"Later, I'll have Uncle Bone escort you to the Star Luo Empire. With his strength, the round trip won't take long."
Ning Fengzhi spoke seriously, his expression solemn. The future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was at stake, and he couldn't afford to be careless.
"Uncle Ning, please rest assured. I'll definitely convince the Clear Sky Sect to reemerge."
Tang San's tone was firm. Before a sect as powerful as the Clear Sky Sect, he dared not show even a hint of carelessness.
Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing stood under a large tree in the courtyard, arguing.
"Dai Mubai, if you want to waste your life, that's your choice—but you have no right to stop me from becoming stronger."
Her tone was cold, but her eyes blazed with determination. A crowd of curious students stopped nearby, watching the dispute unfold.
"Zhuqing, you have to believe me! You're beautiful—what if that so-called Elder Lin has bad intentions toward you?"
Dai Mubai reached out, trying to grab her wrist, but Zhu Zhuqing brushed him off sharply.
"Not everyone is like you, Dai Mubai. Don't disgust me."
Her words cut deep. With a sharp slap across his face, she turned and walked away, leaving him standing frozen in humiliation.
"Fine," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Lin Fan… I'll see what kind of ability you really have."
Rage burned in his eyes as he stormed off toward the Sunset Forest.
At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing had already arrived near the outskirts of Lin Fan's Zerg hive.
"So, you've made up your mind?"
Lin Fan's calm voice echoed behind her before she could even announce her presence. His perception, linked to the vast network of the swarm, had detected her long before she arrived.
"Elder Lin Fan," Zhu Zhuqing said respectfully, kneeling down. "Please help me strengthen my spirit rings. I'm willing to follow your lead from now on."
Her movements were practiced, showing she had rehearsed this moment in her mind many times.
"Stand up. If you truly wish to grow stronger, then come with me."
Lin Fan smiled faintly, his crimson eyes glimmering in the dim light. He knew Zhu Zhuqing's personality well—cold and determined, but never one to let an opportunity for growth slip away.
"All right, Elder Lin Fan."
She stood silently behind him, ready to follow wherever he led.
"Zhuqing, don't go with him!"
A voice shouted from the forest—Dai Mubai had arrived, panting and furious.
"Elder Lin Fan, let's go," Zhu Zhuqing said without even turning to look. "I don't know that man."
Compared to Zhu Zhuqing's calm demeanor, Dai Mubai's rage made him look like a clown performing before the crowd.
"Dai Mubai," Lin Fan said with a faint smile, "you'd better learn your place."
But Dai Mubai's pride wouldn't let him back down.
"Wait! Lin Fan, I challenge you to a duel! I don't believe you can really enhance a person's spirit rings!"
"Oh? A duel?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow, amused. "Fine. I accept."
A faint hum filled the air as seven blood-red spirit rings rose slowly behind him—each one emanating the oppressive aura of a hundred thousand years.
Dai Mubai froze, the color draining from his face. Even Zhu Zhuqing stood still, her breath catching as she stared at the sight.
"Wha—How is this possible…" Dai Mubai stammered. "No one could possibly have seven hundred-thousand-year rings!"
"There's nothing impossible in this world," Lin Fan replied coldly. "You're just too weak to comprehend the vastness of it."
With a dismissive wave, he turned to Zhu Zhuqing. "Come. We have more important matters to attend to."
Without another glance at the trembling Dai Mubai, Lin Fan led her into the hive.
Inside, the pulsating walls of the organic structure glowed faintly with bioluminescent light. The air was thick with the scent of living energy, and the faint echo of Zerg activity resonated throughout.
"Elder Lin Fan, can you help me enhance my spirit rings now?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, her voice steady despite a trace of nervousness.
"Patience," Lin Fan said. "To strengthen your spirit rings, your body and mind must be refined to withstand the pressure. You'll undergo seven days of adaptation training. Think of it as... interest for what you seek."
"Interest?" Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly, not understanding.
"It's simple," Lin Fan replied. "Each day, I will guide you through a fusion process with the swarm's energy. You'll either endure it—or the swarm will reject you."
Realizing this was a test rather than a simple transaction, Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly.
"I understand. I won't back down."
"Good," Lin Fan said approvingly. "Survive these seven days, and I'll elevate all your spirit rings to the ten-thousand-year level."
The faint crimson glow in his eyes intensified. "But if you fail… the swarm will remember you as nourishment."
Zhu Zhuqing's heart pounded, but her gaze remained resolute.
"Seven days," she said. "I'll endure every one of them."
Over the next five days, Lin Fan subjected her to grueling spiritual and physical refinement. The Zerg hive adjusted to her presence, injecting her with carefully measured energy through bio-organic conduits. Her body adapted rapidly, evolving to contain the surging power within.
The once cold and distant Zhu Zhuqing gradually grew accustomed to the swarm's influence, learning to harness the resonance between her spirit and the Zerg energy.
Finally, on the seventh day, Lin Fan summoned her.
"This is the final stage," he said. "Follow me."
He led her into the central chamber of the hive—a pulsating heart of the swarm.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes gleamed with determination. She had endured six days of pain, transformation, and awakening. Now, she was ready for the final step.
"For your persistence," Lin Fan said softly, "the swarm acknowledges you."
As his palm pressed lightly against her back, energy surged from the hive into her body. Her spirit rings flickered, shifting in color as their age climbed rapidly toward the ten-thousand-year threshold.
A deafening pulse echoed through the hive.
Zhu Zhuqing's aura exploded outward—cold, sharp, and lethal like the queen of a newly born brood.
Lin Fan smiled faintly. "Good. From now on, you'll be more than human—you'll be the first of the Swarm's chosen."
****
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