Translator: Cinder Translations
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Crack!
The shattered metal turned to dust, and the asphalt road in the dream world was littered with the exposed parts of over ten cars.
The metal shells either disappeared entirely or left behind only a pile of black ash.
[Metal Essence +1!]
[Metal Essence +1!]
Finally, a large amount was absorbed.
Over twenty cars were destroyed, and the surrounding houses' security doors and appliances were all rendered useless.
Chen Feng finally saw the progress in his Steel Bones talent.
[Steel Bones LV1: 32/100]
"Only increased by two points."
Chen Feng was silent.
After this attempt, he was fully convinced that ordinary metal had an extremely weak effect on improving Steel Bones.
Moreover, the large quantity needed made the absorption process incredibly time-consuming.
In summary:
It isn't worth it.
Given his limited time in the dream world, rather than spending a significant amount of time absorbing ordinary metal, it would be better to search for Limit Breaking Light Orbs or directly go to another branch of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.
Having figured this out, he no longer hesitated.
He slung his black backpack over his shoulder, packed his things, and turned east, following the map's marking to a new Extreme Martial Arts Hall located ten kilometers away.
Speeding up, his senses expanded.
Occasionally, other buildings along the way offered some rewards.
Eventually, halfway there, the dream world began to fade.
Two Limit Breaking Light Orbs and one Attribute Light Orb.
[Strength: 16.0 → 16.1]
[Agility: 14.6 → 14.8]
[Constitution: 18.7]
[Will: 16.3 → 16.5]
"A few Attribute Light Orbs no longer have much effect on me."
Returning to reality, Chen Feng glanced at his panel, shaking his head.
A 0.5 increase in attributes was negligible; any real martial technique cultivation would surpass this result.
"However, I wonder if there are more similar entities in the dream world."
"Perhaps, there are places abundant in Attribute Light Orbs."
Chen Feng slowly stood up, lost in thought.
A single Attribute Light Orb's effect is weak, but what if there were ten? Or even a hundred?
With this thought, his mind expanded further.
Limit Breaking Light Orbs were the spiritual remnants of martial artists.
Attribute Light Orbs were the spiritual remnants of transcendent beings.
What if he went to places frequently visited by transcendents?
Perhaps, it could yield the same effects as the martial arts academy.
Lost in thought, he walked over to the window and pulled open the curtain.
The weather was clear, and the sky was a vast blue.
The sounds of people in the nearby community began to rise, and the noise of the fruit shop downstairs filtered through the air.
Every household's window had rusty iron railings. This was the oldest neighborhood in Nanjiang City.
By instinct, Chen Feng glanced at the file bag he had placed on the bedside table.
The two property deeds given to him by Master Li Tong were still unopened.
"I'll deal with it later."
He shook his head, changed into a black T-shirt and pants, and left the room.
Chen Yun had woken up early.
Wearing a plaid shirt and dark jeans, she had already washed up and prepared breakfast.
The two were unusually silent in the morning. After finishing breakfast, Chen Yun's phone buzzed.
"Teacher Li is here to pick me up."
"Alright, I'll send you off."
Chen Feng nodded, grabbing a pink suitcase about half a meter long. He quickly descended five flights of stairs and left the community.
"Hey, move your car!"
"These oranges are too expensive! Lower the price a bit!"
"Watch where you're walking! Who stepped on my stuff?!"
Noisy voices filled the air as fruit trucks lined the street, unloading goods. The road was crowded with office workers and middle-aged people in uniforms.
"Here!!"
"Xiaoyun, Xiaofeng!"
A figure stood at the street corner, waving, with a black business car parked next to them.
Despite the surrounding noise, Chen Feng spotted them immediately.
"It's Teacher Li," Chen Yun said.
"Mm."
Chen Feng nodded. The two squeezed through the crowded street, and the road was narrow, with a car backing up just ahead, blocking the intersection.
"Who is that, don't push!"
Someone was accidentally bumped, turning around angrily.
A shadow loomed, with a cold and indifferent gaze. The large figure in black, accompanied by a girl in a plaid shirt, apologized as they brushed past.
Thud! Thud!
The footsteps were steady, and the once crowded road felt much wider to Chen Yun.
Finally, they reached the street corner.
"Xiaofeng, you're getting stronger and stronger!" Teacher Li smiled, walking over to open the trunk of the car.
The scene at the hotpot restaurant was still fresh in his memory, and he could recall many details even now.
Chen Feng gave a hum, then turned his attention to Teacher Li and Chen Yun.
"This trip to Yun Port City, take care of yourself."
"If you need anything, call me. The dean also appreciates you."
"The journey should take about a day. Master Xu will send you to the high-speed train station, where you'll meet two others. The team leader is Teacher Zhou from another research institute; I've already talked to him."
Teacher Li gave detailed instructions, and Chen Feng listened quietly.
Finally, everything was settled.
Chen Yun got into the car, sitting by the window.
The two siblings waved goodbye, and Chen Feng watched the car drive off.
"She's gone, Xiaofeng."
"If you need anything, you can also tell me."
Teacher Li chatted with him for a while. Chen Feng nodded, standing alone at the noisy street corner.
A few seconds later.
He turned and took a taxi, heading straight for the martial arts academy.
---
"Time is up."
"You haven't given me the answer I wanted."
In the abandoned warehouse, several figures stood.
Zhao Jianlong, cloaked in a black woolen coat, stood at the center, guarded by his subordinates, watching the black-robed figure in the blood pool.
His face was stern and cold, with his subordinates holding guns, standing in alert positions.
There were more than ten drones hovering around them, and two fully modified humans flanked him.
With a swish, sharp blades extended from their wrists, and huge cannon-like openings appeared in their chests.
A full lockdown surrounded them, the atmosphere tense.
Sensing Zhao Jianlong's threat, the black-robed figure in the blood pool hesitated before finally speaking.
Hissss!
A small, brown-patterned snake emerged, its triangular head appearing from the collar of the black robe.
The security personnel of Hong Guang Group frowned slightly, preparing to take action.
"This is my life-snake spirit."
"Let it swallow your son's corpse, and in at most a day, we'll find that person."
As the words fell, everyone could see the small brown-patterned snake hissing and slithering, winding its way out of the blood pool, leaving a thin, winding trace on the floor of the warehouse, which was littered with black ash and debris.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Jianlong narrowed his eyes.
The atmosphere was eerily silent, with a growing chill.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that he spoke coldly, "Ah Cheng, bring the corpse here."
"Yes."
A modified human responded immediately and quickly made the necessary arrangements.
The man in the black robe and hood coldly watched the scene, and finally rose from the blood pool, slowly walking towards the ground.
The surrounding people were on alert, and the swarm of drones turned their guns, ready to fire at any moment.
"I think we can make another deal."
In his cold voice, Zhao Jianlong furrowed his brows.
"I'll go with you and help you kill that person."
"In exchange, you need to prepare some live humans for me."
The two exchanged glances, the deep, imposing human eyes and the vertical snake pupils reflecting each other.
A few seconds later.
"Deal."
---
"You've finally returned, huh?"
At the entrance of the Jinhua District branch martial arts hall, Lin Hao, dressed in loose gray sportswear, was waiting for Chen Feng.
He had known since yesterday that Chen Feng would come to the hall today, so he had specifically waited downstairs in the morning.
"You wouldn't know, but now the entire core class is talking about it. Everyone knows you've become the direct disciple."
"Does that mean I should call you 'Big Brother' now?"
Lin Hao said with a big smile, and Chen Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Big Brother!"
"Good morning, Big Brother!"
As some students walked into the martial arts hall and saw Chen Feng, they all greeted him.
This scene caught the attention of some pedestrians outside, and Chen Feng felt a bit unaccustomed but still nodded in response.
He hadn't expected the news of his becoming a direct disciple to spread so quickly.
"Coach Cao gave instructions when he returned yesterday afternoon. From now on, anyone who sees you should call you 'Big Brother'."
"And Wu Tian, tsk tsk, you should've seen his awkward expression, hahahaha."
Lin Hao laughed smugly, and Chen Feng thoughtfully raised an eyebrow.
The Heavenly Flame Tiger Sect places great importance on etiquette, especially regarding people of different statuses.
Like with Cao Tong in the past, even though he disliked Wu Shuang, he still respected him in front of others.
And now, his status was even higher than Wu Shuang's, so this situation was not surprising.
"How's the club doing?"
Chen Feng asked. In the past couple of days, he hadn't heard much from Lin Hao about the club, perhaps to avoid distracting him.
"It's fine. We hired two new coaches, and we've gained a few more members."
"You'll know for yourself when you visit in the afternoon."
Lin Hao briefly explained the situation before teasing, "As for you, now that you're a direct disciple of the sect, you're not going to look down on our little club, right?"
The joke had a hint of seriousness.
Chen Feng fell silent for a moment.
According to what Li Shi had told him, aside from the martial arts hall, the Flame Tiger style actually had other businesses in Nanjiang.
For example, chain herbal medicine stores, companies specializing in treating bruises and injuries, martial arts uniforms, and sporting goods.
Most of the time, real disciples were responsible for managing these businesses, and as a direct disciple, Chen Feng would naturally have the authority to participate and even have a higher say, potentially earning a share of the profits.
But, he had only just joined the sect, and his master Li Tong hadn't mentioned this yet, so he didn't want to overstep.
Aside from that…
"The sect is the sect, and I am me."
"The club is our business, and that's different."
Chen Feng gave his response.
The club was independent of the sect, and it belonged solely to him and Lin Hao.
It wouldn't be interfered with by others, nor would they have to fight for power or resources with anyone.
"Alright! With that said, the club will definitely thrive!"
Lin Hao grinned widely, as he had been worried that Chen Feng might look down on the club.
Perhaps it was because of his feelings, or maybe because he was worried Chen Feng might change his mind later, so he seized the opportunity to express his thoughts.
"Actually, my goal isn't just this. Once the club's reputation grows, I plan to expand into other businesses using the connections we build."
"Things like on-site coaching, participating in martial arts competitions, or even more directly, starting a security company to provide protection services for middle and upper-class families. I have ways to establish connections, get some modification modules and enhancement agents to train a group of people. At that time, we'll definitely grow bigger."
At first, Chen Feng didn't pay much attention to the first part, but when Lin Hao mentioned modification modules and enhancement agents, he raised an eyebrow.
Because of the policy of the Nanjiang United Council, these items were rarely available in the local market, and ordinary people had a hard time accessing them.
Clearly, Lin Hao had some considerable influence behind him.
"You handle it."
Chen Feng didn't pry, knowing that when Lin Hao was ready to talk, he would share what he wanted to.
As for Lin Hao's future plans and other businesses, Chen Feng wasn't too concerned.
He didn't understand business, as long as he could legally make money, that was enough.
And besides…
"Since you can get modification modules, do you have a way to get me some high-grade metals?"
Chen Feng asked, which was something he had thought about after gaining the Steel Bones talent.
There were very few copies of the dream realm's inheritance iron book, but there were plenty of high-grade metals in reality, and they should be used to their fullest.
However, these things weren't something ordinary people could access.
"High-grade metals?"
"What do you need these for?" Lin Hao asked, puzzled.
"A friend of mine needs them."
Chen Feng calmly explained.
This was the excuse he had prepared, and the reason he didn't ask the martial arts hall for help was the same—he didn't want to cause misunderstandings or make explanations difficult.
"Oh~~"
Lin Hao immediately understood.
Fully modified humans repairing damaged modification modules, or upgrading them...
The thought passed through his mind, but he didn't ask more questions. "I'll think of something. Let me give you a heads-up."
"The Copper grade should be fine, but the Silver Steel grade is tightly controlled, so it'll be a bit difficult. It's a matter of luck."
"Alright."
Chen Feng nodded, pleasantly surprised.
The two discussed these matters a bit more, and not long after, they parted ways and entered the training room.
Whew!
After exhaling, Chen Feng, dressed in loose black clothes and flat shoes, suppressed the distractions from the earlier conversation.
Once he regained his calm, he took out a white jade porcelain bottle from his pocket.
It was the Muscle-Fortifying Tiger Bone Pill that his master, Li Tong, had given him.
It was a special medicinal pill used in conjunction with the Bronze Statue Technique.
On his way back yesterday, he had already watched a demonstration video of the Bronze Statue Technique.
Thanks to his foundation in the Giant Tiger Technique, he easily grasped it after just visualizing it once, and it was faster than the Crimson Tiger Force.
Immediately, he removed the cork and poured out a round pill.
It was the size of a fist, dark gray, with a faint, unpleasant odor.
He held his discomfort in check and threw it into his mouth, biting it open with a crunch.
Chen Feng immediately stood still, sinking his waist, and began to visualize and refine his body.
Soon, a wave of heat flowed from his abdomen.
Panel notifications began appearing.
[Bronze Statue Technique: Entry (1/100)]
[Bronze Statue Technique: Entry (3/100)]
[Bronze Statue Technique: Entry (6/100)]
(End of the Chapter)
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