27: Chapter 27, S-Rank Dungeon Unlocked! A Lord with 100,000 HP Blocks the Way!

At seven o'clock the next morning, the sky was just barely brightening.

Lin Feng packed all his luggage. The morning breeze blew, bringing a hint of coolness.

Five figures appeared at the street corner on time.

They wore unified dark blue combat uniforms, with the Explorer Association's silver emblem embroidered on their chests.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his early thirties with a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a broad-bladed battle saber hanging at his waist.

"Lin Feng?" He walked over, his voice deep.

"That's me." Lin Feng nodded.

"I'm Zhou Meng, captain of the third squad of the Association's guard team." The middle-aged man extended a large hand. "Under Supervisor Zhao's orders, I'm escorting you to the Ancient Trial Tower."

The two shook hands.

Lin Feng could feel the calluses on the other party's palm, marks left by years of gripping a saber.

"Thank you all for your trouble." Lin Feng said politely.

Zhou Meng waved his hand: "It's our duty. Get in the car; the instance dungeon is in the western suburbs of the city, about an hour's drive."

An armored off-road vehicle was parked by the roadside.

Lin Feng sat in the back row, Zhou Meng in the passenger seat, and the other four team members spread out in the front and back seats.

The car started and drove out of the urban area.

On the way, Zhou Meng observed Lin Feng through the rearview mirror.

"Kid, I heard you voluntarily requested this S-Rank Mission?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Mm." Lin Feng nodded.

"Gutsy." Zhou Meng gave a thumbs up. "The Ancient Trial Tower has been hanging for three years; no one who went in has come out alive. You're the eighteenth."

The driving team member interjected: "Captain, don't scare him."

"I'm telling the truth." Zhou Meng turned his head and looked at Lin Feng seriously. "Kid, I heard you have the Radiance Sun Crown Physique, a rare Talent. But of the seventeen people before, which one wasn't a Prodigy? Thunder Battle Physique, Life Body, Indestructible Vajra Body... which one was worse than you?"

Lin Feng was silent.

Zhou Meng continued: "I'm not trying to discourage you; I just want you to know that people really die in this instance dungeon. It's still not too late to regret it now. If you regret it at the instance dungeon entrance, it'll be too late."

"I don't regret it." Lin Feng said calmly.

Zhou Meng stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.

"Alright, you have backbone."

He turned back, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the storage compartment, and lit one.

"By the way, you said the Blood Wolf Group was hunting you before?" Zhou Meng exhaled a smoke ring.

"Yes, the day before yesterday, outside the Gloomy Forest instance dungeon, they ambushed me. I killed four of them, and one escaped." Lin Feng said truthfully.

The car instantly fell silent.

The four team members all turned to look at Lin Feng.

"Killed four?" The driving team member's eyes widened. "Those scumbags from the Blood Wolf Group, although their Rank isn't high, they're all old hands. You alone..."

"I have an equipment advantage." Lin Feng pointed to his Storage Pouch.

Zhou Meng was thoughtful: "No wonder you chose the Ancient Trial Tower. This instance dungeon is in the west of the city, and the Blood Wolf Group's main area of activity is in the east of the city; it really can avoid them."

He paused, then added: "But kid, you need to be careful. The Blood Wolf Group has been rampant in this area for three years; they have backers."

Lin Feng frowned: "Doesn't the Federation manage them?"

"Manage? How to manage?" Zhou Meng sneered. "The leader of the Blood Wolf Group, 'Blood Wolf' himself, is an peripheral member of a certain Family in Donghai City. As long as they don't cause too much trouble, the higher-ups turn a blind eye."

"Family?" Lin Feng's heart sank.

"I can't say which Family specifically." Zhou Meng shook his head. "But remember, in this world, strength and background are both essential. No matter how good your Talent is, without a backer, you'll still be bullied."

Lin Feng clenched his fists.

He thought of Wang Hao.

That guy entered the academy, with teachers and classmates behind him; he should be doing well now, right?

And he himself could only hide like a rat.

"So I need to become stronger." Lin Feng said in a low voice. "Strong enough not to need a backer."

Zhou Meng heard this and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

"Good ambition."

...

An hour and a half later, the off-road vehicle drove into a desolate mountainous area.

The mountain road was rugged, and the car was severely bumpy.

"Almost there." Zhou Meng pointed ahead. "The Ancient Trial Tower is on the summit of that mountain."

Lin Feng looked in the direction he pointed.

In the distance, a lone peak rose from the ground, and the outline of an ancient tower could vaguely be seen on its summit.

After another ten minutes, the car stopped at the foot of the mountain.

There was a makeshift camp here, with several Explorer Association staff members on duty.

"Captain Zhou." A staff member came up. "Is this Lin Feng, who took the S-Rank Mission?"

"Yes." Zhou Meng nodded. "How's the instance dungeon entrance situation?"

"Everything is normal." The staff member said, "However..."

He hesitated.

"However what?" Zhou Meng frowned.

The staff member lowered his voice: "The Blood Wolf Group people are here, watching outside the camp."

Lin Feng's heart tightened.

Zhou Meng's eyes turned cold: "They dare to make a move here?"

"They wouldn't dare." The staff member shook his head. "This is the Association's territory; they don't have the guts. But they are indeed outside, looking quite intimidating."

Zhou Meng patted Lin Feng's shoulder: "Let's go, I'll escort you to the entrance. I want to see who dares to cause trouble here."

The five-person guard team escorted Lin Feng deeper into the camp.

Other Explorers in the camp all looked sideways.

"Who is that? Such a big entourage?"

"I don't know, personally escorted by the guard team, he must be a big shot."

"Wait, the emblem on his chest... Rank 8? Only Rank 8?"

"Does a Rank 8 need five guards above Rank 2? What a joke!"

Amidst the discussions, Lin Feng and his group passed through the camp.

Just as they were about to reach the instance dungeon entrance—

A chilling gaze locked onto Lin Feng.

Lin Feng suddenly turned his head.

At the edge of the camp, under a withered tree, stood a man.

The man was about thirty years old, bald, with a scar running from his forehead to his chin, like a centipede crawling on his face.

He wore leather armor with a bloody wolf head pattern and had two curved knives hanging at his waist.

What startled Lin Feng the most was his gaze—like a venomous snake, cold, cruel, and full of Killing Intent.

"Blood Wolf." Zhou Meng said in a low voice. "The leader of the Blood Wolf Group, Rank 25, B-Rank Talent [Bloodthirsty Frenzy]."

Lin Feng could feel that the other party's gaze was constantly following him.

In that gaze, there was anger, resentment, and also... greed?

"He's got his eyes on you." Zhou Meng said solemnly. "You killed four of his subordinates; this grudge is huge."

Lin Feng took a deep breath: "I know."

"But don't worry." Zhou Meng sneered. "He wouldn't dare to make a move here. According to the Association's rules, anyone who dares to kill in the instance dungeon entrance area will be wanted by the entire Federation."

As the two spoke, they had already reached the instance dungeon entrance.

It was an ancient stone gate, covered with complex runes.

In the center of the stone gate, there was a hand-shaped groove.

[Ancient Trial Tower Entrance]

[Entry Requirements: Rank 1-1, Prodigy-level Physique or above, single player]

[Status: Enterable]

The staff member stepped forward and said to Lin Feng: "Place your hand on it; the gate will open after verification."

Lin Feng nodded and walked forward.

He looked back.

Blood Wolf was still standing there, his gaze even colder.

Lin Feng could read the meaning in that gaze—when you come out, you're dead.

"When I come out, it's not certain who will die yet." Lin Feng sneered inwardly.

He no longer hesitated and pressed his hand into the stone gate's groove.

Buzz—

The runes on the stone gate lit up with golden light.

The golden light flowed along the patterns of the runes, finally converging at Lin Feng's palm.

[Physique verification passed: Radiance Sun Crown (Prodigy-level)]

[Rank verification passed: Rank 8]

[Number of people verification passed: Single player]

[Admission qualification confirmed]

Rumble...

The stone gate slowly opened.

Behind the gate was a swirling white light curtain, obscuring the view inside.

Zhou Meng patted Lin Feng's shoulder: "Kid, take care. Come out alive, and I'll buy you a drink."

"Definitely." Lin Feng smiled.

He took one last look at Blood Wolf outside the camp, then turned and walked into the light curtain.

The white light swallowed his figure.

The stone gate slowly closed.

...

Lin Feng felt his body lighten, like he was on a roller coaster.

A few seconds later, his feet touched solid ground.

He opened his eyes and was stunned.

Before him was a huge courtyard paved with bluestone bricks, easily the size of a dozen basketball courts.

The ground was made of neat square bluestone bricks, each half a meter square, polished smooth as a mirror.

The courtyard was surrounded by high walls, at least ten meters tall, covered in climbing vines.

Above was a hazy sky; the sun couldn't be seen, but there was ample light.

The entire courtyard was empty, with only a stone pillar standing in the very center.

"This... is this an instance dungeon?" Lin Feng was a bit confused.

He had learned in textbooks that instance dungeons were usually environments like forests, caves, or ruins.

This kind of orderly courtyard, like a training room, was his first time seeing.

He walked to the center of the courtyard and looked at the stone pillar.

The stone pillar was about a person's height, inscribed with ancient text.

Lin Feng didn't recognize the writing, but when he reached out to touch it, the text automatically transformed into information he could understand.

[Welcome to Ancient Trial Tower First Floor]

[Trial Content: Defeat the Guardian]

[Clear Reward: Qualification to enter the Second Floor]

[Failure Penalty: Death]

[Hint: Cannot exit after the trial begins]

Lin Feng withdrew his hand, his mood heavy.

"This instance dungeon is really special; once you're in, you can't leave."

He walked to the edge of the courtyard and began to inspect it.

The walls were very sturdy, emitting a dull sound when tapped, clearly solid.

The ground was also very firm; the gaps between the bluestone bricks were so tight that not even a piece of paper could be inserted.

"No hidden mechanisms, no traps..." Lin Feng frowned. "Then it's a pure martial arts trial."

He returned to the center of the courtyard and took out the tree demon scepter from his Storage Pouch.

He checked his equipment again.

Gold and Silver Pupils Ring (Purple), Frost Heart Bracelet (Purple), Scholar's Robe (Blue), Ice Trace Boots (Blue), Eye of Insight (Blue).

As for potions, five advanced mana potions, three advanced health potions, and items like blazing light stone and Water Curtain.

"Ready."

Lin Feng took a deep breath and said to the stone pillar: "I'm ready."

As soon as he finished speaking—

Boom!!!

The ground in the center of the courtyard suddenly cracked open!

A figure slowly rose from the crack.

It was a Black Armored General, two and a half meters tall, completely encased in armor.

The armor was of an ancient style, covered with scratches from swords and blades.

Most eerily, beneath the armor's faceplate, there was no face.

Only two flickering red flames, like eyes.

The General held a three-meter-long black spear, its tip gleaming coldly.

When he landed, the ground shook slightly.

[Ancient Trial Tower First Floor Guardian · Black Armored General]

[Rank: 1 (Lord-level)]

[Health: 10000]

[Attack: 30]

[Defense: 30]

[Skills: ???]

[Description: One of the guardians of the Ancient Trial Tower, possessing terrifying martial power. Defeat him to enter the next floor]

"Ten thousand health... three hundred attack and defense..." Lin Feng gasped.

These stats are even more abnormal than the Ice Banshee Lord!

The Black Armored General slowly raised his head, his two flaming "eyes" locking onto Lin Feng.

He didn't speak, just raised his long spear, its tip pointing at Lin Feng.

A terrifying Killing Intent spread out.

The temperature in the courtyard plummeted.

Lin Feng felt his breathing become somewhat difficult.

This was pure Killing Intent, condensed from countless slaughters!

"Is this... the difficulty of an un-conquered instance dungeon?" Lin Feng gripped his scepter, his palms sweating.

But he did not retreat.

His Radiance Sun Crown Physique boiled within him, and golden light emanated from his body.

"Come on." Lin Feng's eyes were firm. "Let me see how strong you really are!"

The Black Armored General moved.

He took heavy steps, walking towards Lin Feng one by one.

With every step, the ground vibrated.

The long spear dragged on the ground, scraping against the bluestone bricks, emitting a harsh grinding sound.

Battle, imminent!