41: Chapter 41 Rumors from All Sides As the Exchange Tournament Approaches

Strictly speaking, however, what Qin Feng said wasn't wrong.

The Lin family had been passed down for untold years, with their own power bases in the Tianhe System and even other major systems; they were simply incomparable to ordinary prominent families.

How could one person's strength compare to the efforts of the Lin family over generations? It was too difficult!

Even though his teacher, Ye Jianxing, was a Tribulation Transformation Realm powerhouse with a resounding reputation, he still could not contend with the Lin family.

“Don't lose heart, there will always be a way.” Chen Xing grabbed his shoulder.

“Sigh, you don't need to comfort me. I've decided that I must become stronger. If I have children in the future, I don't want them to encounter a situation like mine. I want to lay a foundation for my descendants!” Qin Feng clenched his fists.

“Maybe... there will be a turning point?”

“I'm going to Cultivate and strive to Breakthrough to the Divine Sea Realm as soon as possible. Then, I'll be able to stand by your side.”

“Hey, damn it, are you even listening to me!”

“...”

Looking at the determined Qin Feng, Chen Xing could only shake his head helplessly.

“I wonder what I can do. Will I encounter a similar situation in the future?” Chen Xing whispered.

“Then again, I don't seem to have any girl I like. I seem even more pathetic than Old Qin... Tsk tsk, forget it, who told me to be an orphan?”

Next month, he would make his appearance before the world. It could be said to be a debut, the key to his fame.

Thinking of this, Chen Xing felt motivated.

There was an old saying in his hometown: 'If one does not sing, then so be it; but once they do, they will startle the world.'

“Old Qin, I have a small goal now.” He spoke up, calling out to the distant Qin Feng.

“I'll accompany you.” Qin Feng said without hesitation.

“I want to become the strongest S-class Esper!” Chen Xing's expression was serious.

“Good, then I'll become the strongest A-class Ability User. The two of us will fight side by side to conquer the world!” Qin Feng grinned, as if his spirit had returned.

...

Tianhe Academy, Qin Feng's residence.

Lin Qingyao waited there every day, only to find that Qin Feng hadn't returned at all. This left her angry, annoyed, and helpless.

After that, Qin Feng had decided to delete the contact information of those fair-weather friends and resolved to Cultivate in seclusion, so she couldn't contact him either.

“Yaoyao? You really are here!” At this moment, Li Linglong walked over from a distance, followed by a blue-haired young man with handsome features and a well-proportioned build.

“Longlong? Long time no see.” A trace of a smile finally appeared on Lin Qingyao's gloomy face.

“I heard people say you've been coming here regularly lately. What happened? Did that guy Qin Feng bully you? It's okay, I'll help you teach him a lesson!” Li Linglong stood with her hands on her hips.

“No, no.” Lin Qingyao shook her head slightly.

Li Linglong paused and turned to the blue-haired young man, saying, “Go wait for me in the car first.”

The blue-haired young man nodded and turned to leave.

Afterward, Lin Qingyao recounted what had happened.

“Ah? How could Brother Wenzheng treat you like this?” Li Linglong was dumbfounded.

“I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore.” Lin Qingyao's eyes were cold.

“Longlong, thank you for lending me the money back then, otherwise I wouldn't even have been able to get off the highway.” As she spoke, she returned the one million in full.

Some of it was gathered by selling her assets, but she didn't want to owe anyone anything.

“Oh, what does this little bit of money matter? You don't have to pay it back.” Li Linglong shook her head.

“I still have to pay it back.”

“...”

In the end, Lin Qingyao was firm and returned the full one million.

“Sigh, you're just like this, too stubborn. Can't you just rely on someone for once?” Li Linglong said helplessly.

“I want to rely on someone, but that guy Qin Feng ran away and left me alone again!” Lin Qingyao suddenly flared up with anger.

“Oh, don't be angry, don't be angry. Yaoyao, think about it, he must have taken a hit. Maybe he's hiding somewhere to Cultivate. You have to give him some time to cool off, right?” Li Linglong persuaded.

“How can you be sure?” Lin Qingyao hesitated.

“Heh, you've asked the right person. How long has your little chef been dating? I've been through this since high school. Do I not understand men?” Li Linglong raised an eyebrow.

“You're being naughty again!” Lin Qingyao pinched her soft cheeks.

“Haha, don't be so sad. When the time comes, that guy surnamed Qin will naturally come back. Then you can just clear up the misunderstanding with him!” Li Linglong said with a laugh.

“Okay, I'll listen to you.” Lin Qingyao nodded.

“That's more like it. Come on, let's go shopping. I'll take you to eat your fill today.”

“Your boyfriend is still waiting for you in the car, so I won't go. I'd rather not be a third wheel; I'll just go back and Cultivate.”

“...”

December.

Qin Feng spent almost every day in the depths of the ocean, using the immense pressure to Cultivate his Physical Body. He finally broke through to the ninth stage of the Light Opening Realm.

Although his speed was already comparable to any S-class, it was still somewhat unrealistic to expect to Breakthrough to the Divine Sea Realm before the Exchange Competition began.

As for Chen Xing, his progress was rapid. The Secret Tome of Light, Dragon Soul Secret Tome, Minds Eye, and Five Elements Body Refining Art he was currently cultivating had all made great progress.

If nothing unexpected happened, he should be able to Breakthrough to the fourth level of the Divine Sea Realm before the end of the year.

...

At the same time, waves were stirred up across the four major star systems.

Heated discussions broke out on short video platforms, forums, and various online communities about who would come out on top in this Exchange Competition and which academy would take first place.

Some said it would be the Tianhe System's S-class Su He, while others said it would be the Shengyuan System's S-class Zhang Zhiyu.

But the one with the highest popularity was naturally the strongest of the four academies, the Niliu Academy. They had a total of four S-class Espers.

With such a lineup, there was almost no hope of winning against them.

However, the most pitiful was the Zhenyan Academy.

They actually had S-classes too, but they were all senior students. Because their Realm was too high, they were prohibited from competing, so their probability of winning the championship was the lowest.

“I heard there's also a mysterious S-class freshman in the Tianhe System this time. I wonder how he'll perform.”

“A freshman? I estimate six months was enough for him to Cultivate to the eighth or ninth stage of the Light Opening Realm. After all, that's just how ridiculous S-classes are.”

“Is it possible he's in the Divine Sea Realm?” someone speculated.

“Then you're being way too ridiculous.”

“Hmm... I think so too. The gap between major Realms can't be easily bridged.”

“So what? Even so, he could probably dominate the Light Opening Realm battlefield, right? Tell me, who could beat an S-class Esper?”

“That's true, but who the final champion will be doesn't just depend on the Light Opening Realm battlefield. The ones who ultimately decide the outcome are those in the Divine Sea Realm.”

“This year is much more intense than previous years. Chu Li of the Chu family dominated the Light Opening Realm battlefield last year, and now she has reached the fifth level of the Divine Sea Realm. I wonder how she'll perform.”

“How come I heard she recently reached the sixth level?”

“Ah?”

“Heh, I'm actually more interested in her older sister...”