Chapter 212: A Crane Standing Among Chicken
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Yan Shijin recalled the scene from those years, it was truly fierce. At that time, Yan Shijin wasn’t yet the third-generation successor of the sect but ranked further behind, naturally not qualified to step onto the stage.
The main reason was that if he had gone on stage, he would probably have been defeated with a single move, so Yan Shijin could be said to have watched the entire competition from start to finish, leaving a deep impression.
The eighth-generation successor of Immortal Cloud Sword Sect surprisingly defeated the top successors of two other sects, showcasing a significant difference in strength. It wasn’t that the top successors of the other sects were weak, but the true successors of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect were all exceptionally strong.
“This was almost like a battle of attrition. Is Immortal Cloud Sword Sect really this powerful?” Chen Fei exclaimed.
“It’s not exactly that. Immortal Cloud Sword Sect has elixirs. After a match, they consume elixirs. As long as it’s not a major injury, their physical strength and injuries can recover quickly,” Yan Shijin explained.
Boom!
That was Chen Fei’s only thought, because these elixirs were quite precious to those outside of Immortal Cloud Sword Sect!
“Then, where did our sect’s top successor stand in that competition?” Chen Fei curiously asked.
“At that time, the top successors of two sects were defeated—one was the
Sunken Water Pavilion, and the other was our sect.”
Yan Shijin shook his head with a wry smile. In fact, the top successor of Primordial Sword Sect at that time fought quite evenly with the eighth-ranked successor from Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, lasting over a hundred moves.
Unfortunately, in the end, they fell short and were defeated.
“Immortal Cloud Sword Sect is quite generous. They reward a Receival Bead for each top successor from their sect that’s defeated. If victories are consecutive, the rewards can accumulate. I’ve heard that a disciple from the Big Dipper Tower obtained a Origin Awakening Pill back then,” Yan Shijin reminisced.
A Origin Awakening Pill?
Chen Fei was taken aback; it was a healing saintly pill. He had completed a task for the Alchemist Alliance and obtained one, and many people coveted it. This also indicated how highly people valued the Origin Awakening Pill.
However, the main ingredient of the Origin Awakening Pill was the fruit of the spirit tree from within Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. For others, the precious Origin Awakening Pill was extremely hard to come by, but Immortal Cloud Sword Sect could produce them to some extent.
The disparity was truly immense.
After learning some details about Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s observance, Chen Fei and Yan Shijin chatted for a while longer before Yan Shijin took his leave.
Yan Shijin knew that Chen Fei spent his days practicing in seclusion without much interruption. This was one of the reasons Yan Shijin admired Chen Fei having such great talent yet remaining diligent and persistent.
Only by doing so could one continuously improve their strength.
Yan Shijin came today to discuss the matter of observing Immortal Cloud Sword Sect with Chen Fei. In truth, there was a hint of anticipation. He hoped that Chen Fei could shine a little during the observation of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect and make an impression.
Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s dominance extended for thousands of miles, while Primordial Sword Sect and four other sects surrounded it. Those most capable of feeling the pressure from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect were these people.
Yan Shijin naturally knew that the Primordial Sword Sect couldn’t compare to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, but it didn’t hinder the interactions among disciples.
Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was eager to showcase the strength of its disciples and willing to offer rewards, encouraging disciples from other sects to challenge them. The more challenges, the greater the improvement.
For a top-tier sect, in their highest-level decisions, they always hoped to promote the better development of their sect. As for the differing voices below, that was unavoidable.
The other four sects also hoped their disciples would gain more experience through challenges. Only by seeing the disparity could they be motivated to improve, breaking out of their limited perspectives—an immensely terrifying prospect.
In the past, the top successors of the four sects could actually compete with the top five or even the top three of Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. However, in recent years, the strength of the four sects had declined, while the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had grown stronger.
In terms of disciple performance, it had only been in recent years that the top successors from the four sects managed to challenge up to the seventh or eighth-ranked successors of Immortal Cloud Sword Sect before halting.
To some extent, this also reflected the current strength of each sect.
Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, another twelve days had passed.
With the Great Completion of the Thousand Origin Heart Locking Technique, Chen Fei felt a slight change in his mental power. Simultaneously, due to the full mastery of the Thousand Origin Heart Locking Technique, the frequency of entering and leaving the Heart Enigma Realm had shortened from ten days to eight days.
On the eighteenth day, the Perfection stage of the Dragon Suppressing Elephant was achieved.
By the hot springs, Chen Fei looked at his reflection on the water’s surface. Not surprisingly, the advancement of the Dragon Suppressing Elephant had brought about a relatively noticeable change in his appearance.
His height hadn’t changed significantly, just a few centimeters taller. However, his physique had become more balanced. Anyone with basic martial knowledge could discern the explosive power present in Chen Fei’s current form.
The tremendous strength characteristic of the Origin Connection Technique was no longer effective for Chen Fei. His current strength had far surpassed what the tremendous strength could provide.
His skin had become more tight and resilient. Even in the smallest details, it had become impressively tough. Chen Fei deliberately used the Qianyuan Sword to make a cut, and he realized he needed to apply some force to break the skin.
Although the Qianyuan Sword didn’t possess a sharp characteristic, being a half-spiritual sword, its sharpness naturally surpassed that of ordinary weapons. Yet, even with that, he needed force to break through Chen Fei’s skin.
Not only was his skin resilient, but the skin that was cut no longer bled quickly. Instead, it started showing signs of healing. Clearly, Chen Fei’s self-healing ability had significantly improved.
Lastly, his face remained the same, recognizable to others as Chen Fei. However, anyone who saw him would notice that he had become more handsome, exuding a unique charm.
Previously, his features were distinct and considered attractive after a closer look. Now, a single glance was enough to distinguish Chen Fei from the crowd.
“This technique really doesn’t focus on the main business, as always.”
Chen Fei stroked his chin, a faint smile curving his lips.
On the twenty-third day, three days before the observation at Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, the Zhongyuan Sword reached the stage of Great Completion.
Recently, Chen Fei had sacrificed much of his time even for alchemical pursuits. Whenever he had time, he would stand under the waterfall.
The advancement of the Dragon Suppressing Elephant was slower due to insufficient Qi. The Zhongyuan Sword required high proficiency, and despite spending so much time under the waterfall, it still took a considerable amount of time to reach Complete Mastery.
Fortunately, the Zhongyuan Sword had finally reached Great Completion.
In the courtyard, Chen Fei looked at his palm. The palm had turned pitch black at some point.
With the Complete Mastery of the Zhongyuan Sword, Chen Fei could now control this power on a subtle level. Therefore, even without a sword in his hand, he could gather the power of the Zhongyuan Sword in his palm.
Of course, compared to focusing the power on a blade, the power in Chen Fei’s hand would be considerably weaker. After all, the strength of flesh and blood couldn’t compare to a sword blade.
Chen Fei had no intention of facing enemies unarmed. His current actions were just an experiment to observe the changes in the Zhongyuan Sword after reaching Great Completion.
After a moment, the blackness in the center of Chen Fei’s palm gradually dissipated. He looked into the distance, realizing that he was about ten percent away from reaching the peak of the Visceral Tempering realm.
With the Great Completion of the Thousand Origin Heart Locking Technique, the Perfection of the Dragon Suppressing Elephant, and the Great Completion of the Zhongyuan Sword, Chen Fei’s strength had grown significantly compared to two months ago when he had fought Zeng Zaiwen.
If there were any weaknesses, it would be that his previously strongest body technique now appeared slightly mediocre.
Of course, even within the sect’s true inheritance, Chen Fei’s body technique was considered exceptional. Even the true inheritances that focused on speed and evasion didn’t dare to claim that their body techniques were superior to Chen Fei’s.
Fortunately, the Zhongyuan Sword that Chen Fei practiced allowed him to control the battlefield. With the deployment of his force field, even if his body technique wasn’t on par with others, he could still forcefully slow down his opponents.
Slowing down the opponent essentially meant accelerating oneself!
Three days later, in the sparring arena of the Hall of True Transmission, thirty true disciples gathered. Soon, they would depart to visit Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
This time, the group was led not only by the head of the Hall of True Transmission, Zhou Cunshan but also by several other elders. Wu Guangyin was among them, as well as Elder Zhong Benyuan from the Law Enforcement Hall.
At the same time, Chen Fei also saw Qu Qingsheng, the head of the Primordial Sword Sect. Fie appeared to be an ordinary elderly man, lacking the imposing aura of the surrounding elders as if he knew nothing about martial arts.
Of course, no one truly believed that Qu Qingsheng knew nothing about martial arts. In fact, the fact that he could completely suppress his aura was what made him even more formidable.
“This journey is mainly for observation, to see the differences between ourselves and others, and return for better cultivation.”
Qu Qingsheng looked at the thirty true disciples below. These disciples were Primordial Sword Sect’s most promising candidates for breaking through to the Visceral Tempering realm.
Primordial Sword Sect did have quite a few internal disciples who had reached the peak of the Visceral Tempering realm, but most of them were either too old with little hope for a breakthrough, or they had attempted a breakthrough once and failed. Some lacked the necessary foundation, making it highly likely they would fail when attempting a breakthrough.
While the Visceral Tempering realm and the Aperture Tempering realm seemed to be separated by only a stage, those who could truly break through this barrier were still a minority among many disciples.
There were certainly internal disciples who managed to achieve a breakthrough by luck, but they were extremely rare, with a single individual perhaps emerging once in a decade. Therefore, the true disciples had the greatest hope, and the thirty individuals before him were the most promising.
“After the observation, there will be sparring. Don’t act blindly. If you feel your strength is vastly different, you should know how to be patient. If the difference in strength is minor, then follow your instincts.”
Qu Qingsheng looked at the group, his gaze pausing on Chen Fei for a moment. In recent months, Chen Fei’s name had reached his ears a few times.
After all, mastering the Zhongyuan Sword profoundly within a few months naturally attracted the attention of the sect’s higher-ups.
“Alright, let’s set off!”
Qu Qingsheng smiled and turned, walking down the mountain. He strolled casually, yet his speed was astonishing. Many elders followed behind him, but their body techniques seemed to lack a certain unique flavor compared to Qu Qingsheng’s.
Chen Fei saw his master, Feng Xiupu, among the group. Feng Xiupu had probably followed along because Chen Fei was going. If anything came up, Feng Xiupu would be able to attend to it.
The group moved in a grand procession, taking an hour to arrive at a mountain gate. It was the same entrance to Immortal Cloud Sword Sect that Chen Fei had visited before.
When he had first arrived in Immortal Cloud City, Chen Fei’s first goal had been to join Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. After all, they were the dominant force within thousands of miles, and anyone with aspirations on the martial path would likely choose Immortal Cloud Sword Sect as their first option.
Unfortunately, Chen Fei’s cultivation hadn’t been sufficient at that time, and Immortal Cloud Sword Sect hadn’t even granted him an opportunity.
Now that quite some time had passed returning here gave Chen Fei a sense of deja vu.
“Master Qu, it’s been a long time. We’ve come from afar, and I hope you’ll forgive us for any inconveniences!”
An elder from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect saw Qu Qingsheng and hurriedly approached, welcoming the group from the Primordial Sword Sect up the mountain..