29: Return to the Market

Boom—!

Like a celestial river pouring down, two torrents of energy, vastly different in nature yet equally vast and pure, surged into Lin Feng's parched Meridians and Dantian!

"Ugh ah!" Lin Feng let out a roar mixed with pain and exhilaration, his body trembling violently! This energy was too immense, far exceeding the tolerance limit of his Qi Refining Seventh Stage Meridians! The intense bloating pain felt as if it would burst his Physical Body! Especially the energy feedback from that Foundation Establishment Yao Beast, its quality and total volume were like a tsunami!

He quickly endured the heart-wrenching pain, frantically circulating the Qi Refining Art and the Pan Yuan Method!

His Dantian Qi Sea was like a long-parched desert encountering sweet rain, greedily devouring this pure energy, rapidly filling, expanding, and becoming even more condensed!

The Rock Body Tempering Art also operated spontaneously, that immense life essence integrating into his limbs and bones, like an invisible Divine Craftsman's hammer, furiously pounding his tendons, bones, and skin, repairing the hidden injuries brought by forcefully activating Divine Power and direct combat, while simultaneously pushing his Body Refining Realm towards a higher level!

Amidst the intense pain, there was the extreme pleasure of his cultivation and Physical Body rapidly improving at a visible speed!

After an unknown period, when the last trace of energy was completely refined and absorbed, Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes. He was still kneeling in the seawater, soaked, his face as pale as paper, with blood still on the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were astonishingly bright, like stars in the cold night!

He clearly felt:

His Dantian Qi Sea had expanded by nearly 30% compared to before, his spiritual power was profound and pure, already approaching the Qi Refining Seventh Stage Middle Stage! His Body Refining Realm had also advanced, his Physical Body strength was greater, and his recovery speed was faster!

More importantly, the total volume and purity of the energy feedback from that Foundation Establishment Yao Beast were enough to equal a year of his usual arduous cultivation!

"A year of arduous cultivation... just one Foundation Establishment Yao Beast..." Lin Feng looked at the two halves of the turtle carcass and the poison lizard carcass floating on the sea surface, then felt the surging power within his body. A nearly insane thought uncontrollably surged into his mind: "With my Four Spiritual Roots, it would probably take thirty years to go from Qi Refining Seventh Stage to Qi Refining Perfection. If I could attract a Foundation Establishment Yao Beast every day... combined with the Demon Slayer Divine Ability... why would it take so long? I might be able to break through to the Qi Refining Peak within a month!"

This thought was like a curse, carrying a fatal temptation.

But Lin Feng quickly calmed down.

The risk was too great!

If not for the Formation and Talisman buying him a sliver of opportunity today, if not for the Crimson Flame Poison Lizard's tragic cry attracting the Mystic Ice Heavy Armor Turtle's attention for a thousandth of a second, he would definitely be dead! Divine Power only recovers a little each day, so the fault tolerance rate was almost zero!

He struggled to stand up, walking unsteadily towards the two Yao Beast corpses. The harvest was huge, but the cost was also extremely heavy.

He had to process the scene, recover from his injuries, and digest what he had gained as quickly as possible.

The harvest from the battle on Black Reef Island far exceeded Lin Feng's imagination.

The Mystic Ice Heavy Armor Turtle's dark blue heavy turtle shell, its flesh containing pure ice spiritual power, and especially that Foundation Establishment Yao Core the size of a Dragon's eye, emitting immense Yao Power and icy aura, were of inestimable value!

The Crimson Flame Poison Lizard's poison sac, horn, and scales were all High Grade Materials. Coupled with the massive amount of Yao Beast Materials accumulated previously, his stone house warehouse was once again overflowing.

"I must process most of it and exchange it for urgently needed items." Lin Feng looked at the mountain of Materials, his gaze calm. He carefully put away that Foundation Establishment Yao Core, which was one of the main Materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill, priceless, and even a crucial reserve for himself or his Family to break through to Foundation Establishment in the future. He then sorted the remaining Materials and packed them into several large Storage Pouches.

Soon after, the Family's "Azurewave" set sail again for Huangsha Market, to deliver tribute and procure supplies.

Lin Feng traveled with the ship, his aura still suppressed at the Qi Refining Seventh Stage Initial Stage. Dressed in a Flowing Cloud Dharma Robe, with a fenshui sword hanging from his waist, he discreetly blended into the crowd.

Only occasionally, when his gaze swept across the turbulent sea, a subtle depth and vigilance appeared in the depths of his eyes.

Stepping into Huangsha Market again, the atmosphere was completely different from two years ago! The entire giant city seemed to have come alive, adorned with lanterns and streamers, and the Spiritual Qi was even more abundant.

The streets were bustling, various escape lights were as dense as rain, and powerful auras were everywhere.

Qi Refining Late Stage Cultivators were as numerous as cattle, Foundation Establishment experts were no longer rare, and occasionally one could even feel several terrifying pressures as obscure as an abyss, making one's Soul tremble—those were the auras of Purple Mansion mighty figures!

The once-a-decade "Vast Sea Auction" was about to begin! This was a grand event for the West Flow Sea Region and even several surrounding sea domains, attracting countless Cultivators, Families, and Sects. Opportunity and risk coexisted, and the air was filled with excitement, greed, and tension.

Huangsha Market was bustling, but upon stepping over the thick threshold of "Juzhen Pavilion," crafted from deep-sea sunken wood and covered with Talismans, most of the noise was instantly cut off, replaced by a tranquility that settled with years and wealth.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood mixed with Spiritual Plant, which calmed the mind.

Lin Feng, wearing the dull, featureless middle-aged face created by the thousand illusions mask, his eyes deliberately restrained like an ancient well, walked steadily towards the familiar appraisal room in the depths, specifically for large transactions.

The door silently slid open, revealing the same elegantly furnished, Spiritual Qi-filled quiet room.

Only this time, waiting behind the Zitan wood appraisal desk was none other than the Foundation Establishment Stage appraiser from two years ago, the white-haired Elder Jin, whose eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

Elder Jin raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Lin Feng, then subtly narrowing, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

He put down a warm spiritual jade he was toying with, his voice calm yet penetrating: "Fellow Daoist, two years have passed, and you are well. Observing your solidified aura and the subtle power in your steps, it seems this trip to sea has been quite fruitful."

Lin Feng's heart tightened. 'As expected, I couldn't hide it from such an old Jianghu! The thousand illusions mask can conceal my appearance and aura, but this Elder Jin clearly remembered some unique 'marks' in my Divine Soul, or perhaps some habits I unconsciously revealed when processing Materials.' His face remained impassive, only a slight nod, responding in a deliberately altered hoarse voice: "Elder Jin's Dharma Eye is like a torch, just a bit of luck."

He stopped exchanging pleasantries and directly flicked his Storage Pouch at his waist.

"Whoosh—bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several bulging, almost bursting large Storage Pouches were unceremoniously piled by Lin Feng onto the specially made appraisal desk, which could block Divine Sense probes, emitting dull thudding sounds.

This crude action formed a subtle conflict with the Loose Cultivator image he deliberately maintained.

A glint flashed in Elder Jin's eyes, and his smile deepened a few points, with a hint of playfulness: "Heh heh, Fellow Daoist's 'bit of luck' is quite heavy. Let this old man have a look."

His withered fingers formed a spell, and the appraisal desk glowed, forming an invisible barrier.

Lin Feng said no more, his Divine Thought moved, and the mouth of the Storage Pouch opened.

A shocking display: a Yao Beast treasure trove.

In an instant, the quiet room seemed to be filled with a small Yao Beast mountain!