Jillisa seemed not to hear Elvis, turning her face toward the small pavilion's exterior as tears tracked slowly down her pale cheeks.

In truth, she couldn't quite define what she felt for the red-haired youth; it was only after that cold-hearted fellow had pinned her to the ground that his shadow truly began to take shape in her mind.

His defiant, arrogant temperament, his hair the color of crimson blood, his strange, dark top and apron-like garment, coupled with the pure white crescent moon emblazoned on his back—every detail was etched indelibly into her memory.

Earlier that day, while strolling through the streets with Judy, she hadn't anticipated that this man, for all his ferocity, possessed such patience, waiting quietly behind them, never once showing annoyance at their leisurely wandering.

Curiosity and bewilderment propelled her to the point where she felt an unrestrained desire to simply be with this peculiar young man.

Her grandfather had initially forbidden her from entering the competition, yet she had snuck out anyway. Her long absence during the shopping trip had naturally been noticed by one of her grandfather's subordinates, resulting in her being dragged back home.

When the conversation turned to Iori Yagami, she couldn't conceal the joy surging within her heart. Her grandfather, steeped in the wisdom of old age, naturally perceived everything. He announced a "test"... and thus, the scene just moments ago unfolded.

Since their 'test' of Iori Yagami could not be revealed to Judy, her grandfather had arranged for a car to escort her back to the headquarters of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group.

"Sigh..." Anjelisa let out a soft sigh, her eyes clouded with melancholy.

Elvis chuckled, "You little sprite, don't let your mind run wild. Your grandfather here was testing his wits, forcibly suppressing his Battle Venerable strength down to that of a mere Third-Tier Fighter. But I never expected the boy would actually dare to hold me hostage just to escape. Not bad, he's a decisive fellow. If he truly likes you, he'll admit it, so don't fret too much. If he dares not to like you, your old grandfather will dispatch a few men to wring his neck!"

"Pfft," Anjelisa couldn't help but laugh at Elvis's words. "Since when are you so overbearing? It's not like your granddaughter is undateable..." She trailed off mid-sentence, realizing she had, perhaps, confirmed something, her face flushing crimson. "I'm not talking to you anymore, you old rogue..." She spun around and fled the pavilion as if chased by the wind.

"This..." Elvis pointed at his fleeing granddaughter, bursting into hearty laughter. "This girl!" Once his laughter subsided, he grumbled to himself, "The fiery-haired kid calls me an 'old coot,' and my own granddaughter calls me an 'old rogue.' I am, after all, the God of War of the Loki Empire, a respected Marshal. How am I judged so harshly..."

Chen Feng slowly walked back to his quarters, only realizing his legs had gone weak once he arrived, lacking the strength to stand.

Fighting fourteen Eighth-Tier Fighters had inflicted a certain measure of damage, and being surrounded by dozens of Battle Master level individuals inside the pavilion had placed immense psychological pressure upon him. It was this dual weight of physical and mental strain that left him utterly exhausted and powerless.

Even knowing that he was offending the Empire's God of War in that moment, if he had to do it again, he would choose the same path without hesitation.

The humiliations he had endured since arriving in this world were too numerous. If he could tolerate being toyed with so easily, what was the point of living at all?

However, his audacity was rooted in having a fallback plan. If the opposition refused to relent, he could always seek out His Majesty, Suomen. As long as His Majesty Suomen remained uncertain of Chen Feng's true identity, he would hesitate to let his subordinates act against him.

Failing all else, he could take the Pterodactyl swarm and force a mutual destruction...

Of course, those were the worst-case scenarios. To Chen Feng’s surprise, the other side seemed genuinely content to let him go, not dispatching assassins in pursuit.

No use dwelling on it now; recovering his strength was paramount. Chen Feng sat cross-legged on the bed, preparing to quiet his mind and absorb the vast Heaven and Earth essence to replenish the vital vortex within him, when he heard urgent knocking at his door.

Lately, Chen Feng had grown intensely irritated by knocking; it seemed someone came calling every day. Gritting his teeth against his anger, he walked to the door and yanked it open, snapping, "You better have a very good reason, or else..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his voice instantly choked off, his eyes widening into saucers. "Elder Yi, what in the world happened to you..."

The Elder Yi before him bore no resemblance to his usual self. His magic robe was stained with grease and dust, filthy as if it had been dragged through a mud pit and then dunked in an oil vat. His once bright eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was a disheveled mess, almost reminiscent of Einstein—in short, if Chen Feng hadn't recognized him as Elder Yi, he would have assumed the man had escaped from some refugee slum.

Elder Yi saw the look on Chen Feng's face and raised a bottle in his hand with an ineffable excitement. "I succeeded! I succeeded..."

"Succeeded in what?" Chen Feng asked, a flicker of excitement returning to his own expression, and he asked cautiously, "The concoction you were developing... is it a potion to temporarily boost strength, or one to enhance cultivation?"

Elder Yi beamed. "A potion to temporarily boost strength! I already perfected that; you just refused to test it. This time, using the Southern [Nan] I gave you, I conducted a full seven experiments and finally devised a potion capable of [T...]" Elder Yi gestured excitedly, nearly dancing with elation.

Chen Feng noticed the pale green liquid in the vial and felt a touch of suspicion. He led the Elder inside, took the potion, and asked in disbelief, "This thing can truly elevate a person's cultivation in a short time?"

"Naturally," Elder Yi affirmed. "Take it quickly and see for yourself..."

Chen Feng hesitated but couldn't suppress his curiosity. He flipped the cap open.

The moment the seal broke, an intensely rich and pure wave of energy washed over him. The energy was extraordinarily refined; Chen Feng had no doubt that drinking this vial would cause his internal vortex to surge dramatically, perhaps even leading to a level advancement.

"Incredible..." Chen Feng managed, fighting down his astonishment.

Elder Yi basked in Chen Feng's reaction for a moment, but then his shoulders slumped. "While this substance certainly possesses powerful effects, it is only truly effective for lower-tier Fighters."

"Why?" Chen Feng asked, though he immediately understood as soon as the question left his lips.

Though the energy was exceptionally pure, the sheer quantity was minuscule. For a high-tier Fighter, absorbing this energy might improve their cultivation slightly, but it would certainly fall short of reaching a breakthrough level. It was like a small bowl of rice: a child could make it last three meals, but for a sturdy man, even three bowls wouldn't suffice for a single sitting—this was the difference in demand for volume.

This difference also explained the primary gap between practitioners: the higher the cultivation, the more potent the internal energy, and the greater the energy required for advancement. Thus, the potion's effect waned for increasingly advanced martial artists. If one reached the Battle Venerable level, drinking a hundred such vials would likely yield no effect whatsoever.

Understanding this principle, the excitement Chen Feng had just ignited was immediately extinguished.

Seeing Chen Feng grasp the logic, Elder Yi lamented, "It's a pity we only have four Southern Bright Snow Pears [Nan Ming Xue Li]. After my seven trials, there wasn't much left, resulting in only this small amount of potion. If only I had one more pear, perhaps I could produce much more..." He sighed mournfully.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Feng's face transformed from resignation to sheer brilliance, leaping up as if not at all fatigued.

"You mean, as long as we have Southern Bright Snow Pears, you can manufacture more of this potion?"

"Yes! Unfortunately, items like the Southern Bright Snow Pear are heavenly treasures; they aren't easy to find..." Elder Yi ended on a somber note.

For an alchemist, formulating potent elixirs was the greatest joy, and the most agonizing pain was knowing the exact method for a formula but lacking the requisite ingredients...

"You don't have them? I do!" Chen Feng could no longer mask his excitement. With a flip of his wrist, three more Southern Bright Snow Pears appeared in his palm. Ignoring the Elder's expression of utter shock, he then used both hands to place ten more on the table.

"Ah... this... you..." Elder Yi felt his vision swim, overwhelmed. Good heavens, when did such a rare medicinal ingredient as the Southern Bright Snow Pear become as common as a sweet potato...

Chen Feng stopped after presenting thirteen pears, looking at the Elder with genuine seriousness. "Is this enough?"

"..." Elder Yi.

After seeing Elder Yi off, Chen Feng held the vial of potion, his heart pounding with elation. While this single bottle wouldn't push his cultivation to the Ninth-Tier Fighter realm, he still possessed hundreds of Southern Bright Snow Pears. By continuously refining the potion, he could accumulate the benefits and steadily raise his power!

The thought of ceaseless cultivation advancement made Chen Feng tremble with excitement.

Moreover, Chen Feng had managed to trick Elder Yi into revealing the method for creating this potion using another strange medicinal herb he had acquired in the valley. Now he possessed both the "raw materials" and the "recipe." Mass-producing this potion meant he could continually advance his cultivation...

However, Chen Feng harbored no illusions of infinite ascent. There were countless ways to boost one's cultivation, but only that which was tempered through personal practice remained truly solid. If one's inherent power increased too rapidly without practical application to consolidate it, the resulting energy backlash alone could prove fatal.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he carefully uncorked the vial, feeling the powerful energy emanating from within. A sudden wave of exhilaration washed over Chen Feng.

"What will happen if I drink this?" Chen Feng murmured to himself, then tipped the entire vial back, downing the potion in one gulp.

ps: I just checked the comment section; many readers noted the weight of the arrows. My apologies, that was my oversight; I lack knowledge in that area. Please forgive me. Furthermore, this is today's fourth update—a full 12,000 characters! Send over those recommendation tickets and monthly passes! Old Ya can take it... (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in to www**m for more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)