“What did you say? A hundred-year vermilion fruit?”
Li Feng’s body trembled, his face filled with shock as he stared at Wen Ye. A hundred-year vermilion fruit—a rare heavenly treasure, far surpassing the medicinal effects of a thousand-year ginseng. For a martial artist, its allure was irresistible.
Li Feng never imagined that Wen Ye, the mere leader of the Black Stone Gang, would possess such a treasure.
“Is it true?” Wen Ye, seeing Li Feng’s shock, felt a spark of hope. He had planned to use the vermilion fruit to break through to the Transformation Energy stage, but with his life now forfeit, it was useless to him. Trading it for his son’s life was worth it.
“Are you sure it’s a hundred-year vermilion fruit?” Li Feng asked.
“Absolutely. If you spare my son, I’ll give it to you,” Wen Ye said.
“Fine. If it’s truly a hundred-year vermilion fruit, I’ll let your son go,” Li Feng nodded. The fruit’s appeal was immense. He didn’t fear Wen Ye, let alone his son. Getting the fruit in exchange for sparing him posed no issue.
“But I need to see it first,” Li Feng said coldly, staring at Wen Ye.
“Alright.”
Li Feng hoisted Wen Ye up and followed his directions to the study, where he found the hundred-year vermilion fruit.
“Indeed, it’s the real thing,” Li Feng said, familiar with such treasures from his past life.
“Wen Ye, you can leave,” Li Feng said.
“What?” Wen Ye looked at him in disbelief, taking a moment to process. “You’re not going to kill me?”
“Kill you?” Li Feng gave a faint smile. “What difference does it make now? For the sake of this vermilion fruit, I’ll spare your life. Take your son and go. Of course, you can try to seek revenge, but next time…”
Wen Ye stared deeply at Li Feng, never expecting mercy at this point.
“Young Master Feng, rest assured, there will be no Yuwen from now on,” Wen Ye said, taking a deep breath. “Be wary of the Emperor’s Pavilion. They’re not to be trifled with.”
At the door, Wen Ye paused and said, “Young Master Feng, one last thing: ‘Chang’e descends to the mortal realm, chasing boats beneath the Star Bridge.’”
With that, he left without looking back.
“Chang’e descends to the mortal realm, chasing boats beneath the Star Bridge,” Li Feng muttered, frowning. “What does that mean? Nonsense.”
Unable to make sense of it, he dismissed the phrase and focused on the aftermath.
With Wen Ye gone, the Black Stone Gang ceased to exist. Next was integrating its remnants, but Li Feng left that to Tian Lang, taking the vermilion fruit to cultivate.
In the training base’s secret chamber, Li Feng sat cross-legged and opened the box containing the fruit. It was the size of a walnut, deep purple, with faint fluorescence and wisps of spiritual energy swirling within.
Seeing it, Li Feng’s excitement was undeniable. A hundred-year vermilion fruit was rare even in his past life, let alone on Earth.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he swallowed the fruit.
It melted in his mouth, and a warm current flowed into his body.
*Boom!*
The warmth transformed into vast spiritual energy, nourishing his body and meridians.
Sensing this immense energy, Li Feng didn’t dare slack, immediately circulating the Nine Heavens Heart Sutra.
The hundred-year vermilion fruit was a rare treasure, brimming with spiritual energy that could rapidly enhance a martial artist’s strength. Though Li Feng was at the seventh stage of Body Refinement, his access to medicinal resources was limited, making progress slow. Breaking through each stage of Body Refinement would take time, but with the fruit, he could advance quickly.
Thus, he consumed it immediately.
With each cycle of the sutra, a portion of the energy merged into his body and meridians, expanding them under the nourishment.
One cycle…
Five cycles…
Ten cycles…
Each cycle widened his meridians, increasing the spiritual energy within and in his dantian.
Li Feng ignored these changes, forming the energy into cyclones within his body, tempering it according to the Mysterious Heaven Body Refinement Technique.
After seventy-two cycles, a soft sound echoed in his body, accompanied by an unparalleled aura.
Tenth-stage Body Refinement.
Even Li Feng hadn’t expected to break through so easily.
He now understood why the fruit was so precious. The breakthrough was seamless, unlike the immense pain he’d have endured otherwise. It felt natural, like water flowing into a channel.
Even after reaching the tenth stage, his body still held abundant energy. Not wasting it, he continued circulating the sutra, compressing the energy into true qi, gathering it in his dantian.
Yes, he aimed to break through Body Refinement into the Qi Refinement realm.
The abundant energy transformed into true qi, flowing from his dantian through his meridians, shattering all barriers and bottlenecks with unstoppable force, propelling him into the Qi Refinement realm!
*Boom…*
The true qi roared like a primal beast, flooding his dantian, forming a cyclone that turned it into a vortex.
In an instant, Li Feng felt his body brimming with power, more than double his strength at the tenth stage of Body Refinement.
“Phew!”
Li Feng exhaled, opening his eyes and standing.
“Is this the Qi Refinement realm?”
Feeling the surging true qi within, his face lit up with joy. Compared to his past life’s Qi Refinement, this was worlds apart. Back then, his true qi was like a stream; now, it was a river.
“Is this the benefit of refining the body before qi?” he mused. Body Refinement not only tempered the physique but also widened the meridians, allowing more true qi to be stored.
Breaking into Qi Refinement was a qualitative leap. In this realm, he could use many martial techniques, greatly boosting his strength.
Leaving the chamber, he saw Dark Tiger rushing over, saying, “Young Master Feng, Liu Shichao has been looking for you these past few days.”
Li Feng raised an eyebrow. “How long was I in seclusion?”
“Three days.”
“Three days?” Li Feng was stunned. He hadn’t realized refining the fruit took so long.
“What’s the situation in Tianhai City now?” he asked.
“Chaos. With the Black Stone Gang gone, the city’s underworld is in turmoil. Many factions are seizing territory,” Dark Tiger said, glancing at Li Feng. “Young Master Feng, we destroyed the Black Stone Gang. We can’t let those bastards take advantage. We need to teach them a lesson.”
Li Feng gave Dark Tiger a calm look. “I have no interest in the underworld. I only want Linghe Garden and Tianya Pavilion. The rest, let whoever wants it take it.”
“Why, Young Master Feng?” Dark Tiger asked, puzzled.
“The underworld is beneath me. I don’t want to waste effort on it. With the Black Eagle Squad, no underworld faction can challenge us. If anyone dares, we’ll crush them.”
Li Feng had never aimed to rule the underworld. He destroyed the Black Stone Gang because they targeted his life. His ambitions were far greater than petty gang control.
“What’s the Emperor’s Pavilion doing?” Li Feng asked.
“No major moves, but since we took down the Black Stone Gang, they’ve clearly tightened their defenses,” Dark Tiger said, shaking his head. The lack of intelligence on the Emperor’s Pavilion frustrated him.
Li Feng nodded. “Arrange a meeting with Liu Shichao. I want to see him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Li Feng dismissed Dark Tiger and headed to the cafeteria. After three days without food, he was starving and needed to replenish his energy.
After a hearty meal, he left the training base for Tianya Pavilion to meet Liu Shichao.
