Organization Members

"Just a ninth-grade demon spirit."

Such words could no longer be described as mere arrogance. If others heard them, they would probably think Lin Feng had gone mad.

On yesterday's Awakening Day, aside from Ye Qiu, who else had the right to say such a thing?

Gao Hai and Yang Fan fell silent, staring blankly at Lin Feng.

"I sensed that with my Soul Power, I can refine a higher-grade demon spirit, such as one on the Earth List. I originally caught an Earth List Wind Fire Mad Lion, but its attributes didn't suit me," Lin Feng said with a perfectly serious expression.

This time, even Yang Fan was stunned!

Had he heard that correctly? Just a ninth-grade demon spirit?

Just?

Why did those words sound so wrong?

He wanted to refine a demon spirit from the Earth List—had Yang Fan heard wrong?

Probably not!

Though they found it unbelievable, neither of them doubted the truth of Lin Feng's words too much.

Such a lie could not stand the test of time. What benefit would there be in deceiving them?

Unless Lin Feng had truly gone mad.

"No wonder you didn't look the least bit depressed or upset earlier."

After his shock subsided, Gao Hai suddenly understood.

He finally understood why Lin Feng had remained calm from beginning to end after failing on Awakening Day. Even when Yage's family treated him that way, his expression had not changed, and there had even been a trace of disdain at the corner of his mouth.

Even after breaking up today, Lin Feng had remained composed.

So this was where his confidence came from!

Yage was only at Body Cultivation Stage Six and had fused with an eighth-grade Bewitching Butterfly, while Lin Feng was at the Body Cultivation Seventh Stage. He did not even think much of ninth-grade demon spirits—what he wanted to refine was a demon spirit from the Earth List.

Gao Hai had initially been angry at Yage for being so realistic, but now, he was no longer angry.

At this moment, Gao Hai finally believed that Lin Feng had been the one to propose the breakup.

"Brother Feng, since you can refine an Earth List demon spirit, why didn't you tell Yage?" Gao Hai asked.

"For her sake, I hid my talent and concealed my strength."

Lin Feng sighed. The desolation in his eyes could not be hidden. "I originally wanted to tell her, but I never imagined..."

Gao Hai patted Lin Feng's shoulder in consolation, but soon asked in confusion, "What do you mean, hiding your talent?"

Yang Fan also looked at Lin Feng, unable to make sense of it.

"Don't you think I was very strong today?" Lin Feng asked.

"More than strong—you were explosively strong. One against six. You're probably invincible in the Body Cultivation Realm," Gao Hai said, nodding in agreement.

In the past, Lin Feng had been called a madman, and no one dared provoke him easily. It was not because he was especially strong, but because he fought viciously and recklessly.

But today, Lin Feng had won entirely through strength.

Under Gao Hai and Yang Fan's gazes, Lin Feng's expression turned somewhat bitter. "All these years, I've been suppressing my cultivation speed."

"Because we once promised that we would attend the same university."

"Otherwise, with my talent, how could I possibly only be at the Body Cultivation Seventh Stage now? At the very least, I'd be at the Body Cultivation Ninth Stage!"

The more Lin Feng spoke, the more Gao Hai and Yang Fan were shocked. From his words, the two of them automatically painted one vivid scene after another in their minds.

A young man, for the girlfriend he had grown up with as childhood sweethearts, and so that they could be together better, forcibly suppressed his cultivation speed despite being a genius. His purpose was merely to keep her from feeling inferior and to stay by her side.

A young man failed on Awakening Day and had not even had time to explain before receiving only strange looks and cold treatment from his girlfriend. With his heart turned to ashes, he calmly yet resolutely broke up with her.

Because of an unexpected battle, the young man displayed formidable combat techniques and effortlessly defeated enemies stronger than himself.

Fearing retaliation, the young man decided to establish a martial arts society of his own, and thus revealed his talent.

"Brother Feng, Yage isn't worthy of you," Gao Hai said, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

"Brother Feng, from today onward, I'll call you Brother Feng too. From the day I was born until now, I've never admired anyone. You're the first."

A trace of admiration shone in Yang Fan's eyes as he sighed.

Though the self-proclaimed Jianghu Hundred-Knowledge Scholar was not very strong, only at the Body Cultivation Fifth Stage, he was a very proud person. He had a clear plan for his future, and becoming a powerful martial artist was not his sole goal.

He believed that even if he did not become a powerful martial artist, his future would still be boundless.

Even the top student in their grade, in his eyes, was merely someone with better talent and a stronger background.

But today, he was convinced.

At Jiangxin First High School, he had seen quite a few love stories, but today's was the most romantic love story he had ever seen. The only regret was that the female lead had failed to measure up.

Though he still found it somewhat hard to believe, just as he had seen with his own eyes, Lin Feng's combat techniques were incredibly strong—strong was not even enough to describe them.

Judging by combat techniques alone, even their martial arts teacher was probably no match for Lin Feng.

Relying on those combat techniques, even with only the Body Cultivation Seventh Stage, Lin Feng could definitely break into the top hundred of their grade. Yet he had always lingered around the five-hundredth rank.

Before today, Lin Feng had never revealed his combat techniques either.

If not for the breakup, he would probably have continued hiding his talent.

Lin Feng's talent was one thing, but that forbearance was what Yang Fan admired most.

Just so his girlfriend would not feel inferior, and so they could attend the same university, he had hidden his talent for so many years.

Though Yang Fan found it somewhat foolish, terribly chuunibyou.

There was no denying that Lin Feng's willpower was downright monstrous.

That kind of endurance even made him feel afraid.

For three years of high school, Lin Feng had been in the same class as him, yet Lin Feng had never shown the slightest trace of being a genius at school. Nor had anyone noticed any flaw.

If it were Yang Fan, perhaps he could maintain such a disguise for a day, a week, or even a month—but never for an entire year.

And one's talent, meaning cultivation speed, could be seen as early as middle school. In other words, Lin Feng had maintained this for nearly six years.

He did not dare imagine it. Was this something a student could truly accomplish?

If it were him, he would probably wish for everyone to know he was a genius.

Vanity and attention—these were things no student could resist.

Seeing Yang Fan and Gao Hai deeply immersed in the lie he had fabricated and believing it without the slightest doubt, Lin Feng felt somewhat apologetic.

Establishing a martial arts society was part of his plan. Only if this plan succeeded could his subsequent plans proceed smoothly.

Within two months, he had to refine Nightmare, and he could never accomplish that alone.

The memories in his mind could help him make money, but some plans required capital. He had no capital, and even if he succeeded, he would have no ability to protect that money. Nine times out of ten, it would be seized from him, and if his luck was poor, he might not even keep his life. Lin Feng did not wish to take that risk.

Therefore, he needed to create an organization to help him accomplish it, while ensuring he would not need to worry about the results being stolen.

To establish an organization and become its leader, one needed either background or strength.

Lin Feng had no background, so he needed to prove his strength—his potential.

Though the display of his strength today had shocked many people, in everyone's eyes, his talent was not outstanding. He could not become a Demon Spirit Master, and his future was doomed to amount to nothing.

That was also why Mo Xun had dared threaten him despite knowing he was no match for him.

Lin Feng needed a reason to make everyone believe that he was an unparalleled genius.

And that reason was exactly what he had said: for Yage's sake, he had bitterly suppressed his talent.

It just so happened that he had failed on Awakening Day and then broken up with her. At this crucial juncture, that reason gained another layer of credibility. Even if it sounded absurd, as long as he displayed his talent, this exaggerated explanation would be proven true.

This was also preparation for refining Nightmare.

Once he refined Nightmare, his cultivation talent would be monstrous. If his cultivation speed suddenly became too fast, something abnormal must have a demon behind it—everyone would know something was wrong.

Lin Feng did not yet have the strength to resist the scrutiny of others.

Though this might be somewhat unfair to Yage, it was the most credible reason Lin Feng could think of.

"Yang Fan, do you want to join my martial arts society?"

In Lin Feng's eyes, Yang Fan was a talent. This fellow called himself the Jianghu Hundred-Knowledge Scholar, and information flowed through him better than anyone.

"Brother Feng, I'm willing."

Yang Fan agreed immediately without even thinking. Aside from recognizing Lin Feng's worth and repaying today's favor, the main reason was his own society.

His Jianghu News Agency had been unable to develop and grow because it lacked backing. Many plans could not be carried out. After being beaten badly by Ji Yu and the others, he could only tell his members to endure in silence, because he knew his society could not withstand even a single act of destruction.

If Lin Feng served as his support, the Jianghu News Agency would surely rise.

Yang Fan's agreement had been within Lin Feng's expectations.

"Tell me, aside from Mo Xun's Elite Martial Arts Society, are there people in the school who can resist their influence? We need to find some of them," Lin Feng asked.

"There are. Jiangxin Middle School has three hundred thousand people, and there are many who hide their abilities well. Some may have average talent, but their backgrounds are extraordinary. Even Mo Xun and his group would not provoke them lightly."

Yang Fan thought for a moment before continuing, "But those people only care about their own strength and which university they can attend after the college entrance exams. Even if your talent were outstanding and you were the number one person in the entire school, they wouldn't give a damn about you, much less waste time joining your martial arts society."

As far as he knew, Mo Xun had established the Elite Martial Arts Society during his first year of high school simply to form cliques and fight. Later, more and more children from prominent families joined. After three years of development, there were thirty-seven core members. Some of the lineages behind them were wealthy merchant conglomerates, while others were great families. They appeared to wield immense influence and had even begun recruiting ordinary members and collecting so-called membership fees.

They collected over a million in membership fees every month. It sounded like a lot, but it was only enough to cover the food and drink of the thirty-seven core members.

At the end of the day, it was merely a martial arts society among high school students.

In the eyes of the school leaders, it was nothing more than children playing house.

If something truly happened, forget brotherhood—in the face of disaster, each would fly off on their own. The parents behind them would not intervene either.

Yang Fan told Lin Feng what he thought, hoping to dissuade him, but the latter showed no disappointment at all. There was even a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Just as I guessed."

Lin Feng was delighted inwardly. He had not misjudged Yang Fan. Though this fellow's talent was not much to speak of, his ability to gather information was truly first-rate.

He now had targets for the organization's members. Next, it would depend on the ability of him, the society president.

As for Yang Fan's concern, it was nothing more than binding them together through benefits.

The memories in his mind were benefits. With the martial arts society's help, he could turn them into money and resources. Once they were bound together by benefits, and as he grew increasingly powerful, everyone would be firmly tied to the same war chariot. With the deterrence of the martial arts society's members, he would no longer need to worry about anyone eyeing his possessions and taking them by force.

Then, when facing any force in River City, he would have the confidence to stand firm.

And this was merely the first link in his plan.

In his plan, his martial arts society would gradually grow stronger. Once everyone had grown, this tiny martial arts society would slowly transform and develop into a major company, a major conglomerate!