C59 Profound Flame Chain

"How embarrassing," Han Feng muttered, despite understanding that the City Lord's gesture was meant to curry favor with his mother. A moment of awkwardness washed over him.

Since his arrival at the Han family, his mother had never once laid eyes on him. Who knew if that would ever change?

If things remained the same, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?

The City Lord, however, chuckled. "Think nothing of it. It's merely a Storage Belt."

Considering the Storage Bracelet the City Lord possessed, Han Feng accepted the offer without further protest.

A decent Storage Belt was commonplace, easily acquired by any Mystic Level force, and even a formidable Human-level force wouldn't find it rare.

"Let's move on to selecting a Martial Skill for you," the City Lord said. "By the way, Han Feng, do you know your physical attribute?"

"I'm not sure," Han Feng replied, shaking his head.

"Not sure?" The City Lord appeared surprised, then nodded as understanding dawned on him. "Of course, you were raised by the Han family, who lack the means to determine such things. Luckily, I have some Five-form Jade on hand to test your attribute."

Five-form Jade was typically used to identify the physical attributes of Martial Cultivators who hadn't reached the late stages of the Mortal Rank.

The City Lord presented a piece of jade to Han Feng, instructing, "Channel your Internal Strength into it."

"Keep in mind, this Five-form Jade is of the lowest grade. It can only identify the basic attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It won't detect any mutated attributes or certain innate saintly bodies."

Han Feng eagerly accepted the jade. Even the most basic Five-form Jade would suffice for him.

He was, after all, merely a first-grade Lower-class Aptitude, far from Medium-class, and certainly not an innate Saint Body.

His body attribute had already been transformed into the Fire attribute by the Nine Flames And Strange Fire Art.

The retest with the Five-form Jade was simply a precaution, to avoid any slip-ups in front of the City Lord. Revealing his Fire attribute too soon might not raise eyebrows initially, but it could lead to complications down the line.

The Internal Strength flowed into the Five-form Jade, and in an instant, the gem burst forth with a rich red glow. The once dull Five-form Jade suddenly became crystal clear, revealing what seemed to be a fiery red flame burning within.

The City Lord's face took on a peculiar expression. "Odd. Fire attribute isn't unusual, but the red light barely reached an inch around the Five-form Jade. That would indicate merely a Lower-class Aptitude."

"Yet, how could someone with Lower-class Aptitude advance to the peak of the Middle Period of Mortal Rank in a mere two months?"

Han Feng's cultivation of Internal Strength within his eight Main Bloodlines was not fully stable. As someone at the Peak of Twelve-star Human Rank, just one step shy of Mystic Rank, the City Lord could easily discern Han Feng's current level of cultivation from the energy fluctuations leaking out.

"Hold on, the flame within the Five-form Jade is slightly different from other Fire attribute flames. It's almost like the mortal fire typically wielded by Human Rank experts. Could this be the reason?" the City Lord pondered internally.

For other Mortal-rank Martial Cultivators undergoing the test, even with a Fire attribute, they would manifest nothing more than a flicker of flame. Yet here was Han Feng, with a full-blown red flame.

This realization made the City Lord grow fonder of Han Feng. He knew better than to underestimate him.

After securing the Five-form Jade, the City Lord escorted Han Feng to the Martial Arts Pavilion within the City Lord's Mansion.

"The first floor houses only the basic martial skills. Let's proceed to the second floor," he said.

Upon arriving at the second level, the City Lord offered a warm smile. "Han Feng, you'll find hundreds of Human Rank Lower-grade martial skills here. Take your time to choose. There's no rush. Once you've made your selection, come find me. I've asked Captain Li to wait for you outside the Pavilion."

Captain Li was the same guard captain who had previously guided Han Feng.

Han Feng bowed respectfully. "Thank you."

The City Lord dismissed the gratitude with a wave of his hand. "No thanks needed. You've earned this. Now, go ahead and make your selection. I'll take my leave."

"Yes, sir!"

As Lord Sun departed, Han Feng serenely browsed the martial skills on the second floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion. It wasn't long before he marveled aloud, "The City Lord's Mansion truly stands in a league of its own, far beyond the Han family's reach. The sheer volume of Human Rank Lower-grade martial skills here dwarfs that of the Han family."

"Quality-wise, only a fraction of the Han family's Lower-grade Human Rank martial skills are on par with Upper-grade ones. Yet here, over half are of Upper-grade caliber."

"But when it comes to the pinnacle of the same rank..."

He had yet to discover that within the Lower-grade Human Rank martial skills, the top-tier ones scarcely fell short of the ordinary Medium-class Human Rank martial skills, making them exceedingly rare.

The Great Powers may be oblivious, but it was evident that such skills were scarce here.

Han Feng's objective was to find a Top Martial Skill of the Human Rank Lower-grade. After all, if he was merely looking for Upper-grade Lower-class Martial Skills, the Han family had some; there was no need to search the City Lord's Mansion for those.

After a strenuous day's search, Han Feng finally unearthed three top-tier Lower-grade Human Rank Martial Skills. He wavered for quite some time between the three, each one tempting him with its potential.

Ultimately, he settled on the Profound Flame Chain. This Martial Skill allowed one to use Fire attribute Genuine Qi to forge chains that served both offensive and defensive purposes.

The Profound Flame Chain had three stages: the first stage formed a single chain, the second stage three chains, and the third stage six chains. Naturally, the greater the number of chains, the more formidable they became for attack and defense.

The Profound Flame Chain was exceptional, capable of simultaneous offense and defense, a notch above Martial Skills that specialized in one or the other.

Moreover, the potency of the Profound Flame Chain correlated directly with the strength of the Fire attribute Genuine Qi used to create it, meaning it had the potential to far exceed the power expected of its level.

The true reason Han Feng selected this particular Martial Skill wasn't for the two reasons previously mentioned, but rather due to a story introduced at the outset of the Profound Flame Chain.

The protagonist of the tale was the very creator of the Profound Flame Chain, who had once vanquished a peer at the Mystic Rank with a single strike.

Why would a Mystic Rank expert bother with a lower-grade Human Rank Martial Skill? Han Feng surmised that the Profound Flame Chain was incomplete, likely just a fragment of the full Martial Skill.

"Captain Li, thank you," Han Feng expressed with a bow as he stepped out of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

Captain Li looked at him with surprise. "Han Feng, that was quick! Are you sure you don't want to search a bit longer?"

Han Feng shook his head. "I've found a martial skill that meets my needs. There's no point in lingering."

"Very well, come with me," Captain Li conceded.

At the City Lord's Mansion.

With a warm smile, the City Lord inquired, "Han Feng, which martial skill did you pick?"

Handing over the Profound Flame Chain, Han Feng replied, "I've chosen the Profound Flame Chain."

The City Lord paused, taken aback. "The Profound Flame Chain? But it's not complete."

Upon hearing this, Han Feng internally acknowledged the truth of the matter, yet outwardly, he feigned a great deal of surprise with a loud "Ah!"