Gao Fei’s expression turned conspiratorial.

He lowered his voice, a trademark shrewd smile appearing on his face.

"Brother, you’ve come to the right person!"

He snapped his fingers, like a broker showing off his treasures.

"At East Sea Martial Arts University, if you want to get your hands on the good stuff by bypassing quotas and clearance levels, the official channels are a dead end."

"There’s only one place."

"The Black Market?"

An idea sparked in Han Feng’s mind.

"You got it!"

Gao Fei’s eyes lit up as he began counting on his fingers, rattling off the items like a list of his own prized possessions.

"Cultivation Technique Manuals, Demon Beast Cubs, decommissioned military cybernetics, banned Genetic Potions, and all sorts of strange trinkets dug up from Ancient Ruins..."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Of course, that also includes the High Tier Spirit Plants you’re looking for, and even the Hard Currency minted from high-purity Spiritual Energy Crystals—Spirit Coins."

Han Feng’s interest was piqued.

"How do I get there?"

"The Black Market... its waters run deep," Gao Fei explained.

"There’s more than one entrance, in both the Inner and Outer Cities."

"But not just anyone can get in. You need a connection."

"The entrance in the Outer City is heavily vetted. You need a recommendation from a big shot."

"Small fries like us can forget about it."

"The Inner City entrance is a bit easier. It’s in an old, abandoned industrial district on the border between the two cities."

"But you still need someone in the know to take you, or you need a token to get in."

"Otherwise, you could turn the whole area upside down and still not find the door."

"You have a way in?" Han Feng asked.

"Heh heh, this is my bread and butter, brother."

Gao Fei puffed out his chest, looking smug.

"If you want to go, I can take you anytime."

"But I have to warn you, the Black Market is filled with a motley crew, and it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s fake. One wrong move and you could lose your shirt. It all comes down to having a keen eye."

Han Feng nodded.

His Spiritual Vision could perceive the density of Energy.

In his eyes, real and fake had nowhere to hide.

’This Black Market is a treasure-hunting paradise practically tailor-made for me!’

But he wasn’t in a rush just yet.

Having just broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer, he needed to let his power settle.

The Black Market could be his last resort.

"Alright. When you have time, take me to see it."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Gao Fei went back to his business.

Han Feng sat on the edge of his bed, the words of Captain Zhang Hao and Professor Wen Boyan echoing in his mind.

’Go get my Talent tested...’

He couldn’t put it off any longer.

But before that, he had something more important to do.

To be promoted to a B Level Student, he needed a Cultivation at the Body Tempering Tenth Layer. He was confident about that.

But the other condition—securing a recommendation for the Suspended Mountain Secret Realm—was a huge problem.

Thinking it over, there seemed to be only one person he knew with the widest network, the highest status, and who would be genuinely willing to help him.

His senior, Zhao Yu.

Whether it was trying to find a way through the Engineer track or asking Zhao Yu to use his connections, it was worth a shot.

Having made up his mind, Han Feng said a quick goodbye to Gao Fei and left the dormitory, heading straight for the experimental zone of the aviation division.

...

The Falcon Third Generation project was over, and the entire experimental zone was much quieter.

Han Feng made his way to the floor where Zhao Yu’s office was located but didn’t find him there.

After asking around, he learned that Zhao Yu was inspecting the various hangars today, guiding the C Level Technicians in solving problems with their projects.

At the entrance to Hangar 3, Han Feng saw a familiar figure.

Zhao Yu stood with his hands clasped behind his back in front of a Falcon fighter jet whose engine cover had been removed.

A C Level Technician, drenched in sweat, was struggling helplessly with the complex Spiritual Power circuits.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yu just stood calmly to the side. He didn’t say much, but every word he spoke cut straight to the heart of the problem.

"Han Feng?"

Zhao Yu noticed the gaze from the entrance and turned around. Seeing Han Feng, a smile immediately blossomed on his serious face.

"You punk, you’re back from your mission?"

"Engineer Zhao."

Han Feng smiled and walked forward.

"Come on, let’s go to my office."

Zhao Yu patted the technician’s shoulder, offered a few words of encouragement, and then pulled Han Feng toward his office.

As soon as they entered, Zhao Yu closed the door, poured him a glass of water, and asked impatiently,

"So, how did it go?"

"You didn’t run into any danger over at Golden Ears Farm, did you?"

"It was fine. No major hiccups, everything went smoothly," Han Feng replied nonchalantly.

Zhao Yu nodded. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze fell on Han Feng and suddenly froze.

His own Cultivation had reached the Peak of the Body Tempering Realm, with one foot already past the threshold of the Meridian Passage Realm. His Perception of Qi Blood was far more acute than an ordinary person’s.

In that instant, he circled Han Feng, the surprise in his eyes gradually turning into shock.

In his Perception, Han Feng’s Qi Blood Power was terrifyingly strong.

His seemingly well-proportioned body held a majestic power.

Just by standing there, a searing heat wave washed over Zhao Yu, making his skin tingle.

His Essence, Qi, and Spirit were incomparably Sharp.

"Damn, kid!"

Zhao Yu threw a punch at Han Feng’s shoulder but was hit by a massive Rebound force that made the bones in his hand go numb.

His eyes widened as he pointed at Han Feng, his voice cracking. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"This Cultivation of yours... you..."

"Just got lucky."

Han Feng scratched his head and offered the excuse he had prepared beforehand.

"My Talent awakened a little more, and I got some high-quality Spirit Plants from Director Lei at the farm. I ate them, and this is what happened."

"High-quality Spirit Plants?"

"Tier Two?"

Zhao Yu’s eyes lit up.

"Mhm, two Tier Two Upper Grade ones."

A muscle in Zhao Yu’s face twitched, the envy and jealousy practically spilling from his eyes.

"Your luck... it’s really something else!"

He said, his tone sour.

"Even I only get an allotment of three Tier One Upper Grade plants per month."

"If I want to get my hands on Tier Two plants, I have to use the Contribution Points from an entire project to exchange for them, and even then, I can barely get a few in a whole year."

"And you? You get two from a single mission!"

Han Feng just smiled and didn’t respond.

Zhao Yu marveled at his luck for another moment, then sat back in his chair, his gaze fixed intently on Han Feng.

"Alright, spit it out. You wouldn’t be here unless you needed something."

"Your leave just ended, you haven’t even submitted your mission report, and you come running straight to me. You’re definitely after something."

"Nothing gets past you, Engineer Zhao."

Han Feng didn’t beat around the bush and stated his first objective directly.

"Engineer Zhao, I wanted to ask... is it possible to be promoted to B Level Engineer... within a month?"

"PFFT—"

Zhao Yu nearly spat out the water he had just taken a sip of.

He stared at Han Feng, his eyes wide with disbelief, before rolling them, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"What are you thinking?"

"One month?"

"How long have you been a C Level Technician?"

"One month!"

Zhao Yu laughed in exasperation at this wild idea.

"Let me tell you, it’s absolutely impossible!"

"Don’t even think about it!"

He held up a finger and said, enunciating every word.

"To get promoted to B Level, you have to be a core member and flawlessly complete at least three high-difficulty projects!"

"One month?"

"Forget one month. Even six months would be a long shot!"

"However, with your Talent, if things go smoothly, there’s a good chance in about a year."

"This isn’t like Martial Arts Cultivation, where you can get a special promotion just because your Talent is good."

"Every Level for an Engineer corresponds to a real position with real responsibilities."

"A B Level Engineer is either the person in charge of an independent project or a core supervisor on a large-scale project."

"They manage a team of people and are responsible for investments worth millions or even tens of millions of Contribution Points."

"If we give you that position without enough experience, do you think you can handle it?"

"If something goes wrong with the project, can you bear the responsibility?"

Zhao Yu’s words completely shattered Han Feng’s fantasy.

Seeing the disappointed look on Han Feng’s face, Zhao Yu’s tone softened.

"You punk, why are you in such a hurry to get promoted to B Level?"

"Are the benefits of a C Level Technician not enough for you?"