"Master Ye, are you really giving this to me?"
Ye Feng nodded with a calm smile. "It was crafted specifically for you. Girls shouldn't wield grim weapons like sickles—they spoil a girl's temperament. Swords, harps, whips, longbows, and silk are more suited to your elegance."
"But…"
"Don't hesitate. It has absorbed your blood. From now on, it belongs to you. Don't you like it?" he asked.
In the original fate, Lin Qingtan was meant to wield a magical sickle. But Ye Feng had altered that destiny.
"No, Master Ye… I'm just overwhelmed." Lin Qingtan's eyes softened. "I… I'll consider it a birthday gift from you."
She finally accepted the silver longbow Ye Feng handed her.
Ye Feng extended his fingers, tapping the bow six times in succession. A faint ripple of spiritual light flowed along its surface, and the powerful aura it emitted gradually faded.
Lin Qingtan tilted her head in confusion.
"I sealed its power," Ye Feng explained. "You're only in the Tempered Body Realm. If you pull the string unrestrained, it'll drain all the energy from your body—leaving you with a single shot. I set six seals. As you reach the Creation Realm, Nirvana Realm, Life Realm, Death Realm, Reincarnation Realm, and finally the Ancestral Realm, each seal will unlock."
He smiled faintly. "For now, you should be able to fire thirty arrows in a battle."
"Thirty arrows?" she repeated, astonished.
"Yes."
From the other end of the shattered hall, a voice interjected.
"Master, which is stronger—those arrows or my Buddha's Wrath Lotus?"
Lin Dong walked into view, having returned from exploring another passage.
Ye Feng chuckled. "With Qingtan's current strength, one arrow could freeze an entire city."
"What?" Lin Dong froze mid-step. "She's in the Tempered body Realm and can shoot thirty times? That's… thirty cities destroyed?"
Without a word, Ye Feng stretched out a finger and knocked Lin Dong on the head.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me, Master?"
"You're too simple-minded. You think that's impressive? When Qingtan reaches the Reincarnation Realm and unlocks 90% of the bow's power, a single arrow will be enough to freeze a planet. And if she enters the Ancestral Realm..."
Lin Dong's eyes widened. "What happens then?"
"She'll be able to destroy an entire galaxy with a single shot," Ye Feng replied, his tone flat but absolute.
Lin Dong stared at Lin Qingtan in stunned silence. "That powerful…?"
"Of course. This bow was refined by me using the natural alloy of the universe—Dark Silver. Any weapon forged from Dark Silver is of the god-slaying class."
Lin Dong pouted dramatically. "I'm jealous now, Master. I want a divine weapon too..."
"You're just eyeing the Heavenly Flame in my hand, aren't you?"
Another knock landed on Lin Dong's head before he could protest.
Lin Dong was a cultivator of the Burning Art from the Doupo Plane, and Heavenly Flames greatly amplified his strength. Currently, he only possessed one—Bone Chilling Flame. Ye Feng, on the other hand, had claimed four after defeating Xiao Yan.
"Master, where are you going now?"
"Deeper. There's more to discover."
"Wait for me! I'm coming too!"
Together, the three stepped away from the ruins of the great hall. Yet the aura Ye Feng had displayed lingered in the minds of those left behind.
"Wang Yan, what do you think of him?" Qin Shi asked quietly.
"I… I want to take him as my master," Wang Yan replied after a pause.
Qin Shi gave him a sideways glance. He felt the same.
Both geniuses, both proud—but before Ye Feng's overwhelming abilities, that pride had crumbled. They weren't just impressed; they were shaken. They longed to follow him.
"But… I'm afraid he won't accept us," Qin Shi muttered.
They moved forward, following another passage. Suddenly, the walls widened into a vast chamber filled with towering wooden stakes arranged in a maze-like pattern. The stakes formed passageways that twisted in all directions.
"Hey… is this a broken arm?" Lin Qingtan asked, lifting a heavy, rune-covered limb.
Ye Feng examined it briefly. "It's from a talisman puppet. Some cultivators make them for fun—or as house guards."
"Talisman puppet?" Lin Dong blinked. "What's that?"
"They come in tiers: lower, middle, and upper. Beyond that are Earth Demon Puppets, Sky Demon Puppets, Immortal Puppets, and God Puppets. What you're holding is a failed product—not even low grade. Just junk. It doesn't have spiritual intelligence and needs Pure Yuan Pills to operate."
"Spiritual intelligence? Wait—can talisman puppets gain sentience?" Lin Dong asked, eyes lighting up.
"Of course. If even stones can develop intelligence, why not talisman puppets?"
Lin Dong immediately began gathering the scattered puppet parts.
Ye Feng gave him a look. "What are you doing?"
"Collecting them. I'll study them later!" Lin Dong grinned.
Ye Feng sighed. "I know you're just trying to trick me into refining one for you."
The group ventured further, arriving at a shimmering light curtain.
"This should be the core of the Ancient Tomb Mansion," Lin Dong said.
Without hesitation, Ye Feng stepped into the light. The moment they passed through, darkness swallowed their sight—then came blinding crimson.
A wave of searing heat slammed into them.
"Void Flame," Lin Dong muttered. With the Bone Chilling Flame in his body, he quickly recognized the illusion.
Staring into the blazing red sea, he muttered, "True and false, false and true. Reality within illusion, illusion within reality. This formation may trap others… but it's just a parlor trick to me."
Then his eyes locked on something.
"Hey… isn't that Lin Langtian?"
Across the sea of fire, countless people were caught in the flames—one of them unmistakably Lin Langtian.
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