Free Web NovelChapter 252: Chapter 212: The Journey Home, Glory, and a New Ambition
The sea breeze was briny and carried the lingering stench of gunpowder, a smell that burrowed straight into the lungs.
The heavy transport ship, the Sea Guardian, sliced through the waves.
There were no cheers of survival on the deck.
Only a silence so heavy it felt frozen.
Compared to the high spirits and boisterous noise—almost like they were on a school trip—when they set out, the group was now less than half its original size.
The empty spots had already become cold, black-and-white photos on the Secret Realm’s roster.
Han Feng, having changed into a clean set of combat fatigues, walked slowly from the cabin door onto the deck, clutching half a High-Energy Compression Rod.
The crowd, which had been gathered in twos and threes talking in low voices, seemed to freeze as if someone had pressed a pause button the moment he stepped onto the deck.
WHOOSH.
No command was given.
There was no rehearsal.
A few Meridian Passage Realm students near the cabin door subconsciously straightened their backs.
Then the second row, the third...
It was like a domino effect.
The several hundred surviving Trial Takers on the deck, whether they were wiping clean their Broken Blades or bandaging each other’s wounds, all stopped what they were doing.
They rose to their feet in unison.
Even Lu Yunxiao, who was known for his arrogance and nicknamed "Mr. Versailles" himself, hopped down from the railing.
His hands were still stuffed in his pockets, as if trying to maintain a final shred of stubborn pride.
But the look in his eyes as he watched Han Feng held less defiance and more a complex, genuine awe.
Not far away, Su Yunxi, who was helping treat an injured person’s wounds, paused mid-action.
She stood up straight and turned slightly to the side.
This was more than just making way.
It was an ingrained, deferential posture that Noble Family Members adopted when facing a truly powerful expert.
No one spoke.
There was only the whistling sea wind, billowing through Han Feng’s empty sleeve—where his Sleeve Sword had once been hidden.
The weight of their gazes was heavy.
Heavier than a thousand-pound weight.
In this High Martial World where ultimate power resides within the individual, Han Feng had used the carnage he’d wrought along the way, used that shattered Tier Three Will Projection, to forcefully conquer these prideful chosen ones.
Han Feng’s steps faltered for a moment.
He didn’t wave or make any grand statements.
That was for politicians putting on a show, not for a returning expert.
He simply kept chewing his compression rod with a neutral expression, passed through the human wall that parted for him automatically, and found an empty spot by the ship’s rail to sit down.
"Brother Feng, this kind of reception... tsk tsk."
Wang Meng squeezed over like an iron tower and plopped down beside him, making the deck tremble slightly.
He was holding two bottles of high-energy vitamin drinks. He handed one to Han Feng and lowered his voice.
"Just now, I saw the way that Lu Yunxiao kid was looking at you. It was like he wanted to kowtow.
He was all talk about stealing your thunder before, and now he’s as meek as a quail."
"Just drink."
Han Feng took the drink and gulped it down. The cold liquid slid down his throat, suppressing the turbulent Qi Blood in his chest.
"Where’s Captain Zhang?"
"He’s negotiating with the military about arrangements for the wounded and compensation for the dead."
Zhang Hao’s voice came from behind them.
He had clearly just finished his work. He took off his glasses to wipe away the fog, his face etched with deep exhaustion, but his eyes were still sharp as knives.
He sat down cross-legged opposite the two of them.
"Sun Changhe captured, Mo Sen crippled, colluding with an Evil Cult, plotting to murder the children of council members... With all these accusations pinned on them, the Sun Family is in for a world of hurt."
Zhang Hao put his glasses back on, his tone as calm as if he were analyzing an autopsy report.
"However, a centipede dies but never falls. The Sun Family has operated in East Sea City for decades. Their roots run too deep, and their network of interests is a tangled mess."
"For the sake of stability, the council most likely won’t uproot the Sun Family completely. Instead, they’ll carry out a brutal division of assets and a reshuffling of power."
Han Feng crushed the empty bottle in his hand, tossed it into a recycling bin, and nodded.
"Whoever jumps out now will become a target."
"Exactly."
Zhang Hao gave Han Feng a deep look, his tone serious.
"So, I feel it’s necessary to remind you two. After we get back—especially you, Han Feng. Despite the glory you’ve earned, you must keep a low profile. The branch families of the Sun Family, and the forces that depend on them, might lash out in desperation. For the near future, don’t go anywhere except the academy."
"Don’t worry."
Han Feng gazed at the churning Cloud Sea in the distance, his eyes profound.
"I value my life."
But he knew better than anyone.
Some things couldn’t be avoided just by laying low.
The Abyss Beacon buried deep beneath G-09 Floating Island.
The gaze cast down by that high-dimensional civilization.
And the true masters behind Star Sea Technology who had yet to surface.
The storm was just beginning.
Passive defense was never the way of a Sword Cultivator.
The best defense was a sword at the enemy’s throat.
...
「Three hours later.」
The transport ship landed at East Sea Fortress City’s First Military Airport.
They were not greeted with flowers and applause, but with a fully armed Biochemical Team and the dizzying, blinding beams of searchlights.
"All personnel, enter the quarantine channel immediately!"
"Remove all equipment and prepare for a highest-level Spiritual Power contamination screening!"
A cold, electronic voice from the broadcast system echoed across the empty tarmac.
This was an essential procedure.
With the appearance of projections from High-dimensional Creatures and contamination from the Blood Feeding Sect in the Secret Realm, the council would never allow a single "ticking time bomb" to enter the city.
A full twenty-four hours of sealed quarantine.
Blood draws, Spiritual Power spectrum scans, equipment inspections, psychological evaluations...
The whole process was enough to wear down even the toughest man.
Only after all indicators were confirmed to be normal did Han Feng get his tactical backpack back.
It was already dusk on the third day by the time the school bus drove through the gates of East Sea Martial Arts University.
The setting sun cast a golden glow on the familiar academic buildings and tree-lined paths.
Soothing light music played from the campus broadcast system as students walked past in twos and threes, chatting and laughing with relaxed smiles, discussing what to have for dinner.
Looking out the window at this peaceful scene, the survivors inside the bus felt a sense of surreal dislocation, as if they were looking at a different world.
Hell and the mortal world, it turned out, were separated by nothing more than a Void Gate.
"Alright, that’s all. Dismissed."
Zhang Hao dismissed the team in front of the dormitory, clapped Han Feng on the shoulder, and said nothing, merely clenching his fist tightly.
"Yeah."
Han Feng, carrying his not-so-heavy backpack, returned alone to his private dorm room.
Push open the door, flip on the light, bolt the lock.
The series of actions was as smooth as flowing water.
Not until he had pulled the heavy blackout curtains shut, blocking out the last sliver of outside light, did Han Feng finally, completely relax, throwing himself into the soft armchair.
’System.’
He called out in his mind.
A pale blue screen of light unfurled across his retina, a completely private view that only he could see.
[Sword Immortal Cultivation Assistant]
Host: Han Feng
Class: Swordsman
Cultivation: Meridian Passage Realm, First Layer (Spirit Martial)
Root Bone: Innate Sword Body (Middle Level, Spiritual Qi Affinity +300%)
Spiritual Power: 2015 (Hertz/Intensity, Divine Sense condensed)
Sword Essence: 300/300 (Drops)
[Sword Control Technique]: Mastery (1035/4000)
[Three-Inch Heart Sword]: Mastery (12/1000) Special Effect: Heart Sword Traceless
[Divine Techniques]: Not Unlocked
[All Things Identification]: Basic Level
System Space: 1 cubic meter
Han Feng’s gaze skimmed past the dazzling stats, landing directly on the item inventory.
With a thought.
An unremarkable, transparent stone appeared in his palm.
The Void Stone.
’I’d originally planned to hand this thing over to save my life. But in the end, maybe because the three Grandmasters were stunned by the power of my Heart Sword, they never asked about collecting the missile. That allowed me to keep it.’
When he probed it with his Divine Sense, Han Feng couldn’t help but grin.
It was the joy of a bountiful harvest, and the thrill of what could only be called "getting rich overnight."
The five-cubic-meter space was stuffed completely full.
On the left was a neatly stacked pile of high-purity ores: Profound Iron Essence, Star Sand Ore, Red Gold Copper... all of it "sourced" from the rich vein on G-09 Island.
At current market prices, if he sold this pile of ore, the resources he’d get in return would be enough to fund his Cultivation all the way to the Meridian Passage Realm Peak, with plenty to spare.
In the middle were dozens of labeled Jade Bottles.
These were High Tier Recovery Potions he’d pilfered from Mo Sen and Sun Changhe’s secret base, along with a few military-grade Genetic Enhancement Liquids that were impossible to buy on the open market.
And on the far right lay a quiet pile of fragments shimmering with a cold, metallic luster.
It was the wreckage of the Judge II-model Spiritual Energy Combat Missile, as well as the core chips scavenged from the downed Ghost drones.
The core Star Sea Technology contained within, if it were to leak onto the Black Market, would be enough to drive countless factions into a frenzy.
’With these materials and funds...’
A light called ambition glinted in Han Feng’s eyes.
Right now, though he seemed to be in the spotlight, hailed as the "number one of the younger generation," he alone knew that he was a glass cannon Mage.
His Spiritual Power was absurdly strong, approaching that of a Tier Four Grandmaster.
But his physical Cultivation was still too weak.
If someone got close, or if he encountered a Martial Arts Grandmaster like Li Tiecheng, whose Qi Blood surged like a dragon and who was shielded by Evil Qi, his Three-Inch Heart Sword alone might not be enough for a one-hit kill.
Besides, the core of the [Sword Control Technique] was the "sword."
The Fusion Beast he had commandeered before was useful, but it was a living creature with too many uncontrollable factors—and it had been confiscated anyway.
A common Alloy Longsword?
It couldn’t possibly withstand his now-ferocious Sword Essence and high-speed Sword Control Maneuvers.
"I need a real sword," Han Feng murmured to himself, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.
"A sword that can handle all of my Spiritual Power, that can strike beyond visual range, that can tear through any defense in this concrete jungle... a Lifebound Flying Sword."
