"An earthquake!!!"
Everyone in the entire town reacted in unison!!
All of them jumped out of bed!
Some even ran out wrapped in a blanket.
It wasn't an earthquake!
But it was more terrifying than an earthquake!!
A mountaintop in the distance had exploded.
It billowed thick smoke like a volcanic eruption.
"What, what's going on??"
The people from Canghui Academy were utterly baffled.
Meanwhile, those from Shrek Academy were also staring at the fiery mountain afar.
What had happened???
Big and small forces were all bewildered.
Why would a mountaintop suddenly explode?
The crowd gathered and watched for several minutes until the excitement faded.
There was no earthquake or volcano, proving they were safe for the day.
Exhausted from the day's events and safe in the middle of the night, they had no desire to dwell on these matters; they'd rather return to sleep comfortably.
However, the temperature around the figure atop the distant mountain remained high.
His hair stood on end, his cheeks as black as coal, his clothing so torn he looked almost like a beggar, with only the back half remaining intact.
This person was none other than Ye Feng.
Looking at a little insect in his palm, resembling a silkworm but with the temperature of molten lava, his entire being was in disarray!
[Second Martial Soul: Lìkōng Bào, blaze attribute God Rank soul beast, skill: Explosion. The higher the level of the soul ring, the larger the blast radius. May accidentally harm the host at times, please use with caution.]
A status bar appeared in front of Ye Feng.
The introduction of the little lava-colored silkworm-like insect in his palm was written there.
"Lìkōng Bào?? What kind of nonsense name is that, and isn't this thing basically a bomb??"
Ye Feng had been blasted by the explosion's massive shockwave, which almost sent his teeth flying.
And let's not even mention the front; he was now in neutral gear.
After all, such a massive explosion.
Blew away an entire mountain.
Luckily, he had run fast.
Otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of being in neutral; he would have been gone for good!
At the half-sheared mountain top, Ye Feng changed into a new set of clothes.
He returned to his room at about two or three in the morning.
Mainly because of his explosive hairstyle, afraid to be seen by others.
He went back late, then took some time to tidy himself in the bathroom.
He should be able to return to his normal appearance.
Thus, the night that had been disturbed quieted down once more.
Gradually, a hint of early morning sunlight rose in the distance.
"Finally, finally back."
The dilapidated town, the awkward figure, the bruised and swollen head, staggering steps.
Finally, Zhao Wuji returned.
Now he was covered in sweat.
His body riddled with injuries upon injuries.
Only the devil knows what he ran into last night.
He, the 76th Level Soul Saint, almost didn't make it.
Haotian Your Highness, I really don't dare next time!
Zhao Wuji staggered in through the inn's back door.
Nonsense, with the state he was in, if the students saw him, they would die laughing.
He had already been mocked once when leaving the academy; this time was worse, the group of little monsters could laugh their teeth off.
"Zhao, Teacher Zhao??"
Zhao Wuji had just entered through the back door when he suddenly heard someone calling him, the voice filled with astonishment.
"Really, it's you, Teacher Zhao, what happened to you! How did you get like this!!"
The figure sprinted a hundred meters to Zhao Wuji's side, expression bizarre, even looking like he was trying to hold back laughter.
"What's with that face of yours! Come on, I'm going to give you a proper lesson this morning and practice some soul skills!"
Zhao Wuji stared at the shadow in front of him, particularly since the other party was still suppressing a laugh, his face suddenly turned green!
Even though he wouldn't dare to touch Haotian.
As for Ma Hongjun, this little one, he could still thoroughly train him single-handedly.
"No no no, Teacher Zhao, I absolutely wasn't mocking you, I was just yawning!"
Ma Hongjun immediately explained.
Joking aside, if Zhao Wuji really gave him special training, would he even be able to get out of bed today??
Boss Dai had to rest in bed for three days after being specially trained by Teacher Zhao.
He was even less likely to fare well.
"What's up with you, kid, not sleeping at night, why are you only getting back now?"
Zhao Wuji looked at Ma Hongjun.
This kid was just entering through the back door, clearly indicating he hadn't stayed at the inn last night.
"You know very well, Teacher Zhao, I was just letting off some steam at night, but I was afraid of delaying our departure this morning, so I came back early."
The fatty said.
Today had cost him dearly.
While others were still asleep, he had gotten up early to race back to the inn.
Normally he wouldn't waste any time and stretch it to the last moment.
Today, he truly made a huge sacrifice.
"You, you've got to take care of yourself and not push too hard, and tell them we won't be leaving today; we'll rest for a day and set off the day after."
Zhao Wuji left him with those instructions.
Then he headed upstairs, covering his face, which resembled a pig's head.
This time was truly bizarre!
Why did he have to run into this group of little monsters!
Especially Ma Hongjun.
That loose-lipped mouth of his, God knows what he would say about him later.
Sigh, his reputation as the Motionless Bright King!
Zhao Wuji sighed!
"Alright!!"
Hearing this, the fatty perked up as if injected with chicken blood, immediately energized.
After all, it wasn't even noon yet!!
It was only morning.
There were still a good few hours left.
He raced upstairs to notify Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others.
Without wasting a second, he had Tang San inform Ning Rongrong and the other girls.
He himself dashed to another discreet inn around the corner.
Soon after, just as a person had barely fallen asleep in a room there, horrifying sounds emanated once more.
Everyone knew just how dreadful Ma Hongjun could be, from when Cuihua broke up with him because she couldn't endure his presence in the village.
Dawn gently spread its light.
It was now one hour later at eight o'clock.
The students of Canghui Academy were eating in the dining hall.
"Liuli, Xiaofeng, is your senior brother Ye Feng not down yet?"
Ye Zhiqu asked Su Liuli and Pang Xing.
"Maybe he's too tired from yesterday's battle, so he's still resting?"
Pang Xing said.
"Should I go check on him?"
Su Liuli offered.
"Sure, go and take a look, and by the way, call Xiaofeng down too, so we won't be delayed later."
Ye Zhiqu said.
So Su Liuli went upstairs.
Meanwhile, everyone continued to have breakfast.
At the same time, they couldn't help but feel utterly amazed; probably only Ye Feng senior brother would receive such treatment.
Previously, they had heard that Ye Zhiqu, the head of the External Affairs Department, was notoriously fierce!
They had been a bit worried when they heard that she would be leading their team on this soul ring expedition.
But the reality was quite the opposite.
Especially with senior brother Ye Feng.
It felt like Teacher Ye Zhiqu wasn't leading students but taking care of a leader instead!
If it had been anyone else who hadn't come down for breakfast on time, they figured she would've gone straight up, kicked the door down, and dragged them out.
It wasn't them exaggerating; there really had been such incidents before.
"Knock, knock, knock, senior Ye, are you awake?"
Su Liuli knocked on the door and called out.
"I was a bit late because of something just now, sorry to have kept everyone waiting."
Ye Feng opened the door with a smile on his face.
Of course, if someone looked closely, they would notice a hint of embarrassment hidden behind that smile.
After a morning of fuss, he'd finally managed to get his blasted hair under control.
His overall image was now reconstituted to over ninety percent of perfection.
Barely any flaws could be observed.
Otherwise, if these people connected last night's explosion to him, who knows what trouble that might cause.
"Senior Ye, what happened to your face?"
Su Liuli's beautiful eyes were fixed on Ye Feng.
She asked with a hint of curiosity.
Indeed, a woman's sixth sense is terrifying.
It wasn't just Ye Feng's hair that suffered last night; his face had also taken a hit.
It had grazed the aftershock of the explosion of his second Martial Soul, but after a night of recovery, it was nearly back to normal.
If there was any difference, it was a faint red mark hardly visible to the naked eye.
"It's nothing, just accidentally pressed something in my sleep last night."
Ye Feng found an excuse to brush off the question.
"Well, this place is indeed not that comfortable to sleep in. What would you like to eat, Senior Ye? I'll go get it for you right away."
Su Liuli asked with a smile.
She felt oddly at ease and comfortable around Ye Feng, unlike with other seniors.
"There's no need for that, I'm coming down too."
Ye Feng replied.
He was someone who never liked putting on airs.
Even less did he like acting superior and looking down on others.
Thus, Ye Feng and Su Liuli went down to the dining hall together.
"Good morning, Senior Ye Feng!"
As Ye Feng came down, all the students from Canghui Academy greeted him in unison.
"No need to be so formal."
Ye Feng suggested everyone relax a bit.
Even though he was indeed a senior, in reality, he was about the same age as the others.
In fact, many of them were even older than he was.
"Xiaofeng, why did you get up late today? We've only got one week for this trip, and we need to find soul rings for nine people, which is quite pressing."
Ye Zhiqu spoke to Ye Feng, but her tone was very gentle.
Her manner left the others quite stunned.
Indeed, on this Continent, strength is respected.
In front of the level 39 Senior Ye Feng, even Director Ye Zhiqu, who had reached the Soul King, had to be quite polite.
"Director Ye, this time I think we might need a little more time."
Ye Feng spoke while dishing up his meal.
"Oh?"
Ye Zhiqu's face showed confusion.
The others were also somewhat surprised.
Why would Senior Ye Feng say they need to extend the time?
"Because last night I advanced to level 40, so now it's not just about finding nine soul rings, but ten."
Ye Feng said with a smile.
"Pfft—"
Pang Xing spat out his food!!
"Clang!!"
Su Liuli's bowl dropped to the floor!!
"Cough cough! Xiaofeng, you broke through to level 40?!"
Next to him, Ye Zhiqu choked.
She managed to ease up only after drinking a glass of water.
It was inconceivably astonishing!!
How long had it been?
A month's time, and he'd gone from level 39 to level 40!
What a freak!!
No wonder he was so favored by that person.
"Senior brother, with you being this monstrous, how are we supposed to live?"
The other students from Canghui Academy felt completely crushed, both mentally and physically.
They had never seen such an anomaly!!
"There's always someone better out there; I'm really nothing special."
Ye Feng mused while eating his breakfast.
Xue'er's strength has now reached the Soul Sage level, and she's only a few years older than he is.
Just three to five years older than him, to be precise.
And at his age, she had already reached the Soul King.
Thinking about it, he felt ashamed that even with the System, he still couldn't compare to her.
He had five more years, and as the System scaled with experience points, he anticipated that it would only get tougher.
Whether he could advance to a Soul Sage by the age of eighteen was still a big question.
The journey was long; he needed to keep striving!
…