Returning Laden

Dawn broke, and morning light pierced the thin mist over the West Mountain Branch, gilding the charred canyon entrance with a pale gold.

Lin Feng emerged slowly from the shadowy forest, his dark combat suit stained with night dew and a few dried purple bloodstains. Yet his back stood ramrod straight, his eyes sharp as a blade tempered in fire, while a faint, restrained aura of thunder flowed around him, enough to make one's heart palpitate.

After a night of savage fighting in the secret realm, narrowly escaping death, his gains were immense as well.

He found a secluded mountain stream, scooped up icy spring water to wash away the fatigue and grime on his face, then sat cross-legged. His consciousness sank into his body as he carefully sensed the changes after his breakthrough.

With a thought, the Thunder Foundation Establishment Chapter began circulating naturally. The sparse spiritual energy between heaven and earth, especially the wandering Lightning Attribute particles, seemed drawn by an invisible force field and happily poured into his limbs and bones. They were swiftly refined into streams of pure, condensed purple True Qi carrying a faint numbing sensation, flowing into his dantian's sea of qi. The efficiency was more than several times faster than when he had cultivated the Basic Body Forging Technique - Quenching Chapter!

He slowly clenched his right fist, using no martial technique, only a pure infusion of True Qi. The air around his fist distorted slightly and gave off faint crackling sounds, as though invisible electric sparks were dancing through it.

"Strength, close to nine hundred kilograms... and my speed has risen sharply as well." A satisfied curve appeared on Lin Feng's lips. The mid-stage Martial Warrior realm was a qualitative leap. More importantly, his mastery of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade had reached fifty percent, and its bottleneck had loosened, meaning he had found the direction to keep moving forward.

He opened the tactical backpack he carried and took stock of the gains from this trip into the secret realm.

Three upper-tier first-order Thunder Lizard crystal cores, brimming with energy and flowing with purple light.

One peak first-order Thunder Lizard Leader crystal core, larger in size, with what seemed to be liquid thunder surging within it. Its energy fluctuations far surpassed those of the former.

And, most precious of all—the Thunder Fluorite Grass sealed inside a jade box, as well as the drop of Source Thunder Dew at the tip of its blade, already condensed into something like a flawless purple diamond. Even through the jade box, he could feel the vast and pure power of thunder source contained within.

"These resources are enough for me to completely stabilize my realm at the mid-stage Martial Warrior level, perhaps even push toward the late stage. They can also support the system through several crucial deductions." Lin Feng calculated inwardly. That drop of Source Thunder Dew in particular was a peerless treasure for breaking through bottlenecks and tempering the True Meaning of Thunder at critical moments.

His gaze fell upon the Thunder Lizard Leader crystal core with the most surging energy.

"System, absorb the energy of this crystal core and attempt to deduce the subsequent direction of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade (Initial Chapter)!"

[Command received. Beginning absorption of energy from a peak first-order Lightning Attribute crystal core...]

[Energy injection... analyzing technique bottleneck... deducing subsequent possibilities...]

[Deduction progress: 1%... 5%... 15%...]

The crystal core in his hand visibly dimmed, ultimately turning to powder. An enormous quantity of pure thunder energy was drawn away by the system and used to strike against that invisible barrier.

[Deduction complete!]

[Based on the existing Initial Chapter and the host's comprehension, the core force-exertion method of the second level of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade has been deduced (incomplete).]

[Estimated second-level effects: True Qi explosive force increased by 80%, True Meaning of Thunder condensation speed increased by 50%, and Thunder True Qi can initially be released outward to form a brief impact force (Thunder Gang).]

[Warning: The second-level method places an immense burden on the physical body and meridians. The host must independently complete the details and cultivate it with caution.]

A more complex and profound diagram of force exertion and route of True Qi circulation flooded into Lin Feng's mind. Though it was still incomplete and required him to explore and fill in the gaps himself, it had undoubtedly opened a new door for him! Releasing True Qi outward to form Thunder Gang? That was a realm only Martial Masters could begin to touch!

"Excellent!" Lin Feng was exhilarated. Once he mastered this second level, his practical combat ability would undergo earth-shaking changes!

He suppressed the urge to begin cultivating immediately and carefully put everything away. This was not a place to linger; the commotion from the secret realm's closure might attract other interested parties.

He rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the land at the canyon entrance, which had returned to calm and retained only a few scorch marks. Then he turned and burst toward Jiangnan City.

Galloping Thunder Steps and Thunder Flash alternated as his figure transformed into a blurred afterimage amid the mountains and forests, moving far faster than he had on the way here!

His heart was like an arrow flying home.

He needed to return to Jiangnan City as soon as possible to digest his gains, exchange the Thunder Fluorite Grass and some of the crystal cores for other resources he urgently needed, and make his final preparations for the upcoming Jiangnan Province martial examination.

Yet just as he swept out of the West Mountain Branch and stepped onto the highway leading back to the city, a faint, icy gaze like that of a venomous snake suddenly came from behind him!

Lin Feng did not slow his pace, but his eyes instantly turned frost-cold.

"Finally... couldn't hold back anymore?"

He did not look back. Instead, his spiritual power spread behind him like an invisible spiderweb, clearly catching a figure several hundred meters away who followed him like a ghost, concealing his aura exceptionally well.

It was precisely that sinister middle-aged man whom he had encountered once at the entrance to the secret realm!

It seemed that the other party had already set his sights on what Lin Feng had gained in the secret realm. Or rather, the man had come from the very beginning to kill and steal treasures.

A cold curve lifted at the corner of Lin Feng's lips.

Taking me for a fat sheep?

Then let's see who the real hunter is!

He neither accelerated to shake the man off nor turned around to fight immediately. Instead, he maintained a steady pace toward the city, as though utterly unaware of the pursuit behind him.

Only, the Thunder True Qi within him had already begun circulating faster in silence. At the edge of his fist, a nearly imperceptible dark-purple spark of lightning flashed and vanished.