Chapter 260: Overlord
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Methods to make money quickly?”
In the courtyard of Feng Xiupu, when Feng Xiupu heard Chen Fei’s question, he couldn’t help but pause for a moment. Then, he smiled and said, “Have you used up all the elemental stones and Spirit Snow Pills issued by the sect every month?”
“Well, on the first day 1 received them, 1 used them all,” Chen Fei nodded.
Indeed, elemental stones and Spirit Snow Pills were very effective. Each of them could save Chen Fei more than two days of time. If he could use them continuously, it would significantly shorten the time it took for Chen Fei to open up his acupoints.
But obviously, this wasn’t realistic. Each of these items was priced at a basic rate of thirty thousand taels of silver, and two of them added up to sixty thousand taels. The sect was already quite generous in providing sixty thousand taels of resources every month, in Chen Fei’s opinion.
To ask for more, even if the sect wanted to give, it probably couldn’t afford it. Making money was difficult. Even for a prestigious sect like the Primordial Sword Sect, making money might be easier than for ordinary people, but their expenses were much higher.
“In my younger years, 1 also thought about whether there was a way to quickly obtain these things,” Feng Xiupu said, reminiscing about the past.
After all, anyone who discovered a faster shortcut would naturally consider taking it, and very few would intentionally choose a more difficult path.
“Did Master find a way?” Chen Fei asked with concern.
“No. All the methods to make money quickly have been occupied by various sects. Although we are in the Aperture Tempering realm, compared to the sect’s power, we are still too weak. Unless our cultivation reaches a higher level,” Feng Xiupu shook his head.
Where there were benefits, there were always those who sought to exploit them. Although cultivators in the Aperture Tempering realm would eat any Visceral Tempering realm cultivators alive, this was also true for the sects.
“Combined Aperture Tempering realm?” Chen Fei thought of the
Dragon-Elephant True Immortal he had met in the past, whose body never decayed and who possessed tremendous strength. Such a powerful individual could easily represent a sect or even be stronger.
“Combined Aperture Tempering realm?”
Feng Xiupu hesitated for a moment, then turned to Chen Fei and said, “Combined Aperture Tempering realm is not just about having a higher level of cultivation. Do you know why the sects around Immortal Cloud City all regard the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect as the leader?”
“Why? Because of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm?” Chen Fei’s posture straightened slightly.
Since they had just happened to touch on this topic, Chen Fei’s curiosity had been piqued.
When he was in the Body Tempering realm, Chen Fei had naturally thought about this question, but he hadn’t asked because it was meaningless. A mere Body Tempering realm warrior couldn’t change anything.
But now, Chen Fei had broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm, and his strength had significantly increased. He had the qualifications to care about these matters.
In the sect’s main hall that day, when he looked around, all he saw were Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, but most of them were in the early, middle, or late stages.
Due to the limitations of the sect’s cultivation techniques, there were no cultivators at the peak of the Aperture Tempering realm, let alone those in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. The elders who had closed themselves off were the same.
“Yes, because of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm!”
Feng Xiupu picked up the tea on the table and looked into the distance, his expression inexplicable. “How many Visceral Tempering realm warriors are there now, and how many can pose a threat to you?”
“Unless there’s no way out, otherwise, no matter how many there are, they won’t pose a threat!” Chen Fei pondered for a moment and replied in a deep voice.
Many ants could kill an elephant, but the key was to leave the Aperture Tempering realm cultivators with no way out.
Otherwise, in terms of mobility, Aperture Tempering realm warriors dominated over Visceral Tempering realm warriors. If there were fewer Visceral Tempering realm warriors, the Aperture Tempering realm warriors could sweep them directly. If there were many, say dozens, a bit of guerrilla warfare could still defeat them.
You could leave when you wanted to, stay when you wanted to; that was why Aperture Tempering realm warriors could overlook those in the Body Tempering realm.
“Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts view the Aperture Tempering realm the way we view the Visceral Tempering realm,” Feng Xiupu sighed and shook his head.
He continued, “Unless you can use formations to trap Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, it’s challenging for the number of Aperture Tempering realm cultivators to pose a threat to them.”
“And the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect has Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, two of them.”
Chen Fei’s eyes widened slightly. The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had two Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts?
Do other sects have Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts?” Chen Fei asked.
“We didn’t know in the past, but they don’t have any now. Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators live for three hundred years, and if they find life-extending spiritual herbs, they can live even longer.”
Feng Xiupu finished his tea and placed the cup on the table. “One Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert alone can sweep us, and there are many Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators in the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, not only among their disciples but also among the guest disciples who bring their own skills.”
Chen Fei frowned. In terms of top combat power, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect far surpassed the rest, and the Combined Aperture Tempering realm directly intimidated all directions.
What’s more, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had two of them. The continuity of their lineage was enviable.
Those wandering cultivators who joined the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect as guest disciples, all these factors combined made the position of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s dominance seem unshakable.
Binding all the sects around Immortal Cloud City together still wouldn’t be enough to challenge the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. Besides, it was unlikely that all the sects could truly unite.
Knowing that opposing the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was a dead end, why would other sects rush to their doom? Unless the Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect disappeared, the other sects might have the courage to make a stand together.
Without the suppression of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm across realms, though there were often significant gaps even among Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, there would still be some hope, wouldn’t there?
“Don’t think too much about it. Today, we just happened to touch on these topics, and I’ve told you more because you will know sooner or later,” Feng Xiupu looked at Chen Fei’s somewhat solemn expression and chuckled softly. “Let’s get back to the topic of making money.”
Seeing Feng Xiupu steer the conversation back to its original topic, Chen Fei let go of his thoughts about the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Combined Aperture Tempering realm was still somewhat distant for him; he had just opened one acupoint.
“You can refine pills, even if it’s just pills for the Body Tempering realm, the speed of making money isn’t slow. If you refine pills at our cultivation level, the returns would be even more substantial. What you lack is a source of spiritual herbs,” Feng Xiupu said softly.
Feng Xiupu knew about Chen Fei’s alchemy skills; otherwise, he wouldn’t have received rewards like the Origin Awakening Pill from the Alchemist Alliance.
“Master, you’re perceptive,” Chen Fei directly praised.
Feng Xiupu couldn’t help but smile and continued, “Our sect has a source of spiritual herbs, but it’s not abundant. Senior Brother Xu can only refine enough for himself alone, so it’s impossible for him to share with you. If you want spiritual herbs, the Alchemist Alliance might be a way.”
“The Alchemist Alliance?”
Chen Fei was slightly taken aback. “1 know the Alchemist Alliance has spiritual herbs, but my contribution points are insufficient, making it difficult to exchange regularly.”
“Now, with your status as an Aperture Tempering realm cultivator, going to the Alchemist Alliance again might bring some changes,” Feng Xiupu said with a light smile.
“Besides alchemy, there’s another path, but it will be more challenging. Still, it’s worth trying.”
“What path is that?”
“Our sect’s Soul-Locking Tower. If you stay there for a month, the sect will compensate you with two elemental stones.” Feng Xiupu’s expression became somewhat peculiar when he mentioned the Soul-Locking Tower.
“What’s special about it?” Chen Fei noticed Feng Xiupu’s change in expression and asked curiously.
“Soul-Locking Tower God! The Soul-Locking Tower was a treasure of our sect’s ancestors. A small portion of our sect’s elemental stones is used to maintain the Soul-Locking Tower.” When mentioning that ancestor, Feng Xiupu’s expression was full of reverence.
“But staying there is not comfortable. Few are willing to go. You can try it once. After all, the Soul-Locking Tower is incredibly powerful, and it’s worth seeing.”
Chen Fei’s expression shifted slightly. This Soul-Locking Tower had the potential to be an important weapon within the sect; otherwise, it wouldn’t be maintained so carefully. However, two elemental stones for a month was certainly not a small amount, considering their value of sixty thousand taels each.
But the Soul-Locking Tower God in the tower would likely directly affect Chen Fei’s daily cultivation, making it somewhat not worth it.
After chatting with Feng Xiupu for a while, Chen Fei took his leave.
Instead of returning to his own courtyard, Chen Fei headed straight for Immortal Cloud City. He could check out the Soul-Locking Tower anytime, but now he was more concerned about whether the Alchemist Alliance could offer him some assistance.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Chen Fei had arrived in Immortal Cloud City.
The city was still bustling as ever, and it seemed that there were even more people in Immortal Cloud City than before, as Chen Fei hadn’t visited for some time. He briefly met with Chi Defeng and then went directly to the residence of the Alchemist Alliance. As soon as he entered, Chen Fei encountered Qin Jinglan.
Qin Jinglan also spotted Chen Fei and couldn’t help but be stunned. Then, a brilliant smile spread across her face. It had been a long time since she had last seen Chen Fei.
Seeing Chen Fei again, Qin Jinglan’s heart couldn’t help but beat faster, and she felt a certain admiration for him. However, relative to the past, Qin Jinglan now understood that this man would never belong to her.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t stop her lingering affection for Chen Fei. Perhaps it was stubbornness, or maybe a trace of unwillingness.
“Young Master, how can 1 assist you today?” Qin Jinglan approached and inclined her head slightly.
“Is there a difference for an Aperture Tempering realm cultivator in the Alliance?” Chen Fei had a slight smile on his face.
Hearing Chen Fei’s question, Qin Jinglan couldn’t help but be astonished. Then, she looked at Chen Fei incredulously. Just now, because she had suddenly seen Chen Fei, she hadn’t paid much attention. But now, she realized that Chen Fei was emitting a unique aura—a distinct resonance of power and cultivation.
This aura was exclusive to Aperture Tempering realm cultivators. In the Alliance, there were occasional appearances of Aperture Tempering realm experts, although they were rare. However, after staying here for a long time, Qin Jinglan had seen many of them.
Qin Jinglan raised her head to look at Chen Fei, her eyes shining with the unique aura.
Back when the news spread throughout Immortal Cloud City that Chen Fei had defeated the second-in-line true transmission disciple of Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, some had predicted that Chen Fei would achieve the Aperture Tempering realm within a few years.
And now, in less than a year, Chen Fei had reached this coveted realm that countless martial artists dreamed of.
“Young Master, please follow me. Aperture Tempering realm alchemists can indeed take on some different tasks within the Alliance,” Qin Jinglan said with a smile.
Qin Jinglan’s face was full of smiles. She was genuinely happy for Chen Fei and felt even more that her admiration for him was well-placed.
When Chen Fei first came to be evaluated as a Ninth Tier Alchemist, Qin Jinglan had noticed his exceptional qualities.. If she had been a bit bolder at that time, could she have stayed by Chen Fei’s side forever?