Yu Feng had the Wind Chime Bird Martial Soul and would later become a member of the Imperial Fighting Team.
Fang Lin would never have imagined that his first encounter with a character from the story would be a scene of such naked honesty.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, reflecting off the stream of water on the floor in a dazzling white glare.
Fang Lin silently covered himself and greeted him as though nothing had happened.
"Yu Feng, right? You were specially recruited, weren't you?"
Heaven Dou Academy admitted students in June. Anyone entering the academy now could only have been specially recruited, which meant they had decent talent.
"Ah... yes, Teacher Sun specially recruited me."
After a brief moment of distraction, Yu Feng returned to his exuberant self. He held out a hand to Fang Lin and continued the introduction he had left unfinished.
"Yu Feng, twelve years old. My Martial Soul is the Wind Chime Bird, and I'm a level twenty-four Agility Attack System Soul Grandmaster. I'm your new roommate."
Fang Lin held out a hand in return.
"My name's Fang Lin. I'm heading out for a bit. If there's anything you're unfamiliar with, you can ask me later."
Fang Lin thought Yu Feng would take the hint and look around on his own, but Yu Feng only tightened his grip on Fang Lin's hand.
"Brother Lin, take me with you. This is my first time leaving home in all my life. Teacher Sun said Heaven Dou Academy is full of talented people..."
"I'm going to Heaven Dou City. It's a long way..."
Heaven Dou Academy was built more than twenty kilometers outside Heaven Dou City. Even a Soul Grandmaster sprinting at full speed would need at least half an hour to get there.
"Great! I've never been to Heaven Dou City."
Yu Feng gave Fang Lin no chance to refuse. He followed him all the way from the dormitory to the foot of the mountain, until Heaven Dou City came into view.
At the end of their field of vision, walls of massive blue-black stones rose from the ground, dozens of zhang high and stretching as far as the eye could see.
Two enormous gates of refined iron stood open. Above them was a carved, gilded shield-shaped emblem, with seven silver stars on its upper half and a pair of swan wings on its lower half. Armored city guards stood at attention on either side of the gates.
They stepped into the city, where a broad bluestone avenue led deep into its heart. Shops crowded together amid a roar of voices, with vendors' cries, the sounds of horses and carriages, and the chatter and laughter of passersby mingling in the air. It was far more bustling than Suotuo City.
"So this is Heaven Dou City. It's beautiful!"
Yu Feng was captivated by the bustling streets before him. Fang Lin quietly turned around and headed straight for the Soul Fighting Arena.
The Academic Affairs Office's credit assignments offered steady rewards, but they were extremely time-consuming. Soul Fighting, by contrast, offered generous rewards that could be collected daily, and it also gave him more practical experience fighting Soul Masters.
At window number eight, Fang Lin presented his Iron Soul Badge.
"Are there any Soul Fights suitable for me today?"
An Iron Soul Fighter received ten Gold Soul Coins for a win. The prize money doubled whenever the badge was promoted or the fighter achieved a winning streak.
Fang Lin had fought eighty-nine matches over two years, averaging one every one or two weeks. He had fifty-six wins and thirty-three losses, giving him a net score of 23 points. He needed 77 more net wins to advance to Bronze Soul Fighter.
He had lost too many matches when he first became a Soul Grandmaster, putting him deeply in the red. His win rate had only begun to improve after he reached level twenty-five.
The receptionist was a delicate-looking young woman of seventeen or eighteen. After checking, she looked apologetic.
"There was one, but your Soul Power Level has changed. We need to ask your original opponent whether they're still willing to fight before we can make arrangements. Sorry to trouble you, but please wait a moment."
"No problem. I'll wait."
Fang Lin gave an understanding "Mm." When the Soul Fighting Arena arranged opponents, it considered not only their scores, but also their Soul Power and Martial Souls, trying to make the two sides as evenly matched as possible. Only then would the fight be worth watching.
"All right, please wait a moment."
A bright smile bloomed on Zhou Ying's face. She trotted away and returned a short while later, out of breath.
She told him that his opponent was at a critical stage in the push for badge points and had refused the match. Fang Lin could only continue waiting for a new opponent.
As he waited, a pale, skinny blond boy walked through the entrance, carrying a box of fried pastries.
"Brother Lin, why did you leave without a word? I had such a hard time finding you."
Yu Feng's tone was resentful, as though he had been abandoned by a faithless lover.
Fang Lin coughed and changed the subject at once. "How did you find me...?"
Heaven Dou City was so big, yet Yu Feng had managed to find him precisely. That luck...
"I just looked around." Yu Feng glanced around and noticed that Fang Lin was the only one sitting at the reception desk. "Brother Lin, are you waiting for a Soul Fight?"
"Yeah. My original opponent backed out, so I'm waiting to be matched with someone else."
"I see." Yu Feng blinked and leaned closer with a grin. "How about I register for a badge and we spar?"
A ground-bound Soul Master was at a natural disadvantage against a flying Soul Master, and Fang Lin had no way to control the air. But flying Soul Masters generally only gained the ability to fly with their third Soul Skill, and Yu Feng only had two rings right now...
Fang Lin gave it some quick thought and reached a conclusion.
I can beat him.
Soul Fights for Iron Soul Badge holders took place in subsidiary arenas rather than the main arena. They had relatively fewer spectators, and tickets were cheaper.
On a platform nearly twenty meters wide, the two faced each other from a distance. At the referee's command, they each activated their Martial Soul.
With Martial Soul Possession, pale cyan feathers grew along Yu Feng's arms, and his hands became claws. Sharp as hooks, they were wreathed in pale cyan currents of air.
"Here I come!"
Yu Feng's voice rang clear, brimming with eager excitement.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yu Feng tapped his feet against the ground and shot forward, almost skimming its surface. When he was about three meters from Fang Lin, he suddenly changed direction.
He's going to feint from the side... The thought flashed through Fang Lin's mind, and sure enough, a claw strike swept in from the side. Fang Lin raised his saber across his body to block. Blade and claws collided with a metallic clang.
When his strike missed, Yu Feng immediately opened the distance again, showing no intention of lingering in the fight.
When an Agility Attack System Soul Master fought a Power Attack System opponent, the first step was to test the other side's reaction speed, defensive blind spots, and attacking habits, then lie in wait for an opportunity.
Yu Feng knew this well. He darted across the ground at high speed, constantly changing direction and attacking as he looked for a chance to cut in from the side.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The two clashed several times in succession. Fang Lin's feet remained rooted to the ground, and every swing of his saber intercepted Yu Feng at the critical point of his attack, sending him back empty-handed.
But with each probing strike, Yu Feng used the force of the impact to open the distance again, leaving Fang Lin with no good opportunity to attack for the moment.
After a stick of incense had burned, Yu Feng realized further probing would do no good. Fang Lin's defense was like a wall that let not even the wind through; continuing like this would only waste his strength.
"First Soul Skill, Wind Chime Thrust!"
Yu Feng let out a long cry. A sharp edge gathered around his claws, and his body blurred into a cyan streak as though caught up in a gale.
So fast!
Fang Lin's eyes narrowed slightly. Almost instantly, a fine whistling sound came from his left, closing in on the vital points around his shoulder and neck.
"First Soul Skill, Hell Power."
Fang Lin gave his wrist a slight flick, and a metallic clash rang out. Once again, his saber blocked with precision, and the force of the collision sent Yu Feng flying.
"An opening." The ground burst beneath Fang Lin's feet as he shot forward, bringing his saber down in a fierce chop with the howl of the wind.
There's nothing to push off from now. If that heavy, powerful strike hits me, I'll most likely be smashed off the platform... Yu Feng made a quick judgment. The Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up, and a cyan wind blade nearly two meters long flashed out, leaving an afterimage.
"Second Soul Skill, Wind Wing Slash."
"A ranged Soul Skill?" At such close range, Fang Lin had no room to dodge by the time he reacted.
I can only take it head-on... Fang Lin gave a low shout, veins bulging across the muscles of his arm. His saber, wreathed in a faint, unearthly glow, slammed into the wind blade. Cyan light exploded in an instant, sending fine currents of wind scattering in every direction.
"He split my second Soul Skill head-on?" Yu Feng, who had just landed, stared wide-eyed at the sight.
Good heavens, is that really the kind of strength a tool Soul Master can have?
The wind blade had been split apart, but it had also stopped Fang Lin's pursuit. Yu Feng seized the chance to steady himself and resumed darting in and out, though he was noticeably a beat slower than before.
After more than ten consecutive attacks missed, Yu Feng's breathing grew noticeably ragged. Fang Lin caught an opening and struck him hard with his saber, sending him flying backward several meters out of control as though he had been struck by a heavy hammer.