Chapter 223: Sound Shocks a Hundred Miles
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Relying on the Xuanwu Sword Technique in the past, Shen Tucang had always been invincible in any kind of competition. Among the true disciples, no one could defeat him in a head-on battle.
Even the current chief disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect relied on his agility. In the end, it was Shen Tucang himself who grew impatient and chose to concede.
That was the most frustrating competition Shen Tucang had ever felt.
Now, Shen Tucang realized that there could be even more frustrating competitions waiting for him here. He had been constantly getting hit, continuously retreating, occasionally counterattacking with a sword, but it was still a deadlock.
Shen Tucang didn’t even dare to fully utilize his strength, otherwise, Chen Fei would just float away. Even the occasional counterattack with a sword became impossible for Shen Tucang, which meant he was getting hit even more.
Being constantly battered, even though he hadn’t actually lost, Shen Tucang felt like he had been utterly defeated.
The Xuanwu Sword was clearly unmatched in defense and counterattacks. But in this competition, he had only been taking hits, unable to do anything else.
Even a tie seemed like a gift from Chen Fei.
Shen Tucang arched his hand toward Chen Fei and left the sparring arena with a disgruntled expression. He’s decided that he must cultivate a superior body technique.
The next time he encountered Chen Fei, if Chen Fei dared to retreat, Shen Tucang would follow closely and use his sword to send Chen Fei flying!
With a fierce determination, Shen Tucang couldn’t help but think about the weakening effect of the Xuanwu Sword on all body techniques. It was an inexplicable feeling of frustration.
Chen Fei stood in the sparring arena, arched his hand toward the surroundings, then disappeared in a flash, returning to the camp of the Primordial Sword Sect.
As Chen Fei returned, the eyes of all the disciples of the Primordial Sword Sect shone brightly. If the timing were right, some of the disciples might even have cheered loudly.
Achieving a tie with the second chief disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was nearly the best accomplishment the Primordial Sword Sect had had in many years.
Although the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect still had a chief disciple, the disciples of the Primordial Sword Sect had no regrets. Sometimes, true success wasn’t about taking something to its extreme.
A breakthrough itself was a significant success.
In the eyes of many, if Chen Fei were to truly face the chief disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, who would win or lose was still uncertain. The strength of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s chief disciple wasn’t much stronger than Shen Tucang, and they were evenly matched, to the point that they could be described as evenly matched rivals.
For now, it was just speculation without much practical significance, but it didn’t stop the disciples of the Primordial Sword Sect from daydreaming.
The gaze of disciples from the other three sects carried a trace of admiration as they looked at Chen Fei. The Primordial Sword Sect hadn’t held this position for many years, just like their own sects.
The disciples of the three sects felt envious, while the experts in the Aperture Tempering realm of the three sects felt somewhat regretful. It would have been great if Chen Fei had continued to advance and even defeated the first chief disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
It was not about the unity of the four sects, but if Chen Fei had done that, it would have been interesting to see how the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect would react.
A martial artist like Chen Fei, who wasn’t a disciple of their own sect, would naturally be disposed of if given the chance. What was better than having him obliterate the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s glory, forcing them to take action?
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect wouldn’t immediately confront him; that would lack sophistication. However, with the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s size and influence, dealing with a mere Visceral Tempering realm cultivator like Chen Fei wouldn’t be easy, even if the Primordial Sword Sect tried to protect him.
Unfortunately, Chen Fei has only managed a draw against Shen Tucang for now, so the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect hadn’t suffered any loss of face.
At most, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect might think, “Oh, this disciple from the Primordial Sword Sect is acceptable, but that’s all.”
In the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, the positions of the chief disciples change every few years. The second chief disciple takes over after a few years, and it’s nothing remarkable.
But in the Primordial Sword Sect, for so many years, only Chen Fei has emerged.
It was easy to see who was superior and who was not at a glance.
Feng Xiupu stood beside Chen Fei, patting his shoulder with a gaze full of admiration and satisfaction. This was not only because Chen Fei managed to tie with the second chief disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect but also because Chen Fei knew when to stop.
Feng Xiupu understood Chen Fei and knew that he often liked to hold back. So, the position of the second chief disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect may not necessarily reflect Chen Fei’s true strength.
But the fact that Chen Fei stopped was what pleased Feng Xiupu the most.
Reaching a tie with the second chief disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was already proof of something. Continuing to push forward would be detrimental. In the path of martial arts, being strong didn’t always solve problems.
It was similar to how Feng Xiupu taught Chen Fei the Soul Chasing Step. Assess the situation, and if you can’t win, just flee. There’s nothing embarrassing about it.
Currently, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect held the upper hand. When you were weak, there was no need to confront them head-on. It was better to wait until you had gathered enough strength for the future.
Wu Guangyin stood to the side, watching Chen Fei.
This young disciple, from being an inner disciple to now becoming a true disciple, was once thought to be special, but now it was clear that he held promise for the future.
Several elders of the Primordial Sword Sect occasionally glanced at Chen Fei with kind intentions. The Sect Master, Qu Qingsheng, wore a smile on his face. In the near future, the Primordial Sword Sect would gain another Aperture Tempering realm cultivator.
Qu Qingsheng believed that Chen Fei should be able to forge his own path in the Aperture Tempering realm.
“Today’s competition was good. Fellow disciples, you’ve spurred each other on and progressed together.”
The voice of Gong Guanzhi, the Sect Master of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, sounds calmly as he spoke. He glanced at Chen Fei and continued, “Reward the Primordial Sword Sect disciple Chen Fei with an Origin Awakening Pill.”
“Thank you!” Chen Fei turns around and expresses his gratitude with a bow.
“One Origin Awakening Pill is a bit meager. Coincidentally, our sect has recently acquired a set of your Primordial Sword Sect’s inheritance techniques
Primordial Sword Canon. It’s just a pity that the inheritance is damaged, so one can only cultivate thirty-three acupoints with no follow-up progress,” Gong Guanzhi laments with a hint of regret.
Everyone from the Primordial Sword Sect was taken aback, not expecting Gong Guanzhi to present a set of their own inheritance techniques. Despite being damaged, it was still the Primordial Sword Canon that was lost by the Primordial Sword Sect.
The only question was, now that this set of inheritance techniques had been seen by the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, and its secrets have been exposed, can the Primordial Sword Sect still consider it their own heritage?
“Thank you, Sect Master Gong!”
Qu Qingsheng sighed softly, then turned and bowed his head.
The Primordial Sword Canon had long been lost within the Primordial Sword Sect. Only the methods for cultivating the Aperture Tempering realm’s Visceral realm were left. Looking at it from a different perspective, regaining this inheritance did fill in a bit of the Primordial Sword Sect’s heritage.
The Primordial Sword Sect’s heritage consisted of the teachings of the Four Peaks and Three Veins. With the addition of the Primordial Sword Canon, they now have methods for cultivating the Aperture Tempering realm. However, only the Three Gates can fully cultivate up to the later stages of the Aperture Tempering realm.
The remaining four sets of techniques only reached the early stages of the Aperture Tempering realm. Even the recently acquired Primordial Sword Canon had yet to reach the peak of the early Aperture Tempering realm, offering a method for cultivating only thirty-three acupoints.
As a result, acquiring this inheritance didn’t significantly change the strength of the Primordial Sword Sect. At most, it allowed people to reminisce about the former brilliance of the Primordial Sword Canon that once dominated the
scene.
“No need to be like this.” Gong Guanzhi smiled faintly, nodding to Qu Qingsheng in response.
“When you break through to the Aperture Tempering realm, apart from the Soaring Heaven Technique, don’t look at or learn any other inherited techniques. It might hold you back.”
Feng Xiupu stood beside Chen Fei, advising him in a low voice.
Chen Fei looked at Feng Xiupu with some confusion, wondering why Feng Xiupu suddenly said this.
“The Primordial Sword Canon amalgamates the techniques of the Four Peaks and Three Veins. If they were in perfect condition and your innate talent allowed it, then naturally, you should learn them. But now that they’re all damaged, observing them will only immerse you and make it difficult to extricate yourself!”
Seeing Chen Fei’s expression, Feng Xiupu explained.
“The seven sets of techniques are interrelated, and observing them makes it easy to become engrossed. However, the other four sets are damaged, creating a path with no way out.”
“I understand.” Chen Fei nodded, then looked at Gong Guanzhi, feeling that returning the Primordial Sword Canon to the Primordial Sword Sect might not be well-intentioned.
An hour later, led by Qu Qingsheng, the group from the Primordial Sword Sect departed from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. The other sects similarly left, no longer lingering.
With the departure of all the sects, the results of this observation event spread in all directions.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s observation event only occurred every few years. It was a grand gathering around the Immortal Cloud City, but only very few could participate—mostly the true disciples and elders of various sects. Ordinary martial artists, however, couldn’t set foot in the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
Although they couldn’t enter, it didn’t affect the curiosity of many regarding this observation event and the subsequent results of the true disciples’ competition.
“Second chief disciple? Or was it a disciple from the Primordial Sword Sect who went up?”
“It’s been how many years since a sect achieved this?”
“1 remember the last observation event. Wasn’t it the Immortal Cloud Sword
Sect’s true disciple who only reached eighth place, preventing the disciples of the other four sects from advancing?”
“Where did this Chen Fei come from? Why haven’t we heard of him before?”
As the news spread, many people learned of the results but were left with more questions. Chen Fei had little recognition previously, and his name wasn’t on the list of known true disciples.
It was as though he had emerged out of nowhere, capturing everyone’s attention.
The second true disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect—such strength wasn’t achievable even during the peak of the four sects’ power. Now, with the sects’ strength diminished, a disciple has managed it, which is simply unbelievable.
In a very short time, Chen Fei’s reputation spread throughout the Immortal Cloud City. Not only in Immortal Cloud City but also in the surrounding cities, people gradually hear about Chen Fei’s name.
In an instant, Chen Fei became known in an area spanning hundreds of miles.
Perhaps not everyone knows him, but he has certainly reached the peak of recognition among Aperture Tempering realm cultivators. In fact, many people who didn’t know the Sect Master of the Primordial Sword Sect would also know about Chen Fei.
Amidst the bustling outside world, Chen Fei returned to the Primordial Sword Sect and immersed himself in his cultivation once again.
The Dragon Suppressing Elephant was making steady progress toward Great Completion, and Chen Fei’s cultivation was about to reach the peak of the Aperture Tempering realm’s Visceral realm. On the eighth day of his return to the sect, Chen Fei couldn’t resist his curiosity and tried to measure the acupoints within himself..