MTLNOVEL Chapter 22: Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Laozi
Ye Feng looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man in brocade robes walking toward him.
The man appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. Behind him were six guards, along with Xiao Chenyu, who had previously been beaten by Ye Feng.
"Xiao Chenyu?" Ye Feng frowned and murmured.
"Ye Feng, don't get me wrong. My father insisted on standing up for me. I never intended for you to be expelled from the academy," Xiao Chenyu explained anxiously.
"Ye Feng? So you're the one who broke my son's ribs?" The middle-aged man glared at Ye Feng, his tone filled with anger.
"So what?" Ye Feng replied calmly.
"In that case, let's fight," the middle-aged man declared.
"You're seriously about to bully a kid?" Ye Feng frowned.
"Cut the bullshit. You think I can just sit back after you beat my son? Am I still fucking Xiao Xiao, the richest man in Notting City, if I let that slide?" Xiao Xiao sneered.
As he spoke, his spirit power surged, and three spirit rings appeared beneath him—one white, two yellow. A red glow condensed behind him, forming the upright shadow of a wolf.
This was happening right in front of Notting City Spirit Master Academy's dormitory. The commotion quickly attracted attention. Seeing an adult about to attack a student, a dormitory teacher stepped forward and tried to intervene.
"Noble Xiao Xiao, this is the academy. If word gets out that you're here beating up children, it won't look good for you," the teacher reminded him.
"You just met me yesterday?" Xiao Xiao shot the teacher a cold glare. "And besides, they're no longer students of your academy. They've been expelled. You'd better mind your own damn business."
Xiao Xiao's power and influence made the teacher hesitate. As the wealthiest man in Notting City, he also had ties to high-ranking nobles in the Heaven Dou Empire. No one wanted to provoke him.
The entire crowd fell silent under Xiao Xiao's oppressive aura. His gaze locked onto Ye Feng.
"You broke my son's ribs, so I'll break two of yours. Do yourself a favor and don't move, or you'll end up worse," Xiao Xiao warned coldly.
First Spirit Skill: Wolf Claw!
As Xiao Xiao spoke, his first spirit ring glowed white. In an instant, he lunged at Ye Feng, his clawed hand swiping straight for Ye Feng's chest.
If the attack landed, Ye Feng's flesh would be ripped open. Clearly, Xiao Xiao wasn't planning to just break a couple of ribs—he wanted to do some serious damage.
Whoosh!
Just as the attack was about to land, blood splattered—
But Xiao Xiao's wolf claws met no resistance. Instead, they passed straight through Ye Feng's figure.
"An afterimage?!" Xiao Xiao's face twisted in shock. He had expected Ye Feng to take the hit, yet his attack had landed on thin air.
When he turned to look at Ye Feng, his expression darkened.
Beneath Ye Feng's feet, three spirit rings glowed—two yellow, one purple.
"Three spirit rings?!"
"A Spirit Master?!"
"Nine-Hearted Begonia?!"
Gasps erupted from the crowd. Dozens of stunned eyes locked onto Ye Feng in disbelief. Three spirit rings meant that Ye Feng's spirit power had surpassed level 30.
The name "Nine-Hearted Begonia" came from none other than Yu Xiaogang, the so-called Grandmaster.
As a disciple of one of the Upper Three Sects, Yu Xiaogang had read countless spirit-related records. The moment he saw Ye Feng's martial spirit, he recognized it instantly.
Looking at Ye Feng, Yu Xiaogang cursed under his breath.
"Which dumbass mistook a Nine-Hearted Begonia spirit for a useless pear spirit?!"
Tang San, standing beside him, looked just as shocked.
"Teacher, is the Nine-Hearted Begonia spirit really that powerful?" he asked.
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
"No matter how many spirit rings a Nine-Hearted Begonia user has, they will always have only one spirit skill—area-of-effect healing. It's one of the strongest auxiliary spirits in existence. However..."
"But what?" Tang San pressed.
"However, Ye Feng's martial spirit, while similar in appearance, is different in color and texture. If I'm not mistaken, this is a mutated spirit from one of the Earth Three Sects," Yu Xiaogang explained.
As he spoke, a flicker of sadness crossed his eyes.
Both he and Ye Feng possessed mutated spirits—but Ye Feng's mutation made him stronger, while Yu Xiaogang's mutation made him weaker.
"But how the hell is his spirit power over level 30?!" Tang San asked, his voice laced with disbelief. "Didn't the Spirit Hall's Awakening Certificate say he had an innate full spirit power of level 20? That doesn't make sense!"
Yu Xiaogang's gaze darkened.
"Someone must have made a mistake. His innate spirit power wasn't level 20—it was level 30."
"Wait… Teacher, is that even possible?" Tang San asked, a hint of jealousy creeping into his tone.
"There wasn't before," Yu Xiaogang admitted. "But there is now. Ye Feng is the first."
On the Spirit Awakening Certificate issued by the Spirit Hall, Ye Feng's innate spirit power was recorded as level 20. But Yu Xiaogang knew better.
Ye Feng was only six years old when he awakened his spirit. No matter how much talent he had, it was impossible to raise his spirit power by ten levels in such a short time.
The only explanation? His true innate spirit power was level 30 from the start.
"Innate full spirit power at level 30?!"
"A Spirit Master?!"
A shocked voice came from the outskirts of the crowd.
Everyone turned toward the sound. Two figures approached—one middle-aged, the other elderly.
The older man had graying hair and appeared to be in his sixties or seventies. He wore the teacher's uniform of Notting Academy, but unlike the regular teachers, his sleeves were embroidered with golden silk threads, exuding an air of nobility.
"Dean!" one of the teachers blurted out.
The elderly man was the dean of Notting City Junior Spirit Master Academy.
Beside him, the middle-aged man looked elegant and refined, yet his presence carried a natural authority. His temperament was calm, making those around him instinctively feel at ease.
Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted.
"Ning Fengzhi," he muttered.
As someone from one of the Upper Three Sects, Yu Xiaogang instantly recognized the middle-aged man as Ning Fengzhi—the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
But why the hell was someone as important as Ning Fengzhi here at Notting Academy?
"Sect Master Ning!"
Xiao Xiao's face twisted in shock. His arrogance vanished in an instant.
Forgetting about Ye Feng entirely, he practically sprinted forward, nearly bending at the waist as he greeted Ning Fengzhi with the utmost respect.
"Sect Master Ning, what brings you here?" Xiao Xiao asked, his voice filled with both excitement and nervousness.
The teachers at Notting Academy knew that the noble Xiao Xiao had been boasting about associating with was none other than Ning Fengzhi.
(End of Chapter)
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