The person who shouted those words was naturally Lin Feng. Once he grasped the situation, he wasn't about to let this chance slip away. Fearful that the woman might actually accept the old man's offer, he immediately jumped into the fray.
His shout instantly drew everyone's attention. When they saw that the newcomer joining the competition was merely a young cultivator at the first layer of the Golden Core stage, most were dumbfounded.
Ignoring the bewildered stares from the onlookers, Lin Feng walked straight up to the female cultivator and the old man. He addressed the woman directly: "You want to trade this piece of Thunder Extreme Crystal for a flying sword?"
A flicker of surprise crossed the woman's face, mixed with a trace of doubt. Nevertheless, she nodded firmly. "Correct. I only want to trade for a flying sword."
Seeing Lin Feng suddenly intervene, the old man's displeasure was evident. But before he could voice an objection, Lin Feng flicked his right wrist. A three-foot-long flying sword, radiating a pale cyan hue, appeared in his hand. He presented it to the woman. "What do you think of this flying sword?"
"Eh…"
Not just the woman, but the old man and the surrounding crowd were stunned anew, expressions of utter disbelief plastered on their faces. No one had anticipated that Lin Feng would actually produce a flying sword.
"Y-yes! Yes, absolutely!" The woman recovered quickly, nodding with overwhelming excitement. She eagerly took the sword, sweeping her spiritual sense over it briefly. Her eyes shone brighter upon confirming it was indeed a brand new, unused Lower-grade Spirit Artifact flying sword. Not daring to linger, she immediately flipped her hand, storing it away as if fearing Lin Feng might change his mind. "This Thunder Extreme Crystal is yours. Farewell!" Having composed herself slightly, the woman gave Lin Feng a curt nod. Without further delay, she turned and pushed her way through the crowd, disappearing swiftly from sight.
Lin Feng picked up the small piece of Thunder Extreme Crystal. He gave it a cursory inspection, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes before storing it securely in his spatial ring. He then turned to the old man beside him, whose expression had turned sour, and offered a respectful clasped fist salute. "My apologies for the intrusion, Senior. I have an urgent need for this Thunder Extreme Crystal. I hope you can forgive my rudeness."
While the trading rules were fair and open, Lin Feng felt slightly guilty for arriving later and interrupting the old man's bargaining. Hence, the apology.
The old man, however, didn't seem inclined towards forgiveness. He cast Lin Feng a cold, withering glance, then wordlessly turned on his heel, sleeves fluttering as he strode away, radiating displeasure.
Lin Feng received only frosty silence. He shrugged nonchalantly, but as he glanced around, he noticed many in the crowd were looking at him with expressions usually reserved for idiots. They clearly thought trading a whole flying sword for such a small piece of Thunder Extreme Crystal was foolish. He faintly overheard mutterings like, "Daring to snatch something from Old Monster Muye... he's going to regret it..." Moreover, a few individuals were eyeing him with unmistakably hostile intent...
So the old man was called 'Muye', appended with the moniker 'Old Monster'. It seemed his reputation wasn't favorable. Unsurprisingly, Lin Feng had never heard of him, and frankly, didn't much care. As for those harboring ill intentions upon seeing him casually produce a flying sword, he felt no fear. If anyone foolishly sought trouble, they'd simply be delivering loot to his doorstep.
Objectively speaking, trading a flying sword for that small piece of Thunder Extreme Crystal was a loss. But to Lin Feng, it was entirely worth it. With this crystal, he could repair the ring from Patriarch Lan Ling's legacy. Acquiring a potential Top-grade Spirit Artifact easily justified trading away an unused, lower-tier flying sword. He had sold most of the artifacts acquired from fallen enemies over time, but kept a few spares handy – the flying sword he'd offered was one such reserve.
After searching for so long, he finally had the Thunder Extreme Crystal! Satisfaction washed over Lin Feng. With this secured, a trip to the Mission Hall became unnecessary for now. His desire to browse further vanished entirely. Eagerness taking hold, he immediately began his return journey to his cave dwelling – he was now impatient to repair what he suspected was a Top-grade Spirit Artifact ring.
Contrary to fears of being ambushed by opportunistic thieves, Lin Feng encountered no trouble. He arrived back safely and swiftly at the Grade One cave dwelling zone in the northern district.
"Hmm?"
However, just as he approached his own dwelling, Lin Feng abruptly halted. A distinct sensation of being watched prickled his senses. He instinctively turned his gaze towards the cave dwelling immediately adjacent on his right. But when he looked, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"Must be my imagination... Getting paranoid now..." Lin Feng muttered to himself. Shaking off the feeling, he retrieved his jade token, deactivated the entrance barrier, and stepped inside.
Unbeknownst to Lin Feng, deep within the very cave dwelling he had just glanced at, two figures observed the scene of his return. Concealed by their own dwelling's protective barrier, they remained invisible from the outside.
These two figures were none other than Chen Hu and Chen Bao, the brothers!
"Big Brother," Chen Bao spoke, turning to Chen Hu after seeing Lin Feng enter his dwelling and the entrance fall silent. "Are we just going to keep hunkered down here like this?"
Chen Hu's expression mirrored his annoyance. He hissed through gritted teeth, "What choice do we have? We can't exactly storm the place! That item is likely still hidden inside that dwelling, and he doesn't know it exists. He probably won't find it easily. We just need to be patient... and wait for the right moment..."
...
…
The next day, around noon, a young man arrived at the entrance of Lin Feng's cave dwelling. His steps faltered as his gaze landed on a sign hanging prominently beside the entrance. He stared, momentarily confused.
"In Seclusion. Do Not Disturb?!"
Wang Chen scratched his head, his face a picture of astonishment. "Cave Dwelling 168... that's the right one… What's going on? Brother Lin just moved in yesterday, and he's already going into seclusion?!"
He stood before the sealed entrance, hesitating for a few moments. Ultimately, feeling it inappropriate to interrupt, Wang Chen shook his head in lingering bewilderment and departed, his questions unanswered.
The 'Do Not Disturb' sign, naturally, had been placed there by Lin Feng himself. And indeed, within the confines of the dwelling, he was deeply immersed in closed-door cultivation.
This decision was the result of careful deliberation. Though he had been in Zhenhai City for barely a day, he had already gained an appreciation for the general level of cultivators here. Golden Core cultivators were commonplace on the streets, and Nascent Soul cultivators were far from rare. This stark reality instilled a deep sense of urgency within him, a desperate need to elevate his own strength.
Venturing out into the Starry Sea to search for the island where his father had hidden the spirit herbs with his current level of cultivation? The risk was simply too immense. Lin Feng had meticulously compared the sea map from his father's jade slip with maps purchased in the city. While the island wasn't located in the deepest, most perilous parts of the Starry Sea, it was certainly not close to the coast. The journey there would be fraught with danger. Encountering Level 3 demon beasts or Golden Core cultivators was one thing, but running into Level 4 demon beasts or Nascent Soul cultivators? That spelled potential disaster.
Yes, he had once joined forces with Jian Suo to defeat a Level 4 Ice-Eye Python, and he had even single-handedly killed a Nascent Soul cultivator. But those victories occurred under exceptional circumstances – against opponents whose power was severely diminished. Facing a Nascent Soul cultivator at full strength, even an early-stage one, was an entirely different proposition. He had no confidence in his ability to prevail.
Therefore, Lin Feng had ultimately resolved to use the three Golden Ephemera Pills first. He needed to boost his cultivation base as much as possible before setting sail on his treasure hunt.
Decision made, hesitation vanished. Lin Feng saw no point in wasting time. Thus, he had immediately initiated his closed-door cultivation session, diving deep into focused training and preparation…