The voices in the Council Hall gradually grew distant.

Lin Feng sat in a Copper Seat, watching as agenda items were proposed, discussed, and voted upon.

Some passed smoothly, some were shelved after heated debate, and others were rejected outright.

He noticed that the two individuals in the Gold Seats almost never spoke.

But whenever they pressed their voting buttons, the lords in the Silver and Copper Seats would instinctively look in their direction.

That was the pinnacle of Great Xia's power.

Level 40 Lords.

No, it wasn't just them.

Lin Feng knew clearly that Great Xia also had many Awakened in their 30s—powerful individuals without territories who were scattered across various city-level territories, serving as generals or consecrated experts.

But the gap between a Lord and a non-Lord was too vast.

Lords had template bonuses, and their strength remained fully intact when returning to Blue ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Star. Ordinary Awakened, however, would have their strength suppressed by half upon returning to Blue Star.

In the Nightmare World, top-tier Awakened could still contend somewhat with Lords by relying on equipment advantages.

But once they reached Blue Star...

Lin Feng shook his head.

They were no longer competing on the same level.

"Next item on the agenda..."

Zhou Guosheng's voice pulled him back to reality.

Lin Feng reined in his thoughts and continued to focus on the current topic.

...

Two hours later, the meeting ended.

Lin Feng's consciousness slowly withdrew from that magnificent circular Council Hall.

The walls of his room reappeared, and the desk lamp emitted a soft glow.

He sat in his chair, silent for a moment.

This was the peak power of Great Xia.

And he was already sitting at the edge of that round table.

Even if it was the back row, even if it was a Copper Seat.

He had, after all, taken a seat.

Lin Feng stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the night outside.

Then, he turned and sat cross-legged on the bed.

His consciousness communicated with his Lords Authority.

In the next second, his figure began to turn blurry and transparent.

...

Nightmare World, Beacon Fire Town.

On the second floor of the Council Hall, Lin Feng opened his eyes.

Outside the window, it was still that dark-red-toned world. Faint human voices drifted from the distance.

He stood up and stretched his limbs.

Next came the waiting.

Waiting for thirteen days for the Eye of Probability to refresh.

Waiting for that Level 20 Yellow Turban Fierce Soldier to contribute the 【Intermediate Class Change Book: General】 from its body.

...

The first five days.

Lin Feng took his core members back into the Crying Rift Valley.

The goal was to farm a few second-advancement class books.

But the results... were not ideal.

After five nights of hard grinding and killing over a hundred Trolls and Harpies, all they harvested was Green-tier equipment.

Second-advancement books? They hadn't even seen a shadow of one.

"This drop rate is way too low." Tie Dun squatted by the campfire, his face full of gloom.

Zhao Hu patted his shoulder. "Alright, it's already good enough that we've reached the Level 19 cap. How could second-advancement books be that easy to come by?"

True.

After five nights, everyone had reached the Level 19 experience cap.

Their experience bars were stuck there; they only needed a second-advancement book to break through to Level 20.

But that second-advancement book simply refused to appear.

Shadow Snake, on the other hand, was calm. She sat to the side wiping her shadow moon blade, its purple blade glinting coldly under the firelight.

She was now at the Level 19 experience cap, and with this purple weapon, her combat strength was firmly second in the team.

When the fifth night ended, Lin Feng led the team back to Beacon Fire Town.

"Vacation," he announced in the Council Hall. "Seven days. Free arrangements."

The group was stunned for a moment, then erupted into cheers.

"Long live the Lord!"

"Finally, some rest!"

"I'm going back to Blue Star to be with my wife and kids!"

Lin Feng waved his hand, letting them disperse.

...

For the next seven days, he inspected his territory alone.

First, he went to Qingmu County.

The twenty-meter-high city walls stood majestic, with the flags of Great Xia and Beacon Fire Town planted atop them.

The city gates were wide open, and caravans moved in and out, making for a bustling scene.

Liu Ming led several county officials to greet him at the gate.

"Lord!" He hurried forward, a smile on his face. "Why did you come alone? You didn't give any prior notice, or I would have sent people to receive you."

Lin Feng waved his hand. "Just taking a casual look."

Liu Ming nodded and accompanied him into the city.

The streets in the county seat were clean and tidy, and the shops on both sides were open.

The salt and fish markets were as lively as ever, with an endless stream of caravans coming to purchase. There were vendors selling cloth, ironware, and medicinal herbs.

Lin Feng nodded. "How is the mood of the subjects?"

"Stable," Liu Ming said. "There was a bit of worry at first, after all, the Lord had changed.

But after these few days, with the salt and fish supplied as usual, everyone has put their hearts at ease."

Lin Feng nodded with satisfaction.

He took another walk around the fish market. The fresh fish just transported from Qinglin Lake were jumping energetically, and several merchants were haggling over prices.

Everything was in good order.

"Well done," Lin Feng looked at Liu Ming. "Keep maintaining this."

Liu Ming bowed. "Yes."

Next, he went to Heiyan Town.

The quarry and the mine were both in normal operation, with stone materials and iron ingots piled up to the brim.

Finally, he returned to Beacon Fire Town.

Pharmacist Zhou had made new progress.

"Lord!" Pharmacist Zhou held a wooden box and greeted him excitedly. "Success! Success!"

Lin Feng opened the wooden box.

Six pottery jars were neatly arranged inside.

Three jars contained a dark red liquid, with faint flickers of fire—Explosive Potions.

Three jars contained a greyish-white liquid, with a light mist rising from the mouths of the bottles—Smoke Potions.

【Explosive Potion (Green)】

Type: Consumable

Effect: Creates an explosion upon being thrown, dealing 120 points of fire damage to enemies within a three-meter radius.

Usage Requirement: None

【Smoke Potion (Green)】

Type: Consumable

Effect: Creates thick smoke upon being thrown, covering a 15-meter radius area for 60 seconds. Vision is obstructed within the smoke.

Usage Requirement: None

Lin Feng picked up a bottle of Explosive Potion and weighed it in his hand.

120 points of area-of-effect damage.

At a critical moment, it could change the course of a battle.

"Good job." He looked at Pharmacist Zhou. "Are there still enough materials?"

Pharmacist Zhou nodded repeatedly. "Enough! Master Tian Zheng's side smelted another batch; we can make a few more jars!"

Lin Feng satisfiedly put away the wooden box.

...

There was also progress at the quarry.

Zhou Yi had led four hundred quarrymen to select a good spot near the Stone Forest. The stone quality was superior and easy to mine.

In just a few days, a mountain-like pile of stone materials had already been built up.

Zhou Yi stood before the stone pile, smiling honestly. "Lord, we can now produce two hundred units of stone per day. Once everyone's skills are more refined, we can do even more!"

Lin Feng patted his shoulder. "Keep up the good work."

...

Seven days passed in a flash.

Everyone returned to Beacon Fire Town one after another.

The Council Hall became lively once again.

Zhao Hu returned, looking much better than before. He had spent a few days on Blue Star, had a meal with his wife and kids, and even went for a stroll in the city.

Tie Dun also returned with a smile. He had eaten well on Blue Star and had a few days of peaceful sleep; his whole being was radiant.

Shadow Snake still stood in the shadows of the corner, the purple shadow moon blade tucked into her waist.

Arrow Eye, Wang Wu, Su Yurou, A Wang, Scarface Liu... not a single person was missing.

Lin Feng sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

Level 19 cap.

Except for Zhao Hu, everyone was at the Level 19 cap.

They were only missing a second-advancement book.

"Meeting tomorrow morning."

He paused, and a smile slowly curled at the corners of his mouth.

"I have something important to announce."