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**
If it hadn't been for Lin Feng's terrifying speed, the old man wouldn't have been in such a passive state—unable to even escape.
"Wait... what is this?!"
Earlier, he had been distracted by Zi Yan and hadn't noticed the penetrative force from the Piercing Heart Finger had already entered his body. Now that it exploded forth suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he shouted in panic.
At the same time, the meridians in his body, which were already cracked, finally couldn't endure anymore and completely shattered.
"Take this—Earth-Splitting Fist!"
Seeing the opponent's attention was diverted by Lin Feng's Piercing Heart Finger, Zi Yan spun her small fists in the air before slamming them hard onto the old man's head.
Boom!
The moment Zi Yan's fist collided with the old man's head, a mist of red and white blood burst out violently.
Then, a massive shockwave spread outward from the point of impact.
The old man's body was like a meteor crashing to earth, smashing into the ground with a thunderous roar.
A loud explosion echoed, and the surrounding forest instantly filled with a cloud of thick dust.
Seeing this, Lin Feng wasn't sure the enemy was completely dead, so he hastily followed up with another Furious Lion Roar from the sky.
After the sound of the explosion faded, Lin Feng swept his right palm across, sending a strong gust of wind that instantly blew away the dust, revealing only a broken corpse left behind.
"Damn it!"
The other high-level Dou Wang cursed when he saw his employer had been killed. Without hesitation, he turned and tried to flee.
Unfortunately, Xiao Cai's speed was simply too fast, keeping him pinned down and unable to escape.
"Zi Yan, go help Xiao Cai finish off the last guy!"
Seeing this, Lin Feng called out to Zi Yan, who was still excited over her kill.
"Got it!"
She responded quickly, then darted over to the other battlefield.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng descended to where the grey-robed old man had fallen.
Because of the heavy impact, the man's robe was already torn to shreds, allowing Lin Feng to finally see his true appearance.
Looking at the corpse of the old man—who appeared to be in his sixties—Lin Feng stepped forward. Seeing that the man's head was already obliterated, he gave up the idea of delivering a finishing blow and instead pulled the storage ring off his hand.
With anticipation, Lin Feng slowly closed his eyes and used his soul perception to scan the contents of the ring.
Moments later, his eyes flew open, sparkling with excitement.
Judging by the contents of the storage ring, this grey-robed old man had definitely been a fifth-tier alchemist.
Inside the ring was not only a scroll of Earth Class cultivation method and a scroll of Earth Class Dou Technique, but also a massive collection of pill formulas.
In particular, there were more than ten formulas for fifth-tier pills.
Among them was even a formula for the Dou Spirit Pill, a peak fifth-tier pill!
Not to mention, there were also all kinds of rare medicinal herbs and alchemy tools.
This time, he'd really hit the jackpot.
"Lin Feng, we finished off the other guy."
Just as Lin Feng was momentarily lost in joy from his haul, Zi Yan and Xiao Cai returned. Zi Yan was still tossing a storage ring in her hand.
"Good. Let's leave this place first," Lin Feng nodded and said.
"Mhm! Here's the storage ring—don't forget to refine pills for me!" Zi Yan said, tossing it over to him.
"No problem."
Lin Feng stowed away both storage rings, then led the two little ones back toward the small valley they'd been staying in earlier.
After returning to the valley, although Lin Feng was physically weak from the aftereffects of the secret technique, he couldn't resist taking out the scroll of Low-Grade Earth Class cultivation method and reading through it.
"Solar Flame Transformation Art — Low-Grade Earth Class.
This transformation art is the product of this sovereign's cultivation and comprehension over hundreds of years.
After cultivating it, its power dramatically increases under strong sunlight!"
Finishing the final word, Lin Feng slowly raised his head, a smile appearing on his lips.
He had to break through to Dou Huang before his lifespan ran out—and with this new cultivation method, his chances were now much greater.
After memorizing the remaining content, Lin Feng couldn't wait to start switching to this new method.
"As expected of an Earth Class cultivation method! Not only has my cultivation speed increased significantly, but the Dou Qi in my body has also become much more refined and powerful."
Feeling the thick and pure Dou Qi circulating through his body, Lin Feng finally understood why that grey-robed old man had been able to suppress Zi Yan, even when she had the upper hand in brute strength.
Curious, he then pulled out the scroll containing the Earth Class Dou Technique.
"Flame Origin Palm — Low-Grade Earth Class.
This palm technique condenses Dou Qi into a fiery imprint.
When mastered, a mere wave of the hand can shatter mountains and split the earth."
"Heh... not bad at all."
Looking at the first Earth Class Dou Technique in his possession, Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Pfft. It's just an Earth Class technique. You're acting like you won the lottery."
Zi Yan popped a handful of pills into her mouth and muttered in disdain.
"You little brat, what do you know? This is the joy of a proper harvest!"
Lin Feng instantly fired back with a grin.
After speaking, he went back to checking the rest of the items in the storage ring.
Before long, he had organized all the fifth-tier pill formulas inside.
And they were indeed quite a bounty.
From basic-level Injury Dispelling Pill, Spirit-Rising Pill, all the way to the peak-grade Dou Spirit Pill, everything was included—an incredibly complete collection.
"What a pity... There's actually no sixth-tier pill formula in here."
After organizing all the pill recipes, Lin Feng let out a soft sigh, a bit disappointed.
However, the moment his gaze landed on the five-spouted cauldron, his expression instantly changed to one of delight.
He took it out and carefully examined it.
The cauldron was a deep crimson, its surface covered in intricate patterns. At a glance, it was clear this was no ordinary item—far superior to the cauldron he had been using before.
"Not bad! Finally, I'm free from that trashy cauldron dragging me down."
Gently stroking the slightly cool surface of the cauldron, Lin Feng said with obvious joy.
Afterward, Lin Feng continued rummaging through the storage ring and was surprised to find that there were very few pills inside.
This confused him a bit—was this a fake fifth-tier alchemist's storage ring?
But then, deep within the ring, his eyes locked onto a jade bottle of exceptionally high quality. Curious, Lin Feng took it out and poured out the contents.
"This is... a Dou Spirit Pill!"
Looking at the jade-green pill in his palm, Lin Feng pondered for a moment before finally recalling what this pill was.
Dou Spirit Pill—a pill that even Dou Wang experts would covet with envy.
Its effect? It could forcibly increase a Dou Wang-level cultivator's star level by one.
In other words, if a 2-star Dou Wang consumed it, they could advance to a 3-star Dou Wang within just a few days!
It had to be known that once a cultivator reached the Dou Wang level, every single star was a major leap in power.
Many Dou Wang experts would train diligently for years, only to remain stuck at the same star level.
Of course, despite its amazing effect, the Dou Spirit Pill came with a strong limitation—resistance.
Once a person consumed one, the second Dou Spirit Pill would basically lose all effectiveness for them.
Meaning, a Dou Wang could only ever use one Dou Spirit Pill in their lifetime.
Even so, the Dou Spirit Pill remained one of the most coveted elixirs among the strong.
Many were even willing to pay enormous prices just to obtain one!
"Hehe, I didn't expect this fifth-tier alchemist to have such a treasure. Judging by his condition, he probably couldn't refine it himself—must've acquired it through a trade."
As he spoke, Lin Feng quickly returned the pill to the jade bottle and sealed it tightly to avoid any loss of potency.
He hesitated for a moment while holding the bottle, then ultimately placed it back into the storage ring.
He still had enough lifespan left—no need to rush. It would be better to use it when he was a higher-star Dou Wang.
Afterward, Lin Feng found that aside from a few alchemy notes, the rest of the items weren't particularly tempting.
With a faint sigh of disappointment, he tucked the ring away.
As for the storage ring from that other high-level Dou Wang—it was much more lackluster.
Apart from a few Black Class cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, and a small number of pills, there wasn't anything noteworthy.
Having finished sorting everything out, Lin Feng began to think about his future plans.
As for joining Jia Nan Academy—that idea was the first he tossed aside.
At his current strength, there wasn't much in the academy that could truly attract him.
If anything, maybe the Fallen Heart Flame and the advanced techniques in the library.
But even if he joined Jia Nan Academy, there was no way they'd just hand those over to him.
As for trading the Heavenly Flame—he had already thrown that idea out the window.
After all, he was already considering snatching the Flame Mantra; of course, he wasn't going to trade away his flame.
Besides, if he became an elder at Jia Nan Academy, then when Han Feng came to steal the flame, it'd be difficult for him to act freely with all the elders watching.
But if he remained an outsider, he might just be able to infiltrate the tower and take the flame himself.
Of course, there was no guarantee of success.
Still, at least he wouldn't be under constant surveillance and could move freely.
With Jia Nan Academy out of the picture, Lin Feng considered the idea of joining Han Feng's faction.
That way, when Han Feng inevitably fell, he could swoop in and take over his territory right away.
However, after some thought, he ultimately dismissed that plan too.
What if, when Han Feng went to snatch the Heavenly Flame, he called Lin Feng to join him? Then what?
If Lin Feng went, he'd be exposed under the watchful eyes of Jia Nan Academy's elders—forget about sneaking into the tower.
But if he didn't go, Han Feng would likely view him as a traitor, which would be a huge pain.
"Forget it... I'll just build my own force."
After a long sigh, Lin Feng said helplessly.
Now that he was a fifth-tier alchemist and a Dou Wang, he had more than enough qualifications to establish a decent faction in the Black-Corner Region.
He opened the intelligence scroll he'd bought earlier and browsed for a while before finally settling on information about Spirit Mountain City's Spirit Mountain Gang.
"The strongest person in this Spirit Mountain Gang is just a Dou Wang? Then I'll make this my base of operations."
Reading the information, Lin Feng murmured to himself.
Then he turned to Zi Yan beside him and asked, "I'm planning to form a force in a few days—wanna join me?"
"Mm... I can't. That old geezer Su Qian said I could go out and play, but absolutely can't get involved with any forces in the Black-Corner Region."
Zi Yan hesitated for a moment, recalling how furious that old man could get, and shook her head.
"Alright then. Me and Xiao Cai can handle this little faction just fine."
Speaking of Xiao Cai, Lin Feng suddenly remembered he hadn't fulfilled his promise to her yet. So, he took out the Birth Essence, removed the stopper—
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