"Lin Feng! Lin Feng, where did you go again?"
Dugu Yan cried out in panic, looking around in distress.
But—she was still holding Lin Feng's hand.
As she stumbled forward in her worry, she lost her balance and tripped.
Lin Feng quickly stepped forward and caught her in his arms.
"So careless," he said gently, smiling. "Haven't I been here beside you the whole time?"
"Lin Feng… did you use some secret technique?"
"Why is it that both Yan'er and I keep forgetting you're even there if you don't speak?"
Dugu Bo no longer doubted the strange feeling from earlier and now asked Lin Feng directly.
"Haha, caught me, old man."
"It's actually a soul skill I developed myself. It hides me from others' senses. Still in the testing phase."
Lin Feng grinned mischievously, completely making it up with a straight face.
To think even Dugu Bo couldn't sense him under the effect of [Wallflower]—its strength was truly terrifying.
"Ah, so that's it."
Dugu Bo nodded. By this point, nothing surprised him about his future grandson-in-law.
After all, from Dugu Yan's martial soul evolution, to the Dragon Seeking Compass, to the detoxification of his body—Lin Feng had done nothing short of the miraculous.
Even the ten-thousand-year Fire Crystal just now hadn't fazed him.
If his investment was right and Lin Feng truly became family, then with this youth's talent and potential, his twilight years could be spent in total comfort and peace.
"You sneaky brat."
"Making up a soul skill like that and not even telling me."
"I was running around like crazy just now!"
Dugu Yan pouted and gave Lin Feng a few light punches to the chest, her tone both bashful and annoyed.
"Alright, alright, Yan'er, I was wrong, okay?"
Lin Feng gently caught her flailing wrist and spoke tenderly.
"Grandpa," he said after calming Yan'er down, "I want to head down and take a closer look at the Flame Beast King."
"What nonsense are you talking, Lin Feng?"
"That thing's buried hundreds of meters underground. You think your body can handle that kind of depth?"
Dugu Bo snapped, clearly rejecting the idea.
What he didn't know was that Lin Feng now possessed the purple-tier trait [Fire Immunity], allowing him to survive in magma like a Flame Beast.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. After absorbing the Flame Beast's soul ring, I can definitely handle diving at least a hundred meters."
Lin Feng's tone was resolute, his eyes firm.
"…Fine."
"If anything goes wrong, come up immediately."
"I'll inject a strand of my soul power into your body—if you're in danger, activate it right away. I'll sense it and come get you."
Though still doubtful, Dugu Bo ultimately compromised out of concern.
After all, Lin Feng had a knack for turning the impossible into reality.
Splash!
Lin Feng ignited his Ultimate Flame, wrapped himself in its glow, and plunged into the magma, leaving Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan anxiously waiting on shore.
"Dragon Seeking Compass, trace the clustered peaks…"
Once more, Lin Feng pulled out the compass and muttered the incantation as he descended.
At around fifty meters deep, a droplet of golden liquid splashed onto his hand—his Dragon Seeking Compass was beginning to melt.
Realizing it wouldn't last much longer in this high-concentration lava, Lin Feng memorized the direction and immediately put it away.
Though a gift from the system, the compass was made of ordinary materials. In magma of this purity, melting was inevitable.
Stowing it, he continued his descent.
At nearly a thousand meters deep—
Lin Feng finally spotted signs of the Flame Beast King.
"That's it? So this is the Flame Beast King…"
"It's asleep? Looks like it's still stabilizing its power."
He carefully analyzed the scene before him.
This creature was easily four or five times the size of the previous Flame Beast he'd slain, lying dormant atop the lava.
After devouring its kin and absorbing their power, dozens of blood-red Fire Crystals were embedded along its back.
So that was why Flame Beast Kings were so rare.
The Flame Beast race was already scarce, and the emergence of a single king meant dozens—possibly hundreds—of millennia-old Flame Beasts had perished to fuel it.
Lin Feng circled the beast's surroundings, examining the terrain closely.
It wasn't fully evolved yet.
Only when the dozens of Fire Crystals fused into one would it truly become the Flame Beast King.
All he could do now was wait.
---
Spirit Hall – Banquet Hall
The grand hall bustled with voices and laughter as Hu Liena's birthday banquet unfolded. Streams of guests came and went—it was clear how highly Spirit Hall regarded its Holy Maiden.
"Na Na, here's my gift to you."
"An extract from a ten-thousand-year soul beast—great for beauty and skin nourishment."
"I hope you like it."
Yan's voice was soft and filled with adoration. His gaze lingered on her cascading hair, porcelain skin, and flawless figure—so perfect she seemed almost unreal.
He felt like he could lose himself in her presence forever.
Just as he waited for her reply—
Creaaak
The banquet doors swung open.
Chrysanthemum Douluo sauntered in, eyes sparkling with mischief as he made his way straight toward Yan.
"Well, well, isn't this our dear Yan?"
"Still haven't won Na Na's heart?"
Yue Guan teased shamelessly.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, what is it? I was just giving Na Na her gift."
Yan clearly disliked the interruption, his expression sour.
"Her Holiness the Pope has ordered me to take you on a mission immediately."
Yue Guan didn't bother explaining further—he grabbed Yan by the collar and prepared to drag him away.
"What happened?"
"Why the rush?"
Hu Liena, genuinely intrigued now, stepped forward.
The so-called beauty elixir hadn't piqued her interest—but this sudden arrival from Chrysanthemum Douluo certainly did.
"There's been activity in the lava zone of Sunset Forest."
"Our scouts reported the emergence of a fire-element treasure—likely a Fire Crystal."
"Her Holiness tasked me with retrieving it."
Only upon hearing her speak did Yue Guan pause to answer.
"A treasure…?"
Yan was stunned, practically dangling from Yue Guan's hand.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, I want to come too."
Hu Liena's eyes gleamed.
Fighting over a rare treasure—that was a rare real-world combat opportunity.
"…Fine."
Yue Guan hesitated at first but then nodded.
After all, the few of them were all key talents groomed by Spirit Hall, and he and Ghost Douluo would be personally overseeing them.
This would be good field experience.
"Elder, I'm coming too!"
"Please take care of us."
Moments later, Xie Yue ran up behind them, bowing respectfully.
-----
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