Chapter 150: A Battle for the Residence

Half an hour passed before Long Feng finally come out of room.

He was quite satisfied with the visit.

Not only had he obtained several useful pill formulas, but he had also tasted a different kind of forbidden fruit.

Then he left the Alchemist Tower and headed toward his residence.

His good mood lasted until he remembered one inconvenient fact.

He now had formulas for fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-rank pills, but he still lacked a suitable cauldron and the medicinal herbs required to refine even the fifth-rank pills.

‘Damn. I have the knowledge of a peak seventh-rank alchemist, but I don’t even have the materials to refine a fifth-rank pill.’

Long Feng’s smile gradually faded. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He still possessed several items obtained during the wilderness training, including spoils taken from the disciples he had killed.

Some might be valuable enough to exchange for the resources he needed.

However, selling them wouldn’t necessarily be easy.

He couldn’t simply walk into the Mission Hall and announce that he wanted to sell items taken from dead disciples. Finding suitable buyers and negotiating a fair price would take time.

Another possibility was exchanging his Flame Spirit Stones for ordinary Spirit Stones, though he wasn’t sure how favorable the exchange rate would be.

‘Becoming an alchemist really is expensive.’

Long Feng sighed and continued toward his residence.

He would have to find a solution sooner or later.

After all, possessing the knowledge of a peak seventh-rank alchemist was useless if he couldn’t afford the resources required to put that knowledge into practice.

However, as he approached the mountain peak, he suddenly sensed several unfamiliar auras gathered near his courtyard.

Long Feng’s footsteps slowed, he could sense Xiao Ruo’s aura among the people gathered outside, but the other three were unfamiliar. More importantly, their spiritual pressure was stronger than him, clearly not just some random people.

A faint crease appeared between his brows. He quickened his pace, and soon the scene outside his courtyard came into view.

Three Core Disciples stood before the entrance, two men and a woman. Judging by their expressions, they were anything but pleased.

A short distance away, two Outer Disciples stood quietly to the side, clearly unwilling to involve themselves in the dispute.

Xiao Ruo wore the veil he had advised her to use, but even with her face concealed, her graceful figure and elegant bearing were difficult to ignore.

One of the men was particularly displeased with her refusal to cooperate.

“You should know your place. We’re Core Disciples of the sect. Do you really think you can refuse us?”

Xiao Ruo remained composed.

“This residence has already been assigned to my young master. If you have any objections, you should discuss the matter with him.”

“Hmph! Your young master?”

The man sneered and pointed toward the courtyard.

“He’s only a newly promoted Core Disciple. Does he really think he’s entitled to occupy the best residence on this mountain?”

Before Xiao Ruo could reply, the three noticed Long Feng approaching. Their gazes immediately settled on his Core Disciple robes, and the woman beside them narrowed her eyes slightly.

“So you’re Long Feng,” the first man said. “Good. We were just discussing this residence with your maid.”

He gestured toward the courtyard with an expression of dissatisfaction.

“The previous occupant left the sect some time ago. We had intended to claim this place, but before we could do so, we learned that it had already been assigned to you.”

The woman folded her arms and added, “We aren’t trying to make things difficult for you. However, this is one of the best residences on the mountain. It should belong to someone capable of making proper use of it.”

Long Feng glanced at the three of them.

They were all experts at the Life and Death Realm, a major realm above his own cultivation.

It was no wonder they felt confident enough to challenge a newly promoted Core Disciple.

He looked at the courtyard behind him, then returned his gaze to the three visitors, “So, you want my residence?”

“Not exactly,”

The first man replied with a smile. “We’re fellow disciples of the same sect. It wouldn’t be appropriate to fight over a residence, would it? We can settle this through a friendly competition instead.”

“What kind of competition?” Long Feng raised an eyebrow.

The man stepped forward, his expression growing more confident.

“I’ve heard that you possess a strange flame. Let’s compare our flame control. If you can defeat me, I’ll give up my claim to this residence.”

Long Feng glanced at the man before looking at the other two.

The woman immediately spoke up. “I’m skilled in soul techniques. Since you’re an alchemist, we can compete using our soul power.”

The final man, who had remained silent until now, finally stepped forward.

He was the most handsome of the three, with a refined appearance that was somewhat spoiled by the arrogance in his eyes.

His gaze briefly passed over Long Feng before drifting toward Xiao Ruo, lingering on her graceful figure for a moment longer than necessary.

“I don’t care about flames or soul techniques. I want to compete in strength.”

He looked back at Long Feng, a faint smile appearing on his face.

“If you lose, you give up this residence. Simple enough.”

Long Feng noticed where the man’s attention had wandered, but he said nothing. He merely smiled faintly.

“Fine. Since you’ve all come here to compete, let’s do it properly. Who wants to go first?”

The first man immediately stepped forward.

“Me.”

He seemed eager to demonstrate his abilities. Raising his right hand, he summoned a golden flame that danced above his palm. The surrounding temperature rose sharply, and the air began to ripple from the intense heat.

“This is the flame I obtained from a sixth-rank spirit beast. It took considerable effort to subdue it. Let’s see whether your strange flame is truly as impressive as the rumors suggest.”

Long Feng examined the golden flame for a moment.

It certainly possessed considerable power, but compared with the flames he had encountered, it was nothing particularly remarkable.

He raised his own hand and a bright red clusters of flame emerged from his palm.

However, the moment it appeared, the golden flame trembled as though it had sensed a much stronger predator.

As the owner of this flame, that man could felt that feeling more clearly and this surprised him. His expression changed.

“What kind of flame is that?”

But Long Feng didn’t bother answering.

He simply moved his fingers, and the red flame surged forward.

In the blink of an eye, the flame transformed into a small ball, almost condensing into a solid like matter. A terrifying heat spread across the area as the ball descended toward the man.

“Noooo… stop!”

The man’s face paled as he tried to stop him.

But how could Long Feng, who wanted to test the strength of the Starfall Flame Refining Art in battle for the first time, possibly stop?

Seeing not other option, the man hurriedly manipulated his own flame, forming a golden barrier in front of him.

The two forces collided.

Boom!

The golden barrier lasted less than a breath before shattering. The bright star swept through the scattered flames and struck the man in the chest, sending him flying backward.

He crashed onto the ground several meters away. His robes were scorched, and half his hair had been burned away, leaving him staring at Long Feng in disbelief.

The courtyard fell silent after seeing such scene.

The surrounding disciples had expected a contest between two powerful flames, perhaps one that would last several exchanges. But nobody had anticipated such a decisive result.

Ignoring their shocking expressions, Long Feng casually withdrew his hand.

“Your flame isn’t bad, but it couldn’t compare mine one.”

The man opened his mouth, then closed it again. He hurriedly rose to his feet, attempting to preserve what remained of his dignity, but his singed hair made the effort somewhat futile.

Long Feng didn’t pay him any further attention.

“Next.”

The woman who had volunteered to compete in soul techniques looked at her companion’s miserable appearance. Her expression stiffened, and she instinctively took half a step backward.

She had originally intended to use her soul techniques to force Long Feng into an embarrassing situation. Now, however, she wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to proceed.

But the handsome man beside her reacted quite differently.

Rather than becoming intimidated by Long Feng’s strength, his eyes lit up with even greater interest. He studied Long Feng from head to toe, then broke into a laugh.

“Excellent! Very good!”

He clapped his hands together, his gaze gleaming with excitement.

“I was worried that a newly promoted Core Disciple wouldn’t be worth my time. It seems I was mistaken.”

Long Feng looked at him as though he were watching a fool.

Instead of learning from his mistake, he’s become even more excited?

Is there something wrong with his head?

The man seemed completely unaware of Long Feng’s thoughts. He stepped closer, his attention briefly returning to Xiao Ruo before settling on Long Feng.

“Your first match was quite impressive. However, I don’t intend to waste time exchanging blows with you. Let’s settle things in a single move.”

He raised one finger. “If you can withstand my one attack, I’ll give up my claim to this residence.”