Chapter 136 - 18: Trial of Life and Death

"Awesome, awesome! I’ll have someone help you process the fish meat later, so you can take it home, marinate it, and dry it into fish jerky to munch on."

Old Man Zhou offered a full-service experience to Ling Feng.

"Thank you, elder."

Ling Feng was full of gratitude.

"Hey, silly boy, why are you thanking him?"

Old Man Xu sighed, watching Ling Feng catch a big fish on his first try; it’s hard not to get addicted.

He also knew Old Man Zhou’s intentions were genuine, wanting Ling Feng to come fishing daily. In hindsight, he regretted speaking up earlier and was unsure of what to do now.

"Grandpa Zhou taught me to fish, so of course, I should thank him. I have never caught such a big fish before!"

Ling Feng explained.

"Hehehe, some folks are just jealous of our closeness, don’t listen to their nonsense. Let’s set a schedule; I’ll wait for you here every day, and I’ll prepare a fishing spot for you in advance. This can save you a lot of time and guarantee you’ll return full-handed every day."

Old Man Zhou put his arm around Ling Feng’s shoulder.

"Old Zhou, that’s over the top!"

Old Man Xu couldn’t stand it.

"We’re having a conversation; why are you butting in?"

Old Man Zhou snapped.

"Grandpa Zhou, I’ll trouble you then, I promise to come here every day."

Ling Feng was full of gratitude.

"It’s nothing, we’re family from now on. But I’m curious about your strength; what’s your combat power now? Can you tell me?"

Old Man Zhou wanted to gauge Ling Feng’s potential.

"My physical fitness is pretty poor. Even though I’ve opened the Skin Phase, my combat power is only 67.1."

Ling Feng replied candidly, even showing his assessment data to Old Man Zhou. The 67.1 combat power almost made Old Man Zhou tumble into the river from the riverbank.

He was utterly shocked, muttering to himself, "Oh my goodness, he’s twice as strong as my dear grandson."

"67.1 is quite impressive. Usually, someone with your combat power is a genius at Divine Martial University. Even if you don’t cultivate for a year, few can catch up. If I were you, I’d come here and fish every day and not bother cultivating."

Old Man Zhou laughed forcefully.

"You’re right; I heard a poet say once, ’Life is enchanting, enjoy while you can; don’t let golden goblets gaze at the moon in vain.’ I’ve already gotten first place, so I should relax properly."

Ling Feng felt like he had found a long-lost friend, sympathizing with Old Man Zhou.

"Excellent, excellent, that’s how a person should be."

Old Man Zhou praised.

In the ensuing days, Ling Feng reported to Yan Fei’s Dharma Hall daily, sneaking around to play, and then went to the river to fish with Old Man Zhou.

True to his word, Old Man Zhou always prepared the fishing spot, even replacing Ling Feng’s chair with a new, more comfortable one, setting up a parasol, and preparing some juice and jerky for Ling Feng.

A few times, when the fish weren’t biting, he secretly had someone throw some big ones into the river. When Ling Feng caught them, Old Man Zhou would shout like a cheerleader, attracting the attention of others, hoping Ling Feng would get hooked and spend the entire month fishing.

Meanwhile, he bought potions and hired Mental Telekinesis Masters for Zhou Changqing, trying every method to enhance Zhou Changqing’s power.

Ling Feng accepted without refusal.

After fishing, Ling Feng would join a square dance, and afterward, he would go home and play games for a couple of hours, repeating this routine every day.

Soon, a week had flown by.

With Yan Fei and Old Man Zhou’s help, Ling Feng’s Coasting Along Value increased daily at about 60.

Meanwhile, his carefree and happy days over the week caused a minor stir in some people’s eyes.

The first to react was Shadow.

As a Hidden Kill Department specialist.

Shadow received the assignment to protect Ling Feng’s safety. The information showed Ling Feng was South City’s hope, a rare Dharma Realm martial artist among senior high Martial Dao students.

Originally, Shadow thought the person he was guarding would become a remarkable leader, guiding South City to eradicate all alien creatures in the Great Radiation Zone.

How could he have known that within a week, this guy would either be playing games or hanging out with a group of old men fishing by the river or dancing in the community square, spending only two hours daily at the Dharma Hall to cultivate? Furthermore, as he observed, Ling Feng wasn’t learning or cultivating at the Dharma Hall; he was either reading comics or novels, and when writing seriously, one might think he was summarizing, but upon inspection, he was planning his life, detailing how to enjoy himself and where to travel.

From beginning to end, he showed no inclination to contribute to humanity.

Yet he was tasked with protecting this kind of person.

Shadow couldn’t help but report the situation to the organization, hoping they’d send someone else. Ling Feng could waste time indulging in enjoyment, but he couldn’t.

Spending time on such a person was a waste of life.

No matter how talented Ling Feng might be, as long as he doesn’t change, he won’t grow enough to elevate South City.

Not to mention that he’s not the first with a Demon Level cultivation talent Shadow has protected. Before, those he guarded each had grand aspirations to eradicate alien beings and contribute to humanity.

They were all eager to cultivate, fearing to waste even a moment. Whenever there was an opportunity for cultivation progress, they’d seize it firmly.

Who else, like Ling Feng, idles away, squandering talent?

Honestly, Shadow often thought of teaching Ling Feng a lesson, showing him the consequences.

However, the organization promptly provided feedback, instructing him to protect Ling Feng, ensuring no threat reached him, frustrating Shadow to the point of destroying Old Man Zhou’s fishing gear the same night.

Meanwhile, Wang Dashan was reporting Ling Feng’s situation to Xu Songlin.

"Master Ao said before that once Ling Feng’s physical fitness reaches 6.0, he could let Ling Feng compete for the top twenty with the entire Jiangbei Province Martial Dao students. But if Ling Feng keeps this attitude, no matter how talented, Master Ao can’t guide him in cultivation. They’ve seen every kind of genius."

Xu Songlin, upon learning of Ling Feng’s current behavior, was somewhat despairing.

"I’ve tried many methods, even talked with him, yet the outcome is always the same."

Wang Dashan felt powerless.

Had Ling Feng not achieved good results due to not cultivating, they could have let the rankings showcase the difference a lack of cultivation makes.

But this guy’s talent is astounding, managing to rank first without much cultivation and successfully activating the Dharma Aspect, jaw-dropping everyone.

Because of this, Wang Dashan never gave up on Ling Feng, closely monitoring him. The same applied to Xu Songlin.

If Ling Feng could compete with the Jiangbei Province Martial Dao students in the final exams next semester, not to mention entering the top twenty, even if he enters the top thirty, he’d bring glory to South City, earning more cultivation resource subsidies, possibly resolving the Great Radiation Zone’s threats.

"He may need a life-and-death challenge."

Xu Songlin pondered.

"Life-and-death challenge?"

Wang Dashan was stunned.

"No matter how thrilling or dangerous the Star Realm’s ranking contests and assessments are, they’re not real combat. Only by experiencing life and death can Ling Feng understand the importance of strength, hence changing his ways, striving to cultivate hard."

Xu Songlin suggested.

"How do you plan to accomplish that?"

Wang Dashan wondered.

"Starry Sky University has a Martial Dao student named Qiu Kui, with a combat power reaching 75.0. She just returned from the front lines after earning accolades, mastering the ’Lone Wolf Saber Technique,’ filled with killing intent and an intimidating aura; perfect to let Ling Feng experience the thrill of facing death."

Xu Songlin proposed.

"A good idea, but the Seven Great Star Systems Alliance has already sent someone to protect Ling Feng, this matter..."

Wang Dashan’s eyes lit up.

"I’ll make all the arrangements; this time, I want Ling Feng to stay honestly in the Dharma Hall to cultivate."

Xu Songlin was confident.

As City Lord, he was aware that Ling Feng was a protected target of the Seven Great Star Systems Alliance. Thus, planning to have Qiu Kui pretend to assassinate Ling Feng, he needed to communicate with relevant department personnel first, to prevent misunderstandings.

(Not finishing this Chapter doesn’t feel like a proper update burst, it’s past three in the morning; time to sleep.)