A Spy's Professionalism

For some reason, however, Mu Feng had a premonition that Di Qiuli would not reveal the secret from earlier.

But that was ultimately only his own wishful thinking. After all, he was not Di Qiuli. The feeling of placing his fate in someone else's hands was far from pleasant. He could not help looking at Di Qiuli nervously, and she noticed his gaze as well. Their eyes met briefly in the air before immediately separating.

After Bi Ji voiced her speculation about the inheritance of the Angel God's divine seat, Di Qiuli did not say another word.

It was not until Bi Ji left with Di Qiuli that the weight in Mu Feng's heart finally fell away after his nerves had remained tightly strung.

As for whether Di Qiuli would expose his lie while alone with Bi Ji, after the small test just now, Mu Feng was not worried at all. If he had to give a reason, it was simply because he believed in her.

Watching Di Qiuli's retreating figure, Mu Feng suddenly felt an indescribable emotion rise within him. Since Stone Village had been destroyed, this was the first time he had placed such trust in someone—trust enough to entrust them with the secrets in his heart.

Faintly, Mu Feng even found himself looking forward to meeting her again.

Becoming a god was practically the ultimate aspiration of every powerhouse who stepped into the Title Douluo realm. Yet in the ten thousand years since the Battle of Two Gods, no one had been able to take that final step.

Moreover, the inheritance of the Angel God's divine seat had vanished along with the destruction of the Martial Soul Hall. Still, Long Xiaoyao believed Bi Ji's words to some extent, because there was no other suitable explanation for Mu Feng's transformation.

Along the way, Long Xiaoyao frequently furrowed his brow over the matter and repeatedly questioned Mu Feng about how he felt after his martial soul's "evolution."

To put the matter to rest completely, Mu Feng boldly speculated that this mutation in his martial soul was most likely caused by the pill Ye Xishui had refined for him long ago, using the essence blood of dozens of light-attribute soul beasts.

"Mm." Long Xiaoyao nodded. There were precedents for such things on the continent. Inducing a martial soul to evolve after birth was extremely difficult, but that did not mean it was impossible.

For example, using the corresponding immortal herb could evolve the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda martial soul of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to nine levels. Ning Rongrong, the Nine Treasure Douluo of ten thousand years ago, had ascended to godhood in precisely that way. Likewise, Tang San, the founder of the Tang Sect, had seen his Blue Silver Grass evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor.

After considering it carefully, Mu Feng's explanation made far more sense than Bi Ji's.

The journey back was much easier. There was no need to worry about vicious beasts blocking the way, and Mu Feng soon returned to his familiar underground hut.

After receiving word that Mu Feng was about to return, Zhongli Wu also came to the Blood Soul Hall.

Mu Feng was dressed in a white robe. Having completed the first Divine Ascent, he radiated a warm and soothing aura. Simply standing beside him felt like being immersed in a gentle spring breeze.

Anyone who saw Mu Feng for the first time would inevitably feel favorably toward him. In his current appearance, he seemed completely unrelated to the Holy Spirit Cult. Even Ye Xishui was momentarily dazed when she looked at him.

He had only been gone for less than a month, yet he seemed to have undergone a complete rebirth. However, this was merely the improvement the Holy Angel martial soul brought to Mu Feng's outward temperament. Beneath that exterior, Mu Feng's soul remained the same person who held steadfastly to his own path.

A martial soul could only influence his outward aura; it could never distort his character.

Yet this accidental journey also made Mu Feng believe that the power of fate truly existed. The moment he arrived at the border town near the Star Dou Great Forest, he encountered a beast tide. By coincidence, he also ran into Di Qiuli, who had followed Scarlet King to deal with it. In the end, he had only passed the trial with her help.

The odds of that entire chain of coincidences occurring were simply too small. It could only be attributed to the illusory power of fate.

Zhongli Wu looked over Mu Feng's current appearance with great satisfaction. Even though Mu Feng exuded a light aura that disgusted evil soul masters, Zhongli Wu still forced out a smile. "With this appearance, once you infiltrate Shrek Academy, no one will be able to connect you to the Holy Spirit Cult."

As long as Mu Feng did not reveal any major flaws, there was absolutely no chance of his identity being exposed. The only remaining issue was how to craft Mu Feng's identity so flawlessly that it could not be questioned. For the Holy Spirit Cult, which was well versed in underground operations, that was merely a trivial matter.

Inside the Blood Soul Hall, Ye Xishui finally spoke. "There are still two years until the day you join Shrek Academy. Aside from your usual cultivation, it is time for you to learn what you must do after entering the academy."

As she spoke, she silently checked the curse she had planted in Mu Feng's spiritual sea. This was an important means of controlling Mu Feng, this chess piece of hers. No matter what Mu Feng became, as long as she still held this rein in her hand, he would never escape her grasp.

Only after confirming that it was intact did Ye Xishui finally relax.

Mu Feng had no idea that because of Ye Xishui's words, his training plan over the next two years gained many strange new courses, including but not limited to painting, intelligence transmission, and learning the Holy Spirit Cult's exclusive methods of communication.

Although Mu Feng had been the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult for three years, throughout that time he had done nothing but bury himself in cultivation. He did not participate in the cult's affairs at all, and had only met the eight great elders and Deputy Cult Leader Feng Ling a few times. It could be said that he knew absolutely nothing about the Holy Spirit Cult's many internal affairs.

Therefore, if they wanted to maximize the usefulness of Mu Feng as a powerful spy, these courses were indispensable.

Of course, even more important were methods of preserving his life. If his identity were exposed, protecting his own life would naturally be the top priority. This was one of the few subjects Mu Feng diligently trained in.

During the countless nights he was tormented by those courses, Mu Feng felt as though he had returned to the days just before the college entrance exams. Compared to them, even his usually dull cultivation seemed far more interesting.

Although Mu Feng devoted a great deal of effort to courses that were meaningless for cultivation, without the restrictions of the secret technique, his cultivation speed was on an entirely different level from before.

In just over a year, Mu Feng rose from level thirty-three, immediately after absorbing his soul ring, to level thirty-eight. He was only one opportunity away from breaking through to level thirty-nine.

Nor did he cultivate like a mindless brute. Having learned from his failure in the illusion trial, Mu Feng paid special attention to cultivating his temperament, so that he would not act impulsively in battle again.

In fact, Mu Feng had not invented this cultivation method out of thin air. He remembered that Tang San had undergone a similar period of cultivation after leaving Slaughter City, using it to suppress the killing intent in his heart.

But Mu Feng was not as extreme as Tang San had been. He merely needed to learn to control his state of mind and avoid being swayed by his emotions in battle. After all, most of his future opponents would be soul masters.

Even when playing games in his previous life, trash talk could affect his performance. Mu Feng, who had focused only on fighting soul beasts, was practically a blank slate in this regard aside from combat techniques.

Once emotions took control, both his command of soul power and the effects of his soul skills would be greatly weakened. Therefore, maintaining sufficient calm in battle was also a required lesson for any true powerhouse.