Chapter Eighteen Going to School

Morning!

Lin Feng woke up early.

Due to the interference from Nightmare, he had only managed to fall asleep around 3 AM last night.

Having lost a lot of blood and not getting enough sleep, his mental state was very poor.

"Holy crap!"

In the bathroom, Lin Feng was startled by his reflection in the mirror.

His pale face, devoid of any color, the faint dark circles under his eyes, coupled with his lack of energy, made him look like he'd indulged in too much.

Anyone who didn't know him would think he had suffered some terrible blow.

As expected, when Lin Feng walked out of the bathroom, Lin Fang, who was coming from the kitchen, was startled and almost dropped the bowl of rice she was holding.

"I'm fine, I just had some trouble sleeping last night."

Lin Feng explained awkwardly, but it was clear no one believed him. Everyone looked at him with concern.

Seeing how pale Lin Feng's face was, Lin Fang, who had already prepared breakfast, quickly went back into the kitchen to cook a braised wild boar with tusks.

"Eat more, your face looks so bad."

At the dining table, seeing that Lin Feng had a good appetite, Lin Fang seemed hesitant to speak, her expression shifting. In the end, she could only sigh.

Under his family's worried gazes, Lin Feng quickly finished his breakfast and then took his sister downstairs.

"Brother Feng, morning."

As soon as they got downstairs, Gao Hai was already waiting as usual.

Seeing Lin Feng's appearance, he was clearly startled but, as if understanding something, didn't ask any further questions.

"Morning."

Lin Feng nodded. After breakfast, although his Qi and Blood had recovered somewhat, he felt even more listless. He was weak all over, his head felt groggy, and his condition was extremely poor.

"Brother Dahai."

Lele greeted Gao Hai. As they passed a building, both Gao Hai and Lele subconsciously glanced in that direction.

It was the direction of Yage's home.

In the past, they used to go to school together, all five of them. Now, with Yage and her younger brother gone, Lin Feng didn't feel anything, but Dahai and Lele were unaccustomed to it. However, both of them sensibly avoided the topic and the name.

"Don't push!"

"What the hell are you pushing for? I'll beat you if you keep pushing."

As usual, the crowded train was packed to the brim. Lin Feng and the other two finally managed to reach a corner, huddling together.

In this era, despite rapid technological development, convenient modes of transportation like airplanes had disappeared, primarily due to Demonic Beasts.

The skies were filled with too many unstable factors. For safety reasons, the main modes of transportation in cities were hover trains and subways.

"Hoo..."

Gao Hai let out a sigh of relief and tried to adjust his clothes, but because there were too many people, he could barely lift his hands. In such a short time, his clothes were already soaked.

"Lele, come closer."

Lin Feng pulled his sister in front of him, using his body as a shield.

In such a crowded environment, it was very dangerous for girls. Even if they were taken advantage of, it would be difficult to pursue any action, as with so many people, physical contact was normal.

"Brother Feng, when can we move to the inner city? Squeezing onto this train every day is torture."

"Soon, it won't be long." Lin Feng smiled and replied to Gao Hai's complaint.

This was the trouble with living in the outer city. Compared to those living in the inner city, they had to wake up before dawn, and even with the hover train, it took over an hour to get to school.

"What are you looking at?"

The spot where Lin Feng and the other two were standing happened to have a small window. Seeing his sister constantly staring out the window, Lin Feng asked curiously.

"Just looking at the scenery," Lele replied with a giggle.

Lin Feng followed his sister's gaze and focused on a red car.

It was a luxurious, high-end sedan. Lin Feng didn't know much about cars, but he had some understanding of this car called "Feiyue." He heard that the lowest configuration cost over five million New Dollars.

The driver was a middle-aged man. In the back seat of the car, a little girl in a purplish-red school uniform was eating breakfast while browsing her phone, looking extremely relaxed.

Lin Feng could see the envy in his sister's eyes. That little girl was about the same age as his sister, but their lives were worlds apart.

And in the sky, there were people driving flying cars. Those were the truly wealthy.

Apart from the car's spoiler, flying cars looked no different from ordinary cars. However, they were powered by special energy. Not only were flying cars expensive, but they also required a special permit to drive.

"It's Yun Tianqi!"

"He's so cool, I wish I could be his girlfriend!"

"Next Wednesday's Glory rankings will feature Thunder versus Wolves. This is going to be a fierce battle. Yun Tianqi might make an appearance then, so I'll have to take leave to watch the live broadcast."

"If Ye Qiu joins the Thunder team, he'll inherit his position in a few years."

A gasp came from inside the carriage. Many students looked out the window, their expressions excited as they discussed.

Following their gaze, Lin Feng looked towards a large building not far away. On its light screen, a long-haired youth in black battle armor wielded twin blades, shuttling through a dense jungle. Demonic Beasts would occasionally ambush him, but with a gentle swing of his blades, the youth would slice them in half. Blood from the demonic beasts dripped down the blades, forming four large red characters: "Heavenly Soldier Manufacturing."

It was clear this was a short video advertisement.

Lin Feng was no stranger to this youth. He was the captain of the Thunder team, Yun Tianqi, the twin-bladed fighter.

While many in the Glory Alliance chose twin blades as their weapons, no one was faster than Yun Tianqi. With his swift blades, he had carved out a formidable reputation in the Alliance.

As everyone knew, Yun Tianqi was born in the Nine Generals residential area, government-subsidized housing located in the westernmost part of Jiang City. Like the Riverside residential area, it was known as one of Jiang City's four slums.

What's more, Yun Tianqi's father was disabled, and all household expenses relied on his mother's hard work.

Yun Tianqi wasn't a martial arts prodigy. His martial arts talent could at best be considered above average. On Awakening Day, he only refined a sixth-grade Gale Mantis. After the college entrance examination, he didn't even get into any of the Nine Elite Joint Schools.

The reason he was discovered and signed by the Thunder Club was solely due to his blades – blades that were fast to the extreme.

In the Alliance, no one swung their blades faster than him!

His strength was built by the Thunder Club pouring massive amounts of resources into him. His originally sixth-grade Gale Mantis had also evolved into an eighth-grade Ghost Shadow Mantis with the club's help.

The Ghost Shadow Mantis was only an eighth-grade Demon Spirit. In the Glory Alliance, where ninth-grades were common and even Earth Ranking Demon Spirits weren't rare, this level of Demon Spirit was somewhat weak.

However, a Demon Spirit wasn't necessarily better the stronger it was; suitability was key to unleashing its greatest potential.

The Ghost Shadow Mantis was a combat-type Demon Spirit, belonging to the agile offense category. It lacked powerful magic-based damage, relying instead on ghost-like speed and a pair of sharp forelimbs for combat.

Such an eighth-grade Demon Spirit wasn't uncommon, but only Yun Tianqi had pushed it to its absolute limit. After Demon Spirit possession, its scythe-like forelimbs became Yun Tianqi's weapons. Combined with his innate twin-blade skills, his attack speed became even more terrifying. Under his tempestuous onslaught, few could match his attack speed.

Almost everyone who witnessed Yun Tianqi's battles became his fan. He was also an idol for many students from less privileged backgrounds.

It was rumored that his current endorsement deals alone reached a staggering five hundred million New Dollars.

Along the way, almost every building's light screen displayed advertisements. Many were endorsed by Glory players; this was a trend.

"Linli Station has arrived. Please prepare to disembark."

An hour and twenty minutes later, with the station announcement, the three of them quickly got up and followed the flow of people. They were swept along by the crowd with no resistance, disembarking amidst a medley of scents.

"Phew..."

After getting off the bus, the three of them collectively let out a sigh of relief. They tidied their clothes in unison, then glanced at each other, nodded, and then hurried in the direction of the school.

Half an hour later, the three finally arrived at their destination.

Lin Feng checked his phone. It was already 7:50 AM, with only ten minutes left until class.

He had woken up at five, eaten breakfast, and then rushed to school without stopping, a journey that took about two and a half hours.

"Brother, I see my classmates. I'm going ahead," Lele called out, then chased after her classmates.

"Don't mess around after school. Go home early."

Lin Feng shouted. He and his sister didn't attend the same school. Lele's school, Ziwei First High School, was not far from Jiangxin Middle School.

"Lin Feng, Big Head."

"Lin Feng, why does your face look so bad?"

"I heard you got injured on Awakening Day. Is it that serious?"

As soon as they reached the school gate, classmates came up to greet them.

In the past, classmates would mostly chat with Lin Feng. After all, Lin Feng's grades ranked him in the top 500 of his grade, and his combat power ranked in the top 200. He was considered somewhat famous.

Gao Hai, his loyal follower, seemed unremarkable.

Classmates' impressions of him were mostly: Lin Feng's follower, Lin Feng's deskmate, Lin Feng's best brother.

But today, Lin Feng was somewhat neglected. Everyone was enthusiastically chatting with Gao Hai.

"Big Head, I heard you became a Demon Spirit Master. That's really something."

"A second-grade Mighty Demonic Ox! Although it's just a low-grade Demon Spirit with strength attributes and no bonus elemental damage, becoming a Demon Spirit Master is already very difficult."

"Big Head, show us your Demon Spirit possession."

The classmates' enthusiasm made Gao Hai a little uncomfortable. He smiled awkwardly, but it was clear he was enjoying it.

Not refusing the classmates' kindness, Gao Hai closed his eyes and concentrated. After more than ten seconds, his nose began to enlarge, and two sharp, blade-like horns grew from the sides of his forehead. His arms became thicker, and his body grew sturdier.

His original school uniform was starting to buckle under the strain, tearing to reveal his bronze-colored belly.

"Wow!"

Some girls let out exclamations. One short-haired girl even boldly stepped forward to touch Big Head's horns, and then playfully pinched his bulging belly, startling Gao Hai into retreating, almost causing him to fall.

"Haha."

After a round of laughter, Gao Hai soon withdrew from the Demon Spirit possession state.

With his Soul Power, Demon Spirit possession could only be maintained for one to two minutes.

Although he had refined a Demon Spirit, it didn't mean he could immediately fight with it.

At this stage, the Demon Spirit was still in its infancy, like a newborn infant – very fragile and lacking combat power. It needed to be nourished and nurtured with Spiritual Energy and Soul Power.

Becoming a Demon Spirit Master requires considerable resources and time, so even if one can become one, it doesn't mean they'll immediately become a master.

However, even so, compared to Martial Artists, Demon Spirit Masters are the main focus. Every young boy and girl who becomes a Demon Spirit Master is surrounded by many classmates. It's common to see students manifesting their demon spirits, followed by gasps of surprise.

When Lin Feng and Zhou Sheng arrived at the classroom, they saw half the class gathered around one spot – Yage's seat.

Yage was currently the undisputed star of Class Seven, Grade Three.

Even in Jiangxin Middle School, with its population of 300,000, she was a prominent figure.

Her eighth-grade Bewitching Butterfly was comparable to a ninth-grade Demon Spirit, already qualifying her to enter the Nine Elite Joint Schools.

Furthermore, having signed with the Juxing Club and with the backing of its resources, if she could reach Body Cultivation Eighth Stage before the college entrance examination, the three major Hero Academies might not be out of reach.

"Yage, have you been to the Juxing Club? How was it? Did you see Ye Xing? I'm his fan."

"Nonsense, Ye Xing is a key player in the Juxing team, how could he be in our Jiang City?"

"Yage, how much was your signing fee? I heard you bought a house, where is it?"

Everyone surrounded Yage, constantly asking questions, with some students' tones even revealing a hint of flattery.

As Lin Feng approached, the previously lively atmosphere abruptly stilled, and the air seemed to freeze instantly.

Everyone turned, looking at him with a strange gaze filled with: sympathy, disdain, schadenfreude, and pity.

Yes, pity.

Just like in his previous life!

Lin Feng sighed inwardly!

His class, Class Seven, Grade Three, had over 600 students.

From his idle chat with Gao Hai that morning, Lin Feng knew that only 83 people in their class had reached Body Cultivation Fifth Stage to participate in Awakening Day.

Only 23 had successfully refined a demon spirit and become Demon Spirit Masters. This meant that out of nearly 30 students in a class, only one became a Demon Spirit Master, a probability of about one in thirty.

Demon Spirit Masters were, after all, a minority. While it was regrettable for those who didn't succeed, it wasn't enough to lose hope for the future.

In fact, many had already clearly defined their future paths.

Those with poor Martial Arts talent but good academic performance planned to become ordinary white-collar workers or civil servants.

Those with neither Martial Arts talent nor good grades planned to go into business and become their own bosses.

Those with Martial Arts talent, but only average talent, also had their own career plans, such as becoming apothecaries, artifact refiners, or alchemists. Not being able to become a Demon Spirit Master wasn't a big deal for them.

But solely because Lin Feng and Yage were a couple, when Yage became a Demon Spirit Master, Lin Feng, who was originally an excellent student, became synonymous with failure.

In Lin Feng's memory, in his previous life, Yage had refined a seventh-grade Ice Egret, and for those three months, the classmates looked at him with that same pity.

For students, the most painful thing is not discrimination or mockery, but pity.

He wasn't missing an arm or a leg, so why pity him?

There were still three months until the college entrance examination!

Three months, ninety days!

Lin Feng clearly remembered those days; every day felt like a year to him, everything was tasteless, and even the sky's color was gray.

He would think that the classmates' hushed laughter was about him, and any casual glance would be interpreted as mockery.

The once confident and optimistic him became self-conscious and sensitive.

Because when everyone considers you a failure, over time, you start to deny yourself.

In his previous life, Yage had only refined a seventh-grade Ice Egret, but now she had the rare eighth-grade Bewitching Butterfly and had joined the Juxing Club; she was truly soaring.

Now, this pity was even more pronounced.

Fortunately, he no longer cared.

After so many years, Lin Feng had forgotten his place. Fortunately, he had been deskmates with Gao Hai for all three years of high school. Seeing Gao Hai sit down, he moved to the seat beside him.

"It still feels like a dream..."

Sitting on the chair, looking at the youthful faces of his classmates and their carefree laughter, Lin Feng felt a moment of daze.

How many times in his dreams had he revisited this scene? Now that he was sitting here, it still felt somewhat unbelievable.