Chapter 22 The Unpredictable Turbulence Under the Winter Night, and the Blazing Flames of Victory Celebration
As the clamor of the ranking battles sank into the shadows of the obsidian walls with the afterglow of the setting sun, Winterfell ushered in its most prosperous yet most dangerous night.
The stench of blood from the training ground had long been dispelled by the biting wind, replaced by the aroma of strong liquor and barbecue wafting through the city streets. As the top student in the core class,
Ye Feng was being escorted by Ye Shaotian and several scions of prominent families who were trying to befriend him, as they headed towards the most prestigious "Ice Crystal Restaurant" in the city center.
However, Ye Feng, walking in the middle of the crowd, kept his back tense. He could feel two completely different but equally intense gazes, like invisible chains, tightly fastened to the back of his neck.
Walking on the left is Leng Qianqian. This shadow cat girl has changed out of her smart combat outfit and into a deep purple off-shoulder velvet mini dress.
Under that extremely form-fitting cut, her exquisite curves, honed through years of training in body techniques, were outlined to the fullest extent, and her slender legs gleamed with an ivory-like texture under the moonlight.
She didn't shy away from the astonished gazes of those around her, but instead naturally took Ye Feng's left arm. The full, supple feel of his skin was transmitted through the thin fabric of his clothes.
Ye Feng's heart skipped a beat.
Leng Qianqian was extremely close, and Ye Feng could even smell the faint, wild, untamed scent of catnip emanating from her. She breathed softly into Ye Feng's ear and whispered provocatively, "What's wrong? The number one in the ranking battle can't even walk properly now? Where did that fierce determination you showed me last night go?"
Walking to her right rear was Mingyue, her face so gloomy it was almost dripping with tears. For the first time ever, she wasn't wearing her usual elegant moon-white dress.
Instead, she changed into an extremely dashing dark blue tight-fitting robe, the silver belt around her waist making her slender waist even more breathtaking.
The bright moon fan in her hand opened and closed intermittently, making a crisp clicking sound, each sound like an alarm bell ringing in Ye Feng's heart. Mingyue's gaze lingered on the spot where Leng Qianqian was holding Ye Feng's arm for a full three seconds, and the tangible killing intent made the surrounding air condense into a layer of tiny ice crystals.
As her mentor, she completely disregarded her status at this moment, quickly stepped forward, and subtly pushed through the crowd to stand on Ye Feng's other side. Her tone was as cold as ice: "Miss Leng, pulling and tugging in public is probably beneath the Leng family's dignity. Ye Feng has just experienced a fierce battle, and his meridians have not yet recovered. He doesn't need these fancy 'physical contact'."
"Oh? Isn't Teacher Mingyue being a little too concerned about her 'closed-door disciple'?" Leng Qianqian not only didn't let go, but instead leaned her head even more firmly on Ye Feng's shoulder.
The cat's dark yellow eyes were full of mockery. "In the solitary confinement room, the way you brought me porridge was so gentle. What, does the academy stipulate that student rankings aren't solely determined by the academy?"
"Does even your entire being belong to your mentor?" These words were like adding fuel to the fire. Mingyue Fan suddenly closed, and a dangerous, eerie blue light flashed in Mingyue's eyes—a sign that the ultimate ice soul power was about to erupt. Ye Feng, caught between the two, felt as if he were facing the icy winds of the polar regions on one side and the wildfires of the wasteland on the other. This level of battle was even more overwhelming than facing Huyan Li.
During the victory banquet, this eerie tension reached its peak. Ye Shaotian sat diagonally opposite, stuffing an expensive soul beast steak into his mouth while winking and making faces at Ye Feng.
Ye Feng was so angry at Mingyue's expression of enjoying the show that he really wanted to smash her head open with the Thousand Chance Umbrella. After a few rounds of drinks, Mingyue elegantly picked up a glass of clear snow fruit wine, her fingertips lightly sliding along the rim, and casually suggested, "Now that the ranking battle is decided, let's end the noise tonight."
"Ye Feng, come back to the villa with me later. I have something important to tell you privately about the next evolution of the Thousand Chance Umbrella." Mingyue emphasized the word "privately," her eyes filled with the authoritative declaration of sovereignty.
"One-on-one instruction? Teacher, the evening hours are very precious." Leng Qianqian scoffed, the small dinner knife in her hand spinning rapidly between her fingers like a flowing silver light.
"My Leng family's black market branch happens to have a batch of newly unearthed 'Golden Ice Silkworm Silk,' which is said to greatly enhance the resilience of mechanical martial souls. Ye Feng, don't you want to go and see it? By the way, I'd also like to ask you about your 'Round Dance Staff' move. Does it have any more 'variations' in close combat?" Leng Qianqian deliberately made the words "close combat" ambiguous, causing several aristocratic scions at the table who understood the implied meaning to cough repeatedly.
Looking at the two stunningly beautiful women before him, each with their own unique charm and fierce rivalry, Ye Feng took a deep breath. His tactical mind, honed by his status as a top-tier player in "Glory," was now racing.
He was trying to find a win-win (or rather, survival) solution. Just then, the "Tear of the Ice God" in his arms suddenly throbbed violently.
A chilling sense of dread instantly swept over him. He had felt this way before when facing the thousand-year-old soul beast in the confinement room, and when facing the withered wood soul emperor, but the killing intent at this moment was even colder and more insidious.
"Stop arguing." Ye Feng's voice instantly turned cold, his deep, unfathomable eyes sweeping across the dark night sky outside the restaurant. This sudden change...
The sudden change in Ye Feng's mood startled both Mingyue and Leng Qianqian, who were vying for his attention. Both being perceptive Soul Masters, they immediately suppressed their personal feelings and entered battle mode upon sensing Ye Feng's shift in emotion. Leng Qianqian's cat-like pupils contracted sharply, her entire body taut like a drawn bow; while Mingyue subtly released a fluctuation of soul power, enveloping the entire private room.
"A rat has entered the area," Ye Feng whispered. He did not summon his martial soul, but his extremely high mental attributes allowed him to detect the faint scent of "corroded ice" unique to the Snow Demon Sect in the air outside the window.
The Snow Demon Sect acted faster than he anticipated, and they chose to strike when he was outside the academy, at the moment when he was most relaxed. This was not just an assassination attempt, but a blatant provocation.
Ye Feng glanced at Ye Shaotian, then at the two women beside him, a cold smile curving his lips. "Since they want to play, then we'll go to the black market and play with them. Shaotian, you take the others back to the academy to find the dean. Teacher, Qianqian, do you have the guts to come with me through this ordeal?"
"You little pervert, are you questioning my courage, or are you doubting my possessiveness towards you?"
Mingyue rose gracefully, her folding fan opening to obscure half her face—a face so beautiful it could eclipse the moonlight—the murderous intent in her eyes already tangible. Leng Qianqian, meanwhile, had already leaped out of the window, vanishing into the night as a blur, leaving only a lingering laugh echoing in the wind: "Ye Feng, if you die at the hands of those bastards, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!"
The three of them darted through the rubble and alleys of Winterfell like shooting stars, speeding towards the black market area in the south of the city known as the "Shadow Labyrinth".
The black market is the most lawless and chaotic corner of Winter City. It is full of all kinds of illegal soul tool transactions and shady bounty hunters. It is also the perfect place for various families to plant their spies.
Upon entering the black market, the surrounding lights instantly dimmed, and the narrow alleyways, like a giant spider web, completely enveloped the three of them. Ye Feng stopped, the Thousand Chance Umbrella already in his hand, its dark surface almost blending into the night.
"Come out. Aren't you tired after following me for so long?" Ye Feng said calmly.
From the darkness, four powerful figures slowly emerged. They wore the distinctive dark green robes of the Snow Demon Sect, their faces concealed by eerie ice-carved masks, and the spirit rings beneath their feet pulsed—all were three-ring Soul Masters!
The leader's soul power fluctuations had even touched the threshold of level forty; he was a "Shadow Executioner" carefully cultivated by the Snow Demon Sect.
"Ye Feng, you are more perceptive than we imagined."
The leader's voice was hoarse, like two pieces of dry wood rubbing together, "Not only do they possess that transforming sacred artifact martial soul, but they also obtained the Tears of the Ice God. The Grand Elder of the Snow Demon Sect said he only wants your head. As for these two... if you leave now, the Snow Demon Sect will not pursue the troubles of the Bright Moon Family and the Leng Family. Otherwise, tonight there will be two more exquisite ice corpses in this black market."
"How arrogant!" Leng Qianqian's figure suddenly sprang up from the shadows. Her Shadow Cat Martial Soul was unleashed to its fullest extent at that moment. She transformed into five afterimages, grabbing at the leader from different angles.
However, the leader merely snorted coldly, his first spirit ring flashing, and countless tiny black ice crystals erupted from his body, forming a thorn-like defensive layer. Leng Qianqian's claws struck the ice crystals, producing a piercing scraping sound, and she was forcibly thrown back.
"Miss Leng, agility-based attacks are nothing but tricks in the face of absolute power," the leader mocked, then waved his hand. "Surround them and finish this quickly!"
The four Soul Masters formed a four-corner formation, trapping Ye Feng and his companions in the center. The surrounding air began to distort violently; this was the Snow Demon Sect's unique "Nine Revolutions Corrosive Ice Array."
Once the formation is complete, the flow of soul power within it will decrease by more than 30%. Ye Feng felt waves of chill emanating from the Ice God's Tear within his body, seemingly resisting this filthy, corrosive ice energy. He glanced at Mingyue beside him and noticed that her expression was unusually calm, but beneath that calmness, a storm capable of destroying everything was brewing.
"Teacher, protect the left wing, leave the rest to me." Ye Feng shouted in a low voice, and the Thousand Chance Umbrella made a crisp mechanical snapping sound in his hand.
"Thousand Manifestations Umbrella - Spear Form!"
Ye Feng didn't defend; instead, he chose the most direct approach: a direct confrontation. He moved with a whirling motion, his figure shooting towards the Soul Master directly in front of him like an arrow released from a bow.
The Soul Master clearly hadn't expected Ye Feng to dare to attack despite such a significant difference in their soul power levels. In his panic, he erected an ice shield. However, Ye Feng's spear strike not only concentrated all his soul power but also triggered the attribute amplification of the Tears of the Ice God.
"Soaring Dragon - Armor-Piercing Transformation!"
The spearhead carried a spinning, spiraling force; faced with its extreme penetrating power, the defense of a three-ring Soul Master was like fragile thin ice. With a deafening roar,
The ice shield shattered, and the spear, still brimming with momentum, lashed out at the Soul Master's waist, sending him flying more than ten meters away. Ye Feng's movements didn't falter; using the recoil, he executed an incredible mid-air spin, and the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella instantly completed its second transformation.
"Ice Phoenix Spear - Scatter Bombardment!"
The dark muzzle of the gun spewed out dazzling blue flames, and three energy bullets, imbued with extreme cold, swept out in a fan shape towards the flank. Leng Qianqian seized this momentary visual distraction.
Her delicate body moved like a silent thunderbolt, appearing instantly behind the neck of a Soul Master under the cover of the blue light from the exploding energy blast. Her sharp claws drew a sliver of blood, and before the Soul Master's terrified eyes, she utterly extinguished his life.
"Damn it! You actually killed the third brother!" The leader roared in fury, and the third purple spirit ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up. "Third spirit skill—Corrosive Bone Ice Dragon!"
Countless putrid ice crystals condensed in the air into an ice dragon over ten feet long, carrying a deadly poison powerful enough to melt soul power defenses, and roared as it crashed into Ye Feng.
Ye Feng frowned slightly; the power of this attack had already subtly surpassed the realm of a Soul Master. Just as he was about to raise his umbrella to withstand the blow, a tall and imposing figure blocked his way.
"Using ice attributes in front of me? Who gave you the audacity?" Mingyue's voice sounded particularly domineering in the night sky. She slowly unfolded the Mingyue Fan in her hand, not releasing any earth-shattering soul skills, but simply fanning it gently.
"Moonlight - Eternal Freeze".
A gigantic, silvery full moon phantom rose behind the bright moon. In that instant, all the flowing moisture, air, and even the roaring, skeletal ice dragon within the black market...
Everything froze instantly before this absolute suppression of rank. That was the majesty of the ultimate Ice Soul Emperor, an attribute restraint that even suppressed cultivation could not erase. The ice dragon transformed into an ugly ice sculpture in mid-air, crashing to the ground and shattering into ice shards.
The leader's eyes finally shifted from greed to terror: "Ultimate Ice...you've actually reached this level!" He knew the assassination plan had completely failed.
The intelligence report didn't mention that Mingyue's attributes had improved to a level sufficient to cause a qualitative change. He decisively bit his tongue, releasing a cloud of blood mist, attempting to escape using blood escape techniques.
"Since you're here, leave something behind." A cold glint flashed in Ye Feng's eyes. The Thousand Manifestations Umbrella in his hand switched forms for the last time.
"Mechanical rotor – grappling hook!"
A grappling hook with barbs extended from the end of the umbrella handle, shooting towards the blood mist like lightning under the impetus of soul power. The leader had only flown a few meters when the grappling hook caught his thigh tightly.
With a powerful tug, Ye Feng slammed him heavily back to the ground. Leng Qianqian, like a purple ghost, caught up instantly, her sharp claws pressed against his throat.
"Tell me, where is the Snow Demon Sect's core stronghold in Winter City?" Leng Qianqian asked coldly, her fingertips exerting slight force, drawing a line of blood on the leader's neck.
However, the leader let out a bitter laugh, a hint of madness in his eyes: "You... all must die. The young master has already joined forces with the Elephant Armor Sect. This Frosty Winter City will ultimately belong to our Snow Demon Sect..." With that, he suddenly bit into the poison sac in his mouth, his life ending in an instant.
Ye Feng stared at the corpse before him, his expression turning extremely grave. The Elephant Armor Sect and the Snow Demon Sect had joined forces? This meant that Winterfall Academy would face a pincer attack from two top-tier powers in the future.
He turned his head and looked at Mingyue, only to find that Mingyue's gaze was fixed on him, her eyes filled not only with lingering fear but also with a burning passion for something lost and then regained.
"You little pervert, if you dare to put yourself in such a dangerous situation again, I'll lock you in that solitary confinement cell and never let you out again."
Mingyue walked up to Ye Feng, forcefully pulling his hand away. Ignoring Leng Qianqian's presence, she pressed Ye Feng's still slightly warm hand against her cool cheek. Her breathing was somewhat disordered, and her almond-shaped eyes, like the moon, shimmered with tears. After experiencing that moment of murderous intent, she found that her possessiveness towards this young man had reached an uncontrollable level.
"Teacher..." Ye Feng called softly. He could feel Mingyue's body trembling, the most genuine reaction of a guardian when facing loss.
Leng Qianqian stood to the side, watching the master and apprentice embrace amidst the ruins of the black market, a complex emotion flashing in her cat-like eyes. She didn't utter a sarcastic remark, but silently retracted her claws.
She picked up a piece of broken jade from the ground. She realized that in this situation of power and slaughter, she was not only attracted by Ye Feng's strength, but also deeply hurt by the bond between the master and disciple that transcended the rules.
"Ye Feng, since you saved my Leng family's territory, I will make you repay this favor for the rest of your life." Leng Qianqian turned around, her back view appearing proud and stubborn in the darkness, but in the instant she turned her head, a tiny tear still slid down the corner of her eye and melted into the cold night.
The night in Winter City was still long, and the smoke of the black market was merely the beginning of this storm. Ye Feng gripped the Thousand Chance Umbrella tightly; the ice phoenix pattern on its surface seemed to sense the evil aura from afar, emitting low rumbling sounds. He looked towards the majestic clock tower in the city center, and the path to becoming a "full-time Soul Master" in his heart had only just been stained bright by the blood of the black market.
"Teacher, let's go back," Ye Feng said softly.
Mingyue nodded slightly, taking Ye Feng's hand. Under the moonlight, their figures gradually merged. Meanwhile, in the direction of the Winter's Peak Academy, Dean Feng Rusong stood atop a high tower, gazing at the chaotic city, murmuring:
"It's boiling over... The snow in the North is finally going to be boiled with blood."