High-Grade Yellow Rank

Inside a dim Secret Chamber, the walls bore the marks of time. Upon the mottled stone surfaces, unknown runes and totems seemed to have been carved, faintly giving off a pale glow.

A strange fragrance filled the air, like the scent of plants from an ancient forest, yet mixed with the smell of metal and ore. It was intoxicating, as though it could transcend time and touch upon the mysteries of antiquity. Lin Feng had spent a great deal of money building this Secret Chamber to prevent the fluctuations released when pills took shape. It was said to withstand even the energy fluctuations produced by a fourth-grade pill's formation.

At the center of the Secret Chamber stood an ancient Stone Platform. In the surrounding corners lay various strange objects, some glimmering with a dark light, others emitting a faint fragrance.

At that moment, a young man in green robes sat cross-legged atop it, his eyes blazing with anticipation. It was time to inspect the treasures.

The first thing he opened was the Black Iron Piece that had given Lin Feng such a peculiar feeling in his soul. As he carefully examined it in his hand, tremors occasionally passed through his soul. Drawing on his many years of experience opening treasures, boom—a strand of azure-red flame rose from his hand. It was Beast Flame taken from the fourth-tier magical beast, the Azure Winged Blazing Beast.

"Based on past experience, I only need to burn the Black Iron Piece until it melts to obtain the information carved into it. Let's begin. Let me see what you really are." Lin Feng's heart was filled with anticipation.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle... The flame continued to burn as Lin Feng stared intently at the Black Iron Piece, not daring to relax in the slightest. After roughly a quarter of an hour, under the blazing fire, the iron piece gradually melted. In the end, only a crystalline, liquid-like ball of light remained floating in midair. Whoosh... Suddenly, the light shot straight into Lin Feng's forehead.

"High-Grade Yellow Rank Soul Forging Method—the Grindstone Soul Forging Method. Visualize a grindstone within the soul. Once it takes form, feed Soul Force into it. With every rotation, the Soul Force will become purer and stronger. It can even absorb the Spiritual Energy hidden within heaven and earth, laying a solid foundation for breaking through into the Spirit Realm. As long as one's Soul Force is sufficient, one can break through to the Spirit Realm without bottlenecks. Its flaw is that the process of tempering produces immense pain over time, forcing one to stop cultivating. Otherwise, this method should have been rated Mysterious Tier."

"Hahaha! With this Soul Forging Method, along with the powerful Soul Talent I gained from transmigrating and being reborn, I'll definitely go farther and farther on the path of an alchemist. With it, I can obtain more Cultivation Resources. Maybe I can even keep up with Xiao Yan, that cheating bastard's cultivation speed. Hahaha..." Lin Feng's face was filled with wild joy, sharp light flashing in his eyes as his laughter echoed through the Secret Chamber.

"Phew..." After calming himself for a while, Lin Feng slowly exhaled. "I still can't keep my emotions from showing on my face. Looks like my cultivation is still lacking!" It was understandable. Though he had honed himself alone in this world for more than ten years, who could remain composed in the face of such an enormous surprise? Being able to recover so quickly already showed that his State of Mind was steady.

Next, he took out the many strange objects he had purchased from the Marketplace. After studying them for half the day, he actually discovered another Wood Attribute Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure—the Bellwood Heart. It had been found within an enormous Bellwood tree and could calm the mind while slightly accelerating the circulation of one's cultivation method.

Bellwood was a strange tree unique to the Tagor Desert. It grew horizontally, resembled dead wood, and had no leaves, making it difficult to determine whether it was alive. It grew one meter every year, and after reaching a hundred years of age, it could form the Wood Attribute Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure known as the Bellwood Heart within its trunk.

"Such a huge Bellwood Heart... this tree may have grown for nearly a thousand years. It's enough for both Qing Lin and me, with a great deal left over. I really struck gold this time. Perhaps that vendor simply didn't recognize it. After all, this tree grows deep within the desert, extremely close to the Snake People Tribe. If not for the knowledge left behind by that alchemist, I wouldn't have recognized it either." Lin Feng once again silently praised that nameless senior alchemist.

After sorting and categorizing everything he had bought, Lin Feng stood up. Crack, crack, crack. He stretched lazily. "Mm, my emotions have fluctuated too violently. It's no longer suitable for cultivation. I should go out for a walk instead!"

As he walked through the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group's grounds, the mercenaries he encountered along the way warmly greeted Lin Feng.

Lin Feng nodded back to each of them. When he ran into a few skilled flatterers, he would even reward them with several first-grade Healing Pills or similar pills. This made those bootlicking mercenaries bow and scrape, endlessly spouting words about their admiration.

"Ah, another ordinary day. An alchemist's life is just this boring." He had really shown off to that guy.

Speaking of the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group, Lin Feng's parents had once worked there. After they died in the line of duty, the group had raised Lin Feng to adulthood. It was just that he had not played by the usual rules, silently becoming an alchemist without anyone noticing.

Of course, the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group's protection during Lin Feng's weaker years could not be denied. Lin Feng also knew how to repay kindness. The fact that the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group now ranked second among Stone Desert City's major forces proved as much.

Stone Desert City's power rankings: first was the City Lord's Mansion. The city lord had been dispatched by the Jia Ma Empire to guard this place. It was said that he possessed immense strength, though no one had ever seen him make a move. However, through his astonishing Soul Force, Lin Feng had sensed that he was a Six-Star Dou Ling. This was hardly surprising. After all, this was a border region. If the city lord were not strong enough, he risked being suppressed by the forces under his command.

Second was the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group. Its leader was a Five-star Great Dou Master, while the group also had several Dou Master experts and numerous high-star Dou Zhes. It was only after Lin Feng became an alchemist and repaid the mercenary group that Crimson Fire had developed so rapidly.

Third was the Sand Mercenary Group from the Original Work. Its leader, Rob, had just advanced to become a One-Star Great Dou Shi. Hehe, don't ask how Lin Feng knew that.

Back then, in order to stabilize his breakthrough, Rob had purchased several expensive pills from him that were Conducive to Cultivation and calmed the mind. Lin Feng had charged him ruthlessly for them. Even now, he could vaguely remember the pained expression on Rob's face.

After that came insignificant mercenary groups such as Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Though they had great potential, without a Da Dou Shi, they would never be taken seriously by the major powers.

After entering a courtyard, Lin Feng heard a burst of hearty laughter. "Hahaha, Nephew Lin Feng, what wind blew a great god like you over to your uncle today?" A tall, burly man in yellow clothes approached him, his muscles taut all over. That was right—he was Crimson Fire, leader of the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group.

"Uncle Chi Huo, please don't say that. I still have to thank you for protecting me all these years. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the glory I have today." After Lin Feng and Crimson Fire exchanged a few flattering words, Lin Feng got to the point.

"Uncle Chi Huo, my alchemy has reached a bottleneck. Before long, I plan to leave Stone Desert City and travel through other parts of the empire, gaining experience and improving my alchemy. I also want to see extraordinary people and events, as well as all kinds of Exotic Charm and scenery."

"I came here this time to tell you that." Lin Feng then brushed a finger across his Storage Ring. A flash of light passed, and a row of jade bottles appeared on the table. "These are some pills that promote cultivation, as well as Healing and Detoxifying Pills. I don't know when I'll return after leaving to travel. I hope that the next time I see you, Uncle Chi Huo, you'll already be a Dou Ling expert."