C11 The First Layer of the Nine Flames and Strange Fire Art

The bloodcurdling screams sent shivers down everyone's spine.

Instructor Lin stood there, mouth agape, gazing at Han Feng as if he were beholding a creature from another world. It was then that Instructor Lin realized why so many had been ogling Gu Ba and his posterior. As it turned out, Gu Ba had requested sick leave for this very reason.

"How ghastly," Instructor Lin murmured absentmindedly.

Han Feng pointed to two individuals in the crowd and said, "You two are Gu Ba's close friends, aren't you? Help him out and take him away. And don't come back to bother me again."

Han Feng's words left everyone dripping with sweat.

Without a peep, the pair quickly escorted Gu Ba away.

Instructor Lin called out, "Han Feng, a word, please."

Once Han Feng approached, Instructor Lin inquired, "Do you experience any discomfort when you train your Internal Strength?"

Instructor Lin's greatest concern was the possibility that Han Feng's rapid progress could be detrimental.

Han Feng shook his head, feigning confusion. "No issues at all. I can't explain why my strength is increasing so rapidly, but I sense that once I reach the Middle Period of Mortal Rank, things will stabilize."

Relieved, Instructor Lin thought to himself, "It must be the fruits of Han Feng's labor over the past few years."

After the gathering, Instructor Lin went to meet with Han Yu.

In the grand hall, Han Yu burst into laughter. "That's our Feng for you. At this rate, it won't be long before he outpaces Lin."

Han Tianmu offered a resigned smile. "Does it really matter? We're all one family. Whoever grows stronger, it's to the benefit of the Han family, isn't it?"

"Currently, among the younger generation, both Feng and my niece Rou are poised to become Mystic Rank experts. Soon, the Han family won't just be the foremost family in Renzhong City; we'll elevate it to the status of Xuanzhong City. What an immense honor that will be."

Han Tianxing nodded his assent. "Absolutely."

Then, Han Yu turned and asked, "By the way, Lin Yue, how exactly did Feng claim victory? Do tell."

At that, Instructor Lin's face tensed up.

Word of Han Feng's exploits had quickly spread among the Han family members.

Meanwhile, Han Feng continued to diligently practice the Nine Flames And Strange Fire Art.

Outside Han Feng's room, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness. Yu Lao nodded with a sense of relief and murmured, "Miss, the Young Master's illness has finally healed. Once he advances to the Mystic Rank, I'll return to see you."

Then, the shadow vanished. Unbeknownst to Han Feng, Yu Lao had been there all along.

Two days later, within Han Feng's room, his body began to shake violently. Crimson flames flickered across his skin, and in moments, his clothes were reduced to ash.

Han Feng was initially thrilled, but his excitement quickly turned to embarrassment. "Though I've managed to cultivate the first layer of the Nine Flames And Strange Fire Art, my control over the realm is shaky, and I can't fully master the mortal fire. Otherwise, my clothes wouldn't have burned up," he lamented.

"Thank goodness I'm indoors; it would have been quite the spectacle otherwise."

Spreading his hands, Han Feng conjured a small, crimson flame.

"I haven't quite reached the early stages of the Nine Flames And Strange Fire Art's first layer, but it's sufficient to handle the Late Period Mortal Rank Attribute Genuine Qi."

"With a bit more training, I'll solidify my realm. Then, I'll be ready to use the All Creatures Fire Cauldron to transmute Spirit Creatures into origin fluid."

Four days passed.

Han Feng let out a deep breath, "At last, the first layer of the Nine Flames And Strange Fire Art is stable."

He opened his hands, revealing not a mere flame but a fist-sized fireball of deep red. This was no ordinary mortal fire for burning wood; it was potent enough to inflict significant harm on a late-stage Mortal Rank expert. With this fire, Han Feng's power surged.

"With the mortal fire cultivated to this extent, I can begin refining Spirit Creatures."

In Han Tiancheng's room, the atmosphere was much calmer.

"Feng, speak your mind; you're not usually this reserved," Han Tiancheng said softly.

Clearing his throat, Han Feng replied with a hint of discomfort, "Dad, do you have any spare Spirit Stones from your cultivation?"

Spirit Stones came in four tiers: Lower-grade for Human Rank Martial Cultivators, Medium-class for Mystic Rank, Upper-class for Earth Rank, and Top-quality for Heaven Rank Martial Cultivators.

Martial cultivators of a higher rank have the ability to refine lower-grade Spirit Stones, but those of a lower rank are utterly incapable of refining Spirit Stones of a higher grade.

Spirit Stones of identical rank vary in suitability for different individuals based on their purity levels.

Spirit Stones with less than 10% purity are essentially worthless. Among lower-grade Spirit Stones, most clans wouldn't consider using them for training purposes.

Yet, Renzhong City is merely a Human-level city, and it doesn't rank highly among its peers. Additionally, it's a relatively new city, having been established for just a few decades, which means its accumulation of Spirit Stones is modest. While nearly no one elsewhere would use lower-grade Spirit Stones with less than 10% purity, they are quite prevalent in Renzhong City.

On this occasion, Han Feng's objective was precisely these lower-grade Spirit Stones with purity below 10%.

Spirit Stones with a purity ranging from 10% to 30% are classified as medium-grade.

Spirit Stones with a purity from 30% to 60% are considered upper-grade.

Those with a purity from 60% to 90% are known as top-grade.

And Spirit Stones with a purity from 90% to 100% are deemed top-tier.

"Spirit Stones?" Han Tiancheng exclaimed, taken aback by Han Feng's request. He hadn't anticipated that Han Feng would be seeking Spirit Stones, which typically require a Human Rank expert to refine.

Despite his confusion, Han Tiancheng refrained from questioning further and retrieved the Spirit Stones from his Storage Belt.

Han Feng's gaze lingered on Han Tiancheng's Storage Belt, his eyes betraying a hint of intrigue. The Storage Belt was a basic form of storage device, the simplest and least impressive of its kind. It offered a mere cubic meter of space and was notoriously unstable.

Even the finest Storage Belts could hold no more than four or five cubic meters. And should they sustain significant damage, the space within could collapse, rendering the contents irretrievably lost.

The Storage Bracelet, on the other hand, was far superior to the Storage Belt.

The smallest Storage Bracelet started at ten cubic meters, with the largest models boasting dozens or even hundreds of cubic meters of space.

Moreover, the space within a Storage Bracelet was more stable than that of a Storage Belt. And in the event of damage, the contents would spill out rather than be destroyed.

Such storage devices were unheard of in Renzhong City. They were exceedingly rare even in profound-grade or Earth-level cities. Only in Heaven-level cities could one find Storage Rings.

The Storage Ring holds a slight edge over the Storage Bracelet in terms of capability.

Renowned as one of the most elite storage devices, the Storage Ring boasts an impressively vast space. Even the smallest rings offer over a hundred cubic meters of storage, with the majority providing several hundred cubic meters, and a select few encompassing up to several thousand cubic meters.

But the Storage Ring's most significant feature is its ability to conceal itself. That is to say, once slipped onto a finger, it can vanish entirely, keeping its presence hidden from prying eyes.