Chapter 288: Dominating in All Directions
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Bai Daoxiang’s expression changed immediately. Who dared to take out their own sword and bet decisively on Chen Fei’s victory? Had this person also been struck by Chen Fei’s sword?
Only those who had personally experienced Chen Fei’s strength could understand how extraordinary it was. His power didn’t seem like that of an early-stage Aperture Tempering realm cultivator at all.
“You’re late to the party. This is a small-scale operation, not meant for such high stakes,” Bai Daoxiang said as he stood up and walked away.
He had just collected bets from more than a dozen people, and if Nie Zhiyang bet on Chen Fei’s victory, Bai Daoxiang would suffer heavy losses.
“Don’t go. Let’s run the operation together!” Nie Zhiyang’s voice rang in Bai Daoxiang’s ears. Bai Daoxiang couldn’t help but hesitate. This made him sure that Nie Zhiyang had also been beaten by Chen Fei; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so resolute.
Thinking about this, Bai Daoxiang turned to look at Nie Zhiyang. They had both been beaten by the same person; it was like fate.
“Alright, let’s run it together. Fifty-fifty profit sharing?” Bai Daoxiang messaged Nie Zhiyang. Despite sharing the profits, they could still make substantial gains if they handled most of the bets from the surrounding early-stage Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.
“Fifty-fifty profit sharing!” Nie Zhiyang smiled and nodded in agreement, sealing the deal.
The two of them sat cross-legged on the ground, ready to make some money. Just as they were about to start advertising, they saw Feng Xiupu approaching. Bai Daoxiang and Nie Zhiyang exchanged a glance and instantly had a bad feeling.
“I’ve bet fifty elemental stones on my disciple to support him. Is that okay?” Feng Xiupu smiled and asked.
“Fine, we understand,” Bai Daoxiang almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. What kind of situation was this? Was it so hard to make a bit of money?
Nie Zhiyang’s expression soured, and he noticed that several people who had been at the Sutra Library with him were also approaching. The betting had barely begun, and it was already disrupted.
Bai Daoxiang decided to return all the money that others had bet. Closing the betting prematurely and not allowing others to place their bets clearly violated the rules. If Chen Fei won in the end, those who had initially bet might feel cheated. This was different from a situation where many people placed bets simultaneously, and the betting was closed right before the match began.
For the sake of a few dozen elemental stones, he had needlessly offended a group of fellow early-stage Aperture Tempering realm cultivators. This business deal was not worth it.
Bai Daoxiang returned all the elemental stones with a disgruntled expression. He had hoped that getting struck by Chen Fei’s sword would at least help him break even, but now it seemed like he had suffered the blow for nothing.
The little commotion caused by Bai Daoxiang quickly subsided. Now, all eyes were focused on Chen Fei and Shen Tucang.
Not only the early-stage Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, but also the Body Refining cultivators from Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, were staring intently at the scene below, eager to witness who would emerge victorious between Chen Fei and Shen Tucang after reaching the Aperture Tempering realm.
Below the stage, Shen Tucang held a giant sword, and as he activated the Xuanwu Sword Technique, his body slightly swelled, exuding an intimidating aura that filled the surroundings.
Shen Tucang had a high degree of compatibility with the Xuanwu Sword Technique. Although he had only broken through to the Aperture Tempering realm a little over a year ago, he had already mastered the basics of the Xuanwu Sword Technique and continued to comprehend it at an astonishing speed.
Whether it was talent or insight, Shen Tucang was among the best, and as a result, Immortal Cloud Sword Sect spared no effort in cultivating him. They provided him with an ample supply of Spirit Snow Pills, and even the precious Spirit Enhancing Pills were generously given to him, all to ensure rapid growth in both his cultivation and mental power.
“Let’s begin!” Guo Huaiyu shouted as he saw that both of them were ready.
“Boom!”
As soon as Guo Huaiyu’s voice fell, Shen Tucang’s feet moved, and he rushed towards Chen Fei. It seemed as if a giant beast was roaring behind Shen Tucang, sending shivers down everyone’s spine.
The onlookers watched with solemn expressions. The aura Shen Tucang displayed at this moment, while still slightly inferior to theirs, was not as far off as they had imagined. Keep in mind that Shen Tucang had only broken through a little over a year ago. With a few more years of cultivation, catching up to them was almost inevitable.
The rise of the new generation made many people feel uneasy. They couldn’t help but glance at the disciples of the Primordial Sword Sect, who had mostly serious expressions, clearly impressed by Shen Tucang’s displayed aura.
Chen Fei remained calm, observing as Shen Tucang rushed towards him. When Shen Tucang’s sword thrust came, it resembled the emergence of a dark tortoise, exuding a fierce and menacing aura that directly challenged Chen Fei’s mental state.
“Boom!”
The entire ground trembled as cracks extended from beneath their feet. Chen Fei’s Qianyuan Sword was now enveloped in black elemental energy, its blade raised high to intercept Shen Tucang’s strike.
Shen Tucang was undoubtedly strong, among the top in the newly advanced Aperture Tempering realm cultivators. However, he faced Chen Fei. In a one-on-one battle, Chen Fei could take down three of his peers from Long Rainbow Sect without breaking a sweat. If Chen Fei went all out, defeating Shen Tucang wouldn’t even require using two strokes.
But it was evident that Chen Fei had no intention of displaying that level of power. It wasn’t about saving face for Immortal Cloud Sword Sect; it was about keeping the progress of his strength a secret. His rapid advancement could make everyone wary.
A tall tree catches the wind; this was just a friendly competition. Chen Fei had no need to reveal his true capabilities. Therefore, Chen Fei needed to think about how to defeat Shen Tucang reasonably.
Displaying one’s talent is acceptable, but displaying too much of it can be seen as an unstable factor by outsiders.
“All right!”
Seeing that Chen Fei easily blocked his attacks, Shen Tucang’s expression became even more excited. He didn’t want Chen Fei to be defeated in one blow; that would disappoint him greatly.
“Roar!”
Shen Tucang swung his giant sword, and the blade cut through the air, emitting a mournful sound. The strong wind howled, and from the scene alone, you could tell the tremendous force behind this strike.
“Bang!”
Chen Fei’s wrist turned as he blocked Shen Tucang’s giant sword by his side. The howling wind rustled Chen Fei’s clothes, making a tearing sound.
Shen Tucang burst into laughter, and his aura began to continuously rise. Compared to the beginning, both his momentum and presence had improved significantly.
The Xuanwu Sword Technique had compensated for some of the flaws exposed during the Body Refining realm, such as the need to accumulate power only after being attacked, and then launching a counterattack. Now, Shen Tucang didn’t have to be so passive. With every attack, he could continuously enhance his strength and defense.
This was a top-notch technique that grew stronger with every battle. If the opponent didn’t interrupt Shen Tucang’s attacks, even if they could resist at the beginning, they would eventually be overwhelmed by his overwhelming power.
Chen Fei also sensed Shen Tucang’s changes, and his eyes flickered slightly. Compared to the Heavy Zhongyuan Technique, the Xuanwu Sword Technique was indeed more exquisite. Unfortunately, it belonged to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, and Chen Fei had no chance to fully understand it.
“Boom!”
In just the blink of an eye, the two of them had exchanged blows ten times. Shen Tucang’s momentum dominated in all directions, and his imposing aura continuously impacted Chen Fei’s mental state.
If it were a warrior with a slightly weaker core soul energy, they might feel fearful just facing this kind of aura. However, for Chen Fei, not to mention the Spirit Suppression effect of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique, even the Thousand Threads Technique alone is enough to withstand the impact of this aura.
Onlookers nearby, many of them now have slightly furrowed brows, and their assessment of Shen Tucang has further improved.
It has only been a little over a year since he broke through, and given time, if Shen Tucang can maintain this rate of growth, he will have a place in the entire vicinity of Immortal Cloud City in the future.
“Hahaha, Brother Chen, take my move, Xuanwu Break!” Shen Tucang’s momentum reached its peak, and the terrifying force pulled Chen Fei, leaving him no chance to escape.
Chen Fei felt the force tearing around him and realized that he could use the Soaring Heaven Technique to evade it. The power of the Zhongyuan Sword could also counteract it. In other words, as long as Chen Fei was willing, this strike would not land on him.
The Xuanwu Sword Technique was exquisite, but Shen Tucang’s comprehension was still somewhat shallow. When facing Chen Fei, the gap in their understanding of cultivation techniques was significant, and they had clear differences in their basic cultivation. Throughout the entire duel, the gap was obvious, even though Shen Tucang did not realize it.
“Boom!” Shen Tucang struck down with a sword, not hitting Chen Fei but landing on a black barrier. The barrier trembled continuously, shifting the force applied to it to the surroundings.
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!” The Zhongyuan Sword Formation took shape, surrounding Shen Tucang within it. Twenty sword pearls whizzed inside the formation, striking Shen Tucang’s giant sword with great force.
“Zhongyuan Sword Formation!”
As a well-known legacy technique of the Primordial Sword Sect, when the sword formation was unleashed, everyone around recognized it immediately. What surprised the onlookers the most, however, was the number of sword pearls within the formation.
The level of comprehension of the Zhongyuan Sword Formation could be most directly observed by the number of sword pearls. The more beads there were, the stronger the power of the formation.
Many elders within the Primordial Sword Sect looked on with amazement. They practiced the Zhongyuan Sword, and more importantly, their level of comprehension of the technique didn’t seem to be much better than Chen Fei’s.
There was a smile on Feng Xiupu’s face, not because of Chen Fei’s displayed strength, but because Chen Fei knew how to hide his true abilities. Never let others know your true strength; only then, in critical moments, can it save your life.
Qu Qingsheng nodded slightly, indicating that this level of strength was already sufficient.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
Inside the sword formation, Shen Tucang wielded his giant sword, encompassing his entire body within it, fending off the assaults of the surrounding sword pearls.
Twenty sword pearls continued to attack incessantly, employing various sword techniques. If one’s strength was slightly weaker, they would probably have already been injured by the sword pearls. Shen Tucang had not expected that Chen Fei had comprehended the Zhongyuan Sword to this extent.
Just like the unexpected rise in the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s sparring arena back then, it caught everyone off guard. The level of comprehension of this technique now left everyone in astonishment.
Shen Tucang had thought that his speed of comprehending the technique was already fast enough, only to realize that Chen Fei had surpassed him. The Zhongyuan Sword couldn’t compare to the Xuanwu Sword Technique, but it couldn’t resist someone else’s deeper understanding, and the situation had instantly turned around..