Chapter 484: Making a Fool of Oneself
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Capturing the flag will introduce more variables,” said Qin Haishan, the Peak Master of the Break Soul Sect, in a low voice.
As soon as the method of compet.i.tion was introduced, Qin Haishan gathered Chen Fei and others.
The Five-Faction Alliance, vaguely led by Qin Haishan. After all, the Break Soul Sect has been in this sea area for the longest time, and Qin Haishan’s own strength has reached the Second Stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.
Both in terms of the overall strength of the sects and Qin Haishan’s personal strength, they surpa.s.s the other four sects.
According to the originally established distribution rules, if they can obtain this lower third-grade secret realm, the area occupied by the Break Soul Sect within the secret realm will also be slightly larger.
In this secret realm distribution, the Primordial Sword Sect’s area is the smallest compared to the other four sects, which was even smaller originally.
Because initially, it was Tong Zhongqiu and Yu Shoucheng who wanted to bring Chen Fei into this alliance and allocated a portion of their own area in the third-tier secret realm to the Primordial Sword Sect as a condition.
Later, considering Chen Fei’s potential, the Break Soul Sect and the Xuan Fire Sect discussed it and expanded the area that the Primordial Sword Sect could allocate.
However, with this area, it was already the limit for the Break Soul Sect and the Xuan Fire Sect, giving more would harm their own sects’ interests.
“Chen Fei has great potential, but potential is one thing, and the strength one possesses now is another. This lower third-grade secret realm, if we capture it, can be used for a hundred years.
The interests involved in this are enormous. While saying it’s a matter of life and death may be an exaggeration, every bit of territory within the secret realm can indeed generate real profits.
“When the time comes, we’ll play it safe, and we still have a good chance of winning,” Yu Shoucheng said with a smile.
They didn’t refuse the opponent’s proposal for a flag capture battle. After all, no matter what kind of contest it was, it ultimately depended on strength.
However, compared to a direct arena battle, there might be some strategies involved.
“Flag capture battle, it should take place in the Haiyue Cave, right?” Zhao Tianxuan said loudly.
“Only the Haiyue Cave can support a contest like ours. The trial in the Haiyue Cave just ended recently, so it should be available now,” Qin Haishan nodded.
Chen Fei’s expression changed slightly. It unexpectedly brought up the Haiyue Cave again. The Master Haiyue was indeed quite casual about his treasure.
But thinking about it, without treasures like the Haiyue Cave, executing the so-called flag capture would be difficult, and it might end up as a straightforward arena battle.
Arena battles only require a sufficiently large s.p.a.ce, combined with defensive formations. In fact, if it’s in a deserted area, you can even skip the defensive formations, which is very convenient.
However, flag capture requires defining an area with equal proportions for both sides, preferably with slightly complex terrain.
All of these conditions can be met in the wilderness, but it’s challenging to keep it secret. Once the secret is out, the strategic aspect of flag capture loses its meaning, making it no different from an arena battle.
Only treasures like the Haiyue Cave, which can change the terrain at will, can meet these requirements.
“Speaking of the last trial in the Haiyue Cave, I heard there were some interesting things happening. Now, no one knows who came in first!” Zhao Tianxuan suddenly said.
“Fengwu Pavilion’s Zhuo Tianying and Tianya Sect’s Teng Daoxuan have both broken through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm stage. Whether they fought for first place or not doesn’t matter much to them,” Qin Haishan shook his head.
Being the first in the Haiyue Cave trial would boost one’s reputation even more, but for these prodigies from major forces, the rewards from the Haiyue Cave were not a big deal.
Of course, what frustrated many partic.i.p.ants in the Haiyue Cave trial last time was that they never found out who defeated them from start to finish.
It was like being hit hard while being in a daze, and they still didn’t know who had struck them.
The entire progress of the trial was under the control of the person in first place, and they could only exhaust themselves chasing from behind, which felt extremely uncomfortable.
Now, the news of tracking down the first place might not be without the intention to redeem their previous defeat, especially for prodigies like Zhuo Tianying and Teng Daoxuan.
Chen Fei remained silent. It was not surprising that Zhuo Tianying and Teng Daoxuan had broken through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm stage, given their positions on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking. The only thing worth noting was that Chen Fei had never met these two people in the Haiyue Cave, so he hadn’t witnessed the brilliance of these prodigies.
“Did you go to the last trial?” Zhao Tianxuan suddenly turned to Chen Fei and asked.
Qin Haishan and the others also looked at Chen Fei with curiosity upon hearing Zhao Tianxuan’s question. Chen Fei, at his age and with his cultivation at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm stage, was no less impressive than Zhuo Tianying and Teng Daoxuan.
They didn’t necessarily think that Chen Fei was the first place in the last trial because the rumors about the person in first place in the trial were that they had dominated the entire process, leaving no room for a comeback for anyone.
Chen Fei’s talent was unquestionable, but it wasn’t to the exaggerated extent that the rumors suggested.
“I didn’t obtain the Haiyue Token, so I couldn’t go,” Chen Fei replied with a smile, having already reaped the benefits and seeing no need to boast in front of the others.
“That’s a shame. For those at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm stage, the trials in the Haiyue Cave are quite good,” Zhao Tianxuan nodded, not doubting Chen Fei’s words.
Tong Zhongqiu glanced at Chen Fei, feeling that Chen Fei should have partic.i.p.ated in the Haiyue Cave, given the timing of his breakthrough to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm stage, which coincided with the end of the Haiyue Cave trial.
However, Chen Fei denied it, and Tong Zhongqiu saw no need to pursue the so-called truth. The matter of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm stage was not of great significance.
After a brief chat, the conversation came to an end.
This meeting was merely a simple exchange of opinions, and the specific plans would be arranged based on the on-site situation during the flag capture battle one month later.
Talking too much would not serve much purpose.
As Chen Fei had just flown a short distance away, he felt Zhao Tianxuan’s presence following him. He turned his head to look and stopped in mid-air.
Seeing Chen Fei stop, Zhao Tianxuan smiled and instantly appeared in front of him.
“No other business, just wanted to ask how your Profound Slaying Sword cultivation is going?” Zhao Tianxuan wore an expression of genuine concern.
“It’s going well,” Chen Fei replied, looking at Zhao Tianxuan, “Did you sell the manual and give after-sales service too?”
“If you have any questions or doubts about it, feel free to ask me. I’ve been practicing the Profound Slaying Sword for many years, and I have some insights and experiences with it,” Zhao Tianxuan said.
As he spoke, Zhao Tianxuan pointed his right hand like a sword to his own forehead. In the next moment, a sharp sword light silently pa.s.sed through the void.
To make sure Chen Fei could see clearly, Zhao Tianxuan deliberately slowed down the process of manifesting the Profound Slaying Sword. The transformation of the thirty-six formations into a sword was clearly visible.
This method of manifestation had no practical benefit for other pract.i.tioners trying to comprehend it, but it could help them understand the pract.i.tioner’s proficiency in their technique.
With Chen Fei’s keen eyes, he could tell that Zhao Tianxuan’s execution of the thirty-six formations was highly skilled. However, there were some minor imperfections in the process of forging the sword.
These minor flaws didn’t affect the manifestation of the thirty-six formations, but they would certainly hinder the ability to forge seventy-two formations into a sword.
With just one glance, Chen Fei saw through Zhao Tianxuan’s current progress in practicing the Profound Slaying Sword. Only someone like Chen Fei, who had perfected the Profound Slaying Sword to Great Completion, could discern this.
Zhao Tianxuan had no idea that Chen Fei had already mastered the Profound Slaying Sword to such a level, so he displayed it without hesitation.
“How is it? If you have any doubts in your practice, don’t hesitate to ask!” Zhao Tianxuan exclaimed with a big smile.
Forging the thirty-six formations into a sword was not a significant feat, but the difficulty of practicing the Profound Slaying Sword was immense, ensuring that there would be no quick progress.
Zhao Tianxuan’s visit to Chen Fei was not out of the goodness of his heart or a sudden urge to offer after-sales service. It was purely because he felt uneasy after the last exchange of techniques and the additional fifty high-grade spirit stones he had paid. Although he felt somewhat uncomfortable about it, going back on the agreement would be petty.
So, Zhao Tianxuan decided to seek guidance from Chen Fei and charge him a teaching fee under the guise of offering advice.
Zhao Tianxuan was well aware of how challenging it was to cultivate the Profound Slaying Sword. Among those he had introduced to it, very few had surpa.s.sed his level.
The power of the Profound Slaying Sword was remarkable, making it hard to let go.
“Zhao, there’s no need to be so polite. I’ve been doing well with my Profound Slaying Sword practice,” Chen Fei replied with a smile.
“We’re allies, no need to be so formal. In the path of cultivation, it’s essential to exchange knowledge to make progress,” Zhao Tianxuan waved his hand and spoke in a friendly manner.
“You’re right,” Chen Fei nodded.
“How about you demonstrate the Profound Slaying Sword for me? I’ll take a look first, and if there are any issues, I’ll point them out directly. As long as you don’t mind my straightforward feedback,” Zhao Tianxuan encouraged with enthusiasm.
“I guess I’ll give it a try then,” Chen Fei said with a smile, waving his hand.
“This is mutual verification of martial arts and techniques; there’s no such thing as ‘giving it a try,”‘ Zhao Tianxuan laughed loudly.
“You’re too kind, Zhao.”
“It’s only natural to help each other.”
The less willing Chen Fei was to demonstrate, the more enthusiastic Zhao Tianxuan became. Subconsciously, Zhao Tianxuan felt that Chen Fei might have hit a bottleneck in his practice of the Profound Slaying Sword.
Several months had pa.s.sed, and perhaps Chen Fei had only scratched the surface of the Profound Slaying Sword, which deviated somewhat from his previously displayed talent.
If that were the case, Zhao Tianxuan might shift his attention slightly when it came to Chen Fei in the future. After all, Chen Fei’s most commendable trait was his talent.
“Well, then I’ll give it a little demonstration?”
Whether it was Zhao Tianxuan’s loud voice or not, Chen Fei had already sensed several pairs of eyes looking in their direction, indicating that Yu Shoucheng and the other two hadn’t gone too far yet.
“Please!” Zhao Tianxuan’s smile grew even broader.
With a slight smile, Chen Fei casually brushed his right index finger over his forehead. In the next moment, a sword light streaked across the void.
Standing to the side, Zhao Tianxuan felt a slight chill run down his body, and his spiritual consciousness in his sea of knowledge trembled slightly. Sensing the sword light unleashed by Chen Fei, Zhao Tianxuan’s smile had already frozen.
Seventy-two formations, far exceeding the Profound Slaying Sword Zhao Tianxuan had just demonstrated.
In less than a year, seventy-two formations!