CHAPTER 446: CHAPTER 249: THE SPLIT LITTLE STONE STATUE_2

"Hey! Watch my punch!"

"Not bad! Check out my Copper Statue Technique!"

"Hiss!!"

The sound entered his ears, though it was just after the new year, the disciples of the Martial Arts Hall remained diligent as always.

Some were practicing boxing in the quiet room, while others were sparring on the ground floor.

"Chen, my fellow disciple."

Footsteps approached, and right on time, Cao Tong appeared, bringing hot porridge and other breakfast items as usual.

He looked somewhat preoccupied, the matter of the Black Tide casting a significant shadow on him.

Nodding, he walked into the next quiet room, and during the meal, Chen Feng noticed that the other was hesitant to speak several times.

"Speak your mind, Brother Cao."

"Should we really not tell others?"

Cao Tong gestured towards the other disciples in the Martial Arts Hall, feeling somewhat uneasy at heart.

Hearing this, Chen Feng paused his porridge-drinking action, understanding what the other meant.

The disciples of the Martial Arts Hall mostly knew nothing about the Black Tide, as when leaving Suo Jia City, the military specifically requested not to reveal too much to the public to avoid panic.

The local Suluo authority had also implemented certain public opinion controls, worried about similar concerns.

"Let’s follow the military’s lead for now."

Shaking his head, Chen Feng knew this was just a temporary measure.

If the Black Tide were to reappear in real space, it would become difficult to continue hiding these affairs.

At that time, it would eventually be necessary for everyone to know about it.

"Alright then."

Cao Tong nodded helplessly.

Just as he was about to say more, a flying car could be seen descending and arriving at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall.

Buzz!!

The airwave approached and slowly landed.

Chen Feng perceived who had come, somewhat surprised but finding it reasonable.

After a while, he got up and walked out of the quiet room, seeing several figures entering the Martial Arts Hall and heading to the second floor.

"Master Chen, happy new year."

Han Chao, in a neatly fitting regular uniform, chuckled, while behind him, two military Mechanical Martial Arts specialists each carried a metal box.

Chen Feng smiled and nodded, then looked at another person.

"Uncle Chu."

"Haha, just happened to be on the way, so I came along with Captain Han."

Chu Shihong responded with a smile and nod, and the group quickly walked into the quiet room for conversation.

Some sounds of water rang out, and a disciple appeared, brewing tea, with a faint fragrant aroma lingering.

"The selection of candidates for the City Association has been finalized. I assume you’ve also received the news."

"I’m just here to go through the motions and inform you that three days later, you should go to the Union Building. It’s the first council meeting of the year."

Chu Shihong sipped his tea with a smile, and Chen Feng had already gotten a general idea from Lin Hao earlier.

"What do I need to do?" Chen Feng was not good at dealing with these complexities.

"It’s not as complicated as you think. Many matters have a think tank team, and our official institutions have prepared the proposals and plans in advance."

"As a council member, your job is really just to vote or propose other different suggestions."

Chu Shihong indicated that there was no need to overthink it, and Chen Feng nodded.

Then, he glanced over at Han Chao, originally thinking he should have still been in Suo Jia City.

"Other people are handling things over there, I’m just a small fry."

Han Chao joked self-deprecatingly, and Chen Feng assumed that quite a few high-ranking officers had gone there.

After all, at that moment, Suo Jia City was the focal point of Earth Star, with people from military departments of various countries appearing there.

"As for the other thing, it’s the items the Tran Faction promised to prepare before."

"Just happened to be back, so I thought of bringing them to you."

Han Chao laughed, and underlings opened the briefcases, revealing the items inside one by one.

The first was three Advanced Life Potions.

Encased in cylindrical glass bottles, even through the glass, one could feel the verdant liquid inside brimming with life.

The latter was a dark gold metal about twenty centimeters long and wide, incredibly solid, and was indeed a piece of Dazzling-level Vajra.

"As for the Life Potions, there are three, and regarding the advanced metal..."

Han Chao shrugged and said, "Several Transformed People of the Tran Faction suffered some damage in the Black Tide and urgently need repairs, and their technology isn’t as good as ours, with a significant gap in metal technology."

"This piece of Dazzling-level Vajra can be considered a token of goodwill."

Han Chao stated tactfully, worried Chen Feng might overthink it.

"Hmm, thank you, Captain Han, for bringing it back for me."

Chen Feng nodded, genuinely satisfied.

After all, Dazzling-level Vajra was something many major corporations regarded as a core asset, difficult to obtain.

Such a piece was enough to advance the Steel Bone Progress by another notch.

Soon, relaxing the atmosphere, the few people chatted casually for a bit.

Around the topic of the Black Tide, they tacitly didn’t talk much, and the conversation quietly shifted as Chu Shihong proactively mentioned something.

"Sky Shipping, is there some disagreement with you?"

"Oh?"

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow, not surprised that the other party would know.

However, judging by his tone, it seemed there was a subtle situation?

"Hehe, I heard this from Zhou Zhixiong."

"Sky Shipping seems to want to open a branch in Nanjiang, but... it seems there are some internal conflicts and differences, possibly related to you."

He smiled teasingly, Chen Feng understood the implication.

That Zhong Yan had previously caused trouble for the Black Crystal Group in Yun Meng Forest, and dragged him into it.

Later, Xiang Mountain wanted to continue the issue, but unexpectedly faced a Fifth-Order Transformed Human.

"So, that Zhong Yan stirred some controversy in Sky Shipping?"

"Yes, she is merely the last-ranking director supported by Zhong Kai Ping, the board has some criticism of her, especially regarding the unauthorized transfer involving a Fifth-Order Transformed Human named Zhao Gang."

"I heard this person has been in perpetual slumber, unable to be awakened..."

Chu Shihong nodded, Chen Feng appeared thoughtful.

This was good news for him, at least proving Sky Shipping wasn’t a monolith.

As for that rash woman, he had the patience to wait for her to emerge from the ruins.

At that moment, the casual chat ended, Chu Shihong and Han Chao politely excused themselves and left.

Left alone in the Martial Arts Hall Quiet Room, it was silent, and he could hear the flying car departing outside.

Chen Feng looked at the items on the table and picked up a piece of Dazzling-level Vajra.

Without delay, Steel Bone activated.

[Metal Essence +1!]

[Metal Essence +1!]

[Metal Essence +1!]

Over the course of several seconds, a crack spread across the metal.

With a crunching sound, a spiderweb appeared, this extremely hard piece of Dazzling-level Vajra shattered into fragments, scattering all over the place.

[Steel Bone LV4:64/100]

"Indeed, Bionite’s nutrients have decreased by two-thirds."

Glancing at the progress panel, Chen Feng wasn’t overly disappointed, he had anticipated it.

After all, it’s just a piece of metal, far inferior in quantity to a complete Transformed Human.

Afterward, he looked at the three bottles of Advanced Life Potion.

His body was somewhat restless, but he restrained the urge to consume them immediately.

"Consuming them like this will yield poor results."

"Ideally, it should be combined with the Life Seed Awakening Method or Martial Arts Hard Skill for cultivation to maximize the benefits."

Chen Feng was clear-minded, understanding that martial arts were his fundamental path.

Yet, he had already encountered some bottlenecks in martial arts.

The new Qinggang City Dream Realm was, although allowing him to continually gain breakthroughs and attribute light groups, hindered by the Blood Moon marker and Black Tide pursuit, exploring with difficulty and being obstructed.

If he went tonight in poor condition, dealing with the seemingly endless monsters would be even more challenging.

In the long run, he’d certainly suffer constant serious injuries, creating a vicious cycle that would slow exploration progress, even resulting in the direct inability to enter the dream until fully recovered.

"This won’t do."

"Perhaps I should make use of second-time dreaming."

"In poor condition, I’ll go to other secret realms, with the Sixth-Order Holy Shield Giant present, I’ll be able to protect myself and scavenge resources. Once recovered, I’ll return to Qinggang City to collect light groups."

With a flash of inspiration, Chen Feng formed a clear plan.

The Black Tide gave him a sense of urgency, he hoped to enhance his strength more quickly and make every moment count.

"So, I might as well visit the Snake Spirit Secret Realm once?"

"After all, the Primordial Seed Awakening Technique has practiced to the end, not knowing when I’ll find the next level of Heavenly Gang Dominator Body’s essentials."

"As for Earth Star’s Fifth Order True Skill, it’s likely only the Northern Holy Sect possesses...."

As the thought arose, Chen Feng recalled the last sanctuary for humans on Snake Spirit Continent, the only Holy City.

There must be awakening methods for fifth-order and above life seeds present, moreover causing less negative impact than seeking Martial Arts True Skill from the Holy Sect.

"Of course, I can also go to the Realm of the Dead again, the Blue Heart Stone there can further enhance the Steel Bone."

Chen Feng pondered for a moment, looking at the two marks in his palms.

However, in the next second.

Before he could make a decision, a familiar call suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Sha!!"

It was the link belonging to the Soul Fire, the voice of the Octopus Giant Beast Jia Ta.

Despite some frame lag, Chen Feng still received the images sent from the other side.

A fleet returned successfully, the Blue Heart Stone he needed was carefully preserved by Lei Long, brought back together to Banli Port.