Chapter 186: Elemental Spiritual Pool
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
An hour later, everyone returned to the Primordial Sword Sect, and all members disbanded on the spot.
Feng Xiupu brought Guo Linshan back to the courtyard. The disciples that Feng Xiupu had been instructing had already gathered here.
When they learned that both Guo Linshan and Chen Fei had passed the true inheritance trial, everyone was extremely surprised.
Guo Linshan’s success could be somewhat expected, after all, he had always been the senior brother of their group, and his strength was evident to all.
With a bit of luck, passing this true inheritance trial was still a possibility.
But the fact that Chen Fei, who had been practicing with training partners, also passed the trial was quite bewildering. In the history of the Primordial Sword Sect, such occurrences were very rare.
Chen Fei was not yet considered an official disciple of the true inheritance because there was still a test of character within the sect. However, if he could pass the trial within the mystic realm, there was no reason for him to stumble at this stage.
“You’re amazing, Junior Brother Chen!”
Luo Jun exclaimed with envy. This was the inheritance of a true inheritance disciple, and it could be said that by crossing this step, Chen Fei’s status was already completely different from that of an inner disciple.
Not only his status, but also his future development, would be entirely different.
For inner disciples like Luo Jun, their goal had always been to inherit the true inheritance. However, achieving this was a rare feat.
Just like Chen Fei’s acquaintances from the Strange Wind Realm, such as Ge Hongjie and others, they did not possess the identity of true inheritance disciples. Therefore, they had to cultivate to the peak of the Visceral Tempering realm on their own and find a method to unify their acupoints before attempting a breakthrough.
A successful breakthrough would naturally change everything, and they would even be granted the techniques of the Aperture Tempering realm. But many stumbled at this step.
Without the sect’s bestowed Aperture Breaking Pills and considering their age, it was truly difficult to break through relying solely on their own strength. It’s not that there was no hope, but the probability became very low unless they possessed extraordinary talent.
After half an hour, the crowd dispersed.
Feng Xiupu gave a few more instructions to Chen Fei and Guo Linshan before letting them leave. Most of what needed to be said had already been discussed during their time in the valley.
Returning to the sect at this time was to allow Chen Fei and Guo Linshan to rest and relax after the tension within the mystic realm.
Chen Fei returned to his dwelling and used a carrier pigeon to inform Chi
Defeng, asking him to bring the medicinal ingredients tomorrow.
Chen Fei didn’t need much adjustment. Although there were dangers within the mystic realm, in the last few days, he had been under the protection of Bacca, refining the Dreamlike Lotus.
After returning to the sect, Chen Fei’s first task was to dive back into making money.
He planned to participate in the character test for the true inheritance disciples in a few days. Passing it would allow him to directly receive the inheritance of the true inheritance disciple’s techniques.
At that point, expenses would inevitably increase once again. Primarily because, after all this time, Chen Fei still owed Feng Xiupu fifty thousand taels of silver, which made him feel somewhat ashamed.
The expenses piled up, indeed, were quite substantial.
For five consecutive days, Chen Fei immersed himself in alchemy. In this round of alchemical endeavors, he discovered the benefits of his heightened mental strength: alchemy became much easier.
The changes in the properties of the medicinal ingredients within the cauldron, though Chen Fei was already quite adept at understanding them, previously required his constant attention to adjust with his internal energy in a timely manner. Otherwise, given Chen Fei’s fiery alchemical method, a slight delay might result in an exploding cauldron.
However, now with the transformation of his mental strength, he only needed to pay a bit of attention to easily control the changes in the properties of the medicinal ingredients within the cauldron.
This made Chen Fei considerably more relaxed. Even though he intentionally extended the duration of his alchemical process, his level of fatigue was much lighter than before.
“Knock, knock!”
Chen Fei was in the midst of concocting pills when a knocking sound reached him.
“Who is it?
Chen Fei used his internal energy to open the door and looked outside. A unfamiliar disciple of the Primordial Sword Sect stood there—someone Chen Fei had never seen before.
Qian Guangji was about to speak, but upon seeing Chen Fei busy with alchemy, he paused.
It was well-known that alchemists disliked interruptions during their work as it could easily lead to distraction and cause the pills to explode. Chen Fei’s alchemical abilities were no secret, especially considering his status as a seventh-grade alchemist in the Alchemist Alliance.
Before coming, Qian Guangji was already aware of this.
“It’s alright. You can speak your mind,” Chen Fei said to Qian Guangji.
While before entering the mystic realm, disturbing Chen Fei’s alchemical process might not have been appropriate, now this kind of conversation-alchemy mix posed no pressure on him. Only when crafting pill veins would he need to be more serious.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, Junior Brother Chen, during your alchemy.”
Qian Guangji was somewhat surprised by Chen Fei’s ability to converse so naturally while alchemizing. Although he wasn’t an alchemist himself, Chen Fei’s behavior seemed somewhat unusual, especially since the flames of alchemy were enveloping the cauldron.
“Since Junior Brother Chen is busy, I’ll be brief. Does Junior Brother Chen have any intention to sell Aperture Breaking Pills?” Qian Guangji whispered, his gaze closely fixed on Chen Fei, observing any changes in his expression.
“I have no intention. I will use the Aperture Breaking Pill myself.”
Upon hearing the mention of Aperture Breaking Pills, Chen Fei’s eyebrows raised slightly. He then smiled knowingly; it seemed someone had set their sights on his Aperture Breaking Pills. But this was only natural. After all, he was at the Visceral Tempering realm and had a significant chance of obtaining Aperture Breaking Pills.
Among the disciples who had passed the true inheritance trial, it seemed that Chen Fei’s Aperture Breaking Pills were the most likely to be obtained.
Of course, Chen Fei had yet to pass the sect’s character test, so the Aperture Breaking Pills were not yet truly his. However, almost no one doubted that Chen Fei would fail the character test.
In this situation, it was only natural for someone to approach Chen Fei and see if there was any hope.
“Junior Brother Chen, don’t be too hasty to refuse. You might want to hear our conditions first,” Qian Guangji said with a smile after being declined. “I’ve heard that Junior Brother Chen is gathering materials to refine the Half-Spirit Sword. There might still be some components missing, and we could provide those for you. Aside from that, we can accelerate your breakthrough to the Visceral Tempering realm, provide alchemical pills for that, and even grant you access to the Wu family’s Elemental Spirit Pool for a day.”
A grand offer indeed!
Chen Fei looked at Qian Guangji unexpectedly and lightly tapped the lid of the cauldron. In an instant, the fragrance of medicinal herbs permeated the entire room.
Being aware of Chen Fei’s intention to refine the Half-Spirit Sword wasn’t surprising. After all, back at the valley, the attending disciples had seen the spirit materials he had, many of which were meant for crafting the Half-Spirit Sword.
The spirit materials he had displayed then were still missing a substantial portion needed to refine the Half-Spirit Sword. To replenish these would require significant resources—certainly not less than purchasing a Half-Spirit weapon.
However, they didn’t know that Chen Fei had already acquired the branch of the Zhuhong fruit tree. As long as he had the funds, acquiring the other materials wouldn’t be difficult. Therefore, this aspect had no appeal for Chen Fei.
As for accelerating his breakthrough to the Visceral Tempering realm, Chen Fei was already on the verge of achieving that in less than twenty days. Such alchemical pills, if needed, he could make himself.
On the other hand, the final offer—access to the Wu family’s Elemental Spirit Pool—was the most valuable.
The Wu family was a prominent family within the Primordial Sword Sect, somewhat similar to the Zeng family, but more powerful. At the very least, the Wu family had more than one practitioner in the Visceral Tempering realm, all of them in their prime.
And the Elemental Spirit Pool of the Wu family was rumored to contain an essence-transforming liquid. A day of cultivation within it was said to be equivalent to several months of regular practice, with minimal side effects. There was no need to worry about the body’s inability to withstand it.
Regarding essence-transforming liquid, Chen Fei was skeptical. He had absorbed essence multiple times, so he understood the process quite well.
If the Wu family’s Elemental Spirit Pool truly contained essence-transforming liquid, then a day of cultivation wouldn’t be equivalent to several months but rather several years of regular practice. The Primordial Sword Sect wouldn’t entrust such a valuable treasure to the Wu family, even if their ancestors had retrieved it.
However, even if it wasn’t actual essence-transforming liquid, the cultivation effect within the pool was undoubtedly extremely potent.
Given Chen Fei’s current cultivation speed, if he truly spent a day there, breaking through to the Visceral Tempering realm was a sure thing. He might even make a few additional advancements within the Visceral Tempering realm, solidifying the early stage and approaching the mid-stage.
This offer could indeed save Chen Fei a lot of time, far surpassing the benefits that others might gain from the Wu family’s Elemental Spirit Pool. However, whether the Wu family would become furious if they found out that he absorbed so much essence remained uncertain.
“Wu family’s Elemental Spirit Pool for two days, but if I absorb too much inside and the Wu family becomes displeased, it will be your responsibility to handle,” Chen Fei pondered for a moment.
The Aperture Breaking Pill essentially consumed physical essence and transformed it into mental energy, causing a surge in mental strength to successfully measure the acupoints and break through them. For many Visceral Tempering realm cultivators, this was a precious treasure they could only dream of obtaining.
However, for Chen Fei, its impact might not be as substantial as one might think. His mental strength was already robust enough; he didn’t need the Aperture Breaking Pill to further enhance it.
On the other hand, if he could spend two days in the Wu family’s Elemental Spirit Pool, Chen Fei could directly break through to the mid-stage of the Visceral Tempering realm, saving him a considerable amount of time. With a few more months of effort, he could elevate his cultivation to the peak of the Visceral Tempering realm and attempt a breakthrough to the Aperture Tempering realm.
“The Wu family’s Elemental Spirit Pool has never been open to outsiders for two days,” Qian Guangji said with a slight frown. “Even if Junior Brother Chen were to bring Aperture Breaking Pills to the Wu family, they would still only grant a day’s access to the Elemental Spirit Pool. They won’t offer more.”
“Senior Brother’s goodwill is appreciated, but I have made up my mind,” Chen Fei considered for a moment and politely declined.
“The items I just mentioned were already quite substantial. They are more than what’s needed for Junior Brother, and Junior Brother need not demand more.” Qian Guangji’s brows furrowed slightly. He felt that Chen Fei was pushing his luck.
Chen Fei smiled lightly, stood up, and politely bid farewell to Qian Guangji, effectively ending the discussion.
“Junior Brother Chen, if you reconsider, feel free to reach out to me. The Aperture Breaking Pills are a bit of a hot potato for someone of Junior Brother’s current cultivation level.”
Qian Guangji’s smile faded, and he turned and left, his expression turning cold.
Chen Fei’s brows slightly furrowed. Would it be possible to coerce him into accepting if he didn’t agree?
However, he quickly shook his head. This possibility was highly unlikely. Leaving aside Feng Xiupu’s strength at the Visceral Tempering realm, even if they looked at it from the perspective of the sect’s rules, once Chen Fei became a true inheritance disciple, the sect wouldn’t allow anyone to use force against him.
The status of inner disciples and true inheritance disciples within the sect was entirely different in the eyes of the sect.
“Could there be other rules that I’m not aware of?” Chen Fei thought for a moment. He walked out of the room, deciding to learn more about the situation, just in case.
At the same time, he could use this opportunity to undergo the character test for the true inheritance disciples.
Chen Fei was quite curious about this character test. Of course, he was even more curious about the inheritance of the true inheritance disciples within the sect—what it was like and what it entailed..