Chapter 159: Chapter 156: Humanoid Radar, Hacking for Treasure

Han Feng’s breath hitched.

’A high price isn’t scary. What’s scary is not even having a way to get it.’

’As long as there’s a sliver of hope, I have to seize it.’

’Last night’s gluttonous feast, that dance on the edge of madness, made one thing crystal clear. The Spirit Bodies others saw as nightmares were my fastest path to the top.’

’If I can just solve the side effects of this ’indigestion,’ my power will skyrocket!’

"I understand."

Han Feng’s gaze turned resolute. It was the look of a starving wolf that had just spotted a butcher shop.

"I have to get my hands on it!"

"That’s the spirit. Good."

Zhang Hao saw the fire in Han Feng’s eyes reignite and nodded in approval.

He then clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Alright, everyone’s had enough rest. Let’s go over the plan."

Zhang Hao’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it instantly silenced the cave.

"During the day, we have only one objective: money!"

"Demon Beasts, Spirit Plants, ores—anything that can be exchanged for Spirit Coins—I want you to hunt them down relentlessly!"

"Remember, we must reach the palace ruins on the Central Main Island before the gloom sets in today."

"Tonight, we’re going to that Black Market to see what it’s all about. We’ll see if we can trade this junk we’re carrying for some life-saving Divine Weapons!"

The captain’s words were like a shot of adrenaline, getting everyone fired up.

Fan Jian and Liu Cheng, the battle-hungry members of the group, were especially thrilled. Their eyes were practically glowing green.

"Assignments!"

Zhang Hao’s gaze swept across the group.

"Lin Qing, Su Yue, you two will stay behind at camp. You’re in charge of guard duty and sorting the materials we bring back."

"Su Yue, you have a more critical task. I need you to accurately appraise the value of all our materials. We need to know what we’re working with when we go to trade tonight!"

"No problem, Captain."

The two women replied in unison.

"The rest of you, split into pairs and explore freely."

"Remember, safety first. Don’t wander too far!"

After speaking, Zhang Hao’s gaze fell on Han Feng and Wang Meng.

"You two are still partnering up?"

"You know it!"

Wang Meng threw an arm as big as a palm fan around Han Feng’s shoulder, thumping his own chest with a resounding THUD.

"I’ll be Fengzi’s meat shield. Anyone who wants to get to him has to get through my axe first!"

Han Feng had no objections.

He needed a partner he could absolutely trust to have his back, allowing him to fully immerse himself in the mysterious world of his Perception.

With the assignments given, everyone immediately sprang into action.

Han Feng and Wang Meng were the last pair to leave the cave.

Under the brilliant sky, Han Feng put his expensive flight helmet back on.

He closed his eyes.

A thought stirred in his mind.

VMMMM!

A spherical Perception Field with a thirty-meter radius spread out silently, like ripples from a stone tossed into a lake, enveloping his surroundings.

The world was instantly reconstructed in his mind.

It was no longer a world of rocks and plants visible to the naked eye.

Instead, it was a living, pulsating, three-dimensional tapestry woven from countless points of light and lines of energy.

The flow of Spiritual Qi in the air.

The faint glow of minerals beneath the rock.

In the distant woods, the scorching waves of Qi Blood emanating from a Demon Beast...

[Spiritual Vision], combined with this new Perception Field, was like equipping him with an unprecedented super-radar.

’Today, this island will hold no more secrets from me!’

Outside the cave, daylight streamed in.

In the daytime of the Suspended Mountain Secret Realm, the sky was a strange shade of pale purple, and the air was so fresh it was almost sharp enough to choke on.

Han Feng and Wang Meng walked out of the cave, one after the other. They faced the breeze and stretched.

The mental strain from the previous night seemed to ease considerably in this environment.

"The captain’s group went east, so let’s head west. We don’t want to step on each other’s toes."

Wang Meng rolled his neck, his joints letting out a series of sharp CRACKS. The Alloy Giant Axe in his hand glinted menacingly in the sun.

"Not so fast." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The words had barely left Han Feng’s mouth before he sprinted dozens of paces forward.

He tapped his toes lightly on the ground as the Qi Blood surged within him.

The Ghost Bat·Modified Wingsuit on his back unfolded with a SWISH!

His body lifted off the ground as gracefully as a weightless feather, eventually coming to a steady hover more than a hundred meters in the air.

Wang Meng stared up, his mouth unconsciously hanging open in an "O" as he watched.

"Holy crap, Fengzi... your control of that Wingsuit is becoming inhuman."

Han Feng ignored his comment from his position in mid-air.

He activated [Spiritual Vision], pushing his sight to its absolute limit.

A rough contour map of the energy distribution across the entire Island G-13 appeared before his eyes.

He could see at a glance where the Spiritual Qi was dense and where the Energy was thin.

After identifying a few general directions where Spiritual Qi was relatively concentrated, Han Feng slowly descended.

"Let’s go. Northwest."

Han Feng retracted his Wingsuit and pointed toward a distant, stone mountain tangled in thick vines.

Without further delay, the two of them set off.

This time, Han Feng didn’t fly up to act as a scout.

He followed about a hundred meters behind Wang Meng, keeping his nascent Perception Field extended to its maximum range as he walked.

The spherical, thirty-meter-radius perception zone centered on him acted like an invisible sieve, filtering everything in their path.

From the strange birds flying overhead to the insects lurking underground, nothing could escape his notice.

After about ten minutes of walking, Han Feng suddenly stopped.

"What is it?"

Wang Meng asked, turning back warily.

Han Feng didn’t answer. He just stared intently at a patch of moss-covered ground to their left, his brow furrowed.

Within his Perception Field, about two meters below the surface, a fist-sized halo of light was flickering slowly.

The Energy Intensity wasn’t particularly high, but it was exceptionally pure.

"Brother Meng, come over here."

Wang Meng walked over, confused.

Han Feng pointed at the unremarkable patch of ground.

"Use your axe. Try digging down about two meters right here."

"Dig?"

Wang Meng’s face was a picture of confusion.

"Fengzi, are you still half-asleep? It’s just bare ground. What could possibly be here?"

"Less talk, more digging."

Dubious, Wang Meng nevertheless raised his Giant Axe.

His Qi Blood surged, and an earthy yellow glow ignited along the heavy axe blade.

"HRAAAGH!"

With a low roar, the Giant Axe smashed down onto the hard, rocky ground, letting out a sharp whistle as it tore through the air!

BOOM!

Rock fragments flew everywhere. A half-meter-deep pit appeared in an instant.

"Again!"

Han Feng shouted.

Wang Meng’s interest was suddenly piqued. He swung his axe like a human excavator on steroids, huffing and puffing as he furiously hacked away at the ground.

「A few minutes later.」

As Wang Meng’s axe struck again, it hit something hard with a crisp CLANG.

He dug away the dirt.

A pale blue, head-sized chunk of ore lay quietly at the bottom of the pit.

The ore’s surface was covered in honeycomb-like pores from which faint wisps of a peculiar, dream-like energy were escaping.

"This... this is... a Tier Two Lower Grade Blue Smoke Crystal?!"

Wang Meng’s eyes widened, and his breath hitched.

This type of ore was a premium material for crafting the core of a Tier Two Spiritual Energy Weapon. It was worth at least a hundred Spirit Coins on the market!

He turned back to Han Feng in disbelief, looking at him as if he were some kind of monster.

"Fengzi... how did you know there was something down here?"

"Are... are you part groundhog or something?"

Han Feng shrugged and offered a casual excuse.

"My Perception Talent is just... particularly sensitive to the fluctuations from these kinds of energy ores."

"Damn! That Talent of yours is just ridiculous!"