Zuo Feng weighed his options repeatedly and finally made up his mind, saying to Bai Duanqian, “Bai Duanqian, neither of us knows how many Lotus Seeds are needed to upgrade Sheng Sheng Bu Xi (Life Without End) to level five. I wonder if Bai Dashi (Grandmaster Bai) would be willing to try? This way, we’ll have a reference for future upgrades of Sheng Sheng Bu Xi (Life Without End).”
Zuo Feng was also amazed by himself; he had to come up with an excuse to give such a precious xiao songta (little pine cone) to Bai Duanqian.
Upon hearing this, Bai Duanqian’s heart raced, and two little people in her brain started fighting—
One rationally advised her to refuse: “Bai Duanqian, you can’t be so greedy anymore; you’ll only owe more and more.”
The other impulsively urged her to accept: “Bai Duanqian, you are so capable. Accept it now, and slowly repay the favor later.”
Ultimately, impulse triumphed over reason…
“Alright, I’ll try it for you first. Let me state upfront, this time I’ll owe you a favor, and I will definitely repay it later.”
Bai Duanqian said this, but in her heart, she was incredibly excited. She was about to gain another skill, and it was a skill granted by an extra petal growing out!
After some attempts, Bai Duanqian discovered that this kind of dual-lotus symbiosis indeed required double the xiao songta (little pine cone)s and resulted in two Sheng Sheng Bu Xi (Life Without End)s. Moreover, these two Sheng Sheng Bu Xi (Life Without End)s had to be upgraded synchronously; one could not be upgraded alone.
Level one Sheng Sheng Bu Xi (Life Without End) required one xiao songta (little pine cone).
Upgrading from level one to level two required two xiao songta (little pine cone)s.
Upgrading from level two to level three required four xiao songta (little pine cone)s.
Upgrading from level three to level four required six xiao songta (little pine cone)s.
Upgrading from level four to level five required eight xiao songta (little pine cone)s.
After Bai Duanqian consumed 42 xiao songta (little pine cone)s, she possessed two level five Sheng Sheng Bu Xi (Life Without End)s.
Zuo Feng, on the other hand, only had eight xiao songta (little pine cone)s left, but that was temporarily enough.
Furthermore, the little pine tree was now laden with 99 emerald green xiao songta (little pine cone)s. Xiao Mi Tao estimated that they would ripen in at most a month, and 99 would be harvested every three months. This should be sufficient for the short term.
Da Bai Tu, with her dark humor, watched this scene and began to scheme against Bai Duanqian again. A slight smile played on Da Bai Tu’s lips; she wanted Bai Duanqian to owe more and more. Da Bai Tu mused that since Bai Duanqian already owed a favor, why not add another one?
She leaned closer to Zuo Feng and whispered, “Xiao Nan Ren, Qianqian doesn’t have an A-level metal weapon yet. How about we give her the materials, and she can forge one herself?”
Upon hearing this, Bai Duanqian immediately shook her head like a rattle drum: “No, no, no, I don’t need one for now.”
Bai Duanqian was almost in tears; she really couldn’t afford to owe any more. Any more, and she would truly collapse.
She used to have a level seven giant hammer, but after she was imprisoned by the Black Wind Gang, her weapon was naturally taken by the Black Wind Gang and its whereabouts are still unknown.
If they were to give her a-grade metal now to forge one, the cost of materials would be astronomical, because her giant hammer was simply too big.
If forged with a-grade metal, the material cost alone would be enough to forge dozens of spears.
“Alright, then you and Da Mi Tao can arrange it.”
Zuo Feng nodded indifferently. They weren’t short on a-grade metal; one three-line zombie crystals could be exchanged for one a-grade metal. He had a ‘mine’ so he didn’t care. However, even though Bai Duanqian was a blacksmith who had lit up Six Lotus Seeds, and used a Heavenly Fire Forging Platform, she still couldn’t melt a-grade metal, requiring Hotuntun and Hotutu’s help.
Bai Duanqian’s brain short-circuited. It was over; she really owed a huge one this time.
Giving someone something and forcing it on them—the two little people in her mind hadn't even decided who won yet.
A-level metal was nothing to Zuo Feng, but it was different for Bai Duanqian. She was absolutely certain that a weapon forged from a-grade metal could rival or even far surpass an eight-level weapon.
But so far, no one had heard of anyone forging an eight-level weapon, mainly because no one had ever seen a Seven Horizontal Bars Zombie.
Bai Duanqian was on the verge of tears. The two little people in her mind had finally decided a winner, and the victorious little person was the one who accepted the favor.
She couldn't repay it, she really couldn't repay it...
Zuo Feng chuckled and continued, “As for the chi re crystal and life crystal, there aren’t enough for everyone yet. For now, Da Mi Tao will keep them. If you need them for an outdoor mission, you can directly apply to her to borrow them.”
After all, safety comes first. The chi re crystal is a powerful weapon that can melt a Seven Horizontal Bars Zombie; the life crystal is an even greater life-saving artifact that can regrow flesh and bone. As long as there’s still a breath left, consuming a life crystal can rapidly heal even the most severe injuries.
Zuo Feng’s plan was to equip every one of the girls, but since the quantity was insufficient, they could only be used centrally for now, prioritizing mission safety.
Bai Duanqian was completely numb; there were still more good things…
“Alright, girls, it’s time to rest.” Zuo Feng waved his hand, signaling the girls to turn off the lights and rest…
Zuo Feng, on his side, comfortably embraced Da Mi Tao and Da Bai Tu, enjoying the tranquility of the night.
Meanwhile, Jun Wushuang was fuming in the conference room.
It turned out that Jun Wushuang, who had been seething with anger all day yesterday, returned to Peerless Apocalypse and found several concubines to vent his frustrations.
Waking up in the morning, Jun Wushuang finally sobered up. He realized that Wen Dizhi definitely had a backup of the research materials!
And now, the backup must have fallen into the hands of the Three Giants! That was a potion that could turn ordinary people into Mutants, even though the success rate was only one percent, and all failures resulted in death.
But Dream City had no shortage of people. Sacrificing ten thousand impoverished commoners could cultivate 100 Mutants, which was undoubtedly a huge strategic advantage for Dream City.
Jun Wushuang knew that if he didn't get the backup soon, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The strength of the Three Giants was not much different from Peerless Apocalypse. If they developed the potion and put it into use, the balance of power in Dream City would be completely disrupted, and Peerless Apocalypse's position would be precarious.
Although he had brought back Shao Kang, the deputy leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, Shao Kang had no backup at all; only Wen Dizhi did.
Jun Wushuang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan and immediately convened a high-level meeting to discuss the matter.
He knew that time was short and they had to act quickly.
Peerless Apocalypse's intelligence network had to be fully activated, and at all costs, they had to find out the specific details of the Three Giants obtaining the backup.
And his meeting with the high-level officials had lasted a whole day, and there was still no feasible plan.
Especially after the scout reported that the Three Giants had formed an alliance, clearly intending to push Peerless Apocalypse out of the power core of Dream City.
Jun Wushuang had thought about inviting the leaders of the Three Giants to Peerless Apocalypse for a detailed discussion, but the leaders of the Three Giants were not fools. If they went to Peerless Apocalypse, they probably wouldn't be able to leave. The Three Giants' response was: discussions were possible, but they had to be within their sphere of influence.
But this put Jun Wushuang in a dilemma: if he went to the other party's territory, the risk was extremely high; if he refused, once the potion research was successful, and Peerless Apocalypse was excluded, it wouldn't be long before Peerless Apocalypse's top position would inevitably be replaced.
What angered Jun Wushuang the most was that this operation had severely damaged his reputation.
Not only did he lose a powerful individual who had lit up Six Lotus Seeds, but he also caused six powerful individuals who had lit up Six Lotus Seeds to be dissatisfied with him. Furthermore, due to his mistake, Peerless Apocalypse was put in such a passive situation.
Now, many high-ranking officials had begun to question his leadership abilities, believing him to be too impulsive and lacking in careful consideration.
Jun Wushuang knew he had to salvage the situation. Jun Wushuang decided to personally go to the Three Giants' territory to show his sincerity.
If he couldn't get involved in the potion research this time, the future of Peerless Apocalypse would be in jeopardy, and his position as the leader of Peerless Apocalypse would certainly not be secure.
“Search! Search for me! No matter what, you must find clues about that damned Firefly Base!”
Jun Wushuang's roar echoed in the conference room. If it weren't for Zuo Feng, how could he have fallen into such a predicament? He swore that if he found Firefly's location, he would gather all of Peerless Apocalypse's forces to completely destroy it.
First, for revenge.
Second, he wanted to reclaim Bai Duanqian. He had set his eyes on that woman first.
Third, the potion data at Firefly was the most complete, and most importantly, those 100 scientific researchers who could develop the potion would definitely have a way to improve it. As long as Firefly was destroyed and those scientific researchers were obtained, Peerless Apocalypse would surely soar, trampling the Three Giants underfoot.
A cold light flickered in Jun Wushuang's eyes. The scout had already brought back a clue about Firefly from Huo Yao Base. Jun Wushuang firmly believed that it wouldn't be long before he would find Firefly's location.
By then—he would avenge himself!