Douluo Continent: My name is Lu Mingfei, and my martial soul is Lu Mingze.

Lu Mingze smiled, a particularly bright smile, like a child who had stolen some candy.

"That's more like it. Don't worry, bro, I guarantee you'll be completely transformed when we get back from the far north."

Seeing how happy he was, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt a little regretful.

"Why do I feel like I've been tricked?"

"It's not a pirate ship," Lu Mingze said seriously.

"We're brothers on the same boat. We're tied together, so if you capsize, I won't be happy either."

Lu Mingfei was amused by him and reached out to ruffle his hair.

Lu Mingze's hair was soft and felt just like the real thing. This kid was clearly a martial spirit, but his every move was no different from a real person.

"Alright, go back to sleep." Lu Mingze slapped his hand away. "You have to get up early tomorrow to report to Old Song, don't stay up late."

After he finished speaking, his figure began to fade, disappearing little by little like ink spreading in water.

"Lu Mingze," Lu Mingfei called out to him.

"Um?"

"Don't play the disappearing act again."

Lu Mingze smiled, didn't answer, and disappeared completely into thin air.

Lu Mingfei was left alone in the room again.

He sat on the bed, spaced out for a while, and then lay down.

"The far north," he muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling. "It's insane."

Then he rolled over and closed his eyes.

"Fine, let me go crazy. Anyway, my life has never been normal since I met that brat Lu Mingze."

Time flies.

After the freshman assessments were completed, the atmosphere in the college became much more relaxed.

Lu Mingfei still goes about his daily routine of three points and one triangle: practicing physical training at Old Song's place, learning about parts at the Soul Guidance Department, sleeping in the dormitory, and occasionally running into Huo Yuhao and the others in the cafeteria, where they sit together to eat and chat about whatever comes to mind.

After that, Huo Yuhao and the others' training intensity increased significantly, and they were trained like grandsons every day.

Wang Dong complained, but his eyes were full of energy.

Xiao Xiao hadn't changed much; she was still the same as before, but her tone was much softer when she spoke to Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei could tell that these people were fighting desperately.

He wanted to fight desperately, but Old Song wouldn't let him.

"First, lay a solid foundation," Old Song always said.

"What's the rush? Cultivation is a lifelong endeavor; a few months won't make a difference."

Lu Mingfei had no choice but to obediently follow Old Song's idea.

He was exhausted every day, like a dog, and would fall asleep as soon as he got back to his dorm, too tired to even dream.

However, he could feel changes in his body.

Although his soul power was basically still the same, his body had indeed become much stronger.

There's also progress on Qian Duoduo's side. Lu Mingfei can now recognize all the basic parts of a soul tool and can occasionally assemble a few simple devices on his own.

Although what we assembled was far inferior to what Fanyu made, at least it was usable.

Qian Duoduo would laugh out loud every time he saw the gadgets he assembled, then pat him on the shoulder and say, "Not bad, not bad, you've improved."

Then he turned around and disassembled and reassembled the things he had assembled.

Lu Mingfei wasn't angry; he knew Qian Duoduo was doing it for his own good.

Xian Lin'er would occasionally come over to check on him. She didn't say much, but she would always point out the problems with his assembly, which Lu Mingfei would note down and improve next time.

And so, day by day, the holiday drew closer and closer.

The day of the holiday finally arrived.

At the entrance of Shrek Academy, people came and went, and everywhere were students carrying their luggage, preparing to go home.

Lu Mingfei stood at the door, looking at Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao.

"I'm leaving now," Wang Dong said, her eyes red. "You two should remember to miss me."

Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes: "You're just going home for a vacation, is it really that big of a deal? It's like a life-or-death situation."

"What do you know!" Wang Dong glared at him.

"I'm just sentimental! Unlike some people, who are heartless!"

Lu Mingfei thought to himself, "If I were heartless, I would have thrown you out by now."

But he didn't say it.

Ever since he guessed that Wang Dong was a girl, seeing Wang Dong's eyes reddening so easily, he had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

It wasn't a feeling of being moved, but rather a sense of absurdity, like, "Holy crap, Huo Yuhao actually lived with a girl for so long and treated her like a brother."

But he didn't tell anyone.

He didn't even tell Lu Mingze about this, but he figured the little boy probably already knew.

Wang Dong must have had her reasons for choosing to dress as a man.

"Alright, alright." Lu Mingfei sighed. "How do you want to say goodbye? We'll go along with it."

Wang Dong rubbed his eyes and said seriously, "You two stand here and watch me walk. You can only leave when I'm out of sight."

Lu Mingfei's lips twitched: "What's wrong with you?"

"That's called a sense of ritual!" Wang Dong said confidently. "I read in a book that when true friends say goodbye, they watch each other leave. That way, no matter where they go in the future, they will remember what today was like."

Lu Mingfei paused for a second, then nodded: "Okay."

Wang Dong was finally satisfied. He turned around, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked forward step by step.

After taking a few steps, he looked back again.

Lu Mingfei waved to him.

Wang Dong turned around and continued walking, his figure growing smaller and smaller in the crowd.

Lu Mingfei stood there, watching without moving.

Huo Yuhao stood beside him, also motionless.

Lu Mingfei only looked away after Wang Dong's figure had completely disappeared around the street corner.

He turned to look at Huo Yuhao and noticed that the kid's eyes were also red.

"No, you're crying too?" Lu Mingfei was speechless.

Huo Yuhao wiped his eyes: "Senior, I didn't cry."

"Right, right, you didn't cry, you just got sand in your eyes." Lu Mingfei sighed. "You two are really... I'm speechless."

He patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder: "Alright, I'm leaving too."

Huo Yuhao was taken aback: "Senior, where are you going?"

"Something came up," Lu Mingfei said without elaborating. "Be careful on your way home."

"You too, senior."

Lu Mingfei turned around, waved to Huo Yuhao with his back to him, and strode away.

He didn't turn around.

It's not that I don't want to turn back, it's that I'm afraid I'll end up with tears in my eyes if I do.

"Damn it, Lu Mingfei, you're so spineless," he cursed himself inwardly. "It's just a vacation home, why are you making it sound like a life-or-death situation?"

However, Lu Mingfei did not go home, but to the far north.

That place is so cold it can freeze a person's bones; it's haunted by spirit beasts that are hundreds of thousands of years old, and you could die there at any moment.

But he had to go.

It wasn't because of Lu Mingze's provocation, nor because of any great opportunity.

It's because he doesn't want to be a useless person anymore.

He no longer wanted to be told, "What can a Soul Master who isn't even at the second ring understand?" He no longer wanted to stand in the corner watching others shine, and he no longer wanted to be looked at with pity.

Lu Mingfei doesn't have any special skills in his life, but he has one good point—once he sets his mind on something, he'll grit his teeth and see it through to the end.

As Lu Mingfei walked out of the academy gate, Lu Mingze's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Brother, are you scared?"

"Afraid."

"Being afraid is the right thing to do; only by being afraid can you come back alive."