"Huuu…"
A long sigh echoed within the cave. Lin Feng set down the cyan Spatial Ring he had been examining and raised a hand to wipe his brow, though no actual sweat beaded there.
The gesture was instinctive, born of genuine mental fatigue. It was hard to believe that as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he could feel 'worn out' simply from inventorying spoils. Yet, despite the weariness, profound satisfaction shone in his eyes. This… this must be what it feels like to count money until your fingers cramp…
He glanced towards the cave entrance. Daylight streamed in; it was already bright outside. Unnoticed, the entire night had slipped away while he cataloged his gains.
Looking down at his left index finger, Lin Feng couldn't suppress another smile. There rested the profound, dark cyan Spatial Ring acquired from Feng Liefeng, its capacity enormous. Every single item obtained from the Blue Moon Sect ruins was now meticulously sorted and stored within its depths.
His father's legacy ring, always worn on his right middle finger, held his most commonly used and precious personal items. On his right index finger sat the Magic Light Ring.
Lin Feng closed his eyes briefly, mentally summarizing the staggering haul:
Artifacts & Weapons: The undeniable pinnacle was the currently unusable Immortal Artifact fragment. Following that were five supremely valuable pieces: a cyan flying sword and a gray, wine-pot-shaped ancient vessel from Feng Liefeng; a one-foot-long azure jade sword and an azure jade bracelet from Gu Lengyue; and a golden staff from Qin Gucang. All five were… Dao Artifacts!! The crushing disappointment was that, like the Immortal Artifact fragment, they were unusable now. It wasn't a matter of Lin Feng lacking the cultivation level; each one was severely damaged. Using them would require his Repair Technique to advance enough to mend Dao Artifacts. Next came a vast collection of Spirit Artifacts – over a hundred pieces! Among them were more than ten Supreme Grade Spirit Artifacts. However, the overwhelming majority were also heavily damaged. Few remained functional, and even fewer suited Lin Feng's style. They wouldn't be detailed here; specifics could come later if needed.
Natural Treasures & Materials: The gains here were equally colossal, especially the materials from Gu Lengyue's share (only half his ring's contents, yet surpassing the sum of everyone else's). Artifact Refining materials dominated this category. Materials below Grade 6 were countless, almost sufficient to repair all the Spirit Artifacts Lin Feng currently possessed. There were also over a dozen types of Grade 7 materials, and even two pieces of Grade 8 material! Medicinal herbs and pills, however, were scarce. This made sense; figures like Gu Lengyue and Feng Liefeng, locked in their death struggle for millennia, would have long exhausted any usable pills or potent herbs.
Cultivation Manuals & Techniques: The harvest was exceptionally rich. While even Heaven Grade cultivation manuals were currently useless to him (due to his unique path), techniques were highly valuable. The most prized were undoubtedly the Lower Heaven Grade techniques Blue Moon Soul Locking Art and Illusory Wind Thousand Shadows Art. Additionally, from Qin Gucang, he acquired a Lower Heaven Grade cultivation manual, Spirit Meditation Sutra, and a Lower Heaven Grade technique, Vajra Seal. How Qin Gucang obtained these Buddhist inheritances was a mystery. The Vajra Seal was precisely the technique that unleashed the powerful '卍'-shaped Buddha Seal – its might Lin Feng had personally experienced, making it worthy of study. Unlike the first two techniques, which were directly 'received' from their original masters' memories, learning this one would require dedicated effort and time.
Spirit Stones: The haul was immense – fifteen million mid-grade spirit stones, and tens of thousands of high-grade spirit stones. This replenished Lin Feng's reserves, depleted during his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, and made him extraordinarily wealthy once more.
The sheer scale of these gains far exceeded Lin Feng's initial expectations. His current wealth likely surpassed that of some fourth or even fifth-tier sects.
...
"Truly… all those brushes with death weren't in vain… It was worth it…"
Lin Feng mentally reviewed the entire inventory one final time, sighing with deep satisfaction. He then calmed his excitement, closed his eyes once more, and focused inward.
The spoils were accounted for. Now, it was time to process the mental and spiritual harvest – the vast influx of memories from Gu Lengyue and Feng Liefeng, and the critical lessons distilled from each life-or-death battle…
Recalling them now, a wave of lingering fear washed over Lin Feng: the battles against Qin Huangtian, Qin Gucang, and the Blood Octopus. Each had been a desperate struggle, survival hanging by a thread. And the key to victory in every single one… had been the Blood Demon Blade. Without it, he would undoubtedly be dead…
"Huh?!" Lin Feng's eyes snapped open, his face instantly contorting with shock and horror. "Wait!! Why… why do I feel absolutely no wariness towards the Blood Demon Blade anymore?!"
The realization struck him like lightning. During those recent battles, he had wielded the Blood Demon Blade without the slightest hesitation! It wasn't just that circumstances forced quick action; the very instinctive resistance he used to feel was absent. Previously, every time he had reluctantly used the blade, a deep-seated discomfort and aversion had surfaced – a subconscious unwillingness to employ such an obviously sinister artifact. Now, he realized that subconscious resistance… had vanished. He didn't know when.
"How… when did this change?!" A sliver of inexplicable panic wormed its way into Lin Feng's heart. Frowning intensely, he racked his brain. Moments later, a flash of insight struck him, chilling him to the core. "After forming my Nascent Soul?!"
Did my increased cultivation base grant me greater resistance to the baleful aura emanating from the blade?
But immediately, another crucial point surfaced: When the two Void Refining souls had attempted to possess him simultaneously, his consciousness had nearly faded entirely. By all logic, he should have perished. Yet, when he regained awareness, both Void Refining souls were annihilated. What happened during that blackout? He still didn't know. But he vividly remembered waking up to find the Blood Demon Blade – which should have been on Feng Liefeng's corpse – lying beside him…
Could it be… that I survived the possession attempt by those two Void Refining cultivators… also because of the Blood Demon Blade?!
The moment this thought crystallized, four words flashed into his mind: 'Automatic Host-Protection'! Yet, the idea seemed ludicrous. 'Automatic Host-Protection' was a function exclusive to Soul-Bound Artifacts! How could the Blood Demon Blade, which he hadn't even fully refined yet, possess such an ability?!
A torrent of unanswered questions flooded Lin Feng's mind, churning into a vortex of confusion and unease. He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. Then, decisively, he flipped his right hand over, summoning the Blood Demon Blade into his grasp.
The moment the dark, wicked blade touched his skin, an uncanny feeling, unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, surged through Lin Feng. His brow twitched. Instinctively, almost reflexively, he swept his Repair Technique over it…