C12 Soul Bead

"Demon Core!"

Inside the Hall of Contributions, the presiding elder instantly recognized the fiery red crystal's origin and cast a surprised glance at Lin Feng and his companions.

Their cultivation levels were modest at best, making it unlikely they could have slain a Demon King.

Nevertheless, the elder refrained from probing further. Regardless of the means by which Lin Feng and his group acquired the Demon Core, the Sunfire Order was only interested in results, disregarding the details.

The elder accepted all the items and swiftly manipulated an abacus to tally their haul.

Soon enough, he completed the count of Lin Feng and his group's loot.

"Thirty level-four Demon Stones, one level-nine Demon Stone, and one level-one Demon Core, totaling five thousand Contribution Points!" the elder announced, then tossed a jade card to Lin Feng.

Upon receiving the jade card, Lin Feng noticed the spiritual energy coursing through it, with the word "Sun" boldly inscribed on the front and the number "Five thousand" on the back.

This was the Sunfire Order's Contribution Jade Card, crafted through a secret method and bearing a unique aura impossible for outsiders to replicate.

"Thank you, elder," Lin Feng said with composed respect, taking the jade card and leading Han Xin and the others out of the hall.

"Kid, we meet again!" A man in white approached, giving Lin Feng a mischievous smile.

"How ironic! I recall your prediction that I'd be dead the next time we met!" Lin Feng halted, flipping his middle finger at Chen Hong.

"You..."

Chen Hong's face darkened at the gesture, his gaze on Lin Feng turning murderous.

Just then, the watchful elder nearby cast a glance their way.

Chen Hong felt a cold shiver down his spine as he realized the folly of starting a fight within the Hall of Contributions. Even with his connections, he'd face severe repercussions!

"Kid, you got lucky this time! If..."

Lin Feng stared him down, cutting him off with a cool retort, "Save your breath if you're not going to act. There's no room for 'ifs' here."

With that, Lin Feng nonchalantly walked past him.

Chen Hong let out a frustrated snort, powerless to retaliate, his face contorting with rage.

"Hmm? My brother went out with you guys. Where is he?" Chen Hongdao only noticed Han Xin and his companions at that moment. Realizing that Chen Hongyu was absent, a sense of dread washed over him.

"That loser is dead. He died at Fallen Phoenix Slope." Han Xin and his companions wore tense expressions, uncertain of how to respond, when Lin Feng smoothly took over the conversation.

"Impossible! My brother was at the ninth level of the Qi Sea, and besides..." Chen Hongdao's face registered shock as he let out an incredulous shout.

"And he secretly practiced the Blood Wolf Sword Technique, didn't he?" Lin Feng leaned in close to Chen Hongdao and murmured.

"Did you kill my brother?!" Chen Hongdao's face turned a ghastly shade, his gaze icy as he stared at Lin Feng.

"That fool overreached himself, trying to take on the Demon King, and got himself killed with a single slap! Don't you dare accuse me!" Lin Feng replied with a shrug, feigning innocence.

Chen Hongdao was livid, yet he laughed mockingly instead of lashing out. Pointing at Lin Feng, he taunted, "I truly underestimated you. The inner sect examination is coming up, and I'll be sure to surprise you then!"

"I look forward to it!" Lin Feng was unfazed by Chen Hongdao's threats.

Leaving the Hall of Contributions, Han Xin and the others trailed behind Lin Feng, their faces etched with concern.

"Boss, Chen Hongdao's grandfather is an elder in the Sunfire Order. He won't let this go easily!" Liu Yan said, her complexion ashen, seemingly devoid of hope.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of him during the inner sect examination," Lin Feng assured them confidently.

"Let's go exchange for some cultivation resources and get ready for the inner sect examination!"

With 5000 Contribution Points, one could exchange for 50 bottles of Essence Pills. However, after Han Xin and the others took ten bottles each, they handed the rest of the points over to Lin Feng.

"Boss, we wouldn't have reaped such rewards without you! Ten bottles of Essence Pills each are plenty for us," they said gratefully.

Han Xin passed Lin Feng the jade card inscribed with 2000 Contribution Points.

"Alright then," Lin Feng accepted without hesitation. His sect-issued sword had shattered back at Fallen Phoenix Slope. This time, he intended to exchange for a weapon that would suit him better.

2000 Contribution Points was no small sum. The weapons arrayed in the armory were a dazzling sight, and Lin Feng found himself almost overwhelmed by the choices.

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to a massive pitch-black sword.

To call it a sword was almost a misnomer; it resembled an unsharpened slab of iron more than anything. If not for the occasional flicker of faint spiritual energy, one might easily mistake it for a piece of scrap metal.

Lin Feng gave it a cursory glance and initially detected nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, he unexpectedly sensed a hint of a familiar aura emanating from the sword.

"Junior brother, this is the Heavy Xuan Iron Sword. It can slice through iron as if it were mud and is utterly indestructible! If you're interested, I can let you have it for 500 Contribution Points," the green-robed disciple said, noticing Lin Feng's interest and quickly approaching.

"300 Contribution Points, and it's mine," Lin Feng countered with a smile, looking at the green-robed man.

"Deal!" To Lin Feng's surprise, the green-robed disciple agreed without hesitation.

The disciple's readiness to agree made Lin Feng think he could have bargained the price down even further...

The truth was, this colossal sword had been languishing in the warehouse for years, largely ignored by the disciples. Swords typically favored finesse and agility, and this Heavy Xuan Iron Sword, being three feet long, four inches wide, and weighing a hefty three thousand kilograms, was anything but conventional. Its odd appearance aside, an average disciple would need to expend a significant amount of spiritual energy just to wield it. Worse still, the sword inherently suppressed spiritual energy, making it a tremendous burden to carry, let alone use in combat!

"Hehe, I finally managed to trade away the Heavy Xuan Iron Sword, and I've made a neat profit of 200 Contribution Points!" the green-robed man gleefully deducted 300 Contribution Points.

"Junior brother, do visit us more often!" he called out to Lin Feng with a hint of reluctance.

"Visit your sister!" Lin Feng muttered under his breath, exasperated. This guy seemed intent on taking him for a ride.

"The inner sect examination is in three days. Use this time wisely to enhance your cultivation and strive to pass the exam, becoming inner sect disciples," Lin Feng advised Han Xin and the others before heading back to his own courtyard.

"Young Master, you've returned!"

Zhang Ling'er had been waiting at the entrance. Her face lit up with joy upon seeing Lin Feng's return.

"How is your swordsmanship coming along?" Lin Feng asked, noticing the slight gauntness of Zhang Ling'er's cheeks, a clear sign of her diligent practice.

"Please, I welcome your instruction!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Zhang Ling'er sprang into action, her sword thrusting towards Lin Feng's face with ghostly speed.

Her attack was noticeably faster than before, the sword's path nearly indiscernible, as if the next strike could come from anywhere.

"Well done!" Lin Feng praised, his feet lightly tapping the ground as he sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blade's edge.

Zhang Ling'er's initial strike missed its mark, but she quickly adjusted, her wrist flicking at an odd angle, reminiscent of an antelope's horn, slashing towards Lin Feng's chest.

Her swordplay was cunning, rivaling the skill of an ordinary Spiritual Martial Force warrior.

Lin Feng's face grew serious. He drew his Heavy Xuan Iron Sword and, leveraging its weight, used the momentum to vault behind Zhang Ling'er.

In a flash, Zhang Ling'er's long sword inexplicably shifted direction, its cold gleam striking like a venomous snake.

Lin Feng broke out in a cold sweat, his keen senses alerting him to the sword's new path just in time.

With a clang, her sword met his Heavy Xuan Iron Sword and could advance no further.

"You are indeed formidable, Young Master. I had hoped that mastering the Life Seizing Three Swords would compel you to act!" Zhang Ling'er said between breaths, her face tinged with disappointment.

"Ha! You've only been practicing for a few days, yet your swordsmanship has already surpassed that of many Outer Sect disciples!" Lin Feng said, discreetly wiping the sweat from his brow, his tone earnest. Internally, he was astounded by Zhang Ling'er's natural talent for the sword. In just a few short days, she had mastered such a lethal technique. Had he not been practicing the Di Tian Soul Mantra, evading that third strike would have come at a great cost.

Zhang Ling'er's mood lifted slightly at his words, yet a shadow of discontent still lingered on her face.

"Stop frowning! Your swordsmanship has greatly improved. There's no need to dwell on the basics anymore; you can move on to grasping the essence of the sword," Lin Feng said irritably, giving her a playful swat on the behind with his sword.

"I'm starving, get the fire started and cook something!"

"Just a moment, Young Master. I'll get right on it!" Feeling the stinging heat on her behind, Ling'er's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She quickly grabbed the key and scurried off to prepare the meal alone.

"What a pity! If I'd known she wouldn't react, I would've used my hand instead!" Lin Feng watched Ling'er's hasty retreat with a tinge of regret. An unusual thought stirred within his usually tranquil heart.

Time slips by like a flowing river, and three days vanished in the blink of an eye.

In the room, Lin Feng sat with his eyes half-closed, surrounded by a dense aura of Spiritual Qi from Heaven and Earth, pulsating around him like relentless waves.

The Spiritual Qi flowed ceaselessly into Lin Feng, vanishing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Half an hour later, not a trace of Spiritual Qi remained around Lin Feng, as though he were in a vacuum.

Opening his eyes, Lin Feng exhaled a breath of stale air, his expression tinged with resignation.

"Peak of the Qi Sea Realm!"

Lin Feng had anticipated that after taking the Nine Revolutions Heaven and Earth Pill, he would easily advance to the Spiritual Martial Realm.

Yet, at the critical moment of breakthrough, the Emperor Heaven Soul Technique underwent an unexpected transformation, voraciously absorbing the Spiritual Qi, leaving Lin Feng's cultivation stalled at the peak of the Qi Sea Realm, just shy of the Spiritual Martial Realm.

In his past life, Lin Feng's cultivation of the Emperor Heaven Soul Technique had far exceeded the Astral Sea Realm, so he had never faced this predicament.

After the technique absorbed a substantial amount of Spiritual Qi, a golden soul bead the size of a soybean formed in his mind.

Lin Feng spent a long time investigating but could not discern the purpose of the golden soul bead.

Nonetheless, even though Lin Feng hadn't achieved a breakthrough to the Spiritual Martial Realm, his soul's perceptive abilities had significantly strengthened, serving as a form of intangible compensation.