Translator: CinderTL
One day later.
[Extreme Martial Arts Orbs: 6]
[Limit Breaking Orbs: 27]
[Extreme Martial Fist: Meteor (1%) +]
Standing by the window of the martial hall's quiet room, Chen Feng looked at the panel before him.
The key to the second level of the Extreme Martial Fist was still lacking, and even with attribute points, he couldn't directly break through to the Falling Sun Realm.
Despite this, he didn't immediately use the points for the Life Seed Awakening Method.
Firstly, it wasn't quite enough for a breakthrough yet.
Secondly, the range of the danger zone was limited, at least until he could break through that spatial barrier.
Moreover, according to the map, the number of Extreme Martial Halls was also limited, making each Limit Breaking Light Orb and Extreme Martial Arts Light Orbs increasingly precious.
In comparison, the Life Seed Awakening Method could be enhanced by consuming essence-rich items or secret medicines.
He would save them if possible. If he really encountered an emergency, he could always use the points then.
"Still, I wonder when I'll be able to gather the key to the second level of the Extreme Martial Fist, Falling Sun Realm."
Shaking his head silently, Chen Feng dismissed his distracting thoughts and didn't delve deeper.
Outside the window, an aircraft descended. Calculating the time, today was the day to head to Yun Port and explore the ancient civilization ruins.
Buzz!
His phone suddenly vibrated. He picked it up and glanced at it.
[Chen Yun: Xiao Feng, something urgent came up with the research project. I'm afraid I won't be able to return to Feng Province for now.]
[It's getting cold. Remember to dress warmly.]
After reading the message, Chen Feng's gaze flickered, and he replied briefly.
He didn't ask about the project, and the two simply exchanged a few casual words about daily life.
Then, he put down his phone.
Only then did he step forward, pushing open the wooden door of the quiet room, he walked out.
Cao Tong was already waiting in the corridor. He quickly walked over with a smile and said, "The sect leader and the others are downstairs."
"Mn."
Chen Feng nodded, and the two walked out of the martial hall together.
Many people turned their heads to look, and new martial arts trainees were visibly excited.
Every martial arts grandmaster was a pillar of the martial arts world, but one as young as Chen Feng was truly unique.
Amidst the buzzing discussions, Chen Feng arrived at the gray brick square outside the martial hall.
His master, Li Tong, and Xu Tingxiao were both there. The former looked at him with a complicated expression as he approached, while the latter stood by with a suitcase.
"Senior Brother."
"There are two sets of clothes inside, a sweater, long pants, and a wool coat. I heard Yun Port isn't as cold as here, so I didn't pack a down jacket."
"Thanks."
Chen Feng nodded lightly and patted the other's shoulder.
Cao Tong stepped forward to take the suitcase.
"I asked Old Chu about it, but he couldn't reveal too much about the ancient civilization ruins."
Li Tong's tone was somewhat self-reproachful as he said guiltily, "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to take this risk."
"No matter what, your life is the most important. You must return safely."
Chen Feng nodded, signaling him not to overthink it.
In truth, he was also curious about the ancient civilization ruins and wanted to know if they were different from the dream realm he had entered.
With that, the arrangements were concluded.
The aircraft that had arrived had already landed, with the words "Black Crystal Group" painted prominently on it.
"Mr. Chen, please."
A man in a suit and sunglasses stood respectfully at the cabin door, attracting the attention of many passersby.
"Wait for me to return."
After saying this to his master and Xu Tingxiao, Chen Feng finally stepped into the cabin with Cao Tong.
Whoosh! Click!
The cabin door closed, and the air currents rose again.
With a whoosh, the gray-black aircraft lifted off the ground and ascended into the sky.
Watching it disappear into the distance, Li Tong sighed for a moment.
Beside him, Xu Tingxiao's expression was complicated, filled with worry.
"Master, Senior Brother..."
"He'll return."
"He definitely will..."
Whoosh!!
The aircraft cut through the sky, moving at considerable speed.
Outside the window, the skyscrapers gradually grew shorter, and the blue sky enveloped everything.
The cabin's interior was more spacious than expected, with several brown leather seats installed on both sides.
Meng Anran sat in one of them, her golden hair cascading down, wearing a sleek black trench coat and boots, her legs crossed.
There were also three to five others present, ranging from elderly to middle-aged and young, some dressed in ancient-style robes.
"You're the last one."
Meng Anran spoke, and the cyborg bodyguard captain standing behind her nodded kindly, gesturing to a leather seat beside her.
Chen Feng nodded and walked over, with Cao Tong following to handle any miscellaneous matters during the trip.
"Old Gu, introduce Mr. Chen."
"We'll all be helping each other on this trip, so let's get to know one another."
Meng Anran, still with her legs crossed, glanced at the suitcase Cao Tong was carrying. The cyborg bodyguard captain named Old Gu nodded and proceeded with the introductions.
As the introductions were made, Chen Feng's gaze swept across the others, meeting their eyes briefly.
Aside from him, there were two other grandmasters on this trip, each with a young or middle-aged disciple in robes standing behind them.
"Lion Heart Sect, Xie Xiao, greetings to Flame Tiger Grandmaster."
One of them, wearing a golden-patterned robe and black cloth shoes, with pale hair and a gaunt figure, cupped his hands in a salute.
He looked as if he were on the verge of passing, with even some yellow spots on his face.
Chen Feng had heard of this man's reputation and immediately returned the salute.
"So it's Grandmaster Xie."
The Lion Heart Sect was a top-tier sect in the southern martial arts world, which had recently been besieged by the Golden Blade Sect.
This Lion Heart Grandmaster, Xie Xiao, had once opened the gates of body and Qi in his youth. Unfortunately, he was now over a hundred years old, and his vitality had declined severely, causing his strength to plummet.
"Haha, Grandmaster Chen is too kind."
Xie Xiao laughed, revealing yellowed teeth.
It was clear that he was nearing the end of his life, and the middle-aged man behind him looked rather somber.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Feng turned to the other man.
A middle-aged man in a black robe.
He was lean, with prominent cheekbones, giving off an intimidating, hawkish aura.
As their eyes met, Chen Feng could sense that this man's aura was extremely powerful, far surpassing Lu Xinglong's from before and even rivaling Old Gu, who stood beside Meng Anran.
With a guess in mind, he soon saw the man cup his hands in a salute.
"Northern Martial Arts World, Shadowless Sect, Zhou Wuren."
"I didn't expect the southern martial arts world to produce a talent like Grandmaster Chen. Truly astonishing."
His tone was serious, even somewhat friendly.
Chen Feng was surprised. He had thought that with the north-south divide, the man would put on airs.
"Haha, Grandmaster Chen might not know this, but the battle at the Huai River caught the attention of our northern martial arts world."
"To this day, the name 'Flame Tiger Grandmaster' has spread throughout the major sects of the north."
Zhou Wuren smiled, though it looked a bit stiff, as if he wasn't used to smiling.
Xie Xiao seized the opportunity to chime in, praising, "A two-gate grandmaster at twenty-three is rare, whether in the north or south."
"In the current era, few have made breakthroughs as swiftly as Grandmaster Chen."
His tone was warm, subtly hinting. Chen Feng caught the meaning.
It was nothing more than him breaking through quickly, having great potential, and even the possibility of becoming the next Yang Wudi. These people wanted to befriend him.
Thinking about it, those who reached the grandmaster level weren't fools.
With the battle at the Huai River as a reference, they naturally knew how to choose.
For a while, the three of them used this as a starting point for conversation, chatting amicably.
"This guy..." Meng Anran, watching from the side, couldn't help but marvel.
Originally, these two grandmasters had been silent for most of the journey.
Now, they were getting along amicably, even better than she had anticipated.
"Seniors, how much do you know about the Divine Martial Alliance?"
On the way, Chen Feng shifted the topic, feigning curiosity.
Xie Xiao shook his head, knowing little about it.
Zhou Wuren, however, pondered for a moment before speaking carefully.
"To be honest, Grandmaster Chen, the Divine Martial Alliance did once make an appearance in our northern martial arts world."
"In fact, Sect Leader Liu even had a match with the leader of the Divine Martial Alliance."
"Oh?" Chen Feng was surprised.
He knew who Sect Leader Liu was—none other than the Pinnacle Realm expert mentioned by the Giant Elephant Grandmaster, the current leader of the northern martial arts world and the Saint Sect's leader, Liu Duanyun.
"How did it end?" Xie Xiao also asked curiously.
"I don't know. The match was kept secret, and I only heard about it afterward."
Zhou Wuren said thoughtfully, "But it was after that match that the Divine Martial Alliance disappeared and never showed up in the north again."
Chen Feng nodded, lost in thought.
Seeing him deep in contemplation, Zhou Wuren and the others didn't continue the conversation.
The aircraft returned to silence, heading straight for Yun Port.
The sound of the wind was blocked by the windows and cabin door, and the aircraft moved swiftly, far surpassing flying cars.
The group arrived at Yun Port by noon, and through the display screen, they could see the scene in the distance.
The vast blue sea stretched out before them, with gray-white warships and cargo ships docked at the port.
Seagulls circled above, and neatly stacked red and blue containers lined the area. Skyscrapers extended one after another, rising from the ground.
Advertisements projected in the city's sky, making it seem as if even the sky had been cut off.
Looking further, their view was blocked by a towering wall like a giant.
Even when looking down from above, the scenery inside the city remained hidden.
The reason was that the top of the wall was covered by a hazy white light shield, blocking all sight.
Only a lighthouse that soared into the clouds was visible, the only structure inside the city that could be seen.
"Everyone, we're almost there."
"But recently, Yun Port has been under temporary martial law due to some incidents, and the procedures for entering the inner city are complicated."
"We'll rest in the outer city for tonight and enter the ruins tomorrow as planned."
Meng Anran stood up and spoke. Although Xie Xiao and the others were puzzled, they all nodded in agreement.
Only Chen Feng's eyes flickered, thinking of what Lin Hao had mentioned earlier.
Beep!
[Safety Bureau requesting communication access!]
Suddenly, the aircraft's intelligent female voice announced.
A secretary accompanying them answered the call, identifying themselves, but was still asked to land the aircraft.
"Oh?"
Meng Anran frowned slightly but nodded in agreement.
Whoosh! Click!
The cabin door opened, and the group arrived at the checkpoint of Yun Port's outer city.
Many aircraft and flying cars were forced to stop, with Safety Bureau personnel leading the inspections.
Armed police officers stood guard, along with cyborgs in black combat uniforms from Yun Port's defense forces, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow slightly. Among the Safety Bureau personnel, he spotted a familiar face.
"Deputy Director Fang, is there a problem with our Black Crystal Group?"
The Black Crystal Group's secretary, seeing the Safety Bureau approach for inspection, asked. The middle-aged man with a high rank didn't answer but instead looked at Chen Feng.
As their eyes met, Chen Feng narrowed his.
This man was the Deputy Director Fang who had once led the blockade here, trying to stop him on behalf of the Flying Dragon Sect.
If it hadn't been for a cyborg stepping in to help, he might not have been able to leave Yun Port with his master and the others.
"Haha, of course, there's no problem with the Black Crystal Group."
Deputy Director Fang smiled as he spoke, but his tone was somewhat ambiguous, deliberately pointing at Chen Feng.
"But... this person, no."
A faint malice emanated from him, and Chen Feng sensed the atmosphere around him growing tense.
Xie Xiao and the others looked surprised, while Meng Anran, standing beside Chen Feng, directly removed her sunglasses and stepped in front of him.
"Fang Zhiyuan, are you trying to mess with me?"
"Do you have the power for that?"
Her tone was utterly unapologetic, and her expression was ice-cold. Behind her, Old Gu directly activated his energy device.
Deputy Director Fang Zhiyuan's smile stiffened, and the cyborgs around them tensed as if facing a great enemy.
At this critical moment.
"Miss Meng, we're not targeting you."
A somewhat magnetic male voice sounded. The crowd at the checkpoint parted, making way for a group of people.
Several figures walked over, all wearing black or white combat uniforms, with special firearms at their waists and knees, and VR-style dark glasses. Some even carried a formidable-looking sniper rifle, with the weakest among them being at least third-tier.
Upon closer inspection, their combat uniforms bore a similar emblem on their left chest.
A crossed sword and shield.
The only difference was the color.
Most were silver, but one was a dazzling gold.
"The matters of Yun Port's outer city should be clear to Miss Meng."
"This person has some connection to the Blue Demon, who was earlier suspected to be from Utopia and killed a council member in Nanjiang..."
The dazzling gold emblem on the left chest was particularly conspicuous. The speaker, clearly the leader of the group, had an aura not inferior to Old Gu and was actually a young man in his late twenties with shoulder-length hair.
He was quite handsome, of similar height to Chen Feng, and their eyes met.
"So, we cannot afford to lower our guard."
"I hope Miss Meng can understand, and I hope Grandmaster Chen will cooperate and come with us."
His tone was calm, even commanding.
As their eyes met, Chen Feng could see three golden discs hovering motionlessly behind the man, his gaze indifferent, as if he intended to use force.
But before he could act, Meng Anran's expression turned utterly frosty.
"Yu Jinjiang, are you sure?"
"Miss Meng, I'm just following the Red Guard General's rules." The golden general, Yu Jinjiang, didn't back down and even signaled his subordinates to prepare for action.
Seeing this, Meng Anran suddenly laughed.
"Old Gu."
"Boss?"
"Call for reinforcements."
Meng Anran crossed her arms, her slender, nail-polished fingers resting on her elbows. Her eyes, framed by long lashes, were hidden behind her sunglasses once more.
"Get everyone from the group here."
"Since Yu Jinjiang wants us to understand and cooperate, let's all cooperate. Even those inside the ruins, get them all out!"
"Yes!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Old Gu actually began making the call in front of everyone, preparing to contact the group's headquarters.
Yu Jinjiang's expression stiffened, and his brows furrowed.
"Miss Meng, are you joking with me?"
"Joking?"
Meng Anran, wearing high-heeled boots, scoffed. "A mere golden general dares to come and arrest my people."
"What do you think you are?"
Beep!
As she spoke, Old Gu's call connected.
Yu Jinjiang's expression grew increasingly grim, while the Safety Bureau's Deputy Director Fang Zhiyuan broke out in a cold sweat.
Why had this young lady become so unyielding?
Could it be that she really intended to start a battle in Yun Port?
(End of the Chapter)
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