Star

"What did you want to talk about?"

Though Lin Feng was somewhat surprised by the girl's change, he was not shocked.

It was not as if he had never seen such a transformation before.

If he remembered correctly, it had been the smile Yage wore after crying tears of joy upon learning that she had been admitted to one of the Nine Elite Joint Schools after the college entrance exam. Now, it had merely come a year early.

Yage frowned slightly at Lin Feng's casual attitude, feeling a little uncomfortable. Yet when she saw his pale face, she could not help but feel a pang of heartache.

She had wanted to speak, but seeing the curious gazes of the surrounding students, she could only say helplessly, "Let's talk on the field." With that, she left first.

"Gao Hai, go wait for me at Cafeteria No. 5. Help me get some food; I'll be there soon."

After saying that to Gao Hai, Lin Feng leisurely followed behind Yage beneath the expectant gazes of the spectators eager for a show.

At that moment, the corridor was packed with students—an initial estimate put them at three or four hundred, most of them male.

In the past, the moment class ended, these hungry gluttons would run faster than anyone else, terrified that the good dishes would be gone if they arrived late. Yet now, instead of going to eat, they stared at the two of them with curious faces, every one of them looking like a spectator waiting to watch a good show. Lin Feng was somewhat speechless. A trace of teasing flashed across his lips as he suddenly grabbed a male student and asked, "So curious? Want to come along?"

The male student was clearly stunned. His whole body trembled, and he nearly wet himself. He had thought Lin Feng was about to hit him and had never expected such a question. He hurriedly struggled free. "No, I'm not going."

"Hehe."

Lin Feng looked at the blushing male student and laughed happily, a little malicious amusement rising within him.

This kid was so innocent. He blushed over such a tiny thing.

"What happened?"

At that moment, Yage turned around, seemingly not understanding what had happened.

"Nothing. Let's go."

Along the way, Lin Feng experienced for the first time what it meant to be the center of attention. Of course, he was not the focus; he was merely basking in someone else's light.

Naturally, Lin Feng understood why his classmates were so curious.

Back in senior year, everyone knew that the two were childhood sweethearts, a couple who had grown up together. They ate together and went to school together every day, and people had long grown accustomed to the sight. Even when they flaunted their affection and scattered dog food everywhere, people only felt envy and nothing more.

But today seemed different.

The once talented and beautiful pair, so well matched in social status, had become one who emerged from a cocoon into a butterfly and one who had accomplished nothing. It was inevitable that people would gossip and speculate over how their story would end.

Was she going to encourage me to pull myself together after seeing me wallow in despair? Or was she going to break up with me?

Lin Feng did not care in the slightest about the surrounding gazes eager for drama. He had long stopped loving Yage and felt no attachment whatsoever.

If it was a breakup, then all the better. That was exactly the outcome he wanted.

Breaking up was the first step of his plan!

"Senior Sister, can you give me an autograph?"

"Senior Sister, you're really so beautiful! I'm your biggest fan. Can I take a photo with you?"

"Me! I was here first! Don't cut in line!"

As the two passed through the campus, younger girls and boys would occasionally approach with paper and pens or phones in hand, eagerly asking Yage for photos and autographs.

The autographs were not on blank sheets of paper, but on photographs. In just one day, pictures of Yage had already spread through the students' hands.

There were candid daily-life photos, but even more were photos of Yage after she had refined the Bewitching Butterfly and undergone demon spirit possession.

Yage clearly had quite a bit of experience now. She signed quickly, and Lin Feng casually glanced over. Her handwriting was quite professional too, dragons flying and phoenixes dancing. If one did not know her name, one truly could not tell what she had written.

But once it started, it could not easily end. More and more people surrounded them, and before long, over a hundred had gathered.

Yage was enveloped by enthusiastic students, three layers inside and three layers outside. Ordinary people could not squeeze their way in at all. What was more, many students who had heard the news were still streaming over without end.

"Alright, alright, I have something to do. We can talk later."

Seeing the surging crowd, Yage hurriedly stopped writing, handed the signed photograph to a shy little boy, and shouted loudly.

By then, the number of onlookers had already exceeded a thousand.

Jiangxin Middle School had nearly three hundred thousand students. Even if only one percent were Yage's fans, that was still three thousand people. If she truly signed for everyone, even if her hand broke, she could not finish.

"Haha, I got one!"

"I got one too! That's awesome!"

"You didn't get one, did you? Hehe, I told you to run faster, but you wouldn't listen."

The younger students were extremely excited. Those who got autographs were jubilant, while those who did not looked dejected.

"Who has an autograph? I'll pay one hundred yuan."

Within the crowd, a short, chubby boy pulled out a red banknote, held it high over his head, waved it around, and shouted.

"Her popularity is this high?"

Even Lin Feng was somewhat surprised now.

They could be sold for money?

They really could be sold for money?

Lin Feng shook his head with a sigh.

It seemed he had still underestimated Yage's influence.

With her striking appearance, the Eighth-Rank Charm Butterfly, and her status as a member of Juxing Club, all those factors combined made Yage an undisputed star at Jiangxin Middle School.

At Jiangxin First High School, the strongest and most famous person was Wang Wenxuan from Senior Class 12.

This Wang Wenxuan was the president of the school's Elite Martial Arts Society. Though it was merely a high school club, it had dedicated facilities and instructors.

Ever since his first year, Wang Wenxuan had been a prominent figure at school. Rumor had it that he came from a great lineage, possessed outstanding martial arts talent, had the strength of the Body Cultivation Ninth Stage, and ranked third in the grade in overall scores.

He had not participated in Awakening Day yesterday because he had already become a Demon Spirit Master a month earlier. He had refined the Ninth-Rank Raging Lion, and there were rumors that Wang Wenxuan, who had disappeared for a month, had joined Thunder Club.

Now, though he had not yet undergone the assessment, with his strength and the rank of his demon spirit, he had already become the number one person at Jiangxin First High School. A favored child of heaven like him could enter one of the Three Hero Academies as easily as turning his hand over.

In terms of strength and grades, Wang Wenxuan crushed Yage, but when it came to popularity, he was far behind her.

People also asked him for autographs, but nowhere near this frenziedly.

After Yage finally shook off her enthusiastic fans, the two crossed the field and arrived beneath a secluded artificial rockery at the rear mountain. Neither spoke first, and for a moment, the atmosphere became strange.

"We only have three months left until the college entrance exam. Why are you giving up on yourself like this?"

After a long while, Yage turned around and stared at Lin Feng. His face was pale, dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and he looked to be in terrible spirits.

"Even though you didn't become a Demon Spirit Master, with your strength, as long as you work hard, even if you can't get into one of the Nine Elite Joint Schools, getting into an ordinary key university won't be a problem. There's no need for you to give up on yourself."

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Seeing Lin Feng's calm expression, Yage's delicate brows drew together. She was a little angry, but more than that, she hated that iron could not become steel.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Lin Feng asked directly.

Yage remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I'm going to Upper Capital tomorrow. I'll be gone for three months and won't return until before the college entrance exam."

Lin Feng did not ask why. He could guess the reason.

Upper Capital was the headquarters of Juxing Club. Yage had signed with Juxing, and during those three months, Juxing would spare no effort in nurturing her, striving to get her into one of the Three Hero Academies.

Yage's score from her last assessment should have been around 500 points. Refining the Eighth-Rank Bewitching Butterfly would add 40 points, bringing her total to 540, still short of the standard for the Nine Elite Joint Schools.

Like Lin Feng, Yage's physique score was very low, but that was something that could be improved with resources.

With Juxing's financial power and capabilities, raising Yage to the Body Cultivation Eighth Stage within three months should not be a problem.

Then she could get into one of the Three Hero Academies.

Even if she truly could not reach the requirement, as long as the gap was not too large, with Juxing Club's capabilities, obtaining extra points through a special skill would not be impossible.

Therefore, barring any surprises, Yage could enter one of the Three Hero Academies.

"Mm. Have a safe trip." Lin Feng smiled.

Yage was somewhat surprised by Lin Feng's reaction. She froze for a moment. She was leaving, yet he was still this calm?

The Lin Feng before her felt unfamiliar. Ever since Awakening Day yesterday, after he had slept, she had noticed that he had changed.

In just one day—no, from the moment Lin Feng woke from his nap yesterday—she had realized that she no longer recognized the boy before her.

"After I leave, I hope you can pull yourself together."

"Mm."

Lin Feng's single "mm" brought their brief conversation to an end once again.

Yage lightly clenched her fists. After lowering her head for a moment, she raised it again and looked directly at Lin Feng. "I know why you've given up on yourself."

After a brief pause, she continued in a gentler tone, "You don't need to worry about those things. As long as you work hard, we can still be together."

After saying that, Yage took out a bank card and handed it to Lin Feng. "There's five hundred thousand in this card. The password is your birthday. The college entrance exam is coming up, so go buy some Qi and Blood Pills."

Lin Feng did not take it.

Five hundred thousand was not a small sum.

At that moment, Lin Feng was somewhat moved after all.

That was why he could not bring himself to hate the girl.

This girl truly was not bad. She could even be considered kindhearted; she was simply more realistic.

"Breakup compensation?"

Naturally, Lin Feng could not accept it. It had been the same in his previous life, and it would be the same in this one.

"No. I just hope you can try a little harder," Yage said softly.

There was no denying that, though only one night had passed, she had indeed considered breaking up.

She had refined the Bewitching Butterfly, signed with Juxing Club, and was about to enter one of the Three Hero Academies, while Lin Feng could only attend a key university. By then, the gap between them would only grow wider and wider.

Her parents and relatives had also urged her to think carefully. Though they said it that way, Yage knew her mother wanted them to break up. Her father did not object, but neither did he voice support.

Last night, she had called her best friend to pour out her feelings, and her friend had bluntly said that the two of them were no longer suitable for each other.

But no matter what others said, she and Lin Feng still had feelings for each other. They had grown up together, and deep down, she still liked Lin Feng!

She was willing to give Lin Feng a chance—a chance for them to remain together.

"Work hard, and stay together?" Knowing how things would turn out, a trace of mockery appeared at the corner of Lin Feng's mouth.

"Actually, you already have the answer in your heart, don't you?"

"I..."

For a long time, Yage gave no answer.

The answer was already obvious.

Yage also knew that everything she had said was merely an excuse she was making for herself.

On the path of martial arts, could one truly succeed simply by working hard?

If that were the case, there would be no distinction between geniuses and ordinary people.

For martial arts, diligence could make up for shortcomings. But for Demon Spirit Masters, without the talent for soul cultivation, even if a demon spirit from the Earth List were placed before someone, it would still be useless.

Unable to refine a demon spirit and unable to become a Demon Spirit Master, Lin Feng had already lost his qualification to become strong.

Lin Feng looked at Yage and asked curiously, "You have so little confidence in me?"

Still, silence.

Lin Feng suddenly found it rather amusing. He laughed at Yage, and even more at himself.

He already knew the outcome, so why was he still unwilling to accept it? Why waste so many words?

"Let's break up."

After saying that, Lin Feng did not give Yage a chance to continue speaking. He left behind only a carefree silhouette.

"Lin..."

Yage had just begun to speak when Lin Feng's figure swiftly vanished before her eyes, as though he feared she would cling to him.

Yage stood there in a daze, still holding out the bank card. Her body was somewhat stiff, and she said nothing for a long time. Looking at Lin Feng's retreating back, surprise and grievance showed in her eyes. This was not the outcome she had imagined.

Before making her decision, she had predicted countless possibilities.

Even if Lin Feng had exploded in anger and cursed her out, she would not have been surprised. But she had never expected that from beginning to end, Lin Feng would remain so calm, as though he were facing a stranger.

He had even been the one to suggest breaking up first.

"This is fine too."

After standing there for a long time, the girl slowly let out a breath, as though her entire body had been freed.