The early morning sunlight spilled through the dorm window, casting warm gold across the floorboards. Lin Feng sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed, a quiet storm of power swirling beneath his skin. The moment had come.
"System, consume 200 points to reach Level 20."
A soft chime echoed in his ears.
[Ding! 200 points consumed. Current Points: 5850. Soul Power: Level 20.]
A surge of energy rippled through his body like a river breaking its dam. His muscles tightened, spiritual threads weaving deeper into his bones. His spirit core pulsed—ready. He exhaled slowly, a smirk rising on his face.
"Finally… the first bottleneck is crushed."
Just as he stood up to stretch, the academy bell rang. Moments later, chaos erupted at the school gates.
Would you like me to continue with the grand entrance of Ziyang Xue and the battle sequence next?
As Lin Feng walked out of Dorm Seven, a crowd had already gathered at the academy's central courtyard. Dust rose in the air, kicked up by the arrival of a black-and-gold carriage drawn by a snow-white spirit beast horse. On its side shimmered the sigil of a coiling, three-headed hydra.
The crowd murmured.
"That crest… that's the Ziyang Clan!"
"They're from the royal academies! Why would someone like that come here?"
The carriage door opened, and from it stepped a youth in silver-black robes, his expression calm, eyes colder than steel. His hair was tied back with a black silk ribbon bearing a single obsidian bead. A faint, toxic pressure filled the air around him.
"My name is Ziyang Xue," he declared. "Heir of the Ziyang Clan. I've come to see the so-called 'geniuses' of this lowborn academy. I'll be generous—two of you may come at once."
The crowd recoiled at his arrogance, but from the steps behind them, two students approached—one with calm eyes and long blue sleeves, the other hopping with energy and a gleam in her ruby-like eyes.
"Tang San," he said, voice steady, "Blue Silver Bamboo, Level 15."
"Xiao Wu! Golden Ring Rabbit! Level 12!" she chirped, then leaned forward, adding, "Also, your nose is ugly."
Ziyang raised a brow.
"So these are the so-called prodigies? A weed and a bunny?"
But when he saw Xiao Wu's golden soul ring shimmer behind her—radiant, light-infused, and clearly mutated—his mocking tone faltered for a split second.
"A golden ring… but just 100 years? A mutation. Tch—still beneath me."
He lifted his hand, and a massive aura burst from him. His martial spirit emerged—the Obsidian Bone Hydra, its three shadowy heads coiling behind him, scales gleaming like polished night. Two soul rings floated up—one white, the other dark yellow—100-year and 700-year soul rings.
"Come then, let the blood of your spirits paint the ground!"
[Combat Begins]
Tang San stepped forward, his sleeves fluttering as the Blue Silver Bamboo uncoiled from his hand like a whip, extending toward the middle hydra head. Simultaneously, Xiao Wu launched forward with rabbit-like speed, twisting into a midair spin—Waist Bow!
Ziyang's first soul ring glowed. Bone Lock Bind! Shadowy hydra tendrils surged out of the ground to bind them.
Snap!
But the Blue Silver Bamboo wrapped around one tendril, redirecting it. Xiao Wu twisted in midair, flipping over the rest with incredible agility.
"You'll have to do better than that!" she shouted, landing behind Ziyang and going for a sweep kick.
"Second Soul Skill—Obsidian Regrowth!"
Black hydra heads lunged out of his back, blocking Xiao Wu's kick and regenerating where Tang's bamboo struck.
Tang San jumped back, eyes narrowing. "That hydra's regeneration is no joke."
"Time to end this," Ziyang growled. "Let's see how your cheap tricks fare against noble blood!"
He summoned three bone spears from his hydra and launched them like missiles.
Thud! One grazed Tang San's shoulder.
Clang! Xiao Wu barely dodged, but was forced back.
"Enough!"
A third voice rang out. Lin Feng had stepped onto the courtyard stage, the Phantom Blood Dagger spinning lightly in his palm.
"I was hoping you'd beat them up a bit more before I stepped in. But you're just loud and annoying."
Ziyang sneered. "You? Another brat with delusions?"
[Ding! Plot Interference Opportunity Detected. Modify Ending? Cost: 50 points.]
Lin Feng grinned. "Make it worth it."
The moment Lin Feng stepped forward, the courtyard's mood shifted.
Even the Obsidian Bone Hydra's heads hissed, their instincts reacting to something unfamiliar. Lin Feng drew a circle in the air with his fingers. In a flash, a dagger shimmered into view—thin as a whisper, black as obsidian, with a vein of blood pulsing along its spine.
"Martial Spirit: Phantom Blood Dagger."
"Soul Skill: Phantom Dash."
[Soul Level: 20. Soul Ring: 1000-Year Purple Ring.]
Ziyang's pupils contracted.
"A thousand-year soul ring? At your age—!"
"Shut up," Lin Feng said flatly.
He blurred.
No sound. No motion trail. Just a blink—and then he was behind Ziyang, dagger aiming straight for the leftmost hydra head. Ziyang barely turned in time, forming a bone shield, but—
Slash!
The Phantom Blood Dagger ignored part of the defense, carving through the hydra spirit's outer protection. Black blood splashed onto the arena tiles.
Ziyang roared. His second ring flared.
"Obsidian Regrowth!!"
All three hydra heads surged, lashing out like vipers. Tang San, bleeding from earlier, launched his Blue Silver Bamboo again in support, wrapping one of the heads. Xiao Wu somersaulted over another and landed a sharp kick on the third. But Ziyang focused on Lin Feng.
"Your dagger's quick. Let's see if you're quicker!"
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. He clicked his tongue.
"Let's use some points to tilt fate..."
> [Ding! 25 Points Consumed — Skill Boost Applied to Phantom Dash for 10 seconds.]
He vanished.
Appeared mid-air.
Spun.
And struck.
Ziyang howled as the dagger slipped between his ribs—not fatal, but deep enough to knock him off his footing.
"You're losing, Young Master Hydra."
"NO—!" Ziyang tried to re-engage, but Lin Feng stepped around him, dancing past attacks like a phantom.
At last, Lin Feng dashed in close. Their faces nearly touched.
"Here's a plot twist for you."
BAM!
Lin Feng landed a precise strike with the hilt of his dagger, knocking Ziyang out cold.
The courtyard went silent.
Xiao Wu whistled. Tang San blinked, stunned. Even the bystanders who had mocked them earlier were now staring wide-eyed.
A system screen floated in Lin Feng's vision:
> [Ding! Legendary Plot Interference Complete.]
—Defeated Royal Academy Prodigy Ziyang Xue.
—Outcome Diverted from Canon.
—Reward Granted: 1000-Year Purple Soul Ring (Skill: Shadow Bind Bloom)
—+2000 Points Earned. Total Points: 7850.
"Nice."
Reward Description:
Soul Ring: 1000-Year Purple
Skill: Shadow Bind Bloom
When activated, Lin Feng's dagger leaves a "blooming" seal on a struck enemy, which detonates into shadow tendrils after 2 seconds. Traps and binds enemies for 3 seconds, reducing their soul power output by 30%.
As the nobles' guards picked up Ziyang's unconscious body and fled, the headmaster of Nuoding Academy stepped onto the stage.
"Lin Feng, Tang San, Xiao Wu... your battle today has shaken even us teachers. From this moment on—your names will be remembered."
Xiao Wu skipped to Lin Feng's side.
"You're not bad for a big brother brother," she teased.
Tang San folded his arms. "Since when is he your big brother?"
Lin Feng just chuckled, eyes glowing with quiet pride.
"Today was fun. Let's see what kind of trouble tomorrow brings."