Battle Through the Heavens: Starting from the Jia Ma Empire

Chapter 4 Yellow Rank Advanced

In a dimly lit secret room, the walls are covered with the marks of time. On the mottled stone walls, there seem to be unknown runes and totems engraved, which emit a faint glow.

A strange fragrance permeated the air, like the scent of grass and trees in an ancient forest, yet also seemingly mixed with the aroma of metal and ore. This fragrance was intoxicating, as if one could travel through time and touch the mysteries of antiquity. This was a secret chamber that Lin Feng had built at great expense to prevent the energy fluctuations during the formation of the elixir; it was said to be able to block the energy fluctuations of a fourth-grade elixir at its peak.

In the center of the secret room stood an ancient stone platform, and in the corners around it were some strange objects, some shimmering with an eerie light, others emitting a faint fragrance.

At this moment, a young man dressed in a blue robe sat cross-legged on it, his eyes filled with burning light. It was time to see the treasure.

The first thing he opened was the black iron piece that gave Lin Feng a peculiar feeling in his soul. Holding it in his hand and examining it carefully, he occasionally felt a tremor in his soul. Combining Lin Feng's years of experience in opening treasures, "Boom..." a wisp of bluish-red flame rose in his hand—the beast fire taken from the fourth-tier magical beast, the Azure-Winged Flame Beast.

"Based on past experience, we can obtain the engraved information by simply melting the black iron sheet with flames. Let's begin, let me see what you really are?" Lin Feng's heart was filled with anticipation.

"Sizzle, sizzle..." The flames continued to burn, and Lin Feng kept his eyes fixed on the black iron piece, not daring to relax for a moment. After about fifteen minutes, under the raging flames, the black iron piece gradually melted until finally, only a crystalline, liquid-like ball of light remained floating in mid-air. "Whoosh..." Suddenly, the ball of light shot into Lin Feng's brow.

"Yellow-Rank Advanced Soul Forging Technique - Millstone Soul Forging Technique. Visualize a millstone within your soul. Once formed, infuse it with soul power. With each rotation, the soul power becomes purer and stronger, even capable of absorbing spiritual energy from the unseen realm, laying a solid foundation for breaking through to the Soul Spirit Realm. It can be said that as long as the soul power is sufficient, one can break through to the Spirit Realm without any bottlenecks. The drawback is that the process of tempering will cause immense pain over time, forcing one to stop cultivating. Otherwise, this technique should be classified as a Profound-Rank technique."

"Hahaha, with this Soul Forging Technique, coupled with my powerful soul talent from my transmigration and rebirth, I will definitely go further and further on the path of alchemist. With this, I can obtain more cultivation resources, and I might even be able to keep up with Xiao Yan's cheat-like cultivation speed. Hahaha..." Lin Feng's face was filled with ecstatic joy, his eyes gleaming, and his laughter echoed in the secret chamber.

"Hoo..." After catching his breath, Lin Feng let out a soft sigh. "I still can't keep my emotions in check. It seems my cultivation is still lacking!" This is understandable. Although he had been training alone in this world for more than ten years, who could remain calm in the face of such a huge surprise? Being able to recover his composure immediately is a sign of his calm state of mind.

Next, he took out many rare items he had purchased from the market and studied them for a long time. He actually discovered another rare wood-attribute treasure – the Heart of the Suzuki Wood. Within a huge piece of Suzuki wood, he found that it possessed the effect of calming the mind and slightly accelerating the circulation of cultivation techniques.

Suzuki—a unique tree species found only in the Tagor Desert. This tree grows horizontally, resembling a dead log, and has no leaves, making it difficult to determine its survival. It grows one meter per year, and upon reaching a hundred years, it will form the Suzuki Heart, a rare and precious wood-attribute material within its body.

"Such a large Suzuki Heart, this tree may have grown for nearly a thousand years. It's enough for Qinglin and me to use, and there's still a huge surplus. We've really struck gold this time. Maybe that vendor didn't know its value. After all, this tree grows deep in the desert, very close to the Snake-People tribe. I wouldn't have recognized it if it weren't for the alchemist's legacy." Lin Feng once again gave a thumbs up to the nameless alchemist senior in his heart.

After sorting and categorizing his purchases, Lin Feng stood up. He stretched lazily. "Hmm, my mood is too volatile for cultivation. I'd better go for a walk!"

...The dividing line of evil...

Walking through the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group's encampment, Lin Feng was greeted warmly by the mercenaries he encountered along the way.

Lin Feng nodded in response to each one. He even gave some of the more sycophantic mercenaries a few first-grade healing pills as a reward. This prompted the sycophantic mercenaries to bow and scrape, showering him with words of utmost respect.

"Sigh, another uneventful day. The life of an alchemist is so boring." This guy's got it.

Speaking of the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group, Lin Feng's parents worked there and later died in the line of duty. They raised Lin Feng, but he didn't play by the rules and quietly became an alchemist.

Of course, the protective role the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group played for Lin Feng when he was weak cannot be denied. Lin Feng also knows how to be grateful, as can be seen from the fact that the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group now ranks second among the major forces in Stone Desert City.

The power ranking in Stone Desert City: First, the City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord was appointed by the Jia Ma Empire to be stationed here. It is said that he is extremely powerful, and no one has ever seen him make a move. However, Lin Feng sensed through his astonishing soul power that he was a six-star Dou Ling expert. This is not surprising, after all, it is a border region, and if the City Lord is not powerful enough, he is at risk of being suppressed by his subordinate forces.

Secondly, there's the Crimson Flame Mercenary Group. Its leader is a five-star Grand Dou Master, and the group also boasts several Dou Shi experts and numerous high-star Dou Zhes. It was Lin Feng's contributions after becoming an alchemist that led to the Crimson Flame's rapid growth.

The third one is from the original work: the Sand Mercenary Group, whose leader, Rob, has just been promoted to a one-star Great Dou Master. Hehe, don't ask him how he knows.

Back then, in order to ensure his advancement, Luo Bu bought several pills from him at a high price to stabilize his mind during cultivation. Lin Feng had really ripped him off. He could still vaguely remember the pained look on Luo Bu's face at the time.

Then there are second-rate mercenary groups like Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's Mo Tie Mercenary Group. Although they have great potential, they are not taken seriously by major powers because they are below the level of Great Dou Master.

Upon entering a courtyard, Lin Feng heard a hearty laugh. "Hahaha, nephew Lin Feng, what wind blew you, this great master, to your uncle's place?" A tall, muscular man dressed in yellow approached. Indeed, this was Chi Huo, the leader of the Chi Huo Mercenary Group.

"Uncle Chi Huo, please don't say that. I have to thank you for your protection over the years, otherwise I wouldn't have the success I have today." After exchanging compliments for a while, Lin Feng got to the point.

"Uncle Chi Huo, I've reached a bottleneck in my alchemy skills. I plan to leave Stone Desert City soon and travel to other parts of the empire to broaden my horizons, improve my alchemy skills, and also experience extraordinary people and events, as well as various exotic customs and landscapes."

"I came here today to say goodbye." Then, Lin Feng ran his fingers through his storage ring, and a row of jade bottles appeared on the table in a flash of light. "These are some pills to promote cultivation and some to heal and detoxify. I don't know when I will be able to return after leaving this adventure. I hope that when I see Uncle Chi Huo again, you will already be a Dou Ling expert."

(End of this chapter)