More than two years had passed since he entered the junior academy.
Feng Lingtian's Soul Power had risen from rank eleven to rank twenty. Half a month ago, he had touched that threshold, but he had kept suppressing it without breaking through. The Soul Power within him had not subsided under that suppression. Instead, it grew heavier and more condensed by the day, like a piece of raw iron being hammered again and again.
His brother had been right. Suppressing his rank was not a waste of time. It laid a firmer foundation.
During that time, Zhong Yue, Su Mei'er, Lu Hanxiao, Su Ran, and Ye Qingyu had also reached around rank fifteen, one after another.
Feng Lingtian was in no hurry to obtain his second Soul Ring. He was waiting. Once Zhong Yue and the others reached rank twenty, they could go Soul Hunting together. With more people, they could look out for one another along the way. More importantly, Feng Lingtian wanted to use that trip to see their combat abilities with his own eyes. He needed a clear idea of who suited which position.
Before that, there was someone else Feng Lingtian wanted to observe closely.
Jiang Lin.
The fifth-place finisher in the cross-country test on their second day at the academy.
Feng Lingtian had always remembered him. Throughout that test, Jiang Lin had been quiet and unobtrusive. He had not stood out in any particular section, yet his overall result had been solid. In class, Jiang Lin always sat in a corner and never initiated conversations. Once he finished his assigned exercises, he would silently withdraw to one side.
Either he truly was mediocre, or he was deliberately holding back.
Seeing that the weather was good, Instructor Qin organized an outdoor combat exercise. The new students were divided into several groups and sent into the training grounds in the hills behind the academy. Senior students playing the enemy lay in ambush throughout the grounds.
Feng Lingtian glanced at the group list. Besides himself, his group included Zhong Yue, Su Ran, Bai Yu-and Jiang Lin.
The opportunity had arrived.
Before they set out, Feng Lingtian arranged their formation. Zhong Yue and Jiang Lin would lead. Zhong Yue would clear the way and provide defense, while Jiang Lin's forward position would make observation easier. Su Ran and Bai Yu would stay in the middle. Feng Lingtian himself would bring up the rear, ready to support the others.
A Control System Soul Master positioned near the front could immediately release Soul Skills to disrupt an opponent. Feng Lingtian had placed Jiang Lin beside Zhong Yue precisely because he wanted to see how Jiang Lin would react.
Not long after they entered the grounds, Zhong Yue slowed down.
"There seems to be someone up ahead."
Feng Lingtian was about to extend his perception when Jiang Lin spoke first.
"Three people." Jiang Lin's tone was level. "One around the bend, one in the tree on the left, and one behind the slope on the right. The one in the tree is the strongest."
Feng Lingtian glanced at Jiang Lin.
He himself had only sensed fluctuations of Soul Power ahead. He could not distinguish their numbers or positions at all. Yet Jiang Lin had not only given their number, but pinpointed their hiding places.
"Can we get around them?" Feng Lingtian asked.
Jiang Lin scanned the terrain and pointed left. "Over there. There's a gap in their positions."
The five slipped silently through the blockade. Feng Lingtian glanced back through a gap in the leaves. Several senior students wore academy uniforms, with two wind-patterned badges pinned to their collars.
Only after they had gone a long way did Zhong Yue look back. "They really didn't notice us."
Jiang Lin said nothing, his expression as calm as ever.
Walking at the back, Feng Lingtian watched Jiang Lin's retreating figure. Control System, Spirit Eyes. He could directly see the distribution and flow of Soul Power, and even plot the best route. He was far more capable than Feng Lingtian had thought.
As they entered a dense stretch of woods, the light suddenly dimmed.
Jiang Lin stopped abruptly.
"Someone's here."
Zhong Yue turned around. "More people?"
Jiang Lin did not answer him. His light brown pupils were slowly contracting.
"They aren't from the academy." Jiang Lin's voice was very low, each word seeming to squeeze out of his throat. "Their clothes are a similar color, but they don't have badges. The blue-green is darker than the uniforms, too, as if they dyed them deliberately."
Feng Lingtian's gaze darkened. Deliberate disguises, lying in wait like hunters beside a rabbit's stump. These people were targeting Godwind Academy.
"How many?"
Jiang Lin stared ahead. Several breaths later, he spoke. "Five. The two leading them are very strong. Much stronger than those senior students just now."
Feng Lingtian's heart plummeted. Much stronger than rank nineteen. Their opponents' strength was far beyond that of his team.
"Can we go around?"
Jiang Lin had only begun to shake his head when he froze.
"Someone's moving-" Jiang Lin paused. "Someone's coming this way."
Before he finished speaking, an image was suddenly branded into Feng Lingtian's mind.
He had not seen it with his eyes. It had appeared directly in his consciousness. Every tree in the dense woods ahead, those people's exact positions, the direction of their Soul Power flow-all of it was perfectly clear. Like a map burned into his brain.
Feng Lingtian whipped his head toward Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin stood beside Zhong Yue, his pupils shining with pale golden light. Sweat seeped from his temples and slid down his cheeks.
It was not just Feng Lingtian. Zhong Yue froze for a moment. Su Ran's fingers stopped on his storage pouch. Bai Yu let out a soft "Ah."
They had all seen it.
A rustling came from the bushes.
A branch was pushed aside. The fingers pushing it aside were thick, with dirt embedded beneath the nails. Then came a face, with high cheekbones and skin as rough as a dried riverbed. Dark blue-green clothes, no badge on the collar.
Exactly where the image had marked him.
The man's eyes lit up when he saw Feng Lingtian and the others. It was not pleasant surprise, but the gleam of a hunter watching prey step into a trap.
"After all that waiting, we finally caught some." His voice sounded like sandpaper scraping wood. "Godwind Academy brats."
The man called over his shoulder, "Come out. We've got the goods."
Two more people emerged from the woods. Their positions, too, had been precisely marked in that image.
Feng Lingtian heard his own heartbeat pounding against his eardrums.
"We're only training," Feng Lingtian said, his voice steadier than he had expected. "Instructor Qin is right behind us."
The man laughed. His mouth split into a grin, revealing a chipped tooth.
"Training?" He bit down hard on the word, as though chewing something. "Perfect. We're here to train, too."
His gaze swept over them. It paused briefly on Feng Lingtian's face, then Zhong Yue's, then Su Ran's. Then it settled on Bai Yu.
That gaze was not merely looking. It was appraising. Starting at her face, it slowly moved downward.
Bai Yu took half a step back.
Zhong Yue took one step forward. One step, placing himself in front of Bai Yu. His back was straight, as straight as a shield.
The man raised his eyebrows and scoffed.
Feng Lingtian's fingertips dug into his palm.
I can't wait.
The man moved.
Feng Lingtian did not see how he moved. But he "saw" something else-in the image within his mind, the Soul Power throughout the man's body suddenly surged toward his right arm. It rushed with tremendous speed, like water through a breached dam.
His target was Su Ran.
Feng Lingtian's body moved before his mind. Gale Flash Step. His footwork was still awkward. His ankle twisted as he landed, and his body swayed. But he made it in time.
Soul Power collided with a muffled thud. Feng Lingtian was driven back two steps, his arm numb all the way to his fingertips.
The man halted his attack, narrowing his eyes.
At the instant he had struck, something had interfered with his perception. It was not an attack, more like an extremely fine needle giving him a light prick. It had slowed his movement by half a beat.
Only half a beat.
His gaze swept over them. Feng Lingtian's speed was decent, but his footwork was unpolished and his rank was low. Su Ran was Food System, Zhong Yue Defense System, and Bai Yu Support System. None of them could have caused that interference.
Finally, his eyes settled on Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin stood beside Zhong Yue, a trace of pale golden light still lingering in his light brown pupils. It had not completely faded.
The man stared at that glimmer. In his years roaming the continent, he had seen all kinds of Martial Souls. Eye-type Martial Souls excelled at Mental Interference.
"Little brat." The man gave a sinister laugh. "You've got a few tricks."
Jiang Lin did not answer. The light in his pupils brightened a little more.
The man raised his hand again. This time, the Soul Power pouring out was far fiercer than before.
A figure swept in from the side.
A hand caught the attack. Soul Power shuddered. This was not a collision, but an overwhelming crush.
The man staggered back five or six steps, his face white as paper.
Instructor Qin stood there, four rings shining around her. She did not look at the fleeing figures. Instead, she turned, her gaze lingering on Jiang Lin for a moment.
Then she looked at Feng Lingtian.
"You were right to block that blow." Instructor Qin's voice was quiet. "But your rank is too low, and you haven't mastered your footwork. You couldn't stop it."
Feng Lingtian said nothing. His arm was still numb.
On the way back to the academy, Feng Lingtian walked beside Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin's pupils had returned to their usual light brown, and the sweat on his temples had dried. He looked the same as ever, quiet and unassuming, barely drawing any notice.
"That ability just now," Feng Lingtian asked, "how long can you maintain it?"
"A dozen or so breaths."
"And the range?"
"Within five paces of me."
Feng Lingtian nodded. Five paces, a dozen or so breaths. It was not enough yet. But once Jiang Lin's rank increased, the range expanded, and the duration grew longer, he would be able to share his vision with the entire team.
"In the future," Feng Lingtian said, "you'll be the most powerful trump card."
Jiang Lin said nothing, merely nodding once.
Feng Lingtian did not speak again. He walked among the team, his steps heavier than when they had come.
His arm was no longer numb. But the sensation of that Soul Power striking him still lingered in his body-not pain, but a helplessness seeping out from between his bones. He could not stop it. Instructor Qin was right. His rank was too low, his footwork too unfamiliar. He could not stop it.
Today, Instructor Qin had come.
What if she had not?
Feng Lingtian did not let that thought continue. He glanced at Zhong Yue ahead of him. Zhong Yue's back was still just as straight as when he had stood in front of Bai Yu. Then there was Su Ran, walking with his head lowered, his thoughts unknown. Bai Yu walked beside him, the color still not fully restored to her face.
Feng Lingtian withdrew his gaze.
These were the people he wanted to take Soul Hunting. Once Zhong Yue and the others reached rank twenty, he would walk at the front and lead them into the Heavenly Peak Mountain Range. Yet today, five bandits disguised in academy uniforms had nearly torn the entire team apart.
He could not stop that man.
He had not even managed to force him back one extra step.
After returning to the academy, Feng Lingtian did not go back to the dormitory. He went straight to Instructor Qin.
Instructor Qin was sitting at her desk, reviewing the day's training records. When she saw Feng Lingtian enter, she set down the papers in her hands.
"What is it?"
"I want to go Soul Hunting," Feng Lingtian said.
Instructor Qin looked at him without answering.
"To obtain my second Soul Ring," Feng Lingtian said.
Instructor Qin was silent for several breaths. "Didn't you say there was no hurry, that you wanted to wait until everyone was ready?"
"I can't wait anymore."
Even Feng Lingtian froze for a moment as he said those words. He had never thought he would speak to Instructor Qin in that tone.
Instructor Qin did not grow angry. She leaned back in her chair and looked at him.
"Got scared today?"
Feng Lingtian did not deny it.
"Being scared is a good thing." Instructor Qin's voice was level. "Only when you know fear do you know how far behind you are. When do you want to go?"
"As soon as possible."
Instructor Qin nodded. "Submit your application tomorrow."
Three days later, Feng Lingtian killed a nine-hundred-and-ten-year-old Sharp-Tailed Swift in the Heavenly Peak Mountain Range and obtained his second Soul Ring.
The moment the Soul Ring entered his body, power surged in. It was far fiercer than with his first Soul Ring. Feng Lingtian gritted his teeth and endured it, his entire body drenched in sweat.
When the Soul Power within him finally settled, Feng Lingtian closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment.
Rank twenty-three.
He had jumped three full ranks. The Soul Power he had suppressed for so long, together with that nine-hundred-and-ten-year-old Sharp-Tailed Swift, had all turned into tangible ranks.
That night, back in the dormitory, Feng Lingtian lay in bed, gazing at the moonlight outside the window. The ache from the clash of Soul Power still lingered in his arm.
He raised his hand and slowly clenched it. His strength had indeed increased considerably. But if he faced that man again today, would it be enough?
Still not enough.
But next time, he would not let something like that happen again.
Once Zhong Yue and the others reached rank twenty, he would walk at the very front. Not to lead the way, but to stand in front of them. The way Zhong Yue had stood in front of Bai Yu. The way Instructor Qin had stood in front of him.
Feng Lingtian slowly closed his eyes.