Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Evolution (First Update Celebrating 3/5 for Chen Taizhong)

The house is shaking? Feng Jun got quite a scare, and with a single thought, he exited WeChat.

After stepping outside, his heart was still pounding nonstop.

Could it be a mistake? That house seemed to be virtual inside the mobile phone, how could it shake just like in reality?

The next moment, with two beeps, the mobile phone shut down!

Only then did Feng Jun realize that it was the imminent shutdown of the mobile phone that caused the instability of the virtual house.

This logic… seems flawless, but what would have become of him if he hadn’t exited in time?

The thought of this consequence was terrifying.

Then, he started to recall what he had done to cause the rapid battery drain on his phone.

Well, he did have a lot of fun in “People Nearby” and “Spirit Stones Nearby,” performed various tests, and compared the scale, which indeed might have… overlooked the phone battery factor.

Anyway, today’s chilling experience would become an unforgettable memory, and in the days to come, he would absolutely not overlook any behavior potentially related to battery life again, considering it a lesson learned.

Next, he turned his attention to another matter—what exactly is an “unformed Spirit Stone”?

Literally, it wasn’t hard to guess that these were Spirit Stones that had not yet taken shape, and as for that stone at the bottom of the river, “Spirit Stones Nearby” also had a description—it was three to four thousand years away from forming.

Thinking of the two crude Spirit Stones he found during the day, Feng Jun had a burgeoning insight: compared to that gem-like, luxurious, and dazzling Spirit Stone, these two ugly things could really only be considered semi-finished products.

To make an analogy, in Earth Realm, due to different degrees of coalification, peat and lignite represent the lowest quality coal, bituminous coal is slightly better, and anthracite is the highest quality.

Top-grade anthracite is sold by the gram, and compared to it, those coals sold by the ton… should roll as far away as they can.

So, unformed Spirit Stones… are probably like peat that has not reached the level of anthracite, right?

Feng Jun liked to be meticulous about things, but once he found a plausible reason, he temporarily put the matter aside and began to ponder the next issue: what exactly happened to me that caused the information about this Spirit Stone to change?

It was only then that he rolled up the sleeve on his left wrist and looked at the mark of the Stone Ring.

He was taken aback when he looked—it was a greenish-black mark before, but now it had turned red!

Feng Jun was quite concerned about this mark, and for fear that others might find it peculiar, he would deliberately cover it with his sleeve when people were around. Only in private would he reveal it for contemplation.

When he left the pit yesterday, it was already dark, so he hadn’t bothered to check the mark—after all, the first Spirit Stone had already charged the energy points to over five hundred, so there was no immediate need to worry about it.

Who would have thought that after absorbing the second Spirit Stone, the mark on his hand had evolved into red!

Evolved? Yes, he believed it to be an evolution, because before this, he had only seen the words “Spirit Stone Ore” at the bottom of the river, and only after the mark turned red did information about “unformed Spirit Stones” appear.

It took Feng Jun the better half of the day to sort out the sequence of events.

He collected his thoughts and couldn’t help but come up with an idea: if that’s the case, the related messages in “People Nearby” should also have increased in information, right?

Then, he took out another mobile phone, ready to turn it on and test, but suddenly remembered, isn’t my plan now to rest and heal while trying to collect as many Spirit Stones as possible?

The red mark on his wrist was unusually bright now, clearly containing a decent amount of energy points, but why would he ever complain about having too many of those?

Moreover, he was genuinely injured now; in the past couple of days, for the sake of scouting, he had frequently entered and exited his mobile phone, exhausting himself so much that he had to take a break to recover.

Although during this period of recuperation he had the fortune of advancing to High-Rank Martial Master, it was undeniable: frequent movement in and out of the mobile phone not only consumed a lot of energy points but also put a great strain on his body.

Therefore, he decided to temporarily stop testing “People Nearby.” After all, adventure was in his hands, not borrowed, so there was no need to rush the tests. The real priority was to go out every day for a jaunt, pick one or two spots to test, and see if he could find more Spirit Stones.

Once he had made up his mind, he gathered his emotions, did some Tun Na breathing exercises, and then went out for breakfast.

Feifei had risen very early and had already prepared breakfast. The Deng Family Brothers came over sluggishly, while Lang Zhen practiced sword moves in the courtyard before joining them for breakfast—ever since he got Luo Wendao’s treasure sword, he had been practicing his sword techniques frequently.

Feng Jun couldn’t help but mention the Mystic Element Sword Technique to him again, to which Deng Lao Da unusually spoke up, “My father heard from an expert that this sword technique must be comprehended on one’s own, not discussed with others.”

Feng Jun was willing to take advice, so upon hearing that, he could only nod resignedly. Glancing around, he accidentally noticed Feifei staring wide-eyed, listening to their conversation about sword practice.

After breakfast and a short rest, Feng Jun led the trio, setting up a surveillance line himself and installing a camera on the side of the courtyard wall. He then watched as Deng Lao Er laid another surveillance line.

This thing is tricky to talk about, but once you’ve had a go at it, that’s all there is to it, really “seeing something a thousand times is not as good as doing it once.”

The remaining work, Feng Jun left to them to handle, while he himself slung his backpack over his shoulder and once again set out.

Similarly, less than two hundred meters after exiting the courtyard, he bumped into Tian Family members again, and this time even Tian Yangni showed up.

However, the calculations of the Tian Family members were doomed to fail.

For two consecutive days, Feng Jun chose two different locations to meditate and practice Tun Na, but no booming explosions occurred. Although Divine Doctor had forbidden them from coming within five hundred meters, everyone could see that all he did was pick a spot and then sit down to meditate and practice breathing exercises.

The Tian Family members were quite frustrated, wondering what the Divine Doctor was actually up to.

Feng Jun was even more vexed. Despite choosing two spots for meditation, in reality, he had also searched “for nearby Spirit Stones” twice on his way.

Including the two sites he thought might have Spirit Stones, he had searched four places in these two days.

Yet, he found nothing, and bear in mind, his search radius had now reached six hundred meters, not the three hundred meters it had been before.

Feng Jun was truly unhappy: This isn’t right, back when I barely knew anything, Spirit Stones were at my fingertips, and now with the theory in place and energy points abundant, I can’t find any Spirit Stones?

If he hadn’t been determined to heal his injuries while slowly searching for Spirit Stones, he might have already started a large-scale search—this was just too infuriating.

The next evening, after Feng Jun returned and had dinner, he was just about to check the installation of the surveillance lines, as he would set up and calibrate the sensors if everything was in order.

But then Tian Yangni requested an audience, saying that the Tian Family had found about a dozen Cultivation Techniques and sought Divine Doctor’s appraisal.

When Feng Jun heard that there were about a dozen Cultivation Techniques, he met with him and after looking through them, they indeed existed. There were sets with nine diagrams, eighteen diagrams, and even a basic Cultivation Technique that Lang Zhen had practiced back in the day.

There were three sets of Nine Forms Twenty-Seven Diagrams. According to Tian Yangni, ordinary Martial Cultivators without a solid foundation usually practiced the Eighteen Diagrams set. Only those from well-resourced families could complete the Twenty-Seven Diagrams set.

Therefore, these three Cultivation Techniques were quite precious, impossible to buy in the open market, and if one tried to purchase them from another family, it would lead to fierce contention.

Lang Zhen and the Deng Family Brothers confirmed that this was true, and Lone Wolf provided an evaluation, saying that if one were to buy them with money, just these three sets would be worth at least three hundred taels of Gold—and that’s if you could even find them for sale.

Along with the other Cultivation Techniques, the total value approached four hundred taels of Gold.

Feng Jun didn’t hesitate and went straight inside the house to take out twenty-five kilograms of Gold, considering the excess as a tip for their trouble.

Tian Yangni didn’t want to take it, but Divine Doctor coldly spoke up, “Are you saying that you won’t be willing to collect Cultivation Techniques for me in the future?”

This question was too compelling, and Tian Laoqi had no choice but to accept the Gold reluctantly, and at the same time inquired whether Divine Doctor would be going out in the following days.

Actually, he wanted to ask about the reason Divine Doctor went out, but… he really couldn’t just ask outright.

Feng Jun indicated that whether he went out or not depended on his mood, it was none of their concern, nor did he insist on them accompanying him.

Tian Yangni dared not say more and could only leave with the Gold, feeling dejected.

Just as Feng Jun was about to put away the Cultivation Techniques, he accidentally caught Feifei’s eager gaze. After a moment of contemplation, he asked with a smile, “Do you also want to cultivate?”

Feifei nodded vigorously, her eyes brimming with hope as she dared not utter a single word.

Feng Jun pondered for a moment then turned to glance at Lang Zhen, asking with interest, “Old Lang, what do you think she should practice?”

He wasn’t just helping Feifei with the question but also wanted to learn how to choose a suitable Cultivation Technique, so he could later select one appropriate for Xu Leigang.

Lang Zhen replied with a wry smile, “You’re asking the wrong person. Those who can determine which Cultivation Technique is suitable for themselves come from great clans with legacies. I am from a humble background, I don’t understand these things… Maybe let her practice my set? It’s at least safe.”

The Cultivation Technique that Lang Zhen practiced was quite ordinary. The reason he achieved success in his cultivation was due to his own understanding and hard work, and of course, we can’t rule out the possibility of exceptional talent.

Upon hearing this, Feifei nodded her tiny head, indicating her willingness to accept this technique.

At that moment, Deng Lao Er spoke up, “Why don’t we ask the Tian Family if they can help test Feifei’s physique? With so many Cultivation Techniques to choose from, it would be a shame not to be selective.”

Seek aid from the Tian Family again? Feng Jun was a bit averse to the idea, but in the next moment, his eyes lit up: I still have “Neighborhood Scanning.”

(Additional update delivered, celebrating Silver Meng’s “Prime Minister’s Broadmindedness, Chen Taizhong,” current progress 3/5, with just a day and a half left, loudly calling for monthly votes.)