It wasn't that Lin Feng was inherently cruel or bloodthirsty. It was that these two men had threatened his life, so they had to die—since he had decided they must die, why give them an opportunity to beg for mercy?
Lin Feng from Earth would never have dared to think this way. But here, this was Yueyun Continent, this was the cultivation world. If you didn't kill others, they would seize the chance to kill you given the opportunity.
This He Yuan... from Zheng Kai's brief exchange with him earlier, Lin Feng could guess he was likely the young master of a wealthy family in Qingyun City. Spare such a person, and his own future days in Qingyun City would be plagued with endless trouble.
Drawing on his previous experience eliminating Han Tie and his gang, after confirming both men were dead, Lin Feng applied another burst of flame to each corpse, completely incinerating them into ash. He then retrieved a few artifacts from the remains. This 'practiced' action caused Zheng Kai and the others nearby to shudder involuntarily, almost believing he did this kind of thing frequently…
"Lin… Lin Feng…"
Zheng Kai called out tentatively, a strange feeling in his heart. Lin Feng's icy demeanor while killing was vastly different from before, leaving him momentarily unsettled.
Lin Feng was examining He Yuan's storage ring. Hearing the call, he looked over, the coldness in his eyes dissipating as he smiled. "Brother Zheng, please secure the Tier 2 Fire-tailed Scorpion corpse first. Once we exchange it for the reward at the Mission Guild, we'll split the proceeds."
As he spoke, he waved his right hand, and the scorpion corpse previously taken by He Yuan was tossed out.
"Huh…" Zheng Kai was taken aback, then waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need for that?"
Lin Feng insisted, "This Fire-tailed Scorpion was killed by our combined efforts, and Duanmu Rui was severely injured because of it. It should be divided fairly."
His attitude eased the tension slightly among the group. The discomfort caused by his earlier 'ruthlessness' faded somewhat. Zheng Kai grinned, "Heh, since you're being so generous, Lin Feng, we won't stand on ceremony! After we exchange it for the reward back in the city, we'll split it equally!"
Given Zheng Kai's family background, even a Tier 2 Fire-tailed Scorpion corpse wasn't a huge concern. He waved his hand, storing it away, then said with a serious expression, "Lin Feng, you've killed this He Yuan now…"
Lin Feng replied, "Brother Zheng, you saw it too, I truly had no choice… You seem somewhat familiar with this He Yuan? Does his family hold significant influence in Qingyun City?"
Zheng Kai nodded. "Yes, I know him somewhat. He's a few years older than me, with decent cultivation talent; he reached Foundation Establishment about a year ago. However, our families don't get along well. When my family and the Changgong family jointly established the Mission Guild, the He family also tried to get involved, but we refused them… The He family owns an artifact shop and a talisman shop in the west of the city, along with quite a few secular businesses. Their strength in Qingyun City isn't insignificant; they have several Foundation Establishment elders in their clan."
"West of the city…" Lin Feng pondered silently for a moment, then clasped his hands towards Zheng Kai and the others. "Brother Zheng, Brother Duanmu… Regarding today's events, I must ask you all to keep it secret for me."
Naturally, he couldn't bring himself to silence them permanently. His only option was to ask them to keep quiet. As long as the matter wasn't exposed, no matter how thoroughly the He family investigated, it wouldn't lead back to him.
Zheng Kai immediately thumped his chest in assurance. "That goes without saying! Lin Feng, rest assured! If I leak even half a word of today's events, may I suffer Heaven's wrath! May the Heavenly Tribulation descend upon me someday, obliterating both body and soul!"
"Cough! I naturally believe you, Brother Zheng, there's no need for such a severe oath…" Lin Feng was startled by the gravity of Zheng Kai's oath. Swearing by the Heavenly Tribulation was no trivial matter. If one truly violated such an oath, it would become an inner demon during their future tribulation, interfering disastrously. Consequences were unimaginable; almost no one in the cultivation world dared to violate a 'Heavenly Tribulation Oath'.
Lin Feng instinctively glanced at Duanmu Rui and the others. They also immediately vowed not to reveal today's secret, though none swore as heavily as Zheng Kai. Lin Feng didn't pressure them either. He chose to trust these people for now. However, he had his own calculations. After parting ways today, he planned to 'disappear' for a period, resuming secluded cultivation. Zheng Kai and the others only knew his name. Qingyun City wasn't huge, but neither was it tiny. Trying to find an unknown, minor rogue cultivator within it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Alright, it's almost dark, we should hurry and leave…"
Seeing the matter resolved and everyone mostly recovered, Zheng Kai suggested departure. No one objected. They left the cave, exited Chiyan Mountain, and headed out of the Seven Peaks Forest.
Nothing unexpected happened along the way. By the time the bright moon hung high in the sky, they finally returned to Qingyun City. Fortunately, the Mission Guild operated twenty-four hours, and with Zheng Kai, the 'young master', present, doors were opened wide. They quickly exchanged all the prey from the hunt for spirit stone rewards. When splitting the proceeds, no one quibbled over individual contributions; everything was divided equally. Each received nearly two hundred low-grade spirit stones—a superbly bountiful haul for a Qi Refining stage team.
Politely declining Zheng Kai's invitation for drinks and late-night snacks at a tavern, Lin Feng bid farewell to the group at the Guild entrance and departed alone, vanishing into the night.
If not for the incident with He Yuan, Lin Feng might have exchanged addresses with them or arranged another gathering. But now, he had no such inclination.
...
Walking through the night, Lin Feng traversed countless streets and alleys, returning to his home in the southern part of the city.
Home. Door shut. Lying in bed. Lin Feng pushed all thoughts aside, closed his eyes, and fell straight into slumber…
The next day, Lin Feng awoke refreshed and invigorated. Only then did he begin to sort through the gains from the entire previous day.
The hundred-plus low-grade spirit stones represented considerable wealth for an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, but in Lin Feng's current eyes, they were insignificant. What truly mattered was the storage ring obtained from He Yuan.
Yesterday, when he first got the ring, he had only glanced briefly, spotting the bodies of over a dozen Fire-tailed Scorpions inside. However, he hadn't exchanged these at the Mission Guild; he had kept them for himself.
He Yuan's storage ring was even more advanced than the one Lin Feng currently used. Its internal space measured nearly seven or eight meters in length, width, and height. Most of it was occupied by the Fire-tailed Scorpion corpses. In a corner lay scattered items, which Lin Feng now dumped out onto the table.
"Spirit stone pouch?" Lin Feng's gaze swept over the table, his eyes lighting up as he picked up a pouch. Upon checking it, he couldn't help but exclaim in pleasant surprise, "Impressive! This must be nearly a thousand low-grade spirit stones! Worthy of a young master from a wealthy family. An ordinary cultivator might struggle their whole life and never possess resources like theirs…"
Stowing the pouch away, Lin Feng began examining the pile of various artifacts one by one. Among them were the longsword and the long saber He Yuan had used the day before—both high-grade magic tools. The armor he'd worn was actually a top-grade magic tool! There were also several daggers, short knives, bracers, and other magic tools of medium and high grades. Disappointingly, there were no treasure-grade artifacts.
Nothing particularly special stood out among these artifacts. Lin Feng glanced over them without much interest. The remaining items included some clothes and various wilderness survival supplies—all sorts of miscellaneous things—which he piled haphazardly to one side.
"Huh? This is… a cultivation technique jade slip?!"
Suddenly, Lin Feng's eyes brightened. He picked up a greenish jade slip about two inches long and half an inch thick, a look of delight spreading across his face.
Upon closer inspection, he found three characters carved on the slip: Profound Fire Art.
"It really is a cultivation technique! The Profound Fire Art, and it's an elemental fire-attribute technique!" Lin Feng was overjoyed, eagerly sending his spiritual sense into the jade slip…
Immediately, a cultivation method appeared in his mind.
A long time later, Lin Feng's consciousness withdrew from the slip. He murmured excitedly, unable to contain himself, "Human-rank upper-grade… It's actually a Human-rank upper-grade technique! Fantastic!"
Cultivation techniques in the cultivation world were divided into the three major ranks: 'Heaven, Earth, Human.' Each rank had 'Upper, Middle, Lower' grades. The technique Lin Feng currently practiced was a nameless, non-elemental Human-rank lower-grade technique—the lowest and most common in the cultivation world. Generally, ordinary low-level cultivators mostly practiced Human-rank middle-grade techniques; possessing a Human-rank upper-grade technique was uncommon. Earth-rank techniques were basically only accessible by joining major sects. As for Heaven-rank techniques, typically only sects of the seventh rank or higher possessed them.
Lin Feng had long wanted to switch to a higher-grade technique. Now, obtaining this Human-rank upper-grade Profound Fire Art perfectly solved that problem.
Currently only at Qi Refining stage, switching techniques posed no issues. If he cultivated this Profound Fire Art to Foundation Establishment, it might even enhance his fire spiritual root aptitude, allowing him to pursue the path of a fire-attribute cultivator in the future.
Spiritual roots were the fundamental basis of a cultivator's practice. The purer the spiritual root, the better the cultivation aptitude. There were seven spiritual root attributes: the five 'Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth' were known as the 'Five Elements Spiritual Roots,' while 'Wind' and 'Thunder' were called 'Variant Spiritual Roots.' Fundamentally, no spiritual root attribute was superior; each had different characteristics and strengths.
Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, a cultivator had one opportunity to refine their spiritual roots, allowing one or several attributes to 'stand out.' Choosing corresponding techniques and spells afterward could then maximize effectiveness.
Major sects tested disciples for their spiritual root types and aptitudes during recruitment for targeted training. However, for rogue cultivators like Lin Feng, unable to know their spiritual root types or aptitudes before Foundation Establishment, they could only feel their way forward blindly, learning through personal experience.
...
After his excitement subsided, Lin Feng calmed down. He first stored the jade slip away, planning to study it carefully during his evening cultivation session.
Then, his gaze fell upon the last remaining item on the table—a slightly strange object: a round 'stone disk' about one foot wide and two inches thick.
The stone disk looked somewhat worn, covered in fine cracks. On its face were five evenly distributed, egg-sized indentations. Complex engraved patterns connected each indentation, giving it an air of mystery.
Lin Feng frowned, observing it carefully for a while. Suddenly, his brow arched as if he had thought of something. He murmured in surprise and doubt, "Could this possibly be… that 'legendary'…"