Chapter 310

The "daily necessities" from five trucks were silently transported to Qin Feng's Quiet Chamber, located at the deepest part of the Base. The entire operation was classified at the highest level; only Lei Dong, a few core supervisors, and Xia Wan—who happened to witness it—knew of it. After the heavy alloy door closed, all sound vanished, as if the five trucks and their contents—rare resources capable of shaking the outside world—had been swallowed by an invisible black hole.

Days continued to flow, the Base operating with orderly precision. Xia Wan's training never ceased; her control over power grew ever more refined, and the glow of her Origin Contract became increasingly warm and subdued, blending more perfectly with her Bloodline. Yet she felt the barrier she had touched still remained, as if lacking a crucial push.

That day, after finishing a high-intensity micro-energy manipulation session, she felt mentally fatigued and wandered aimlessly to the Ecological Garden on the upper level of the Base to breathe fresh air. The simulated sunlight was warm and gentle; genetically optimized plants thrived lushly, radiating a tranquil aura of life.

As she strolled beside a cluster of star Xuan flowers emitting a faint blue luminescence, a familiar, teasing voice sounded behind her:

"Oh? Isn't this our little Inheritor? Looking so gloomy—hit a bottleneck?"

Xia Wan's heart tightened; she spun around sharply. Not far behind her, leaning against a towering tree with translucent emerald leaves, stood a figure.

He was a young man in his late twenties, dressed in a well-tailored, slightly retro silver-gray robe, his long hair loosely draped, his face strikingly beautiful to the point of being otherworldly, a smirk curling at his lips, his peach-blossom eyes studying her with keen amusement.

What shocked Xia Wan most was his aura—he seemed perfectly fused with the surrounding environment, with the Energy Tree, with the very space of the Ecological Garden. Had he not spoken, she would have sensed nothing at all!

Moreover, his presence felt utterly different from Yun Ge's ancient, ethereal, mission-laden weariness—he was more vibrant, more… elusive, carrying a casual, worldly detachment and bottomless mystery.

"Who are you?" Xia Wan instantly went on guard, her internal energy subtly shifting. Someone who could appear so silently within the Core Base of the New Era was no ordinary person.

"Don't be tense, Little Fellow." The young man chuckled, straightening up and strolling over slowly, his gaze sweeping over Xia Wan—pausing for an instant on her chest (where the Origin Contract resided)—his eyes flickering with sudden understanding. "So Yun Ge picked you… Hmm. Your Bloodline purity isn't bad, but you're a bit… immature."

His tone was that of an elder speaking of a junior.

Xia Wan's suspicion deepened: "Do you know Elder Yun Ge?"

"Know her? More than that." The young man smiled, avoiding the topic, then tilted his head as if sensing something, his expression turning slightly surprised. "Huh? You've got the scent of Jing Yi's old-fashioned aura on you? You met him? And he gave you the 'key'?"

He scrutinized Xia Wan, his gaze growing more intrigued. "Looks like you're tangled in quite the web of fate. Yun Ge's Inheritance, Jing Yi's key… Tsk tsk. They're pushing you straight into a firepit."

Xia Wan steadied her composure and spoke firmly: "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose here?"

"Me?" The young man pointed at himself, grinning brightly. "Call me Mo Yu—a passerby, just here to watch the show."

Mo Yu? Xia Wan had never heard that name before.

"As for purpose…" Mo Yu rubbed his chin, his gaze drifting toward the depths of the Ecological Garden, as if piercing through layers of barriers to see the Quiet Chamber below. "Mainly felt a bunch of 'familiar' scents gathering here, came to check. Didn't expect to run into such an interesting Little Fellow."

Familiar scents? Did he mean the five trucks' supplies? Xia Wan's mind stirred.

At that moment, a calm voice cut in abruptly:

"Enough watching?"

As the words spoke, Qin Feng's figure materialized silently beside Xia Wan, as if emerging from the air itself. He wore his usual simple attire, expression indifferent as he regarded the self-proclaimed Mo Yu.

Seeing Qin Feng appear, Mo Yu's smile deepened, tinged with mockery. "Oh? Isn't this our busy man? Finally got around to leaving your precious little nest? Heard you struck it rich—five trucks full of goodies? You really went all out."

Qin Feng ignored his teasing, merely gazing at him calmly.

Mo Yu, accustomed to Qin Feng's demeanor, didn't mind and continued: "Say, you hoarded so many treasures—Kunlun Dew, North Sea Ice Core, Geng Metal Essence, Earth Vein Purple Crystal Orchid… Tsk tsk, even I'm envious. What are you planning? Starting a sect? Or brewing some earth-shattering elixir?"

He leaned closer, winking. "Sight unseen, share the loot, old Qin! Give me a few hundred jin of North Sea Cold Iron to forge a sword?"

Qin Feng didn't even lift his eyelids. "No."

"Tsk, stingy!" Mo Yu pouted, then seemed to realize something, his eyes shifting between Qin Feng and Xia Wan, who had calmed her energy but remained alert. His expression shifted to dawning realization and heightened interest. "Wait… all these resources—you're not… doing this for her, are you?"

He pointed at Xia Wan.

Xia Wan froze. For her?

Qin Feng remained silent—his silence an acknowledgment.

Mo Yu's face twisted into an expression of utter astonishment. He circled Xia Wan twice, as if discovering a new continent. "To help her break through her bottleneck? To prepare for that 'Final Trial'? My god… when did you become so… helpful? That's not your style at all!"

He stopped abruptly, staring at Qin Feng with disbelief and intense curiosity. "These resources—even if they're not top-tier for you and me—are still rare treasures in this era. You're just… giving them away?"

Qin Feng finally withdrew his gaze from the void and fixed it on Mo Yu's face, his eyes calm and unrippled as he asked:

"Aren't these all yours?"

At these words, Mo Yu froze—and so did Xia Wan beside him.

What did he mean… these are all yours?

Mo Yu's smile stiffened. He blinked, as if unable to process it. "All… mine? Old Qin, what are you talking about? I don't recall storing that much junk in your place…"

Qin Feng offered no explanation. He simply raised a finger and lightly tapped the air.

A faint glow flashed. An invisible screen unfolded in midair, rapidly displaying a series of phantom images—the inventory of the five trucks: Kunlun Dew, North Sea Ice Core, Thunderstruck Wood Heart, Geng Metal Essence… nothing missing.

Then Qin Feng's finger swept across the screen. Each time it passed an item, an ancient, intricate, heaven-and-earth-reflecting rune appeared beside its phantom form.

Mo Yu stared at the runes. His expression shifted from confusion, to surprise, to shock, then to utter disbelief—and a hint of… pain?

"Wait… this 'Kun' mark… that's the seal I slapped on that batch of dew back then…"

"And this 'Xuan' pattern… I carved it on the North Sea Ice Core while bored during sword practice deep in the South Sea Ice Eye…"

"This Thunder Pattern… was left on those rotten logs when I used lightning to temper my body…"

"The 'Geng' Dao mark on the Geng Metal Essence… I left it while refining it for fun…"

"The Guardian Array Diagram beside the Earth Vein Purple Crystal Orchid… I drew it…"

"The Extreme Light Forging Pattern on the North Sea Cold Iron… I forged it…"

"The Cinnabar Phoenix Blood Talisman on the Vermilion Bird Feather (Forged)… I copied it out of boredom…"

He examined each item, his lips twitching more violently with every one. Every ancient mark, rune, Dao trace on the screen bore Mo Yu's unmistakable aura and technique.

In a sense, these items truly were his personal belongings—though so long ago, he'd nearly forgotten he'd scattered so many "trash" across the universe.

Qin Feng dismissed the screen, watching Mo Yu's face, now resembling someone who'd swallowed a fly, and spoke calmly:

"Return to the rightful owner—what's wrong with that?"

Mo Yu: "…"

He opened his mouth, speechless for a long moment, then finally pointed at Qin Feng, torn between laughter and despair:

"You sneaky bastard, Old Qin! You're using my own stuff to buy favors for yourself?! That's… that's too despicable!"

After all this, the five trucks of "gifts"—no, "investments"—that had emptied the New Era Base's special reserves and required immense effort to assemble… turned out to be mostly his own belongings?

Qin Feng's expression remained blank. "Left there, they'd just be wasted."

Mo Yu nearly choked. "You!!"

Xia Wan stood to the side, watching these two beings—clearly old acquaintances, their levels unimaginably high—engage in such… down-to-earth a debate over the "ownership" of precious resources, her emotions complex and hard to articulate.

So, the resources the Master used to help her were actually dug out from this "Mo Yu" senior's "historical leftovers"?

This maneuver…

She looked at Qin Feng's still-serene profile and suddenly felt that, sometimes, the Master didn't seem as… detached from mortal affairs as he appeared.

At least, when it came to "reasonably" utilizing resources, he had a knack for it.

Mo Yu finally sighed, as if resigned, and waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it. Just take them—they're mere external possessions. I don't need them anymore."

He turned his gaze back to Xia Wan, his eyes now less teasing, more serious: "Little Fellow, since Old Qin has gone to such great lengths—though the resources were mine—to help you, don't let him down, or Yun Ge, Jing Yi, and the others. That path? It's not an easy one."

With that, he stretched, his figure gradually blurring and turning transparent, like ink dissolving into air.

"Alright, the show's over. I'm off. Old Qin, next time you 'take' my things, remember to buy me a drink…"

Before his words faded, his form vanished completely, as if he had never been there.

In the Ecological Garden, only Qin Feng remained in silence, and Xia Wan, her emotions still unsettled.

Xia Wan looked at Qin Feng, hesitated, then softly asked: "Master, those resources…"

Qin Feng cut her off, his gaze fixed on her, still calm, yet carrying an air of undeniable authority:

"Get ready."

"Starting tomorrow."