NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 308
CHAPTER 308: The Simple Path to Revenge
Lin Feng, confident in his performance, wasted no time in speaking up.
“If I’m not mistaken, my junior brother’s and my assessment should be quite different from that of the ordinary candidates.”
He paused, glancing at Jiu Han for confirmation. The old man said nothing, so Lin Feng pressed on, his voice firm.
“In my view, the entire dream realm assessment is divided into two stages. The first stage is set around the time of the quasi-Divine battle—this is what most candidates would experience.”
Lin Feng’s expression was calm, measured.
“During that stage, the test focuses on temperament. As long as a candidate isn’t completely indulgent in evil or pleasure, passing shouldn’t be too hard.”
He leaned forward slightly, his voice taking on a sharper edge. “But the second stage, I believe, was designed specifically for my junior brother and me. With the fall of our families and our vendetta against Jie Hai, this second stage was something else.”
Jiu Han finally nodded, his expression unreadable.
“Yes, you’re correct.”
Lin Feng smiled, his confidence building. He continued, outlining his logic clearly.
“The first stage wasn’t too difficult. The real challenge for us came in the second stage.”
“After inheriting our techniques, we were given only two months to seek revenge for our families. This is nowhere near enough time to grow strong enough to face a quasi-Divine realm expert like Jie Hai.”
He spoke faster now, his thoughts tumbling out.
“So, the focus of the second stage became survival—and figuring out how to gain enough strength to exact revenge.”
Lin Feng recalled his journey through the dreamscape, a hint of pride in his tone.
“Jie Hai is a quasi-Divine realm expert, so of course, he has enemies. I used the connections my father left behind, and from Uncle Feng Qixiao, I learned of Jie Hai’s grudge against the Crown Prince.”
“From there, I knew I could leverage that vendetta. Seeking shelter with Uncle Feng Qixiao while gathering my own power—and using my ties to the Crown Prince—would have allowed me to take down Jie Hai when the time was right.”
Lin Feng sighed, the weight of his long struggle in the dream hanging in his voice.
“It took hundreds of years, but I finally saw a way to achieve revenge! If I had just a few more years in that dream, Teacher, I would have destroyed Jie Hai.”
Jiu Han’s lips twitched into a smile.
“You’ve done well, Lin Feng. In fact, your performance was nearly perfect.”
Lin Feng’s chest swelled with pride at the praise. He bowed deeply, lowering his head.
“Thank you, Teacher. You honor me with your words.”
Humility, always.
But then, Jiu Han turned his gaze toward Lu Ming, and something shifted in the room.
“What about you, Lu Ming?” Jiu Han asked, his tone more curious, less certain. “What were you thinking throughout the assessment?”
Lin Feng, still bowing, couldn’t help but lean in slightly, listening intently. He was genuinely curious. Surely, his junior brother hadn’t performed better than him. That was impossible.
But then Lu Ming spoke, and his words left Lin Feng stunned.
“I didn’t think much at all, honestly,” Lu Ming said with casual ease. “It was simple: cultivate, then kill the enemy. That’s all there was to it.”
Lin Feng blinked, struggling to process what he’d just heard.
Lu Ming continued, his tone almost thoughtful.
“Senior Brother Lin, you’ve thought about this a lot more than I did. It’s only now that I realize how many layers there were to this assessment.”
He shrugged.
“But none of that really mattered to me.”
Lin Feng’s mind reeled. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“It doesn’t matter?” Lin Feng’s voice was sharp, almost incredulous. “How can you say it doesn’t matter?”
Their families had fallen. They faced a quasi-Divine realm enemy. Lin Feng had poured all his effort into surviving, planning, and strategizing for revenge. How could Lu Ming dismiss it all so easily?
Sensing his rising frustration, Lin Feng forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to remain composed.
“Junior Brother, our perspectives couldn’t be more different. This assessment was incredibly meaningful!”
He leaned forward, voice low but intense.
“Think about where we started. We were both profligate sons, with no cultivation to speak of. To seek revenge against a quasi-Divine realm expert, with our families in ruins—it’s no small feat. We needed strategy, resources, time…”
Lin Feng’s voice trembled with the weight of all he had done. “Do you truly think it was that simple?”
Lu Ming scratched his head, meeting Lin Feng’s eyes calmly.
“Yes. It’s quite simple.”
Lin Feng blinked again. “What did you say?”
“I said, isn’t it just revenge? It’s really quite simple.”
Then, as if he hadn’t already thrown enough of a shock at Lin Feng, Lu Ming added, “When I came out of the dream, I’d already killed Jie Hai. What? Senior Brother, you haven’t killed him yet?”
Lin Feng’s mouth fell open, his mind scrambling to make sense of what Lu Ming had just said.
Lu Ming frowned slightly.
“Then Senior Brother, you didn’t pass the assessment… You didn’t even defeat the final boss. How can you consider that a pass?”
Lin Feng stared, speechless, as Lu Ming turned toward Jiu Han, ignoring the look of disbelief on his senior brother’s face.
“My approach was straightforward, Master,” Lu Ming explained, his voice clear and certain. “The starting point you gave us was already high. The assessment wasn’t difficult at all.”
“First of all, the innate talents of the bodies we had in the dream world were impressive. While slightly inferior to my real self, they were still rare genius-level.”
“And then, we had the chance to choose cultivation techniques. I picked the Foundation-Building Technique, which had the best long-term potential.”
“This technique was fascinating. It enhanced both origin power and physical strength. If trained to its peak, it could reach the quasi-Divine realm. I assume this was my ‘Old Dad’s’ main cultivation method.”
“Then, there was the matter of resources. Although my family had been destroyed by Jie Hai, my ‘Old Dad’ left behind several treasure vaults. The wealth inside was more than enough to push me to the quasi-Divine realm.”
Lu Ming paused, glancing briefly at Lin Feng before turning back to Jiu Han.
“With good aptitude, ample resources, and a powerful cultivation method, the only thing left was time.”
“So I secluded myself, trained, reached the quasi-Divine realm, and then came out to kill Jie Hai. Simple as that.”
Lin Feng stood frozen, his thoughts spinning wildly as he stared at Lu Ming.
Lu Ming, however, didn’t seem to notice his senior brother’s shock. He continued speaking with the same casual certainty.
“Why did you make it sound so complicated, Senior Brother? It was really quite simple. I just secluded myself for 386 years.”
He sighed, a hint of regret slipping into his voice.
“It’s a shame, though. If the body in the dream had been as strong as my real one, I wouldn’t have needed even a hundred years to turn Jie Hai into ashes.”
End of Chapter 308