Free Web NovelChapter 253: Chapter 213: The Krypton Gold Cultivation Method and Resource Purchase Permissions
However, forging a Flying Sword wasn’t something that could be done in a day.
For now, it was best to focus on his own Cultivation.
Han Feng sat cross-legged, his Divine Sense acting like an invisible hand, precisely sorting through the pile of "loot."
On his left were several incredibly valuable, top-grade ores.
The jet-black Star Sand Ore, which seemed to have a galaxy swirling within it.
The Profound Iron Essence, which emitted a sharp, metallic energy.
Every single one of these was a key material for forging his future Lifebound Flying Sword.
These items had a price but were impossible to find on the market, as they were classified as strategic controlled materials.
With a wave of his hand, Han Feng swept this entire pile of "unsellable" goods directly into his one-cubic-meter System Space.
It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but these things were his lifeline. The System Space was the safest place for them, where no one could ever detect them.
After dealing with his core assets, all that remained was a pile of miscellaneous items.
There were dozens of potion vials labeled with the Star Sea Technology brand, a few sets of Single-Soldier Exoskeleton components stripped from dead bodies, and some miscellaneous ores that he hadn’t even had time to appraise.
’If I took this pile of junk to the Black Market, based on current prices, I could probably get at least thirty to fifty thousand Spirit Coins for it.’
Han Feng rubbed his chin, a calculating glint in his eyes.
Thirty to fifty thousand Spirit Coins was a huge sum for an ordinary Meridian Passage Realm Martial Artist.
But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the idea.
He couldn’t go to the Black Market.
With the Sun Family and Star Sea Technology shut down, East Sea City seemed calm on the surface, but in reality, a dangerous undercurrent was surging.
The Garrison Army’s patrol craft were still buzzing overhead, and spies from the major factions were probably sniffing around everywhere like mad dogs.
As a "genius" who had just been in the spotlight and put on a pedestal, if he were to furtively show up at the Black Market to fence his goods now, he’d basically be walking straight into the line of fire.
’Play it safe. Can’t get reckless.’
Following his cautious instincts, Han Feng tucked the pile of miscellaneous items into his Void Stone Ring as well.
’I’ll wait for the heat to die down. If it comes to it, I can just offload some of it within the university.’
As the goods were put away, the room returned to darkness once more.
Han Feng let out a long, heavy breath and flopped onto the carpet, spread-eagled.
Being hunted, traps, missiles to the face, High-dimensional Projections...
Scenes from the Secret Realm flashed through his mind like a slideshow.
The sense of urgency from dancing on a knife’s edge hadn’t dissipated just because he was back in the Safe Zone. In fact, it had grown even stronger now that he knew more of the truth.
To survive in a world full of psychos and monsters, brains and acting skills weren’t enough.
Having the stronger fist was the only thing that mattered.
’External tools are ultimately just that—tools.’
Han Feng stared at the ceiling, his gaze profound.
’Fighter jets, missiles... even if I really manage to create a nuclear-powered Flying Sword someday, they are all still external objects.
Only one’s own Cultivation is the foundation of everything.’
He cleared his thoughts.
Forging his Lifebound Flying Sword was a massive undertaking, a meticulous process that couldn’t be rushed.
The most pressing matter at hand was to elevate his current Cultivation, which felt a little "hollow."
After all, he had only just reached the Meridian Passage Realm. While his Perception and offensive abilities were decent, his shortcomings in other aspects of his Cultivation were glaringly obvious compared to true veteran experts.
At this thought, Han Feng performed a kip-up, springing to a seated position.
His consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness, where the cyan Jade Scroll containing the Cyan Cloud Spirit Martial Technique floated silently.
This legacy from Ling Weizi was far more complex than the commonly used Basic Spiritual Energy Ability Guiding Technique of the Federation.
Ordinary Martial Artists cultivated the Twelve Main Meridians.
This Cultivation Technique, however, required reforging twenty special Energy Channels called "Dao Veins."
Every two Dao Veins formed a cycle, corresponding to one layer of Cultivation in the Meridian Passage Realm.
Han Feng used Introspection to look within himself.
Deep within his body, a meridian like a great silver river emanated a brilliant radiance.
It was the Lung Meridian of Hand Taiyin.
Tempered by the "Foundation Establishment Empowerment," this meridian had long since been thoroughly solidified. It was broad and tenacious, and as Sword Essence surged within it, one could even hear the faint sound of thunder.
This meant that he had already reached Perfection in the first layer.
He could directly begin constructing the second Dao Vein.
"The Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming."
Han Feng took a deep breath, focused his mind, and began to circulate the Cyan Cloud Spirit Martial Technique.
BZZZZ—
The Middle Level [Innate Sword Body] within him roared to life like a high-powered engine, letting out a cheerful hum that only he could hear.
In the once-calm room, the air suddenly began to ripple.
The free-floating Spiritual Qi in the surroundings was drawn toward Han Feng as if by a powerful magnet, converging on him frantically.
Wisps and strands of Spiritual Qi were drawn into his body and rapidly converted into incomparably pure, silvery-white Sword Essence.
The Sword Essence acted like the most precise of carving knives, cautiously sketching out the embryonic form of a new meridian in a barren region of his body, following the path laid out by the cultivation technique.
This was extremely delicate and energy-consuming work.
It was also excruciatingly painful.
It was like forcefully carving a river channel through his own flesh with a knife.
But Han Feng didn’t even frown.
Compared to the agony of having his mind torn apart, this bit of physical pain was practically a tickle.
However, after just one hour, Han Feng was forced to stop.
He opened his eyes, a look of helplessness written all over his face.
Without him even realizing it, the three hundred drops of Sword Essence in his body had been completely depleted.
And yet, he had constructed less than a tenth of the new Dharma Vein’s embryonic form.
Worse still, his recovery rate couldn’t keep up with his consumption at all.
Although the B Level Student dorms were equipped with a Spirit Gathering Rune Array, making the Spiritual Qi concentration 2.5 times higher than outside, that thing was designed for ordinary Martial Artists.
For a freak like Han Feng with his [Innate Sword Body], the amount of Spiritual Qi supplied by the Spirit Gathering Array was like trying to fill a swimming pool with a straw.
He would instantly suck the surrounding Spiritual Qi dry, creating a temporary "Spiritual Qi vacuum," while the Spirit Gathering Array was still slowly recharging, unable to replenish it in time.
’In one hour, without taking any potions, I can only naturally recover three drops of Sword Essence at most.’
Han Feng’s mouth twitched as he felt the turtle-paced growth of the energy bar inside him.
At this rate, it would take ten days just to construct the Dharma Vein’s embryonic form.
After that came the three steps of Nurturing, widening, and solidifying, each of which consumed several times more energy than the last.
If he really had to rely on the Spiritual Qi in the dorms to slowly grind his way through, he wouldn’t see success until god-knows-when.
He might not even be able to finish a single Dharma Vein in three months.
By then, it would be too late.
’As expected, Cultivation Immortality is a pay-to-win game.’
Han Feng grumbled to himself.
Without hesitation, he fished a light blue glass bottle out of his Void Stone Ring.
It was a spoil of war from Sun Changhe’s secret base—a Second Level Concentrated Spiritual Liquid.
He twisted off the cap, tilted his head back, and downed it in one go.
GULP.
The cool liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach.
BOOM!
The next second, a vast and pure surge of energy exploded in his abdomen.
His Innate Sword Body operated at full power, frantically devouring, digesting, and converting the violent energy into docile Sword Essence.
[Sword Essence +15]
[Sword Essence +15]
His originally depleted Lower Dantian was instantly replenished.
His spirits lifted, and he immediately guided this new power to continue assaulting the unfinished Dharma Vein.
His efficiency increased by more than tenfold.
The construction of the Dharma Vein visibly progressed by a large chunk.
"Awesome!"
Having gotten a taste of the benefits, Han Feng couldn’t stop taking the potions.
One vial...
Two vials...
...
Empty vials clattered and rolled across the carpet, making crisp clinking sounds.
When the Medicinal Power of the tenth vial of Second Level Concentrated Spiritual Liquid was exhausted, Han Feng’s supply was completely depleted.
He slowly opened his eyes and assessed the condition of his body.
The construction of the second Dharma Vein was stalled at twenty-one percent.
Seventy-nine percent to go.
’Out of ammo and out of food...’
Han Feng looked at the empty vials all over the floor, feeling a painful sting.
He wasn’t drinking potions; he was drinking money.
A single vial of Second Level Concentrated Spiritual Liquid had a market price of three thousand Contribution Points.
In the past four hours, he had drunk away thirty thousand Contribution Points.
If Wang Meng saw this, he’d probably faint on the spot from the sheer heartache of it all.
But the results were top-notch, equivalent to more than half a month of arduous cultivation.
’I’m out of stock. Time to restock.’
Han Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose and skillfully raised his left hand, activating his personal terminal.
He logged into the East Sea Martial Arts University’s campus store.
His fingers swiped quickly across the light screen, and he went directly to the "Tier Two Cultivation Resources" category.
[First Level Spiritual Liquid]: Price 500 Contribution Points/vial (B Level Students limited to 10 vials/month)
[Second Level Concentrated Spiritual Liquid]: Price 3,000 Contribution Points/vial (B Level Students limited to 3 vials/month, no discount)
[Third Level Essence Spiritual Liquid]: Insufficient clearance (Only available to A Level Students and above)
"Hm?"
Han Feng’s gaze fell on the fine print of the last line.
’First Level Spiritual Liquid, B Level Students are limited to ten vials per month?’
’And only three vials of Second Level Concentrated Spiritual Liquid?’
’What good is such a small amount of Spiritual Liquid?’
His brow furrowed instantly.
Three vials of Second Level Spiritual Liquid were barely a drop in the bucket; they weren’t even enough to finish the remaining seventy-nine percent.
As for the First Level Spiritual Liquid, although it was cheap, it contained too many impurities. The conversion efficiency was appallingly low, and drinking too much of it would require him to waste time detoxifying his body. The gains just weren’t worth the losses.
’Insufficient clearance...’
Han Feng closed the store page, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the desktop.
In this strictly hierarchical Fortress City, clearance was everything.
In the eyes of ordinary people, a B Level Student was already an elite.
But in the real resource allocation system, they were still just expendable assets with "a little potential."
If he wanted to cultivate without restraint, to not be choked by purchase limits, he had to increase his clearance.
’I have to get promoted to A Level.’
The thought occupied his entire mind with unprecedented intensity.
Once he became an A Level Student, not only would his purchase quota increase dramatically, but he would also unlock higher-level resource libraries and even be able to apply for a private Cultivation Chamber.
Han Feng quickly looked up the promotion requirements on his terminal.
There were two paths.
The first path: Promotion via the Mechanic track.
Requirement: Pass the A Level Mechanic certification.
Assessment Content: Independently lead a medium-sized repair project, publish a professional paper in *Gaia Mechanical Engineering*, undergo a team management evaluation...
Han Feng took one look and immediately dismissed it.
The process was ridiculously tedious. The paper alone would take half a year at least.
Besides, he was currently only a C Level Mechanic; he still had to get through B Level before he could even think about A Level.
So, that path was out of the question for the short term. He could only work on it slowly later when he had more time.
That left only the second path.
Promotion via the Martial Arts Element.
The requirements were simple and brutal: pass the A Level Martial Arts practical combat assessment.
As long as your Cultivation was up to standard, as long as your fists were hard enough, and as long as you could beat the assessment robot or the examiner, you’d be certified on the spot, effective immediately.
Without any hesitation, Han Feng directly clicked on the [Student Level Promotion Application] portal.
He selected [Martial Arts Element · Practical Combat Assessment].
BEEP—
The system displayed a red warning pop-up:
[Warning: The practical combat assessment for promotion from B Level to A Level is extremely difficult and carries a certain degree of danger. The injury rate in previous years has exceeded 15%. Please confirm if you wish to proceed.]
