"I'll prepare properly over the next couple of days, then leave. Delay invites trouble…"
After pondering for a long time, Lin Feng made his decision.
He then took a deep breath, temporarily setting aside these worries, and began the task of inventorying the spoils obtained from Liang Han.
He first took out the body-length crimson flying sword. Upon inspection, he found its damage level had reached 30%. There were several relatively fresh, small nicks on the blade edge—likely inflicted during its clashes with his own Crimson Soul flying sword last night. This was a low-grade spirit artifact, and a flying sword at that. Even damaged by thirty percent, its value remained immense. If sold, it could easily fetch several million low-grade spirit stones.
However, Lin Feng had no intention of selling it now. In fact, he couldn't even risk showing it to anyone. After all, this was 'stolen goods'. If it were exposed and recognized by someone from the Corpse Sect familiar with Liang Han, it would spell disaster. If he were to sell it, it would have to be after leaving, and far away.
Next, Lin Feng brought out the fiery red bracelet. A glimmer of delight appeared in his eyes. This was the first time he'd seen a spirit light defense artifact shaped like a bracelet, and it was spirit artifact grade! After a careful examination, he confirmed it was a low-grade spirit artifact, though its damage level was already at 35%.
This artifact activated simply by channeling true essence into it. Although Lin Feng, only at the Foundation Establishment stage, couldn't refine and utilize it perfectly yet, even forcibly activating a fraction of its power would surpass the protective capabilities of his previous top-grade treasure artifact, the Spirit Light Jade Pendant.
Gaining another life-saving treasure naturally pleased Lin Feng. However, it was best to keep this bracelet as a reserve for now, avoiding unnecessary display. Fortunately, worn on his wrist beneath his sleeve, it would be hard to spot. He could carry it discreetly and use it instantly when needed.
After putting the bracelet on his left wrist, Lin Feng turned his attention to Liang Han's storage ring, beginning a meticulous inspection.
His focus first landed on two spirit stone pouches within. A quick assessment sent a jolt of shock through him…
"So many!!"
One pouch contained over eighty thousand low-grade spirit stones, likely for daily expenses. The other, however, held a staggering five million low-grade spirit stones!
"Tsk tsk... As expected of a disciple from a Ninth-grade sect! Carrying this much wealth on his person…" Lin Feng couldn't help but murmur softly, inwardly overjoyed. His financial struggles were instantly resolved. Not only could he pay off his debt to the Treasure Pavilion, but he'd have a substantial sum left over.
Securing these two pouches, Lin Feng continued exploring the storage ring. Surprise followed surprise as he unearthed a large pile of various rare and precious materials. Grade 4 materials dominated the collection, interspersed with a few rare pieces of Grade 5 refined ore.
"Grade 3 Energy Restoration Pills!"
"Grade 3 Clarity Pills!"
"Grade 3 Blood Coagulation Pills!"
"And this is… Spirit Nurturing Pills! One bottle Grade 2, one bottle Grade 3!!"
Lin Feng pulled out several pill bottles one after another. Examining their contents, he gasped in low exclamations of delight. Every single one contained precious pills unavailable in Qingyun City. Beyond the valuable Grade 3 Energy Restoration and Spirit Nurturing Pills, the Clarity Pills were auxiliary pills that could clear the mind and spirit. If restlessness or even nascent inner demons arose during cultivation, these pills could work wonders. The Blood Coagulation Pills were superior healing pills, even better than the Blood Velvet Pills.
The value of just these few bottles likely exceeded a million spirit stones. Moreover, pills like the Spirit Nurturing Pills were often priceless treasures rarely seen on the market.
"Huh? What's this… a Herb Pouch?"
Continuing the inventory, Lin Feng's eyes soon lit up again. He pulled out a grey cloth pouch about the size of a plate from the ring. This was an extremely rare type of artifact among low-level cultivators. Its function was similar to a spirit stone pouch, but specifically designed for storing spiritual herbs. Made from special materials, it preserved herbs far more effectively. Some herbs gradually lost their potency after harvesting; storing them in a Herb Pouch significantly reduced this loss.
He had been puzzled earlier why the collection of rare materials only included forging ores and metals. It turned out all the spiritual herbs were kept inside this pouch.
"Moonlight Blossom! Frostvein Grass!" Lin Feng sent his spiritual sense into the pouch. Just the first two herbs he 'saw' filled him with excitement. These were the primary ingredients for refining Spirit Nurturing Pills!
Further inspection revealed the Herb Pouch contained five or six dozen individual herbs, representing twenty to thirty different species. About half were Grade 2, the rest Grade 3 spiritual herbs.
"Huh? There's another spirit stone pouch here?"
Suddenly, Lin Feng spotted a solitary spirit stone pouch tucked away in another corner of the storage ring. Slightly surprised, he retrieved it. A sweep with his spiritual sense immediately made his eyes widen considerably.
"These are… mid-grade spirit stones!"
Lin Feng reached into the pouch and pulled out a milky-white crystal about the size of a chicken egg. It resembled a low-grade spirit stone but was noticeably more translucent and crystalline. The energy contained within was incomparable to low-grade stones. These were unmistakably mid-grade spirit stones!!
Mid-grade spirit stones were virtually unheard of among low-level cultivators. Qingyun City had none. Even in larger places like Biquan City, they were scarce. Even within Golden Core cultivator circles, low-grade stones were the primary currency. Using mid-grade stones as common currency was a practice reserved for realms beyond Nascent Soul and above.
A single mid-grade spirit stone contained spiritual energy equivalent to one hundred low-grade stones. In large cultivation cities of the fifth or sixth grade and above, the exchange rate was indeed 1:100. However, in backwaters like Qingyun City or even Biquan City, this wasn't the case. In Biquan, exchanging for a single mid-grade spirit stone required one hundred and ten low-grade stones—the extra ten serving as a 'processing fee'. Consequently, few cultivators bothered exchanging. Furthermore, cultivators below the Golden Core stage generally had no practical use for mid-grade stones.
Even back when Lin Feng possessed millions in wealth, he couldn't bring himself to exchange for mid-grade stones. For his current level, cultivating with one mid-grade stone versus one hundred low-grade stones offered little tangible difference—it merely eliminated the hassle of constantly fetching more stones. It was cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above, whose demands during cultivation exceeded what low-grade stones could efficiently provide, who utilized mid-grade stones.
Additionally, mid-grade stones were used in some advanced formations or when forging high-level artifacts—realms Lin Feng hadn't yet touched. Even his Grade 3 Spirit Gathering Array formation plate could be powered by low-grade stones, though they required frequent replacement. Using a mid-grade stone would sustain it for a much longer duration.
Lin Feng made a rough estimate. This pouch contained nearly ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones—equivalent to almost another one million low-grade spirit stones! Yet another substantial windfall.
Continuing his examination of the storage ring, Lin Feng found several more artifacts. However, none were spirit artifact grade; they were all top-grade or high-grade treasure artifacts.
"Beast Enslavement Art?" Next, Lin Feng retrieved a grey jade slip from the ring. A quick scan with his spiritual sense made his eyes gleam.
This was a technique for controlling demon beasts, and a rather domineering one at that. It didn't involve 'taming' a beast; it forcibly 'enslaved' it. At its highest level, it could even forcibly erase the beast's consciousness and completely control its actions—making it almost indistinguishable from the Corpse Sect's corpse puppets.
After carefully reading through the technique, Lin Feng thought back to the Ink Lion beast that had rampaged through the city. Presumably, Liang Han had used this very method to control it. However, Lin Feng still couldn't fathom why Liang Han had sent the beast into the city to cause such carnage that day.
"If I encounter a suitable demon beast in the future, I could try this technique. Having an enslaved beast as an ally wouldn't hurt."
Lin Feng mused internally as he stored the jade slip away, intending to study it more thoroughly later.
Apart from this Beast Enslavement Art, Liang Han's storage ring contained no other cultivation manuals or techniques. Naturally, the Corpse Sect would never permit its disciples to carry the sect's core cultivation methods or secret techniques on their person. This wasn't unique to the Corpse Sect; it was standard practice throughout the cultivation world. Otherwise, if a disciple died outside the sect, the sect's secrets could easily fall into enemy hands.
The rest consisted of miscellaneous items—nothing else particularly noteworthy.
It took Lin Feng nearly an hour to thoroughly sort through everything in Liang Han's storage ring. The harvest was extraordinarily rich, leaving him utterly satisfied.