Chapter 493 - 313: The Divine Crystal’s Treachery! A Silent Sword Seed Breaks the Enigma

"Instructor!"

Zhao Tianlan immediately dropped his fists and hurried over, his voice filled with excitement. "Sir, I can’t believe you came in person."

"I came to see how one of my soldiers is recovering, and to make sure there aren’t any lingering side effects."

Han Feng walked into the room and discreetly activated his [Eye of Insight].

A data panel, visible only to him, materialized over Zhao Tianlan.

[Name: Zhao Tianlan]

[Life Chart: Eagle Strikes the Sky (Pale Blue)]

[Talent Potential: Outstanding Talent (Blue)]

[Destiny: Crimson streaked with gold, as blazing as fire.]

[Root Bone: Thunderous Body (Basic Level, not fully awakened). Highly compatible with Thunder Techniques and Bursting Combat Skills.]

[Defects: Spiritual Power is impure, Control Power is insufficient.]

...

Han Feng’s gaze lingered on the [Defect Warning] section for a moment before he casually looked away.

’Just as I thought. The Eye of Insight can’t see any information related to the Weaver out here.’

’This means the shielding effect of that Power of Law is still active.’

’Looking at his Destiny again... crimson streaked with gold, outrageously vibrant.’

’This doesn’t look like someone about to run into bad luck. He’s clearly headed for a major windfall.’

"Instructor, what are you looking at?" Zhao Tianlan asked, feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Nothing. Just noticing you look well."

Han Feng retracted his gaze, pulled over a chair, and sat down, asking casually,

"By the way, have you heard about what happened in Jiangbei City?

They’re insisting they saw some giant murals in a cave and even sent people from Kunlun to confront me about it."

"I heard. It’s completely bizarre."

Zhao Tianlan frowned. "My Divine Soul was damaged at the time, so I don’t remember much clearly."

Observing his expression, Han Feng continued to lay the bait:

"Vice Dean Chen and the others suspect it’s the work of those lunatics, the Children of the Mist. It might even involve the Space Law.

The Weaver’s methods are getting stranger and stranger."

At the mention of the name "Weaver," undisguised disgust and hatred immediately flooded Zhao Tianlan’s face.

"Those damn turncoat bastards! And those Children of the Mist who worship the Weaver—they all deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces!"

He was getting agitated, his fists cracking as he clenched them.

"One day, I’ll pilot my fighter and raze their damned nest to the ground!"

’This reaction... is too normal.’

’As normal as any Federation Soldier filled with hatred for Evil Cults and foreign enemies.’

’There’s absolutely no sign of him being affected by the "Thought Steel Seal."’

Han Feng understood.

’His previous guess was probably only half right.’

’The Children of the Mist did tamper with the Divine Soul Crystals, but their goal probably isn’t simple Mind Control.’

’If it were just to recruit followers, the method is far too crude and would be easily discovered by the higher-ups.’

’The major powers aren’t idiots. They must have run similar tests before promoting the Divine Soul Crystals.’

’And the results were obviously that no problems were found.’

’This thing... it really seems like there’s nothing to it but benefits.’

But the more he thought about it, the more Han Feng felt something was wrong.

’An existence like the Weaver, doing charity? Unlikely.’

’I’m done thinking about it. It’s giving me a headache.’

Han Feng shook his head inwardly.

’No matter how big the enemy’s conspiracy is, I can’t deal with it right now.’

’As long as I plant my own seeds in advance, then no matter what their scheme is, I’ll be able to take a slice of the pie—or even turn the tables and take over completely.’

"Enough of these troubles."

Han Feng waved his hand. "You’ve had a blessing in disguise this time. Your Cultivation has even broken through to the Enlightenment Seventh Layer.

How did that Divine Soul Crystal feel?"

At the mention of this, Zhao Tianlan’s eyes lit up again.

"Divine Medicine! It’s practically Divine Medicine!"

He gestured excitedly. "Instructor, you can’t imagine what it’s like. The feeling of that Energy flooding into your brain... it’s cool and warm at the same time, and my thoughts became so clear!

I feel like I could do three times my usual amount of Meditation training in one sitting now!"

"How much did your Spiritual Power increase?"

"The test report said it increased by almost thirty percent! I feel like it’s even more than that!

Everything seems so much clearer now, and my reaction speed has shot up!"

Zhao Tianlan’s face was beaming, but then it fell.

"It’s just too expensive. One thousand Contribution Points a piece on the Tinder Terminal, and you can’t even get one.

I heard they’re gone less than ten minutes after they’re listed."

Han Feng smiled, looking at his expression of longing and helplessness.

"You were injured on a mission for the military. They’ll remember your contribution.

You’ll definitely have a spot in the priority exchange queue in the future."

As he spoke these comforting words, a flash of light appeared in his hand. A Divine Soul Crystal, glowing with a faint golden halo, materialized in his palm.

"However, the military’s process is too slow.

I happen to have one here. I picked it up at Broken Star Reef last time. I don’t need it at the moment, so consider it a little something to help with your recovery."

The hospital room instantly fell silent.

Zhao Tianlan’s eyes went wide as saucers, glued to the crystal in Han Feng’s hand. His breathing grew heavy.

"Instructor... this... this is too valuable! I can’t take it!"

He waved his hands repeatedly, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

He knew exactly how valuable this thing was. That was a thousand Firewood Value, a treasure that had a price but no market!

"I said take it, so take it. Stop wasting words."

Han Feng put on a stern face and shoved the crystal into his hand.

"You’re a soldier I trained, and you were injured in the line of duty. Isn’t it only right for me, your instructor, to give you some compensation?"

"But..."

"No buts!"

Han Feng’s tone left no room for argument.

"If you really feel bad about it, then completely absorb this crystal’s power, cultivate diligently, and strive to break through to the Divine Containment Realm as soon as possible.

Don’t let it go to waste. That will be the greatest repayment to me."

His words held a hidden meaning.

But Zhao Tianlan only understood the surface meaning. He nodded heavily, clutching the crystal in his hand.

"I understand, Instructor! I will absolutely not fail your expectations!"

"Use it now. I’ll stand guard for you," Han Feng said.

"Yes, sir!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Tianlan sat down cross-legged and placed the hard-won Divine Soul Crystal in his mouth.

He didn’t even taste it before the crystal melted, transforming into a torrent even more vast and warm than the last, surging into his Sea of Consciousness.

Han Feng’s [Eye of Insight] was active the entire time.

He saw the crystal’s physical structure shatter, but the transparent [Divine Soul Sword Seed] within remained perfectly intact.

Like a fish diving into water, it silently merged with Zhao Tianlan’s Divine Soul Origin.

On the surface, Han Feng’s expression was calm, but his attention was completely focused on the system panel.

[Divine Soul Sword Seed (Three-Inch Heart Sword) activated... Implanting into target ’Zhao Tianlan’s’ Divine Soul Origin...]

[Implantation successful!]

[Target: Zhao Tianlan]

[Compatibility Assessment: Root Bone (Thunderous Body) 65%; Talent (Outstanding Talent) 70%; Cultivation Technique (Military Standard Observation Method) 35%... Comprehensive Compatibility: 58% (Pass)]

[Current Cultivation Progress: 0%]

’It worked!’

Han Feng rejoiced inwardly. The panel showed that the Sword Seed had successfully taken root.

’Although the comprehensive compatibility is only 58%, just barely a passing grade, it’s good enough.’

Zhao Tianlan’s absorption process was fast. In less than ten minutes, all the Energy had been completely absorbed.

He snapped his eyes open, a sharp glint flashing through them before vanishing.

His entire aura had undergone a subtle change, gaining a hint of sharpness.

"How do you feel?" Han Feng asked.

"Good! It’s amazing!"

Zhao Tianlan felt the explosive surge of Spiritual Power in his Sea of Consciousness, and he was beyond excited.

"I feel like my Spiritual Power has jumped up by another huge chunk!

It’s up by about ten percent from before!"

He estimated that his current Spiritual Power intensity was probably infinitely close to the threshold of a Divine Containment Realm Grandmaster!

As long as he could refine and condense this Spiritual Power, a breakthrough was just around the corner!

"Do you feel anything else?" Han Feng pressed.

"Anything else?"

Zhao Tianlan paused, searching his senses for a long moment before shaking his head. "Nope. I just feel mentally full and brimming with energy."

Han Feng understood.

’So the Sword Seed’s inheritance is imparted subtly, not through a crude Empowerment dump.’

’That’s for the best. It’ll be harder to detect this way.’

He looked at the excited Zhao Tianlan, pondered for a moment, and began to offer some guidance:

"Your Spiritual Power has surged too much in a short time. Your foundation will be a bit unstable. You must further temper and purify it."

Hearing this, the excitement on Zhao Tianlan’s face faded, and he immediately grew serious.

"Please instruct me, Instructor!"