Chapter 287: Trembling
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei’s figure flickered as he arrived at the edge of a rooftop. He noticed that many people were already heading towards the outskirts of the Long Rainbow Sect. At the same time, he saw disciples from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect in action. It seemed that this incident had come to a close.
After all, the Long Rainbow Sect was only so big, and there were only a few places to hide things. The fact that the struggle had lasted for a few hours was mainly due to the various sects’ cultivators competing with each other.
Now that the competition had ended, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had also dispatched disciples to officially sweep the remaining resources.
Items that caught the eye of Aperture Tempering realm cultivators were rare within the entire Long Rainbow Sect. What remained untouched didn’t mean they lacked value; it was just that they held less value for Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had sent their disciples to clean up the leftovers, ensuring that the last remnants of value from the Long Rainbow Sect were not wasted. Otherwise, if the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect didn’t take them, other sects would send their disciples to do the same.
Chen Fei’s gains from this operation, while not overly abundant, were far from meager.
The scrap pill furnace, which could be easily converted into currency, would fetch several pieces of elemental stones without any issue.
Then there was the Godslayer Sword technique. Although it seemed somewhat lacking at the moment, as it required cutting one’s own spiritual power, if Chen Fei were to cultivate it to perfection, it might still be improved.
Lastly, the most valuable find was the Primordial Sword Scripture. Even though it was only complete up to the second level of perfection, its significance to both Chen Fei and the Primordial Sword Sect was immense.
“Chen Fei? I didn’t expect to see you here!”
As Chen Fei was making his way toward the outskirts, a voice suddenly rang out, and a figure appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
“Shen Tucang?”
Chen Fei looked at the newcomer in surprise. It was none other than Shen Tucang, the second disciple of the true transmission of Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, who had been thoroughly beaten by Chen Fei in a series of fights back at Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s martial arena.
Shen Tucang’s practice of the Xuanwu Sword Technique had left a deep impression on Chen Fei. Despite some flaws in his footwork, the Xuanwu Sword Technique was far more powerful than the Zhongyuan Sword.
“Brother Shen!” Chen Fei greeted him with a nod.
“It seems your cultivation has stabilized, that’s why the Primordial Sword Sect sent you here,” Shen Tucang observed. His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he continued, “Well, my own cultivation has also become stable. Since we’ve run into each other today, how about we have another match?”
The match they referred to was the one that had taken place two years ago, and Shen Tucang had never truly come to terms with it. While it had been officially declared a draw, anyone who had witnessed it knew that Chen Fei had dominated throughout.
Every time Shen Tucang had gathered his strength to counterattack, Chen Fei had tactically withdrawn, frustrating Shen Tucang to the point of exasperation. During that period, Shen Tucang’s most uncomfortable and frustrating match had been against Chen Fei.
That match had become the backdrop for Chen Fei’s rise to fame. Whenever people talked about Chen Fei, they inevitably mentioned Shen Tucang. Shen Tucang had become synonymous with Chen Fei’s achievements.
For anyone else, it would have been a frustrating experience, especially when they were on the receiving end of such a thorough beating.
Perhaps fueled by that sense of frustration, Shen Tucang had patiently bided his time, eventually breaking through to the Aperture Tempering realm, becoming the first disciple of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s true disciple to achieve this milestone.
Shen Tucang’s reputation had soared above Chen Fei’s until Chen Fei himself had broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm a little over a year ago, leveling the playing field once more.
Shen Tucang had always harbored the idea of having another match with Chen Fei, seeking to settle the score from their previous encounter. Unfortunately, he hadn’t found the right opportunity until now.
Shen Tucang had considered the idea of directly challenging Chen Fei at the Primordial Sword Sect. However, with the crisis erupting within the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, he had chosen to put that thought on hold.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect wasn’t necessarily facing a life-or-death situation, but it was certainly dealing with numerous challenges. Shen Tucang challenging Chen Fei at a time like this would have seemed somewhat inappropriate.
Dedicating oneself to serious cultivation within the sect and steadily advancing one’s cultivation level was more meaningful than anything else.
Furthermore, with the generous distribution of cultivation resources within the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, Shen Tucang’s cultivation had advanced rapidly. Despite only breaking through to the Aperture Tempering realm a little over a year ago, he had already opened his fourth acupoint last month.
As his cultivation level continued to rise, Shen Tucang’s fixation on Chen Fei had diminished. He knew that over time, the gap in their cultivation would only widen.
Shen Tucang was well aware of the situation in the Primordial Sword Sect. Unlike the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, the Primordial Sword Sect couldn’t provide Chen Fei with abundant cultivation resources.
From what Shen Tucang knew, the Primordial Sword Sect only provided one Spirit Snow Pill and one Elemental Stone per month to the early Aperture Tempering realm elders.
In comparison to the resources Shen Tucang received, this allocation was meager. In the future, he was confident that he would leave Chen Fei far behind. Chen Fei was merely a somewhat conspicuous stepping stone in his path of cultivation.
Today, Shen Tucang was leading the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s Body Refining Realm disciples to wrap up things at the Long Rainbow Sect. He hadn’t expected to encounter Chen Fei.
Although Shen Tucang had gradually started to overlook Chen Fei in his heart, he hadn’t completely done so yet. Especially when they met today, that suppressed feeling from the past seemed to have become clearer once again.
Was there a better opportunity than now? Before he could truly leave Chen Fei behind in terms of cultivation, delivering a thorough beating to him seemed like a chance that couldn’t be missed. At this moment, nobody would accuse him of bullying the weak with his strength.
Otherwise, when he broke through to the mid Aperture Tempering Realm in the future and challenged Chen Fei, who would still consider it a fair fight, bullying someone of a lower realm?
“A match?” Chen Fei couldn’t help but be taken aback, not expecting Shen Tucang to propose such a request.
“Yes, a match. We both practically broke through at the same time. Completing the unfinished contest from back then, wouldn’t that be satisfying?” Shen Tucang stated firmly.
“No time,” Chen Fei shook his head, rejecting the idea outright. Back in the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s martial arena, Chen Fei had been obligated to participate, but there was absolutely no necessity for this match now.
Chen Fei continued on his way, attempting to bypass Shen Tucang. However, Shen Tucang blocked his path and appeared somewhat displeased.
Finally encountering Chen Fei after so long, Shen Tucang’s long-held grudge had resurfaced. If he didn’t have a match today, he suspected he would harbor resentment for a long time.
When he had been brutally beaten by Chen Fei in the past, Shen Tucang had never truly let go of that incident. Today, if he didn’t return the favor, how could he find peace?
No matter what, today’s match had to happen!
Chen Fei furrowed his brows slightly, wondering how things had escalated to this point. He had just thought of using his movement technique to shake off Shen Tucang when Shen Tucang’s words stopped him in his tracks.
“Ten Spirit Snow Pills, all for you if you win!” Shen Tucang said in a deep voice.
“Ten Spirit Snow Pills?
H
Chen Fei looked at Shen Tucang and thought about the comfortable life enjoyed by every Aperture Tempering realm cultivator in the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. Alchemy tasks were so demanding that they needed to be entrusted to the Alchemist Alliance.
It was easy to imagine the quality of the pills supplied to Aperture Tempering realm cultivators by the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect each month.
Chen Fei couldn’t discern the exact number of acupoints Shen Tucang had opened, but he was certain there were quite a few. Opening an acupoint every few months within just over a year was remarkable progress.
This speed would make many independent cultivators envious, and even Aperture Tempering realm cultivators from other sects would likely feel a pang of jealousy.
“Do you have Spirit Enhancing Pills?” Chen Fei looked at Shen Tucang and asked seriously.
Regarding the incident at Moyang Manor, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had rewarded Chen Fei with three Spirit Enhancing Pills, which he had taken on the same day.
One had to admit that these pills, specially designed to increase spiritual power, had an incredibly potent effect. Chen Fei had clearly felt his spiritual power grow significantly after consuming three Spirit Enhancing Pills, much faster than his silent cultivation.
Unfortunately, there were only three Spirit Enhancing Pills, and once they were consumed, they were gone.
Within the Alchemist Alliance, there were simply no pill-making tasks related to enhancing spiritual power, so Chen Fei couldn’t find a way to obtain more of them.
“What are you trying to say?” Shen Tucang looked at Chen Fei, who had suddenly become enthusiastic, and felt a bit puzzled.
“Fi… Fifty Spirit Enhancing Pills. If you’re willing to bet that, I’ll have a match with you!” Chen Fei originally wanted to say five pills but felt it was too low and quickly changed his offer.
“What do you think Spirit Enhancing Pills are? Where would I get fifty of them?” Shen Tucang’s eyes widened.
“How many do you have, then?”
“Seven pills!” Shen Tucang took out a pill bottle from his waist and looked at Chen Fei. He said, “1 lose. You can have these seven Spirit Enhancing Pills. But if you lose, what are you willing to wager?”
“How about this spiritual sword?” Chen Fei drew out the Qianyuan Sword, radiating a brilliant aura. In terms of quality and spirituality, the Qianyuan Sword was undoubtedly one of the best among lower-grade spiritual weapons. Shen Tucang examined it for a moment and nodded slightly.
While Shen Tucang might not have a use for it, selling the Qianyuan Sword could fetch him a considerable number of elemental stones.
“Go over there and find a witness, so no one can accuse me of cheating you out of your spiritual weapon,” Shen Tucang pointed to the location of the Long Rainbow Sect’s mountain gate, where the sect leaders from various sects were gathered.
Shen Tucang wanted to publicly defeat Chen Fei in front of everyone to vent his frustration. Additionally, the wager involving the spiritual weapon was substantial, and he wanted to ensure Chen Fei wouldn’t renege on the bet.
“Alright!” Chen Fei thought for a moment and nodded.
In a short while, the two of them arrived at the mountain gate. The atmosphere here was bustling, with most Aperture Tempering realm cultivators having returned.
As Shen Tucang explained the reason to Guo Huaiyu, Chen Fei’s request for a duel quickly spread through the crowd. Many had heard of the previous disputes between Chen Fei and Shen Tucang during their time as Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.
Now that the Long Rainbow Sect’s crisis had been resolved, using this duel as the final conclusion to the recent events added an interesting twist. Those who had initially been bored were suddenly intrigued.
“Senior Brother, shouldn’t you try to dissuade Chen Fei?” Wu Guangyin approached Qu Qingsheng and spoke in a low voice.
During their time as Body Refining realm cultivators, Chen Fei and Shen Tucang had fought to a draw. However, in the Aperture Tempering realm stage, especially considering the current situation within the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, the advantage was heavily in favor of their sect.
Chen Fei’s decision to wager his own spiritual sword was incredibly confident. If he happened to lose, not only would it be a blow to his martial aspirations, but losing the spiritual sword would also have a significant impact on his overall strength.
“Young people should make their own decisions,” Qu Qingsheng said with a somewhat peculiar expression.
Wu Guangyin turned to look at Feng Xiupu. At this point, it seemed that only Feng Xiupu could offer any advice.
“It’s fine,” Feng Xiupu patted Wu Guangyin on the shoulder reassuringly and said with a smile.
“Their strengths are evenly matched, and the outcome is uncertain!” Wu Guangyin was so frustrated that he wanted to curse. Couldn’t anyone see that Shen Tucang had a much greater advantage!
Bai Daoxiang sat cross-legged and watched Chen Fei not far away, his face filled with excitement as he adjusted his betting board. Both sides had equal odds, and many people had already placed their bets, with nearly ninety percent or more of them favoring Shen Tucang to win.
Bai Daoxiang calculated his potential profits and his body trembled with excitement. Everyone thought that Shen Tucang had a better chance of winning, but only he, who had been struck by Chen Fei’s sword, understood just how extraordinary Chen Fei was.
He didn’t hold a grudge against that sword strike anymore; instead, he was about to make a fortune from it.
“Do you have enough elemental stones, or are you willing to wager a spiritual weapon?” A figure suddenly appeared in front of Bai Daoxiang. Bai Daoxiang looked up in confusion and realized it was Nie Zhiyang.
“What do you mean?” Bai Daoxiang asked, puzzled.
“I’m betting this sword on Chen Fei to win!” Nie Zhiyang wore a broad smile as he handed over his own sword..