Yes! The very person in front of Bai Yunfei right now was none other than one of his trusted friends, Jing Mingfeng!
âHaha!!â Bai Yunfei boomed with laughter, âWho else but me? Itâs been what, three years? Canât you recognize me?â
âIt really is you!!â Jing Mingfeng was beside himself with joy, âIâŠI canât believe it! Haha!! Youâre not dead! Youâre alive!! ButâŠwhat are you doing here?!â
âItâs a long story, but I want to ask you that too. Why are you here in the Dragonâs Ascent Mountains?â
âMe?â Jing Mingfeng grinned, âIâve been training here all this time! HeheâŠâ
âWhat?!â Bai Yunfeiâs eyes flew wide open, âYouâreâŠyouâve been training here for three years?!â
âYepâŠIâve been living here since three years ago. Training all day every day.â Jing Mingfeng nodded. âI heardâŠthat you were killed by the Soul Refining School three years ago. I reallyâŠYunfei, Iâm so glad youâre still alive!â
It moved Bai Yunfei to see Jing Mingfeng this emotional. He mustâve spent all his time here, never once leaving the Dragonâs Ascent Mountains. That had to be why he didnât know Bai Yunfei was actually alive still.
Bai Yunfei once asked about Jing Mingfengâs whereabouts when he spoke with Tang Xinyun. Her reply was that Jing Mingfeng never appeared again after the battle with the Qin. Bai Yunfei also remembered Jing Wuying taking him away, meaning Jing Mingfeng shouldnât have been in any danger.
No news ever came up regarding Jing Mingfengâs existence, but Bai Yunfei always thought him to be safe and never looked for him. Who knew theyâd come across each other here today?
âIâŠI never thought youâd be training here in the Dragonâs Ascent MountainsâŠâ Bai Yunfei admitted, âBut good on you, you became a Soul Emperor! It mustâve been some time since you became an Early-stage Soul Emperor, right?â
The excitement died away from Jing Mingfengâs eyes at once. âMy achievements were all given to me by my grandfatherâŠHeâŠheâŠâ
âEh?â Bai Yunfeiâs smile softened, âWhat happened to senior Jing?â
âGrandfather passed away three years agoâŠhe transferred his power to me before he died. I managed to get lucky here in the Dragonâs Ascent Mountains, thatâs how I managed to train so quicklyâŠâ
âAh, so senior Jing hasâŠI seeâŠMingfeng, Iâm sorry to hear it.âÂ
âHaha, letâs not talk about it. Iâll definitely live up to my grandfatherâs expectations!â Jing Mingfeng bounced back with a great smile. âIâll tell you now, I wasnât slacking off for three years! Every day I spent here in these mountains has heightened my skills. The me of today will definitely win agaiââ
He froze up to stare incredulously at Bai Yunfei. For two seconds, the man didnât speak. âIâŠholy crap!! Youâre kidding me! OlâBaiâŠyouâre a Mid-stage Soul Emperor?! ThâthereâsâŠthereâsâŠâ
âHaha! What was that just now? Youâll definitely win what?â
âI f*cking knew it!!â Jing Mingfeng roared with frustration, âItâs always like this! Are you even human anymore?! Grandfather transferred me his power and I obtained the Wind Saintâs inheritance to get this far, but even now Iâm still weaker than you! IâŠâ
âWait,â Bai Yunfeiâs ears perked up, âwhat was that? The Wind Saintâs inheritance? What is that?â
âYunfei.â
A voice interrupted Bai Yunfei. Turning around, Bai Yunfei saw Shen Pojun, the Frostfeather Saint, and Li Chengfeng all fly toward him.
The three of them were all surprised when a person appeared out of nowhere and clashed with Bai Yunfei. They were further shocked to see Bai Yunfei begin to talk to him as if he was a friend. Confused, but reassured that the man wasnât an enemy, the three decided to come closer and see what was going on.
So excited was Bai Yunfei in reuniting with Jing Mingfeng that he forgot about the others. âAncestor, senior Frostfeather, Chengfeng, this is a good friend of mine, Jing MingfengâŠMingfeng, this is an ancestor of my school, Shen Pojun. This is the Frostfeather Saint, and this is Li Chengfeng of the Fate SchoolâŠah, Xinyun and Xiao Qi are both in the Core World. Iâll take you in there to see them later.â
âJing Mingfeng?â Shen Pojun repeated. They were each surprised to see such a talented individual like him here. He wasnât too far behind Bai Yunfei, in fact, if he was already an Early-stage Soul Emperor. And his ability to remain hidden as he did earlier was especially noteworthy.â
On the other side, Jing Mingfeng was just as startled at the introduction as the others. âThis junior pays his respects to senior Shen, senior Frostfeather, andâŠbrother Li.â
âMingfeng, were you the one fighting that wildbeast earlier? Youâre not afraid of fighting a mid-stage class eight wildbeast? AndâŠwhat did you use to hide? The ancestor and senior Frostfeather didnât even detect you, and theyâre Saints! Donât tell me the Soul Concealment Art is stronger than I thought?â
Jing Mingfeng shook his head, embarrassed. âWellâŠI was caught stealing a âdarkwind fruitâ by it. Good thing I was faster than it expected, otherwise I wouldâve been in danger.â
âDarkwind fruit? A high-heaven tier herb like that exists here?!â Bai Yunfei raised an eyebrow in surprise, âNo wonder then, youâre a brave one. Even if itâs super compatible for someone like you, thatâs still far too recklessâŠâ
âEverything was going fine until the end. I didnât think the fruit would give off a burst of energy like it did. I managed to hide after dodging two of its attacks and planned on slipping away when it left. I just didnât think you guys would show upâŠwere you the reason why it left?â
âYeah, we scared it offâyou didnât realize it even when we were beside you?â
Jing Mingfeng shrugged his shoulders, âYou think itâs super easy to hide from you guys? I was trying to block off every sign I was giving off. Itâs a technique of my family, the Hidden Void. The technique allows us to hide into thin air as if weâre in a different dimension. No one should be able to sense us. If I try to peer into this dimension though, then senior Frostfeather and Shen should be able to spot me. I have to seal off every sense I have in order to hide. I just knew that a group of powerful people were coming and panicked. There was no way Iâd know who you were, so I decided to hide in my panicâŠâ
A lingering sliver of fear revealed itself in Jing Mingfengâs eyes. He had indeed been very frightened when he was spotted.
Bai Yunfei was baffled. Such a technique like that existed? It seemed quite similar to the Hidden Horizon of the Fate School. Even the name was somewhat similar.
âIt appears I managed to hide from the two seniors, butâŠhow did you find me, Yunfei?â Jing Mingfeng asked, curious.
Bai Yunfei smiled, âItâs an unique ability of mine, an equipment effect to be specific.â
âUghhâŠâ Jing Mingfeng shook his head with a groan, âYou always have these completely abnormal stuff on you! Itâs ridiculous, you knowâŠâ
He didnât feel as smug anymore. Hiding from two Saints with his technique was extremely satisfying, but to be discovered by one of Bai Yunfeiâs soul armaments severely dampened his mood.
âHey, what did you mean by the Wind Saintâs inheritance? Did you gain the inheritance of a Saint?â
âWhat?! The Wind Saintâs inheritance!?â
Shen Pojun gave a dumbfounded stare at Jing Mingfeng, âThe Wind Saint of two hundred years ago? Ye Feixuan? Youâve gained his inheritance?!â
Jing Mingfeng nodded. âThatâs correct, senior Shen. Two years ago, I was lucky enough to find where the Wind Saint resided in these mountains. His inheritance and the precious herbs he left behind helped become an Early-stage Soul Emperor.â
âWind Saintâ Ye Feixuan. A man of extraordinary power two hundred years ago. At the time, he had been the only wind-type Saint, thus how he became known as the âWind Saintâ. The Mid-stage Soul Saint went silent over two hundred years ago without anyone knowing where he went.Â
It would appear that he died and left behind an inheritance.
âTskâŠso you gained a Saintâs inheritance after all?â Bai Yunfei clicked his tongue, âHurry up and tell us the story then.â
âŠâŠ
It took a while, but Bai Yunfei was now fully aware of the story and journey of Jing Mingfeng starting from three years ago.
Apparently, Jing Wuying used something known as Soul Transfer to transfer a good portion of his power to Jing Mingfeng. It took three months of isolated meditation, but Jing Mingfeng was able to successfully integrate the new power for himself and become a Mid-stage Soul King.
He heard the rumors of Bai Yunfeiâs death by the Soul Refining School shortly after that. Struck by sorrow, Jing Mingfeng said he vowed to get stronger and take vengeance for both Jing Wuying and Bai Yunfei, even if it meant reducing himself to dust. That was the reason why he chose to come to the Dragonâs Ascent Mountains to train.
It was important to note that he had only been a Mid-stage Soul King at the time. Entering the Dragonâs Ascent Mountains when he did nearly led to him dying at the jaws of a wildbeast.
His constant dance with death taught him a lot, however, and in a single year, Jing Mingfeng was able to fully integrate everything Jing Wuying left him and become a Late-stage Soul King.
During one of his meditative moments, Jing Mingfeng came to realize the existence of a small cave. After he investigated it, Jing Mingfeng realized that it belonged to a powerful Saint, the âWind Saintâ Ye Feixuan.Â
It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Obtaining the inheritance of a Mid-stage Soul Saint and receiving their power, technique, soul skills, soul armaments, and other treasuresâŠit was priceless. Thanks to the help of everything, Jing Mingfeng was able to become a Soul Emperor.
He wasnât like Bai Yunfei who became a Soul Emperor after going to the Tomb of the Emperor Beast. The way he did it was more difficult than Bai Yunfei.
After that, Jing Mingfeng decided to simply scavenge the Dragonâs Ascent Mountains in search for anything that might help him grow stronger. He was trying to get into even more danger so he could get stronger faster!
Needless to say, Jing Mingfengâs determination to grow stronger was powerful enough to put Bai Yunfei to shame. Even Li Chengfeng felt awed by it.
âŠâŠ
Jing Mingfeng was smiling the entire time he told his story to Bai Yunfei. Perhaps it was because he didnât speak to anyone for such a long time, or perhaps it was because he was meeting a friend long thought to be dead. But either way, he didnât stop even once during his story.
Now that he was done speaking, Jing Mingfeng drew in a deep breath and found himself thirsty. A gourd of water appeared in his hand for him to drink. âOlâBai, letâs talk about you now! Howâd you escape from the Soul Refining School? What have you been up to these few years? AndâŠwhy come here? Where are you heading to?â
âItâs actually a bit of a long story, so Iâll tell you it laterâŠWe came here toâŠget to Hidden Dragon Valley.â
Bai Yunfei glanced to Shen Pojun, he wanted to tell Jing Mingfeng about the Supreme Saintâs Inheritance, but he also wanted to wait for Shen Pojun to agree first.
But Jing Mingfeng gasped before Shen Pojun could even nod or shake his head to answer Bai Yunfei. âWhat?! Hidden Dragon Valley?! AreâŠare you guys after the Supreme Saintâs Inheritance too?!â
Everyoneâs heart skipped a beat at that.
âYou know about the Supreme Saintâs Inheritance in Hidden Dragon Valley?! AndâŠwhat do you mean, âtooâ?!â