56: Chapter 56: Past Events of the Sect! The Shocking Secrets of an SSS-Level Talent Revealed!

Lin Feng followed Zhao Ritian, passing through the bustling streets and turning into a quiet old alley.

The buildings on both sides of the alley were in an old style from decades ago, with peeling walls and wires as messy as spider webs.

The air was filled with a damp, musty smell, as well as the scent of traditional Chinese medicine drifting out from the elderly's homes.

Zhao Ritian pushed his wheelchair and stopped in front of a three-story small building.

The cement of the small building's exterior walls had already cracked, and several pieces of glass on the windows were broken and nailed with wooden boards.

Junk was piled up at the door, and several half-dead plants had drooping leaves.

"We're here."

Zhao Ritian took out a key and opened the rusty iron door.

Creak—

The door hinge made a harsh grinding sound.

Lin Feng followed him inside.

It was very dark inside, with light filtering through the broken windows, barely allowing one to see the outlines.

The first floor was a living room, furnished with a few pieces of old furniture—a wooden table with peeling paint, several bamboo chairs, and a cabinet with an old-fashioned radio on it.

Several yellowed photos hung on the wall, but they were too far away to see clearly.

A thin layer of dust had accumulated on the floor, obviously not cleaned for a long time.

"Have a seat."

Zhao Ritian pushed his wheelchair to the table and pointed to a bamboo chair.

Lin Feng pulled over a chair and sat down, looking around curiously.

This place... was too dilapidated.

With Zhao Ritian's strength, he could live in a luxury villa just by getting some money, right?

Why live in a place like this?

"Do you think this place doesn't match my status?"

Zhao Ritian asked indifferently, as if he had seen through Lin Feng's thoughts.

"No... no." Lin Feng hurriedly shook his head.

"No need to deny it." Zhao Ritian smiled slightly, his smile carrying a hint of the vicissitudes of life, "This is where I grew up."

He reached out and touched the wooden table with peeling paint, his movements very light, as if stroking something precious.

"Before Earth was digitized, I was born here and grew up here."

"Later, after digitization, I awakened my Talent and Physique, becoming stronger step by step."

"I married a wife, had a son, the son married a daughter-in-Law, and they had a grandson..."

Zhao Ritian's voice lowered, and his eyes became distant.

"At that time, it had been over ten years since digitization, and our whole family had become Explorers, and our strength was not weak."

"My son and daughter-in-Law had both reached Rank 100, and my grandson was almost Rank 100 too."

"We discussed going to explore the Void Realm together—at that time, humans had just discovered the Void Barrier and all wanted to see the world outside."

Lin Feng listened quietly, having an ominous premonition in his heart.

"We prepared for a long time, bought the best equipment, brought enough supplies, and found a few trustworthy friends to go with us."

"Then, we set off."

Zhao Ritian paused, his voice beginning to tremble.

"We passed through the void fissure, climbed the Void Barrier, and saw... sights we had never seen before."

"The starry sky was right overhead, so close that it felt like we could touch it if we reached out."

"In the distance, there were glowing galaxies, rotating nebulae, and... spaceships of other races."

Lin Feng held his breath.

"We were so excited then, thinking this was the future of humanity."

"But soon, the nightmare came."

Zhao Ritian gripped the armrests of his wheelchair, his knuckles turning white.

"A fleet of a race we had never seen before discovered us."

"They looked like... bugs, but they could talk, use technology, and use strange magic."

"They asked us which civilization we were from, and we said we were from Earth."

"They laughed after hearing that, saying Earth was a 'testing ground', a 'breeding pond', and the creatures inside were all 'test subjects'..."

Lin Feng's heart tightened.

Testing ground?

Breeding pond?

This saying... he seemed to have heard it somewhere?

"We didn't understand at the time and even wanted to communicate with them."

"But the next second... they opened fire."

Zhao Ritian closed his eyes, the muscles on his face twitching.

"That wasn't a battle at all; it was a massacre."

"Our shields were torn apart like paper, and our equipment was smashed like toys."

"To cover our retreat, my son was... vaporized by a beam of light."

"My daughter-in-Law tried to run while holding my grandson, but was... crushed by a giant claw."

"Those friends fell one by one..."

His voice grew lower and lower, almost inaudible at the end.

Lin Feng felt his throat go dry, not knowing what to say.

He hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary old man would have such a past.

"In the end, I was the only one left."

Zhao Ritian opened his eyes, and there were no tears in them, only a dead silence.

"I fought with my life to escape back to Earth, but my body was already ruined."

"My legs were broken, my internal organs were damaged, and my strength plummeted."

"And... my heart died."

He looked up at the photos on the wall.

Lin Feng followed his gaze.

It was a family portrait.

A young Zhao Ritian was holding a chubby little boy, with his gentle wife standing beside him, and his son and daughter-in-Law standing behind them, all with bright smiles.

The photo had already yellowed, but that happiness seemed to penetrate through time.

"I'm sorry, Master..." Lin Feng said softly.

"No need to apologize." Zhao Ritian shook his head, "It's been thirty years."

"I'm telling you this not because I want your sympathy."

He turned to look at Lin Feng, his gaze becoming sharp again.

"It's to tell you that this world... is much more cruel than you think."

"Beyond the Void Realm, there are countless races; some are friendly, some are neutral, but more... treat us as prey, as test subjects."

"The peace you see now is just an illusion."

"One day, you will face those things."

Lin Feng nodded heavily: "I understand."

He thought of his parents.

If his parents really went missing in a Dungeon... could they have encountered something similar?

"I've heard about your parents' matter."

Zhao Ritian suddenly said.

Lin Feng looked up abruptly: "You know?"

"I know a little." Zhao Ritian pondered, "Lin Zhan and Su Wan entered a Dungeon six years ago and never came out again."

"That Dungeon... was very special."

"How was it special?"

"It didn't connect to an ordinary alternate world, but rather... a Void Interlayer."

Zhao Ritian said slowly, "That is an unstable space between reality and the Void Realm, where void creatures often wander in by mistake, and other races also sneak into Earth through there."

"The mission your parents received was to investigate the recent energy anomalies there."

"Then, they went missing."

Lin Feng clenched his fists.

Void Interlayer... void creatures... other races...

His parents' disappearance was indeed not that simple!

"Master, is that Dungeon... still open now?"

"It's open, but it has been sealed by the Explorer Association and designated as a Forbidden Ground."

Zhao Ritian looked at Lin Feng, "Do you want to go in?"

"I do." Lin Feng didn't hesitate, "I want to know what exactly happened to my parents."

"Even if you might die?"

"Even if I might die."

Zhao Ritian looked at him for a few seconds and suddenly laughed.

"Good, you have backbone."

"But you are too weak now; going in would just be seeking death."

"When you reach Rank 50 one day, I will personally take you there."

Lin Feng's eyes lit up: "Really?!"

"I, Zhao Ritian, never lie." The old man said indifferently, "But the prerequisite is... you have to live until Rank 50."

"I definitely will!" Lin Feng nodded vigorously.

Zhao Ritian smiled and returned to his lazy appearance.

"Alright, the past is finished; let's talk about business."

He looked Lin Feng up and down, "You kid, we really have some fate."

"Both have the Glorious Corona Physique, both have no family, and both are... poor wretches with no background or backing."

"That's why I'm willing to take you as my disciple."

Lin Feng felt a warmth in his heart.

So Master felt they were kindred spirits.

"Thank you, Master."

"Don't be so quick to thank me." Zhao Ritian waved his hand, "I have to tell you first, it's very difficult for the Glorious Corona Physique to evolve to the Legendary Rank..."

"How difficult?"

"So difficult that... under normal circumstances, it's almost impossible."

Lin Feng's heart sank.

"However." Zhao Ritian changed the subject, "I succeeded."

"You succeeded?!" Lin Feng's eyes lit up again.

"Yes." Zhao Ritian pointed to himself, "I don't have the Glorious Corona Physique now, but rather... the Solar Saint Body."

"Legendary Rank?"

"Legendary Rank."

Lin Feng swallowed hard: "How did you do it?"

Zhao Ritian was silent for a few seconds and said slowly: "Because of my Talent."

"Your Talent is..."

"SSS-Rank."

Zhao Ritian spoke those three letters calmly.

But in Lin Feng's ears, they sounded like a thunderclap!

SSS-Rank?!

An SSS-Rank Talent, of which there were only a few in all of humanity?!

"No, to be accurate, it's not SSS-Rank."

Zhao Ritian added: "My Talent has already exceeded the Rank limit, reaching... the Law level."

"Law level?!" Lin Feng was dumbfounded.

"Yes." Zhao Ritian nodded, "My Talent is called [Solar Eclipse], which can briefly manipulate the Laws of light and darkness, and even... affect time."

"It was by relying on this Talent that I forcibly upgraded the Glorious Corona Physique to the Solar Saint Body."

Lin Feng felt a surge of excitement.

Manipulating the Laws of light and darkness? Affecting time?

How strong would that be?!

But soon, he became dejected again.

"Master, your Talent is so strong that you could advance..."

"Then is there no hope for me?"

He lowered his head, "My Talent is only F-Rank, a skill type, not much help for combat..."

"Who said there's no hope for you?"

Zhao Ritian interrupted him.

Lin Feng looked up, stunned.

"What's wrong with an F-Rank Talent? When I awakened back then, my Talent was only A-Rank."

Zhao Ritian said indifferently: "Talents can evolve."

"Evo... evolve?"

"Yes." Zhao Ritian nodded, "As strength increases, the potential of the Talent will gradually be developed, and the Rank will slowly increase."

"It took me ten years to go from A-Rank to SSS-Rank."

"You've only been awakened for a few days; what's the rush?"

Hope was rekindled in Lin Feng's heart.

"Then... what about the Physique advancement? Can it evolve without a super Talent?"

"It can." Zhao Ritian affirmed, "In these thirty years, I haven't just been waiting to die."

"I've also researched a set of... methods to advance the Physique without a super Talent."

Lin Feng's breathing quickened: "What method?"

"Essence Blood Tempering."

Zhao Ritian said slowly: "Collect the essence blood of powerful creatures and use a special method to temper the body, changing the Physique's Origin step by step."

"Although it's slow and consumes many resources, as long as you persist... you will succeed one day."

Lin Feng's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Essence Blood Tempering!

He had the Fusion Talent and could fuse high-quality essence blood!

Resources? What he lacked least was resources!

"Master, what Rank of essence blood is needed?"

"At least A-Rank, preferably S-Rank." Zhao Ritian said, "The higher the quality, the better the effect and the faster the advancement."

"If you could have SS-Rank or even SSS-Rank essence blood... there's hope to advance to the Legendary Rank within ten years."

Ten years!

Lin Feng clenched his fists.

Ten years, he could afford to wait!

"Master, I..."

"Don't be happy too soon."

Zhao Ritian poured cold water on him, "Essence Blood Tempering is very painful; every time you have to go through the torture of shedding your skin and changing your bones."

"And it needs to be coordinated with a special Cultivation Technique; one mistake will lead to a Bloodline conflict and you'll explode and die."

"Are you sure you want to try?"

"I'm sure!" Lin Feng didn't hesitate.

As long as he could become stronger, he would endure even more pain!

"Good." Zhao Ritian nodded with satisfaction, "Now, let me see your family assets."

"Huh?"

"What 'huh'? Take out the good things you brought out from the Secret Realm, and I'll help you see how to use them."

Lin Feng suddenly realized.

He hurriedly took out two things from the wanxiang ring.

A specially made crystal bottle containing a drop of dark gold blood—S-Rank Ancient Earth Blood.

A dark gold egg with starlight spots on its surface—S-Rank pet egg.

As soon as the two things were taken out, the atmosphere in the whole room changed.

The Ancient Earth Blood emitted a heavy pressure that seemed capable of crushing space.

The pet egg emitted a weak but extremely pure life fluctuation.

"This is..."

Zhao Ritian's eyes lit up, and he pushed his wheelchair closer.

He first picked up the crystal bottle and observed it carefully against the light.

"My goodness, S-Rank essence blood, and it's of the Earth attribute..."

"This purity, this energy fluctuation... it must have fused at least a hundred kinds of biological essences, right?"

Lin Feng was full of admiration: "Master, you're really amazing; you saw it at a glance."

"Stop sucking up." Zhao Ritian scolded with a smile, put down the crystal bottle, and picked up the pet egg.

He touched the eggshell with his hand and closed his eyes to sense it for a moment.

"S-Rank pet egg, unknown species, but its life essence is extremely high..."

"However... it seems to be missing something."

Lin Feng's heart tightened: "What's missing?"

"Life Qi." Zhao Ritian opened his eyes, "The little guy in this egg seems to have been sealed for a long time, and its life Origin is severely depleted."

"It needs a large amount of life force infusion to hatch."

"Otherwise, even if it hatches, it will be born with Innate deficiencies, and its growth potential will be greatly compromised."

Lin Feng became anxious: "Then what should I do?"

"Don't worry." Zhao Ritian put down the egg, "Handle the essence blood first."

"This drop of essence blood can not only help you temper your body but also make your Earth Element Affinity... go a step further."

"A step further?" Lin Feng was stunned, "I'm already at 94%; can it still be improved?"

"Of course." Zhao Ritian said indifferently, "95% is a hurdle; once you pass this hurdle, the Earth Element Affinity will undergo a qualitative change."

"At that time, your control of the Earth Element will not just be 'manipulation', but... 'mastery'."

"A difference of one word, yet worlds apart."

Lin Feng's heart rate accelerated.

Mastery over sand?

Wouldn't that be like in the Desert Golden Sea, doing whatever one wants?

"Then... should I try it now?"

"You can." Zhao Ritian nodded, "I will be your Protector."

He pushed his wheelchair back a few meters and formed a strange hand Seal in front of his chest.

Buzz—

A pale gold light shield rose from the ground, enveloping the entire room.

Complex runes flowed on the surface of the light shield, emitting powerful energy fluctuations.

[Light Barrier (Legendary Rank)]

[Effect: Isolates the inside from the outside, defends against all attacks, and internal energy fluctuations will not leak out]

[Description: A barrier casually set up by Zhao Ritian, sufficient to withstand attacks below the Divine-Grade]

Lin Feng was dumbfounded.

Setting up a Legendary Rank barrier so casually?

Just how strong was Master?!

"Don't daze off, let's begin."

Zhao Ritian urged, "First swallow the essence blood and circulate it using the method I taught you."

He took out a thin booklet from his robe and threw it to Lin Feng.

[Solar Saint Body Tempering Method (Introductory Chapter)]

[Quality: Gold]

[Effect: Guides those with the Glorious Corona Physique to temper their bodies and improve their Physique's Origin]

[Learning Requirements: Glorious Corona Physique, Light Element Affinity above 90%]

Lin Feng took the booklet and flipped through it quickly.

It recorded a complex energy circulation route, as well as various precautions.

With his current Mental Energy, he remembered it after one reading.

"Are you ready?" Zhao Ritian asked.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

"I'm ready."

He pulled out the stopper of the crystal bottle.

Immediately, a terrifying energy fluctuation erupted!

The dark gold blood churned inside the bottle, as if it were alive and trying to rush out.

Lin Feng tilted his head back and poured that drop of essence blood into his mouth.

Boom—!!!