Chapter 572: Slash
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei absorbed the Celestial Azure Flower’s essence at a moderate pace, not feeling rushed at all. He continued his cultivation of the three techniques without haste.
Midway through, the room where Chen Fei was practicing trembled slightly, indicating someone waiting outside the door. Judging by the frequency, it should be Tong Linyun. However, Chen Fei didn’t respond, choosing instead to continue his meditation.
After three days had pa.s.sed, the energy of the Celestial Azure Flower finally completely penetrated his acupoints.
“Hum!”
Activating the Aperture-Cracking Technique, ripples emanated from Chen Fei’s body. Sensing the changes in his acupoints, a faint smile appeared on his face.
In contrast to before, when Chen Fei used the Aperture-Cracking Technique, he could feel his acupoints being suppressed. Now, relying on his mastery of the Great Completion stage of the technique, he reduced the pressure on his acupoints significantly.
Moreover, with the strengthening of his acupoints from consuming the Celestial Azure Flower, even if he relaxed his control somewhat, the pressure on his acupoints was less than half of what it used to be. When fully controlling the technique, his acupoints almost didn’t feel any pressure at all.
In other words, due to the enhancement of his acupoints after consuming the Celestial Azure Flower, the use of the Aperture-Cracking Technique had truly become a common method, no longer falling within the realm of forbidden techniques.
The power of forbidden techniques and the burden of secret methods.
Currently, Chen Fei’s physique couldn’t withstand it. Otherwise, if the side effects of the Aperture-Cracking Technique were gone, Chen Fei could completely master another forbidden technique, reaching the level of mastering six forbidden techniques.
However, the strength of his body was ultimately a limitation. If Chen Fei were to truly master six forbidden techniques while his acupoints remained unaffected, his body would likely give out first.
The effect of the Celestial Azure Flower exceeded expectations by a considerable margin, further brightening the smile on Chen Fei’s face.
Leaving the cultivation room, Chen Fei first sought out Tong Linyun, who then pulled him into her own practice chamber.
An hour later, after discussing matters of cultivation, they left the practice chamber together and found Qin Haishan in the inn.
“Our mission has been successfully completed, and now we can collect our rewards. Since Senior Xu and Brother Guo are currently absent, we will split the reward into five shares, allocating theirs to their respective factions. What do you think?” Chen Fei looked at the two of them.
Qin Haishan and Tong Linyun exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.
This urgent mission, due to the discovery of the Formless Realm Formation, promised a substantial reward. Chen Fei’s outstanding performance in the mission was undeniable, and with Senior Xu Wucheng and Brother Guo Huasheng currently missing, Chen Fei’s decision naturally carried the most weight.
After confirming the agreement of the other two, Chen Fei, along with Qin Haishan and Tong Linyun, proceeded to the Task Hall and found Sun Lixin to explain their intentions.
Half an hour later, the three of them left the Task Hall.
Chen Fei exchanged his share of the mission reward entirely for alchemical pills needed for cultivation and some medicinal herbs for healing.
Obtaining these supplies through the Task Hall’s reward system was more advantageous than purchasing them outside shops. As for the healing sacred medicines, Chen Fei wasn’t preparing them for himself but intended to distribute them to the members of the Primordial Sword Sect.
Shortly after, the trio, holding two jade plaques, separately went to the factions where Xu Wucheng and Guo Huasheng were affiliated, delivering the plaques.
With these jade plaques, they could directly obtain what they needed from the Task Hall.
The morale in both factions, whether Xu Wucheng’s or Guo Huasheng’s, was exceedingly low.
Guo Huasheng’s sect was merely a fourth-tier faction, with Guo Huasheng being the only one at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.
His disappearance had plunged the entire sect into anxiety, knowing well the implications such disappearances could entail.
The entire sect experienced a significant decline in strength, losing its main pillar. This was a situation prevalent in almost all fourth-tier factions. Once the Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert within the sect perished, the entire sect would plummet, uncertain of when it could rise again.
In contrast to Guo Huasheng’s situation, Xu Wucheng’s sect had more than one Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert, including two at the mid-stage. However, Xu Wucheng was still the strongest individual within the sect.
Losing Xu Wucheng was equally destabilizing for the sect, akin to a severe blow to its core.
After delivering the jade plaques, Chen Fei returned to the cultivation chamber to continue his practice, while his clone headed to the current location of the Primordial Sword Sect.
After recent days of practice with the Shadow Escape Technique, although the clone hadn’t yet reached the Perfect Stage, it could now exist independently for extended periods.
To facilitate this, Chen Fei had specifically purchased a top-quality spiritual sword for the clone to use.
While a lower-grade spiritual treasure could indeed be utilized by a clone, the fact remained that the clone had now attained the late-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm, while Chen Fei himself was perceived as being only at the early-stage by others.
Allowing a clone to wield a lower-grade spiritual treasure might come off as somewhat ostentatious.
After all, many Combined Aperture Tempering realm pract.i.tioners, especially those in the early stage, didn’t even possess a decent lower-grade spiritual treasure, just like the first Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert Chen Fei encountered outside the Haiyue Cave, Guan Hongxuan.
They had already reached a point where they were shameless enough to directly seize opportunities from Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, indicating the extent of their desperation.
Allowing the clone to wield a lower-grade spiritual treasure might attract unnecessary trouble for the Primordial Sword Sect, risking their protection.
Chen Fei’s clone arrived at the residence of the Primordial Sword Sect in the Sea Dominion City, boosting the morale of everyone within the sect.
Chen Fei had become the pillar of stability for the entire Primordial Sword Sect. Upon the arrival of Qu Qingsheng and others in Sea Dominion City, they heard numerous reports regarding Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts being devoured by sea monsters.
If anything were to happen to Chen Fei, the Primordial Sword Sect would also revert to its original state. As for their own safety, Qu Qingsheng and the others from the Thousand Feathers Alliance were basically tasked with guarding the perimeter of Sea Dominion City and dealing with sea monsters below the third tier.
If a third-tier sea monster were to appear, Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts would step in to intercept, making Qu Qingsheng and his group less vulnerable.
Of course, if they were to encounter a powerful sea monster, they might still be completely wiped out, with no one escaping.
Chen Fei took out the medicinal herbs from the Qiankun Bag and distributed them to those in need.
Before arriving in Sea Dominion City, the Primordial Sword Sect had already procured a considerable amount of medicinal herbs. However, after several days of battles, they had also depleted a significant portion of their supplies. Moreover, the medicinal herbs exchanged from the Task Hall were slightly superior in efficacy.
“I am currently in a clone state, and for the next period of time, I will be with you all,” Chen Fei announced after distributing the medicinal herbs to everyone.
Qu Qingsheng and the others looked somewhat enlightened. No wonder they had felt that Chen Fei’s current state seemed a bit strange earlier, but they couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
Now, reflecting on it, it was indeed the difference between a clone and the real person.
The people from Sunken Water Peak didn’t perceive the difference distinctly, but those who practiced the Soaring Heaven Technique had some intuition. Additionally, when Chen Fei had his clone instruct them in techniques before, they had become more familiar with the aura of the clone.
However, this time, the appearance of the clone seemed to have significant differences compared to before, but with their level of cultivation, they couldn’t articulate what exactly had changed.
For several consecutive days, Chen Fei’s clone remained within the Primordial Sword Sect, encountering no significant dangers.
“Everyone is here, I hope I haven’t disturbed you?”
On this day, while Chen Fei was instructing some members of the Primordial Sword Sect on certain technique doubts, a voice sounded from outside the door, followed by a person entering.
Clad in white, with eyes beneath narrow sword-like eyebrows as clear as jade, a nose that stood straight like a mountain, the only flaw being slightly thin lips.
Seeing the newcomer, many members of the Primordial Sword Sect furrowed their brows slightly, seemingly displeased with the arrival, but for certain reasons, they restrained themselves from showing it.
The newcomer noticed Chen Fei but, sensing his cultivation level, which was only at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, didn’t pay much attention.
“Rui Qing, this is the Shengxue Pill I obtained from my father. It not only preserves youthfulness but also provides certain benefits to cultivation,” the newcomer approached Ji Ruiqing with a smile as gentle as a spring breeze.
“This person is named Liu Shizhen, and his father is the Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert Liu w.a.n.ggu,” Qu Qingsheng transmitted the information to Chen Fei.
Chen Fei remained composed, recalling the information about Liu w.a.n.ggu in his mind.
At the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm for over a hundred years, if he didn’t encounter any other opportunities in his lifetime, it would be difficult for him to break through to the late-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.
Chen Fei remembered Liu w.a.n.ggu because his sect was somewhat unique.
The Eternal Spring Sect, that’s the name of their faction. Over the past few centuries, this sect had consistently maintained a situation where there were usually two Combined Aperture Tempering realm initiates present, sometimes even four at the initial stage.
In theory, with so many Combined Aperture Tempering realm initiates, there should be a possibility of someone advancing to the mid-stage. However, despite all these years, the strongest members of the Eternal Spring Sect remained at the initial stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, unable to break through to the mid-stage.
The reason was actually quite simple: the inheritance techniques of the Eternal Spring Sect had flaws.
The reason why so many individuals from the Eternal Spring Sect could break through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm stemmed from their techniques. However, the inability to advance to the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm also lay within these techniques.
The Eternal Spring Wanderer’s Technique, ostensibly a dual cultivation technique, was actually a method of extracting Yin to replenish Yang. The benefits were not evenly distributed but directly seized by one of the pract.i.tioners.
Sometimes, this seizing could even directly deplete the cultivation of the other pract.i.tioner, or even endanger their life.
Liu w.a.n.ggu was the first person in the Eternal Spring Sect for centuries to break through the limitations of their techniques and advance to the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. From this, one could discern Liu w.a.n.ggu’s exceptional talent.
“Thank you, young master, for your kindness. I appreciate the gesture, but I must decline the pill,” Ji Ruiqing politely refused Liu Shizhen.
Not only did Liu Shizhen possess exceptional looks, surpa.s.sing many others, but his current cultivation had also reached the pinnacle of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, with the potential to reach the mid-stage. Moreover, he hailed from a family where his father was at the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.
In terms of choosing a partner, he was undoubtedly an excellent choice.
However, upon understanding the detailed situation of the Eternal Spring Sect, Ji Ruiqing dared not agree. It was simply like throwing oneself into a fire pit.
“It’s just a Shengxue Pill. Being so polite between us makes things feel awkward,” Liu Shizhen said sincerely, trying to hand the pill to Ji Ruiqing.
Rarely encountering a female cultivator with both good looks and cultivation, and judging from Liu Shizhen’s experience, Ji Ruiqing was probably still a virgin.
When Liu Shizhen saw her a few days ago, he had already decided to take her under his wing.
However, Ji Ruiqing had been avoiding him recently, so Liu Shizhen decided to come directly to the residence of the Primordial Sword Sect.
Seeing Ji Ruiqing retreat, his brows furrowed slightly.
The Eternal Spring Sect was powerful, boasting three Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, one of whom was even at the mid-stage. Ji Ruiqing didn’t want to cause trouble for her sect.
As Ji Ruiqing stepped back, a hidden smirk appeared in Liu Shizhen’s eyes. He reached directly for Ji Ruiqing’s arm.
At the pinnacle of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, Liu Shizhen intended to seize Ji Ruiqing. With Ji Ruiqing’s cultivation only at the late stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, there was no way for her to escape.
“Stop!” Qu Qingsheng lowly shouted, and the others from the Primordial Sword Sect also exerted their pressure on Liu Shizhen.
Chen Fei furrowed his brows slightly, and a sword light flew out from his sea of consciousness, slashing into Liu Shizhen’s mind.
“Ah!”
Liu Shizhen suddenly screamed in agony, clutching his head, and was sent flying backward..