77: Selling stolen goods outside

Several hours later, Lin Feng opened his eyes, a sharp glint contained within them. His aura was even more solid and profound than before.

'The jade liquid pill truly lives up to its reputation; my Foundation is indeed much more stable.'

Aside from Alchemy and Cultivation, Lin Feng would visit the spiritual spring every day.

Every morning and evening, he would sit by the spring, hands cupped, Cultivating the Nine Profound Sword Heart Art, slowly channeling his purest and most peaceful spiritual power, mixed with the vital water vapor from the spiritual spring, towards the lotus seed.

Initially, the lotus seed showed no reaction, like a dead object. But Lin Feng wasn't disheartened, continuing to nourish it day after day.

Ten-odd days passed. One day, as Lin Feng slowly injected spiritual power again, his keen Divine Sense suddenly detected that the tiny cracks on the lotus seed's surface seemed... to have healed slightly? If not for his powerful Divine Sense, he would have barely noticed it.

What moved him even more was that a faint ripple of vitality seemed to emanate from within the lotus seed, resonating slightly with the spiritual power he had channeled into it.

'It's working. But... this vitality is too weak. At this rate, who knows how long it will take for it to fully revive and sprout. It seems I need to keep an eye out for any heavenly spiritual treasures that can nourish the Origin of such spiritual plants in the future.'

...Meanwhile, on Hundred Flowers Peak, Luo Linger was caught in a sweet predicament.

Since returning from the Sea of Ash and Silence, she found that her cultivation had inexplicably advanced by a large margin. Her spiritual power flowed incredibly smoothly, and the Bottleneck that had held her back for so long had quietly broken through, firmly establishing her in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Realm.

She was both surprised and doubtful, vaguely guessing it might be related to the anomaly in the hot spring that day, but she couldn't figure out the reason no matter how hard she tried, nor did she have anyone to confide in.

That day, her Master, Immortal Master Ziyun, happened to pass by her medicinal garden. He originally intended to casually check on his Disciple's studies, but when his Divine Sense swept over Luo Linger, he abruptly stopped.

"Ling'er," Immortal Master Ziyun's face showed a rare mix of astonishment and incredulous joy as he scrutinized her from head to toe, "When... when did you Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage? And your Realm is so stable?"

Luo Linger's heart skipped a beat, and she stammered, "Disciple... Disciple recently made some progress in Cultivation..."

"Made some progress?" Immortal Master Ziyun stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Good. Good. This is truly good. I was worried that you were too engrossed in cultivating these flowers and plants all day, neglecting your own great Dao of cultivation. I never expected it. I never expected you to secretly work so hard and give your Master such a big surprise without a sound!"

The more he spoke, the happier he became, looking at Luo Linger with the satisfaction of 'My Disciple has finally seen the light':

"It seems you have great talent in cultivation, but your mind wasn't in it before. Now that you've broken through, it proves your potential is not small.

In the future, you must guard against arrogance and impetuosity, Cultivate diligently, and never again be as playful as before. You must know that the path of cultivation is like sailing against the current..."

Luo Linger listened to her Master's endless praise and admonishments, her face flushing and paling, feeling extremely awkward but unable to explain. She could only lower her head and vaguely respond, "Yes... Master's teachings are right... Disciple... Disciple understands..."

Seeing her humble and receptive demeanor, Immortal Master Ziyun was even more greatly comforted. After a few more words of encouragement, he departed in a joyful mood.

Only after her Master had gone far did Luo Linger let out a long sigh of relief, patting her chest, her face filled with a wry smile.

'What kind of situation is this... If Master knew how this cultivation came about...' She dared not think further, only feeling her cheeks starting to burn again. She shook her head, forcing herself to shift her attention to a spiritual plant in front of her... Lin Feng's gaze swept over the several Magical Artifacts obtained from the Black Abyss Forest, which bore clear marks of the Chiyan Sect.

They were like burning hot potatoes, giving Lin Feng a huge headache.

He knew that dealing with these items within the Sect carried immense risk.

The Sect market was crowded and full of watchful eyes; there was no guarantee there wouldn't be Chiyan Sect spies. More terrifyingly, if the Core Formation Elder within the Sect, who might be connected to the Spirit Stealing Reverse Array, were to notice, he would be walking into a trap.

'The secret of the earth core spirit quenching milk has not yet been uncovered. It's better to go somewhere further away, find a sufficiently chaotic black market that doesn't ask about Origins, and sell them there.'

He made up his mind, settling on a place called "Grayrock Market."

This market was located in the buffer zone between the Tianxuan Sect and Chiyan Sect's spheres of influence, near a Grayrock Mountain Range. It was maintained by several small local Families, a mix of Dragons and snakes, and was notoriously known as a place for fencing stolen goods.

'This place is still several days' journey from the core area of the Chiyan Sect; it should be safe. I'll be careful, go quickly, and return quickly. There should be no major problems.'

He meticulously planned his route, deliberating repeatedly, feeling that he had considered everything thoroughly. Only then did he change his attire, wear the hidden star pendant, suppress his cultivation to the Qi Refinement Stage level, and quietly leave the Tianxuan Sect.

Traveling swiftly, the vast grayrock landscape came into view. Grayrock Market was built within a huge natural rock fissure, its entrance crude and devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

Lin Feng avoided the crowds and, following the secret signal he had inquired about, found the underground entrance hidden behind the backyard of an Artifact Refining shop.

The light in the black market was even dimmer, and transactions were completed with hushed whispers and concealed gestures. Lin Feng sold the items in batches, and the process was unexpectedly smooth. With Spirit Stones in hand, he felt a little relieved.

'It seems this trip is going smoothly, even better than expected...'

Just as he took out the last item, the Chiyan Sect leading Disciple's Star Net Compass Magical Artifact, the old man behind the counter's cloudy eyes seemed to brighten for a moment, but he quickly concealed it and offered a fair price.

The transaction complete, Lin Feng turned to leave. The moment he took a step, he caught an extremely faint "click" from the old man's sleeve behind him, like a communication talisman being crushed.

'Not good!' Lin Feng thought, his muscles tensing instantly. 'How is this possible? This place is so far from the Chiyan Sect; could it be their people? How could their people be...'

He didn't hesitate, stepping on his Wind-Following Steps, desperately rushing out of the black market, not even stopping when he knocked over a stall. Several angry shouts came from within the market, but he couldn't care less.

Rushing out of the market, he flew into the sky on his sword, the biting wind whipping his face. He didn't stop, speeding towards the pre-planned direction of the desolate stone forest with its complex terrain.

However, just half an incense stick later, two streaks of murderous escape light rapidly pursued him from behind, moving at an astonishing speed.

"Kid in front! Stop! How dare you fence items from my Chiyan Sect? You're courting death."

Seeing two Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators chasing him, Lin Feng's heart sank; the worst had happened.

'How could they react so quickly?' He gritted his teeth, frantically weaving through the stone forest, trying to use the terrain to shake off the pursuit.

But the two behind him were clearly familiar with this terrain. Their fire-elemental Spells bombarded him wildly, constantly blocking his path and forcing him into a sorry state.

"Hmph. Running pretty fast, aren't you? Kid, if you know what's good for you, surrender obediently. Elder Chiliau personally ordered that you must be brought back alive.

This area is full of our Chiyan Sect people; you can't escape." Another pursuer sneered.

'Elder Chiliau? Bring me back alive?' Lin Feng's heart trembled. 'They're after me. Did the Black Abyss Forest incident get exposed?'