That single exclamation instantly drew the attention of the crowd; Anliya, Warren, and the others looked at him with utter disbelief.

"But you were supposed to have been..." Teacher Kailin stopped midway through her sentence. When Kozmo had come to Tianfeng Academy to seize people, Chen Feng was the very first target, pursued until he fled in disarray. This incident wasn't exactly secret within the academy, though most people there didn't recognize Chen Feng and didn't know who was being chased.

"I escaped a long time ago," Chen Feng replied with a faint smile.

Roar~~~

The Swift Iron Beast suddenly let out a massive roar, seemingly expressing its displeasure. A creature it had just knocked away with its tail was rescued by someone else. Even without high intelligence, this intermediate-level magic beast would be angry, let alone one possessing some degree of intellect.

"Ah... Quick, everyone, run!" Teacher Kailin shivered at the sound of the roar and hastily urged everyone to retreat. But as soon as she shouted, she saw Chen Feng looking at her with a composed smile, and she suddenly remembered that the young man before her had already reached the Dou Zun level and had nothing to fear from the brute.

"Chen Feng, so you had everything under control, making me rush about shouting for nothing!" Teacher Kailin said, rolling her eyes at him.

She was already famous for her exceptional beauty, earning her the title of a beautiful teacher. At this moment, every glance and smile revealed a hint of captivating charm.

"Who is that man? Why does he know Teacher Lin?" The dozen or so students trapped by the magic watched the unfolding scene and began to murmur amongst themselves.

Humans are naturally inclined towards gossip. Even facing an uncertain life or death situation, they weren't afraid but instead started discussing—this showed something about human nature. Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that they were just trying to find conversation to lessen the fear in their hearts...

"Who knows? He seems quite familiar with Teacher Kailin. Could he be her boyfriend?" one student jokingly suggested.

Teacher Kailin was young, kind, and possessed high cultivation. She was the secret crush of many in the academy, yet she remained distant, like an iceberg, with no rumors of any romantic entanglements. Some people whispered that she did have a boyfriend, someone whose cultivation was profound and not within the academy grounds. When Chen Feng appeared in this heroic rescue, naturally, these students started jumping to conclusions.

"No, look at them; they only know each other, they aren't intimate!" one serious student argued. "If they were really in that kind of relationship, Teacher Kailin would have already rushed into his arms for a passionate kiss!"

Everyone present agreed with this explanation.

"Alas, it's over. I thought that perhaps Teacher Kailin's unfathomable boyfriend would appear and maybe defeat the Swift Iron Beast. It seems there's no hope. Pity that I'm still a virgin; to die like this, how can I face my ancestors..."

As he was speaking, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see a 'dinosaur' junior female student, her face flushed crimson, pulling at his shirt corner.

"Senior... I'm a virgin, would you like to..."

"Ah..." The student saw the patches of blue-black marks on her face, her stature around 1.5 meters tall and weighing 160 jin, and a face like 'Ruhua' (an infamous ugly character). He couldn't help but turn away and vomit...

"What's wrong, Senior? Are you looking down on me?" the dinosaur junior female student asked with a look of melancholy resentment.

"No, don't misunderstand, just vomit, just get used to it..." the senior replied with a sense of duty...

……………………………………………………………………

Seeing Teacher Kailin's pleading look, Chen Feng smiled slightly and took a few steps forward, positioning himself in front of the Swift Iron Beast.

Roar~~~

When the Swift Iron Beast saw Chen Feng approaching, it roared again, but although it roared with all its might, it dared not advance. Animals possess an inherent instinct for danger, and it seemed to sense a threat emanating from this harmless-looking youth, so it held back from attacking immediately.

Suddenly, the Swift Iron Beast thrust its hind legs hard into the ground. Just as everyone thought it was about to charge, it abruptly spun around and plunged deep into the forest.

This sudden change caught everyone off guard. How could the magic beast, so ferocious and imposing moments ago, suddenly flee in the next instant?

Everyone stared at Chen Feng in utter disbelief.

"Superpower!" "Special Ability?" "Beast Taming Telepathy..."

Various theories sprang up. The senior who had been vomiting earlier even wondered if Chen Feng had scared the beast away by looking as hideous as the dinosaur junior female student did in front of it...

Although there were many theories, one thing was certain: everyone admired Chen Feng, as his mere appearance caused the Swift Iron Beast to retreat.

"Chen Feng!" Warren struggled to his feet and looked at Chen Feng, a smile spreading across his face.

Warren was a straightforward person. Although Chen Feng had spent little time with him, he genuinely liked the young man.

"What mission are you on this time?" Chen Feng asked curiously.

"We weren't on a mission!" Warren blushed slightly.

"If it's inconvenient, I won't ask!" Chen Feng smiled.

"It's not that. We are voluntarily searching for something, and the purpose is... to save someone!" Warren explained.

"Save someone? And you need medicinal herbs that Tianfeng Academy doesn't possess?" Chen Feng was puzzled.

Tianfeng Academy, as the preeminent academy on the continent, possessed extraordinarily rich resources. If the academy lacked a medicinal herb, it must be a supreme quality item; how could a group of people wandering in Dragon Map Mountain possibly find it?

"It's the Seven-Root Grass!" Warren said.

The Seven-Root Grass, as its name suggested, grew seven roots of varying sizes on one plant. These roots could be used in medicine and were excellent for refining elixirs. However, this was a common medicinal ingredient, much like 'Big Green Leaf' in his previous life; the academy should have plenty of it stocked. How had it come to the point where the academy had to send people out searching for it?

"The academy originally had many medicinal herbs, but..." Warren's face flushed, then turned slightly pale: "A devil came! He blew up our entire medicinal storage!"

"A devil?"

"Yes!" Warren clenched his fists. "He is not human. Half a month ago, he came to challenge our academy and managed to severely injure all the teachers and students in one battle, even heavily wounding the eight super powerhouses hidden within the academy that no one knew about!"

"Eight super powerhouses?" Chen Feng was momentarily stunned. He had encountered three; perhaps there were others he hadn't seen.

Of course, Warren couldn't clearly articulate the opponent's cultivation level, and Chen Feng himself didn't feel much of a difference. To say one person injured the entire faculty and student body of Tianfeng Academy—even the current him could achieve that.

"Yes, we didn't even know about the academy's eight powerhouses. If it weren't for a major incident, they would probably still be recuperating in the rear mountains of the academy, but... these eight people joined forces in one strike and utilized the academy's strongest formation, the [Eight Immortals Array], only to have it shattered by a single punch from the opponent!" Warren spoke, trembling with excitement.

"What kind of formation is the [Eight Immortals Array]?"

"It is a combined combat formation created by our academy's ancestors. It requires eight Saint Domain experts to execute simultaneously. Once the grand array is activated, it is rumored that its power is ten times greater than the attacks of eight ordinary individuals!" Warren explained.

"An array formed by eight Saint Domain experts? It certainly shouldn't be underestimated. To have it broken by a single punch means his cultivation is indeed formidable. When did such a fierce figure appear in this continent?" Chen Feng muttered to himself secretly, then asked, "Was your [Eight Immortals Array] not fully activated before he started attacking?"

No matter how powerful an array was, if it wasn't fully activated, it was practically useless. Since he chose to engage in battle, it was only logical to strike before the enemy's momentum was complete, cutting it off mid-flow.

Warren shook his head, his eyes once again filled with horror, yet mixed with awe.

"No, he defeated the eight super powerhouses of the academy one by one, then stood with his hands behind his back and said, 'I heard your academy has the [Eight Immortals Array]; why don't you deploy it and let me witness it.' After saying that, he didn't move an inch, allowing the array to activate. He only threw his punch after the array was completely established!"

To allow the opponent to fully activate the formation before striking could only indicate one thing: the person was either incredibly arrogant or supremely confident in his own strength. Based on Warren's description, the opponent was not only arrogant but also powerful!

If what Warren said was true, this person was at least at the peak of the Saint Domain, perhaps even a worthy match for Chen Feng himself.

Letting out a breath, Warren continued, "That in itself is not the most surprising thing. The key is that he is reportedly less than twenty years old! I truly wonder how he cultivated! Originally, I thought that you, brother, achieving the Dou Zun strength at such a young age meant your cultivation speed was rare in this world, but seeing that person, I realized there is always someone better under the heavens, and people beyond people!"

Chen Feng wasn't sure if Warren was praising him or scolding him. Shaking his head, before he could speak, he saw Warren suddenly slap his forehead in realization: "I remember now! When he displayed his power, he crushed a Magic Crystal into dust between two fingers! You know, although Magic Crystals aren't the strongest things in the world, they are among the hardest. Crushing one with just your fingers is something even our academy's eight super powerhouses couldn't do. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe anyone could shatter a Magic Crystal with their fingers!"

Saying this, he noticed Chen Feng's strange expression and sighed, "I know you won't believe me if I tell you this, crushing a Magic Crystal with fingers—I truly doubt he is still human..."

Seeing Warren rambling on, Chen Feng offered a wry smile and flipped his wrist. A crystal suddenly appeared in his palm, sparkling brilliantly, clearly a top-tier specimen.

"Is that so?"

Chen Feng spoke, then pinched the crystal between his fingers, applying gentle force. With a crisp crack, the crystal instantly disintegrated into powder.

"Ah..." Warren stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"He... he can crush it too..." The students who had been bound by the Level Five Magic earlier had been freed. Seeing Chen Feng's action, they simultaneously cried out in shock.

"You... you are truly a monster!" Warren managed to sputter out after a long pause, clearly utterly stunned by what he had just witnessed.

PS:: Two more chapters tonight... working hard on typing. Please send recommendations and monthly passes, brothers!! (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www**m for more chapters, supporting the author and genuine reading!)