Lin Feng did not choose to return to Qingyun City. He didn't know if any members of the He family might be lying in wait for him there. Instead, he ventured further into the Seven Peaks Forest, seeking concealment within its dense foliage. This was the safest course of action.
Suppressing the crushing exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him, Lin Feng raced through the trees. Initially, he deliberately followed the path he had taken out earlier, as the demonic beasts along that route had already been cleared. He encountered no obstacles. After penetrating over twenty li deep, he veered off into unexplored territory. After dispatching two level-one demonic beasts along the way, he arrived at the base of a small mountain peak, roughly a hundred meters tall. Fortune smiled upon him; he discovered a shallow cave only a few meters deep at the mountainside. After clearing out the two beasts inside, he ducked in.
Summoning the last dregs of his true energy, he activated a Chain Wood Vine Talisman several times. Tangled vines sprouted, forming a crude barrier across the entrance. Only then did he retrieve his Spirit Gathering Array disc and a large pile of spirit stones, settling into meditation to recover…
…
An entire night passed. Dawn broke the next morning…
The morning light filtered through the gaps in the vine barrier, falling upon Lin Feng, who sat cross-legged against the cave wall deep in cultivation. Warm air filled the small cavern. Faint strands of crimson light were drawn from the surrounding void, slowly converging above Lin Feng's head before sinking into his body.
Finally, a pronounced rise and fall lifted Lin Feng's chest. A puff of turbid air escaped his lips. His eyes slowly opened, and the lingering wisps of crimson energy swiftly retracted into his body over the next few breaths.
Lin Feng's eyes shone with brilliant clarity, revealing obvious delight.
"This is the reward of surviving a life-or-death trial... indeed, combat is the ultimate crucible for awakening potential…" Lin Feng murmured softly, savoring the surging power within him. "Now, all I need is to purchase a few Foundation Establishment Pills, and I can attempt the breakthrough."
—Stimulated by the harrowing battle the night before, a single night of cultivation had shattered the barrier that had shown only faint signs of loosening before. He felt poised on the brink, ready to step into the next realm at any moment. He was primed for Foundation Establishment. Yet, attempting it unaided was unthinkable. In the cultivation world, succeeding without Foundation Establishment Pills was a feat reserved for geniuses among geniuses. He harbored no such illusions about himself.
Foundation Establishment Pills, as the name implied, aided Qi Refinement cultivators in ascending to the Foundation Establishment stage. For them, these were arguably the single most crucial pills. However, for the average Qi Refinement cultivator, their price was exorbitant. Many cultivators in Qingyun City scrimped and saved spirit stones from the early stages of Qi Refinement, often only accumulating enough to purchase a single pill by the time they reached Great Perfection.
For disciples of major sects, of course, Foundation Establishment Pills were standard issue—there was no comparison.
Among Qingyun City's Qi Refinement cultivators, few could casually contemplate securing 'a few' Foundation Establishment Pills like Lin Feng was planning.
Naturally, needing several pills to succeed wasn't a mark of prowess—quite the opposite. The more pills required, the poorer one's innate cultivation aptitude was generally considered.
Lin Feng simply didn't know his own aptitude well enough. Would one pill suffice? Two? Hence his plan to prepare extra—after all, spirit stones weren't a problem now.
…
His joy over the breakthrough subsided quickly as memories of the previous night's battle resurfaced, his expression turning grave.
His immediate thoughts weren't about the trouble with the He family, but about the bewildering experience of wielding the flying sword.
With a flick of his right hand, the flying sword appeared in his grasp. Lin Feng channeled every ounce of his true energy, trying to command the sword to fly. It remained stubbornly inert.
"The first time I flew the sword, when killing that late-stage level-two Fire-Tailed Scorpion… that could just barely be explained as an extreme, 'normal' burst of power. Controlling it to kill just one target nearly drained me completely. But last night… how was I able to continuously fly the sword and kill so many enemies? How could I possibly possess such vast reserves of true energy? That surging, seemingly boundless power I felt… where did it come from? Could there truly be such terrifying 'potential' hidden within me? It just doesn't seem possible…"
Lin Feng habitually scratched his forehead, lost in thought. For the first time, he felt he didn't fully understand his own body.
But his current strength was insufficient; he couldn't even perform full internal inspection yet. His knowledge was also limited. There was simply no way to theorize about last night's bizarre state. He couldn't even be certain if it was a 'problem'. Excessive rumination was pointless. Reluctantly, he shelved the mystery for later exploration.
"Even if I don't understand why… having such a means to preserve my life in a desperate situation shouldn't be a bad thing, right?"
This thought slightly brightened his mood. Yet, worry quickly creased his brow again. "Now I'm thoroughly at odds with the He family. While I eliminated those who came last night, the He family's strength runs far deeper. Rumors say they, like the Zheng Clan and the Longbow Family, harbor old monsters at the Great Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment within their ranks… Doesn't that mean I can't stay in Qingyun City anymore?"
Although venturing beyond Qingyun City had always been part of his long-term plan, being forced to flee like a fugitive felt deeply humiliating. It also deviated drastically from his intended timeline—he wasn't prepared to leave Qingyun City yet.
"Even if the He family knows my identity, tracking me down won't be easy. If I'm careful, fleeing might not be absolutely necessary… but staying carries inherent risk. I'll reassess. At the very least, I need to sneak back into the city to buy the Foundation Establishment Pills. Then I'll decide based on the situation."
…
After pondering his dilemmas, Lin Feng didn't rise immediately. Instead, he waved his right hand. A cascade of objects spilled onto the cave floor from his storage ring.
Now came the genuinely exciting part—taking stock of the spoils.
Four Foundation Establishment cultivators and four late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators—all from the He family—had fallen to his sword last night. They carried valuable possessions.
Lin Feng first sorted through the pile of artifacts, retrieving a total of eight spirit stone pouches. Tallying the contents made him grin so wide his teeth nearly showed—over fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones!!
The pouch taken from He Wenyan alone held ten thousand stones. The other seven pouches combined held over five thousand.
This sum slightly exceeded his current savings—undeniably a hefty windfall.
Pocketing the pouches gleefully, Lin Feng began examining the artifacts one by one.
Most were mere magic tools. He gave them only a cursory glance before stashing them away. About seven or eight treasure artifacts warranted closer inspection, mainly to see if any possessed unique functions that might suit him.
Many of the treasure artifacts were severely damaged. He Wenyan's top-grade treasure artifact broadsword was broken cleanly in half. Several pieces of armor bore gaping holes punched straight through their chest plates. All were casualties of the flying sword. To others, these artifacts were essentially useless. For Lin Feng, it was different. With the right materials, even the broken blade could be reforged. If he didn't fancy using such gear, selling them would still yield a tidy sum of spirit stones.
"This is it!!"
Lin Feng picked up a palm-sized golden jade talisman. His eyes lit up, unable to conceal his delight.
This was He Wenyan's spirit light defense treasure—a mid-grade treasure artifact, significantly more potent than his own Spirit Light Gold Token. Easily the most valuable item among his haul.
"Equipment Integrity: 90% Damaged" "Repair Materials Required:
30 cubic centimeters of Level 3 Metal-Element Ore1 Level 2 Metal-Element Demonic Core3 cubic centimeters of Level 3 Golden Amber Jade"
Pierced by the flying sword last night, its spirit light barrier shattered, the artifact was critically damaged. It likely had only one brief use left. Naturally, this wasn't a problem for Lin Feng. The repair materials weren't exceptionally rare; he already had Level 3 Metal-Element Ore and Golden Amber Jade stored in his ring. Only a Level 2 Metal-Element Demonic Core was needed to restore it to pristine condition.
With this mid-grade treasure artifact Spirit Light Talisman, even facing a situation like last night again, Lin Feng could defend with the talisman while attacking with the flying sword. Charging directly into an enemy formation wouldn't be an issue—nothing like last night's harrowing close calls.
"This is… a peak-grade third-tier Purple Lightning Talisman?!"
Lin Feng's gaze fell upon a deep violet talisman next, sparking another wave of excitement.
First and second-tier talismans weren't subdivided, but third-tier and above, like artifacts, were categorized as 'Low', 'Medium', 'High', and 'Peak'. A low-grade third-tier talisman's power equaled a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator's spiritual energy attack. A peak-grade third-tier talisman, however, unleashed an attack equivalent to a Golden Core late-stage cultivator's spell—absolutely devastating.
Seeing this talisman now, Lin Feng felt a surge of relief that his enemy hadn't activated it last night. Had he succeeded, Lin Feng's survival would have been doubtful. Now, this weapon resided in his hand, adding another lethal trump card to his arsenal. A welcome surprise indeed.
After clearing the main pile, Lin Feng retrieved a ring from his robes with eager anticipation—He Wenyan's storage ring.
"Huh? This is…"
The moment his spiritual sense probed the ring's interior, one item instantly seized his focus. His eyes widened sharply. With a thought, he willed the object out…