Only a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit

"Brother Feng, why are we bringing this guy along?"

Supporting Yang Fan by the side, Gao Hai spoke with dissatisfaction.

Gao Hai was famous for his good temper. Though he did not have much of a presence in class, he got along well with everyone and rarely got into arguments with anyone. But now, the displeasure on his face was completely undisguised.

In his eyes, if Yang Fan had not spread rumors, Ji Yu would not have come looking for trouble with them out of jealousy, nor would they have drawn Mo Xun over.

Now they had offended the Elite Martial Arts Society and made the dean lose face in front of so many people. Even with Yage helping to smooth things over, Lin Feng probably would not be able to remain at Jiangxin First High School. He might not even be qualified to take the college entrance exam.

"I'm sorry."

Hearing that, Yang Fan, whose face was twisted in pain, apologized.

Not only had he gotten himself injured, he had also dragged Lin Feng, his classmate, into this.

On Awakening Day, Lin Feng had failed to refine a demon spirit, while Yage had refined an Eighth-Rank Charm Butterfly and signed with Juxing Club, soaring straight into the sky.

Though he knew Lin Feng had been the one to bring up the breakup first, Yang Fan understood after learning the details. Lin Feng had felt inferior, believing himself unworthy of Yage, so he had taken the initiative to break up with her in order to preserve the last shred of his pride.

After such a double blow, Lin Feng could only be described as utterly miserable. And now, because of him, Lin Feng had offended Mo Xun and Teacher Zhang Han. Miserable was no longer enough to describe it.

"It's fine. It's nothing."

Lin Feng smiled, looking relaxed. He clearly did not take it seriously, which only made Yang Fan feel more guilty.

"I can walk on my own now," Yang Fan said quietly.

"Mm."

Lin Feng let go. Yang Fan took two steps forward. Though his posture was somewhat strange and his body trembled faintly, he could still walk normally enough.

Although Yang Fan was badly bruised and swollen all over, he had curled himself up when he was surrounded and beaten, avoiding any broken ribs. So he had not suffered any serious injuries. At the very least, he was far better off than those few people Lin Feng had dealt with.

To Lin Feng, this clearly showed experience. Otherwise, Yang Fan would not have protected himself so well. This was probably not his first time getting beaten up.

Under Lin Feng's gaze, Yang Fan looked a little embarrassed. "I'm really sorry. I dragged you into this."

"If apologies worked, what would we need the police for?" Gao Hai said.

"I'm sorry." Yang Fan apologized again awkwardly, though he knew it would not help.

"How about this? Since this started because of me, Lin Feng, I'll give you twenty thousand yuan."

Yang Fan hesitated for a while before finally making up his mind. As though afraid Lin Feng would misunderstand, he immediately continued, "Don't misunderstand. I'm not pitying you. You've offended Mo Xun, so there'll be no place for you at Jiangxin First High School. This money is for you to transfer schools."

After saying that, Yang Fan quietly watched Lin Feng. Twenty thousand yuan was not a small amount, but he could afford it.

"Brother Feng, maybe... you should transfer schools?"

Gao Hai hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Just as Yang Fan had said, aside from transferring schools, there seemed to be no other path.

Looking at the guilt-ridden Yang Fan, Lin Feng was somewhat surprised. He had not expected this loudmouth, whose character his classmates spoke poorly of, to have some conscience after all.

Jiangxin First High School's annual tuition was only a little over five thousand yuan. The twenty thousand Yang Fan offered was no small sum. It would even cover living expenses after transferring.

Lin Feng did not know what background this guy had, but he was probably someone who did not lack money.

"Transferring schools won't help. Forget how troublesome it would be—do you think Mo Xun wouldn't be able to cause me trouble just because I transferred?" Lin Feng rejected the idea outright. "If he really wants to find trouble with me, he can just block me at my doorstep after school."

Rich young masters like Mo Xun had plenty of fair-weather friends. Transferring schools could not guarantee anything.

Only by making them wary would this matter truly be over.

"Then what do we do?" Gao Hai asked anxiously. He would rather offend a teacher than offend Mo Xun. That meant endless trouble.

That Teacher Zhang had clearly been frightened by Lin Feng. Adults had families and therefore had scruples; they would not take things too far.

"What else can we do? Beat him up," Lin Feng said.

Gao Hai was speechless. "Brother Feng, even if you're strong, can you beat one person? Can you beat ten?"

Yang Fan agreed as well. "Lin Feng, don't be impulsive. Every member of the Elite Martial Arts Society is from a wealthy family. Their methods are ruthless."

The two kept trying to persuade him, only to see Lin Feng smile faintly. "It's fine. We'll form our own martial arts society."

"Our own martial arts society?"

Yang Fan looked completely dumbfounded.

There were only three months left until the college entrance exam. Everyone was striving with all their might. Who would join a martial arts society and waste time unless there were benefits to gain?

Besides, no matter how strong you were, without a background, you still could not stand against the Elite Martial Arts Society.

At Jiangxin First High School, background was more intimidating than strength.

Unless you were a top genius, a genius capable of getting into one of the Three Hero Academies. Only then would you receive the school's attention and protection.

"I hadn't wanted to say it, but since Yage and I have broken up, there's no need to hide it anymore!"

"Hide what?" Gao Hai asked, his face full of confusion.

"Actually, I didn't fail on Awakening Day. I could have refined a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit."

"What?"

Yang Fan and Gao Hai shuddered from head to toe, as if a thunderclap had exploded above their heads.

They could hardly believe their ears. They exchanged glances and saw the shock in each other's eyes. They wanted to speak, but for a moment, neither knew what to say.

After a long while, Gao Hai finally said in disbelief, "Brother Feng, don't scare me. I'm timid—I can't take this kind of fright."

"I know you don't believe me. I was already about to refine the ninth-grade Zi Qi, but I gave up in the end." To give the two confidence in forming a martial arts society, Lin Feng began telling a well-intentioned lie.

"Why did you give up?" Gao Hai hurriedly asked, looking almost crazed.

A ninth-grade Zi Qi!

More than five thousand people at Jiangxin First High School had participated in Awakening Day, yet only two had refined Eighth-grade Demon Spirits. The school leaders treated them like treasures, caring for them in every possible way and even giving them substantial resource subsidies.

At Jiangxin First High School, not a single person had refined a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit on Awakening Day. The only exception was the president of the Elite Martial Arts Society, and he had succeeded only with a demon spirit and assistance provided by his Lineage.

This showed just how precious a Ninth-grade Demon Spirit was. A ninth-grade Purple Scale was a lightning-element demon spirit. In terms of combat power, it was likely among the very best even within the ninth grade.

As long as Lin Feng refined Purple Scale, with his Body Cultivation Seventh Stage strength, he would have no problem getting into one of the Three Hero Academies if he worked hard to improve his physique and grades. He might even be specially recruited without taking the college entrance exam.

But why had he given up?

Gao Hai clenched his fists, his round face flushing red. He looked both happy and angry.

"Lin Feng, why did you give up?"

Yang Fan also voiced the doubt in Gao Hai's heart. After his initial shock came suspicion.

He could not help but doubt it.

A ninth-grade Purple Scale—probably no one would give it up.

There was only one possibility...

Unless he could refine an even higher-grade demon spirit.

But was that possible?

"Did the refinement fail?" Yang Fan asked doubtfully.

On Awakening Day, many students did not have a clear understanding of the amount of Soul Power they possessed.

For example, some people only had enough Soul Power to refine a seventh-grade demon spirit, yet overestimated themselves and tried to refine an eighth-grade one. Naturally, they would fail. Their Soul Power would then be nearly exhausted, leaving them unable to refine another demon spirit, and they would ultimately end Awakening Day in failure.

This situation was not impossible, merely rather rare. Most people judged themselves fairly accurately.

Moreover, Awakening Day only came once a year. Other than those from wealthy families, most students from ordinary households tended to be cautious when selecting a demon spirit to refine. They would only act when they had an eighty or ninety percent chance of success.

Some could clearly refine a seventh-grade spirit, yet chose a sixth-grade one to be safe. There were quite a few such people.

But even according to Lin Feng's account, even if his refinement had failed, it still meant Lin Feng's Soul Power talent was extremely strong. If he could not reach the ninth grade, then the eighth grade would surely not be a problem.

"Brother Feng, hurry up and tell us!" Gao Hai was frantic with impatience.

"It's only a ninth-grade demon spirit." Lin Feng spoke lightly. Gao Hai did not feel anything was amiss, but Yang Fan shuddered all over.

Could it be...