The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 35

"Don't misunderstand, we are not an organization with a hierarchy or mandatory orders."

"This place is more like a platform for exchanging intelligence and trading resources. It is led by a few powerful Awakened, attracting capable and resourceful Awakened from the surrounding area to gather together and support each other."

"Those who join are equal in status and can freely trade resources, exchange intelligence, issue or accept commissions, and team up to explore more dangerous areas. However, the prerequisite is that you must have something worth sharing with others, or the ability to obtain valuable information."

Chen Feng looked at Han Ning, his tone becoming more serious:

"You can leave anytime you want, no one will stop you, but there is one universally acknowledged ironclad rule: after leaving, you must not reveal the location of the stronghold or any information about its members to anyone. Violators will be regarded as enemies by everyone."

"A lot of intelligence is obtained by sacrificing lives. Intelligence that can save lives is the most valuable hard currency in the apocalypse."

"There is no such thing as getting something for nothing without paying any price."

Han Ning fell silent.

Actually, he felt that Chen Feng's words made some sense.

He's all alone now and definitely needs a platform to exchange things and information.

However, he did not trust the two people in front of him.

Why should I believe you?

"hehe."

Chen Feng seemed to have anticipated Han Ning's question, and smiled slightly.

"If you pass the test, I can tell you some information about the Fog Zone for free. This information will be enough for you to judge the authenticity and value of our intelligence."

"More in-depth intelligence, such as relatively safe routes, the distribution of dangerous sources deep in the fog, and the situation in the Bailugang berth area... will require you to trade or acquire it internally in your own way."

"Whether you want to go to our base or participate in the subsequent trading meeting is entirely up to you."

“We will not force anyone to stay. The meeting place is open to the public. You can come and go as you please. No one will stop you.”

If he could obtain some intelligence, Han Ning thought it would be worth a try.

After weighing the pros and cons, he raised his head, looked directly at Chen Feng, and uttered a single word decisively:

"it is good."

Seeing that Han Ning agreed, Chen Feng gestured with his chin towards Lu Yunping beside him:

"Yunping, go and test this brother's strength."

Lu Yunping shook his head decisively: "No way. You lost the bet earlier, and you haven't delivered the three live chickens yet. You want me to work? No way."

Chen Feng was momentarily speechless, feeling somewhat helpless.

He swayed and floated down from the sign, landing lightly on a relatively open area in front of him, where the water only reached his calves.

Rainwater washed away Chen Feng up to 10 centimeters away, only to be blown away by an invisible airflow.

His gaze swept over the snow cake beside Han Ning, and he held up three fingers, a faint smile appearing on his face:

"The rules are simple: if you can last three minutes under my thumb, you pass the test, and I will immediately keep my promise and tell you some information."

"Don't worry, I'll stop short of killing you."

Han Ning nodded calmly, "Okay."

"Be careful!"

Before he finished speaking, Chen Feng's figure had already disappeared from the spot.

Huhuhu~

The airflow around the two suddenly accelerated, producing a low, whistling sound.

Woo~

A powerful gust of air suddenly exploded outwards from his vanishing point, creating a large spray of water.

"Roar!!"

Xuebing, who was ready to strike at any moment, was stunned when she saw the figure suddenly disappear.

He could only keep turning his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the other person.

"So fast!" Han Ning's heart skipped a beat. If it weren't for his enhanced mental strength, he probably wouldn't have been able to even track the opponent's movements.

"I'm afraid Xuebing can't keep up with his speed."

After mental strength was raised to 0.7, the resulting heightened sensory acuity played a crucial role at this moment.

He barely caught a glimpse of a blurry afterimage hurtling toward his left at an astonishing speed, tracing an erratic path!

Chi Chi Chi.

Almost the instant Chen Feng started, Han Ning's mind raced, and fifteen dark green vines shot out from the water in front of him, beside him, and even behind him.

Since his vine technique broke through from intermediate to advanced, he has yet to truly test the power of the advanced vine technique.

Now is the perfect time to give it a try.

The vines of advanced vine techniques are consistently about three fingers thick, and their color is a deep, almost blackish-green compared to intermediate techniques.

The sound of it cutting through the air was sharp and piercing, and its speed was at least 30% faster than before.

[Vine Technique (Advanced) Proficiency +1, currently 5/500]

Fifteen vines intertwined to form a large, sparse yet effective net, precisely blocking Chen Feng's path of attack.

However, Chen Feng's speed was simply too terrifying.

The body exhibits an amazing ability to change direction while moving at high speed.

Faced with the vines that were strangling him, he simply twisted and turned strangely, like a willow catkin in the wind, and slipped through the gaps in the vines.

The terrifying force carried by the tips of the vines lashed the water, shattering a concrete block at the bottom into pieces.

"The power is good, but the speed is too slow!"

Chen Feng's slightly mocking voice rang out from behind Han Ning's right.

Immediately afterwards, Han Ning felt a strong gust of wind rushing towards his face from the right.

Chen Feng had somehow circled around to his side, his right hand with five fingers together like a knife, and a thin layer of light blue energy was gathering at the edge of his palm.

Chapter 38 A Wild Dance Like a Dragon

The airflow emitted a subtle yet unsettling hissing sound, like a high-speed rotating saw blade.

A warning bell rang in Han Ning's mind. He didn't have time to recall the vines, so he could only quickly turn to the side and, at the same time, his mind raced as he activated the [Tree Skin Technique].

The brownish-green wood grain quickly covered the outside of his right arm.

scoff!

The pale blue wind blade slashed fiercely at the right arm covered with tree bark.

The tough wooden skin was sliced ​​open the moment it came into contact with the wind blade, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

The immense impact caused Han Ning to stagger back several steps, his right arm burning with pain, his Tree Skin Technique almost shattered in an instant.

[Tree Skin Technique (Intermediate) Proficiency +2, Current 14/200]

"You reacted pretty quickly."

Having landed a successful blow, Chen Feng did not pursue. Instead, he increased the distance, his figure flashing through the rain, leaving afterimages, his voice elusive.

"However, you can't last more than three minutes just by taking a beating."

As if to prove his words, he accelerated again, transforming into a cyan wind shadow that was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye, sometimes wandering and turning back within a ten-meter radius around Han Ning, shifting and dodging.

Sometimes they seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

laugh!laugh!laugh!

A series of sharp wind blades, like the scythe of death, slashed towards Han Ning from all directions.

"He should need some time to recover after releasing the wind blade..."

Han Ning recalled Chen Feng's decisive retreat after his failed attack and deduced the reasoning in his mind.

He focused his mind to the extreme, controlling the vines to continuously protect himself, dance wildly, block, and attack.

clap clap clap!

The vines and wind blades collided repeatedly.

Chi Chi Chi!

The vines were incredibly tough, and the wind blades couldn't completely sever them. However, with each collision, the surface of the vines would be cut with deep wounds by the high-speed rotating airflow, wood chips would fly everywhere, and spiritual energy would be rapidly depleted.

The wind blades, scattered by the vines, would quickly reform in Chen Feng's hands.

[Vine Technique (Advanced) Proficiency +3, currently 8/500]

Han Ning looked serious as he focused on responding to Chen Feng's offensive.

"What? Is that all you've got?"

Chen Feng easily dodged the vines' encirclement time and time again, his voice carrying a clear hint of sarcasm.

"Too slow, too slow! I can take care of you in 30 seconds!"

He waved his hands repeatedly, and several 20-centimeter-long wind blades shot out in a triangular pattern, blocking Han Ning's space to dodge left and right.

"Sigh, even if I break through to the advanced level of the Vine Technique, I still can't keep up with this guy's movement speed."

"As expected, not all Awakened Ones are as incompetent as Chen Yan."

Just as the wind blade was about to reach his body, a glint flashed in Han Ning's eyes.

"Rapid growth!"

He stopped trying to use the vines to chase the elusive figure and instead focused on the area where Chen Feng's main body was located.

In an instant, the spiritual energy within his body began to accelerate the vines he was controlling.

[Spiritual Power: 12/25 → 7/25]

[Rapid Growth (Intermediate) Proficiency +1, currently 79/200]

The vines manipulated by Han Ning suddenly emitted a strange green light, slowly evaporating and burning like gas, emitting a low hum.