The journey from the Star Dou Great Forest to Shrek Academy was several hundred miles, a distance that would take a normal merchant caravan weeks. But for a group of Soul Masters—even young ones—it was a grueling test of endurance.
Tang Ya and Bei Bei didn't make it easy. They moved at a constant, high-speed clip, forcing Lin Feng and Huo Yuhao to push their Spirit Power to the limit just to keep up.
[System Notification: Passive Training Mode Active.]
[Effect: Every mile traveled increases physical constitution by 0.01%. Current Progress: +2.4%.]
Lin Feng felt the burn in his lungs, but his Golden Spirit Body acted like a battery, recycling the kinetic energy of his movement to reinforce his muscles. Beside him, Huo Yuhao was struggling. His Spirit Eyes were powerful, but his physical foundation was the weakest among them.
"Yuhao, breathe with your diaphragm, not your chest," Lin Feng whispered during a short break by a river. "Imagine the Spirit Power isn't just in your meridians, but soaking into your very bones. Like water into a dry sponge."
Huo Yuhao wiped sweat from his eyes, looking at Lin Feng with admiration. "How do you stay so steady, Lin Feng? You aren't even panting."
Lin Feng smiled, though internally he was consulting the Simulation System.
Simulation: Best way to assist Huo Yuhao's growth without revealing Skydream?
Result: Suggest 'Weight Distribution' exercises to balance his weak frame.
"It's my Body Soul," Lin Feng lied smoothly. "I spent years carrying logs in the mountains. Here, try this. Focus your Spirit Eyes not on the path ahead, but on the way your own weight shifts when your foot hits the ground. If you can control your center of gravity, you'll save half your energy."
Huo Yuhao nodded and closed his eyes. In the spiritual sea of his mind, the Skydream Ice Worm hummed. "This kid Lin Feng... his soul foundation is terrifyingly stable. He's teaching you the principles of 'Grand Earth Balance.' Follow his advice, little Yuhao!"
The Secret Training: The Hammer and the Eyes
At night, while Tang Ya and Bei Bei slept, Lin Feng would venture deep into the woods to practice the Disordered Splitting Wind Hammer technique. Since he couldn't summon the actual Clear Sky Hammer yet, he used the Exchange System to manifest a 500-pound iron wood log as a training tool.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He swung the log in a rhythmic, circular motion, using the centrifugal force to build momentum. Each swing was heavier than the last.
"Ninety-seven... ninety-eight... ninety-nine!"
BOOM!
The final strike shattered a boulder into dust. Lin Feng stood there, steam rising from his skin.
"You're very strong, Lin Feng."
Lin Feng spun around. Huo Yuhao was standing there, his pupils glowing with a faint purple light—the beginnings of the Purple Spirit Eye.
"Yuhao? I thought you were asleep."
"I couldn't sleep. The energy here was... heavy," Yuhao said, walking closer. He looked at the shattered boulder. "That wasn't a Bronze Body's strength. That was something else."
Lin Feng sighed, leaning against the remains of the rock. "We all have secrets, Yuhao. You have that massive spiritual surge from the forest, and I have a weight I'm not allowed to show yet. Can we make a deal? I help you with your physical training, and you keep my 'extracurricular' practice a secret?"
Yuhao smiled warmly and extended a hand. "Deal. We're Tang Sect brothers, aren't we?"
Arrival at Shrek: The Entrance Exam
Three days later, the towering walls of Shrek Academy appeared on the horizon. It wasn't just a school; it was a city-state, the heart of the Soul Master world.
"Alright, boys," Tang Ya said, her face uncharacteristically serious. "Bei Bei and I can get you to the gates, but Shrek doesn't take 'recommendations.' You have to pass the combat trial. If you fail, you're out."
The entrance plaza was swarmed with thousands of applicants. Lin Feng and Yuhao stood before a stern-looking examiner with a white beard.
"Name: Lin Feng. Age: 11. Martial Soul: Bronze Spirit Body. Rank: 14," the examiner read from the paper. He looked up, his eyes sharp. "A Body Soul? Rare. But at Level 14, you're on the edge of being too weak. To pass, you must survive three minutes against a Level 25 Battle Soul Elder."
The crowd gasped. A Level 14 against a Level 25? That was an impossible gap.
"I accept," Lin Feng said, stepping into the arena.
The examiner signaled a young man in a white Shrek uniform to step forward. "I am Lu Chen, Rank 26 Tool Soul: Heavy Iron Spear. Kid, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Begin!"
Lu Chen exploded forward, his spear whistling through the air. A yellow spirit ring flared, and the tip of the spear glowed with a piercing light. "First Soul Skill: Piercing Gale!"
Lin Feng didn't move. He stood in the center of the ring, his feet planted wide.
"Is he scared?" someone in the crowd yelled.
[System: Activating Simulation-Combat Mode.]
[Probability of Spear Tip Deflection: 98%. Target: Left Shoulder.]
"First Soul Skill!" Lin Feng roared. A purple ring—disguised as yellow by the system—rose from his feet. "Golden Vajra Transformation!"
His skin took on a dull, metallic sheen. As the spear tip struck his shoulder, there was no sound of tearing flesh.
CLANG!
The spear bounced off as if it had hit a mountain. Lu Chen's arms went numb from the recoil.
"What?!" Lu Chen gasped.
Lin Feng didn't give him time to recover. He moved. He didn't use a soul skill; he used the Disordered Splitting Wind footwork he'd been practicing. He closed the gap in a heartbeat.
"My turn," Lin Feng whispered.
He delivered a simple palm strike to Lu Chen's chest. He didn't use his full strength, but he channeled the "Weight" of the latent Clear Sky Hammer into his palm.
THUD.
Lu Chen, a Rank 26 expert, was sent sliding back across the stone floor, his feet leaving scorch marks until he tumbled out of the arena bounds.
The silence in the plaza was deafening. The examiner stared at his stopwatch. Twelve seconds.
"Pass," the examiner stammered. "Lin Feng... Grade: Exceptional. Welcome to Shrek Academy."
Lin Feng walked back to a stunned Tang Ya and a grinning Huo Yuhao. He checked his System.
[Task Complete: The Sect's Foundation.]
[Rewards: 2,000 Points, 'Purple Spirit Eye' (Initial Stage), 10% Hammer Fusion.]
[Current Hammer Fusion: 15%.]
[New Soul Skill Unlocked (Hammer): Absolute Gravity.]
"One step closer," Lin Feng thought, his eyes turning toward the inner peaks of the academy. "One step closer to the top."