Chapter 182: Chapter 175: Sorry, I’m Afraid I’ve Broken Your Machine

His facial muscles began to twitch uncontrollably.

Large beads of sweat rolled down from his temples, instantly soaking his collar.

’Has he reached his limit?’

Zhao Hai stared at the screen, his hand already hovering over the red emergency stop button.

The moment Han Feng’s brainwaves showed the slightest sign of collapse, he would immediately cut the power.

But what made his scalp tingle was that although the brainwave curve on the screen was fluctuating violently, it still maintained a tough and strangely rhythmic pattern.

No matter how violently the waves crashed, they showed no sign of breaking.

Inside the Consciousness Space.

Han Feng stared intently at the mountain-sized flame tiger before him.

The absolute sense of oppression, originating from a higher-dimensional lifeform, reminded him of the glimpse of the apocalypse he had seen in the Illusion Realm.

Heavy.

It was just so heavy.

But he could clearly feel his Spiritual Power, originally so bloated and diffuse, being furiously hammered, compressed, and refined under this overwhelmingly tyrannical pressure!

The tiny impurities left over from devouring all those miscellaneous Spirit Bodies were being squeezed out, bit by bit, by this massive hammer!

’This is exhilarating!’

This sensation—his head feeling like it was about to explode, yet his mind becoming clearer and more focused amidst the agony—was simply addicting!

"Can you... add a little more?"

Han Feng gritted his teeth, squeezing out a few words.

"What?!"

The way Zhao Hai looked at Han Feng was as if he were looking at a monster in human form.

"Are... are you sure?"

"This is already the pressure of the Peak of the Early Third Tier!"

"I think... I can take... even more..."

Han Feng’s voice had begun to tremble, but anyone could tell it wasn’t from fear, but from a kind of extreme excitement!

’Madman...’

Zhao Hai muttered to himself.

With a trembling hand, he nudged the lever up another imperceptible notch.

Tier Three Middle Stage!

BOOM!

The giant flame tiger in the Consciousness Space roared at the sky.

Its form didn’t grow any larger, but the color of its flames shifted from crimson to an ominous dark purple.

A sharp claw slowly pressed down.

In that moment, Han Feng felt as if his very soul was about to be crushed!

"Ugh... AHH..."

He let out a suppressed, low growl, his muscles spasming violently all over his body.

The pain was no longer confined to the spiritual level but was clearly feeding back to every inch of his physical body.

Han Feng gasped for breath, looking utterly wretched, but he did not pass out.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The entire Trading Hall was deathly silent, with only the monotonous hum of the instrument and Han Feng’s heavy breathing.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

When the countdown on the wrist device reached zero, and the effects of the complimentary Spiritual Relaxation Potion had been completely exhausted by the intense pressure, Han Feng finally let out a sharp, ragged breath.

"Stop... stop it."

As if granted amnesty, Zhao Hai slammed his hand down on the stop button.

The humming sound stopped abruptly.

Han Feng went limp, slumping into the chair like a pile of mush.

His entire body was soaked, as if he had just been pulled out of water.

He struggled to remove the helmet and shook out his sweat-drenched hair.

In the darkness, his eyes were frighteningly bright.

The feeling was like a mountain he had carried his whole life had been instantly lifted away.

His whole body felt so light he could almost fly.

"Incredible."

Han Feng grinned, revealing a set of stark white teeth.

Zhao Hai stared at him blankly, then looked down at the precise instrument.

For the first time, an expression of profound existential doubt crossed his face.

"Is... is this machine broken?"

He scratched his head, completely baffled.

"This doesn’t make any sense."

"The pressure of a Tier Three Middle Stage Void Nightmare... Even a Grandmaster Reserve at the Enlightenment Realm Late Stage couldn’t last this long!"

"Broken?"

A brawny man at the Meridian Passage Realm Second Layer, who had been eager to try, stepped forward.

Disbelief was written all over his face.

"Let me try, then!"

"If it’s really broken, I want my fifty Spirit Coins back!"

Zhao Hai didn’t waste words, simply gesturing for the brawny man to lie down.

"For an accurate test, I’ll start you directly at the Tier Three Early Stage. Get ready,"

Zhao Hai said, his face devoid of expression.

"Bring it on!"

"If that kid in the Body Tempering Realm can take it, how could I, a dignified Meridian Passage Realm cultivator, be any worse?"

The brawny man’s face was full of disdain.

Zhao Hai activated the machine.

"AHHH—!"

Not even half a second passed.

A scream like a pig being slaughtered echoed under the dome of the Trading Hall.

The brawny man shot up from the chair.

The whites of his eyes were showing, he was foaming at the mouth, and his limbs were twitching violently.

"Quick! Type-C sedative! Emergency treatment!"

Zhao Hai shouted with practiced ease.

Several assistants immediately rushed over and carried the brawny man away for emergency medical care.

The air in the hall completely froze.

Only the faint hum of the fans from a few precision instruments remained.

Just a few seconds prior, the brawny, ox-strong man from the Meridian Passage Realm, who had been shouting about a machine malfunction, was now being lifted onto a stretcher by two paramedics.

His limbs were still twitching unconsciously, and disgraceful foam hung from the corner of his mouth.

And on the other side.

Han Feng twisted open a bottle of mineral water and chugged two large gulps.

His expression was as placid as if he had just woken from a nap on a park bench.

This starkly contrasting image left all the onlookers speechless for a long time.

Wang Meng’s mouth hung wide open.

He looked at the unlucky bastard being carried away, then back at Han Feng, who was wiping his mouth.

His Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty.

’I knew Han Feng was strong, but that was on a physical level.’

’But now... he’s a goddamn monster on the spiritual level, too?’

’That was the pressure of a Tier Three Void Nightmare. If it were me up there, I probably would’ve been turned into an idiot in the first second.’

The researcher, Zhao Hai, who had been staring intently at the data screen, finally snapped back to his senses.

The air of superiority befitting a large corporation employee was gone from his eyes, as was any excessive sycophancy.

In its place was a pure fanaticism, like someone who had just discovered a priceless treasure.

Zhao Hai pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and walked quickly over to Han Feng.

"Excuse me, student. How are you feeling?"

His voice was laced with urgency.

"Are you experiencing any auditory hallucinations, dizziness, or memory gaps?"

Han Feng put down the water bottle and stretched his stiff neck.

His cervical vertebrae let out a crisp CRACK.

"I’m fine."

He felt the Spiritual Power in his mind, which, although exhausted, was now exceptionally condensed and resilient.

"Just a little tired. No discomfort."

"Feeling tired is completely normal!"

Zhao Hai’s voice rose a few pitches.

"To be able to maintain your full self-awareness under the pressure of a Tier Three Middle Stage Void Nightmare... you... ’genius’ isn’t even enough to describe you!"

The surrounding crowd all perked up their ears.

To receive such an evaluation from a Star Sea Technology technician meant this kid’s future was limitless.

"Um..."

Zhao Hai rubbed his hands together, his tone becoming extremely sincere.

"Pardon me for being so forward, but would you be interested in a part-time position with us at Star Sea Technology?"

"The compensation is negotiable. The latest Genetic Potions, or training equipment of this level—internal employees get priority access!"

A blatant recruitment attempt.

In an era where resources were king, Star Sea Technology’s olive branch was a fatal temptation for any student.

Listening from the side, Zhang Hao’s eyelid twitched.

Even an A Level Student like him was green with envy over those terms.

Han Feng, however, just shook his head.

He had no interest in being a guinea pig for some huge conglomerate.

"I’ll pass on the part-time job. I’m lazy and can’t stand being tied down."

Han Feng pointed at the silver-white machine.

"This thing, is it for sale?"

Zhao Hai was stunned, clearly not expecting Han Feng’s appetite to be so huge.

"That... I’m afraid not."

Zhao Hai gave a troubled smile.

"This is a core company secret. It’s not for sale."

Han Feng hadn’t really expected to be able to buy it anyway.

"It’s fine if you won’t sell."

Han Feng changed the subject.

"Then can I rent it?"

"Rent it?"

Zhao Hai’s immediate instinct was to refuse.

But when he thought about the perfect "limit-pressure test data" Han Feng had just provided, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

That data was priceless for the report he had to submit!

"In principle, it’s not allowed..."

Zhao Hai adjusted his glasses, his tone beginning to soften.

"But your case is special."

"As a ’high-quality specimen’ capable of withstanding Tier Three Middle Stage pressure, I can apply for a special exception for you."

"Name a price," Han Feng said concisely.

"The rent is five hundred Spirit Coins a day, and the helmet must be returned by tomorrow morning," Zhao Hai stated. He then held up a finger. "But that’s just the minor cost."

"This machine is a money-eater. To achieve the best results, you must use it in conjunction with our specially made Spiritual Relaxation Potion."

"Otherwise, it could cause irreversible, permanent brain damage."

As he spoke, Zhao Hai took out an exquisite metal box from under the counter that emanated a frosty air.

The box opened, and a cold mist billowed out.