After experiencing immense ups and downs, he entered a state as tranquil as still water, his state of mind resembling perfectly clear crystal—at least in that moment.

With not a single distracting thought, he devoted himself entirely to his blade practice.

“Hmm?” Luo Feng practiced for a while, then stopped, frowning in deep contemplation, occasionally making a few gestures before resuming his practice, then pausing again to think, and then continuing the blade work...

The sensation was exactly like when Luo Feng was in school, tackling a particularly difficult math problem.

A truly hard math problem required reasoning through various approaches and known conditions, constantly refining and correcting the direction... until the problem was solved. The major problems in the college entrance exams were notoriously difficult; some of the hardest ones might take an hour or two to solve during practice.

But Luo Feng was now operating with the same mindset, relentlessly studying the sword forms! However, unlike before, his mental state at this moment was unprecedentedly ethereal. His control over the minute details of his body and the processing speed of his brain were both significantly enhanced compared to normal.

A night of arduous training was followed by more arduous training throughout the next morning.

By the afternoon of the second day, Luo Feng sat on the balcony, holding the Blood Shadow Battle Blade, lost in profound thought for three hours.

Then, Luo Feng continued to study the blade techniques, forgetting about meals, forgetting the sky-high bounty, and forgetting his mounting paranoia...

That second night, in the dimly lit main hall of the high-rise residential building's eighth floor, Luo Feng moved and swung his blade again and again! The blade light was chillingly cold, freezing the very soul.

Whoosh! After countless swings, the Blood Shadow Battle Blade moved once, and instantly a cold gleam flashed throughout the entire hall, faintly accompanied by a strange ripple, like a clap of thunder—“Puff-puff~~”—the air actually produced a bizarre shockwave, a sonic boom.

“Hmm?” Luo Feng’s eyes widened; he froze.

“Did it work?”

“I actually did it! The third stage of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade—I actually mastered it!” Luo Feng couldn't suppress a wild, unrestrained roar.

The third stage of the Thunder Blade! He had mastered it shortly after the sky-high bounty was announced.

“Each stage of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade is harder than the last. I only recently succeeded with the second stage, and now I’ve already mastered the third!” Luo Feng allowed a faint smile to spread across his face. “I really should thank Mr. and Mrs. Li Sheng.” If Li Wei’s mother, Vinnina Polinas, knew the result, she would likely be so angry she’d spit blood.

The Nine-Layered Thunder Blade—each level harder than the last! Across the entire globe, currently, only 'Thunder God' had mastered the ninth stage.

It was known that this ultimate cultivation technique was monstrously difficult.

The third stage meant his strength reached 28 times his previous level! Luo Feng’s physical fitness was currently that of a veteran Advanced Warrior, but multiplied by 28, his attack power could match that of an Intermediate Warlord! Twenty-eight times! One must remember that the gap between ranks was only about twofold.

“My single strike contains four layers of latent force, making its power comparable to an Intermediate Warlord. If I assist the Blood Shadow Battle Blade with my mental force, adding a fifth and sixth layer of strength to the blade... perhaps one strike could match a veteran High-Tier Warlord!” Luo Feng clearly understood the terrifying power of mental force; combining mental force with inherent physical attack power resulted in even more astonishing results.

Surprise! An unexpected bonus brought about by the sky-high bounty! The bounty had certainly placed immense pressure on Luo Feng. Some people collapse under pressure, spending their days in dread. But others, instead, strive even harder under stress, achieving astonishing rates of progress.

Luo Feng had advanced! “I really have to thank Li Wei’s parents.” Luo Feng’s face was beaming with joy. “That ‘sky-high bounty’ did indeed stir a trace of panic deep within me, making me feel like anyone might betray me, leading to suspicion. Thankfully, chatting with Xu Xin brightened my mood... those huge swings in fortune actually allowed me to achieve extreme calm.”

A mind like still water—meaning, absolutely no distracting thoughts! This state of extreme calm and clarity of mind was very difficult to maintain long-term.

Most people occasionally enter this state of extreme calm during moments of life-or-death or extreme crisis, where their strength often surges. Just like when Luo Feng was besieged by hundreds of Beast General level monsters outside the ‘Carrefour City,’ he escaped only due to a moment of absolute calm, devoid of any distraction, lasting twelve seconds.

But that state only lasted for a second or two.

However, due to the dramatic fluctuations in his mindset this time, Luo Feng remained in that state for over two hours! In those two hours of intense calm, focusing solely on the blade forms, he managed to research and master the third stage of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade in one go! It was only the ecstatic joy of success that finally pulled him out of that heart-as-still-as-water state.

“The sky-high bounty... it really affects one’s mental state, making one suspicious. According to historical records, the downfall of almost any ancient dynasty was often due to the emperor beginning to suspect his ministers; excessive paranoia led to the dynasty's collapse.” Luo Feng’s psychological fortitude had also leveled up.

The impact of the sky-high bounty on him was now much smaller.

“Captain and the others have no evidence, no conclusive proof, so naturally, they can’t claim the bounty money. If they can’t get the money, who would be foolish enough to report me?” Luo Feng’s ears twitched slightly, and he immediately rushed to the balcony to look down. He saw dozens of monsters gathered below the residential tower.

Luo Feng was momentarily stunned, then laughed, “It seems my loud shout of success upon mastering the third stage attracted quite a few monsters.”

“This is the time. Return to the base city!” Immediately, Luo Feng shouldered his backpack, battle blade, and shield, and leaped from the eighth-floor balcony with lightning speed, landing directly on the roof of a nearby three-story detached villa, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye.

The train station.

The train station was always the liveliest place, with an overwhelming flow of people; the boiling, clamorous sounds spread outwards. A long train slowly pulled into the station, followed by the harsh screeching sound as its wheels locked. As the train doors opened, a flood of passengers disembarked in an orderly stream.

“The base city is home.” Luo Feng stepped off the train car, glancing around with a smile.

“Homecoming!”

Taking the specialized vehicle provided by the Limit Martial Arts Hall, Luo Feng returned to Mingyue District as the setting sun cast its last rays in the evening.

“The compound is still as peaceful as before,” Luo Feng observed through the car window, seeing many residents strolling and chatting leisurely.

“Beep!” The car stopped at the entrance of the Limit Hall.

Luo Feng opened the door and stepped out. He saw a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the Limit Hall—many martial artists and their families, even the other members of the Fire Hammer Squad, and of course, his parents and younger brother were there.

“Xiao Feng.” Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan called out simultaneously.

“Brother,” Luo Hua said, beaming with delight.

“Little Feng.”

“Crazy Feng.”

Many other martial artists greeted him warmly.

“Captain, you guys are here too?” Luo Feng asked with a surprised smile. Captain Gao Feng, Wei Tai, and Wei Qing all smiled. Gao Feng said, “You said on the phone you’d be back these days anyway. We also need to discuss how to handle those monster materials, and besides, it’s been a while since we saw Old Zhang; it’s good for a few brothers to catch up.”

Luo Feng nodded with a smile. “Captain, I’ll chat with you all tonight; I need to go home first.” Gao Feng nodded, watching Luo Feng leave, thinking to himself, Hmm? Looking at Luo Feng’s expression, he seems quite happy and relaxed, without any sign of the stress one would expect. Perhaps the culprit really isn't him. Gao Feng didn't know what to make of his own feelings.

He couldn't help but investigate, wanting to know if Luo Feng was the culprit. After all, 100 million was too tempting. Perhaps he didn't want Luo Feng to be the culprit, so he could feel at ease and not be tempted by 100 million. How many people could remain unconcerned, even happy, under the pressure of a sky-high bounty? Certainly not easily achieved by a young man under twenty. Gao Feng shook his head. “Forget it, stop overthinking.” Gao Feng had to admit that facing such an enormous reward had unsettled him somewhat.

“Let’s go, brothers, let’s grab a drink.” Gao Feng called out.

“Let’s go.”

“Haha, all together.”

The members of the Fire Hammer Squad, including the one-armed Zhang Ke, walked into the hall together. Only Luo Feng was heading home.

Luo Feng’s second floor at home.

Immediately upon arriving, Luo Feng placed the backpack containing the 'Dragon Egg,' the 'Battle Suit,' and the 'Sharp Sword' into the safe in his bedroom. In reality, even leaving them on the floor of his room wouldn't risk theft, as this was the martial artist compound of the Limit Martial Arts Hall, and few people dared to steal here.

“Undoubtedly, Li Wei’s parents have the privilege to investigate martial artists in the surrounding area. Given the number of martial artists gathered on the city's outskirts, they could potentially search hundreds or thousands of people. I am just one of them. My degree of suspicion is extremely low.”

“Since Mr. and Mrs. Li Wei already suspect the Mental Force Masters, they will likely check the accounts of any martial artist they suspect for large sums of money.”

“Therefore, starting now!”

“Any large sums of money I earn cannot be deposited into my real-name bank account.” “They must be placed into an untraceable account.” Nowadays, many banks worldwide offered 'untraceable accounts.' Such accounts did not care who the account holder was; funds could be withdrawn simply by providing correctly set passwords, etc.!

“One: deposit huge sums of cash into untraceable accounts.”

“Two: My identity as a Mental Force Master must not be revealed until the appropriate time.”

“Three: I will tell absolutely no one about killing Li Wei.”

“Four: I will tell no one, including my family, about selling the Dragon Egg, the War God Battle Suit, and so on.” Luo Feng clearly understood that a thousand-mile dike can collapse from an ant hole; often, ruin comes from small oversights. Therefore, until he possessed sufficient strength to confront the vulture, Li Yao, and the scorpion, Vinnina Polinas, head-on, he must not expose himself! Possessing hundreds of millions or billions is significant for a Warlord level martial artist, but not excessively exaggerated.

But if his bank account suddenly swelled by tens of billions! How could the vulture, Li Yao, and the scorpion, Vinnina Polinas, not become suspicious? The R Alliance controlled over half the world's economy, and many large foreign banks were under the R Alliance’s umbrella. With their privileges, they could easily trace Luo Feng’s wealth through the global banking network.

Only untraceable accounts were truly safe. Even the banks themselves wouldn't know the client’s identity, much less be able to investigate.

“My most important asset right now is my visible strength! Therefore, I should first purchase the deeper-level secret manuals for the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade.” Luo Feng nodded slightly. Just then, a voice sounded beside him.

“Hey, Luo Feng, are you done?”

“Almost, I’m coming right over.” Luo Feng replied with a smile.

“We’re downstairs at the club’s bar. Come on over.”

Hanging up the call, Luo Feng walked towards the ‘Limit Hall’ within the residential compound.

Chapter One complete! 【Note to dear readers: The current chapter concludes the final page of this book】