Qian Renxue didn’t speak. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, but her eyes remained closed.
"If you’re willing to tell me what happened, I’ll listen. No matter what it is, I’m here for you."
Qian Renxue pursed her lips, her heart in turmoil.
What was I thinking last night? How did I end up crawling into his bed like that? And now I’m lying here, leaning against him... How embarrassing...
Realizing she couldn’t keep pretending, Qian Renxue opened her eyes and struggled to sit up, turning her back to Lin Feng as she lay down beside him.
Her voice was hoarse and choked with sobs.
"Xiao Feng, I... wuu—"
Qian Renxue frantically wiped the corners of her eyes, but the tears wouldn’t stop. She didn’t want Lin Feng to see her cry, but she couldn’t help it.
Qian Renxue froze as Lin Feng wrapped his arms around her from behind. The sensation at her waist stirred strange feelings in her heart.
"If saying it out loud will be too painful, then don’t say it.
But no matter when, you’re always welcome to come to me and share your thoughts."
Qian Renxue stopped crying, though tears still glistened in her eyes. She spoke haltingly, her voice breaking:
"Xiao Feng, my dad... he’s gone..."
Lin Feng was stunned. He realized that Qian Renxue’s absence over the past two days must have been because of this.
He wanted to say something, but no words came to mind.
"Xiao Feng, I should go. Grandpa will worry if he finds out I’m not there."
Qian Renxue smoothed her messy hair and rubbed her cheeks, quickly getting out of bed.
Lin Feng also got up, watching Qian Renxue, who was still weighed down by her thoughts.
Suddenly, he took her hand.
"Come on, let’s freshen up first, then we’ll go have breakfast."
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning what had happened the previous night.
Qian Renxue took a sip of soy milk, but today it tasted strange—sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet, and sometimes completely bland.
Frustrated, she put down the bowl and sighed.
"Xiao Feng, let’s go for a walk."
The two walked side by side along the paths of the Spirit Hall. Today, the Spirit Hall seemed unusually quiet, with far fewer people around.
"You noticed, right?"
Qian Renxue kicked a small stone.
"There are a lot fewer people outside."
Qian Renxue stopped and looked at Lin Feng with a distant gaze.
"Grandpa has confined me here. I can’t even witness the downfall of my enemies with my own eyes.
Xiao Feng, tell me, if I wanted to destroy a top-tier power, what should I do?"
Before Lin Feng could answer, Qian Renxue continued, "I need more power. One person’s strength isn’t enough, and even the current Spirit Hall isn’t enough."
Her eyes gleamed with an indescribable light.
Lin Feng’s heart raced. Was the little girl about to turn dark?
"Xiao Xue, the Grand Worship is keeping you here for your safety. Focus on your cultivation. Only when you have strength of your own can you do more.
Don’t let hatred become your obsession. It will affect your state of mind."
Qian Renxue chuckled.
"I understand what you’re saying, but my heart still hurts."
She wiped the corners of her eyes and turned away.
"I should go now. You won’t see me for a few days. I need to sort out my feelings. I don’t want to cry in front of you."
As Qian Renxue walked away, Lin Feng felt a pang of worry.
Suddenly, Qian Renxue turned back and, with a burst of soul power, appeared in front of Lin Feng in an instant.
She lightly kissed his lips.
Lin Feng stared at Qian Renxue in shock, his cheeks slightly red.
Although they had slept together last night, there hadn’t been any particularly intimate moments.
But now, their first kiss had just happened, just like that?
Qian Renxue smiled brightly and whispered in Lin Feng’s ear:
"With this seal, you’re mine now, Xiao Feng."
Her eyes sparkled as she winked at Lin Feng before gracefully walking away.
Lin Feng stood there, dumbfounded, touching the lingering sensation on his lips.
"This kid is lucky to have won the young mistress’s heart."
Ling Yuan sighed softly, lamenting how nice it was to be young. She had focused solely on cultivation, relying on her natural talent, and now she was still alone.
"Maybe I should try finding someone too?"
Ling Yuan thought about the people around her. Those with matching strength were too old, those around her age were lacking in talent, and those with both talent and age had less-than-ideal looks.
"Tsk, what a hassle. It’s better to stay single."
Ling Yuan shook her head. Her gaze shifted to Lin Feng, who was still touching his lips, and she couldn’t help but feel annoyed.
She appeared in front of Lin Feng in an instant and pinched his ear.
"Brat, stop daydreaming. It’s time for your research."
Lin Feng helplessly pushed Ling Yuan’s hand away and headed toward the private room in the library.
"Someone’s getting impatient, but I won’t say who."
Life in the library became a bit boring. With Qian Renxue suddenly gone, Lin Feng felt somewhat unaccustomed.
He looked at the Innate Treasure Pearl in his hand, its misty aura swirling.
This martial soul contained an exceptionally strong life force, and its presence felt like a gentle spring breeze.
Qian Renxue often asked Lin Feng to lend it to her, using it as a pillow to hug.
In terms of attributes, Lin Feng’s first soul skill came from a 300-year-old Evergreen Vine, which was of the wood element.
In the human body, the liver corresponds to wood, the heart to fire, the spleen to earth, the lungs to metal, and the kidneys to water.
Wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood.
Lin Feng planned to use these five organs as the core to construct the initial soul meridian network.
Once the complete soul meridian pathways were fully researched, they could serve as key points for circulating energy throughout the body.
Therefore, he had already begun attempting to integrate his soul ring into the meridians of his liver.
He hadn’t chosen a soul ring with too high a year count because the higher the year count, the more energy the soul ring contained.
He was only conducting experiments now, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
Besides, if the soul ring shattered, what would the year count matter?
"Sister Ling Yuan, I’m ready to start integrating my first soul ring." Follow current novᴇls on N()velFire.net
A tall figure appeared. Ling Yuan frowned:
"So soon? Are you confident?"
"Ring Fusion is essentially a form of soul power compression. Ring Explosion isn’t just about shattering the ring to release energy, but there’s a logic to it.
I’ve already figured out everything that can be explored.
My Innate Treasure Pearl can now move freely within my body, protecting my meridians, bones, and blood at all times.
If you’re still worried, Sister Ling Yuan, you can bring in a few more healing soul masters."
"Then wait a moment."
A short while later, Ling Yuan returned with an elegant female soul master, signaling to Lin Feng that he could begin.
Lin Feng recognized the female soul master—she was a teacher at the academy, a level 73 Soul Sage named Ye Zixin, with the Water Lily martial soul.
At the same time, high in the sky, in a place almost impossible to detect, another figure appeared. It was Qian Daoliu, who had received Ling Yuan’s message.
The pale yellow soul ring floated up and down on the Innate Treasure Pearl. In the next moment, Lin Feng guided it to appear on his right hand.
With a flip of his left hand, the Innate Treasure Pearl entered his liver, and a pure white light illuminated Lin Feng’s body.
Ling Yuan and the others were stunned.
Lin Feng shouted, "Break!"
A sound like shattering glass echoed, and the soul ring in Lin Feng’s hand was no longer solid.
It had transformed from a ring of water into a larger, smoke-like state.
Lin Feng’s brows furrowed as he endured the pain of the soul ring shattering, pulling it back into his body.