High Martial Arts: From Mechanic to Sword Immortal

Chapter 82 Jade Bamboo Shoot Heart, Accelerating the Transformation of Sword Bones

Deep in the mountains, cliffs and valleys.

A thick, dark gray mist hung in the air around the altar. The old man stood on the muddy ground, holding a rough, dark brown pottery bottle in his hand.

He pulled out the cork, and a nauseatingly sweet and pungent odor instantly filled the air.

The aroma was extremely overpowering, forcing the surrounding mist back several meters.

He tossed the earthenware bottle to a short, hunched man in black robes below.

"Blood Three, take this bottle of 'Beast-Attracting Incense'."

Xue San caught the pottery bottle with both hands, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

This bottle contains a concentrated liquid made by mixing the glands of dozens of highly poisonous monsters with amethyst wheat pulp. If even a single drop gets on your body, monsters within a radius of several thousand kilometers will go berserk and hunt you down until they have devoured you to the bone.

"Go and lure out all those wild monsters that haven't left their nests in the deep mountains and forests."

"Three days from now, I want to see the first wave of beasts firmly hold onto the Golden Harvest Farm's defenses," the old man commanded.

It was just dawn.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and burnt earth, and inside the fifteen-meter-high composite alloy wall, the rune array was still emitting a muffled buzzing sound.

Han Feng pushed open the iron gate of the temporary barracks and bumped into Zhou Ping, who was waiting outside.

The farm's deputy manager, along with two workers in blue overalls, had been standing at the entrance for a long time, their trousers covered in mud from the dew.

Zhou Ping greeted him with a big smile, and firmly grasped Han Feng's right hand with both hands, shaking it vigorously.

"Brother Han, that shot last night was absolutely brilliant!"

Zhou Ping praised loudly, his face wrinkled together, "Seven or eight hundred meters away, a steel-core bullet shattered the second-tier evil disciple's protective blood aura along with his chest!"

The minefield chief watched the slow-motion replay five or six times in the command center late at night, and slapped his thigh, saying that a real monster had emerged from Donghai Martial Arts University.

He went to the city defense forces for a video conference early this morning and told me I must credit you for the first merit!

Zhang Hao and Wang Meng also came out of the house next door at this time.

"Director Zhou, requesting commendation is the official procedure."

Wang Meng swaggered over, craning his neck to look at the staff behind Zhou Ping.

"Our brother Han saved everyone's lives last night, so the farm should at least show some appreciation, right?"

Zhou Ping laughed heartily and stepped aside to make room for him.

Two staff members immediately stepped forward, each carrying a mahogany tray covered with a red silk cloth.

"Of course there must be. These are a token of our gratitude from Director Lei in his personal capacity. They are not accounted for through official mission reward accounts, and the organization will not take a cut."

Zhou Ping pointed to the tray.

Upon hearing that he wouldn't have to take a cut, Wang Meng grinned.

Zhou Ping walked up to Han Feng, picked up a palm-sized nanmu box from one of the trays, and solemnly handed it over.

Han Feng took it and secretly activated his [Spiritual Vision] talent.

The wood grain on the box's surface was instantly stripped away by his higher-dimensional perception. He directly saw an extremely dense ball of emerald green psionic energy inside.

The purity of that light cluster was a whole level higher than the Crimson Blood Dragon Ginseng he had previously devoured raw; there was even a faint life force pulsating at the center of the cluster.

He used one hand to pry open the metal clasp of the nanmu box and lifted the lid.

On the red velvet lining, a section of plant root about the thickness of a thumb lay quietly.

It is a crystal clear turquoise green, with wisps of psionic light flowing back and forth on its surface.

Taking a breath of the fresh air makes one feel comfortable all over.

Wang Meng, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, stared wide-eyed.

"Holy crap! Jade bamboo shoot heart!"

Wang Meng blurted out, his thick finger pointing directly at the wooden box, "Director Zhou, Director Lei have really brought out their most treasured possessions this time!"

Gu Yun had just finished washing her face and came out when she heard those four words, and she almost stumbled and lost her footing.

Han Feng turned his head to look at Wang Meng, waiting for an explanation.

"This is a genuine high-grade second-tier spiritual plant!"

Wang Meng swallowed hard, raising his voice eight octaves, "And its biggest feature is that its medicinal properties are extremely mild, so it can be eaten raw."

It is specifically used to cleanse and refine the bone marrow, purifying the impure qi and blood in the body.

Wang Meng stared longingly at the wooden box and continued his explanation.

"Regardless of whether you are in the Body Tempering Realm or the Meridian Opening Realm, the effect of taking this is more than ten times stronger than taking those mass-produced pills from industrial assembly lines!"

This whole piece you have is worth at least two hundred spirit coins on the black market!

Gu Yun interjected sourly from the side: "Brother Meng, you're behind the times."

Last month, a piece of jade shoot heart, less than three centimeters long, was auctioned off on the inner city's underground black market, fetching a price of 320 spirit coins.

The full range of top-tier maintenance for my itasha (a type of Japanese anime/manga) wouldn't even amount to a fraction of what they're getting for this bamboo shoot.

Two or three hundred spirit coins, according to the black market exchange rate, is equivalent to thirty or forty thousand alliance contribution points.

More importantly, even with money, one may not be able to buy such a strategic resource that can directly improve the foundation of martial arts.

This solved Han Feng's immediate problem.

He had just checked his sword bone transformation progress yesterday and was worried about where to find high-level spiritual plants to fill this bottomless pit.

Zhou Ping nodded with a smile from the side: "Brother Wang and Brother Gu have a keen eye."

This is indeed a precious plant that our farm risked its life to bring back from the depths of the foggy area a few years ago. Even Chief Lei himself couldn't bear to use it and has been storing it in the underground constant-temperature warehouse.

Good steel must be used where it's needed most. Brother Han turned the tide last night; he deserves this piece of jade.

Han Feng closed the nanmu box and put the heavy gift of gratitude into his arms.

"Please thank Chief Lei for me," Han Feng said, looking at Zhou Ping.

Zhou Ping waved his hand and distributed the remaining items to Zhang Hao and the others.

Although not as precious as the Jade Bamboo Shoot Heart, they are still rare high-level monster meat jerky and cultivation aids.

After distributing the gifts, Zhou Ping's expression turned serious.

"Everyone, Chief Minefield asked me to pass on a message."

The identity of that Blood Feeding Cult cult member was confirmed last night.

That person was the temporary warehouse manager who had just been hired a few days ago.

The farm's security department is investigating the backgrounds of all temporary workers.

Zhou Ping lowered his voice, "Chief Lei suspects that these cultists went to great lengths to infiltrate this place not just to kill and leech off others. They must have a bigger scheme."

Zhang Hao stepped forward, his brows furrowed: "Cult members act without considering the consequences."

With only three days left until the large-scale harvest of amethyst wheat is complete, this is the most critical period for farm defense.

What are the plans of Director Lei for us?

"What the minefield chief means is that the Air Force will reduce the frequency of perimeter patrols today and concentrate its main forces on the living area and above the No. 3 high-purity wheat field."

Zhou Ping pointed to the helipad not far away, "I'll have to trouble you all to take care of things these next few nights."

If we can survive these last three days and safely deliver the food to the heavy transport convoy returning to Donghai City, this mission will be successfully completed.

Zhang Hao nodded in agreement.

The group took their belongings and returned to the barracks to rest.

Han Feng walked into his cubicle alone and locked the iron door behind him.

He took the nanmu box out again and placed it on the table.

With fewer air combat missions today, he has ample time to fully absorb this second-grade high-quality spiritual plant.

The sword bone transformation progress is stuck at 30%, just past that threshold.

With this generous reward of 300 spirit coins as a foundation, his stakes for the upcoming tough battles have doubled.