Resource Treasury

After returning to the low-rent apartment, the first thing Lin Feng did was take out a vial of intermediate Gene Repair Fluid and tip his head back to swallow it.

Unlike the faint blue fluorescence of the beginner repair fluid, the intermediate liquid was a rich azure, as though specks of starlight flickered within it. The moment it entered his throat, it transformed into a gentle yet majestic torrent of energy that swiftly surged through his limbs and bones, especially toward his injured right arm and the internal injuries left behind from his clash with the Wolf Emperor.

A cool, soothing sensation replaced the pain. He could clearly feel the fractured bone callus healing faster, his damaged meridians being gently nourished and widened, and the tiny bruises within his body fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

As expected of intermediate-grade stuff. Its effects are several times stronger than the beginner version! Lin Feng secretly praised. At this rate, he would recover to his peak within a day at most—and might even go a step further.

He did not waste any time. While guiding the medicine's power to heal his injuries, he sank his consciousness into the system to check his current status.

[Host: Lin Feng]

[Realm: Martial Apprentice (Peak)]

[Strength: 385 kg]

[Agility: 25 m/s]

[Physique: Excellent (Meridian Unblocking: 32%)]

[Mental Power: 31]

[Technique: Basic Body Forging Technique - Quenching Chapter (Perfect)]

[Martial Skill: Nine Heavens Thunder Blade (Initial Chapter), Mastery: 28%]

His strength had directly broken through to 385 kilograms! His agility had also reached 25 meters per second! These were already the stats of a peak Quasi-Martial Artist, just one step away from the true Martial Artist Realm, whose standard strength was 500 kilograms! His meridian unblocking had also risen to 32%, and the shackles that had plagued him for years were being rapidly shattered.

The mastery of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade had soared to 28% as well. Clearly, the residual medicinal power of the Thunder Wolf Fruit and the insights gained through life-and-death combat had produced remarkable results.

"Still not enough." Lin Feng's gaze sharpened. "The martial arts exam finals will gather geniuses from across the province. People like Zhao Feng are probably already official Martial Artists. I have to become stronger faster!"

His gaze fell on the silver authority card Lei Lie had given him. The Martial Arts Bureau's resource vault... perhaps it held what he needed.

Early the next morning, Lin Feng, whose injuries had nearly healed, appeared before the headquarters building of the Jiangnan City Martial Arts Bureau.

It was a magnificent ninety-nine-story building, shaped like an unsheathed sword piercing straight into the clouds. It was one of Jiangnan City's landmarks, as well as a sacred place countless martial artists yearned for.

The moment he showed his silver authority card, the guards at the entrance immediately stood at solemn attention and saluted, respectfully directing him onward.

He first arrived at the "Advanced Training Area" on the third underground floor. The spiritual energy concentration here was slightly inferior to Thunder Listening Pavilion's, but far surpassed the Beginner Training Room of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. It also had adjustable gravity environments.

He selected a training room labeled "1–5 Times Gravity." After activating one-time gravity and getting accustomed to the sudden pressure on his body, he directly adjusted it to double gravity!

"Buzz!"

An invisible force instantly pressed down upon his entire body. His bones gave faint creaks, and even the flow of his blood seemed to slow. An ordinary Martial Apprentice would probably struggle just to stand steady here.

Yet Lin Feng merely swayed slightly before stabilizing himself. The solid foundation laid by the perfect-grade Basic Body Forging Technique - Quenching Chapter, along with the strengthening effects of the Thunder Wolf Fruit and Gene Repair Fluid on his body, allowed him to endure it.

He began practicing Nine Heavens Thunder Blade. Under double gravity, every movement became incomparably difficult, and the circulation of his blood and qi became exceptionally sluggish. But correspondingly, every successful execution brought training effects far beyond normal!

"Thunder Flash!"

"Thunderclap Break!"

Sweat soon soaked through his clothes, but his eyes shone brightly as he gritted his teeth and persisted. He could feel his strength being continuously hammered and condensed beneath the crushing pressure, while his comprehension of the True Meaning of Thunder gradually deepened through the arduous practice.

He trained for a full three hours, only leaving the gravity room in exhaustion once more than half of his mental power had been depleted.

Next, relying on his authority card, he entered the Martial Arts Bureau's "Internal Ancient Texts Library."

This was not the core secret vault that stored profound techniques. Rather, it was an enormous archive containing countless martial arts theories, insights from predecessors, monster bestiaries, spiritual plant encyclopedias, geographical secrets, and even some basic or obscure martial skills and techniques.

Lin Feng's goal was clear—he sought information on resources that could provide large amounts of energy and assist the system's deductions, as well as any clues related to "thunder" that might improve Nine Heavens Thunder Blade.

Like a sponge drinking water, he rapidly browsed and memorized the vast ocean of data. His mental power of 31 gave him an ability close to photographic memory.

[Discovered <Comparative Analysis Report on Low-Grade Spiritual Plant Energy>. Record?]

[Discovered <Preliminary Study on the Application of Thunder-Attribute Monster Materials>. Record?]

[Discovered <Study of Ancient Thunder Talisman Patterns (Incomplete)>. Record?]

The system continuously issued prompts, categorizing and recording useful information. This knowledge could not directly improve his strength, but it greatly broadened his horizons and gave him a clearer plan for obtaining and utilizing resources in the future.

Suddenly, in a top-secret document titled <Secret Realm Fluctuation Monitoring Records (Jiangnan Region)>—with partial access granted—he spotted an inconspicuous piece of information:

"...Area C-734 (the southeastern branch range of the West Mountain Range) has recently detected abnormally faint spiritual energy fluctuations. Their frequency bears a 7.3% similarity to known precursors of secret realm openings and is accompanied by slight electromagnetic interference. Temporarily classified as a natural phenomenon. Risk level: low. Observation ongoing."

The southeastern branch range of the West Mountain Range? Wasn't that near the area where Thunder Listening Pavilion was located?

A secret realm? Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. After the resurgence of spiritual energy, "secret realms" connected to unknown spaces or Ancient Ruins occasionally appeared around the world. They were often accompanied by immense danger, but also contained astonishing opportunities!

Although the report had judged it to be a natural phenomenon with low risk, considering that he had just become Lei Lie's disciple and that peculiar Lightning Attracting Wood, Lin Feng could not shake the feeling that there might be some connection.

He firmly committed this information to memory.

In the Ancient Texts Library's "Basic Martial Skills Section," he also discovered several little-known lightning-attribute basic martial skills that were considered tasteless and useless, such as Electric Light Finger and Galloping Thunder Steps. These skills were not high-grade and were exceptionally difficult to practice, but to Lin Feng, they could serve as supplements to Nine Heavens Thunder Blade, or even as material for fusion and deduction through the system!

Without hesitation, he recorded the theoretical portions of all those martial skills.

By the time Lin Feng left the Martial Arts Bureau headquarters, night had already fallen. Though he had not immediately obtained powerful techniques or resources, the knowledge he had accumulated and his plans for the future had become clearer and fuller than ever before.

After returning home, he took another vial of intermediate Gene Repair Fluid. While repairing the tiny injuries caused by his high-intensity training, he organized today's gains.

"The gravity training room can be used regularly. It can greatly accelerate my mastery of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade and the tempering of my body."

"I already have several backup options for the energy sources needed to deduce Basic Body Tempering Technique and Nine Heavens Thunder Blade. I need to find a way to acquire them."

"That information about the suspected secret realm needs continued attention..."

"I can try comprehending several lightning-attribute basic martial skills and see whether they can be integrated into my own system."

A clear road to becoming stronger unfolded before him.

He glanced at the brand-new guaranteed-admission notice from Beichen Martial University on his bedside table, which he had automatically received as the Top Scholar of the mock exam, and casually set it aside.

Guaranteed admission? It was no longer within the scope of his consideration.

His goal was to rely on absolute strength to defeat every genius on the martial arts exam finals stage beneath the gaze of the masses, and seize the very top!

Then, he would set foot upon the broader road of thunder that his teacher Lei Lie had pointed out to him!

Lin Feng closed his eyes and settled his mind into cultivation. Faint arcs of electricity leaped through the air around him, releasing a dense series of crackles.

A storm was brewing within the calm.