Chapter 259: Comprehension
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei looked at the reminders on the panel, his thoughts surging. If the panel could store elemental stones, it meant that elemental stones could be used to simplify cultivation techniques.
For a long time, the panel had only stored silver taels, ignoring everything else.
But today, because of the elemental stone, the panel showed this change.
Chen Fei sat still, not immediately agreeing with the panel’s reminder. Although he was curious about whether using elemental stones would lead to any other changes in simplification, he was more concerned about whether the panel would stop collecting silver taels in the future.
Silver taels could buy many things, but some items were not easy to obtain with silver taels unless there was a significant markup.
Using elemental stones, on the other hand, didn’t involve markups, and many things could be traded.
So, it was clear that it would be much simpler for Chen Fei to make money than to earn elemental stones. Of course, the main issue was that Chen Fei didn’t know where to acquire elemental stones, while he had some ways to earn silver taels.
After some contemplation, Chen Fei decided to ignore this prompt. He would only consider storing elemental stones when he found a stable way to earn them.
Otherwise, if the panel changed, and he could only use elemental stones for simplification, Chen Fei would have to exchange his hard-earned money for elemental stones at a premium, which would be a significant loss.
Currently, he already felt that he had too little money; he couldn’t make things even more challenging for himself, making his money even less sufficient.
Chen Fei disregarded the panel and started cultivating, absorbing the core soul energy from the elemental stone. In just a moment, Chen Fei felt the benefits of the elemental stone.
Compared to the painstaking process of absorbing the surrounding core soul energy through his apertures, the core soul energy in the elemental stone was much richer and easier to absorb. It didn’t even require much mental effort to extract the core soul energy from the stone.
An hour later, as the elemental stone in his palm shattered into powder, Chen Fei opened his eyes with a sense of satisfaction. The cultivation from one elemental stone was equivalent to two days of his usual practice, and it was effortless.
“If I had enough elemental stones…”
Chen Fei took a deep breath, but he dared not dwell on this thought for too long; it was too exciting.
He took out the Spirit Snow Pill given by the sect, opened his mouth, and swallowed it. The potent medicinal power exploded inside him. Chen Fei channeled his energy to envelop it and continued to cultivate the Zhongyuan Sword.
Half an hour later, Chen Fei opened his eyes, feeling a bit light-headed. There was a noticeable improvement in his cultivation, giving him a slight sense of disorientation.
This Spirit Snow Pill had a more pronounced effect than the elemental stone, and, crucially, refining elemental stones consumed some core soul energy, while refining Spirit Snow Pills nourished his core soul energy.
It was no wonder that others used elemental stones to buy elixirs. Comparatively, taking elixirs had a better cost-effectiveness.
After a month’s worth of resource consumption, Chen Fei saved four to five days of cultivation time, which was a significant improvement.
Unfortunately, there were only so many resources each month, and if he wanted more, he would ultimately have to rely on himself.
The sect could only provide limited assistance in the end.
The next morning, Chi Defeng arrived in Chen Fei’s courtyard. Chen Fei had notified him.
Chi Defeng seemed slightly awkward. Although he had been through a lot with Chen Fei and had come all the way from Pingyin County to Immortal Cloud City, when he heard yesterday that Chen Fei had become a cultivator at the Aperture Tempering realm, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of distance creeping in.
Chen Fei’s feelings toward Chi Defeng had nothing to do with his true intentions but were more a result of the profound impression left by longstanding Aperture Tempering realm cultivators in his mind. It all felt distant and surreal.
Chen Fei becoming an Aperture Tempering realm cultivator was, of course, a joyous occasion for Chi Defeng, but the restraint he felt couldn’t be removed in the short term.
“I called you here today because there’s something quite important 1 want to discuss with you,” Chen Fei said with a smile after the two of them had chatted for a while, sitting at the stone table.
“Is it about alchemy in the future?” Chi Def eng asked in a hushed voice.
Chen Fei’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He hadn’t even mentioned it yet, but Chi Defeng had already guessed what he was going to say.
However, it seemed quite normal since Chi Defeng had dealt with a multitude of characters in the hidden market of Pingyin County.
Chi Defeng’s greatest strengths were his keen sense of observation and his ability to read people’s intentions.
Their strongest bond now was the previous sale of elixirs, so that was the only logical topic of discussion.
“In the short term, the quantity of elixirs I produce will remain the same as before, but over time, the production will gradually decrease,” Chen Fei said, seeing that Chi Defeng had already guessed and decided to be straightforward about it.
The elixirs for Body Tempering realm cultivators were quite profitable, and Chen Fei still needed them unless he found a faster way to earn money.
However, he couldn’t keep producing these elixirs indefinitely. If he continued selling the elixirs meant for Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, there would be no need for Chi Defeng’s services.
Furthermore, selling those elixirs to Chi Defeng put him in danger, even with the reputation of the Alchemist Alliance. The value was too significant.
“I understand,” Chi Defeng said with a slight smile on his face as if he had already considered this matter on his own.
Chide Feng noticed Chen Fei’s surprise and smiled, saying, “Even if you hadn’t brought it up today, I knew this was coming sooner or later. Besides, the share you’ve given me has already earned me alot. If I earn even more, 1’11 start worrying about my own safety.”
Seeing Chi Defeng’s apparent understanding, Chen Fei couldn’t help but smile wryly.
He had been worried that Chi Defeng might not accept this change, but it seemed he had underestimated him. Chi Defeng’s current wealth, with his Bone Tempering realm cultivation, was already enough to last a lifetime and more. Chen Fei becoming an Aperture Tempering realm cultivator was now Chi Defeng’s major pillar of support.
Chi Defeng’s current wealth was something very few people would dare to covet. However, if Chi Defeng continued to accumulate wealth and his assets continued to grow, things might change.
Now that Chen Fei had achieved the Aperture Tempering realm, he had become a strong support for Chi Defeng.
Chi Defeng’s wealth was not something many people would dare to meddle with. However, if Chi Defeng continued to amass more wealth and his assets continued to grow, it might become a different story.
After discussing the medicinal herbs needed for tomorrow, Chi Defeng left the Primordial Sword Sect.
Chen Fei stood in the courtyard, looking at the rising sun, a smile appearing on his face. Everything was going well, but he needed this good fortune to continue. Therefore, his cultivation couldn’t stop.
Chen Fei’s figure flickered and disappeared in the courtyard, reappearing in front of the Transmission Hall.
The attending disciples greeted Chen Fei and by now, his status and position were vastly different from before.
A moment later, the Hall Master of the Transmission Hall, Zhou Cunshan, appeared. He exchanged a few words with Chen Fei and then led him to the place of martial arts inheritance.
They passed through a long tunnel and entered a huge cave. Chen Fei saw those stone tablets standing there once again.
“Now that you’ve just entered the Aperture Tempering realm, your main focus should still be on the Zhongyuan Sword. Absorb core soul energy with the Zhongyuan Sword, and the results will be much better than with the Soaring Heaven Technique,” Zhou Cunshan reminded Chen Fei.
Cultivation of martial arts had a clear hierarchy, and without the Primordial Sword Canon to serve as a mediator, prioritizing one over the other was essential.
Chen Fei had broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm with the Zhongyuan Sword as his main technique, so his body had already adapted to some of the principles of the Zhongyuan Sword. Therefore, absorbing core soul energy using it would undoubtedly be much more comfortable.
“Thank you, Elder Zhou, for the reminder!” Chen Fei expressed his gratitude with a bow.
Stepping up to the stone tablet of the Soaring Heaven Technique, Chen Fei glanced at Zhou Cunshan, who nodded in approval. Chen Fei then placed his hand on the stone tablet.
The stone tablet quivered slightly, and the intricacies of the martial art began to flow into Chen Fei’s sea of consciousness.
Comparing this experience to the initial inheritance, back then, Chen Fei had been a passive recipient with his mind often blank.
But now, as he received the inheritance once again, he could clearly grasp his own state, calmly observing the knowledge swirling in his sea of consciousness.
In fact, Chen Fei even had the leisure to start directly reading and comprehending, simultaneously accepting the inheritance and beginning to understand the techniques.
The transmission of the martial art took less than half an hour to complete, and Chen Fei opened his eyes, removing his hand from the stone tablet. He looked at the panel, which now indicated that the Soaring Heaven Technique’s recording was complete.
Standing in place, Chen Fei recollected the key points of the Soaring Heaven Technique. His core soul energy within his body began to circulate. In the next moment, Chen Fei’s figure disappeared from where he stood in the cave and reappeared at the other end of the cave.
In mid-air, several Chen Fei’s afterimages were left behind, and it took a few breaths before these images gradually dissipated.
Zhou Cunshan watched in astonishment as Chen Fei effortlessly demonstrated the Soaring Heaven Technique. This meant that Chen Fei had already comprehended the method of operating the martial art during the inheritance process.
To achieve this, a strong mental capacity and insight were essential.
However, Zhou Cunshan considered that in just over a year, Chen Fei had gone from the Body Tempering realm to the Aperture Tempering realm. Without such insight and mental power, it would have been impossible.
A smile crept onto Chen Fei’s face, whether it was because of breaking through to the Aperture Tempering realm or the energy he had absorbed in the remote village, he wasn’t sure.
Chen Fei felt that his insight had indeed improved significantly.
In the past, he had to rely on the panel to quickly improve his proficiency in martial arts. However, today, when he first encountered the Soaring Heaven Technique, Chen Fei was able to quickly grasp the basics on his own.
However, the initial stage of martial art practice was undoubtedly the easiest. What came next depended on the strength of his insight.
In the eyes of others, Chen Fei’s insight was undoubtedly remarkable. Initially, it took him only a few months to master the Body Tempering phase of the Zhongyuan Sword. This level of insight set him apart from all the other disciples within the sect.
Chen Fei looked at the other stone tablets, where several sets of martial arts were being transmitted. He did not request these martial arts at the moment, as he believed in the principle of “less is more.” He decided to first raise his proficiency in the Soaring Heaven Technique and the Zhongyuan Sword.
Afterward, he would plan how to piece together the Primordial Sword Canon.
Ten days later, in the courtyard where Chen Fei resided, his figure flickered as he moved around the various corners of the yard. After a while, the images disappeared, and Chen Fei was already seated on a stone chair, sipping tea from the table in front of him.
Chen Fei’s insight had indeed improved. In these ten days, his progress in the Soaring Heaven Technique was remarkably fast, nearly matching that of the Zhongyuan Sword. However, as he progressed, his cultivation speed began to gradually decrease, while the Zhongyuan Sword continued to advance rapidly due to the influence of the panel.
This was the typical situation for most martial practitioners. Progress slowed down as they advanced further, and it was only abnormal if they didn’t encounter such bottlenecks.
Chen Fei could have followed the conventional path and continued to practice diligently. However, with the panel at his disposal, why should he conform to the same limitations as others, where it became more challenging to cultivate as one progressed further?
So, it’s still about simplification!” Chen Fei raised his head slightly. Both paths required effort and dedication, so he would naturally choose the more efficient one.
However, his current financial situation left him feeling a bit shy..