"Uh, Ye Feng, compressing and controlling arcane energy for training doesn't require such a massive blade!" Shen Yun Yao said speechlessly, guessing Ye Feng's intention.
She had only mentioned a thirty-meter blade as an example, never expecting Ye Feng to actually conjure one.
"Uh... I didn't particularly make it... I can still make it bigger..."
Ye Feng turned to Shen Yun Yao, "Is it true that the bigger the arcane energy blade for training, the better?"
"I..."
Seeing Ye Feng's relaxed demeanor, Shen Yun Yao's lips twitched, unsure how to respond.
As Shen Yun Yao remained silent, Ye Feng turned back and began to carefully shrink the thirty-meter arcane energy blade.
Before long, the thirty-meter arcane energy blade was reduced to about fifteen meters.
At this point, Ye Feng began to feel a vibration from the arcane energy blade. The entire blade became unstable, with both the blade and the hilt feeling on the verge of bursting.
Seeing this, Ye Feng's eyes sharpened, and arcane energy light reappeared on his body, quickly stopping the blade's tremors.
He then continued to compress the arcane energy blade.
However, this time, the compression speed slowed considerably. Sweat beaded on Ye Feng's forehead, and his hands began to tremble, finding it increasingly difficult to control the compressed arcane energy blade.
"Ye Feng, let go quickly, it's going to explode!"
Shen Yun Yao shouted as she saw the ten-meter arcane energy blade in Ye Feng's hand shaking violently, with spike-like protrusions appearing all over its surface.
"Oh, okay!"
Ye Feng, his forehead covered in sweat, immediately threw the arcane energy blade away.
"Boom!~"
With a flash of white light, the arcane energy blade instantly exploded, and a large amount of spike-like arcane energy swept out from the center of the blast.
A few large trees nearby were reduced to dust in the blink of an eye, large amounts of dust billowed up from the ground, and massive stones disintegrated at high speed, turning into fragments...
Within a few breaths, a large pit appeared in the ground not far from Ye Feng and Shen Yun Yao...
"This... Ye Feng, next time you train, remember to compress less arcane energy, this is too dangerous!"
As the dust settled, Shen Yun Yao turned to Ye Feng and said.
"Oh, alright!~"
Ye Feng nodded, looking at his hands, which were bleeding from being pricked by the arcane energy spikes, but his mind was replaying the feeling of compressing the arcane energy blade.
"Ye Feng, you... don't seem tired at all?"
After a while, Shen Yun Yao looked at Ye Feng, who showed no signs of fatigue, with a hint of confusion.
"Tired?"
Ye Feng looked up at Shen Yun Yao, his expression puzzled, "Should I be tired?"
"I... don't mean physical fatigue, I mean mental!"
"Compressing and controlling arcane energy is the most draining on mental power... Over-training can easily lead to mental confusion, or even immediate unconsciousness!"
Seeing Ye Feng unaffected, Shen Yun Yao was speechless.
"Boom!~ Rumble!!~"
Suddenly, a loud explosion from not too far away attracted Ye Feng and Shen Yun Yao's attention.
The next second, they both ran in the direction of the explosion, as that was where Xiao Xiao was.
"Xiao Xiao, are you alright?"
Amidst a blaze of flames, Ye Feng called out anxiously.
"Big brother, I'm fine, that explosion was caused by my training of arcane energy!"
A clear and pleasant voice responded, and a small figure emerged from a doorway made of flames.
"This... Xiao Xiao, you've broken through to Gold?"
Looking at Xiao Xiao, whose body was engulfed in leaping flames, Shen Yun Yao exclaimed in surprise.
"Gold?"
Xiao Xiao frowned slightly, "I'm not too sure, I broke through as I was fighting..."
"Unbelievable..."
Shen Yun Yao was speechless.
After all, breaking through from Silver to Gold was a significant qualitative leap. Countless Arcane Cultivators pondered and racked their brains, ultimately remaining at high-level Silver for their entire lives...
But Xiao Xiao's breakthrough from high-level Silver to Gold seemed too effortless, and Xiao Xiao's combat power was also...
However, Shen Yun Yao glanced at Ye Feng, who was even more outrageous, and felt a sense of resignation.
...
After a sumptuous lunch, Xiao Xiao and Shen Yun Yao rested under the shade of a tree, while Ye Feng ran to a location far from the two women to continue practicing the compression and control of arcane energy.
"Boom!~ Rumble!~"
"Sizzle!~ Whoosh!~"
Loud noises continuously erupted.
...
On the other side,
Far from Ye Feng and the other two, in a desert area,
A carriage, or rather, a zombie carriage, as two towering zombies over two meters tall were pulling a two-wheeled cart from the front.
The zombie carriage was moving slowly, and seated near the front, by the zombies, was a figure draped in a blood-red cloak.
The figure in the blood-red cloak wore a mask, revealing only two blood-red eyes. They were very similar to No. 11, whom Ye Feng had killed recently, yet different. No. 11's mask bore no numbers, while the person on the zombie carriage had the number 2 on their mask.
On the zombie carriage sat a square object covered with black cloth.
"Krch~ Roar~!"
"Cough~ Krch~"
The two zombies at the front of the carriage were clearly of a high rank. They roared, pulling the evidently heavy carriage, moving rapidly across the desert.
Suddenly, in front of the zombie carriage, two figures, also draped in blood-red cloaks and wearing masks, emerged from the left and right.
These two suddenly appearing figures in blood-red cloaks also had numbers on their masks: 6 and 9.
"Krch~ Hiss~"
Without any apparent movement from the figure seated by the zombie carriage, the two towering zombies slowly halted.
"No. 6, No. 9, why are you here?"
The figure in the blood-red cloak with the No. 2 mask spoke in a low male voice as the two masked figures approached the zombie carriage.
"We don't know who leaked the news... For the Civilization Seedship ruins, the seven major forces, including the City of Arcane Arts, the Sea Restaurant, the Adventurers' Guild, and the Desert Storm, have all dispatched experts!"
The figure in the blood-red cloak with the No. 6 mask spoke first, also with a male voice.
"No. 11 has also lost contact, and the Life Source Stone has shattered!"
The words of the figure in the blood-red cloak with the No. 9 mask followed closely, a female voice.
"Useless trash!"
The figure in the No. 2 mask snorted coldly, a glint flashing in their crimson eyes. However, without dwelling on No. 11's situation, they stepped down from the carriage and slowly approached the black-covered object on the zombie carriage.
Under the gaze of No. 6 and No. 9, the No. 2 masked person extended their incredibly pale right hand, placed it on the black cloth of the square object on the zombie carriage, and then, with a flick, pulled the black cloth aside!
...