Chapter 202: Roaring Interrogation
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Shall I directly deliver the challenge in person?” Chen Fei asked in a low voice.
“Yes, if the other party is willing to accept, then you both can come to the Hall of True Transmission to finalize this matter.”
The disciple in charge nodded, looking at Chen Fei with curiosity and couldn’t help but ask, “Which true transmission disciple do you intend to challenge?”
Chen Fei thought for a moment, smiling as he replied, “Zeng Zaiwen!”
The disciple in charge widened their eyes slightly, incredulously staring at Chen Fei. Zeng Zaiwen was ranked tenth among the true transmission disciples.
While they had just mentioned that challenging the tenth-ranked true transmission was possible, the disciple in charge hadn’t anticipated that Chen Fei would actually want to challenge him. The jump from being ranked ninety-eighth to the tenth position spanned dozens of places.
It wasn’t just about rank; the difference in power was also considerable. The true transmission disciples of the Primordial Sword Sect were numerous, with many having held their positions for many years. This was especially true for the top ten true transmission disciples, each of whom had practiced their true transmission techniques for a significant period.
Both their cultivation level and combat strength far surpassed that of other true transmission disciples.
For a newly appointed true transmission disciple like Chen Fei, his strength was honestly at a relatively weak stage. After all, even with the true transmission techniques, it had only been a few months, and slower learners might not have even grasped the basics yet.
Of course, Chen Fei’s strength was indeed much higher than that of the average Visceral Tempering realm cultivator. This was evident from when he singlehandedly defeated nine inner disciples during the last confrontation.
Based on that display of strength, Chen Fei’s combat prowess could at least be ranked around sixty or seventy among the true transmission disciples.
Although it might seem like just the sixty or seventieth position, among the newly appointed true transmission disciples, this was an impressive achievement. This assessment was given considering Chen Fei’s impeccable performance during the confrontation.
After all, even though he had faced nine opponents, they were all in the early stages of the Visceral Tempering realm, practicing ordinary sect techniques.
True transmission disciples, especially those who had practiced their true transmission techniques for years, possessed combat strength far beyond that of other inner disciples. Moreover, the concept of restricting challenges to those with equal cultivation had faded in Chen Fei’s case.
Starting from the sixtieth or seventieth ranked true transmission disciple, everyone’s cultivation was at the peak of the Visceral Tempering realm. At worst, they were at the late stage of the Visceral Tempering realm. Most were preparing for the advancement to the Aperture Tempering realm in the future.
The distinguishing factor among these true transmission disciples was primarily the depth of understanding of their chosen true transmission techniques. Of course, the strength of the half-spiritual tools they wielded also played a role.
The disciple in charge gazed at Chen Fei, realizing he wasn’t joking, and involuntarily dropped his jaw, unsure of what to say.
One could say that Chen Fei was being arrogant and overly confident, but his displayed combat strength was indeed exceptional. Still, making such a leap in challenges seemed quite extreme.
“Actually, you don’t necessarily have to challenge someone that high up; Senior Brother Zeng has quite a temper.”
The disciple in charge couldn’t help but offer a reminder in the end. Zeng Zaiwen’s temper, to put it nicely, was quite fiery. To put it less kindly, he could be quite arrogant.
Zeng Zaiwen had held the tenth rank for quite a while, struggling to climb higher. This resulted in an awkward situation where he was frequently challenged by others.
Because only by defeating Zeng Zaiwen could other true transmission disciples continue to challenge higher-ranked disciples. Thus, Zeng Zaiwen’s position had become somewhat awkward—he had become the guardian of the top ten true transmission disciples.
Since he couldn’t advance further in rank himself, he faced challenges from a group of people from time to time. As a result, Zeng Zaiwen always responded to challenges with determination and forcefulness.
His intention was to explicitly convey to the other true transmission disciples not to choose him as their opponent. If they chose him as their opponent and won, that was naturally beyond question. But if they couldn’t win, Zeng Zaiwen would definitely show no mercy.
Every time a true transmission disciple challenged Zeng Zaiwen, it always ended with serious injuries.
And this method had proven quite effective. With no absolute certainty of victory, some true transmission disciples were already hesitating to challenge Zeng Zaiwen.
“1 will seriously consider it,” Chen Fei nodded.
“There’s one more thing. Two months from now, there will be a competition among disciples of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, and our sect has been invited to observe. The top thirty true transmission disciples can attend. If you’re interested in going to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, you could challenge the thirtieth-ranked true transmission disciple.”
The disciple in charge had a good sense of Chen Fei’s mindset and advised him once again.
“Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother.”
Chen Fei hadn’t heard this news before. The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had been a renowned presence when he first heard about it in Pingyin County.
He had never had the opportunity to join them, but he hadn’t anticipated being able to visit the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect using this method.
Observing the event? It was likely that the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect intended to showcase its strength, allowing the other four sects to see just how exceptional their disciples were.
“Take your time to consider,” the disciple in charge said, seeing Chen Fei’s expression and realizing he might have spoken in vain. He shook his head with a wry smile.
Chen Fei clasped his hands and left the Hall of True Transmission, returning to the courtyard on the True Transmission Peak. He brought out some information about Zeng Zaiwen from his collection.
Chen Fei had tasked someone with gathering information about various true transmission disciples not too long ago. After all, he only needed to collect basic information and didn’t want to trouble anyone too much. Consequently, he had a basic understanding of most of the true transmission disciples.
Because of this knowledge, Chen Fei felt confident enough to challenge Zeng Zaiwen in the Hall of True Transmission.
Chen Fei perused the papers in his hand and, after a moment, set them down, lightly tapping the table with his right hand.
Zeng Zaiwen, peak cultivation in the Visceral Tempering realm, had been a true transmission disciple for almost ten years. Over the past year or two, he should be on the verge of breaking through to the Aperture Tempering realm.
The success rate of breaking through to the Aperture Tempering realm among the top ten true transmission disciples was relatively high. Many of them used the resources provided by the sect to solidify their foundations, ensuring an infallible advancement.
Zeng Zaiwen had chosen the true transmission technique Soaring Heaven Technique. Due to nearly ten years of practice, his body movement technique was exceptional compared to the other true transmission disciples.
However, due to focusing on the Soaring Heaven Technique, his offensive strength might be slightly weaker. This was precisely why Zeng Zaiwen had been struggling to improve his true transmission rank in recent years.
“The Soaring Heaven Technique Visceral Refining level is much stronger than Spatial Travel, but 1 wonder to what extent he has mastered it.”
Chen Fei contemplated. Spatial Travel had evolved from the Soaring Heaven Technique, yet it was undoubtedly inferior to the Soaring Heaven Technique in the Visceral Refining level However, an individual’s combat strength depended on the significance of their chosen technique and the depth of their understanding.
Chen Fei had already mastered the Soaring Heaven Technique in the Visceral Refining level to the level of consummation, reaching the pinnacle of his progress. Even if Zeng Zaiwen’s body movement technique was superior, it wouldn’t surpass Chen Fei’s by a significant margin.
However, Chen Fei couldn’t rely solely on his body movement technique to evade attacks like he used to. It had become more difficult to do so.
“I wonder if the Zhongyuan Sword can restrain others. 1 don’t know if it’s effective against the Soaring Heaven Technique.”
Chen Fei pondered, but it was hard to judge this without an actual battle. Only by experiencing it firsthand would he truly know the results.
A day later, Chen Fei walked up to the True Transmission Peak. He had been residing here for a considerable time. Besides a few occasions when he went to see Guo Linshan or visited other places, he mostly stayed within his own courtyard.
As he ascended, Chen Fei distinctly felt a change in the surrounding elemental energy. Its speed, as Chen Fei could perceive it, was increasing.
When Chen Fei reached the entrance of Zeng Zaiwen’s courtyard, the density of elemental energy around him had already surpassed half that of his own courtyard.
The disparity was this noticeable. While the allocation of other resources might be skewed, the difference in elemental energy over months and years resulted in significant gains. It’s no wonder other true transmission disciples coveted such a position.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Chen Fei approached and knocked on the courtyard door. After a moment, a young woman opened the door, examining Chen Fei from top to bottom. Upon seeing that he was dressed in the attire of a true transmission disciple, her expression slightly softened.
“My name is Chen Fei. I wonder if Senior Brother Zeng is available?” Chen Fei bowed respectfully.
“Senior Brother Zeng is in cultivation. Did you make an appointment in advance?” the maid asked with a formal smile.
“1 haven’t made an appointment. I hope you can inform him.”
Chen Fei could already hear voices coming from within the courtyard. Even if Zeng Zaiwen wasn’t truly cultivating, he should be discussing matters with others. If he didn’t want to meet outsiders, it was plausible for him to say he was in cultivation.
“May 1 know the reason for your visit, Senior Brother Chen? I’ll go in and report to him.” The maid nodded.
Chen Fei thought for a moment and handed over the challenge letter. The maid’s expression froze slightly upon seeing the challenge letter. She looked at Chen Fei with a puzzled expression.
The rankings for the true transmission hadn’t even begun, and yet he was delivering a challenge letter. This meant he intended to challenge Zeng Zaiwen in advance. The maid had been at the True Transmission Peak for a while and had a general impression of the appearances of various true transmission disciples.
However, Chen Fei seemed quite unfamiliar to her. It was possible that he was one of the newly appointed true transmission disciples, which would explain her lack of recognition.
At first, the maid thought Chen Fei might be here to establish rapport with Zeng Zaiwen. After all, being ranked tenth among the true transmission disciples and having a high likelihood of becoming a Aperture Tempering realm cultivator in the future, forming connections early on wasn’t a bad idea.
But she never expected that Chen Fei would come to challenge him; it was simply unbelievable.
“Please wait a moment!”
The maid received the challenge letter and hurriedly went inside. After a moment, loud laughter emanated from the courtyard, filled with a mocking tone.
“True Transmission Disciple Chen, Senior Brother Zeng requests your presence.” The maid returned, casting a strange glance at Chen Fei before leading him in.
Walking through the corridor, Chen Fei saw Zeng Zaiwen and two other true transmission disciples in the courtyard. One was Mo Yuanfei, ranked fifty-seventh, and the other was Qi Ziyi, ranked seventy-third.
Qi Ziyi was one of the few female true transmission disciples. At this moment, she looked at Chen Fei with curiosity.
“Senior Brother Zeng, Senior Brother Mo, Senior Sister Qi!” Chen Fei greeted the three of them with a bow.
“Delivering a challenge letter, Junior Brother Chen? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
Mo Yuanfei looked at Chen Fei and lightly tapped the challenge letter on the stone table. He spoke mockingly. A newly promoted end-level true transmission disciple, who had been practicing true transmission techniques for just a few months, actually intended to challenge the tenth-ranked true transmission disciple—truly laughable.
“I know you, you defeated nine inner disciples not long ago; your strength is impressive!”
Zeng Zaiwen looked down on Chen Fei, leaning slightly forward, and sneered, “However, do you really think that because of that, you can challenge me? Who gave you the confidence and audacity to be so arrogant and insolent?”
As Zeng Zaiwen spoke, his tone had gradually escalated to nearly a roar, and his booming voice reverberated throughout the courtyard.
Moyuan Fei burst into laughter from the side, while Qi Ziyi remained silent, merely shaking her head. It was the first time she had encountered something so exaggerated in all these years, and it was just too over the top.
“Bang!”
The sword sheath on Chen Fei’s back was suddenly held in his hand and slammed onto the ground. The loud sound interrupted Moyuan Fei’s laughter and shattered Zeng Zaiwen’s imposing demeanor.
“This is the Qianyuan Sword about to become a half-spiritual tool. It’s the wager for this challenge. If you win, you can take the Qianyuan Sword and mold it into whatever form you desire!”
Chen Fei drew the Qianyuan Sword from its sheath, and its aura spread throughout the surroundings.
“Enough with the words. Keep it simple. Will you accept this challenge or not?” Chen Fei looked calmly at Zeng Zaiwen..