made a three-year agreement in front of all the sect elders!

"Holy shit?!"

Feng Yun shot to his feet.

The expression on his face went from blank to shocked to horrified, all three changes flowing seamlessly into one another.

"The three-year agreement!"

"Meng Yiran! Feng Lie!"

"How did I forget about this?!"

He clutched his head, feeling like his brain had turned into a mess of paste.

He had stayed in Soul Hunting Forest for so long.

Every day had been nothing but cultivation, slaughter, eating soul beast meat, and resting!

His sense of time had long since become hazy.

"Don't panic. There's still time."

Yun Yun's voice was like a perfectly timed basin of cold water, dousing the chaotic storm in Feng Yun's mind.

Feng Yun's footsteps stopped, and he turned to look at his master.

Yun Yun's expression was still cool and aloof, but the corner of her mouth seemed to lift ever so slightly, and there was the faintest trace of teasing in her eyes.

"I have calculated the days. There is still half a year left."

Hearing this, Feng Yun immediately let out a long breath.

His whole body slumped back onto the ground like a deflated ball.

That scared him to death.

For a second, he had almost thought he was going to become the first protagonist in a fanfic to break a promise because he forgot the time.

If that really happened, it would be way too embarrassing.

But he immediately sat upright again, his expression turning excited.

When he left the sect, everyone there still remembered him as having innate soul power at rank 3.

At the time, everyone thought it was impossible for him to close the gap with Feng Lie and the others within three years.

But now, times had changed!

He was already rank 24, and could single-handedly kill a 4,000-year soul beast.

The corners of Feng Yun's mouth slowly curved upward.

"Master, isn't it time to go back?"

A fire burned in his eyes. Feng Yun could hardly wait to fulfill the three-year promise.

Feng Lie, Meng Yiran, and all those people who had been waiting to laugh at him back then.

How have you all been?

The light burning in the young man's eyes

made Yun Yun's gaze soften.

She felt deeply gratified.

That stubborn little fellow now possessed the strength to support that stubbornness.