"Oh, what do you want to talk about?"
Lin Feng was somewhat surprised by the girl's change, but not shocked.
He'd seen this kind of transformation before.
If he remembered correctly, it was after the university entrance exams, when Ya Ge found out she got into one of the Nine Elite Joint Schools. She cried tears of joy and smiled—now, it's just happened a little earlier.
Faced with Lin Feng's casual attitude, Ya Ge frowned slightly, feeling a bit uneasy, but seeing Lin Feng's pale face, she couldn't help but feel a touch of pity.
She wanted to speak, but caught the curious looks of their classmates nearby, so she could only relent and say, "Let's go talk on the field." With that, she walked away first.
"Dahai, wait for me at Cafeteria No.5, help me get my food. I'll be right there."
Lin Feng said to Gao Hai, then, under the amused gaze of a crowd of onlookers, followed lazily behind Ya Ge.
At that moment, there were a large number of students gathered in the hallway, by estimate, three or four hundred, mostly male.
If it were before, as soon as class ended, these hungry kids would've sprinted to lunch faster than anyone, scared the good dishes would be gone. Now, nobody went to eat—instead, they stared curiously, drama-loving spectators enjoying the show, which left Lin Feng speechless. The corners of his mouth tugged with teasing as he suddenly grabbed a male classmate and asked, "So curious—want to come too?"
The boy froze, trembling all over, almost peeing himself. He thought Lin Feng was going to hit him—he never expected a question like that. He struggled: "No, I'm not going!"
"Heh."
Lin Feng watched the blushing boy, laughing happily, a bit wickedly amused.
This kid's really pure—blushes over the tiniest thing.
"What's wrong?"
Just then, Ya Ge turned around, apparently not understanding what had happened.
"Nothing. Let's go."
On the way, for the first time, Lin Feng felt what it meant to be the center of attention—well, not the center; he was just borrowing a bit of her spotlight.
Of course, Lin Feng understood why his classmates were so curious.
In senior year, everyone knew the two of them were childhood friends—growing up together as a couple, always eating together, coming to school together. They'd watched them so much, even their public displays of affection were just familiar, maybe a bit enviable but no big deal.
But today, things felt a little different.
What once was a perfect match is now one breaking out of their cocoon to become a butterfly, and the other stuck in place—hard not to gossip about their fate.
"Is she going to console me so I won't give up? Or is this about breaking up?"
Lin Feng didn't care at all about the spectacle around them. As for Ya Ge, his feelings had faded long ago—nothing left to cling to.
If it's a breakup, even better—that's exactly the result he wants.
Breaking up is step one in his plan!
"Senior, can I get your autograph?"
"Senior, you're so beautiful, I'm such a fan! Can we take a photo together?"
"Me! Me first, no cutting in line!"
As they crossed campus, juniors and underclassmen, clutching pen and paper or phones, surged over to ask Ya Ge for photos and autographs, faces glowing with excitement.
The signatures weren't on blank pages, but on photos—just in one day, Ya Ge's pictures were already everywhere among the students.
Some were candids, but most were from her refinement of Enchanting Butterfly and demon possession.
Ya Ge was clearly used to it—she signed quickly, and from Lin Feng's casual glance, her handwriting looked professional, full of flourish. If he didn't recognize the name, he'd have no clue what it said.
But once it started, there was no end—people kept coming over, soon there were over a hundred crowded around.
Surrounded by the enthusiastic students in three layers deep or more, it was impossible for ordinary people to squeeze through. Not only that, but more students who heard about it were pouring in.
"Alright, alright, I've got something else. I'll do more later!"
Seeing the surging crowd, Ya Ge hurriedly stopped signing, handing a signed photo to a shy boy, and called out loud.
By this time, the crowd had grown to over a thousand.
Jiangxin Middle School had nearly three thousand students—even if only one percent were fans, that was thirty people. If she kept signing, her hand would break before she finished.
"Haha, I got her autograph!"
"Me too! This is awesome!"
"You didn't, huh? Told you to run faster, but you never listen."
The juniors and underclassmen were excited, triumphant if they'd gotten a signature, disappointed otherwise.
"Who's got an autograph? I'll pay a hundred bucks!"
In the crowd, a short, chubby kid held up a red bill, waving it overhead and shouting loudly.
"She's really that popular?"
Even Lin Feng was surprised this time.
You could sell it?
Really—cash for signatures?
Lin Feng shook his head in awe.
Looks like he'd underestimated Ya Ge's influence.
With her dazzling looks, plus Eighth Grade Enchanting Butterfly and Ju Xing Club membership—all added up, Ya Ge was already the school's undeniable star.
At Jiangxin First Middle School, in terms of strength and reputation, no one beat Wang Wenxuan from Class 12.
Wang Wenxuan was president of their school's Elite Martial Arts Club. Though just a high school club, they had facilities and instructors.
From their freshman year, Wang Wenxuan was a campus legend—descended from a powerful family, naturally gifted in martial arts, with Ninth Rank Body Cultivator strength, and ranked third overall in his year.
He hadn't attended Awakening Day yesterday, because he'd become a Demon Spirit Master a month earlier—refining the Ninth Grade Ragefire Lion. Rumor was, after disappearing for a month, Wang Wenxuan had joined the Thunder Club.
Though he hadn't gone through the assessment yet, with his strength and demon grade, he was already Jiangxin First Middle School's top star—favored by fate, easily headed for one of the Three Heroic Academies.
In terms of ability and achievement, Wang Wenxuan outclassed Ya Ge, but in popularity, he couldn't compete.
There were people who asked for his autograph too, but it was never this crazy.
When Ya Ge finally shook off her enthusiastic fans and the two crossed the field to a secluded spot behind the mountain, neither spoke right away—the atmosphere felt oddly tense.
"We have only three months till the entrance exams. Why are you being so self-destructive?"
After a long time, Ya Ge turned to face Lin Feng. He looked pale, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly in bad shape.
"You may not have become a Demon Spirit Master, but with your abilities, if you work hard, even if you can't get into the Nine Elite Joint Schools, you could still make it to a good university. There's no need to give up on yourself."
"Why won't you say anything?"
Seeing Lin Feng's calm expression, Ya Ge frowned prettily, a bit angry—more disappointed than upset.
"What do you actually want to say?" Lin Feng asked directly.
Ya Ge was silent for a while before she spoke: "I'm leaving for Shangjing tomorrow—three months. I won't be back until just before the exams."
Lin Feng didn't ask why. He could guess.
Shangjing was Ju Xing Club's headquarters. Having signed with Ju Xing, they'd pour everything into training her for three months, aiming to get her into the Three Heroic Academies.
Ya Ge's last test score was probably around 500; refining an Eighth Grade Enchanting Butterfly added 40, bringing her to 540—still short of the Nine Elite Joint Schools' mark.
Like Lin Feng, Ya Ge's constitution score was low, but that could be raised with resources.
Three months—given Ju Xing's wealth and support—getting her up to Eighth Rank Body Cultivator shouldn't be a problem.
Then she'd qualify for the Three Heroic Academies.
And if she still didn't quite make it, Ju Xing's connections could surely swing some bonus points with a special skill.
So, barring surprises, Ya Ge was as good as accepted to a Hero Academy.
"Mm, good luck on your trip," Lin Feng smiled.
Ya Ge was a little stunned by his reaction. She faltered—she was about to leave, and he was so calm?
This Lin Feng felt like a stranger—since he slept after Awakening Day yesterday, she'd noticed he'd changed.
Just one day—no, since he woke up from yesterday's nap, she hadn't recognized him.
"When I'm gone, I really hope you'll pull yourself together."
"Mm."
Lin Feng's simple "mm" brought the brief conversation to another abrupt halt.
Ya Ge clenched her fists, looked down for a moment, then raised her head to meet Lin Feng's eyes: "I know why you've given up."
After a pause, she spoke softly: "You don't need to worry about all that. As long as you try, we could still be together."
She pulled out a bank card and handed it to Lin Feng: "There's five hundred thousand in here. The password's your birthday. With exams coming, buy some Qi and Blood Pills."
Lin Feng didn't take it.
Five hundred thousand wasn't a small amount.
At this moment, Lin Feng was honestly a bit moved.
That was why he couldn't bring himself to hate her.
This girl wasn't bad—actually, she was kind at heart, just practical.
"Breakup fee?"
Of course Lin Feng wouldn't accept it—last life, this life, no difference.
"No—just hoping you'll put in some effort," Ya Ge answered gently.
He couldn't deny it; it had only been a night, but she'd thought about breaking up.
She'd refined Enchanting Butterfly, signed with Ju Xing Club, was about to enter a Hero Academy—while Lin Feng could only aim for a good university. Their gap would only widen.
Her parents and relatives advised her to think carefully. Technically, yes, but Ya Ge knew her mom wanted them to break up. Dad didn't object, but didn't say he'd support them either.
She'd called her best friend last night to vent, and her friend was blunt—they really weren't right for each other anymore.
But no matter what anyone said, Ya Ge still had feelings for Lin Feng. They'd grown up together—deep down, she still liked him!
She wanted to give Lin Feng a chance—to stay together.
"Try hard—stay together?" Lin Feng's lips curled in irony, knowing the future outcome.
"You already know the answer, don't you?"
"I..."
Ya Ge didn't answer, for a long time.
The answer was obvious.
She knew all this was just making excuses for herself.
Is martial arts something you can achieve just by working hard?
If it were, there wouldn't be such a thing as genius and mediocrity.
In martial arts, diligence can make up for clumsiness, but as a Demon Spirit Master, without Soul Cultivator talent, even if the Earth Chart demon was handed to you, you're stuck.
Unable to refine a demon spirit, unable to become a Demon Spirit Master—Lin Feng had lost his shot at greatness.
Lin Feng looked at Ya Ge, curious: "Really have so little faith in me?"
Still, she said nothing.
Lin Feng suddenly found it kind of funny—at Ya Ge, but more at himself.
You know how it'll end, so why feel so unwilling and say all these pointless things?
"Let's break up."
As soon as he finished, Lin Feng didn't give Ya Ge a chance to respond, leaving behind a cool, decisive back.
"Lin..."
Ya Ge had just started to speak when Lin Feng's figure quickly vanished from sight, as if afraid she'd chase after him.
Ya Ge stood there, stunned, still holding out the bank card, her body stiff, silent for a long time. She stared after Lin Feng, her expression showing surprise and grievance—this wasn't what she'd imagined.
She'd gone over the possibilities, again and again.
No matter how angry Lin Feng got, even if he cursed her out, she wouldn't have been surprised—but she hadn't expected him to stay so calm, treating her like a stranger, and that it would be him to say "break up" first.
"Maybe this is for the best."
Standing there a long time, the girl finally let out a slow breath—as if she'd been set free.