8. A Stone Falls from the Sky

Soon, everyone arrived at the park at the eastern end of the town. From a distance, they could see a massive boulder lying in the center of the ground, taller than a person and so large that it would take seven or eight people to encircle it.

Moreover, the entire meteorite was a dark red hue, its composition unknown. As soon as one approached it, a chill could be sensed emanating from the stone.

“This meteorite is even stranger in that, during the summer, getting close to it makes you feel heat, while in winter, you feel cold. Don’t touch it for too long, or your hand will get frostbitten,” said Cousin Zhou Xiaoli to everyone.

“My goodness, it’s really cold!” A few children reached out to touch it, but quickly withdrew their hands and exclaimed.

Chen Fengyun also extended his hand, wanting to try it himself. As soon as he touched the meteorite, his cultivation system vibrated—there was a special energy within the stone.

“It truly is cold,” Chen Fengyun said, pulling his hand back. He didn’t immediately absorb the unique energy within the meteorite; instead, he slowly fell behind the group.

When no one was paying attention, he pressed his hand against the icy stone, silently reciting the command to absorb, and swiftly drew all the special energy into himself.

Then, Chen Fengyun withdrew his hand and, acting as if nothing had happened, walked forward while secretly checking his cultivation system panel. He was overjoyed to find that he had gained 5 attribute points from this encounter.

However, a strange thing occurred—the plus signs behind Spirit and Golden Bell Barrier were lit, but the one behind Cultivation was not, catching him off guard.

“Why can’t I improve my cultivation?” Chen Fengyun wondered, frowning. It had only taken 2 attribute points to move from the second to the third layer of Qi Refining, and now, with 5 points, he should easily be able to advance to the fourth layer, but the plus sign remained dark.

“Could it be an issue with the Heaven and Earth Nourishing Qi Technique?” He glanced at the technique section of his panel. The Heaven and Earth Nourishing Qi Technique was only a third-tier mortal-grade method, and his cultivation was stalled at the third layer of Qi Refining.

“Is it possible that the grade of my cultivation method is restricting my advancement? But how do I raise the grade of my technique?” Chen Fengyun pondered, noticing that the plus sign behind the technique was also unlit, meaning attribute points couldn’t be used for upgrading the method either.

Leaving the park, everyone headed toward the parking lot. At that moment, two people with their faces obscured by hats and carrying backpacks passed by. Chen Fengyun’s attention was suddenly caught.

After his Spirit reached the fifth tier of the mortal grade, Chen Fengyun could sense the spiritual energy within five hundred meters. He had just detected a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy in the backpack of one of those individuals.

“You all head back first. I need to buy something and will return on my own later,” Chen Fengyun said hastily to his parents, turning to follow the two strangers.

Qingcheng Town was only three to five miles from his grandmother’s house. Every holiday, Chen Fengyun spent some time there and often went into town alone for errands, so he knew the way well.

“That child, always waiting until the last minute to buy things,” his mother grumbled.

“Let him be. He’s old enough to take care of himself,” his father replied, unconcerned, knowing his son well.

Chen Fengyun hurried after them. At the intersection, he saw the two moving ahead, the spiritual energy from one of their backpacks pulsing strongly at intervals.

He discreetly followed, keeping his gaze away from them but locking onto the backpack with his senses. Suddenly, the two split up and ran in different directions.

Chen Fengyun was momentarily surprised, then noticed several police officers converging from nearby—some in uniform, others undercover. Clearly, the two had already been targeted by the police and, realizing something was amiss, had split up.

The officers gave chase to one man, while the other, whose backpack contained the spiritual energy, slipped out the back of a clothing store. Chen Fengyun quietly followed him.

The man, wary of his surroundings, moved quickly through alleys toward the wooded area behind the town. Chen Fengyun kept a distance within two hundred meters, just enough to track the direction of his escape.

Soon, Chen Fengyun arrived in the woods behind the town and sensed that the spiritual energy had stopped at a certain spot. When he reached it, he found only a backpack, with no sign of the man.

“Come out. I’m not a police officer; we can talk,” Chen Fengyun called out, knowing the man must have realized he was being followed and was now hiding nearby.

“If you don’t show yourself, I’ll simply take what I need,” Chen Fengyun continued. Still, there was no reply, so he approached the backpack.

By this time, Chen Fengyun had upgraded his Golden Bell Barrier to the fourth tier of the mortal grade; once activated, the shield could last three minutes. He boldly walked toward the backpack, confident that the man wouldn’t be able to resist once he tried to take it.

Just as he bent down to open the backpack, a gust of wind swept from behind—the man could no longer restrain himself and launched an attack.

From the sound behind him, Chen Fengyun sensed a figure two meters away. The man leaped forward, wielding a spade in his hand.

With a resounding crash, the man, possessing at least twice the physical strength of an ordinary person and clearly well-trained, swung the spade at Chen Fengyun. But Chen Fengyun, a cultivator, merely shifted slightly, and the spade struck a nearby tree instead.

At the same time, Chen Fengyun delivered a side kick, landing squarely on the man’s chest, sending him flying two meters. The man wasn’t injured, however; he rolled and landed steadily on his feet, though his blood seemed somewhat unsettled.

“So, you’re a Tomb Raider Captain,” Chen Fengyun said, turning to see the man wearing a melon-shaped hat, an old compass and a pick hanging from his belt, with soil still clinging to his spade. He immediately understood the man’s identity.

“Who are you?” The man, surprised at Chen Fengyun’s youth and his inability to prevail in the earlier exchange, asked warily.

“It doesn’t matter who I am, nor am I interested in who you are. Your bag contains something I need. Give it to me, and I won’t interfere with your affairs,” Chen Fengyun replied quietly, shaking his head.

“Hmph, who do you think you are? Want something from Old Eight? You’ve got guts,” the man sneered, suddenly kicking up a cloud of dirt toward Chen Fengyun’s face. He charged, swinging his spade and gripping a pick in his other hand.

“If you won’t drink the wine offered, then you’ll drink the penalty wine. Let’s see how you fare,” Chen Fengyun retorted coldly, activating his Golden Bell Barrier and advancing.

With a tremendous crash, Old Eight collided with Chen Fengyun, spade and all, slamming into an invisible shield. The force sent him flying, and he couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood.