103: Chapter 103 Being called "Grandpa" while receiving the award! My master let me choose for myself.

Early the next morning, sunlight filtered in through the gaps in the curtains.

Lin Feng opened his eyes, feeling full of spirit.

He sat up and stretched his muscles and bones.

Crack, pop—

His joints made a sound like popping beans.

"Comfortable..."

Lin Feng got out of bed, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains.

The sunlight spilled in, feeling warm and cozy.

He took a deep breath and glanced at his attribute panel.

[Name: Lin Feng]

[Rank: 43]

[spirit: 1740]

[Spell Attack: 8700]

[health points: 2.15 Million]

[mana: 2 Million]

[Source of Life: Recovers 2% per second, i.e., 43,000/sec]

[Light Element Affinity: 156%]

[Earth Element Affinity: 156%]

[Wood Element Affinity: 127%]

[Other Elements: Ranging from 90% to 97%]

Lin Feng looked at those stats and nodded in satisfaction.

Although they were quite a bit lower than his Peak state, this was his true level.

That state yesterday where all attributes were doubled was too abnormal; it couldn't be used frequently.

"I'll go to the Association today to collect the rewards."

After washing up, he changed into a set of clean clothes.

A white T-shirt and black casual pants—simple and clean.

Xiao Jin climbed onto his shoulder, holding half a Spirit Stone and nibbling on it with great relish.

"Crunch, crunch—"

"Let's go."

Lin Feng pushed the door open and went out.

...

Half an hour later.

Lin Feng stood at the entrance of the Explorer Association.

It was still that thirty-story black building, and still that massive stone sword sculpture.

But today, the atmosphere seemed a bit different?

The people entering and leaving the entrance all stopped when they saw him.

Their gazes focused on him in unison.

"Is that... Lin Feng?"

"Yes! It's him!"

"Holy crap! The one who blocked the Zhou Family's front gate alone yesterday?!"

"I heard he hacked the assassins sent by Zhou Tianhao into human stumps and carried them to the door!"

"He even fought with Zhou Tiannan! The Level 79 Zhou Tiannan!"

"He didn't die?! He's Level 43, and he fought a Level 79 and didn't die?!"

"More than just didn't die! I heard Zhou Tiannan even got serious, and in the end, he was still rescued by a mysterious person..."

"Too fierce..."

"I'll take the long way around if I see him in the future..."

Voices of discussion surged toward him like a tide.

Lin Feng remained expressionless as he stepped into the hall.

There were even more people in the hall.

The Explorers who were currently accepting missions were all stunned when they saw him.

They automatically cleared a path.

The staff members behind the front desk stood up immediately upon seeing him.

"Mr., Mr. Lin!"

Their voices were trembling.

Lin Feng nodded.

"I'm looking for Supervisor Zhao."

"O-okay! I'll take you there!"

The staff member eagerly led the way in front.

They crossed the hall, entered the elevator, and went up to the tenth floor.

They arrived at the door of Supervisor Zhao's office.

The staff member knocked on the door.

"Zhao Tianhai, Mr. Lin is here."

"Come in!"

Zhao Tianhai's voice came from inside, full of vigor.

The staff member pushed open the door and stepped aside to make way.

Lin Feng walked in.

Zhao Tianhai was sitting behind his desk, holding a document.

When he saw Lin Feng, he stood up abruptly.

His expression was absolutely wonderful.

"Lin Feng! You brat!"

He bypassed the desk and walked quickly to Lin Feng.

He sized him up from top to bottom, looking left and right.

Then, he slapped a hand on Lin Feng's shoulder.

"Holy shit! Fucking awesome!"

"Blocking the Zhou Family's gate alone! Fighting that old geezer Zhou Tiannan! And you actually came back alive!"

"You brat are now a celebrity in Donghai City!"

"I was browsing the news this morning, and eight out of ten articles were about you!"

Lin Feng's shoulder sank from the slap.

He waved his hand with a bitter smile.

"Supervisor Zhao, don't mention it."

"I almost got beaten to death; it's not something to be proud of."

Supervisor Zhao stared.

"What do you mean not proud?! A Level 43 fighting a Level 79 and lasting a minute without dying! This is a fucking legend!"

"Do you know what level Zhou Tiannan is? Level 79, S-Rank Talent, legendary grade Physique, and he's just one step away from touching the Law Domain!"

"In the entire Donghai City, there aren't more than twenty people who can last a minute under his hands!"

"For a Level 43 like you to come out alive is already Heaven-Defying!"

Lin Feng smiled bitterly.

"I lasted a minute and almost died, and in the end, I was still saved by someone."

"There's nothing to brag about."

Zhao Tianhai waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, stop being so modest."

"Come, come, sit down."

He pulled Lin Feng to sit on the sofa and personally poured a cup of tea.

"You're here to collect your rewards today, right?"

Lin Feng nodded.

"Yes, the rewards for the Orléans Instance mission haven't been collected yet."

Zhao Tianhai slapped his thigh.

"Right, right, right! I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it!"

He walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a metal box.

He walked back and placed it on the coffee table.

"Open it and take a look."

Lin Feng opened the box.

There were a few items lying inside.

The first item was a black card.

[Human Points Card: Balance 8,000,000]

[Bound Identity: Lin Feng (S-Rank Explorer)]

Eight million points.

Lin Feng nodded and put it away.

The second item was a silver badge.

On the badge, an 'S' was engraved, with a line of small text below it—Contribution points +100.

[S-Rank Contribution Points ×100]

[Effect: Can be exchanged for special items at the Association]

Lin Feng put that away as well.

The third item was a fist-sized crystal.

The crystal was purple throughout, and it seemed as if lightning was moving around inside.

[Talent Skill Stone (Purple)]

[Quality: Purple]

[Effect: After use, there is a chance to comprehend a random Talent skill]

[Description: Extremely rare, but the comprehended skill is random; it could be very good or very useless]

Lin Feng picked up that crystal and looked at it.

Purple? Lin Feng thought it would be something better! However, this item wasn't of much use to him!

Zhao Tianhai thought Lin Feng didn't quite understand, so he explained.

"Place this item against your forehead and communicate with it using your intent."

"There's a certain probability of comprehending a Talent skill."

"But... the randomness is too great."

"Some people use a purple skill stone and comprehend an S-Rank skill."

"There are also people who use a gold skill stone and only comprehend garbage."

"It all depends on fate."

Lin Feng nodded, feeling too embarrassed to say that he knew how to use it.

Then he put the crystal away.

"Then I'll try it later."

Zhao Tianhai looked at him, hesitating to speak.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Feng asked.

Zhao Tianhai hesitated for a moment but still spoke.

"Lin Feng, between you and the Zhou Family... what exactly is the grudge?"

Lin Feng was silent for a second.

Then, he briefly recounted the events.

The Blood Wolf Group's ambush, the City Management Officers closing the shop, Blood Butcher's ambush, the Baga Country assassins' sneak attack...

Incident by incident, piece by piece.

After Zhao Tianhai finished listening, his face turned livid.

"That bastard Zhou Tianhao! He's really not a fucking human!"

He slammed the table and stood up.

"Wait here, I'll file a report with the higher-ups right now! I'll report the Zhou Family under my real name!"

Lin Feng waved his hand.

"It's useless."

"Do I have evidence? No."

"Even if I did, with the Zhou Family's years of foundation, would the higher-ups be able to move against them?"

Zhao Tianhai fell silent.

He knew that what Lin Feng said was the truth.

The Zhou Family was not so easily moved.

"Then what do you plan to do?"

He asked.

Lin Feng smiled.

"What to do?"

"Business as usual."

"If they dare to come again, I'll just kill again."

"I'll kill until they don't dare to come anymore."

Zhao Tianhai looked at him with a complex gaze.

After a long while, he sighed.

"Alright, you be careful yourself."

"If there's anything, look for me anytime."

Lin Feng nodded.

"Thank you."

...

After leaving the Association, Lin Feng went to see his Master again.

He walked through that dilapidated old alley and arrived in front of the small building.

He pushed the door and went in.

Zhao Ritian was the same as usual, sitting in his wheelchair, holding a purple clay teapot and drinking tea.

When he saw Lin Feng come in, he looked up.

"You're here?"

"Yes."

Lin Feng walked over and sat down on the chair next to him.

Zhao Ritian glanced at him.

"I heard you went to the Zhou Family yesterday?"

Lin Feng was startled.

"You know about it?"

"Nonsense." Zhao Ritian snorted, "The whole of Donghai City knows; how could I not know?"

"Blocking the Zhou Family's gate alone, fighting with Zhou Tiannan, and finally being rescued by someone from Shadow..."

"You brat are more famous than me now."

Lin Feng smiled bitterly.

"Master, please stop teasing me."

"I almost got beaten to death; it's really not something to be proud of."

Zhao Ritian put down the teapot and looked at him.

"Tell me about it, what happened?"

Lin Feng recounted yesterday's events from beginning to end.

From coming out of the Dungeon, to bringing Inoue Nofuo to the door, to the confrontation, the fight, and the Shadow person making a move.

He told everything, exactly as it happened.

After Zhao Ritian finished listening, he was silent for a few seconds.

Then, he laughed.

"The people from Shadow sure move fast."

Lin Feng was startled.

"You also know about Shadow?"

"Of course." Zhao Ritian nodded, "A special department directly under the Federation, specifically handling things that can't see the light of day."

"The people inside are all freaks."

"However..." He looked toward Lin Feng, "Why were they looking for you?"

Lin Feng hesitated for a moment.

"They want to recruit me."

Zhao Ritian raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"The person who saved me yesterday is called Shadow Seven, the person in charge of the Shadow Donghai branch."

"She said that because I saved Cold Moon in the Secret Realm, Cold Moon went back and reported it, so the organization decided to recruit me."

Zhao Ritian nodded.

"Cold Moon... a seed candidate of Shadow."

"You saved her; you're indeed qualified to be recruited."

He looked at Lin Feng.

"What do you think?"

Lin Feng shook his head.

"I don't know."

"The Explorer Association gave me an S-Rank badge and the status of a deacon."

"Vice President Vice President Chen Jiuding said he wants to pull me into the Pioneers."

"You also hope I join the Pioneers."

"And now Shadow has come..."

He sighed.

"There are too many; I can't choose."

Zhao Ritian was silent for a few seconds.

Then, he slowly spoke.

"Lin Feng, you decide this matter for yourself."

Lin Feng was startled.

"Master, you're not going to give me advice?"

Zhao Ritian shook his head.

"I'm not."

"Why?"

"Because..." Zhao Ritian looked at him with a serious gaze, "This is your own path."

"Explorers, Pioneers, Shadow... the three paths each have their own benefits and their own risks."

"Which one you choose depends on what you want."

"If you want stability, stay in the Explorer Association."

"If you want adventure, go to the Pioneers."

"If you want power, join Shadow."

"Think it through for yourself."

Lin Feng fell silent.

He leaned against the back of the chair, looking at the ceiling.

What did he want?

He didn't know either.

He only knew that he wanted to become strong.

Strong enough to go to the Void Corridor and find the truth about his parents' disappearance.

Strong enough to make an existence like the Zhou Family not dare to touch him again.

Strong enough to protect the people he cared about.

But which path would allow him to become strong the fastest?

He didn't know.

Zhao Ritian looked at him and didn't speak either.

The room was quiet for a good while.

Finally, Lin Feng stood up.

"Master, let me think about it some more."

Zhao Ritian nodded.

"Alright, tell me once you've thought it through."

Lin Feng turned and walked to the door.

From behind him, Zhao Ritian's voice came.

"Lin Feng."

"Yes?"

"No matter which path you choose, remember—"

"You are my disciple."

"Don't lose face for me."

Lin Feng turned back and smiled.

"I know, Master."