Passing through the commercial district and turning into the inner city, the noise gradually faded away.

Lin Feng slowed his pace, his mind beginning to calculate.

He was now Level 25, with Strength breaking past 60, unlocking the attribute's special effect.

A 50% damage boost and Shield Break. With his current strength, an ordinary Level 30 Third Rank Lord should be no match for him.

But against a Level 39 Vice City Lord like Liu Zhenshan, he was still a step behind.

At Level 39 with three class advancements, Liu Zhenshan's base attributes were significantly higher than his.

More importantly, Liu Zhenshan likely had two primary attributes surpassing 60: Strength and Agility.

Two attributes at 60 meant two attribute special effects.

Lin Feng lowered his head and calculated. His current base Agility was 10. Even with the bonuses from General's Majesty, his hero template, and equipment, he was still quite far from 60.

If he could get a gold-grade bracelet that added 10 points to base Agility, and then level up twice to put those two attribute points into Agility, he could push it to 60.

When that time came, with two Level 60 attribute effects, plus the Wildfire Spear, his purple set, and that trump card for a comeback at low health...

He looked up toward the Council Hall.

As far as he knew, gold-grade equipment was extremely rare. Liu Zhenshan was the strongest person in Zhenyue City besides the City Lord.

Only his weapon was gold-grade; the rest were purple. He only had one gold accessory, and even that was state-sponsored—he only had the right to use it.

If he could push Agility to 60 and get another piece of gold equipment...

Lin Feng suddenly smiled. Even without gold equipment, he still had the Beacon Fire Despair trump card.

The health-locking comeback triggered when HP hit 1—he had never used that trump card in a real battle before.

If he also had two attribute effects, combined with Beacon Fire Despair, he should be able to win in a direct confrontation with Liu Zhenshan.

Thinking of this, the smile at the corners of Lin Feng's mouth deepened.

He quickened his pace, crossed the bluestone path of the inner city, and pushed open the doors to the Council Hall.

The hall was empty. He went up to the second floor and pushed open his door. The Wildfire Spear was leaning in the corner, and the blanket on the bed was neatly folded.

Sunlight streamed through the window, coating the floor in a layer of gold.

Lin Feng set his spear aside and lay down on the bed. The bedboard was a bit hard, but it was ten thousand times more comfortable than the rocks in the Rift Valley.

He closed his eyes, his mind still spinning with those numbers: Strength 60, Shield Break effect; how much Agility was still needed;

Where to get a gold bracelet; just how strong Liu Zhenshan really was in actual combat...

As he thought, his breathing gradually steadied.

Outside the window, the sunlight grew brighter. The day in Beacon Fire Town had only just begun.

...

When Lin Feng woke up, the sky outside the window had already darkened.

He lay on the bed dazed for a moment, his mind still filled with the fog of someone who had just woken up.

The sunlight coming through the window wasn't the blinding white of noon, but the dusky yellow light of evening, dyeing the entire room in a warm orange.

He sat up and glanced outside. The sun had already dropped below the city walls, leaving only a streak of dark red afterglow on the horizon.

Cooking smoke rose in the distance, wisp by wisp, slowly dispersing in the twilight.

He had slept for almost the entire day.

Lin Feng stretched his neck, his bones making a slight cracking sound.

After tossing and turning in the Rift Valley all night and then walking a hundred miles back, his body was indeed exhausted.

But after sleeping the whole day, his energy had mostly recovered.

He picked up the Wildfire Spear, weighed it in his hand, and pushed the door open to head downstairs.

The Council Hall was empty and the light was dim. He went out through the side door and circled around to the Lord's kitchen in the back.

The kitchen was brightly lit and steaming hot.

Li Gui was standing in front of the stove directing two apprentices in stir-frying. Seeing Lin Feng enter, he hurried over to greet him.

“The Lord is awake? You must be hungry. The food will be ready in a moment.”

Lin Feng sat down at a low table in the corner of the kitchen. Li Gui nimbly brought over several dishes.

A bowl of braised pork, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, a bowl of egg drop soup, and a few multi-grain flatbreads.

“It's a bit simple, please don't mind it, Lord.” Li Gui rubbed his hands together, looking a bit embarrassed.

“I didn't know when you would wake up, so I didn't dare cook ahead of time for fear it would get cold.”

“It's fine.” Lin Feng picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of braised pork.

The meat was stewed until tender, melting in the mouth, salty and savory with a hint of sweetness.

He took a couple of bites and then a sip of soup. His stomach felt warm, and his whole being felt comfortable.

After finishing his meal, he stood up and slung the Wildfire Spear onto his back.

“Is the Lord going out again?” Li Gui asked.

“Yeah, going to the Rift Valley.” Lin Feng pushed open the door.

The twilight had completely darkened, and the last streak of afterglow on the horizon had vanished.

Stars began to brighten overhead, one by one, like diamond shards casually scattered across the sky.

He strode toward the north gate. The guards saw him and hurried to open the city gates.

Lin Feng nodded and walked out of the gate alone, disappearing into the night.

Crying Rift Valley was a hundred miles to the northeast of Beacon Fire Town. Lin Feng walked very quickly.

The entrance to the Rift Valley was the same as usual, like a wound split open by a giant axe, with steep rock walls on both sides.

The valley floor was pitch black. Wind poured out from the mouth of the valley, carrying a damp, rotting scent.

But something was different.

Lin Feng stood at the mouth of the valley, frowning. He couldn't say exactly what was wrong, he just felt like something was missing.

He thought for a moment and suddenly realized—it was too ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) quiet. Not the silence of monsters lurking, but a deathly stillness, as if the entire Rift Valley had fallen asleep.

He checked the time. 9:50 PM.

Wait ten more minutes.

He found a flat rock at the valley entrance and sat down, resting the Wildfire Spear across his knees, his gaze fixed on the bottomless darkness of the valley mouth.

Time passed bit by bit. At 9:58 PM, the wind stopped.

The damp, rotting scent at the valley entrance also vanished, replaced by an indescribable silence, as if something had covered the mouth of the entire Rift Valley.

It was the same as last night. But last night at this time, the mist was already about to surge out.

9:59 PM. Lin Feng gripped his spear tightly.

10:00 PM sharp.

Nothing happened.

The Rift Valley was like any ordinary valley, lying quietly in the night.

Lin Feng waited for another half hour.

The Rift Valley was still the same Rift Valley. No mist, no monsters, nothing; it had all vanished without a trace.

Lin Feng stood up, his brow deeply furrowed.

Why?

He thought for a long time, and a thought suddenly popped into his head—the Blood Moon.

Before the Blood Moon appeared, every time he came to Crying Rift Valley, there was mist at night.

After the Blood Moon appeared, the mist in the Rift Valley was gone within a few days. Was it a coincidence? Or...

Lin Feng's heart sank. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He remembered what Director Chen had said. After the Blood Moon appeared eighty years ago, the rules of the Nightmare World changed, and the condition to 'resist the Nightmare Tide' was added to the territory upgrade requirements.

What about this Blood Moon? Were the rules going to change again? Was the disappearance of the Rift Valley's mist a part of the rule changes?

He stood at the valley entrance and waited for another ten minutes. The Rift Valley remained the same—silent, deathly, and hollow.

Lin Feng finally accepted the fact. There would be no more mist tonight.

He turned and strode back toward Beacon Fire Town.

Along the way, he walked very fast, even faster than when he came.

One question kept turning over in his mind: had the consequences triggered by the Blood Moon already begun?

If the change in the Rift Valley was just the beginning, what would happen next?

Would the patterns of the Nightmare Tide change? Would the strength of the monsters change? Would the conditions for territory upgrades change?

He recalled Director Chen's words: “Let the territories that meet the upgrade conditions promote as quickly as possible. Don't wait for the conditions to change.”

The Nightmare Tide in nine days was his last chance to upgrade to a county-level territory. If the rules changed before then...

Lin Feng quickened his pace.

The walls of Beacon Fire Town were in sight. The torches on the walls flickered in the night like anxious hearts.

He strode through the city gates, and instead of returning to the Council Hall, he went straight up onto the city walls.

Standing on the wall, he looked toward the northeast. That was the direction of Crying Rift Valley, pitch black, with nothing to be seen.

But he knew that something there had changed.

He couldn't see it, but he could sense an uneasy aura spreading through the Nightmare World like a tide, sweeping into every corner.

Lin Feng stood on the wall for a long time, until the moon rose, plating all of Beacon Fire Town in a layer of silver-white.

Then he turned and walked down from the wall.