Chapter 369 - 271: Reflection and Gains
In the Quiet Chamber, Han Feng sat cross-legged. The air still carried a faint scent of blood and char from the battle.
He took a bottle of Tier Three "Spiritual Energy Potion" from his Storage Space, twisted off the cap, and drank it all in one go.
A majestic and pure torrent of energy rushed down his throat and into his body, violently scouring his nearly depleted meridians.
For an ordinary Meridian Passage Realm cultivator, that single gulp would have been enough to tear their meridians apart. But at this moment, Han Feng’s [Middle Level Innate Sword Body] displayed its formidable resilience.
His Sword Bone hummed softly, and the acupoints all over his body seemed to transform into countless tiny vortexes, frantically devouring and refining this foreign energy.
They converted it drop by drop into pure, silver-white Sword Essence, which was reinjected into his depleted Dantian Qi Sea.
The level rose at a visible rate.
Five hundred drops... a thousand drops... fifteen hundred drops...
Only when it approached two thousand drops did the subsequent increase from the potion’s power begin to slow.
Han Feng exhaled a breath of turbid air, and a bit of color returned to his pale face.
"That was a close call," he muttered to himself, a flicker of lingering fear in his eyes.
In this battle, it might have seemed like he was suppressing Blood Shadow the entire time, but only he truly knew the dangers involved.
If it weren’t for the absurd cheat that was the [Divine Power Module] temporarily raising his "Sword Control Technique" to the Great Success Realm, granting him overwhelming mobility and control, relying on his existing abilities alone against a Demonized Assassin whose combat power was approaching Tier Four, who was fearless of death, and possessed insane Recovery Power, the outcome would have been uncertain.
’My methods are too one-dimensional.’
Han Feng sighed subconsciously.
His greatest trump card had always been the [Three-Inch Heart Sword].
This attack, which ignored physical defense and struck the Divine Soul directly, was practically unstoppable against most enemies.
But today, Blood Shadow had easily blocked his killing blow with a [Soul-Suppressing Bone Card].
This served as a wake-up call for him.
A mere Tier Three Evil Cultist from the Blood Feeding Sect could produce a Tier Four Soul-Protecting Spiritual Artifact. ’What about in the more advanced Fortress Cities? Would the true Celestial Prides, the core successors of major powers, not have similar protective measures? And once my Spiritual Attacks are ineffective, my so-called close combat skills would be nothing more than a child’s game full of openings in front of a true combat expert.’
’A Divine Soul Attack can’t be my only ace in the hole,’ Han Feng concluded in his heart.
Second was the shortcoming in his close-combat abilities.
After Blood Shadow’s Demonization, his raw strength and speed had temporarily reached the Tier Four level.
Aside from relying on the terrifying boost from [Sword Control Technique: Great Success] to evade, he had almost no ability to confront him head-on.
His so-called "Spiral Charge" and "Reversal of Heaven and Earth" were techniques he had comprehended from piloting fighter jets.
They were essentially explosive repositioning maneuvers, not true combat Body Techniques. In small-scale evasions and close-quarters combat, they were exceptionally clumsy.
As for Swordsmanship? He only knew the Skilled Level "Basic Swordsmanship." It was fine for dealing with Low Tier Martial Artists, but in front of a veteran like Blood Shadow, it was like a child waving a wooden stick.
If not for the predictive abilities of his [Spiritual Vision] and [Divine Sense], he probably couldn’t have even taken ten of the man’s blows.
’Am I trying to be a Sword Immortal, or an ace pilot?’ Han Feng couldn’t help but mock himself internally.
He suddenly realized that his path had been a bit skewed from the very beginning.
He had relied on his system, treating his proficiency in "Sword Control Technique" as the most important thing in the world. He had been "Nurturing" the fighter jet as if it were his Lifebound Flying Sword, yet he had neglected the most fundamental thing—himself.
His [Innate Sword Body] was, by birth, the most perfect Sword Embryo. His Sword Essence was several times purer and sharper than that of his peers.
This was his true foundation, his greatest advantage that set him apart from all other Martial Artists.
Fighter jets and missiles were, in the end, external objects. But a Swordsmanship that could fully unleash the power of his [Innate Sword Body], a Body Technique that would allow him to unite his body and sword—these were the core elements that would grow with him and give him the capital for true "Rebellion."
’I’ve put the cart before the horse.’ Han Feng’s gaze sharpened. ’The fighter jet is the ’instrument,’ an extension of the sword. I am the ’Dao’ itself.’
A true Sword Cultivator always relies on the sword in their hand and the footwork beneath their feet, on Skills honed through a thousand refinements, and on an unyielding sword heart.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too late to realize this.
Quenching Body and Meridian Passage were just foundational stages. As long as the foundation was solid enough, the impact wouldn’t be significant.
But the upcoming Enlightenment Realm was a critical period for a Martial Artist to form their own combat system. He absolutely could not continue down this "unorthodox path."
’I must systematically learn a true Body Technique and a High Tier Swordsmanship. Also, while "Broken Star" isn’t bad, it’s only a Tier Three Spiritual Soldier. It’s already showing its limits against Tier Four and above enemies. I need to get my own Lifebound Flying Sword as soon as possible.’
Having clarified his future cultivation path, Han Feng felt his thoughts become much clearer.
With his own path clear, the next step was to take stock of his spoils from the battle.
With a thought, two items appeared before him.
One was a dark blue bone card, and the other was a strangely shaped, blood-red dagger.
[Soul-Suppressing Bone Card: A Tier Four Lower Grade Soul-Protecting Spiritual Artifact. Made from the core of a Tier Four Spiritual Type Demon Beast, the ’Nightmare Beast’s’ skull. It can passively weaken all Divine Soul Attacks of Tier Three and below. When actively triggered, it can unleash the pure Soul Power stored within to block Tier Four level Spiritual Type attacks. Note: Nearly half of the internal Soul Power has been consumed. It can be absorbed, or replenished by finding the right materials.]
[Blood Fang Dagger: A Quasi Tier Four Spiritual Soldier. Made with ’Blood Jade Coral’ as the main material, supplemented with a hundred types of poisons and refined for forty-nine days. It comes with innate ’Armor-Piercing’ and ’Bloodletting’ effects. The ’Nerve Slow Poison’ coating the blade can continuously corrode an enemy’s Divine Soul.]
"These are both good items." Han Feng’s eyes lit up slightly.
To him, the bone card was even more valuable than the dagger.
The pure Soul Power stored inside was enough to raise his Spiritual Power by another small step.
As for the dagger, although it was an Evil Weapon, its materials were excellent. Whether he used it himself or melted it down to reforge it as material for a Flying Sword, it was very valuable.
However, with the current equipment at Dragon’s Fang Port, trying to process these two Tier Four level treasures was nothing but a fool’s dream.
Forget about absorbing the Soul Power or reforging the weapon; he couldn’t even perform the most basic disassembly.
’Looks like I’ll have to make a trip back to East Sea City.’
As it happened, the new batch of Blood Refining Helmets for the "Ghost" Squadron also needed to be Sacrificially Refined using the "High-Energy Particle Melting Furnace" at the No. 3 Research Institute.
Moreover, although the situation at Dragon’s Fang Port had temporarily stabilized, a single squad under Blood Shadow had caused such a huge commotion. Heaven knew if the "Child of the Mist" and the "Blood Feeding Sect" had other moves in store.
Relying on him alone, his energy was too limited. He couldn’t just patrol the skies above the port every day.
He had to get the "Ghost" Squadron operational as soon as possible to share the burden of air defense and patrols.
Only then could he free himself up to focus more time on his own cultivation.
After all, while leveling up on the company dime was nice, he first needed to produce results that would satisfy his superiors.
Having sorted out all his thoughts, Han Feng stood up, feeling refreshed all over.
He pushed open the door of the Quiet Chamber, preparing to find Liu Zhen and arrange matters for his return to East Sea City.
The moment he stepped out, he saw Liu Zhen and Wang Qiang waiting outside the door, their expressions a mixture of respect and anxiety.
"Commissioner." Seeing Han Feng emerge, the two immediately stood at attention.
"What is it?" Han Feng asked.
Liu Zhen took a step forward and reported:
"Commissioner, everything you tasked us with has been handled.
The list of casualties and the wounded has been compiled and sent to General Li’s side.
The new port regulations have been strictly enforced, and no one dares to cause trouble."
"Those spies from the other Fortress Cities have also quieted down for now. They’ve sent messengers, saying they wish to request an audience with you."
"Oh?"
Han Feng raised an eyebrow. "See me? No.
Tell them to behave themselves. If anyone dares to run around, deal with them according to the rules."
He couldn’t be bothered to waste his energy dealing with these flies that had swarmed over at the first scent.
"Yes, sir!"
Liu Zhen nodded, then continued, "Also... those eight mercenaries you treated have woken up."
Hearing this, Han Feng’s eyebrow twitched slightly in surprise.
He had saved them on a whim, partly to reward their courage and partly to win over the people. He hadn’t actually thought about recruiting them directly.
However, eight Enlightenment Realm mercenaries who were fearless of death were indeed a considerable force.
Dragon’s Fang Port was a chaotic mix of all sorts of people. He couldn’t possibly handle every matter personally. Having a group of local experts familiar with the "rules of the street" to handle affairs in the grey areas would certainly save him some trouble.
A plan formed in his mind, but his expression remained calm as he said:
"Let them focus on recovering first. Tell them my team doesn’t support idlers."
"There’s one more thing."
Liu Zhen’s expression turned a bit strange. "Um... about the body of last night’s Evil Cult leader... what are your instructions for it?"
"It’s a pile of rotten meat. Just burn it," Han Feng said casually.
"Not that pile of rotten meat..."
Liu Zhen gave a dry cough and lowered his voice, an expression of disbelief on his face.
"It’s the host body he was parasitizing. Commissioner, that thing... is very wrong."
"The medical examiner has already checked it. Not only has the body’s life activity not disappeared, but it’s... slowly getting stronger!
Even though it has lost the main parasite, it’s like a living, perfect vessel. Its physique is so robust it’s comparable to a Tier Three Peak Body Refining Martial Artist.
The medical examiner said he’s never seen anything like it and recommends... recommends it be submitted as a top-priority research material."
Han Feng’s steps came to a sudden halt, a look of genuine astonishment flashing in his eyes.
’He had forgotten that Blood Shadow’s true form was an insect; the human body was just a "shell." The value of a "shell" capable of containing Half-Step Grandmaster Level power was self-evident.’
"Take me to see it."