The Black Horn Region offers the quickest path to power, but only if you possess enough strength and resources. Otherwise, you may lose your life before ever gaining fame.
Known across the continent as a chaotic zone, strong people perish here daily, while others constantly pour in, seeking fortune and recognition. This area brims with death, but also with challenge and temptation.
Rare items such as advanced skills, fighting techniques, magical weapons, armor, cauldrons, medicinal herbs, and high-grade elixirs—things scarcely seen elsewhere—are abundant here. In fact, it's rumored that earth-level skills have appeared twice at auctions within the Black Horn Region.
Of course, nothing comes free. If you want these treasures, you must pay a price—whether in money or otherwise. The Black Horn Region never gives anything for free.
Although it was Gu Fei's first time here, he was well aware of the region's power structure. After covering his face, he sought out information and, upon learning the location of Fengcheng, he hurried there.
Fengcheng lies just outside the mountain range that surrounds the inner courtyard of Canaan College. Though small, the city holds a vital place within the Black Horn Region for one simple reason: Han Feng, the Medicine King, resides here.
As the top alchemist in the region and a sixth-grade alchemist, Han Feng enjoys great respect from many powerful forces. Even across the continent, a sixth-grade alchemist is not to be underestimated. Even Dou Huangs and Dou Zong masters show him deference. Everyone understands the allure and influence of a sixth-grade alchemist.
The city, named after Han Feng, is one of the few places in the chaotic Black Horn Region where someone enjoys such honor. In the heart of the city lies a quiet bamboo forest, a stark contrast to the noisy markets outside. This bamboo forest is heavily guarded, and few dare to approach it. Anyone who comes too close is attacked without mercy, leading to many deaths every year. For the people of Fengcheng, this serene place is a forbidden zone.
Deep within the bamboo forest, there is a bamboo house. Inside, in a tall bamboo room by the window, sat a man in an alchemist's robe, focused intently on a prescription in his hand. The character "Maple" was elegantly embroidered on his robe. This man was Han Feng.
Suddenly, as Han Feng meditated quietly, a sense of unease gripped him. His sharp eyes scanned the area, but he saw nothing amiss. Gu Fei had already arrived nearby, but Han Feng couldn't detect any threat. Nevertheless, his unease lingered.
[Han Feng feels uneasy and gains 15 emotion points.]
Just as Han Feng lowered his head again, Gu Fei appeared silently behind him, startling him so much that cold sweat broke out across his body.
[Han Feng experiences fear, gaining 20 emotion points.]
How could this person have bypassed all defenses and approached him undetected? Han Feng didn't understand why this stranger was here, but he knew better than to attack rashly. Despite Gu Fei's seemingly weak appearance, Han Feng's instincts—honed over years in the Black Horn Region—told him this person was extremely dangerous.
Han Feng forced a polite smile, clasped his fists, and asked, "Little brother, why have you come to my bamboo house?"
"Han Feng, I'm here for your Sea Heart Flame," Gu Fei replied calmly.
Han Feng was both shocked and enraged. The Sea Heart Flame was his lifeblood; without it, his abilities in alchemy would be severely diminished. For someone to appear out of nowhere and demand his most precious possession—it was unthinkable!
Furious, Han Feng considered that Gu Fei might possess a treasure capable of concealing his presence, but he refused to believe it was due to superior strength. Closing his eyes briefly, Han Feng summoned a deep blue flame from within him. It enveloped his body like a flowing pool of lake water, though it was clearly a flame. With the Sea Heart Flame in place, Han Feng's soul power surged dramatically.
Eyes flashing, Han Feng sneered, "The Sea Heart Flame is right here. If you dare, come and take it!"
The ball of flame flew toward Gu Fei, but Han Feng's anticipated outcome—Gu Fei being burned to ashes—did not occur. Instead, Gu Fei calmly reached out his hand, and the Sea Heart Flame halted mid-air, unable to advance further.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Han Feng understood that this man was far stronger than he had imagined. Neither he nor his guards stood a chance against Gu Fei.
Reluctantly, Han Feng ceased his attack and, shaking his head in defeat, handed over the Sea Heart Flame.
Gu Fei remained composed despite Han Feng's earlier attack. Taking the flame, he turned to leave without further conflict. Though Gu Fei could have killed Han Feng, he restrained himself. After all, if someone had demanded his most treasured possession out of the blue, he too would have felt the urge to kill. Han Feng's feud with Yao Lao and Xiao Yan had nothing to do with him.
With the Sea Heart Flame in hand, Gu Fei felt a sense of relief. The Great Flame Heart Sutra he practiced was originally an ordinary fire-attribute heavenly-grade technique. However, after evolving it with emotion points, the technique had mutated. While most people could only refine one strange fire in their lifetime, this technique allowed Gu Fei to fuse five.
Concentrating on the Sea Heart Flame, Gu Fei forced it into his body. The sheer pressure of his aura leaking out caused Han Feng's face to turn pale.
[Han Feng experiences extreme fear, generating 30 emotion points.]
Gu Fei felt a bit more cheerful. Han Feng's fortune was stronger than most, which meant his emotional fluctuations produced higher emotion points.