Chapter 257: Two Apertures
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei stood still in place, which, in normal circumstances, would make anyone curious enough to approach and investigate if the evil bride had been killed by other cultivators of Aperture Tempering realms.
However, Chen Fei remained unmoved. He was indeed curious, but he felt that something was amiss. Most notably, if the evil bride had been slain, what was the deal with the grassy hut still standing there?
Anything tainted by the strange was never simple.
After a moment’s contemplation, Chen Fei’s figure leaped into action. He traced an arc, bypassing the hill, and continued toward the direction of Immortal Cloud City. In the blink of an eye, Chen Fei had vanished.
The night breeze rustled the tree branches, and the moon, previously obscured by clouds, finally revealed itself. Its white light bathed the seemingly tranquil grassy hut on the hill, causing it to sway slightly. The hut’s door cracked open, revealing a narrow slit.
Vaguely, it seemed like a pair of dark embroidered shoes stood behind the door.
After traveling more than ten miles away from the hill, Chen Fei found a place to make a fire and rest.
Chen Fei’s condition was still good at this moment. Although he had been on the road for half the day, there wasn’t much exhaustion. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have considered such a risky move with the evil figure just now.
However, traveling at night could be somewhat obstructed by limited visibility, potentially adding some danger. Therefore, finding a place to rest and waiting for daylight to resume the journey was a safer option.
“Snap!”
In the firewood, a spot that wasn’t completely dry made a muffled sound. The firelight illuminated Chen Fei’s face, dispelling the surrounding chill gradually.
Chen Fei pondered recent events and the tasks he needed to accomplish upon returning to his sect.
Learning the Soaring Heaven Technique was a definite priority. It was a skill he lacked and needed to acquire. As for the Zhongyuan Sword, Chen Fei had already been taught the entire set by the sect, given his current status as the Chief Disciple.
Initially, he had only learned a portion of it, partly to avoid overwhelming himself with too much inheritance information, and partly to keep an eye on the disciples, ensuring they were trustworthy.
But now that Chen Fei was the Chief Disciple, if even he couldn’t be trusted, how could the sect handle other inheritances?
As for refining the entire Primordial Sword Canon, Chen Fei couldn’t do it yet.
Besides not having a clear plan, there was the issue of lacking funds.
His desire to refine the Primordial Sword Canon was bolstered by the interface, but it required money, which Chen Fei didn’t have much of right now.
His previous earnings from alchemy had been substantial. In ten months, he had saved over three hundred thousand taels of silver. This was quite an accomplishment.
However, back then, Chen Fei could earn money in this manner because he didn’t have many cultivation techniques that required his attention. He had plenty of free time, which allowed him to produce a greater quantity of elixirs.
However, upon returning to the sect, he needed to practice the Zhongyuan Sword, learn the Soaring Heaven Technique, and also master the Dragon Suppressing Elephant. This compressed the time available for alchemy, inevitably reducing his earnings.
Chen Fei found himself in an awkward situation. If he learned the Soaring Heaven Technique, he wouldn’t even have the money to simplify it.
The idea of having to save up for months before making any progress felt frustrating. Simplifying the Dragon Suppressing Elephant and refining the complete Primordial Sword Canon would also require a significant amount of money.
In an instant, Chen Fei felt like a destitute person. His craving for money had reached its peak.
Relying solely on alchemy to earn silver taels was no longer sufficient to meet Chen Fei’s increasing financial needs. Only by crafting pills required for Aperture Tempering realm cultivators would he be able to bridge the financial gap-
But the problem of obtaining the necessary spiritual ingredients remained a significant challenge.
Chen Fei picked up a piece of firewood from the side and tossed it into the fire, simultaneously activating the Zhongyuan Sword. Lately, he had developed a habit of practicing the sword whenever he had downtime.
As the Zhongyuan Sword circulated, the insights that should have appeared in his mind did not manifest. Chen Fei couldn’t help but be startled, and then his expression changed.
“When did I fall into the trap!”
Chen Fei suddenly raised his head and looked around. Sometime during his contemplation, the trees that should have been clearly visible in the distance had become blurred.
The moon in the sky was obscured by a dark cloud, and moonlight couldn’t penetrate, making the surroundings even darker and more uncertain. The fire on the ground, which should have been warm, now gave Chen Fei a chilling sensation.
“Break!”
Chen Fei closed his eyes, and in his sea of consciousness, the Thousand Origin Heart Locking Technique rapidly activated. In the next moment, strands of dark red energy appeared in his sea of consciousness.
Chen Fei watched as these dark red energies, with the branches of his Core Soul Tree quivering vigorously, enveloped the dark red energy.
Opening his eyes, Chen Fei released a ball of dark red energy from his forehead, capturing it in his hand.
It felt as if he had grasped a piece of ancient ice, incredibly cold. Even though he used his elemental energy to block it, he could still sense the penetrating cold.
Chen Fei looked around, and the fire on the ground had long been extinguished.
Unbeknownst to him, he had been led into an illusion by this dark red energy, mistaking it for reality. Even the activation of the Zhongyuan Sword had been an illusion, which explained why he hadn’t gained any insights in his mind.
“Was it that grass hut?”
Chen Fei frowned as he looked at the dark red energy in his hand. Could that hut be so powerful? Even Chen Fei, in his current state, had unknowingly fallen under its influence. If that was the case, the Immortal Cloud Merchant Band was in grave danger.
“Or perhaps, the real mystery lies in the hut itself? Or that bridal attire?”
A thought struck Chen Fei. Could it be that some unfortunate cultivator of the Aperture Tempering realm had been ensnared by that bridal attire and transformed into the evil bride?
The idea of potentially turning into something neither human nor evil sent a chill down Chen Fei’s spine. It was fortunate that he had sensed something was amiss and hadn’t impulsively approached for a closer look.
Otherwise, it would have been difficult to say if he could escape, given that he had been ensnared without realizing it.
“What’s been happening with all these strange occurrences lately? Each one is stranger than the last. Is it because the world is becoming more chaotic?” Chen Fei pondered as he extinguished the dark red energy in his hand.
Thinking about the various news he had heard in Qinhai City and Apricot Fen City, it had been quite some time, but the situation in the dynasty had not calmed down. Instead, it seemed to be escalating, and the people were suffering.
Chen Fei turned to look in the direction of the grassy hut, thinking for a moment before his figure flashed, heading towards Immortal Cloud City.
Chen Fei had already included the Alchemist Alliance’s Thousand Threads Technique as his target cultivation technique. However, the recent incident, where he was affected by the Thousand Origins Heart-Locking Art without realizing it, had caught him off guard.
Although it was because that energy had remained dormant, even if it hadn’t been for the Zhongyuan Sword, he would have eventually realized he was in an illusion after a moment.
In many battles, the struggle often boiled down to that tiny window of time. Those precious seconds could sometimes determine the outcome of a battle.
Chen Fei didn’t want to end up meeting an untimely demise in a situation shrouded in mystery.
However, obtaining the subsequent cultivation techniques from the Alchemist Alliance would be challenging. It required a significant amount of contribution points, much more difficult than earning money.
Alternatively, he could try the subsequent cultivation techniques of the Dragon Suppressing Elephant. Maybe the Dragon-Elephant True Immortal could help in such situations.
As for the grass hut, he would have to wait until his mental power was strong enough to investigate today’s events properly.
The faint morning sunlight began to bathe the earth. After traveling through the night, Chen Fei finally stood at the entrance of the Primordial Sword Sect.
Although it had only been a short time since he left, seeing the sect’s gate made Chen Fei feel like he was coming home. In his heart, he was developing a sense of belonging to the Primordial Sword Sect.
Because his master was there, as well as Senior Brother Guo, and others like Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Brother Ge, they had become Chen Fei’s ties to this world and this sect.
“Senior Brother Chen?”
As Chen Fei had just entered the sect’s gate, a fellow disciple spotted him and called out, somewhat uncertain. Chen Fei’s appearance had changed somewhat compared to before.
Initially, to dissipate his obsession with acupoints, Chen Fei had almost exclusively stayed on the Peak of True Transmission to cultivate. Therefore, many disciples’ impressions of Chen Fei were still from that time.
Now that he had broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm, the refinement of vital energy within his body had caused a change in his aura, making it difficult for others to ascertain.
Chen Fei nodded slightly at the person, then disappeared from the spot.
It’s been a while since I saw Senior Brother Chen. Some say he went out for experience, while others say he’s in seclusion. But Senior Brother Chen’s aura, why does it feel like Elder Wu’s?”
This disciple scratched his head, feeling puzzled. But soon, his eyes widened slightly as he thought of a possibility—Chen Fei had broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm!
“Big news, big news!”
This disciple was not entirely certain, but he was filled with excitement. Since Chen Fei had reached the second position in the True Transmission, he had become a symbol in the hearts of many Primordial Sword Sect disciples.
They were all eagerly waiting for Chen Fei to break through to the Aperture Tempering realm and continue on his path as a genius.
Just a few days ago, there was news in the Primordial Sword Sect that Shen Tucang, who had fought Chen Fei to a draw, had finally broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm after nearly a year of accumulation. He became the first among this group of True Transmission disciples to achieve this.
And now, it seemed that Chen Fei had also broken through?
The disciple pondered for a moment, then ran back into the sect. He wanted to go to the Hall of True Transmission. If Chen Fei had truly succeeded in his breakthrough, there would definitely be records in the Hall of True Transmission.
Chen Fei was unaware of the excitement of that disciple. At this moment, he had transformed into a phantom and arrived outside the courtyard of Feng Xiupu.
“Disciple Chen Fei requests an audience with Master!” Chen Fei stood outside the door and bowed.
A figure suddenly appeared in front of the courtyard. It was Feng Xiupu.
Feng Xiupu looked at Chen Fei, his face full of smiles. He was about to speak when his expression suddenly froze, and his eyes emitted a dazzling light.
“Master, please don’t worry. Your disciple has successfully broken through!” Chen Fei bowed to Feng Xiupu, his voice respectful.
Excellent, excellent!”
Feng Xiupu flashed to Chen Fei’s side and slapped him on the shoulder with force. He burst into hearty laughter, his joy and delight evident in his expression.
Chen Fei looked at Feng Xiupu’s smile and couldn’t help but smile as well.
Half an hour later, news of Chen Fei’s successful breakthrough spread throughout the Primordial Sword Sect, and he became an Aperture Tempering realm expert.
An hour later, this news reached several surrounding sects..