The Shrek Academy Central Arena had been transformed. For the final match of the Freshman Tournament, the protective barriers had been reinforced with Rank 6 Soul Guidance arrays, and the air was thick with the scent of ozone and expectation. The stands were no longer just filled with students; the entire faculty of the Outer Court was present, and several figures in white robes—the harbingers of the Inner Court—watched from the highest rafters.
Lin Feng stood in the center of the tunnel, the darkness masking his face. In his mind, the System was pulsing with a cold, golden light.
[System Event: The Final Harvest.]
Objective: Win the Freshman Championship.
Opponent Analysis: Team Ning Tian (Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda) + Wu Feng (Red Dragon) + Nan Menyun.
Base Reward: 10,000 System Points.
Special Challenge: 'The Untouchable King'. Win without your team sustaining a single physical injury.
Reward: 5,000 System Points.
Current Balance: 16,185 / 30,000.
If I win perfectly, Lin Feng thought, clenching his Heaven-Shaking Gauntlets, I will have 31,185 points. Tonight, the purple ring dies, and the black ring is born.
The Opponents: The Perfection of the Soul World
As Lin Feng, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong stepped onto the sands, they were met with a sight that made the crowd roar. Across from them stood Ning Tian—a girl with an aura of absolute grace, holding a shimmering, seven-layered pagoda. Beside her was Wu Feng, whose skin was already beginning to sprout red scales, and Nan Menyun, a cold-eyed girl with a jade flute.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda," Yuhao whispered through the mental link. "Feng, she's the ultimate support. With her buffs, Wu Feng's power will be equal to a Rank 35 Soul Elder."
"And Nan Menyun is a Control-type," Wang Dong added, his wings unfurling, the blue-gold light competing with the glare of the pagoda. "Her flute can disrupt spirit power circulation. This isn't like Dai Huabin. This is a balanced machine."
Lin Feng adjusted his stance. "The machine only works if its gears can move. Yuhao, focus your Spiritual Detection solely on Ning Tian. Every time she tries to switch a buff, I want to know a half-second before it happens."
The Battle Begins: Fire and Jade
"Final Match... Begin!"
Wu Feng didn't wait. Empowered by the first two floors of Ning Tian's pagoda—Strength and Speed—she transformed into a blur of crimson flames. "First Soul Skill: Dragon Fire Fury!"
She lunged at Lin Feng, her claws dripping with molten heat.
Lin Feng didn't move. He raised his left gauntlet, the matte-black metal absorbing the orange glow of the flames.
CLANG!
The collision sent a shockwave across the arena. Wu Feng's eyes widened. Even with a 40% strength buff from the Seven Treasure Pagoda, she couldn't budge Lin Feng's arm.
"You're fighting the earth, Wu Feng," Lin Feng said, his voice low. "And the earth doesn't burn."
"Nan Menyun, now!" Ning Tian shouted from the back.
The jade flute touched Nan Menyun's lips. A haunting, discordant melody filled the arena. "Second Soul Skill: Soul-Binding Requiem!"
Huo Yuhao felt his Spiritual Sea ripple. The melody was designed to sever the mental link between teammates. "Feng! My detection is flickering! The flute is jamming my frequency!"
The System's Gambit
[System Alert: Mental Interference Detected.]
Countermeasure: 'Zen Heart' (Cost: 500 Points).
Alternative: 'Forced Resonance' (Utilize the Hammer's weight to anchor the soul).
No points, Lin Feng thought. I'm not spending a single point until I hit 30,000.
"Yuhao! Wang Dong! Don't fight the music!" Lin Feng roared. "Focus on the gravity! Feel the weight I'm putting out and use it as your North Star!"
Lin Feng unleashed Absolute Gravity, but instead of a wide field, he created a high-density "thread" that connected his heart to Yuhao and Wang Dong. It was a physical manifestation of their bond, a tether that the flute's music couldn't cut.
"I see it!" Yuhao shouted. With the gravity acting as a stabilizer, his Spirit Eyes turned a deep, crystalline gold. "Detection... MAXIMUM!"
The mental map in Lin Feng's head didn't just show the enemies anymore; it showed the flow of spirit power within the Seven Treasure Pagoda itself.
The Climax: Breaking the Unbreakable
"Wang Dong, the Dragon is yours. Yuhao, Soul Shock the Flute. I'm going for the Pagoda," Lin Feng commanded.
Wang Dong dived. Without the gravity bracers, and fueled by the resonance of Lin Feng's golden aura, his speed was astronomical. "Second Soul Skill: Butterfly Goddess Light!"
Wu Feng was forced into a defensive spiral, her dragon flames clashing with the brilliant blue light.
Meanwhile, Yuhao focused his gaze. A needle of pure, compressed spiritual energy—the result of the Deep-Sea Soul Marrow—shot toward Nan Menyun.
The flute music screeched to a halt as Nan Menyun clutched her head, her concentration shattered.
"Now," Lin Feng whispered.
He vanished.
Ning Tian, the most protected student in the academy, suddenly felt a shadow fall over her. She looked up to see Lin Feng descending like a meteor.
"Third Soul Skill: Seven Treasure Shield!" Ning Tian cried out, her third ring (Purple!) flashing. A barrier of crystalline light formed around her.
Lin Feng didn't use a punch. He used a fall. He deactivated the gravity on himself for a split second, then multiplied it by 500% at the moment of impact.
"Heaven-Shaking Strike: Mountain Crash!"
The gauntlet hit the crystal shield.
CRACK... SHATTER!
The Rank 30+ shield disintegrated. Lin Feng's hand stopped inches from Ning Tian's throat. The wind pressure from the stop blew her hair back and cracked the stone tiles behind her.
The arena went deathly silent. Wu Feng and Nan Menyun froze, seeing their leader captured.
"Match over," the referee announced, his voice trembling. "Team Lin Feng... Champions!"
The Midnight Evolution
The celebrations were a blur. The cheers, the trophy, the handshake from the Dean—Lin Feng navigated it all with a polite mask. But as soon as the sun set, he retreated to the deepest part of the Shrek Academy woods, a place where even the patrolling teachers rarely ventured.
[Tournament Rewards Processed.]
Championship: +10,000 Points.
Flawless Victory: +5,000 Points.
Current Balance: 31,185 Points.
"System," Lin Feng whispered, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Evolve the first ring."
[Initiating Forbidden Evolution: 1,100-Year -> 10,000-Year.]
[Warning: This process violates the laws of the Douluo Continent. High-intensity energy discharge imminent. Cloaking engaged.]
Lin Feng sat cross-legged. Suddenly, his purple spirit ring rose and began to vibrate so violently it blurred. The System's points converted into a flood of pure, black ink-like energy that poured into the ring.
"AHHHHH!"
Lin Feng's skin turned a blinding gold. His bones groaned under the sudden influx of power. A 10,000-year ring usually requires a Rank 30-40 body to hold. Lin Feng was only Rank 17.
But his Golden Spirit Body wasn't human.
The gold light turned dark. The purple ring began to deepen, turning a bruised indigo, then a charcoal grey, and finally... a deep, obsidian black.
The air around Lin Feng flattened. The grass within ten meters was crushed into the dirt by a sudden, passive gravity field.
[Evolution Complete.]
New Status: Rank 20 (Direct Breakthrough from energy overflow).
First Spirit Ring: 10,000-Year (Black).
Skill Evolution: Golden Vajra Transformation -> Divine Vajra Domain.
Hidden Trait Unlocked: Hammer Intent (30%). You can now briefly manifest the phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer.
Lin Feng stood up. He felt different. He felt heavy—not as a burden, but as a source of gravity himself. He looked at the black ring floating around him. It was a sight that would break the mind of any scholar in Shrek.
"A black first ring," Lin Feng looked at his reflection in a nearby pond. His eyes had a faint, permanent golden ring around the pupils now. "The legend says the first ring defines the limit of a soul master. My limit... is the sky."
The Shadow in the Woods
"An interesting limit indeed."
Lin Feng spun around, his black ring instantly vanishing behind the System's cloak, replaced by the standard purple.
Elder Xuan was leaning against a tree, tossing a chicken bone. But for the first time, he wasn't smiling. He was looking at the spot where Lin Feng had just stood, his eyes narrow.
"The space here... it feels like it was crushed by a giant's foot," Elder Xuan said, walking toward Lin Feng. "Kid, you just broke through to Rank 20, didn't you? And that energy surge... it didn't feel like a purple ring."
Lin Feng kept his face neutral. "My Body Soul is evolving, Elder. It creates a lot of pressure during breakthroughs."
Elder Xuan stopped a foot away. The air between the Rank 98 Douluo and the Rank 20 student crackled.
"I don't care about your secrets," Elder Xuan said, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "But Shrek needs a monster. A real one. Tomorrow, you, Yuhao, and Wang Dong come to the Sea God Pavilion. It's time you saw what the real 'points' look like. We're sending you to the Great Star Dou Forest."
[System Notification:]
New Main Quest: The Great Forest Hunt.
Objective: Obtain a 2nd Spirit Ring (Target: 20,000+ Years).
Reward: 50,000 System Points.
Lin Feng looked at the Elder, then at his own hands. The game was getting bigger. And with his first Black Ring, he was finally ready to play.
[End of Chapter 11]