My Brother's the Protagonist? Good Thing I Awakened My System! - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Navigating Stormhowl Valley
He pressed deeper into Stormhowl Valley, guided by the map in his hand.

The environment shifted dramatically as he ventured further. The skies were perpetually darkened by lightning and thunder, casting an eerie glow over the rugged terrain.

Feng Chen was also hit by the lightning several times but there were no injuries. Instead it seemed to have refined his body further.

“As expected of Mid-Level Saint Grade Body Refinement Technique!”

Until now, Feng Chen hadn’t taken a single serious hit.

But the ease with which he absorbed the lightning strike, and the subsequent strengthening of his body, made him fully grasp the true power of his Mid-Level Saint Grade Body Refinement Technique.

Its effectiveness was far beyond what he had anticipated.

As he advanced, the monsters he encountered grew more formidable, with Rank-3 beasts becoming the norm.

Of course, even the Rank-3 Monsters ran away from him when they felt his presence.

However, that was different for Rank-4 monsters. It looks like despite knowing that Feng Chen was in Three Elements Divine Realm, they think they could take him on.

Several Rank-4 Beasts have attacked Feng Chen, though it didn’t take even a minute to take care of them despite their large numbers.

After the battle, Feng Chen began gathering the dead bodies of those beasts.

The bodies of these Rank-4 monsters were valuable, their materials and core highly sought after.

Core of these monsters could easily be sold for thousands of Gold Coins. This is one of the reasons why Mercenary continues to risk their life in Stormhowl Valley.

“Looks like there are indeed Rank-5 and even Rank-6 Monsters in the area of the treasure.”

Feng Chen muttered.

Feng Chen didn’t think much about Rank-5 Monsters as with his Nascent Soul Realm Cultivation, he didn’t think that they would be much of a problem for him.

But Rank-6 Monsters were a different story. He had never fought with Rank-6 and didn’t know just how strong they were in comparison to him.

Although there was danger of encountering a Rank-6 Monster, Feng Chen didn’t think about retreating at all.

Even if he can’t kill Rank-6 Monster, escaping wasn’t going to be a problem for him.

Moreover, he has Mid-Level Saint Grade Body Refinement Technique: Saintly Thunder Body which would make killing him very difficult for the monsters.

After storing the valuable cores and materials from the Rank-4 beasts in his spatial ring, he glanced at the map once more.

“I should be close!”

Feng muttered, and suddenly a huge creature jumped out from the side of a cliff. Though Feng Chen, who had sensed it coming, dodged it easily.

It was a Thunderclaw Lynx, its body crackling with electric energy, its eyes glowing with predatory intent.

The lynx was a Rank-5 beast, and the stormy environment of the valley only made it stronger.

“Not bad,” Feng Chen muttered, unsheathing his sword with a swift motion.

“Now that I think about it, this is the first time I am fighting with Thunderclaw Lynx. Let’s see what you’ve got!”

ROAR!

The Thunderclaw Lynx wasted no time, charging toward him with blinding speed, its claws crackling with lightning.

WHOOSH!

Feng Chen dodged effortlessly, his movements fluid as he parried the beast’s attacks.

Each strike from the lynx sent sparks flying, but Feng Chen remained calm, observing the monster carefully.

Although he had heard that Thunderclaw Lynx was very fast with powerful attacks, Feng Chen didn’t find that to be true.

Even if he was holding back, he didn’t think that Thunderclaw Lynx could ever land a hit on him.

“Shall I test how powerful the Thunderclaw Lynx attack is?”

Feng Chen said as he stopped dodging Thunderclaw Lynx.

Feng Chen stopped in his tracks, a calm expression on his face as he allowed the Thunderclaw Lynx to come closer.

The beast, seeing an opportunity, roared and lunged forward, its claws crackling with lightning as they sliced through the air, aimed directly at Feng Chen’s chest.

CRACK!

The strike landed, and though Feng Chen felt a slight sting, it was nothing serious.

His skin had barely been grazed, and the energy from the attack dissipated quickly, leaving only a faint mark.

Blood trickled from a small cut, but it was far from life-threatening.

“Even when I deliberately allowed a Rank-5 beast to land a hit, the damage barely counts as injury.”

Feng Chen muttered, glancing at the shallow injury.

The Thunderclaw Lynx recoiled, stunned that its strongest attack barely caused harm.

Meanwhile, Feng Chen marveled at the sheer defensive power of his Mid-Level Saint Grade Body Refinement Technique.

“The Saint-Grade Technique truly lives up to its reputation. Taking a direct hit from a Rank-5 monster and sustaining only minor injuries? Impressive!”

The lynx growled, more cautious now, circling him with its body low to the ground. Its eyes glowed with a mixture of confusion and frustration as it sized up its opponent.

It seemed to think about fleeing, seeing that the prey was not as weak as he thought.

“Alright,” Feng Chen said, cracking his knuckles.

“You’ve had your chance. My turn now!”

With a single burst of energy, Feng Chen countered. His sword flashed through the air, and in an instant, he severed the lynx’s lightning-charged claws.

ROAR!

The beast howled in pain, staggering back before Feng Chen finished it off with a decisive strike.

“Not bad for a Rank-5 beast, but not enough,” he said, extracting the core and valuable materials from the monster.

As he stored them in his spatial ring, his thoughts drifted to the possibility of encountering Rank-6 beasts ahead.

“If this is how easily I can handle a Rank-5, then I might not be as concerned about what’s coming next.”

Feng Chen wasn’t very concerned about encountering Rank-6 monsters after he took care of Rank-5 monsters so easily.

Instead there was anticipation and excitement. Feng Chen knew that he had to fight with stronger enemies in the future, so fighting with Rank-6 monsters might serve as a practice for his future fights.

Feng Chen continued forward, his steps light as he navigated through the increasingly jagged terrain of Stormhowl Valley.

He came across a few more Rank-5 monsters, but Feng Chen easily defeated them and collected the valuable materials from their bodies.

He also experimented with quite a few of them and found that they were too weak to serve as his practice.

“I wish I could meet Rank-6 Monsters!”

Feng Chen said as he was disappointed by the Rank-5 Monsters.

But sadly for him, he didn’t encounter any Rank-6 monsters and he has reached the place marked in the treasure map.

“So, this is the place?”

Feng Chen muttered as he checked the surroundings. He looked around for a few more times but saw nothing extraordinary.

Feng Chen scanned his surroundings, frowning slightly as nothing immediately stood out.

The place marked on the treasure map looked ordinary—a barren patch of rocky terrain, with no sign of any hidden treasures.

He walked forward, his eyes narrowing as he activated his spiritual sense, searching for any clues.

Just as he was about to conclude that perhaps the map was fake, a faint glimmer caught his attention from a nearby boulder.

“There’s something here!”

Feng Chen said excitedly.

Feng Chen quickly approached the area, extending his hand toward the faint shimmer.

As his palm drew near, a ripple spread through the air, revealing the presence of a hidden formation.

“Hmm, a Grade-4 Formation!”

The formation created a protective barrier that seemed to block any living being, whether human or monster, from entering the area.

“So this is what’s keeping everything out.”

Feng Chen mused, inspecting the formation more closely. The lines of the barrier were intricately woven, pulsing with a steady flow of energy.

He tapped the barrier lightly, feeling its resistance. It was strong, but not beyond his capabilities to break.

There were two ways to break a formation.

The first was to understand it better than the person who created it and slowly dismantle it. The second way was brute force—just hit it hard enough, and it would break.

This formation was powerful, a Grade-4 one, and could likely withstand attacks from someone in the Three Elements Divine Realm. But luckily, Feng Chen was in the Nascent Soul Realm.

He was confident that even if he were still in the Three Elements Divine Realm, he could have destroyed it though there was no way to prove it.

“Let’s see if the System Store has any Formation Master Skills!”

Feng Chen muttered as he quickly checked.

“Ugh! 70,000 System Points for a Grade-3 Formation Master skill? Why not just rob me outright?”

Frustrated, he stopped browsing the store. If a Grade-3 skill cost that much, he was sure a Grade-4 Formation Master skill would be way out of his reach, especially with his current low budget.

“Forget it. I’ll just blast my way through!”

He channeled his energy into his palm as he prepared to dismantle the formation.

BANG!

The impact struck the barrier but barely left a mark.

“Hmph, not even a dent,” Feng Chen muttered, frowning slightly.

Next, he tried using his Earth Shattering Palm, channeling more power into the attack.

BANG!

The force hit the barrier with a mighty crash, but it still stood firm, only showing minor ripples.

“This Grade-4 Formation is tougher than I thought.”

Feng Chen said, slightly frustrated.

“I underestimated it. With my Three Elements Divine Realm Cultivation, it might have been impossible to break the formation unless I brought that Grade-4 Formation Master skill.”

Determined, Feng Chen summoned his sword. He took a deep breath and unleashed a powerful strike.

“Heavenly Emperor’s Sword!”

The sword slashed through the air, its blade glowing with intense energy.

CRACK!

With a resounding crack, the barrier shattered, revealing the hidden treasure area beyond.

“Now that’s more like it!”