Jiang Feng was on the verge of losing consciousness when he faintly heard a scream, followed by the familiar figure of someone approaching his side. He muttered weakly, "Am I going to die? The hallucination is so vivid, even the little beggar girl is here..." Before he could finish, he passed out completely.
"Sigh!" A sigh echoed in the dim room, and a slender figure scooped Jiang Feng up and carried him inside...
Jiang Feng had a very long dream. In the dream, he was lying on a dilapidated wooden bed, covered in injuries, his blood practically drained dry.
Right at that moment, the jade pendant on his neck burst into a green light. The light grew increasingly intense, enveloping Jiang Feng entirely. The moment the green light touched his wounds, it frantically burrowed into his body...
The scene shifted. A handsome man appeared before Jiang Feng. Gazing at the battered Jiang Feng, the man said softly, "Feng'er, the fact that you and I meet as father and son this time means you have been gravely injured. There is nothing to fear in this; a true man should dare to face all crises head-on. Here is a cultivation technique that your old man happened to come across by chance; it should be of help to you. This jade pendant has been activated by your blood, and from now on you can use it for storage. Remember, you must always keep the heart of the strong." With that, he tapped a finger against Jiang Feng's forehead.
"The heart of the strong!" Jiang Feng jolted awake, amazed that the dream he had just experienced could feel so real.
He looked down at his sitting body and was instantly overwhelmed with joy.
All his injuries had healed completely, and his cultivation realm had somehow broken through—Mortal Entry Stage!
Jiang Feng clenched his fists tightly, feeling that his strength had increased significantly. His left fist must have reached fifteen hundred catties, while his right fist was definitely over two thousand catties. The next stage was the Mortal Mastery Stage, bringing him closer and closer to the Qi Refining Stage. Jiang Feng knew very well that without pills or spiritual treasures to aid his cultivation, he would have to find a high-grade technique, otherwise breaking through would be extremely difficult.
A cultivation technique! Jiang Feng suddenly recalled the scene from his dream, and right after that, he was shocked to discover that a glowing thin booklet had truly appeared in his mind, with the three characters "Star Formula" written on it. Could all of this not have been a dream?
Jiang Feng looked around and realized he was inside a farmhouse, in the corner of which knelt a middle-aged couple—the very woman who had lured him there and her husband.
Furious, Jiang Feng strode up to the woman.
"I kindly came to treat your husband's injuries, yet you helped villains set a trap to kill me. Although I, Jiang Feng, am willing to be kind to others, I am not a youth to be bullied. You sought your own death, so I will grant your wish." With that, he raised his fist high.
At that moment, the woman's husband quickly pulled out a jade slip and presented it to Jiang Feng. "Young hero, those villains threatened the lives of my wife and children, so she had no other choice. Fortunately, the young hero came through safely without harm. I happened to acquire this item by chance on the mountain; I beg the young hero to spare our lives."
Jiang Feng laughed out of pure anger. "Absurd! Your lives are lives, but my life means nothing?!" He brought his fist down heavily.
Right then, the cry of an infant sounded from the woman's arms.
Jiang Feng's heart twitched. He pulled back his strength, his emotions extremely complicated. Staring dead at the woman, his gaze shifted several times. "Do you... know your mistake?"
The woman kowtowed repeatedly, her face streaming with tears. "This humble wife knows her wrong. I knew I was wrong the moment I saw the young hero."
Jiang Feng's expression gradually softened. He let out a long breath, took the jade slip, and pointed outside. "Who killed them?"
The couple shook their heads one after another, looking troubled.
"Go and dispose of those bodies. If anyone asks in the future, and you leak even a hint of this, I will take your lives... Remember, do not aid the wicked ever again." With that, Jiang Feng walked out of the room, collected several ownerless money pouches and Spirit Rings, and vanished into the night.
When Jiang Feng found the little beggar girl, she was eating the food he had brought her bite by bite.
"I knew you would come find me... My memory has returned, so..." The little beggar girl did not raise her head, speaking calmly.
"Since you are already so powerful, don't let yourself suffer grievances like that ever again." Jiang Feng looked at the little beggar girl without asking about her background.
"I will be leaving here very soon. I still have some matters to settle, and you..."
"I must strive to become stronger. I have my own duties to fulfill as well, and... until we meet again." Jiang Feng placed several money pouches beside the little beggar girl and turned away with reluctance.
"My name is Chu Hanyue!" the little beggar girl's silver-bell-like voice rang out from behind him.
"Jiang Feng!" Jiang Feng did not turn around, simply raising one arm high into the air...
Back at the medicine shop, Jiang Feng quickly washed up and changed into a clean set of robes.
He felt as though he had grown a bit taller, his bronze skin glowing with a radiant luster that radiated an abundant life force.
Jiang Feng closed his eyes and discovered that his muscles, internal organs, and meridians were all filled with pale golden spots of light. These spots were flowing slowly at an imperceptible speed, and wherever they passed, every cell seemed to be cheering enthusiastically. His dantian space had also expanded significantly, and the pale golden chaotic Qi was denser than before, feeling as though it were transforming into true gold.
Jiang Feng believed that with his physical body alone, he could now defeat anyone in the same realm.
Yet he did not blindly arrogant; he knew that if he were to encounter a powerhouse like Ge Bing again, he would still suffer a crushing defeat. If not for Chu Hanyue's timely appearance during this dangerous venture, he probably would have been living his second life by now. In this world that worshipped the strong, strength was everything in the end, and the weak could never control their own destiny. At that very moment, Jiang Feng's determination to become a strong person grew firmer than ever.
Gathering his thoughts, Jiang Feng looked at the jade slip and the Spirit Ring before him—these were the spoils of war he had won with his life.
Jiang Feng first turned his attention to the oddly shaped Spirit Ring he had stripped from Ge Bing's hand. Although he had heard Manager Liu describe such magical items, he had never seen one with his own eyes. He projected his Divine Sense to wrap around the Spirit Ring. Since its original owner, Ge Bing, was dead, his Divine Sense met no resistance and plunged straight inside, seeing the contents within.
"Damn! I'm rich!" Jiang Feng waved his fist in excitement.
The space inside the Spirit Ring was about half the size of a room, filled with a dazzling golden and silver brilliance that nearly blinded him.
Boxes upon boxes of gold and silver—amounts Jiang Feng had never laid eyes on, with no telling how many taels there were. A pile of sparkling stones, which should be Spirit Stones, numbering around a thousand. There was also a martial manual, three bottles of pills, and a thin sheet of paper.
With a thought from his Divine Sense, Jiang Feng retrieved the pills, the thin paper, and the manual. The three pill bottles were labeled Gathering Qi Pill, Gathering Essence Pill, and Detoxification Pill, while the thin paper bore the words "Body Tempering Pill."
Jiang Feng did not understand the uses of these pills. Wearing a slight look of regret, he decided to wait for an opportunity to ask Uncle Liu. Turning his attention to the manual, he saw it was none other than... Freezing True Qi.
Hiss! Jiang Feng drew in a sharp breath. It was actually this technique!
He gripped the manual tightly in his hand, his heart surging with turbulent emotions. Aside from major sects, outside in the world—let alone rogue cultivators, even distinguished noble families could not easily acquire an ordinary cultivation technique. And this Freezing True Qi was by no means ordinary; one could tell just from observing Ge Bing's attacks that it was undeniably formidable. When Ge Bing had attacked Jiang Feng back then, he probably hadn't even unleashed ten percent of its power.
Jiang Feng felt deeply conflicted. Of course he wanted to cultivate a high-grade technique to rapidly grow stronger, but he did not want to cultivate Freezing True Qi because he disliked that chilling aura.
"If this were sold, it must be worth a fortune!" Still, Jiang Feng was only thinking about it; if this technique were truly leaked, his days would likely be numbered. "If Uncle Liu likes it, I suppose I could give it to him to cultivate."
Jiang Feng put these items back into the Spirit Ring and picked up the jade slip, pressing it against his forehead. Boom! Overwhelming streams of information surged into Jiang Feng's mind.
Heaven-Riving Finger, grade unknown. Jiang Feng's body suddenly trembled as three powerful martial arts stances, like flashes of light and shadow, were branded into his mind, accompanied by a wealth of cultivation experience. Evidently, the owner of this jade slip had left behind his own comprehension of this martial art for posterity.
This martial art consisted of a total of three fingers: the first finger startled wind and rain, the second finger severed mountains and rivers, and the third finger split the vault of heaven...