After experiencing great ups and downs, Luo Feng entered a state of inner calmness, as tranquil as still water. His heart and mind were as clear as crystal—this was the state he was in, at least for this moment.
With no distractions whatsoever, he devoted himself entirely to sword practice.
“Hmm?” Luo Feng trained for a while, then stood there frowning in deep thought, occasionally mimicking a few moves before resuming his practice. He would stop again to contemplate, then continue training…
This sensation was just like when Luo Feng was in school, solving math problems.
A difficult math problem required reasoning through each direction and known condition, constantly refining and correcting the approach until finally completing the problem. The math problems on the college entrance exam were all very difficult. Some of the hardest problems could take even an hour or two to solve during regular practice.
Right now, Luo Feng was just like someone “solving a problem,” with the exact same mindset, continuously studying sword techniques!
But unlike before, his current state of mind was unusually serene. His control over his body’s subtle movements and the speed of his mental processing far surpassed his usual capabilities.
…
An entire night of arduous cultivation, and the next morning continued in the same way.
In the afternoon of the following day, Luo Feng sat on the balcony, holding the Blood Shadow Blade, deep in thought for three hours straight.
Then he continued studying sword techniques.
He forgot about meals, the astronomical bounty on his head, and all his previous suspicions and paranoia…
…
On the night of the next day, in the dimly lit eighth-floor hall of the high-rise residential building, Luo Feng continuously moved and slashed the blade! The blade’s icy light chilled the soul.
Huuuuh!
No one knew how many times he had swung the blade by now. As the Blood Shadow Blade moved slightly, a streak of cold light illuminated the entire hall. A faint, peculiar ripple surged forth, like a bolt of lightning. A strange shockwave sound, like a sonic boom, crackled through the air—”Puh-puh~~”
“Hmm?” Luo Feng’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
“Did it work?”
“I actually succeeded! I’ve mastered the third layer of the Nine-Thunder Blade!” Luo Feng was so excited he couldn’t help but let out a loud, unrestrained roar.
The third layer of Thunder Blade!
It had been cultivated successfully not long after the astronomical bounty was announced.
“This Nine-Thunder Blade becomes more difficult with each layer. I had just mastered the second layer not too long ago, and now I’ve already succeeded in the third!” Luo Feng smiled slightly. “I really should thank Mr. and Mrs. Li.” If Li Wei’s mother, Vinna Bolanis, were to learn of this outcome, she would probably be furious enough to spit blood.
The Nine-Thunder Blade becomes increasingly difficult with each layer! Across the globe, only ‘Thunder God’ had ever mastered the ninth and final layer.
It was well known that this ultimate martial art was extremely demanding.
The third layer alone increased one’s power by 2.8 times!
Luo Feng’s current physical condition was that of an elite advanced warrior. With a 2.8x multiplier, his attack power was comparable to that of a mid-level warlord!
2.8 times!
It was known that each level only represented about a doubling of power.
“My single slash contains four layers of hidden force, matching the power of a mid-level warlord. If I channel my mental energy into the Blood Shadow Blade, adding fifth and sixth layers of force… my slash might rival that of a senior high-level warlord!” Luo Feng was well aware of the power of mental energy. When combined with physical strength, its effect was even more astonishing.
A pleasant surprise!
An unexpected blessing brought by the astronomical bounty!
The pressure from the astronomical bounty was indeed immense. Some people would live in fear under such pressure, even collapsing mentally. Yet others would grow stronger, pushing themselves harder and progressing at an astonishing rate.
Luo Feng had made progress!
“I should really thank Li Wei’s parents,” Luo Feng said with a delighted expression. “That astronomical bounty did stir a bit of panic deep within me, making me feel as if anyone might betray me. I was suspicious of everyone. Fortunately, after chatting with Xu Xin, my mood improved… going through such emotional highs and lows allowed me to become extremely calm.”
Calm as still water—meaning no distractions whatsoever!
This state of absolute calm and clarity was extremely difficult to maintain for long periods.
Ordinarily, people only entered such a state during life-or-death moments or critical crises. In such moments, a person’s abilities could be greatly enhanced. For example, when Luo Feng faced hundreds of beast-lord-level monsters outside the Carrefour supermarket, it was only through absolute calm and clarity in those brief 1.2 seconds that he managed to escape.
But that state lasted only a second or two.
But this time, Luo Feng’s emotional turbulence had enabled him to linger in that state for more than twenty hours! Within those twenty hours of perfect serenity, he immersed himself entirely in swordplay—and astonishingly mastered the third tier of the Nine-Thunder Blade! Only after the euphoria of his breakthrough did he finally awaken from that meditative trance.
“The astronomical bounty… it’s easy to affect one’s mindset, making one paranoid and suspicious. As history books say, the decline of many ancient dynasties began when emperors started doubting their ministers, becoming overly suspicious, which led to the dynasty’s collapse.” Luo Feng’s mental resilience had reached a new level.
The impact of the astronomical bounty on him had also greatly diminished.
“The team leaders have no evidence, no solid proof, so they can’t claim the reward. Without the reward, who would be foolish enough to report me?” Luo Feng twitched his ear slightly and immediately rushed to the balcony to look down. Outside the residential building, dozens of monsters had gathered.
Luo Feng was momentarily stunned, then smiled: “Looks like my excited roar when I mastered the third layer attracted quite a few monsters.”
“Time to leave. Back to the base city!”
Immediately, Luo Feng slung his backpack, sword, and shield onto his back and leaped from the eighth-floor balcony in a flash, landing on the rooftop of a three-story villa ahead. In the blink of an eye, he had completely vanished.
…
Train Station.
Train stations were always the most bustling and crowded places, filled with the sound of countless voices. A long train slowly rolled into the station, and the screech of its brakes echoed. As the train doors opened, a stream of passengers poured out.
“The base city… that’s home.” Luo Feng stepped off the train and smiled as he looked around.
“Home!”
Taking a special vehicle from the Limit Martial Arts Pavilion, Luo Feng returned to Mingyue Community in the evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon.
“The community is still the same as always, so peaceful.” Looking through the car window, Luo Feng saw many residents strolling and chatting leisurely.
“Beep!” The car stopped in front of the Limit Pavilion.
Luo Feng opened the door and stepped out. Standing at the entrance of the Limit Pavilion was a large crowd, including many martial artists and their families. Even the other members of the Hammer Team were there, and of course, his parents and younger brother were as well.
“Xiao Feng.” Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan couldn’t help but call out.
“Brother.” Luo Hua wore a delighted expression.
“Luofeng.”
“Crazy guy.”
Many martial artists greeted him warmly.
“Captain, you’re here too?” Luo Feng smiled in surprise. Captain Gao Feng, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing all smiled. Gao Feng said, “Didn’t you say you’d be back these two days? We also need to discuss handling those monster materials together. Besides, we haven’t seen Old Zhang in a while. We thought we’d come over and have a chat with the brothers.”
Luo Feng nodded with a smile: “Captain, I’ll chat with you all tonight. I need to go home first now.”
“Alright.” Gao Feng nodded with a smile, watching Luo Feng leave. In his heart, he thought, “Hmm? Looking at Luo Feng’s expression and demeanor, he seems unusually cheerful and relaxed, showing no signs of stress. I guess he really isn’t the murderer.” Gao Feng didn’t know what to make of his own feelings.
He couldn’t help but investigate, wanting to know whether Luo Feng was the murderer. After all, one thousand billion was an irresistible temptation.
Perhaps he didn’t want Luo Feng to be the murderer, so he could feel at ease and not be tempted by the one thousand billion reward.
“How many people can remain cheerful and relaxed under such an astronomical bounty? At least for a young man under twenty, it’s extremely difficult to reach that level.” Gao Feng shook his head, “Forget it, no more overthinking.” Gao Feng had to admit that even he was somewhat unsettled by the massive reward.
“Come on, brothers, let’s have a drink.” Gao Feng called out.
“Let’s go.”
“Haha, all together!”
The members of the Hammer Team, including Zhang Ke with his missing arm, entered the pavilion. Only Luo Feng was at home now.
…
Second floor of Luo Feng’s home.
Just after returning home, Luo Feng placed the backpack containing the ‘dragon egg,’ ‘battle suit,’ and ‘sword’ into the safe in his bedroom. Actually, even if he left it on the floor, no one would steal it. This was the martial artists’ residential area of the Limit Martial Arts Pavilion; no one dared steal here.
“There’s no doubt that Mr. and Mrs. Li have the privilege to investigate nearby martial artists. With the number of martial artists gathered around City 023, they must have checked hundreds, even thousands of martial artists. I’m just one of them. The likelihood of suspicion falling on me is very low.”
“Since Mr. and Mrs. Li suspect mentalists, they will probably also check the bank accounts of the martial artists they suspect.”
“Therefore, from now on!”
“I can’t deposit any large sums of money I earn into my real-name bank account. I should put them into an anonymous account.” Nowadays, many banks worldwide offered ‘anonymous accounts,’ which did not require the account holder’s identity. As long as the correct passwords and other set criteria were met, the money could be withdrawn.
“First, deposit large sums into anonymous accounts.”
“Second, I must absolutely not reveal my identity as a mentalist until the right moment.”
“Third, I must never tell anyone about killing Li Wei.”
“Fourth, I must never reveal to anyone—not even my family—that I sold the dragon egg, battle-suit, and other items.” Luo Feng understood all too well that even the slightest misstep could spell disaster. Until he possessed the strength to face the Vulture and the Scorpion Couple head-on, he absolutely could not afford to expose himself!
Having hundreds of millions or even billions was a lot for a warlord-class martial artist, but not extraordinary.
But if one’s bank account suddenly had hundreds of billions?
Wouldn’t Vulture Li Yao and Scorpion Vinna Bolanis suspect something? Remember, the HR Alliance controlled over half of the world’s economy. Many major banks overseas were subsidiaries of the HR Alliance. With their privileges, they could easily trace Luo Feng’s wealth through global banking networks.
Only an anonymous account would be safe.
Even the banks themselves wouldn’t know who the client was, let alone anyone else.
“My most important task now is maintaining my public strength. Therefore, I should first purchase the deeper secrets of the Nine-Thunder Blade.” Luo Feng nodded slightly. Just then, his mobile phone rang.
“Hey, Luo Feng, are you ready yet?”
“Almost, I’m coming.” Luo Feng replied with a smile.
“We’re at the first-floor bar of the Pavilion. Come over.”
After hanging up, Luo Feng headed toward the ‘Limit Pavilion’ within the community.
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