Lin Feng carefully read through the technique once more, the astonishment in his eyes deepening with each passing moment. Though its rank was merely Earth Grade Lower Rank, this art was exceptionally unique. Its power utterly eclipsed that of any standard Earth Grade Lower Rank technique, exceeding them by an immense, uncountable margin. However, the cost of unleashing such power was staggering—it demanded the sacrifice of a Golden Core.
Any Golden Core cultivator could detonate their Golden Core without knowing this technique, but such an act was synonymous with suicide, a final desperate measure to take one's enemy down. The uniqueness of Core Detonation Art lay in its method: it employed special means to forcibly expel the Golden Core from the body before detonation, preserving the caster's life! Furthermore, it contained an esoteric secret method allowing the practitioner to re-condense a new Golden Core afterward and restore their cultivation base!!
Of course, describing it was simple. Executing it, however, was fraught with perilous difficulty. First, one had to survive the aftermath of unleashing such a blast and escape safely. Then, re-condensing the Golden Core required absolute precision—not a single misstep could be tolerated. Most crucially, and unlike the process of re-condensing the core when switching cultivation methods, using this technique meant one had to endure the Golden Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation all over again!!
The price for using this technique was simply too steep, arguably only slightly less severe than a standard Golden Core self-detonation for mutual destruction. Likely, anyone who learned it would lack the courage to employ it unless driven to utter desperation. Back then, faced with the lethal threat of the White Tiger Fierce Soul Talisman, Hu Tonghai had been forced to resort to this desperate measure—a testament to his decisiveness. He'd gambled that it would kill Lin Feng, never anticipating Lin Feng's lightning-fast reflexes and possession of multiple soul-protection artifacts. In the end, Hu Tonghai had perished by Lin Feng's hand.
There was no way to 'practice' this technique. Lin Feng found he had little interest in even learning it properly. He fervently hoped he would never find himself in a situation where he needed to use it...
Lin Feng then proceeded to inspect the storage rings belonging to the blue-robed cultivator from the Great Wave Alliance, as well as the two cultivators he'd encountered first upon leaving the island. He acquired a fair amount of miscellaneous items, but nothing else of significant value. These minor gains warrant no further elaboration.
...
Twenty days later, Lin Feng finally arrived back at Zhenhai City. The return journey took considerably less time than the outgoing trip. This was largely thanks to the potency of Stellar Radiance Mantra, which significantly enhanced his flying sword speed.
Once within the city walls, Lin Feng made a detour to the Sea Treasure Pavilion. However, he didn't encounter Wang Chen. After indulging in a hearty meal, he returned directly to Cave Dwelling No. 168.
Back in his dwelling, Lin Feng found he couldn't even contemplate resting. His anticipation gnawed at him, compelling him to begin a meticulous inspection of the cave dwelling. The possibility of hidden treasures within its confines filled him with considerable excitement.
To Lin Feng's immense delight, after a thorough and exhaustive search, he did make a discovery—deep beneath the Spirit Beast Room, he unearthed a storage ring.
The ring lay buried over a hundred meters underground, practically pressed against the very edge of the cave dwelling's protective formations. It was encased within a chunk of rock, rendering it incredibly difficult to detect. Back when Lin Feng first moved in, he had inspected the cave, but not with the granular scrutiny required to examine every single stone. Consequently, he had missed it. Frankly, unless one knew it was there and conducted a deliberate, inch-by-inch search, even a Nascent Soul cultivator might have overlooked this ring.
Upon retrieving the ring, Lin Feng was surprised to discover it contained inner restrictions. These restrictions were in a peculiar state—partially intact, partially damaged. This likely aligned with Chen Bao's story: the cultivator named Wen Qi had attempted to forcibly break the ring's inner seals but failed. Meaning... this storage ring had never been opened.
Recalling the bloody feud Chen Bao described, ignited solely by this ring, Lin Feng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The saying 'men die for wealth as birds die for food' rang true. For the sake of this single storage ring, a group of fellow cultivators, once comrades, had turned on each other. In the end, they all perished, yet not a single soul discovered what treasures, if any, the ring actually held. What a tragic, pointless waste...
After pondering for a moment, Lin Feng began attempting to breach the ring's inner restrictions. His knowledge of restrictions was nonexistent; deciphering their principles for a proper opening was impossible. His only option was brute force. Yet, after hours of effort, he could only stare helplessly at the ring. Whether he battered the inner seals with his divine sense or rammed them with surges of true essence, the effect was minimal. He imagined Wen Qi had faced the same frustrating impasse, explaining why the ring remained sealed despite being in his possession for so long.
Lin Feng paused again, deep in thought. Then, with a wave of his hand, he summoned the Crimson Soul Flying Sword.
The sword's innate 'Restriction Breaking' property should theoretically affect all restrictions. The complication lay in the restrictions being inside the ring. Simply hacking at the ring with the sword was out of the question—likely the ring would shatter before the restrictions yielded, condemning all its contents to the void between dimensions forever.
After considerable deliberation, Lin Feng devised a plan. Focusing his will, he commanded the Crimson Soul Flying Sword to slash downwards mid-air, unleashing a pulse of restriction-breaking sword light. In the split-second the light surged forth, his hand darted out like lightning. He guided a wisp of that potent sword light, directing it precisely into the storage ring.
"Hmm…"
Instantly, the ring in Lin Feng's grasp erupted with intense white radiance, vibrating faintly. Joy surged through him—he could feel the inner restrictions shattering!
"Crack…"
The sharp sound of fracturing material that followed instantly wiped the smile from his face. His divine sense detected countless hairline fissures spider-webbing across the ring's surface. It was crumbling before his eyes!
Alarm and urgency seized him. In that fleeting moment before total disintegration, his divine sense plunged frantically into the ring's dimensional space. He swept through it in a desperate, chaotic grab!
Light flashed. Several objects materialized out of thin air, clattering onto the floor before Lin Feng. Simultaneously, the storage ring in his left hand disintegrated into countless fragments...
"..."
Lin Feng stared blankly at the near-powdered remnants resting on his palm, a bitter smile twisting his lips. He had utterly failed to anticipate it: the ring's inner restrictions weren't just one layer! The outer layer was the standard 'anti-theft' seal. But layered beneath it resided a 'self-destruction' restriction! The instant the first layer was forcibly breached, the self-destruction mechanism triggered. Unless one could break both layers simultaneously the moment the first was shattered, the ring would destroy itself, ensuring no one could claim its contents.
It was a ruthlessly effective failsafe. Lin Feng couldn't help but recall Chen Bao's account of the ring's original owner's cave dwelling—it too had self-destructed, plunging into the depths of the sea. The method was identical.
God knows how many priceless treasures were lost to the void when the ring shattered. A pang of profound loss struck Lin Feng's heart. He discarded the remaining ring fragments and looked down at the objects now lying on the floor before him. He'd managed to retrieve something in that critical split-second, but he had no idea if any of it held value.
A quick glance initially plunged him into deep disappointment. There were only a few pieces of forging materials. Though they were valuable Grade Five materials, they fell far short of his lofty expectations.
"Huh?"
Just as disappointment settled in, Lin Feng's eyes suddenly sharpened. Underneath the pile of forging materials lay... another jade slip! A flicker of hope reignited within him. He snatched the slip, pouring his consciousness into it eagerly.
Lin Feng had anticipated finding a cultivation method, a technique, or perhaps a treasure map recorded within the slip. However, upon inspection, he realized he was mistaken. The slip contained a detailed treatise on formation mastery titled Hundred Solutions to Formations!
Simply put, it was a textbook on Formation Arts.
Hundred Solutions to Formations was of unknown authorship. Its content was profound, intricate, and densely complex. Lin Feng skimmed through it quickly, noting that the highest level of formations it covered was Level Five. Its author was presumably a Level Five Formation Master.
Though different from his initial expectations, Lin Feng felt not a shred of disappointment this time. Instead, a spark of pleasant surprise ignited within him. Ever since witnessing the terrifying power of the killer formation Zhao Qian had deployed within Lanling Zhenren's cave dwelling, he had harbored a deep fascination for Formation Arts. Acquiring this comprehensive manual immediately fueled his desire to delve into its study.
Thinking it, Lin Feng acted. He immediately sat down and began meticulously studying Hundred Solutions to Formations. Little did he know, this study swiftly consumed him. He became utterly absorbed, oblivious to his surroundings, unaware of the passage of time, completely immersed in the profound and wondrous mysteries of Formation Arts...