Deep purple flames burned brilliantly inside the special crystal, radiating blinding light within his bag space.
"I really hit the jackpot this time." Shi Feng gazed at the Thunder Purple Fire, his heart overflowing with delight.
Setting aside all the other drops, a third-tier Strange Fire alone was a treasure you could only encounter by chance. Even the ones he knew about from his previous life were exceedingly rare, and every single one had been nearly impossible to obtain.
In his past life, countless major guilds had gone to war over Strange Fires. Third-tier ones could even drive the great superpowers into violent conflicts with one another — their value far surpassing that of Epic-grade items.
The reason was simple: the more powerful the Strange Fire, the greater its assistance to Blacksmithing and Alchemy classes. It was a permanent, immensely powerful auxiliary tool that allowed Blacksmiths and Alchemists to craft high-level items with far greater ease.
Shi Feng truly hadn't expected that taking less than half the items from the magic crystal chest would yield a third-tier Strange Fire. If he had managed to take everything inside, he couldn't imagine how massive the haul would have been.
Now he understood to some extent why the Soul of the Tyrant had been so desperate to hunt him down.
After all, a third-tier Strange Fire was simply too precious — not something Epic-grade items could compare to, let alone the fact that Strange Fires could not only refine materials but also enhance a player's strength. How could the system possibly have allowed him to obtain one so easily?
As far as he was personally concerned, the third-tier Strange Fire was also a lifesaving item.
"A third-tier Strange Fire! Now I'll have much more breathing room." Shi Feng looked at the Thunder Purple Fire and couldn't help but smile faintly.
Previously, he'd been cursed by that mysterious NPC, and only a Strange Fire could suppress it. But the second-tier Ice Blue Demonic Flame had ultimately been too weak — it could only hold out for a very limited time. He'd originally planned to attempt seizing a second or third-tier Strange Fire in the near future.
But all of that was now unnecessary.
All he had to do was absorb the third-tier Thunder Purple Fire and merge it with his Soul Fire. That way, he could gain better control over the Soul Fire and earn himself more time to track down that mysterious NPC and complete the quest Xia Lian had given him.
Without a second thought, Shi Feng clicked on the Thunder Purple Fire and chose to bind and absorb it.
The moment he confirmed, the special crystal shattered with a thunderous crack, and the deep purple flames plunged straight into his body. In mere moments, Shi Feng was engulfed in fire — deep purple flames blanketed him from head to toe, with faint cyan arcs of lightning crackling around them. Waves of sharp pain lanced through his entire body.
The system promptly displayed a fusion progress bar.
1%... 2%... 3%...
The fusion progressed agonizingly slowly. If an ordinary player had to endure this kind of pain, they would likely suffer a mental breakdown in moments, unable to last even a short while. But for Shi Feng, who had grown somewhat accustomed to such suffering, it remained just barely within his tolerance — though if he disabled the pain-sensing system, the Strange Fire fusion would fail immediately.
As time slipped by, the searing pain intensified further and further. Yet Shi Feng sensed something subtly different about this fusion compared to the previous ones. As the flames continued to burn, his body seemed to undergo a kind of refining — a sensation of growing lightness that intensified steadily, as though his perception were gradually sharpening.
This left Shi Feng secretly astonished.
A lighter body, enhanced perception — he had never heard of such things happening before.
If anyone in his past life had known that a third-tier Strange Fire carried this ability, the frenzy surrounding them would have been even more extreme. After all, for any expert, enhanced perception would unquestionably elevate their combat prowess — a tremendous advantage for pursuing higher levels of strength. Otherwise, bloodline abilities and Legendary item fragments wouldn't be so coveted among the powerhouses of the Divine Realm.