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"Lin Feng, I'm back again—eh? Why are you cultivating?"
Just a few quiet days of cultivation, and Zi Yan's arrival once again shattered Lin Feng's peaceful routine.
Seeing the girl before him, now noticeably stronger, Lin Feng's eyes lit up as he asked, "Zi Yan, what level are you now in the Dou Wang realm?"
Hearing that, she paused for a moment, then replied uncertainly, "Before I met you, I was probably around a Two-Star Dou Wang. After eating your refined pills for the past few months, I should have advanced one star. So… I think I'm now a Four-Star Dou Wang."
"Four-Star Dou Wang, huh…"
After hearing that, Lin Feng's brows immediately furrowed together, silently calculating their odds against the Eight Gates.
Seeing his expression, Zi Yan asked, "What's wrong? Are there new developments recently?"
Just thinking about the generous rewards he gave her after every mission, her pair of purple eyes began to gleam.
Rubbing his temples, Lin Feng replied with some concern, "It's that matter in Black Seal City. That Yuan Yi is a Two-Star Dou Huang, and Xiao Cai needs to guard the warehouse recently. The two of us alone might not be able to handle it."
"Then just have her help us destroy the Eight Gates first, and she can go back to guard the warehouse afterward."
Zi Yan waved her hand casually as if it were no big deal.
"No can do. Right now, there's really no one else I can trust. If I take her away, I'm afraid by the time I return, the warehouse will have been picked clean."
Shaking his head, Lin Feng forced a bitter smile.
In truth, most of the stuff in the warehouse wasn't that important to him.
What really mattered was the Green Lotus Core Flame he'd stored inside the newly built warehouse.
He used to carry it with him at all times, but every time he encountered a powerful expert, he'd be constantly on edge.
So he simply built a special warehouse and placed the Heavenly Flame inside.
During its construction, he used materials with aura-concealing properties. Unless someone with overwhelming strength or another Heavenly Flame approached, no one would sense its presence.
On top of that, he assigned Xiao Cai to guard the place, ensuring its security was maxed out within his current capabilities.
"That is troublesome indeed… but revenge isn't something that needs to be rushed, right? We can wait a few years until we're stronger, then strike back."
Zi Yan frowned slightly as she spoke.
Of course, Lin Feng couldn't admit that part of the reason was to establish a way to trade for what he needed from Xiao Yan.
After thinking for a few seconds, he said, "I advanced to Dou Wang using a special method, but it came with a side effect—I only have three years of lifespan left. I have to break through to Dou Huang to eliminate that side effect.
That's why I want to destroy the Eight Gates as soon as possible and seize their stockpile of cultivation resources to help me reach Dou Huang quickly."
"What?!"
Zi Yan's expression instantly turned panicked, her voice filled with shock.
If what Lin Feng said was true, then didn't that mean he had less than three years to live?
If he died, who else would keep giving her all those delicious pills? How was she supposed to grow up properly?
"That's why I don't have much of a choice—I can only find a way to take them out quickly and secure more resources."
Lin Feng spread his hands, clearly helpless.
Zi Yan was extremely anxious. The thought that her closest friend had less than three years left to live was unbearable.
And most importantly—if Lin Feng died, who would refine tasty pills for her?
After enjoying months of top-grade pills, she really couldn't go back to those nasty old herbs.
After a long moment of hesitation, she finally gritted her teeth and said, "How about this—I'll take you to the Inner Academy. There's something there that can boost your cultivation speed."
Lin Feng blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Zi Yan to take such a big risk by bringing him into Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy.
If they got caught, this girl definitely wouldn't get off easy.
Still, he was extremely curious about the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower inside the Inner Academy, which used the Fallen Heart Flame to boost cultivation speed.
But then he thought of the powerful experts within Jia Nan Academy and voiced his concern: "There are so many strong people inside—won't we get discovered?"
If he were caught, that might be the end of him.
"Relax. If I bring you in myself, the chance of getting discovered by that old geezer Su Qian is really small.
The other two old guys who could notice me are always holed up in the Outer Academy's Book Collection Hall. As long as nothing major happens in the Inner Academy, they won't interfere. As for everyone else—they won't even notice me."
Zi Yan puffed her chest confidently.
But shortly after, the confident smile faded from her little face. Her expression grew serious as she added, "However, once you're inside, you must be careful. Don't cause trouble. If you're discovered not to be a student of Jia Nan Academy, it'll be a real problem."
Hearing her words, Lin Feng couldn't help feeling excited.
If he could get into Jia Nan Academy early and scope things out, it might be a huge help for their future plans.
Plus, he'd just learned an important piece of intel from Zi Yan: the "Two Guardian Elders" usually stayed in the Outer Academy and rarely visited the Inner Academy.
That meant his infiltration would be much easier.
He nodded toward Zi Yan and said, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I just want to boost my cultivation speed. I'm not interested in anything else."
"Alright, let's head out now."
Zi Yan also understood Lin Feng's personality—unless someone had something he truly wanted, he had no interest in causing trouble.
"Okay."
Lin Feng nodded and agreed readily.
In any case, he had already told his subordinates he would be going into seclusion for some time, and everything had been arranged in advance. Spending a period in the Inner Academy wouldn't affect Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's operations.
Just as he was about to set off, Lin Feng suddenly remembered Xiao Cai in the warehouse. He turned to Zi Yan and said, "Wait for me a moment, I'll go tell Xiao Cai that I'll be back after a while."
With that, he left the room and walked toward the warehouse.
A short while later, as Lin Feng arrived at the warehouse, a small, colorful figure shot out.
In the blink of an eye, it stopped in front of him.
Its little tail was wagging nonstop, and Xiao Cai's pair of purple snake eyes were filled with both joy and reproach.
It seemed to be asking why he had taken so long to come see it.
Seeing this, Lin Feng smiled slightly and gently stroked the little Heaven Swallowing Python's head.
The creature also narrowed its enchanting snake eyes comfortably and flicked its forked tongue onto his palm, the wet and soft sensation making Lin Feng feel ticklish.
With a wave of his other hand, a bottle of Amethyst Lion Birth Essence appeared in his palm.
The moment the Birth Essence appeared, the Heaven Swallowing Python suddenly shot toward the bottle like a bolt of lightning, affectionately rubbing against Lin Feng.
"Here, eat up."
Lin Feng pulled out the stopper, letting Xiao Cai help itself freely.
After all, he would be staying in the Inner Academy for a while, so this was a chance for the little one to have a good meal.
The Heaven Swallowing Python immediately wrapped its slender body around his hand and the bottle.
Its tongue darted out and dipped into the bottle, taking a deep draw. In an instant, nearly a third of the Companion Source inside was gone.
Then, raising its head with satisfaction, it licked the remaining source from its lips.
After Xiao Cai had eaten its fill, Lin Feng put away the rest of the Companion Source and gently said, "Little one, I'll be away for a while. I'll come visit you again in a few days, alright?"
"Ying ying~"
Upon hearing that, Xiao Cai instantly became anxious. Its hissing grew sharper, and it began circling around him incessantly.
"Uhh, Xiao Cai, I don't really have a choice. I can't bring the Heavenly Flame with me, and if I leave it here without you guarding it, I won't feel at ease."
Seeing the Heaven Swallowing Python's reluctant expression, Lin Feng smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"Ying ying~"
Hearing this, Xiao Cai rubbed its tail against its chin, seemingly deep in thought. After a while, as if it had come up with an idea, its pair of enchanting purple eyes slowly closed.
A moment later, its body suddenly emitted a radiant multicolored light. In the blink of an eye, a peach-like delicate figure appeared before him.
Seeing this transformation, Lin Feng instinctively stiffened for a moment out of respect, but he wasn't particularly surprised—after all, he had seen it several times already.
He quickly figured out what was going on and asked, "Queen, did Xiao Cai make some kind of deal with you?"
"You're not too dumb. The little one let me control its body for seven days, in exchange for helping you guard that Heavenly Flame."
As she spoke, Medusa waved her jade-like hand, and the space in the center of the warehouse distorted.
The stone platform, along with the black crystal lotus seat placed upon it, vanished as if it had never existed.
After finishing everything, Medusa turned her head and looked at Lin Feng. "I've set up some defenses around the Green Lotus Core Flame. Unless a peak Dou Huang arrives, your subordinates won't be able to break them. And if anyone does touch the protection, I'll be able to sense it immediately."
"Thank you, Queen, for your help."
Lin Feng's face lit up with joy as he smiled gratefully.
With Medusa, a Dou Zong-level powerhouse, personally setting up a protective barrier, there were few in the northern part of the Black-Corner Region capable of breaking through it. There wasn't much to worry about.
Moreover, since the warehouse had been built, Lin Feng had explicitly prohibited anyone else from entering. Outsiders had no idea there was a Heavenly Flame inside.
"But honestly, I don't get you. You went through all that trouble to get this Heavenly Flame, yet you've never tried to absorb it."
Medusa played with her nails as her beautiful eyes swept over Lin Feng up and down.
"Hehe, it's just not the right time yet."
Lin Feng gave a mysterious smile and replied softly.
"Tch."
Seeing that he didn't want to tell her, Medusa frowned slightly. She had a feeling Lin Feng was plotting something.
After thinking for a long time without any answer, Medusa transformed into a streak of rainbow-colored light and flashed into Lin Feng's sleeve. "Let's go then. I want to see what interesting place you're heading to this time."
Hearing the seductive voice from his sleeve, Lin Feng walked outside with a serious expression and said, "This time we're going to Jia Nan Academy, Queen. You'd better be careful."
"Got it."
Once outside, Lin Feng closed the heavy stone door. A spatial force surged again, sealing the entrance.
Seeing such a high-level protection, Lin Feng nodded with great satisfaction before heading toward where Zi Yan was waiting.
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