There is a magic crystal in my body?

There were no more leader rats on the battlefield; the rat swarm panicked and collapsed, scattering in all directions.

"Victory!"

"This is a great victory."

"Zhen Jin, Zhen Jin!" Huang Zao and Lan Zao led the cheers, and everyone raised their arms in celebration.

"This is a Temple Knight..." Cang Xu sighed, then grew curious. "But what exactly happened just now? His entire arm swelled up. Was that some kind of Secret Skill? Could it be that he can actually use Battle Qi? Did he use some method to temporarily break through the suppression of the island environment? What was the cost? And what level of Battle Qi does he have? Golden Battle Qi?"

Although Zhen Jin had clearly told Cang Xu that he couldn't use Battle Qi, at that time, Zhen Jin had just taken charge of the Exploration Team. Cang Xu believed that Zhen Jin didn't trust the others then, so it was very possible that Zhen Jin had hidden his true strength when he was asked.

Zi Di remained silent, her gaze filled with adoration and affection fixed on Zhen Jin.

Everyone knew that if the Iron-level leader rats had charged into the crowd, there would have been heavy casualties. But Zhen Jin, relying solely on his own strength, had saved everyone.

Undoubtedly, he was a hero!

From beginning to end, he had also controlled the flow of the battle.

He was a qualified leader!

The Exploration Team members were all happy and proud to be led by Zhen Jin.

Zhen Jin frowned slightly.

The strange sensation had disappeared, just like last time.

That mysterious, invisible power had also completely vanished, and the young man's arms returned to normal.

At the same time, a strong sense of emptiness enveloped his entire body.

Fatigue washed over him like a continuous tide.

Zhen Jin kept his expression unchanged, trying his best to hide the emptiness and fatigue, while also feeling a bit fortunate. This time, the abnormality in his arms was hidden beneath his armor and clothes and hadn't been revealed. Otherwise, he would have had to explain it to others.

The feeling of fortune quickly dissipated, replaced by an increasingly strong sense of confusion.

It seems the source of my abnormality is that blood-red sphere in my heart.

What exactly is it?

Why does it feel like a Magic Crystal from a magical beast?

Thinking of this, the young man gave a self-mocking smile. How could a person have a Magic Crystal? Only magical beasts have crystal cores.

The cheers of the crowd grew louder in his ears. Zhen Jin scanned his surroundings, forcefully suppressing the various doubts in his heart, and issued the order to clean up the battlefield.

Flames burned fiercely, but with the potion provided by Zi Di, the fire was quickly extinguished.

Huang Zao and the others searched the scorched battlefield. He occasionally stopped and picked up the corpse of a Flying Squirrel.

Because they had been burned, the Flying Squirrel corpses were completely charred, their surfaces carbonized.

After Huang Zao patted them with his hand, the black charcoal on the surface of the Flying Squirrel corpses fell off in pieces, revealing the cooked red meat inside.

Huang Zao's nostrils flared, and a rich aroma of meat immediately filled his nasal cavity.

"Another piece of good meat!" Huang Zao beamed, scanning the battlefield and sighing with genuine emotion. "This is my favorite way to hunt!"

In the past few days, he had also been responsible for hunting alone outside.

He had almost no results; the survival skills of a hunter were not so easy to master.

Huang Zao had always made a living at sea. His experience hunting in the forest reminded him of the difficult and clumsy time when he first got on the ship.

On the other side, Lan Zao was processing the only Iron-level Flying Squirrel Leader.

Only a little over half of the flying squirrel's blood was collected. After Lan Zao's initial processing, a thought stirred in his mind, and he picked up the Flying Dagger that had killed the Iron-level Flying Squirrel Leader.

Examining the Flying Dagger, Lan Zao's pupils couldn't help but slightly contract.

The entire front end of the Flying Dagger was completely deformed, with no sharpness visible at all.

"Just relying on the power of the throw, this ordinary dagger gained the power to kill an Iron-level magic beast!" Lan Zao's gaze towards Zhen Jin became increasingly filled with awe.

Cleaning up the battlefield yielded great rewards; it could be said to be a great harvest, and everyone was beaming with joy.

The bloodstains on the battlefield, as well as the completely burnt and inedible flying squirrel meat, etc., were all properly dealt with, ensuring that no other fierce beasts would be attracted by the smell of blood and meat.

The Exploration Team returned to camp victorious and continued to process the spoils of war.

Night.

A bonfire was lit, and everyone sat around, discussing the day's harvest. Seeing so much food with their own eyes, the team members' hearts were completely at ease.

A completely deformed Flying Dagger was passed around among the crowd.

"It really is just an ordinary dagger, and it killed an Iron-level magic beast just like that."

"Lord Zhen Jin is truly powerful."

"I think he must have activated his Battle Qi at that moment, otherwise how could he have erupted with such terrifying power?"

"I really want to know Lord Zhen Jin's true strength."

"Anyway, it's not Bronze or Iron-level, at least a Silver Knight, mastering Silver Battle Qi."

"Silver Battle Qi... at such a young age, Zhen Jin is truly a genius."

"It could also be Gold, after all, none of us have seen the Lord's Battle Qi with our own eyes, right?"

"If it's Gold, that's even more terrifying. Following such a person, the future is absolutely bright!"

"The reason we are under the Lord now is because we suffered a shipwreck. In normal times, how could that be possible?"

"If we can follow the Lord all the time, and Lord Zhen Jin becomes the White Sand City Lord in the future, I might be able to become an official in White Sand City."

"Damn it, I don't want anything else, I just want to be a guard at the city gate. I used to be often made things difficult for when entering the city, and in the future, I'll also guard the gate and make things difficult for others, just to get my fill!"

Someone's idea caused a burst of laughter among the crowd.

The success of the hunt earned Zhen Jin everyone's approval.

The entire Exploration Team believed that Zhen Jin's future was very bright.

People are always drawn to benefits and avoid harm. Many people began to openly express their intention to follow Zhen Jin all the time, which would never have happened before.

"This is another layer of harvest." Cang Xu sat in a corner, watching the crowd talking and laughing, understanding in his heart.

His gaze was also fixed on the dagger in the other person's hand.

Recalling that scene on the battlefield, Cang Xu also secretly speculated, "At that moment, Zhen Jin's arms clearly swelled, and then erupted with terrifying power."

"The Hundred Needles Family's bloodline originates from the legendary Magic Beast, the Golden Needle Bee Queen. This bloodline is not known for its strength."

"Did he use some kind of Battle Qi Secret Skill?"

The dagger was finally passed to Bai Ya.

Bai Ya looked at the dagger, his eyes shining with hope. "This is what a knight is. I want to become someone like that too."

"Hey, Bai Ya kid, are you done looking? Give it back to me when you're done. This dagger is very important, it'll be our family heirloom from now on!" Huang Zao said with a chuckle.

Bai Ya reluctantly returned the dagger to Huang Zao.

No matter which continent or which race, everyone worships the strong. And this worship can easily be converted into loyalty.

"It seems that the brothers Huang Zao and Lan Zao already want to completely pledge allegiance to Lord Zhen Jin and strive to become his retainers," Cang Xu said meaningfully to Zi Di.

Zi Di was sitting beside Cang Xu. She looked up and scanned the people gathered tightly around the bonfire, then continued to shake the potion in her hand. "These two brothers don't have good aptitude. If they don't have opportunities in the future, the Bronze-level is probably their limit. However, based on my understanding of Lord Zhen Jin, he will never mistreat any follower."

Speaking of this, Zi Di looked at Cang Xu and emphasized, "Regardless of whether this follower is extraordinary."

Cang Xu immediately understood Zi Di's implied meaning. He gave a wry smile and shook his head. "An old tree, no matter how much sunlight it bathes in, will not usher in a new spring."

The potion in Zi Di's hand gradually changed color. She stood up. "I still have things to deal with."

Zi Di returned to her tent, while Zhen Jin was deep in thought inside the tent.

His face was full of distress.

"Still can't sense it."

Zhen Jin had tried his best to remember the peculiar feeling when the mutation occurred. But this did not allow him to actively sense the Magic Crystal in his heart.

It was as if it didn't exist at all.

Zhen Jin subconsciously placed his palm on his left chest, feeling his heart beat, his brows tightly furrowed. "No, I did discover it at that time. There really was a... well, something like a Magic Crystal, growing in my heart, and it seemed to coexist with my heart very naturally and harmoniously."

"Why can't I sense it?"

"I clearly sensed it very clearly before!"

"Why, what is missing?"

Zhen Jin fell into contemplation.

He really wanted to find a way to use the Magic Crystal.

Now he couldn't mobilize Battle Qi. This mutation could instantly enhance his combat power, which was a huge help to him!

The first mutation, he killed the Silver Magic Beast, the Blade Spider.

At that time, he felt a wonderful surge of blood.

The second time was when the Flying Dagger killed the Iron-level Flying Squirrel Leader.

He not only felt the surge of blood, but also further detected the mysterious Magic Crystal in his heart. It was the invisible power that erupted from the Magic Crystal, merged into his blood, flowed throughout his body, and finally poured into his arms.

"So, my previous guess was off. The real reason isn't the blood, but this Magic Crystal."

"This power is neither Battle Qi nor Magic."

"It's truly amazing," Zhen Jin exclaimed.

He then tried to analyze these two experiences.

"Based on my attempts so far, I can't actively trigger the mutation. So what exactly triggered this ability in these two mutations?"

"What are the common points between the two mutations?"

"The first time, I was on the verge of death, and my missing memories surged back. My emotions were very complex and agitated at the time."

"The second time, I faced the Iron-level Flying Squirrel Leader, wary of its electric shock ability, so I felt nervous and faced the threat of death."

The biggest common point between the two experiences was that Zhen Jin faced the threat of death.

This led to various emotions: nervousness, anxiety, fear, determination, killing intent, and so on.

"If emotional stimulation triggers the mutation, then will further stimulation allow me to master the ability to activate this mutation?" Zhen Jin's thoughts wandered.

In the two mutations, he had made obvious progress. The first time, he only sensed blood flow. The second time, he delved into his heart and discovered the mysterious crystal core within.

"Moreover, last time it was the mutation of claws, and this time it was the mutation of my arm."

Zhen Jin speculated that the mutated part seemed to be based on his subconscious, forming whatever was most beneficial for the situation at the time.

"Will I be able to control this mutation ability and change whatever part I want in the future?"

"Will a complete transformation take the form of a Monkey-Tailed Brown Bear?"

"Also, I found that after the mutation, the crystal core's blood-red light significantly diminished. How many more mutations can it support?"

Zhen Jin began to observe more deeply. As he did so, some of the doubts in his heart were dispelled, but more were added.