191: Chapter 190 The East China Sea is in turmoil! Various forces are frantically gathering intelligence. Lin Feng: Who dares to touch my people?

The news of the Zhou Family's destruction was like a depth charge, exploding within the high society of Donghai City.

The first to react were those families who had business dealings with the Zhou Family.

They discovered that three equipment processing plants under the Zhou Family had suddenly halted production.

Five shops closed simultaneously for inventory.

The liquid capital in their bank accounts had been swept completely clean.

Immediately after, someone heard that Zhou Tiannan had been taken away by the Adjudication Division of the Ministry of State Security.

Zhou Tianhao had been secretly arrested by the military several days ago.

Not a single one of the Zhou Family's Guest Elders, who were over level sixty, managed to escape; all were hauled into the Ministry of State Security's interrogation rooms.

The manor was sealed, and their industries were frozen.

Even the old Zhou Family residence at the foot of West Mountain had sealing strips pasted on it.

Once the news spread, the major families of Donghai City were in an absolute uproar.

In the study of the Shen Family manor, the head of the Shen Family, Shen Wanjun, sat in a grand armchair, clutching a freshly delivered secret report, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

He was a man in his early sixties with graying hair, but his eyes remained sharp, currently staring intently at those few lines on the report.

The secret report was sent by someone the Shen Family had planted on the periphery of the Ministry of State Security, detailing the process of the Zhou Family's liquidation.

Lin Feng had stormed West Mountain alone, transforming into a Giant of Light at the Zhou Family's main gate and fighting Zhou Tiannan until the sky turned dark.

Zhou Tiannan had burned his Origin to unleash the Heaven-Burning Purple Flame, only for Lin Feng to withstand it head-on.

Finally, the Baga Country ninja Sato Ichiro succeeded in a sneak attack, but that drew out five experts from the Adjudication Division of the Ministry of State Security.

Evidence of the Zhou Family's treason and collusion with the enemy was confirmed on the spot; Zhou Tiannan was captured alive, and all Zhou Family assets were confiscated.

After Shen Wanjun finished reading the report, he remained silent for a long time.

Then he handed the report to his son, Shen Yutang, who was standing nearby, and said in a raspy voice, "You had a conflict with Lin Feng in the Secret Realm before. Later, when I told you to keep a low profile, you thought I was making a mountain out of a molehill. Now look—the century-old Foundation of the Zhou Family was uprooted by a level fifty youth. Zhou Tiannan was level seventy-nine with a legendary grade Physique, and even in a state of burning his Origin, he couldn't kill Lin Feng."

Shen Yutang took the report and read it, his face turning paler and paler.

He still remembered when he first met Lin Feng in the Secret Realm; Lin Feng was only in his thirties and had been suppressed by him.

Now, this man could actually kill a level seventy-nine legendary grade Physique opponent while enduring their Origin fire.

He put down the report, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Father, then what should we do? I have a history with him, will he..."

"Don't panic."

Shen Wanjun interrupted him.

"From what I can see, Lin Feng is not a man of indiscriminate slaughter. He destroyed the Zhou Family, not everyone who ever offended him. But you must visit him personally with gifts and a sincere attitude. Not to apologize—but to state our position. The sky over Donghai City has changed; if the Shen Family wants to continue standing here, we must stand with the new sky."

Meanwhile, in the tea room of the Su Family manor, Old Master Su was sitting on a futon brewing tea.

His hair was completely white, but he was in high spirits, his hands as steady as a young man's.

Sitting before him were several core members of the Su Family, including his granddaughter SuXiao Nuan—the young girl Lin Feng had saved in the Secret Realm.

Old Master Su set down the teapot and looked at those present, speaking slowly: "The Zhou Family is gone. Toppled by Lin Feng alone. What do you all think?"

The second son of the Su Family, Su Mingyuan, was the first to speak: "Father, that Lin kid's background isn't simple. To be able to mobilize the Adjudication Division of the Ministry of State Security is definitely not something an ordinary S-Rank Explorer can do."

Old Master Su shook his head: "His background is very simple—parents missing, his Master is Zhao Ritian, and his Master's friend is Vice President Chen Jiuding. Other than that, he has no Family power. But that is precisely the most terrifying thing about him. To reach this step today without any background, he relied entirely on his own fists."

Su Mingyuan frowned: "Then our Su Family..."

"SuXiao Nuan's life was saved by him in the Secret Realm before, and the Su Family has yet to repay this favor."

Old Master Su looked toward his granddaughter.

"Tomorrow, take a generous gift to his shop. Don't try to curry favor deliberately; just say the Su Family is thanking the Young Master Lin for his life-saving grace. Only give the items, make no requests, and do no deals—he will remember this favor in his heart."

SuXiao Nuan nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling: "Don't worry, Grandpa, I'll definitely deliver the gift!"

Other families, large and small, in Donghai City were doing similar things.

The Qian Family held an overnight Family meeting to discuss whether to give Lin Feng a fifty percent stake in two of their equipment shops.

The Li Family was even more direct—the head of the Family personally wrote a letter and had it delivered to the Fusion Workshop, stating that the Li Family never had dealings with the Zhou Family and that they owned a small Spirit Stone mine, which they were willing to supply to Lin Feng's shop long-term at thirty percent below market price.

The Zhao Family played the emotional card—they had a daughter who happened to be twenty, beautiful, and with decent Talent; the Family head half-jokingly said at the dinner table, "I wonder if Young Master Lin has a girlfriend."

For a time, the scouts from various families in Donghai City almost wore down the floor tiles at the entrance of the Fusion Workshop, disguised as customers, suppliers, or association staff—every identity imaginable.

But everyone was politely turned away by Pan Jingjing—"The boss isn't in, please leave a message if you have business."

While the various forces were frantically inquiring, Lin Feng was sitting on the living room floor of his home, with a small mountain of Materials piled in front of him.

The Materials he had seized from the Zhou Family warehouse were even more than expected—there were over a thousand purple-quality Spirit Stones alone, dozens of red-quality ones, and a pile of beast bones, Ores, and medicinal herbs he couldn't even name.

These Materials had been piled in the Zhou Family warehouse for years without being touched, and Lin Feng had hauled them all back in one go.

Combined with what he had accumulated in the Secret Realm and the spoils he had scavenged from Explorers of various countries, his current stockpile of Materials was enough for a medium-sized Family to use for several years.

Xiao Guang was lying on the coffee table, holding a tablet with its small hands, eyes fixed on the screen, following the standard Mandarin of the tablet to read aloud: "Spring—sleep—unaware—of—dawn, everywhere—hear—birds—singing..."

Its pronunciation was already much more standard than a few days ago; at least one could tell it was reciting ancient poetry rather than some strange incantation.

On the coffee table sat an open bag of potato chips and half a can of cola, with a straw he had shaved thin with a dagger inserted into the can's opening.

After Xiao Guang finished a poem, it put down the tablet, fished a chip out of the bag, crunched half of it, took a sip of cola through the straw, squinted its eyes in satisfaction, and then continued holding the tablet to recite the next poem.

Xiao Jin was lying beside him, its six golden legs clutching half a red Spirit Stone, munching away happily.

The energy of a red Spirit Stone was much denser than a blue one; after finishing a piece, it let out a satisfied low hum, the purple antennae on its head glowing slightly.

Lin Feng withdrew his gaze, held his hands over the pile of Materials with palms down, and activated his Talent.

A pale golden light surged from his palms, enveloping the pile of Materials—Spirit Stones, beast bones, Ores, and medicinal herbs all floated up and rotated in mid-air.

They melted, collided, and fused within the golden light; Impurities were expelled, essence was retained, and the liquids continuously shrank, compressed, and solidified while spinning.

A few minutes later, the first batch of equipment fell from the air, lining up neatly in front of him.

Ten purple-quality Shadow Bracers, with attributes even better than the previous batch—agility increased by over thirty, and they included a "Shadow Step" skill that allowed for brief stealth upon activation.

Then there were eight red-quality Blazing War Armors, with defense exceeding five hundred, strength increased by forty, fire resistance increased by fifty percent, and the skill "Flame Shield" included.

Next were six purple-quality Frost Longbows, with attack power exceeding six hundred, agility increased by thirty-five, ice damage increased by forty percent, and a chance to trigger a "Freeze" effect when attacking.

There were also five red-quality Thunderlight Daggers, with attack power exceeding eight hundred, agility increased by fifty, lightning damage increased by sixty percent, and the skill "Thunder Flash" included.

The accessories were also a bountiful harvest—three purple-quality Guardian Rings, which increased health points by ten thousand and automatically triggered a "Guardian Shield" when attacked, and two red-quality Spirit Wind Necklaces, which increased spirit by sixty and mana recovery speed by eighty percent.

Lin Feng sorted and stored these pieces of equipment, nodding in satisfaction.

This batch was another grade higher than the previous one; the red-quality equipment could already be put up for auction.

He gathered the remaining Materials to one side, his gaze falling on the Living Soil in the corner of the living room.

The Living Soil had been sitting there quietly since he brought it out of the Secret Realm, occasionally serving as a bed for Xiao Jin.

Today, a thought suddenly occurred to him—Living Soil was said to be able to nurture all things, and Spirit Stones were essentially nurtured from mineral veins.

If he buried Spirit Stone fragments in the Living Soil, what would happen?

He picked out a few blue Spirit Stone fragments, walked over to the Living Soil and squatted down, dug a few small holes in the soil with his hands, and buried the fragments inside.

The surface of the Living Soil quickly returned to being level, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Feng waited for a few minutes and saw no change; thinking he was overthinking it, he was about to stand up when a faint light suddenly lit up on the surface of the Living Soil.

The light was very faint, pale green, emanating from deep within the Living Soil like a night-luminescent pearl buried in the earth.

Then, a small bump rose on the surface of the Living Soil, slowly growing from one or two centimeters to three or four, the top splitting into a thin slit.

From the slit, a sprout emerged.

It wasn't a green sprout, but a pale blue one, translucent throughout, as if carved from blue crystal.

The sprout slowly unfurled, reflecting points of starlight in the morning light.

Lin Feng reached out to touch the sprout; the moment his fingertip made contact, a warm energy flowed through his finger into his body.

The energy content of a blue Spirit Stone fragment was now being absorbed as the Living Soil took root; in a few days, this sprout would grow into a new, complete Spirit Stone.

Lin Feng didn't make a fuss, but simply picked out a few more Spirit Stone fragments to bury.

He buried several each of purple, blue, and red, and even specifically placed a small golden Spirit Stone at the very bottom.

Then he patted the Living Soil and said softly, "Grow slowly, no rush."

Xiao Jin had jumped down from the sofa at some point and was lying at the edge of the Living Soil, its compound eyes staring at the various colored sprouts, its antennae standing straight up.

It extended a front leg to point at the sprouts, then looked back at Lin Feng, its meaning clearly being—"Can I eat this?"

Lin Feng said not yet, wait until they grow up.

Xiao Jin withdrew its front leg reluctantly but remained lying by the Living Soil, like a farmer waiting by his field for the crops to ripen.

After handling the equipment and the Living Soil, Lin Feng stood up, his consciousness sinking into his Sea of Consciousness.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, that Small Golden Tower floated quietly.

The tower had nine levels, each with runes slowly flowing around it.

Compared to before, the tower soul now had an indescribable charm—after devouring the taixu small golden furnace, its Alchemy function had been fully activated, and he was now prepared to refine a batch of key Medicinal Pills.

There were still many Taotie Materials left from the Secret Realm, which, combined with the supplementary Materials the state had sent earlier, could be used to refine a batch of urgently needed pills.

He tallied the Materials needed for refining the pills one by one—ten units of Taotie essence blood, several thousand-year-old medicinal herbs left by the Taixu Pill Room, and various Materials from the S-Rank supplementary material list provided by the state, sending them all into the tower soul through his consciousness.

The tower soul vibrated slightly, the runes on the first level began to light up, and golden light flowed down from the spire, enveloping the Materials.

The Materials began to rotate, fuse, and be purified within the tower; the entire process required not a shred of control from Lin Feng—the tower soul performed Alchemy automatically, with a hundred percent success rate and a five-tier quality improvement.

This process lasted for an entire afternoon.

When the last wisp of golden light retracted into the tower, the tower soul vibrated slightly, and several pills drifted down from the halo at the spire, hovering within Lin Feng's consciousness space.

He took them out to inspect them one by one.

Three taixu soul-returning pills—golden quality; after consumption, they can resurrect a creature that has been dead for no more than seven days and restore all health points and mana.

Counting his existing stock, the soul-returning pills he now held were enough to give a squad an extra life in a desperate situation.

Five Realm-Breaking Pills—red quality; after consumption, the level increases by one directly; effective below level eighty, limited to one per person.

If this item were put in an outside auction, one would fetch at least several million points, and even then, it would be a matter of price with no supply.

Ten Nine-Turn Origin-Nurturing Pills—red quality; after consumption, all attributes are permanently increased by eighty, Physique by forty, spirit by forty, and all elemental affinities by eight percent.

There were also two Seven-Colored Glazed Pills—golden quality; after consumption, all attributes are permanently increased by three hundred, health points limit by one million, mana limit by one million, all elemental affinities by fifteen percent, and the skill "Glazed Golden Body" is included.

Lin Feng looked at this pile of pills and was silent for a few seconds.

Then he sorted and stored the pills, placing them one by one into specially made crystal bottles and pasting handwritten labels on the outside to prevent taking the wrong one when needed.

Three days passed in a flash.

During these three days, Lin Feng hardly stepped out, except to make a hotpot for Xiao Jin and Xiao Guang—it was Xiao Guang's first time eating hotpot, and it was sweating profusely from the spice but couldn't stop its chopsticks, its small golden hands gripping chopsticks longer than itself to fish for tripe in the pot like it was performing acrobatics.

Xiao Jin, on the other hand, treated the hotpot base as some new type of Spirit Stone soup, attempting to scoop goji berries from the bottom with its front legs, resulting in it squeaking from the heat and jumping under the tap to rinse for a long time before recovering.

Other than that, all his time was spent among the piles of Materials and by the Alchemy furnace.

Fusing equipment, cultivating Living Soil, refining pills—one thing after another.

On the evening of the third day, Lin Feng finished organizing all the equipment, pills, and Materials.

Inside the wanxiang ring, everything was neatly categorized—the left side was the equipment zone, with over two hundred purple-quality items and over fifty red-quality items; the middle was the pill zone, with over ten types of pills each stored in crystal bottles with labels; the right side was the Materials zone, with the remaining Spirit Stones, beast bones, and Ores stored by quality and attribute.

He checked his attribute panel.

His Rank was still level forty-nine—he was deliberately holding back from reaching level fifty because the Realm-Breaking Pills were effective below level eighty, and taking one now would be too wasteful.

His spirit had already broken past twenty-five hundred points under the stacking of the origin-nurturing pills and Seven-Colored Glazed Pills.

He turned off the living room lights and pushed open the window.

The night breeze carried the scent of September osmanthus, and the orange cat in the alley was lying under a streetlamp, yawning.

Xiao Guang was packing its gear on the coffee table—the tablet went into its Storage Ring, and the cola cans and chip bags were also categorized and put away.

It was now proficient in using the Storage Ring's automatic categorization function; the hundred and twenty cubic meter space was organized systematically into a snack zone, beverage zone, equipment zone, and miscellaneous zone, with each area marked with small labels.

Xiao Jin crawled up from beside the Living Soil, shook off the soil particles clinging to its body, moved its six legs alternately, and then crawled to Lin Feng's feet, making its way up his right shoulder.

It patted its slightly bulging belly with its front legs, its antennae swaying proudly.

During these three days, it had guarded those Spirit Stone sprouts by the Living Soil, eating one mature Spirit Stone a day, which improved its quality faster than simply absorbing Spiritual Qi.

Lin Feng picked up his backpack containing a few changes of clothes, hung the dragon slaying sword at his waist, and slung the Taixu Sword Casket over his back.

Xiao Guang jumped from his shoulder into his jacket pocket, its two hands gripping the edge of the pocket as it peeked out with half its head.

He pushed open the door, hailed a taxi at the alley entrance, and headed toward the small building where his Master lived.