When the seven-colored light on the beach finally contracted entirely into the body of the cross-legged Lin Feng, the powerful aura emanating from him also reached its peak, stabilizing at Core Formation Stage Level 9. It still fell slightly short of Great Perfection, but the intensity was undeniable.
Heaven and earth had fully returned to normal. Waves lapped rhythmically against the shore about ten meters in front of Lin Feng, and a sea breeze gently brushed past, dislodging charred black dust from his thunder-scorched, disheveled hair.
After a moment, Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes. A fleeting flash of seven-colored radiance, brilliant as starlight, sparked within his pupils before vanishing. The formidable true essence fluctuations within him rapidly subsided, settling into profound calm.
"Haaah…" He exhaled a long breath laden with turbid qi, his eyes brimming with immense relief and exhilaration. He instinctively wiped a sheen of cold sweat from his forehead, murmuring, "That was close… Way too close…"
It truly had been perilously close. He could scarcely believe he had actually withstood those nine unique bolts of seven-colored tribulation lightning. Reflecting back, each of those nine colored bolts had been over ten times more powerful than any of the preceding twenty-seven 'ordinary' strikes. The Lin Feng he was before enduring the initial twenty-seven bolts wouldn't have survived a single one. Yet, the foundation laid by weathering those first twenty-seven strikes—the tempering and adaptation—was precisely what granted him the strength to endure the final, devastating nine.
"What exactly happened…" Lin Feng pondered aloud, his brow furrowed. "Why would a Core Formation Tribulation manifest as the Fourth Cycle of Nine? And then there's that group of seven-colored bolts… Could it really be because of the Prismatic Stellar Art? But the technique manual never mentioned anything like this…" Finally able to contemplate this mystery, he scratched his head in frustration. After several minutes of fruitless mental wrestling, he sighed and forced himself to let it go, offering himself a measure of consolation. "Forget it. I'll find a way to investigate later. At least this time, I made it through. Not only did I cheat Death's Door, but I also managed to reform a Golden Core that's superior to my previous one. My cultivation even advanced a level—bringing me that much closer to the Nascent Soul stage…"
This thought significantly brightened his mood. He finally took a proper look around. He was indeed on the sandy shore of a small island. The immediate vicinity seemed peaceful, devoid of obvious threats. The question remained: Where exactly was he? How much time had passed? And what of Yu Ping and the others back on Wu Song Island…?
"Keww!!"
A joyful cry rang out from behind him. Before Lin Feng could fully turn, a small, agile figure leaped onto his head, scrambling excitedly and turning his already messy hair into something resembling a bird's nest.
"Heh, Xiaoqiu, stop messing around," Lin Feng chuckled, gently pulling the creature down into his hands. But the moment he got a clear look at Xiaoqiu, his expression morphed into alarm. "Xiaoqiu! What happened to you?! Are you hurt?!"
Xiaoqiu's small frame was covered in dried bloodstains. Multiple wounds had scabbed over, but the most alarming was a long, healed gash running down its back. The skin there was new and devoid of fur, standing out starkly against the surrounding fluff, like a trench carved through plush earth.
"Kew…"
At Lin Feng's concerned question, Xiaoqiu's eyes instantly welled up with tears of grievance. It began gesturing animatedly, trying to convey its harrowing experiences after Lin Feng had been critically injured and unconscious. Unfortunately, Lin Feng couldn't understand the specifics. Yet, their deep bond allowed for profound non-verbal communication. He pieced together fragments of the story from Xiaoqiu's expressive movements: Xiaoqiu pointed towards the sea, then mimicked desperately dragging Lin Feng's collar – clearly showing how it had hauled him ashore after they fell into the ocean. Xiaoqiu then lay stiffly in Lin Feng's palm, playing dead – indicating Lin Feng's dire state. Finally, Xiaoqiu pointed towards the island's interior jungle and made chewing motions – signifying it had ventured inland to find medicinal herbs to heal him.
As Xiaoqiu 'spoke', Lin Feng gradually reconstructed the events of his unconscious period. An overwhelming wave of gratitude washed over him. He gently stroked Xiaoqiu's head. "These injuries… did you get them while searching for herbs on the island? Did you run into a powerful demon beast?"
"Kew…" Xiaoqiu nodded miserably, then its eyes flashed with indignation. Standing on Lin Feng's palm, it pointed fiercely towards a specific direction inland and made a throwing motion, puffing out its chest defiantly. The implication was clear: it had been unarmed and unprepared, hence the disadvantage.
Lin Feng nodded firmly, a flicker of determination in his eyes. "Alright. Don't worry. We'll go settle the score soon enough!"
After meticulously checking Xiaoqiu's body and confirming the wounds were fully healed, Lin Feng finally relaxed. He stood up, stretching his limbs and testing his renewed strength. He then surveyed the chaotic aftermath scattered across the beach – the remnants of his desperate tribulation defense. He managed to recover only three or four artifacts that could potentially be repaired. The rest were utterly destroyed. Taking stock, Lin Feng couldn't suppress a sharp pang of loss. Dozens of spirit artifacts had been sacrificed during the tribulation. While they were mostly unused spares from his inventory, their collective value represented a significant portion of his wealth.
His gaze swept over the beach, now coated in a thick layer of white, powdery residue. This was the remains of countless spirit stones drained of every last wisp of spiritual energy. The process of reforming his Golden Core had consumed a staggering five million mid-grade spirit stones!
Essentially, the entire five million mid-grade spirit stone prize he had won in the Five Cities Competition was gone. While his total wealth still exceeded ten million mid-grade spirit stones, the sudden depletion of half that sum was undeniably painful.
"It's fine," Lin Feng muttered, forcing down the sting of loss. "As long as the results are there, the cost is justified. I can always earn more later…"
Thus consoling himself, he finished tidying the area. A quick Purification Spell whisked away the grime and ash coating his skin. He changed into fresh robes – specifically, the top-grade spirit artifact robe he had won in the competition. He then decisively used a dagger to chop off his scorched, tangled mess of hair, leaving a neat, short cut. After this transformation, he looked completely revitalized.
With everything settled, Lin Feng patted Xiaoqiu, who was perched contentedly on his shoulder. "Alright! Time to find that beast that hurt you and teach it a lesson!"
"Keww!!" Xiaoqiu's eyes blazed with fiery resolve, letting out a determined cry. It immediately pointed a paw towards the jungle interior. Lin Feng tapped his foot lightly, and his figure shot forward like the wind, vanishing into the dense foliage…
...
"ROOOOAR!!"
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
Not long after, a cacophony of enraged bellows and deafening explosions erupted from a specific location deep within the island. However, the chaos subsided almost as quickly as it had begun, plunging the area back into silence.
"..." Lin Feng stared at the scene before him – a patch of jungle that looked like it had been strafed by bombers. It took him a good moment to process what he'd witnessed. He finally blinked, reaching up to stroke Xiaoqiu, who had just leaped back onto his shoulder. He let out an impressed sigh. "Xiaoqiu… you've leveled up again… Alright, let's keep moving…"
Moments earlier, Xiaoqiu had led Lin Feng straight to its former nemesis—a Level 3, Rank 9 Four-Armed Demon Ape, the very beast that had nearly claimed its life. Before Lin Feng could even consider intervening, Xiaoqiu had unleashed a barrage of pure, unadulterated fury. It had hurled forty to fifty mid-grade spirit stone bombs in rapid succession. Lin Feng felt like little more than an ammunition carrier, passing stones as fast as Xiaoqiu demanded. The unfortunate ape, after its initial charge was met with a point-blank spirit beast grenade that sent it flying, never got a chance to reappear. It hadn't escaped. Lin Feng's spiritual sense had tracked its fate clearly: it was blown into unrecognizable fragments mid-air before the debris even hit the ground.
Continuing their exploration, Xiaoqiu, its vengeance thoroughly sated, radiated smug satisfaction from its perch on Lin Feng's shoulder. It was now intently fiddling with a storage ring—one it had persistently badgered Lin Feng to give it. It had taken quite a bit of confused gesturing before Lin Feng understood Xiaoqiu wanted one of its own.
Lin Feng was deeply puzzled by Xiaoqiu's sudden interest in storage rings. He didn't know the little creature was haunted by the memory of being unable to access his storage ring to retrieve healing pills when he lay dying. Xiaoqiu wanted to figure out how the rings worked—if it could use one itself, it could carry its own spirit stones and bombs, no longer needing to ask Lin Feng every time!
Whether Xiaoqiu would succeed in this self-imposed research project, however, remained to be seen…
...
Over an hour later, guided once more by Xiaoqiu, Lin Feng arrived at the base of a towering cliff. Summoning his flying sword, he ascended about two hundred meters before spotting something nestled within a deep crevice in the rock face.
It was a plant—a deep green vine, roughly half a meter long and as thick as a little finger. Clustered near its center hung a small bunch of pearl-white fruits, resembling miniature grapes. This was unmistakably the same medicinal herb Xiaoqiu had previously found to heal his injuries.
Lin Feng's eyes widened instantly, recognition and delight flooding his face. "This is…" he breathed, his voice thick with excitement, "White Jade Bodhi Fruit?!"