What appeared before Lin Feng's eyes was none other than the Molten Rock Fire he had just acquired! However, it was no longer in its small, seed-like form. It had expanded dozens of times, appearing fully 'activated'.
Lin Feng hadn't summoned the Molten Rock Fire at all. It had emerged automatically after he activated his Repair Technique!
"Repair complete."
"Equipment damage level: 0."
"No repair needed."
Just as Lin Feng was stunned by the sudden appearance of the Molten Rock Fire, this stream of information flashed into his mind, snapping him back to attention.
"It's finished?!"
Lin Feng froze, even doubting if he had 'heard' correctly. He focused his gaze. The strange fire on his hand had vanished. Lying in his palm was the perfectly restored Spirit Light Jade Pendant, along with some leftover repair materials. He stored the materials and meticulously examined the pendant. It was indeed flawless.
"How long did that take? Less than a minute? How is that possible? How could it be repaired so fast?"
Lin Feng was still finding it hard to believe. In his experience, repairing a top-grade treasure artifact with damage as high as 96% should have taken at least five or six minutes. Yet just now, it had only seemed to take a few dozen seconds? Even accounting for his momentary daze, it couldn't have been more than a minute or so. And the Spirit Light Jade Pendant was completely restored!
Moreover, Lin Feng then realized that the amount of true essence he had consumed during the repair process was also significantly less than expected – by several percent!
"Is it because… of the strange fire?!" After the initial shock, a spark of realization lit up Lin Feng's mind. He muttered, half in doubt, half in certainty, "Strange fire… can actually be used with the Repair Technique?! And it speeds up the repair and reduces true essence consumption?!"
To test his hypothesis, Lin Feng took out the spare Spirit Light Jade Talisman – a top-grade treasure artifact. He activated the Repair Technique once more. The Molten Rock Fire appeared automatically again. This time, the repair finished in barely over thirty seconds.
"Indeed!!"
His suspicion confirmed, Lin Feng was overjoyed. He had initially assumed that possessing a strange fire wouldn't be particularly useful to him immediately, merely preparation for future plans. He never imagined it could synergize with his Repair Technique! This was an unexpected windfall.
Faster repair speed and reduced true essence consumption might seem like minor benefits, primarily allowing him to earn spirit stones more efficiently. However, under certain critical circumstances, this improvement could prove invaluable. For instance, during the earlier confrontation with the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King, or when battling the He family experts – if he'd had this strange fire then, it might have been feasible to continuously repair his Spirit Light artifacts mid-battle, preventing them from shattering.
Lin Feng conducted another experiment. He discovered that by consciously controlling his intent during the Repair Technique, he could prevent the strange fire from manifesting. In that case, the ordinary flame from before appeared, and the repair speed and true essence cost reverted to their previous levels.
He didn't know if this was the only change the strange fire brought to the technique. But now wasn't the time for detailed study. Collecting his thoughts, Lin Feng stood up. However, he didn't immediately leave to find Zheng Kai and the others. Instead, he began carefully surveying the subterranean cavern.
According to records, the location where a strange fire 'grows' often harbors special materials capable of advancing it. Even if not, other precious natural treasures were likely present. Lin Feng wasn't about to miss such an opportunity.
"Hmm?! Fire-attribute ore! So much of it?!"
Sure enough, after only a few glances, Lin Feng spotted valuable finds on the cavern wall to his right. Embedded in the rock were numerous stones distinctly different in color from their surroundings – unmistakably fire-attribute ore!
Lin Feng quickly stepped closer to the wall. He reached down, grasped a low-hanging stone, and pulled. It came away easily. It was an egg-sized piece of fire-attribute ore. Its outer surface was rough and dull, but the interior gleamed with a translucent, fiery light, as if flames danced within. It was intensely hot to the touch, like something fresh from a furnace.
"Tier 5!! Ha! Tier 5 ore?!"
Examining the ore closely sent another wave of surprise through Lin Feng. It was Tier 5 material!
In the grading system for artifact-forging materials, Tier 5 represented a significant threshold. In a small place like Qingyun City, Tier 4 materials were already uncommon. Most Tier 4 materials in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion were imported. Materials up to Tier 4 were relatively common in larger centers, but Tier 5 or higher? They were genuinely precious.
The Qingyun City branch of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion didn't stock Tier 5 materials. Even the branch in the larger Bi Quan City had very few.
And now, the cavern wall before Lin Feng was densely studded with fifteen to twenty pieces of fire-attribute ore! Judging by their appearance, most seemed to be Tier 5, just like the one in his hand!
Fuelled by excitement, Lin Feng wasted no time. He began prying the ore pieces loose. After extracting seven or eight, the majority were Tier 5! The rest were Tier 4.
After clearing the lower sections, Lin Feng looked up at the remaining ore higher on the wall. He thought for a moment, then waved his right hand. His flying sword materialized.
"Clang…"
The flying sword emitted a clear ring. Its entire blade remained a deep, fiery red, as if just pulled from a forge. Waves of intense heat radiated from it, making it untouchable.
Lin Feng gestured. The sword shot forward, shaving away rock like tofu. With each precise strike, it dislodged a piece of ore, which Lin Feng deftly caught.
"Tier 5... Tier 5... Tier 4... Huh?! This is... Tier 6?!!"
Lin Feng identified each piece as he caught it before storing it away. Swiftly, all the fire-attribute ore from that section of the wall was harvested.
Nineteen pieces of varying sizes lay collected: the smallest egg-sized, the largest nearly the size of a football. Seven were Tier 4. Eleven were Tier 5. And one was Tier 6!!
Put simply, that single piece of Tier 6 fire-attribute ore, about the size of two goose eggs, was worth far more than the combined value of the other eighteen Tier 4 and Tier 5 pieces, plus all the treasures gathered from the cavern above!
Heart pounding with excitement and anticipation, Lin Feng eagerly continued his search along the cavern walls...
"Tier 5 Crimson Radiance Stone?!"
"Tier 5 Fire Cloud Crystal!"
"This is… Snake Vein Scarlet Flame Stone?! Tier 6?!!"
"..."
Lin Feng's astonished exclamations kept echoing through the vast, quiet cavern. He was practically grinning from ear to ear as he enthusiastically plundered the trove of high-grade materials.
A full half-hour later, after circling the entire cavern and leaving the walls pockmarked with extraction points, Lin Feng finally stopped.
"A grand harvest… This is a true grand harvest?!"
Scanning the massive pile of various materials now stacked within his spatial ring, Lin Feng was beside himself with joy. Compared to this cavern, the one above, with its own share of treasures, seemed utterly insignificant. This was the true treasure cave!
The only caveat was that all the treasures here were fire-attribute crystal-type forging materials. No spirit herbs grew here. Presumably, the harsh environment and the influence of the strange fire made it impossible for vegetation to survive.
Additionally, Lin Feng felt a slight pang of disappointment. He hadn't found anything resembling a material capable of advancing his strange fire.
"Should be nothing left now. Time to find Zheng Kai and the others… Huh?! What's that…?"
Just as Lin Feng prepared to leave, his habitual final 'sweep' of the surroundings yielded an unexpected discovery. He happened to glance upwards at the high ceiling and caught a flicker of unusual red light.
Squinting, Lin Feng searched carefully. His eyes suddenly lit up. He pointed his right hand, and the hovering flying sword beside him shot straight upwards, slicing into a specific spot on the ceiling.
Shards of rock rained down. Among them tumbled an egg-sized, deep crimson crystal!
"Demon core?!!
Recognizing the falling crimson crystal instantly, Lin Feng was momentarily taken aback. This was clearly the demon core of the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King! After its explosive demise in the center of the lava pool, Lin Feng had assumed its core had sunk into the magma. He never imagined it had been blasted upwards and embedded in the ceiling.
This was a Tier 3 demon core!
Elated, Lin Feng raised his hand and caught the core. He immediately sensed the immense energy contained within, causing him to gasp slightly. "Huh? This feels… not just early Tier 3?"
His eyes widened in astonishment. "Could it be… late Tier 3?! The Fire-Tailed Scorpion King may have ultimately failed to withstand the strange fire's power and exploded, but its cultivation level did surge dramatically at that moment! It actually 'forced' the formation of a late Tier 3 demon core?!"
The value of a late Tier 3 demon core exceeded that of an early Tier 3 core by many times. Lin Feng had initially thought of using this core to repair his White Tiger Soul Rending Talisman, but now he dismissed the idea. Repairing the talisman only required an early Tier 3 core; using this late Tier 3 one would be wasteful. It was better saved; it might prove invaluable in the future.
Finding such an unexpected treasure just before leaving filled Lin Feng with satisfaction. He instinctively looked up again, sweeping his gaze across the ceiling one last time.
"Huh?! There's more?!"
This glance yielded yet another discovery! He squinted, focusing intently on the very center of the ceiling. He was certain he had glimpsed another peculiar glimmer of light there.
"Could it be…?"
Lin Feng looked down. The spot directly below that point was precisely the center of the lava pool below – the exact location where the Molten Rock Fire had resided. A spark of realization ignited in his mind. His pulse quickened with excitement. With a wave of his right hand, the flying sword beside him shot out once more, streaking towards that specific point on the ceiling.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!..."
The flying sword sliced and chipped at the rock. Shards of stone cascaded down like rain. Amidst the falling debris, Lin Feng spotted a tiny point of light. He focused his will instantly. The flying sword darted through the shower of rubble and tapped against that minuscule red dot.
A thin streak of red light shot downward. Lin Feng raised his hand and caught it.