The moment the agent slipped into his abdominal cavity, he felt as if a raging fire had erupted in his chest, darting through his body as if it would tear him apart.

Chen Feng dared not hesitate, urgently gathering his focus to guide this surge of energy toward his Dantian, consolidating and strengthening the power of the vortex within.

The vortex power was almost the purest energy in existence, and the energy released by the potion was equally refined. The two merged quickly and smoothly, without any discomfort. Immersing his consciousness within his body, Chen Feng saw that they were not conflicting, and only then did he finally relax and let out a long breath.

However, just then, the long-absent transparent droplet in his body suddenly appeared from who knows where and began frantically sucking at the energy from the potion. Pitifully, before Chen Feng’s Dantian vortex could absorb even a tenth of the potion’s unparalleled power, the rest was completely devoured by the droplet!

Fortunately, after absorbing the potion’s strength, the transparent droplet retreated back into his meridians and vanished without a trace. If it had not only absorbed the potion but also swept away his vortex, Chen Feng would have been left with nothing but tears and regret!

After the disruption caused by the transparent **, he could no longer calm his mind to cultivate. Nevertheless, after a period of necessary regulation following the potion’s ingestion, his formerly soft and powerless body regained its strength. He stood up, tended to his wounds, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and suddenly recalled the ancient, majestic greatbow he had purchased from the ‘Huì Qì Jū’ that he hadn't properly examined yet.

Concentrating his spirit, he retrieved the greatbow from the canteen and placed it on the table.

For some unknown reason, the bow exuded a faint sense of familiarity, which seemed even more pronounced now.

He lightly brushed his hand over the ancient, weathered patterns on its surface, and Chen Feng was suddenly gripped by an urge to draw the string and loose an arrow.

Lifting the greatbow, he assumed an archery stance, casually plucked a feather arrow from the canteen, nocked it on the string, and pulled back with both arms **.

The string instantly drew back into a perfect crescent moon shape, offering no sensation of resistance whatsoever. Upon release, the feather arrow simply dropped to the ground.

“How can this be?” Chen Feng was somewhat bewildered. He could clearly sense the power within the bow, yet drawing the string felt utterly weightless. A bow that could not loose an arrow—what use was it?

Chen Feng continued to examine the bow, turning it over front, back, left, and right, confirming it was neither a magical bow nor a battle-qi bow. This deepened his confusion.

Could it truly be as the owner of ‘Huì Qì Jū’ had claimed—that it was a discarded, unusable bow?

No. There had to be another reason. For some reason, Chen Feng’s mind refused to accept that this bow was useless.

“I’ll try using my vortex power!” Chen Feng took the bow into his palm again. A surge of vortex power erupted from his right hand where it gripped the string, making contact with the bowstring. Suddenly, the vortex power in his body felt as if it had gone mad, pouring outward uncontrollably. In an instant, a flame-like arrow formed at the front of the bow!

Feng’s heartbeat accelerated: “This bow can actually gather battle qi into the shape of an arrow and fire it!”

He gently released the bowstring, and the flame-like arrow at the bow’s tip shot forward like a meteor.

With a thunderous crash, the wall that the arrow struck was instantly pulverized into dust!

“Such immense power!” Chen Feng could no longer hide the sheer joy on his face as he gazed at the collapsing wall, finally bursting into unrestrained laughter.

While the attack power of this shot might not surpass the Dark Hook Hand, its range was far greater, and the force was far more concentrated. If he used the Sky Dance technique while airborne and brought this bow out, it would undoubtedly be an unparalleled weapon for aerial attacks against ground targets!

His laughter faded, and he stood up, only to see that the outside of the room was already crowded with people, including the Seventh Prince and Alex.

The power of that single shot, which had shattered the wall, was so immense that it had caused significant vibration, naturally attracting all the surrounding “residents.”

“I was cultivating and lost control of my power!” Chen Feng said coolly upon seeing the crowd. “Please leave!”

The words were delivered coldly. These people had rushed over because they heard the explosion, primarily worried about the occupant inside, only to be met with such a reply.

But Chen Feng paid no mind to their attitudes. His ruthless actions at the competition grounds had already sealed his fate: he had no common ground with these people; he was destined for solitude.

Just as Chen Feng expected everyone to disperse after his demand, he heard a voice exclaim with surprise and excitement, “He said… what was that I heard…?” Iori Yagami shouted, then walked away, appearing as ecstatic as if he had discovered a new continent.

“……” Chen Feng.

Once the crowd dispersed, Chen Feng stroked the greatbow capable of condensing battle qi into an arrow and thought to himself, “This bow has no name. I shall call it the Hou Bow!”

The Hou Bow was a divine artifact from mythology in his past life, capable, when paired with the Sun-Shooting Divine Sword, of striking down the suns in the sky. Although he knew this bow could never match the true power of the original Hou Bow, he couldn’t resist naming it after it.

Returning the greatbow to the canteen, Chen Feng felt his chances of winning the upcoming competition increase significantly.

However, today at the pavilion, he had utterly offended Angellisa. It was likely impossible for her to participate in the competition with him now, and besides, he no longer wished to see her.

Being tricked and made a fool of was an uncomfortable experience for anyone, especially seeing Marshal Elvis’s look of absolute certainty, as if Chen Feng was bound to yield.

He stood up and walked out. Since he had blasted another hole in the wall with his own hands, it seemed he would need yet another room change.

Chen Feng walked into the small courtyard and found the young maid who had been attending to him, explaining his situation and asking her to resolve it quickly. The efficiency of the “Rookie Inn” was indeed commendable; the maid returned in less than ten minutes, having already arranged a new room for Chen Feng.

With the room sorted, Chen Feng finally realized his stomach was empty. He had competed that morning, then gone shopping, followed by being “tested” by others, and then needing time in his room to recover his stamina.

Noticing the sky was nearing dusk, Chen Feng strolled out of the “Rookie Inn” and onto the street in search of something to eat.

This time, he avoided the large restaurants and instead found a small, unassuming shop, where he sat down and ordered a bowl of wontons (assuming this world had such a thing…), eating alone.

“Iori Yagami…” a slightly hesitant voice called out.

Chen Feng looked up and recognized the youth sitting across the table—the thin boy who had been beaten by Brent before entering Kuta Town.

The youth looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, quite small and frail. Chen Feng knew he had also participated in the Rookie Selection Tournament and successfully advanced to the top eight. Seeing him, Chen Feng simply gestured a greeting.

“Sit down and eat with me!”

“Thank you for helping me last time. I, Long Xiaoqiang, will always be grateful!” the youth said after a moment of hesitation.

“Heh heh…” Chen Feng smiled rarely. “Don’t mention it, it was just a small favor.”

In truth, Chen Feng hadn't given it a second thought; a few copper coins were nothing in his eyes.

Finishing the last wonton in his bowl, he asked, “Would you like another bowl?”

Long Xiaoqiang shook his head, then suddenly stated, “Actually, you aren't as cold as the rumors say!”

Chen Feng hadn't expected that remark, and for a moment, he couldn’t find the right words, falling silent.

“You know I come from a poor background. I cherish even a few copper coins. Furthermore, if you hadn't helped me entering the city that day, I might have been beaten to death right there, so I will always remember the help you gave me,” Long Xiaoqiang stated firmly after a moment.

“Beaten to death?” Chen Feng shook his head. “You were hiding your strength, weren’t you? If I’m not mistaken, Young Master Brent was no match for you!”

Long Xiaoqiang insisted firmly, “No, at that time, my strength truly wasn’t enough to defeat that Young Master. My cultivation only advanced significantly after I met my Master.”

“Your Master?” Chen Feng was startled, immediately probing with his spiritual sense, which instantly stirred up a colossal wave within him.

For Long Xiaoqiang to reach the top eight now, even with some contribution from his teammates, his own cultivation must be substantial. Judging by this, one could imagine the transformation he underwent since their last encounter. Brent hadn't even qualified for the competition, yet the subordinate he defeated over twenty days ago had successfully made it to the top eight!

His cultivation only advanced after meeting his Master—did that imply…?

“You also noticed. I possess the power of an Eighth-Level Fighter now, whereas I was only Third-Level before we met at the city gates. After meeting my Master, my cultivation increased by a full five levels!”

Heavens… five levels in growth? Chen Feng considered his own cultivation speed quite fast, but compared to this, it was like a snail next to an airplane, making him deeply ashamed.

“Who is your Master?”

Chen Feng could no longer suppress the shock in his heart and asked.

Long Xiaoqiang hesitated for a moment before replying, “My Master prefers that I do not reveal his name… so…”

Chen Feng nodded. That made sense; he hadn’t revealed his true name either, so why press for too much information about someone else?

Forcing down the shock, Chen Feng tightly clenched the fist resting on the table.

To elevate someone’s cultivation by five levels in just over twenty days—if this secret were to spread across the continent, it would drive everyone insane. With such a method, masters could be mass-produced in the army. Whichever nation possessed this ability could easily unify the four empires.

“Thank you for telling me all this,” Chen Feng said, knowing that by sharing this, the youth was placing immense trust in him. If this news got out, Long Xiaoqiang would surely face endless trouble.

“It’s nothing. I know you won’t spread this information,” Long Xiaoqiang said before standing up. “I have to go now and continue my training. We might meet again at the competition grounds. I hope that our acquaintance won’t mean you’ll go easy on me!”

“I will…” Chen Feng’s eyes were filled with confidence and determination.

Hey, I’ll post more updates once I reach Lao Ya’s goal today; there will be four updates in total! Plus, I gained 22 monthly tickets yesterday. If today’s pace is the same as yesterday’s, I’ll definitely reach the goal, and Lao Ya will continue to add more updates… For the sake of updates, get those monthly tickets rolling!

Also: That trashy extra character, I didn't mean to put you in...