Lin Feng stepped into the Inner City and walked along the bluestone path toward the Council Hall.

The canopies of the iron-leaf trees intertwined overhead.

Two guards stood before the Council Hall's doors, holding halberds and wearing green armor; seeing Lin Feng approach, they pressed their right fists to their chests.

"Is City Lord Lu inside?" Lin Feng asked.

The guard on the left nodded. "The City Lord is inside waiting for you."

Lin Feng pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Lu Dingchuan sat in the main seat, holding a cup of tea, the steam blurring his features.

Hearing footsteps, he set down his teacup and stood up.

"Lord Lin, you're back?"

Lu Dingchuan's voice carried a hint of a smile as he walked down from the main seat to meet him in the middle of the long table.

"I've already received the news. You soloed the Orc Sword Saint over in the Tieba Kingdom. Well done!"

Lin Feng cupped his fists. "City Lord Lu overpraises me."

Lu Dingchuan waved his hand, pulled a staff from his robes, and handed it to Lin Feng with both hands.

The staff was crafted entirely from a piece of pale-gold bone, its surface as smooth as jade, shimmering with a soft golden luster under the light.

The head of the staff wasn't set with a crystal; instead, the bone naturally tapered into a spiral, like a bone bud about to bloom, surrounded by three small bone spurs that gently opened like petals.

Complex runes were carved onto the shaft, their lines as delicate as winding vines, faintly glowing with an emerald light under the lamps, as if a warm life force was quietly flowing through the bone.

"The materials you gave me last time have been crafted. Take a look," Lu Dingchuan said.

Lin Feng took the staff and held it with both hands; it was heavy, a bit weightier than he had expected.

The bone of the shaft felt warm to the touch, not cold like ordinary bone, but rather carrying the temperature of a living thing.

He looked down to check the attributes.

【bone healing staff (Purple)】

Type: Staff (Healing Type)

Equipment Requirement: Intelligence ≥ 25

Base Attributes: Spell Power +80, Intelligence +6

【Special Effect 1: Purification】 (Active, Cooldown: 30 seconds)

Consumes 50 Mana to remove all negative status effects from a friendly unit (including curses, poison, slow, stun, blindness, reduced healing effects, etc.).

【Special Effect 2: Life Resonance】 (Passive)

All healing spells and effects of the holder are increased by 20% (including direct healing, continuous healing, and healing triggered by skills).

The corners of Lin Feng's mouth curled up slightly.

Plus six intelligence, plus eighty spell power, all healing effects increased by twenty percent, and it can even remove all negative status effects.

Yu Rou would be so happy when she sees this staff.

"The craftsmanship of a Master Blacksmith is indeed extraordinary."

He praised sincerely.

Lu Dingchuan smiled and nodded. "As long as you're satisfied. Lord Lin, what are your plans next?"

Lin Feng carefully put away the bone healing staff and cupped his fists. "I'm returning to Beacon Fire County immediately."

Lu Dingchuan's brows rose slightly. "So soon? Won't you stay a night in Zhenyue City before leaving?"

Lin Feng shook his head. "I indeed have some urgent business that cannot be delayed."

Lu Dingchuan didn't ask further. He stood up, walked over to Lin Feng, and patted his shoulder with a concerned tone. "Alright, then I won't keep you. Take care on the road."

Lin Feng cupped his fists. "City Lord Lu, farewell."

He turned, pushed open the Council Hall door, and strode out.

Returning to the small courtyard arranged for him in Zhenyue City, the room was quiet; the bed was just as he had left it, the quilt folded neatly.

Lin Feng leaned the Wildfire Spear against the bedside, placed the bone healing staff on the table, then lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

The moment his consciousness withdrew, the familiar feeling of weightlessness struck. Countless images flashed before his eyes: the walls of Kara Holy City, the white waves of an avalanche, the falling figure of the Sword Saint, and the emerald light flowing on the bone healing staff.

He opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling. Rongcheng, Lords Home Villa No. 7.

Lin Feng sat up, reached for the specialized communicator on the nightstand, scrolled to Lin Xiaoyu's name, and pressed the call button.

It rang twice and then connected.

"Lord Lin?" Lin Xiaoyu's voice came through the receiver.

"Yeah," Lin Feng leaned against the headboard. "Xiaoyu, help me check on the Nightmare Corrupt Dragon Beast. Where is it located? Has it been hunted yet?"

The other end of the communicator went quiet for a moment, followed by the sound of typing.

"Hold on, I'm entering the internal database... pulling up the distribution map of Rare Bosses in the South Pole Region..."

The typing stopped, and Lin Xiaoyu's voice rang out: "Found it. Nightmare Corrupt Dragon Beast, Rare Boss, Level 30, not yet hunted.

Located in a cave on Tianji Mountain, 150 li north of Xinyue County. The cave entrance is hidden, surrounded by corrupted vegetation and toxic mist. You'll need to be careful."

Lin Feng silently calculated the distance in his head. 150 li north of Xinyue County would be northeast of Lucky Town.

About 300 li from Lucky Town. Tianji Mountain—he had seen that place on the map; the terrain was steep and sparsely populated.

"Got it. Thanks."

He put the communicator back on the nightstand, lay down again, and closed his eyes.

"Connect to Nightmare."

The weightlessness struck again.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the small courtyard in Zhenyue City. He checked the time; it was around 4:00 PM Nightmare time.

The Eye of Probability still had five days until it refreshed. There was plenty of time.

Lin Feng pushed open the door, left the small courtyard, and exited Zhenyue City through the east gate.

The road stretched out beneath his feet, and the golden grass waves of the Golden Ear Plain surged into a sea of bright yellow in the afternoon sun.

Maintaining a speed of twenty meters per second, he sped toward Lucky Town.

After running for about two hours, around 6:00 PM, the silhouette of Lucky Town appeared in his vision.

The eight-meter-high walls looked low in the twilight, and two lanterns lit the green city gate, their orange glow swaying gently in the night wind.

The guards at the city gate saw someone rushing from the east. Their hands went to their sword hilts, about to shout a challenge, but they recognized the figure and quickly stood tall.

Lin Feng swept past them and entered the east gate of Lucky Town.

He walked along the main street toward the Council Hall, his pace a bit faster than usual.

...

Just as Lin Feng neared the Council Hall entrance, Tie Dun's loud voice pierced through the wooden door, echoing in the hallway.

"...Ye Lan is truly our territory's second-highest combat power! These past few days, we've cleared all the monsters on the outer edge of the Dungeon's fifth floor. We even got an Intermediate Class Change Book: Wind Falcon Ranger for Arrow Eye! Haha!"

Tie Dun's laughter was honest and boisterous; one could imagine him slapping his thigh and grinning broadly even through the door.

Zhao Hu's voice was steady, with a hint of satisfaction: "Not only has Ye Lan reached Level 29, but the rest of us are all Level 28, and Arrow Eye is Level 25. When the Lord returns, he'll likely be quite surprised."