71: Switch to practicing Ming Wang Purgatory Gong

He took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions. At this moment, being separated by vast oceans and barely able to protect himself, further thoughts were useless. The most urgent task was to quickly recover his strength and find a way to enhance his ability to protect himself.

Leaving Tingtao Pavilion, Lin Feng headed straight for the market's management office.

The Haishe Market was built against a mountain, and areas with decent Spiritual Qi were all developed into Immortal Caves for rent.

Lin Feng spent three hundred Spirit Stones to rent a medium-grade Immortal Cave for a year, located halfway up the mountain, relatively secluded, and equipped with a simple protective Restriction.

The Immortal Cave's furnishings were simple: a stone bed, a stone table, and a futon.

After setting up a few small alert and soundproofing Restrictions he had refined himself, Lin Feng immediately sat cross-legged, took out Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills, and began to fully circulate the Overturning Sea Sword Art and the Rock Body Tempering Art to restore his depleted True Essence and physical strength, and to heal his hidden injuries.

Dense Spiritual Qi flowed in threads into his dry Meridians, and fatigue receded like a tide.

...

Three days later, Lin Feng's essence, Qi, and spirit were fully restored, and his cultivation had even subtly advanced a bit due to the continuous life-and-death struggles. He walked out of the Immortal Cave, heading directly for the largest and most reputable Artifact Refining shop in the market—the Hundred Refinements Pavilion.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you need to refine?" The person who greeted him was a robust old man with a ruddy complexion, a fiery aura, and a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation. He introduced himself as Zhao and was one of the Great Masters in charge of the furnace at this pavilion.

"Great Master Zhao, I wish to customize a Flying Boat," Lin Feng said concisely, taking out a Jade Slip and handing it over. "All requirements are recorded within. Speed, defense, and concealment are priorities. As for Materials, I have some of my own. Any 부족 can be purchased from your pavilion or found on my behalf by your pavilion; the price is negotiable."

Great Master Zhao took the Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Sense into it. A moment later, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "A Low Grade third-tier Flying Boat? Fellow Daoist's requirements are not low. The speed needs to be comparable to a Purple Mansion Early Stage escape light, the defense must be able to withstand a full-strength attack from a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator, and the concealment Formation needs to incorporate 'Sea Mirage Cloud Qi'...

These main Materials—'Deep Sea Sinking Ironwood,' 'completeDragon Skin shed by a Black Flood Dragon,' and 'Void Gazer Stone'—are all extremely rare... Oh? Fellow Daoist actually brought your own Sinking Ironwood core and a small piece of Void Gazer Stone? And these scraps of 'Wind Breath Shark Silk'... Good! With these main Materials, this old man has a seventy percent chance of success!"

He calculated carefully for a moment and then quoted a price that made Lin Feng's heart ache slightly: "The labor cost, plus the Materials that need to be supplemented, such as 'Profound Yin Heavy Water,' 'Star Pattern Steel,' 'Misty Sea Mirage Beast Inner Core Powder,' and the cost of hiring a Formation Master to engrave the Formation patterns... The total is eight thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Three tenths as a deposit, and pick up in half a year."

Lin Feng did not bargain and promptly paid the deposit.

Although eight thousand Spirit Stones was a huge sum, a life-saving third-tier Flying Boat was worth the price! He then purchased several pieces of high-quality "Fire Pattern Gold Essence" at the Hundred Refinements Pavilion, intending to use them to nourish and upgrade his Qingfeng Thorn in the future.

Leaving the Hundred Refinements Pavilion, Lin Feng then moved through the various shops in the market.

At "Myriad Herb Hall," he acquired ten stalks of the local specialty, "Blood Pattern Coral" of good age, and three "Hundred-Year Tide Sound Snail Pearls," spending two thousand Spirit Stones.

At "Curio Abode," he bought a small bottle of "Deep Sea Cold Marrow," extremely cold water that could be used to temper Flying Swords or Cultivate certain cold-attribute Divine Abilities, two sea charts recording relatively safe routes and dangerous areas in the nearby sea, as well as several unique local Spiritual Plant juices and Yao Beast blood inks used for refining high-grade Talismans, which cost him another fifteen hundred Spirit Stones.

Finally, at "Rock Solid Pavilion," a shop specializing in Body Refining resources, Lin Feng gritted his teeth and bought three drops of "Ink Armored Profound Turtle Essence Blood," which contained earth and water dual-attribute essence and had miraculous effects on Body Refining, costing him a full five thousand Spirit Stones! This was almost half of his liquid Spirit Stones.

After this round of purchases, Lin Feng's wallet quickly emptied, but his Storage Pouch became much fuller.

He no longer delayed and quickly returned to his Immortal Cave.

The Immortal Cave's stone door closed with a boom, and the Restrictions were fully activated.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the stone bed, not immediately Cultivating the Overturning Sea Sword Art—the core Spiritual Objects required for refining the "Overturning Sea Sword Embryo," such as "One Yuan Heavy Water" and "Profound Yin True Water," were still nowhere to be found, so rushing was useless. He took out another dark gold Jade Slip he had obtained from the rogue Cultivator's Storage Pouch, which he had not deeply studied before—the Ming Wang Purgatory Skill!

This Art was an extremely domineering and fierce Body Refining method. According to the opening description, it required drawing in Earth Fire Evil Qi, the power of lightning, and even extraterrestrial demonic Evil Qi to temper one's body, as if being in purgatory. A slight mistake could lead to being backlashed by the Evil Qi, burning the body and destroying the soul, hence the name "Purgatory."

However, once successful, the tendons, bones, and skin would be as tough as Vajra, the blood and Qi would surge like molten lava, capable of pulling up mountains, and one could even condense "Bright King True Fire" to incinerate all evil!

"Purgatory... just as I wished!"

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. Chaos was approaching, and only power was fundamental! The Foundation Establishment chapter of the Rock Body Tempering Art was nearing Perfection, and its progress was slow. Although the Ming Wang Purgatory Skill was dangerous, it was a shortcut to a stronger Physical Body!

He calmed his mind and began to comprehend the profound and obscure Art in the Jade Slip. Inside the Immortal Cave, time quietly flowed by.

A year passed like a fleeting white steed.

Deep within the Immortal Cave, Lin Feng sat cross-legged. His skin was no longer bronze-colored but presented a restrained dark golden luster, like divine metal tempered through a thousand refinements. Beneath his skin, his blood and Qi flowed with a dull roar like thunder drums, and faint reddish-gold tiny electric snakes could be seen moving and leaping within his muscle lines.

The temperature of the entire Immortal Cave had risen significantly due to the scorching aura emanating from his body, and the air was filled with a strange smell of sulfur mixed with hot iron.

The first layer of the Ming Wang Purgatory Skill—Vajra Skin—was complete!

Boom!

Lin Feng suddenly opened his eyes, and two solid, condensed golden-red lights shot out from his pupils, striking the Immortal Cave's stone wall and leaving two shallow, charred marks!

A powerful blood and Qi pressure, far exceeding the Foundation Establishment Realm and subtly touching the threshold of the Purple Mansion, spread out like a waking Vicious Beast!

If not for the Immortal Cave's Restrictions, it would surely have alarmed the surroundings!

He slowly withdrew his cultivation, the unusual phenomena on his body receded, and his aura returned to a calm state. Feeling the surging and boundless blood and Qi within his body, as well as the solid sensation from his tendons, bones, and skin, Lin Feng nodded with satisfaction.

This year of purgatorial torment was worth it!

With just this Physical Body, he was confident he no longer feared ordinary Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators!

He stood up and stretched his limbs, his joints crackling like popping beans. Lin Feng walked to the Immortal Cave entrance, preparing to remove the Restrictions and exit.

Just then, a light blue sound transmission Talisman, ignoring the Immortal Cave's Restrictions, penetrated the light curtain like a swimming fish and hovered before him, trembling slightly.