A Different Path, Xiao Xiao's Choice

The two met each other's eyes, and the atmosphere somehow turned a little ambiguous.

Xiao Xiao held both hands before her chest and looked timidly at Ling Feng. Her heart pounded so hard that she could barely breathe.

Ling Feng was the first to recover. He coughed awkwardly and helped Xiao Xiao straighten up.

Before he could let go, Xiao Xiao's body went limp, and she was about to fall again.

Ling Feng hurriedly helped Xiao Xiao onto a wooden chair. Only then did he notice that her hands and legs were trembling slightly.

"What happened to you...?"

Ling Feng sat back down, holding Xiao Xiao's arm in confusion.

"Because all of us lost to you alone today, and we only won one match in the battles afterward."

"So Teacher Zhou Yi punished us by making us run in iron suits."

"Fifty-kilogram iron suits. We ran all day and didn't even eat lunch."

Xiao Xiao lowered her head.

A whole group losing to one person was hardly something to be proud of.

"Uh..."

Hearing that he himself was the culprit behind Xiao Xiao's punishment, Ling Feng did not know what to say for a moment.

"You don't need to dwell on it. Not holding back in a match is the greatest respect you can show your opponent."

Xiao Xiao shook her head, trying to console him.

"If we lost the match, then being punished was only right. I don't think you did anything wrong."

"Punishment is one thing, but Zhou Yi was obviously taking out her anger on all of you!"

Ling Feng felt somewhat angry on Xiao Xiao's behalf.

"Look at you. You're practically exhausted."

Taking out a medicinal solution for treating overexertion from his storage Soul Tool, Ling Feng poured some onto his hand and spread it evenly across his palm before beginning to massage Xiao Xiao's arm.

"Mm..."

When Ling Feng grabbed her like that, Xiao Xiao's first reaction was embarrassment.

But she knew he meant well, so she did not resist.

"Can I ask you another question?"

Xiao Xiao looked at Ling Feng, who was lowering his head and seriously massaging her arm. Her little face had already turned crimson.

"Go ahead."

"Actually, I have Twin Martial Souls."

Hearing Xiao Xiao's words, Ling Feng's movements paused briefly before he calmly continued applying the medicine to her arm.

Having known the story, he naturally knew that Xiao Xiao possessed Twin Martial Souls.

And at this point in time, no one else knew about Xiao Xiao's Twin Martial Souls.

The fact that Xiao Xiao could directly confess this secret to him was enough to show that she trusted Ling Feng greatly now.

"What do you want to ask?"

After a moment of silence, Ling Feng replied.

This instead left Xiao Xiao somewhat stunned.

Whenever she had revealed that she possessed Twin Martial Souls in the past, everyone's reactions had almost always been shock, surprise, and praise.

Ling Feng was the first to remain so composed.

"Twin Martial Souls aren't even enough to surprise him. No wonder he's the top freshman."

Xiao Xiao sighed inwardly before slowly speaking.

"The advantage of Twin Martial Souls is that, at the same level, you have twice as many soul skills as others."

"With your strength, taking first place in the freshman assessment should be effortless."

"But my strength is still rather weak, and I heard that aside from you, there are three other Soul Elders among the freshmen."

"To get a good ranking, should I add a soul ring to my second martial soul first?"

At her words, Ling Feng's hands immediately stopped moving.

He looked up at Xiao Xiao and saw struggle and confusion about the road ahead in her eyes as well.

"Absolutely not!"

This was the first time since the two had met that Ling Feng had refused her so forcefully.

"With your current strength, what kind of soul ring could you obtain for your second martial soul? Nothing over a thousand years, right?"

"On the surface, you would have three soul rings too, narrowing the gap between you and those top students."

"But in my eyes, that would be no different from ruining your own future."

"If you can wait until after you reach five rings, then the first soul skill of your second martial soul will start at ten thousand years."

"The gap between a thousand years and ten thousand years doesn't need much explanation, does it?"

How could Xiao Xiao not understand what Ling Feng was saying?

"But what about the freshmen assessment...?"

"It's only an assessment. Do you think it's more important than your future?"

Ling Feng understood Xiao Xiao's concerns as well.

"Even if you place dead last in the freshmen assessment, so what?"

"You're a genius with Twin Martial Souls. In our year, and even across the entire outer academy, there won't be more than five people with Twin Martial Souls!"

"If I were one of Shrek's leaders, I wouldn't expel you even if you came in last."

"Even taking the worst-case scenario, if they do expel you, can't you go to another academy? Do you really have to gamble your future on an uncertain outcome?"

After Ling Feng put it that way, the doubts in Xiao Xiao's heart gradually faded.

"Actually, I wasn't planning to obtain one either."

"It was because of Teacher Zhou Yi."

"She said that since I have Twin Martial Souls, obtaining another soul ring now would be more helpful to the team!"

"And absorbing just one soul ring wouldn't have much of an impact on my future..."

Xiao Xiao spoke weakly, only to see Ling Feng's expression gradually darken.

"That's bullshit!"

"She only said that because she wants you to become stronger and ensure her teaching results."

"And have you thought about this?"

"You can choose to fight alongside your teammates many times."

"But one day, you'll have to face an enemy alone!"

"If you aren't strong enough yourself, how can you possibly fight shoulder to shoulder with your companions?"

Ling Feng's words struck Xiao Xiao like a bolt of enlightenment.

The path she had always intended to take was one of control and support, becoming a capable assistant to her teammates.

Therefore, whether it was the Three Lives Soul-Calming Cauldron or the Nine Phoenix Flute, the direction she chose in the future would lean toward control and support abilities.

"If I'm strong enough, I could even... support myself?"

Xiao Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up, as though she had discovered a path she had never considered before.

"Precisely because I have Twin Martial Souls, I have more options."

"Paths that may seem impassable to others—I can walk them!"

"This is... my path!"

Ling Feng listened silently without speaking.

Hearing Xiao Xiao make a choice different from her past life's, Ling Feng felt deeply gratified.

At the very least, this time, Xiao Xiao's fate would no longer be merely that of a supporting character.

She could walk a broader path!

Xiao Xiao looked happily at Ling Feng. She had originally wanted to share her joy with him, but discovered that at some point, Ling Feng had already finished applying the medicinal liquid to both of her arms.

He was now massaging her calves!

"Ah! You..."

Xiao Xiao hurriedly pulled back her legs, her little face instantly flushing red.

"Because you overexerted yourself today, your body has already reached its limit."

"If you don't rest quickly, it could leave lasting internal injuries."

"In your current condition, even applying the medicine yourself would probably be difficult."

Ling Feng was not deliberately taking advantage of a young girl.

He had always been something of a cultivation fanatic, so he understood the condition of the body quite well.

Just as expected.

Xiao Xiao tried reaching out to touch her calf herself, but her body was so stiff it felt like dried wood.

After trying several times, Xiao Xiao looked at the calm-faced Ling Feng beside her and became so embarrassed that she wanted to bury her entire head in her clothes.

"Sorry to trouble you..."