The Star City Thirteen Tyrants were a formidable bandit group, notorious for their vicious deeds. Over the years, they had undoubtedly robbed and murdered countless low-level cultivators. Each member possessed their own spatial ring, and inside each ring lay a considerable amount of loot.
However, these men were only at the Foundation Establishment stage. While each ring contained a jumble of items, little caught Lin Feng's discerning eye. Mostly, they held High-grade and Premium-grade Magical Artifacts, with precious few Precious Artifacts. Rare treasures, miraculous materials, cultivation techniques, or spell arts were even scarcer. After inspecting six or seven rings, Lin Feng had only acquired one Human-rank Medium-grade technique manual and one Human-rank Low-grade elementary spell art.
"Hmm? This should be the leader's ring?"
Picking up another ring, Lin Feng scanned it with his spirit sense, and his eyes brightened slightly. The spatial capacity of this ring was significantly larger than the previous ones, and its contents were far richer. Presumably, it belonged to the leader of the Thirteen Tyrants—the scarred, burly man.
Lin Feng's attention was immediately drawn to three jade slips, which he promptly retrieved.
Azure Wave Art, a Human-rank High-grade cultivation technique, aligned with the Water element. This was likely the technique cultivated by the scarred leader. Given the man's fierce, intimidating appearance, Lin Feng had assumed he practiced an Earth or Metal element technique, known for their fierce and unyielding nature. It was surprising to find he cultivated the fluid, softer Water element technique. Lin Feng was already cultivating the Profound Fire Art, so the Azure Wave Art held little use for him. However, he could offer it to Zhang Fangzhou and his brothers; they might be interested.
Water Arrow Technique, a Human-rank Medium-grade offensive spell art. One of the simplest Water-element attack spells, comparable to the Fireball Technique or the Wind Blade Technique. When cast by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, its power was roughly equivalent to a second-grade linked talisman. Lin Feng wasn't particularly interested in this either.
Ghost Shadow Step, a Human-rank Medium-grade movement spell art. A footwork technique designed for rapid acceleration and elusive movement, making the user's form flicker like a phantom. Movement techniques like this were generally only common among low-level cultivators. By the Golden Core stage and beyond, cultivators tended to rely on direct spell combat, rarely needing intricate footwork. This, however, piqued Lin Feng's interest. He decided he would find time to practice it later.
Next, Lin Feng discovered a Premium-grade Precious Artifact ghost-head broadsword, undoubtedly the scarred leader's primary weapon. Additionally, there were numerous talismans, including one Medium-grade third-grade Golden Shield Talisman and one Medium-grade third-grade Earth Spike Talisman.
Honestly, the scarred leader's death had been rather ignominious. If he had used the Ghost Shadow Step at the critical moment, he might have evaded Lin Feng's flying sword. Sadly, he hadn't had the chance to utilize any of his skills; the flying sword had struck him down instantly.
Furthermore, within the ring, Lin Feng found two spirit stone pouches. One contained nearly one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, while the other held a staggering three hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones!
The smaller pouch likely represented the leader's personal savings. The three hundred thousand stones, however, were almost certainly the payment from Li Renyao to hire him and his gang. This constituted a substantial fortune, now entirely in Lin Feng's hands.
"Spirit Condensing Pills? Second-grade Spirit Restoration Pills?"
Continuing his inspection, Lin Feng uncovered two pill bottles. One contained Spirit Condensing Pills, used by Foundation Establishment cultivators to aid cultivation, serving the same purpose as 'Spirit Gathering Pills' did for Qi Condensation cultivators. The other bottle held pills that accelerated the recovery of true essence. These were even more valuable than Spirit Condensing Pills, typically beyond the means of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.
While such pills would thrill an average Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lin Feng was largely indifferent. Though not cheap, these pills were readily available at any reputable alchemy shop. Besides, he currently had no plans to use pills to accelerate his cultivation. After a brief look, he stored them away.
"Huh? What's this?"
Later, after cataloging various other miscellaneous items, Lin Feng raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he pulled out an unusual object.
It was a rolled-up, greyish scroll, seemingly made of some kind of beast hide. It appeared ancient and worn, with slightly tattered edges. Unfurling it revealed what looked like a topographic map. At its center was a conspicuous red 'X' mark.
An old, tattered scroll. A map of terrain. A prominent 'X' mark. This was the quintessential...
"Treasure map?!"
Lin Feng's eyes gleamed as he stared incredulously at the map in his hand – it looked unmistakably like a treasure map!
On Earth, treasure maps belonged primarily to the realm of fiction or television. Yet, in the cultivation world of the Yueyun Continent, they weren't exceptionally rare. Tales of cultivators stumbling upon mysterious maps, uncovering fortuitous encounters, and soaring to prominence were legion.
Nine times out of ten, this very scroll records the location of something valuable!
Lin Feng felt a surge of inner excitement. Soon, however, several questions surfaced: Firstly, why hadn't the scarred leader pursued the treasure marked on this map? Had he perhaps... already gone? If so, why were there no signs of any 'treasures' on his person? Alternatively, if he hadn't gone yet for some reason, then where exactly was the location depicted?
"They came from Star City. Maybe this is somewhere near there? If I get the chance in the future, perhaps I can visit Star City and try to find this place..."
Calming down, Lin Feng's initial fervor subsided considerably. While it was likely a genuine treasure map, there was no guarantee the treasure remained undiscovered. Moreover, his current strength wasn't sufficient. Venturing out on a treasure hunt rashly could be perilous. For now, it was best to set the idea aside.
He mentally noted the matter, carefully stowed the treasure map into his primary spatial ring, and resumed sorting through the remaining items...
It took Lin Feng a full hour to meticulously inventory all the spatial rings. Apart from the leader's ring yielding slightly more valuable items, there were no other significant finds. Li Renyao's ring contained nothing particularly noteworthy; the Li family wouldn't entrust their core techniques or treasures to a Foundation Establishment cultivator to carry around. Being only at the early Foundation Establishment stage himself, the highest grade artifact Li Renyao possessed was merely a Medium-grade Precious Artifact, although he did carry a considerable number of talismans.
In the final tally, setting aside the pile of ordinary artifacts and miscellaneous junk, Lin Feng had acquired nearly five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones – another substantial windfall.
Combined with the spirit stones earned from his repair business over the past few days and his previous savings, Lin Feng now possessed assets exceeding one million spirit stones.
"Heh heh, guess I'm a 'millionaire' now... Just a few more days of repair work, and then it'll be about time to return to Azure Mist City..."
Lin Feng murmured to himself with satisfaction. While life in Biquan City wasn't bad, it wasn't 'his territory'. It simply couldn't match the 'comfort' he felt in Azure Mist City. Going back was necessary. Although the ambient spirit energy here was denser than in Azure Mist City... he had a third-grade Spirit Gathering Array disk, rendering that advantage irrelevant.
Furthermore, he retained significant interest in the auction Loong Chengkong had mentioned earlier. He planned to attend it before heading back to Azure Mist City.
...
With the spoils fully cataloged, Lin Feng turned to his 'proper business' – nearly half of the artifact repair commissions he'd accepted yesterday remained unfinished. They needed to be completed by tomorrow morning.
"Haa..."
Lin Feng took a deep breath, settling his mind and body. He retrieved an artifact requiring repair, along with the necessary materials. Softly, he uttered the command:
"Repair..."