Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 265

Chapter 265: Backstab [2]
A low rumble echoed across the mountain plateau, where shattered stones and scorched earth marked the intensity of countless clashes.

Blazing heat shimmered in the air, rippling like a mirage.

In the center stood Shan Yifeng, breathing hard, shirt torn, body streaked with blood and soot. His eyes burned with quiet determination.

Across from him stood Angie, her arms crossed, hair whipping in the wind, eyes glowing faintly with a golden hue.

Flames coiled lazily around her like loyal serpents, dangerous and elegant.

“You’re a half-blood,” she called out, voice clear and commanding. “The Crimson Flame Dragon blood runs in your veins. Awaken it properly, or it’ll consume you completely.”

Shan Yifeng gritted his teeth and surged forward again, fists crackling with heat, his silhouette blurring with speed.

With each step, his aura flared brighter, wild and unstable but growing.

Angie caught his strike with one palm, sparks flying as flame clashed with flame. Her expression didn’t shift.

“Good,” she said. “Push deeper. You’re still only scratching the surface.”

Shan staggered back, barely catching his balance. Blood trickled from his lip, but he didn’t flinch.

He roared, unleashing another wave of burning aura.

Angie’s flames wrapped around her arms. “Let the fire guide your instincts. Don’t fight it, shape it.”

He charged again.

Each exchange was fierce, brutal even, but Angie never struck to maim.

She moved like a master sculptor shaping steel in fire, molding the dragon hidden inside Shan Yifeng, blow by blow.

Between the burns and exhaustion, something within him stirred old and furious, but his to command.

“You’re doing well,” Angie finally said, her tone softening just slightly. “Your bloodline is responding. Keep going, don’t stop now.”

Shan Yifeng fell to one knee, panting, trembling, but his fists clenched with renewed strength.

Flames danced along his back, forming the faint outline of wings.

“Again,” he whispered, rising slowly.

Angie smiled faintly.

“That’s it. That’s the dragon I’m looking for.”

The fire roared.

For a moment, it seemed Shan Yifeng would break through.

The outline of wings behind his back blazed bright, the scales forming down his arms shimmered gold-red like molten metal.

But then—crack.

A backlash of energy erupted. Shan was thrown back, tumbling across the training ground in a crash of dust and ash.

He coughed, smoke rising from his shoulders as the dragon aura flickered and vanished.

Defeated, he pressed his forehead to the scorched earth, fists trembling.

Angie walked over, her expression unreadable. She didn’t scold him.

Instead, she knelt and placed a hand on his back. Her voice was firm, but not unkind.

“You’re close. But not today.”

Shan Yifeng didn’t answer, but he nodded.

Before the silence could stretch into frustration, a soft jingle floated through the scorched air, like chimes stirred by a breeze that didn’t belong to this battlefield.

Both turned as Shane appeared from the path…

In his arms was a woven basket of spirit apples, each glowing faintly with life force, their scent light and refreshing.

Behind him fluttered a small figure, Rei, a farm fairy no taller than a child’s forearm.

“Good afternoon, Grand Elder Rei and elder shane,” Shan Yifeng greeted respectfully as he stood and brushed off soot from his clothes.

Rei’s wings buzzed with delight.

She twirled mid-air, sparkles trailing in her wake, then zipped around him twice like a curious hummingbird.

With a hearty laugh, she pulled an apple from the basket and tossed it into Shan’s hands.

She then passed another to Angie, giving her a sly wink as she drops the spirit apple on her palm.

Angie raised a brow but accepted the apple with a small, amused smirk.

Shane, meanwhile, stood off to the side, completely straight, hands behind his back, like the world’s most loyal shadow.

He didn’t speak, only offered the occasional slight nod of acknowledgment.

Rei floated down onto Shan’s shoulder, swinging her legs.

Shan Yifeng sat beneath the swaying spirit trees, the apple in his hand glowing faintly as he took another crisp bite.

Juice trickled down his wrist. He glanced at Angie beside him, still recovering from their intense session.

“Sister Angie,” he asked, voice filled with curiosity, “what’s the world you come from like?”

Angie turned her gaze to the horizon, her expression soft but unreadable.

“It’s… not a place meant for weak humans like you,” she said plainly, her tone unusually gentle.

That only made Shan lean in more, eyes glimmering. “Why not? Is it really that dangerous? I am pretty sure I can survive anywhere, not that I’m being overconfident. I still can’t win against you but I can survive.”

She smiled faintly, almost wistful. “The weak don’t survive long there. Divine Halo, we call them. They are the strongest ones there. Just below divine Halo, there’s divine step, which is also the next step after legend. Most of our dragon elders are at the Divine Step, and only our clan leader is a Divine Halo.”

Shan Yifeng’s apple froze halfway to his mouth.

“Divine Step…” he echoed, the words tasting like fire on his tongue. Wonder bloomed, tempered with yearning, and just a hint of excitement. “Then… do you think I could reach that realm? If I came to your world?”

Something shifted in Angie’s gaze, just a flicker.

The warmth didn’t leave, but behind her eyes, the weight of intention settled like smoke curling in a closed room.

A plan took root in silence, coiling tight and patient.

“Oh, absolutely,” she said quickly, nodding. “In fact, I know exactly how we could get there.”

She turned her head sharply, checking the surroundings.

Rei had already fluttered off somewhere with Shane, leaving them both alone.

Shan Yifeng leaned forward, excitement stirring in his chest. “Then how? How do we get there?”

“I need a key,” Angie whispered, voice low and conspiratorial. “My interspatial ring. It holds the gateway array and coordinates. With it, I can open the path.”

Shan blinked. “Then… where is the ring now?”

A faint sigh left her lips. “It’s with one of your elders. The quiet one. Always gathering herbs or fruits. She doesn’t know what it is, she just carries it because it’s pretty.”