Master of the End Times

Night fell, and the Chengbei colony was alight with the glow of bright, beautiful lanterns.

Qin Feng was meditating in the hotel room.

“What in the world? Why are the runes moving faster and faster?” he gasped in surprise.

This time, a lot more runes were flying around in the darkness. They were very different from the grey ones he saw earlier and way, way faster than before.

Having spent the entire day training, his consciousness had improved quite a bit. Instead of meditating for only ten minutes, his sessions had now extended to fifteen minutes.

Although it was a mere five-minute increase, it allowed Qin Feng to collect some 100 element runes.

When he finally cracked open his eyes, the world around him looked entirely different.

“It’s already dark outside!”

Despite the fact that the lights in the room were switched off, everything appeared to his eyes in sharp vividness and exceptional detail.

This had always been an ability of Qin Feng’s, but it had never been this crystal clear before.

“Night vision!”

Not only was he able to see things clearly, but if an enemy did appear out of nowhere in the darkness, it was no problem for Qin Feng as he could also sense every tiny movement around him.

Even if he could not see up to 30 meters around him, he could still visualize his surroundings with his mind. It was as if he had darkness itself under his control.

“Are my meditation skills weak in the day because I have a dark ability?”

This very moment, Qin Feng felt like he had been blinded by his own happiness the last time.

Despite his confusion, he did not rest, nor did he continue his practice.

He put on his combat uniform, slung his weapon, put on a hat, and lastly, a mask that obscured his face. Before he left, he slipped Xiaobai into his front chest pocket.

As the night approached, the sounds of the colony grew softer and fainter.

With the growing number of tribes of all kinds, chaos could break out anytime in the colony, and if ending up dead in the drain the next morning wasn’t the preferred way to go, one without skill should really not be going out.

After he had walked past a few barren streets, the all too familiar buzz of human activity bustled the surroundings. The world suddenly became crowded again.

Third Street, known by the locals as the commercial street, was the busiest at this hour. Stalls were set up everywhere along the road, selling all kinds of goods. The path would lead to the most important area, the plaza at the center of it all.

Large canvas tents were laid out on the plaza. Fresh supplies, coupled with a mix of interesting memorabilia, were traded there. Instead of checking out the items one by one, he now possessed the ability to analyze all objects 30 meters around him, saving him a lot of time and trouble.

Suddenly, without explanation, Qin Feng’s heart pounded a little harder. He found himself walking towards a stall operated by an elderly man.

“How much is this?” asked Qin Feng as he picked up a pendant made out of black jade.

With his night vision, he could see that the black jade pendant was infused with the goddess Guan Yin. There was a smile on the Guanyin’s face. However, her smile rather weird compared to her usual lovely smile.

“This is an ancient martial art assistance item. It can gather Spirit Qi from your surroundings to enhance the training speed of your Neigong. This is one precious item, I tell you!” said the old man in a convincing vibe.

Hyperbole aside, what the old man said was true, but certainly, no where near as magnificent as he claimed it was.

“Nonsense! Why else would I ask if I didn’t know what this thing is for?” Qin Feng growled while asserting aggression.

The smile on the old man’s face started to grow obvious, satisfied that his confidence-inducing blabber had managed to trigger a reaction.

“Yes, yes. You have a very good eye, boss! Very good indeed!”

Qin Feng nodded slowly, pretending to look pleased. “How much?”

The old man’s eyes glimmered. “300,000!”

Qin Feng put the thing down immediately, a frosty smile on his lips. “That is a ridiculous price! Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

The old man looked a little alarmed as he gave Qin Feng a once over. Even though there was no symbol of an ability user on his chest, the combat outfit he was wearing looked way more sophisticated than what he would usually come across. Also, the intense energy exuding from him terrified the old man.

Qin Feng did not possess the aura of a powerful Ancient Warrior, but he sure had this unmistakable ruthless savagery that had slowly gripped his soul through his years venturing into the relentless wilderness.

Realizing that the young man was not a fat goat but an iron plate instead, the old man quickly regretted his words.

“One vial of F-tier strengthening potion. Deal?” Qin Feng said.

His intense hunger for murder still directed towards the old man as sending an unspoken warning. He would know what was coming for him if he didn’t complete the transaction.

Moreover, F-tier strengthening potions were now at his desired buying price.

The old man nodded profusely. “Yes! Sold, sold, sold!”

Qin Feng picked up the black Guan Yin medallion, threw a vial on the table, and left without looking back.

As he strolled around to visit the other stalls, no one was the wiser about how excited Qin Feng was to have gotten his hands on this unusual black Guan Yin pendant. So, in order to avoid raising any suspicions, he lingered for a while longer.

“Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!”

Qin Feng touched his chest pocket. “What is it?”

Xiaobai was scratching the left side of his pocket.

Qin Feng turned to the left and walked, and Xiaobai’s scratches were suddenly directed to the front. It wagged its tiny tail, pattering it excitedly against Qin Feng’s chest.

Qin Feng looked in front of him and saw three energy cores laid out at the stall.

“You’re not thinking of eating these again, are you?!” Qin Feng may be grumbling, but he knew that Xiaobai had an ultimately limitless potential. Even though they did not have any sort of settlement between them, it had already proven itself to be an extremely wise and loyal helper. Naturally, Qin Feng would not neglect the little creature.

Sometimes, perhaps more than once, beasts were more trustworthy than humans.

“Two F-tier strengthening potions for three of these energy cores. Deal?” Qin Feng asked the seller directly.

Unlike Qin Feng, to most people, energy cores were deemed extremely valuable, but as they were purification items, their absorption was not as pure as F-tier energy cores considering they lacked the absorption ability.

“Sure!” The seller answered eagerly, handing over the three energy cores to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng did not dare give them to Xiaobai now, so he placed them in his other pocket. Xiaobai did not pester him either, as if knowing that its next meal was already taken care of. Qin Feng started to relax, thanks to Xiaobai’s badgering, and he went on a shopping spree. The more he looked around, the more he realized that there were quite a few things that he would have use for.

‘Murkweed? This can be crushed and applied to the body, which gives out some sort of camouflage effect in the dark. It’ll be great when I need to escape, but there are dark runes on them!’ he thought to himself.

‘Black bat skin? This is not bad, either. Sadly, there’re only three pieces!

‘This is… a dark element core. No, I cannot buy this. It would be too obvious!’