The purple ring settled around Lin Feng's ankles, humming with a frequency that made the very air vibrate. He felt heavier, not in a way that hindered movement, but in a way that suggested gravity itself had acknowledged his existence. His Spirit Power had surged from Level 10 to Level 14 in a single leap, the excess energy of the 1,100-year ring propelling his cultivation forward.
[Ding! Task Complete: The First Step of the Monarch.]
[Rewards Issued:]
1,000 System Points.
Beginner's Gift Pack (Open now?).
5% Clear Sky Hammer Fusion (Current: 5%).
"Open the gift pack," Lin Feng thought, wiping the sweat from his brow. His golden skin retreated, returning to its normal, fair appearance, though he felt far more durable than before.
[Opening Beginner's Gift Pack... Received:]
Passive Skill: Nature's Camouflage (Hides the 'Golden' aura from anyone 20 levels higher than Host).
Technique: Seven Kill Sword Intent (Fragment) - Increases sharpness of all attacks.
Item: 500ml of 'Heavenly Dew' - Rapidly restores Spirit Power.
"Good. I need to look like a normal wanderer," Lin Feng muttered. He looked at his tattered clothes. He looked less like a genius and more like a beggar who had survived a landslide.
Suddenly, a massive psychic shockwave rippled through the forest. It was invisible to the naked eye but felt like a cold bucket of water dumped over his soul. Farther north, the sky seemed to shimmer for a split second.
The Skydream Ice Worm has appeared, Lin Feng realized. Huo Yuhao is there.
He began to move. Thanks to his new soul skill, Golden Vajra Transformation, his base physical speed had doubled. He leaped through the branches, his movements guided by the Simulation System to ensure he didn't stumble into the territory of a 10,000-year beast.
The Scene at the Clearing
By the time Lin Feng reached the clearing, the intense spiritual pressure had faded. In the center of the path lay a young boy, roughly Lin Feng's age, with messy blue hair and a thin, frail frame. This was Huo Yuhao.
Standing over him were two people. One was a beautiful girl with long, dark hair tied in a ponytail—Tang Ya. Beside her was a handsome, refined young man with an air of hidden lightning—Bei Bei, the "Thunder Tyrant."
"Who's there?" Bei Bei's head snapped toward the bushes. His eyes narrowed, and a faint blue spark flickered on his fingertips.
Lin Feng didn't hide. He stepped out, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "Just a traveler. I heard the commotion and thought a high-level beast had breached the outer perimeter."
Tang Ya blinked, her big eyes scanning Lin Feng. "A traveler? Alone? Little brother, you look like you've been through a meat grinder. Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Lin Feng said, putting on his best 'innocent child' act. "I was hunting a hundred-year beast nearby and got caught in the shockwave. Is he... okay?" He pointed at the unconscious Yuhao.
"He's just fainted," Bei Bei said, though his gaze remained suspicious. He looked at Lin Feng's hands—calloused and steady. "You said you were hunting? At your age? What is your Rank?"
Lin Feng hesitated. The System whispered in his mind.
[Option 1: Reveal truth (Purple Ring). Result: 90% chance of being taken to Shrek Academy under high surveillance.]
[Option 2: Lie (Yellow Ring simulation). Result: Smooth integration into the Tang Sect.]
"Level 14 Spirit Grandmaster," Lin Feng lied smoothly. With a flick of his wrist, he triggered the Simulation System's visual overlay. Instead of his majestic purple ring, a standard, bright yellow ring rose from his feet. "My Martial Soul is a Body Soul—the Bronze Spirit Body. It's... not very flashy."
"A Body Soul!" Tang Ya's eyes lit up. "And a Yellow Ring at eleven? That's not bad at all! Bei Bei, look, he's a talent!"
Bei Bei relaxed his stance, the sparks of lightning vanishing. "Bronze Spirit Body? It seems your defense must be quite high to survive in this forest alone. I am Bei Bei, and this is Tang Ya. We are from the Tang Sect."
"The Tang Sect?" Lin Feng feigned surprise. "The legendary sect of hidden weapons? I've heard of you!"
Deep Dialogues: The Invitation
As Huo Yuhao began to wake up, the four of them sat by a small fire Tang Ya had started. Lin Feng shared some of the dried meat he had in his satchel, earning him more points from the System for "Building Bonds with Protagonists."
"So, Lin Feng," Tang Ya said, her mouth full of food. "What are your plans? A body soul expert like you could easily find a place in a mid-tier academy."
Lin Feng looked into the fire, his expression turning somber. "I have no family. I've lived in the mountains most of my life. I just want to become strong enough so that I don't have to run from the beasts anymore."
Bei Bei looked at Lin Feng with a trace of pity. "Strength without a path is just violence, Lin Feng. Our Tang Sect is currently... small. But we have traditions that go back ten thousand years. We are looking for new blood."
Huo Yuhao, who had been listening quietly while trying to process the voice of Skydream in his head, looked at Lin Feng. He felt a strange kinship with this boy. "Lin Feng... you're strong. I saw the tracks you left coming here. They were deep. You carry a lot of weight, don't you?"
Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes are already working, he thought. Even though his Hammer wasn't out, its weight was part of his soul's essence.
"Everyone carries weight, Yuhao," Lin Feng replied softly. "Some of us carry it in our hearts, others in our hands. I just happened to be born with a heavy body."
Tang Ya clapped her hands. "That's it! Lin Feng, Yuhao, both of you! Join my Tang Sect! We'll go to Shrek Academy together. I'll teach you the Mysterious Heaven Skill, the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step... all of it!"
[New Task Triggered: The Sect's Foundation.]
Objective: Join the Tang Sect and reach Shrek Academy.
Reward: 2,000 System Points, 'Purple Spirit Eye' evolution, and 10% Hammer Fusion.
Lin Feng looked at Tang Ya, then at Bei Bei. He knew that by joining them, he was tying his fate to the main plot. But with the Exchange System, he could turn the Tang Sect into something far more powerful than it was in the original story.
"I would be honored, Sect Master," Lin Feng said, bowing his head.
The Hidden Growth
That night, as the others slept, Lin Feng opened the Exchange System menu.
"System, I have 1,000 points. What can I get to improve my Clear Sky Hammer without revealing it?"
[Recommended Items:]
Gravity Control Seal (500 Points): Allows the host to increase or decrease the weight of his Martial Souls at will. (Essential for hiding the Hammer's presence).
Internal Cultivation: Golden Bell Shield (400 Points): Synergizes with Golden Spirit Body to provide internal organ protection.
Hammer Technique: Disordered Splitting Wind (100 Points): The basic hammer technique of the Clear Sky School.
"Buy all three," Lin Feng commanded.
As the knowledge flooded his brain, Lin Feng felt a heavy seal settle over his second Martial Soul. The Clear Sky Hammer, which had been exerting a constant pressure on his meridians, suddenly felt light as a feather.
He looked at his hands in the moonlight. He was no longer just a survivor. He was a member of the Tang Sect, a dual-soul genius, and a man with a system that could rewrite the heavens.
"Shrek Academy," he whispered. "I'm coming."