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Turning around to face the hill flashing with blue light, Xu Feng closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the panel.

[Breakthrough Points -100]

[Qi Realm: Early Blood Coagulation Realm]

A surging burst of energy exploded inside his body!

In his dantian, the seven strands of qi and blood that had originally been there began spinning, gathering, and compressing madly!

An eighth strand, a ninth strand, and a tenth strand of newly formed qi and blood were born in succession, then fused with the original seven strands.

In the end, they became a completely new mass of qi and blood, condensed like mercury!

The quality of this qi and blood far surpassed what it had been before!

Xu Feng opened his eyes, and a flash of red-gold light flickered across his pupils before vanishing.

He estimated roughly that if he used this qi and blood to activate Blood Dragon State, it could last at least two minutes!

As for the increase in pure strength, it gave him even more confidence that he could withstand the full-force charge of the Bull Leader from yesterday head-on!

Next, he began to eat.

He fished the carnivorous fish from the swamp—the ones that had grown fat from devouring Lizardman corpses—then stripped off their scales and bones and swallowed them raw.

His powerful digestive system converted the flesh into pure energy, nourishing his body after its recent breakthrough.

Half an hour later, Xu Feng rose to his feet and walked toward the top of the hill.

The amount of raw magic stone ore was less than he had expected. It barely filled a medium-sized burlap sack.

He weighed it in his hand and estimated that the ore could be refined into roughly ten thousand standard D-Rank magic stones, with a market value of... over a hundred million.

"No wonder."

Xu Feng muttered to himself.

Human nature truly could not withstand such enormous profits.

Today's betrayal had taught him a bloody lesson.

Suddenly remembering something, he took the Lizardman leader's corpse from his pack.

His gaze fell on its right shoulder.

Embedded there was a strange orb about the size of a pigeon's egg. It was a deep blue throughout, with what appeared to be liquid flowing inside.

Xu Feng could sense a strange spatial fluctuation coming from the orb. It was slowly absorbing the free-floating magic power in the air.

With a thought, he took a handful of raw magic stone ore from the sack and tried guiding the magic power within it into the orb with his qi and blood.

Bzzzt—

The orb trembled slightly and began absorbing the energy ravenously, like a parched sponge.

After consuming the magic power equivalent to roughly one percent of the total ore, the orb's color changed from deep blue to a profound dark blue, while even more complicated magic patterns emerged across its surface.

Xu Feng pressed the orb against his chest.

The next moment, a strange fluctuation enveloped his entire body.

His body began turning transparent and blurry, then completely vanished into thin air!

No magic power leaked out, no energy fluctuation remained, and even his body heat and breathing were perfectly concealed!

The only flaw was the disturbance in the airflow caused by movement. But in a dim and complicated environment, it was nearly impossible to detect.

"Invisibility..."

Xu Feng dispelled the effect and looked at the orb in his hand, satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

After thoroughly cleaning up the battlefield and packing away all the spoils, Xu Feng activated the invisibility orb and silently headed toward the teleportation portal.

Outside the teleportation portal, Hunter Association staff and military guards had already set up a cordon, waiting for the raid team to return.

When Xu Feng passed invisibly among them, a young staff member looked up suspiciously. "Huh? Was that a gust of wind just now?"

"Isn't it normal for there to be wind in a sewer?" his companion replied dismissively.

Ten minutes later, after Xu Feng had long since gone far away, the pale-blue teleportation portal suddenly began to fluctuate violently.

Then, with a sharp whoosh, it shut down completely.

"The dungeon... has been conquered?!" The commander on-site stared in shock at the empty wall. "But... what about the team that went in? Why hasn't a single person come out?!"

No one could answer him.

By then, none of this had anything to do with Xu Feng.

Carrying his heavy pack, he quietly returned to the small woods behind Guanghua Residential Area.

Little Black leaped down from the treetop and affectionately rubbed against his trouser leg.

Xu Feng rubbed its furry head and tossed it several chunks of good-quality Lizardman tail meat. Little Black grabbed the meat in its jaws and nimbly scurried back to its secret nest in the tree.

Xu Feng, meanwhile, began counting the gains from his trip:

An invisibility orb, a sack of D-Rank raw magic stone ore, a C-Rank magic weapon—Poison Scale Blade—and various Lizardman materials.

"Tomorrow, I'll ask Brother Piao whether there are any dedicated trading channels in the hunter circles." Xu Feng repacked and concealed the items. "I need to get rid of these hot potatoes as soon as possible."

He dusted off his clothes, took one last look into the depths of the gloomy woods, then turned and headed home.

Click—

The key turned slightly in the lock, and the door opened with a soft sound.

Xu Feng moved as lightly as a cat's paw stepping across a carpet.

It was already half past three in the morning.

Usually, his parents would have long since fallen asleep by this hour.

However, when he pushed open the door, warm orange-yellow light greeted him.

In the living room, Yang Lingxia was lying on her side on the sofa, covered by a clean floral quilt that had been washed until it was slightly worn.

Her breathing was even and deep, but her brows remained faintly furrowed in sleep, as though she was not resting particularly well.

The television beside her had long since been turned off, and the remote sat quietly in the corner of the coffee table.

At the old wooden desk not far from the sofa, Xu Shan was hunched over beneath the desk lamp's none-too-bright light, holding a pen as he carefully compared the open account book with several stacks of handwritten receipts.

A pair of old-fashioned gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, and his expression was focused.

At the sound of the door opening, Xu Shan immediately raised his head.

When he saw that it was his son, relief first flashed through his eyes. He then raised a finger to his lips, making a "shh" shape, and glanced toward his sleeping wife on the sofa.

He set down his pen, rose slowly, and waved Xu Feng over, signaling for him to follow into the kitchen.

Father and son walked one behind the other, both keeping their footsteps extremely light for fear of disturbing the quiet in the living room.

Only after they entered the kitchen did Xu Shan lower his voice and speak with helplessness and affection:

"Your mother insisted on waiting for you to come back.

"I told her to go to bed first, but she wouldn't listen. She stubbornly stayed up to watch television and wait for you, but she fell asleep not long after turning it on.

"I was worried she'd get cold, so I covered her with a quilt.

"I wanted to carry her back to her room, but I was afraid of waking her...

"Sigh, forget it. I had to check the accounts anyway, so I kept her company."

As he spoke, Xu Shan's gaze unintentionally swept over the pack on Xu Feng's back, which faintly gave off a peculiar odor.

He also noticed the suppressed emotion between his son's brows, though Xu Feng had tried his best to hide it.

But he asked nothing. He merely extended his rough palm and pointed toward the ceramic soup pot being kept warm over low heat on the stove.

"Here. Your mother specially saved this for you—ginkgo stewed with old hen. She's been keeping it warm over low heat for several hours.

"She said it was your first mission tonight, so you'd definitely be tired and needed something nourishing."

Xu Shan lifted the lid, and a warm aroma mingling the fragrance of medicinal herbs with the rich scent of chicken immediately filled the air, dispelling the trace of chill lingering in the kitchen.

"Drink it while it's hot, then wash up and get to bed early."

After speaking, he could not help letting out a huge yawn, squeezing several tears of fatigue from the corners of his eyes.

He rubbed his eyes and said nothing more, merely patting his son on the shoulder before once again lightening his steps and returning to the living room.

He sat down again at the desk, picked up his pen, and continued checking the trivial accounts line by line beneath the lamplight.

Xu Feng stood at the kitchen door, holding the bowl of chicken soup at just the right temperature.

Several plump ginkgo nuts and beads of oil floated on the clear surface, while tender chicken stewed soft lay beneath.

He looked at his father's slightly stooped back beneath the light, listened to his mother's even breathing in the living room, then lowered his head to look at the hot soup in his hands.

After a long while, he raised the bowl and tipped his head back, drinking every drop of the warm soup.

The fresh, rich flavor slid down his throat into his stomach, and warmth instantly spread through all four limbs and every bone.

He gently set down the empty bowl, his movements still light.

Rather than washing up immediately, he walked into the living room and carefully tucked the corner of the quilt that had slipped from his mother back around her. Then he went to the desk and silently nodded at his father, who looked up at him.

Only then did he pick up his pack and walk toward his room.

Before closing the door, he took one last look at the living room—

The lights were soft, his mother slept peacefully, and his father was bent over his work.

This was his home, the haven he would protect with everything he had.