Inside the volcano crater, on a rock platform about two hundred meters above the magma and roughly ten meters wide, Lin Feng sat cross-legged. His eyes were slightly closed, and his expression was as serene as that of an old monk in deep meditation. On the palm of his right hand, a vibrant crimson flame pulsed gently, radiating peculiar halos of light in rhythmic waves.
The Molten Flame now appeared more vivid and lively than ever before. As it flickered, it naturally emitted an unparalleled scorching heat that seemed to overshadow the entire volcano. Below, the churning magma appeared subdued and calmer, as if suppressed, while the rich fire spirit energy within the volcano gathered like countless rivers flowing into the sea, eagerly converging into this small Molten Flame. Part of it even seeped into Lin Feng's body.
This state had persisted throughout the entire night. Nestled in Lin Feng's embrace, Xiao Qiu drowsily poked out half of her head, as if just waking from sleep. She glanced at the strange fire in Lin Feng's hand, then at Lin Feng himself, who was still deep in cultivation. Her eyes flickered with an expression that seemed to say, "How is this not over yet?" Before long, she retreated back into his robe.
Another half-day passed before Lin Feng finally opened his eyes slowly. He exhaled a long, turbid breath and gazed at the now-upgraded high-grade Molten Flame in his palm, his eyes filled with satisfaction. Then, with a clench of his right hand, he withdrew the flame back into his body.
Standing up, Lin Feng stretched his limbs, causing a series of crackling sounds like popping beans to resonate through his body. He scanned his internal condition with his divine sense and couldn't help but smile faintly. "Excellent," he murmured to himself. "I've finally reached the seventh level of the Golden Core stage. That's an unexpected boon."
While upgrading the strange fire, he had also gained some personal benefits. This opportunity allowed him to break through the bottleneck of the sixth level of the Golden Core stage, advancing to the seventh level—signifying the late Golden Core phase.
Although he had encountered a major crisis upon arriving on Mo Loong Island, it was resolved smoothly. Not only had he acquired countless spoils of battle, but he had also upgraded his strange fire and advanced to the seventh level of the Golden Core stage. It was a fortunate turn of events—definitely not a wasted trip.
...
After leaving the volcano, Lin Feng continued his exploration of the island. Over ten days, he had only covered less than a quarter of its area. He found numerous spirit materials, including many fourth-grade spirit medicines and fifth- or sixth-grade forging materials. Yet, despite his efforts, he never discovered any trace of Yu Youtian, who had managed to escape.
When Lin Feng returned to the initial landing site at the agreed-upon time, the massive seafaring vessel was already docked at the shore, with many people gathered aboard. This reunion was nearly half a month earlier than originally planned, as they were preparing to depart ahead of schedule. Since Lin Feng hadn't revealed that he had dealt with Wu Pang from the Corpse Yin Sect, everyone remained cautious, fearing they might encounter enemies alone and meet their end. Thus, most had stayed close together, focusing on searching for Yuan Yi Essence Crystals at the quicksand pit. With Yu Ping also staying there, it provided a sense of security.
Despite the short duration and limited treasure-hunting opportunities, the mood among the cultivators seemed cheerful. Many had made decent gains—numerous people had found Yuan Yi Essence Crystals, and even a small fragment made the journey worthwhile. Those who hadn't found the crystals still gathered plenty of other spirit materials from the quicksand pit, including rare demon beasts. Overall, nearly everyone had some harvest, and thanks to the group effort, casualties were minimal.
Upon seeing Lin Feng return, several cultivators approached him politely to greet him. Lin Feng responded to each in turn before heading back to his cabin room to rest and organize the spoils from his days on the island.
The next morning, Lin Feng was jolted from his cultivation by the movement of the ship. With a light sweep of his divine sense, he realized everyone must have returned—they were now departing the island.
With nothing urgent to attend to, Lin Feng grew curious about the others' gains. He got up and made his way to a large hall in the middle deck, a common area for cultivators to gather and exchange experiences. He had heard about it upon his return—during the voyage home, everyone would convene there to share stories and hold informal trade sessions, exchanging or selling items they couldn't use.
When Lin Feng entered the spacious hall, he paused in mild surprise. A sizable crowd had indeed gathered, with about eighty percent of the ship's cultivators present. Nearly everyone was clustered around one spot, chattering animatedly in a lively atmosphere. At the center stood Lei Yan, the focus of their attention.
"You've come too, Fellow Daoist Lin," a young cultivator greeted him politely upon turning and spotting him.
Lin Feng vaguely recalled the man's name—Yang Ge. Raising his hands in a cupped salute, Lin Feng responded, "Fellow Daoist Yang, what's going on here?"
Yang Ge chuckled softly. "It turns out Fellow Daoist Lei Yan is a third-grade alchemist. Everyone wants him to refine pills now that they know."
"Ah, I see," Lin Feng said, nodding in understanding. With Lei Yan possessing the Silver Thread Fire, it wasn't surprising he was an alchemist. Many cultivators had gathered spirit herbs on the island or had existing stocks, so having an alchemist nearby naturally sparked requests.
Lin Feng observed from the side for a while. Lei Yan accepted almost every request without hesitation, even for notoriously difficult third-grade pills, displaying clear confidence. His alchemy skills were likely quite advanced. Of course, these commissions weren't free—Lei Yan specified rewards upfront, but his fees seemed low, as none of the cultivators showed dissatisfaction.
Soon, Lei Yan had accepted nearly all the pill-refining commissions, promising to complete them before reaching Zhenhai City. This bold pledge showcased his self-assurance, as even Lin Feng doubted he could refine so many third-grade pills during the return trip alone.
Moreover, Lei Yan's rewards were substantial, sparking an idea in Lin Feng's mind.
As the crowd around Lei Yan dispersed, he glanced up and spotted Lin Feng. Smiling, he walked over and clasped his hands politely. "Fellow Daoist Lin, you've arrived. How were your gains on this trip?"
"Quite good," Lin Feng replied with a smile as he nodded. "I never expected you to be an alchemist, and likely close to advancing to the fourth grade? Impressive."
Lei Yan waved off the praise with a modest grin. "You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Lin. I'm still far from becoming a fourth-grade alchemist. If not for the Silver Thread Fire I acquired by chance not long ago, I'd only be an average third-grade alchemist. Unlike your Molten Fire—it's already at the middle-grade level. You must have had it for quite some time, right? By the way, since you own a strange fire, have you studied alchemy or artifact forging?"
Typically, cultivators with strange fires like theirs would delve into such arts, hence Lei Yan's question. Several nearby cultivators also turned their gazes to Lin Feng, curiosity evident.
Lin Feng smiled and nodded. "You've hit the mark, Fellow Daoist Lei. I've dabbled in both, though my alchemy skills are just rudimentary—far less refined than yours. As for artifact forging..." He paused thoughtfully. "I didn't learn it formally, so my techniques for crafting magic treasures are rough. But I've studied repair methods deeply. Fixing spirit artifacts? That's no problem at all."
Yang Ge, standing nearby, gasped in disbelief. "What? Are you serious, Fellow Daoist Lin? You can repair spirit artifacts? Any quality of spirit artifact?"
Lin Feng affirmed with a nod. "As long as I have the materials, I can repair even top-grade spirit artifacts. Plus, I'm quite skilled at analyzing the material composition of magic treasures."
Hearing such confidence, Lei Yan couldn't hide his surprise. He pressed further, "So, Fellow Daoist Lin, even if I gave you an unfamiliar top-grade spirit artifact, you could analyze its materials and restore it to perfect condition?"
"Indeed," Lin Feng replied, smiling again as he nodded.
Yang Ge immediately grew excited. He blurted out, "Fellow Daoist Lin, could you look at this treasure for me? Is it repairable?"
Without hesitation, he produced a worn-looking flying sword from his storage and held it out to Lin Feng, his expression brimming with hope.
Though the sword's glow was faint, Lin Feng recognized it as a high-grade spirit artifact at a glance. He took it casually, already knowing its damage level and the repair materials needed through a simple mental probe. But he couldn't reveal that directly. He pretended to examine it carefully for a moment, then focused his mind. A soft "puff" echoed as a wave of heat spread out—the Molten Fire flared to life, enveloping the sword.
"High-grade!" Lei Yan exclaimed, sensing the shift instantly since he also possessed a strange fire. His voice filled with shock. "How...? Fellow Daoist Lin, did you find materials to upgrade your strange fire on the island?!"
Lin Feng nodded calmly, offering no further explanation. He feigned deep concentration as he analyzed the sword. After a short while, he withdrew the Molten Fire and turned to Yang Ge, who was watching him anxiously. "This treasure is eighty percent damaged, but I'm confident I can restore it fully. The required materials are: sixth-grade wind and metal essence ores, Purple Scale Stone, Void Wind Crystal, Bright Profound Stone, and a small amount of bone from a third-grade late-stage demon beast." He paused, then added, "Fortunately, I have all these materials on hand. If you trust me, Fellow Daoist Yang, leave the sword with me. I'll return it fully repaired tomorrow."
"Really?!" Yang Ge beamed with joy, nodding eagerly. "Of course I trust you, Fellow Daoist Lin! I'll leave it entirely in your hands!"
After obtaining this damaged sword, he had consulted other forgers, only to be told they couldn't identify the repair materials, wasting much of his hard-earned fees. Since then, he'd had no chance to fix it. Hearing Lin Feng's assurance was a huge relief. Crucially, if this proved true, he wouldn't just get his sword repaired—he'd learn the exact materials needed, making future repairs far easier.
As Lin Feng stored the sword, Yang Ge suddenly recalled something and asked awkwardly, "Um... Fellow Daoist Lin, what about the repair fee? I'll prepare it now."
Lin Feng thought briefly before responding. "Since this is my first commission, I'll offer you a discount. Just double the value of the materials... That should be around one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Is that acceptable?"
"One hundred thousand?" Yang Ge blinked in astonishment, not because the price was high, but startlingly low. On the market, even the cheapest high-grade flying sword cost over a million mid-grade spirit stones. For a sword as damaged as his, hiring another forger could cost tens of thousands at minimum. Yet Lin Feng was asking only a hundred thousand—it felt like charity.
Lin Feng knew nothing about the local "market rates" for artifact repairs. He had simply quoted based on his own reasoning. Seeing Yang Ge's reaction, he misinterpreted it as resistance and frowned slightly. "What? Does it seem expensive to you, Fellow Daoist Yang? Perhaps I can—"
"Not expensive at all! Not at all!" Yang Ge snapped back to reality, fearing Lin Feng might take offense. He nodded vigorously. "It's extremely reasonable! Thank you so much, Fellow Daoist Lin! I trust you completely. Here are one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Please take them."
He hastily pulled out two spirit stone pouches and shoved them into Lin Feng's hands, as if worried he'd change his mind. He had no doubts about Lin Feng's honesty—someone of his strength and wealth wouldn't deceive him over a broken artifact, especially with so many witnesses around.
Lin Feng didn't hesitate. He accepted the pouches with a smile, scanned them briefly, and stored them in his ring. This gesture subtly conveyed his absolute confidence to the onlookers.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, I have a magic treasure that needs repairing too. Could you help...?"
"And me! Please look at this treasure and see if you can fix it..."
"Fellow Daoist Lin..."
The crowd had already been drawn when Lin Feng used the Molten Fire to "analyze" Yang Ge's sword. As soon as their discussion ended, numerous cultivators surged forward. They had heard Lin Feng mention his "first commission," implying he'd accept more requests. None wanted to miss this opportunity, and soon various damaged treasures were thrust toward him, accompanied by pleas for repairs.
This was exactly what Lin Feng had intended. He raised a hand to calm the crowd, smiling warmly. "Everyone, please, don't rush. One at a time. I'll do my best to repair your treasures as long as it's within my capabilities!"