Ye Feng grinned. If he didn't have the Eye of Hell and his mental power wasn't showing signs of breaking through the mustard seed realm, even with his knowledge of Douluo's storyline, killing Shi Nian wouldn't have been this easy.
Of course, if the Eye of Hell hadn't yet been without any spirit rings, Ye Feng would've won even more effortlessly.
He hadn't added any spirit rings to the Eye of Hell simply because he hadn't found a suitable spirit beast yet—at least, not one over ten thousand years old.
In the original storyline, Tang San had been the one to kill Shi Nian, but it was far from an easy victory. Ye Feng didn't follow Tang San's method because he was confident in his twin martial spirits and had a plan to catch Shi Nian off guard. First, he used ice to temporarily restrain him. Then, with a single strike from the third spirit skill of the Xuanyuan Sword, he ended Shi Nian's life.
Ye Feng crouched down, took out a dagger, and cut a glowing object from Shi Nian's head. That was one problem solved.
After storing the spirit bone in his ring, he opened his personal attribute interface and frowned. "System, didn't I just kill Shi Nian? In the original storyline, he died at Tang San's hands. Why didn't I get any reward?"
"The system reports to the host: Although the host killed Shi Nian, this did not subvert any major plot points. His final outcome remains the same—death."
"…Shit, so that's how it works?" Ye Feng suddenly realized.
If he had spared Shi Nian's life, that would've been considered a subversion of the original story, but killing him didn't change anything significant. Losing out on a few attribute points wasn't a big deal, though, so he shrugged it off.
When Ye Feng returned to Shrek Academy, he spotted Ning Rongrong chatting and laughing with Xiao Wu, Liu Erlong, and Xiaomi. Liu Erlong, in particular, seemed to have completely forgotten her age, acting like she was the same age as the other two.
As soon as Xiaomi noticed Ye Feng approaching, she immediately gave up her seat and smiled. "Master Ye Feng, please sit down."
"You don't have to call me 'Master.' Just call me by my name. Or better yet, just call me Boss Ye," Ye Feng said casually.
"No, I'm Sister Xiao Wu's maid. I must call you 'Master.' If you don't like it, I'll call you Brother-in-law instead," Xiaomi replied seriously.
Ye Feng could only smile helplessly at that.
Xiaomi was a catwoman Ning Fengzhi had purchased from the Tiandou Auction House. Since she was a transformed spirit beast, and Xiao Wu was one as well, Ning Fengzhi had given Xiaomi to her.
After all, killing a transformed spirit beast would grant a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone.
When Ye Feng first saw Ning Fengzhi give Xiaomi to Xiao Wu, he had been confused and questioned him about it.
Ning Fengzhi's reasoning was simple. First, a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring was only useful when a spirit master reached the rank of Spirit Douluo and was preparing for the breakthrough to Titled Douluo.
Most of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's direct disciples had the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda as their martial spirit. Due to its limitations, not a single one of them had ever reached Spirit Douluo rank, let alone Titled Douluo. Ning Rongrong was the only exception, as she had evolved her martial spirit into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, but no one knew how long it would take for her to reach that level.
In short, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had no immediate need for a ninth spirit ring, and giving it to a collateral descendant could potentially breed internal conflicts. That would only weaken the sect in the long run.
Secondly, transformed spirit beasts had a unique advantage—their first six spirit rings were always at least optimal configurations, and their talent was superior to most ordinary humans.
By keeping Xiaomi alive, Ning Fengzhi was making an investment. If she managed to reach the rank of Spirit Douluo or even Titled Douluo, she would be a valuable ally to the sect—far more beneficial than just harvesting her spirit rings and bones.
"Brother-in-law?" Ye Feng raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xiao Wu with a teasing grin. After a brief pause, he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
"Brother-in-law, please have a seat. I'll go boil some water and make you some tea," Xiaomi said with a cheerful smile.
"No need, I'm actually here for Rongrong," Ye Feng shook his head.
"Me?" Ning Rongrong looked up curiously.
"Rongrong, if I remember correctly, your birthday is in one month and eight days, right?"
"Mhm. Why? Are you planning to get me a birthday present?"
"Smart girl." Ye Feng snapped his fingers and took out the spirit bone he had acquired from Shi Nian's corpse, handing it to Ning Rongrong.
"Spirit bone!"
"Spirit bone!"
"Spirit bone!"
Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Liu Erlong all stood up in shock.
Ye Feng nodded. "I was originally planning to give it to you on your birthday, but since the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Competition has already started, I figured you should have it now."
Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled, but she hesitated and shook her head. "No, Brother, you don't even have a spirit bone yourself. You should keep it."
"You can only use spirit bones that match your abilities. Otherwise, not only would it not enhance your power, but it would also waste a valuable slot," Ye Feng explained. "This spirit bone is gem-type, meaning it's suited for auxiliary and spiritual-type spirit masters. It's a perfect fit for you. Take it. Since you call me Senior Brother, why are you still acting so formal with me?"
"…Okay." Ning Rongrong hesitated for a moment longer, then accepted the gift and stored it in her ring.
Ye Feng watched her quietly.
Truthfully, he could've used the spirit bone himself, as his third martial spirit, the Eye of Hell, was a spiritual-type spirit. If he had absorbed it, the system would've rewarded him.
But he had already decided to focus on offense.
Suddenly, Ning Rongrong stepped up to him, leaned in, and pressed her lips lightly against his cheek.
Bo!
Ye Feng blinked in surprise and reached up to touch his cheek, still damp with her warmth.
"Brother, don't get the wrong idea! I just… just wanted to thank you," Ning Rongrong stammered, her ears turning red as she spun around and hurried off.
Liu Erlong watched the scene unfold with an amused grin. "Ye Feng, how did you suddenly get a spirit bone? Did you… take care of it?"
"Yeah." Ye Feng nodded.
"He's dead?"
"Mm."
"Good riddance." Liu Erlong exhaled in relief. With Shi Nian dead, there was no longer an invisible threat looming over them. She gave Ye Feng a once-over, her grin widening. Her expression was sweet—too sweet.
"What's that look for?" Ye Feng asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Heh, just thinking that I really have an eye for men," Liu Erlong smirked. Then, her expression shifted, as if she had just remembered something unpleasant. "Ye Feng, Yu Xiaogang left."
"Oh." Ye Feng barely reacted.
"I heard from Boss Fu that he went to Blazing Academy."
"Blazing Academy?"
"Yeah. Apparently, he had a friendship with Huo Lie, the dean of Blazing Academy, from years ago. He's now leading their team in the competition."
"Oh." Ye Feng still responded indifferently.
Yu Xiaogang was desperately trying to prove himself. But because of Ye Feng's interference, Liu Erlong had completely fallen for him instead. Ye Feng had also taken Yu Xiaogang's original position as the team leader of Shrek Academy. With no other options, Yu Xiaogang had no choice but to leave.
The system had predicted this outcome long ago, so Ye Feng wasn't surprised in the slightest.
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