At this moment, Chu Feng was carrying the large sack containing Yuan Qing, flying at top speed toward the depths of the Stone Forest to find Bai Ruochen.
After all, he had promised that girl he would help her seize the General's Banner, and Chu Feng always kept his word. But suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he skidded to an abrupt halt.
Before him, his gaze locked onto a massive boulder fifty meters tall, resembling an entire mountain peak. He activated his Heavenly Eye for a closer look, and the more he observed, the more excited he became — until finally, his eyes were shining, and an indescribable joy spread across his face.
"I knew I might find the Commander's Banner, but I never imagined I'd stumble upon it right here." In that moment, Chu Feng was genuinely thrilled beyond words.
He had made a startling discovery — the barrier formation on this particular boulder was unique, radiating an energy entirely different from anything the other stones possessed. Before coming here, the Yuhua Sect Master had specifically briefed them on how to identify stones containing banners, describing certain distinguishing characteristics.
Although the Sect Master's explanation had been rather vague, and how much one could sense depended on individual ability, Chu Feng was now almost certain — not only did this stone contain a banner, it held the most precious one of all: the Commander's Banner.
Having made his determination, Chu Feng didn't rush to set up a formation-breaking barrier. Instead, he first deployed a concealing barrier over the boulder, making it appear no different from the surrounding rocks. Only then did he fly off.
And where was he headed? To find Bai Ruochen, of course.
Now that he'd found the Commander's Banner, the other stones held no interest for him whatsoever. He stopped examining every rock along the way, which dramatically increased his speed.
Before long, Chu Feng arrived at the deepest part of the Stone Forest. There were plenty of people here — not exactly a sea of humanity, but you could spot someone at virtually every turn, setting up barrier formations and working to break the seals on the stones.
Thanks to his tracking rune, however, no matter how many people there were, Chu Feng could pinpoint Bai Ruochen's location. When he finally drew close to her, though, he noticed three familiar figures nearby.
It was Wang Yan, Jiang Hao, and Huang Juan. They weren't conversing — instead, each was carefully studying one of twenty enormous boulders.
And while the three of them examined those twenty massive stones, plenty of others stood around watching as well, their eyes brimming with covetousness.
But perhaps intimidated by Wang Yan, Jiang Hao, and Huang Juan's presence, they only dared observe from a distance, not daring to approach.
"Ruochen!" Chu Feng suddenly called out, shattering the silence. Nearly everyone turned to look at him.
When they saw Chu Feng, the crowd was stunned — and when they heard him address Bai Ruochen so intimately, shock rippled through the onlookers.
At that moment, Wang Yan and Jiang Hao both visibly soured. But they paid Chu Feng no further mind, returning their attention to the twenty enormous boulders — as if those stones were more captivating than Bai Ruochen herself.
"Can't you at least settle on one consistent way to address me?" Bai Ruochen frowned when she saw him. Since first meeting Chu Feng, he had already cycled through three different forms of address — Miss Bai, Junior Sister Bai, and Ruochen — each one progressively more intimate and ambiguous. Though the closeness made her uncomfortable, she hadn't truly objected.
"Heh, I just feel like we're getting closer, so I call you whatever feels right. It's just a name — why worry about it so much?" Chu Feng said with a grin.
"Whatever. Anyway, what are you carrying?" Bai Ruochen's gaze shifted to the massive sack slung over his shoulder.
The sack, of course, held Yuan Qing — but it had been specially treated. Not only did it conceal the shape of its contents, it could also block Mental Power. From the outside, one could only see Chu Feng lugging a large sack, with no way to know what was inside. But people of their caliber all had high-grade Universe Bags for storage. The fact that Chu Feng was carrying the sack manually instead was bound to raise questions.
"Just some junk," Chu Feng chuckled dismissively. Then he turned his attention to the twenty boulders. "So — stuck, are we?"
"You figured that out?" Bai Ruochen's expression shifted slightly, a mix of surprise and the sense that this was exactly what she'd expected.
"Of course. These twenty boulders have been sealed with special barriers, and the formations within are designed to confuse spiritual perception."
"Simply put, all twenty stones give the impression of containing a banner. But these barrier formations are formidable — activating them would take considerable time."
"If you pick the right one, the reward is enormous. But if you pick wrong, you'll miss your chance and may never find a banner again. That's why you're all hesitating, unsure which one to open." Chu Feng transmitted his voice secretly — he certainly couldn't say this aloud for everyone to hear.
"You're exactly right. In fact, you and I aren't the only ones who noticed. Plenty of others did too. But just now, Wang Yan and Jiang Hao threatened everyone else, so for the moment, the choice among these twenty stones is up to the four of us."
"Naturally, if you want to open one, they wouldn't dare stop you — and even if they tried, I doubt they could."
"But that's not what worries me. What I'm concerned about is whether any of these twenty stones are real at all. And even if some are, what if we pick the wrong one?"
"The barrier formations on these stones are too powerful. Opening one would take several days at minimum. If after all that time we find nothing inside, it would be a complete waste — so many things can change in a few days." Bai Ruochen truly seemed at a loss.
"Don't worry — among these twenty stones, three of them are genuine," Chu Feng said.
"Really?" Bai Ruochen's face lit up. "Can you tell which three?"
"Of course. That one is—" Chu Feng raised his arm to point, but just then, his gaze suddenly flickered, and he froze in place.