Zheng Kai left Lin Feng's place, his arms laden with a veritable basketful of 'romance secrets' gleaned from his self-proclaimed 'expert', and clutching Lin Feng's guitar with deep satisfaction. He declared he'd return to properly thank Lin Feng once he'd successfully won his lady's heart.
Lin Feng, for his part, sincerely hoped these cheesy tactics—long since clichéd back on Earth—might shine with unexpected brilliance in this different world. At the very least, if they genuinely helped Zheng Kai succeed, it would justify his own lengthy spiel, wouldn't it?
Soon after, however, Lin Feng set the whole affair aside. Zheng Kai didn't return, likely off somewhere diligently practicing the romantic techniques he'd learned.
Days later, deep into the night.
Lin Feng sat cross-legged. His right hand was raised, palm upturned, cradling a swirling mass of flame the size of a basin. The fire, thick as molten lava, churned relentlessly. Nestled within its heart were the White Tiger Soul Talisman and numerous repair materials.
"Whoosh!!"
Finally, beads of sweat forming on Lin Feng's brow, the flame before him gave a sudden, minute tremor. It swiftly contracted and vanished, the molten fire essence retreating back into his dantian.
Simultaneously, a string of information surfaced in Lin Feng's mind:
Repair completed. Equipment damage level: 0. No repair required.
"It's finally done!" Lin Feng's eyes blazed with intense excitement. He flicked his right wrist, first storing the unused repair materials, then grasping the still-warm White Tiger Soul Talisman.
After more than ten nights of intermittent effort, he had finally succeeded in completely repairing the talisman!
Resting in his palm now was the fully restored White Tiger Soul Talisman. It was no longer the dull, blackened iron plaque it once was. Instead, its entire body gleamed a pristine, milky white, as if carved from fine jade. An imposing tiger's head was embossed onto its surface, rendered with such fierce vitality it seemed poised to leap off the jade token at any moment, especially as faint, shimmering white light pulsed across it.
The damaged talisman had resembled a crude lump of iron, something nobody would bother picking up. Now, anyone could instantly recognize its extraordinary nature.
"Tsk tsk... a top-grade spirit artifact... a top-grade spirit artifact!! Its power now must be more than two or three times greater than before, right? If I encountered that Fire-Tailed Scorpion King again, could I obliterate it instantly?" Lin Feng admired the talisman in his hand, unable to put it down. However, his expression soon fell slightly. "What a pity. Though it's fully repaired, I lack the strength to unleash its true potential. Even using that 'burst' state, I probably can only manage the power of a high-grade spirit artifact at best. Ah, possessing such a formidable treasure yet struggling to even use it... it all boils down to my pitifully low cultivation level!! After more than half a month of cultivation, there's still no sign of breaking through to the third layer of Foundation Building. Who knows how much longer it will take…"
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Lin Feng channeled his true essence into the talisman. Though he couldn't formally refine the artifact yet, regularly nourishing it with his energy helped increase the 'resonance' between wielder and treasure, making it slightly easier to wield.
"Huh?!"
But the moment Lin Feng's true essence flowed in, an unexpected change occurred…
The jade talisman in his hand flashed brilliantly. Immediately afterwards, a torrent of information surged into his mind like a tidal wave!
The abruptness caught Lin Feng completely off guard. He nearly flung the talisman away in fright. Yet, it was over in the blink of an eye. Before he could even react, the disturbance ceased. He felt no harm, and the artifact in his hand remained unchanged. The only difference was… something new resided within his consciousness.
Regaining his composure, Lin Feng 'looked' at the sudden influx within his mind. His eyebrows shot up in astonishment. "This is… a map?!"
What the White Tiger Soul Talisman had transmitted directly into his thoughts was an immense and complex map of a mountain range. Deep within this range, a hidden cave dwelling was located. In the mental imagery, this spot bore a distinct 'mark', though no further specific details accompanied it.
Brilliant light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes, replaced by elation. "Could it be… the location of Tiger Soul True Person's cave dwelling?!"
Within the cultivation world, it wasn't unheard of for the relics of past masters to contain information about their former abodes. Lin Feng never imagined he'd stumble upon such fortune himself! This White Tiger Soul Talisman actually held clues to Tiger Soul True Person's cave!
Previously, the talisman's damage had obscured this information. Now that Lin Feng had restored it, the secret was revealed.
Tiger Soul True Person had been a Nascent Soul Grand Perfection cultivator who once shook the entire Xia Kingdom cultivation world. The location of his cave dwelling had remained an unsolved mystery, with no credible reports of anyone ever finding it. Now, this secret rested in Lin Feng's hands! How could he not be ecstatic?
"The Falling Star Mountain Range?! It's actually located there?!"
His excitement quickly waned, replaced by frustration. The cave's location was utterly inaccessible to his current level of strength. Even advancing to Golden Core might not be sufficient. The Falling Star Mountain Range was notoriously perilous within the Xia Kingdom, teeming with fourth-level demonic beasts—powerhouses equivalent to Nascent Soul cultivators. Venturing there alone below the Nascent Soul level was practically a guaranteed death sentence.
Though exploring the cave was impossible for now, it represented a potent aspiration—a veritable treasure vault awaiting his future strength. Once Lin Feng reconciled himself to this reality, his mood lifted once more.
Knowing the location of Tiger Soul True Person's cave, combined with the treasure map previously obtained from the Thirteen Heroes of Star City… he hadn't even left Green Cloud City yet, and already had two significant destinations lined up. Finding purpose in the future certainly wouldn't be a problem.
After studying the White Tiger Soul Talisman for a while longer and gleaning no further secrets, Lin Feng stored it away. He then retrieved the third-grade Spirit Gathering Array formation disk and settled into cultivation.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Lin Feng, just over a thousand meters from his residence, a figure stood silently atop a tall building's roof amidst the night shadows, gaze fixed intently on Lin Feng's home.
The figure wore long robes adorned with brilliant, flame-like patterns. His face was grim, eyes smoldering with a venomous, predatory glint. Behind him, another shape, entirely shrouded in shadowy black robes, stood as motionless and silent as if cast by the moonlight itself.
—This was the owner of the demonic beast Lin Feng had slain days earlier! The mysterious young man who had commanded his beast to wreak havoc within the Seven Peaks Forest, sowing terror!
The day Lin Feng destroyed his Ink Lion Beast, the young man not only failed his crucial advancement but also suffered damaged cultivation and injuries. It took him several days to recover. Subsequent investigation revealed the events of that day and identified Lin Feng as the killer of his beast.
He hadn't immediately sought revenge because he simultaneously learned of Lin Feng's 'identity'—a fourth-grade artifact refiner possessing strange fire and a flying sword, albeit only at the Foundation Building stage. Yet, the rumored Golden Core stage 'master' forced the young man into caution, compelling him to bide his time for so many days.
For over ten days, the young man had observed Lin Feng from the shadows. His initial wariness gradually diminished. Based on his covert surveillance… there was absolutely no trace of Lin Feng's supposed 'master'.
Tonight, emboldened, he had dared to sweep Lin Feng's dwelling with his spiritual sense. His conclusion was definitive: Lin Feng's 'master' was not present!
He didn't doubt the master's existence; he assumed the powerful figure had departed on business, aligning with the information he'd gathered. This meant… there was nothing left to fear. It was time to act.
A cruel smirk twisted the young man's lips, his greedy eyes locked on Lin Feng's location. "You killed my spirit beast puppet. You disrupted my breakthrough. You deserve death ten thousand times over! A mere Foundation Building ant… what right do you have to possess strange fire? To wield a flying sword? To cultivate with a third-grade Spirit Gathering Array? Such a waste of treasures… After I kill you, all these things… will be mine. That should suffice to offset my losses… Heh heh…"