Chapter 387 - Chapter 387: Puppet
Chapter 387: Puppet
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
In addition to achieving mastery in his techniques, Chen Fei’s core soul energy had also reached the later stages of the Aperture tempering realm. Furthermore, his robust physique, granted by the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Technique, along with all these factors, provided Chen Fei with an unparalleled foundation.
However, even with all these advantages, Chen Fei decided to take it a bit slower.
After opening each acupoint, Chen Fei would pause for a few days to contemplate the changes the acupoint brought to his body. Once he understood these changes, he would proceed to open new acupoints.
In the practice of cultivation, understanding the underlying principles was crucial, not just knowing the techniques. Failing to grasp the why and how of things could lead to future problems.
The interface, an extraordinary existence, offered Chen Fei profound insights during the cultivation of each technique. These insights allowed him to comprehend the mysteries hidden within the techniques.
Chen Fei diligently absorbed these insights, making them a part of himself. Although Chen Fei had slightly slowed his pace, opening seven acupoints in a month was still an incredible speed that would leave others in disbelief if it were known.
From the breakthrough of the mid – stage Aperture tempering realm to now, it had been roughly eight months, not even a full year. Yet, in this short span, Chen Fei had already opened sixty-eight acupoints.
With only four more acupoints to open, Chen Fei would be able to attempt breaking through to the later stage of the Aperture tempering realm. To achieve this leap in just under a year, from mid-stage to later stage, was an accomplishment that would sound like a dream to most. Many cultivators in the Aperture tempering realm struggled to open a single acupoint in a year, making Chen Fei’s rapid progress nothing short of astonishing.
Initially, it took Chen Fei over two years to break through from the early stage of the Aperture tempering realm to the mid-stage. Now, as his cultivation level grew, the time required for breakthroughs became increasingly shorter. In the past month, in addition to the growth of his acupoint cultivation, Chen Fei also reached mastery in the practice of Star Gazing Art.
Having achieved this level in the Star Gazing Art, Chen Fei’s sensory perception had become remarkably heightened even when he wasn’t actively using the technique.
Currently, even cultivators at the later stages of the Aperture tempering realm or the pinnacle of the realm couldn’t approach Chen Fei without being detected. Notions of ambush or surprise attacks were utterly ineffective against him.
Furthermore, Chen Fei could extend his vision for dozens of miles, granting him an expanded awareness of the surrounding area.
While he couldn’t yet achieve “Thousand-Mile Soul Lock,” within a hundred miles, if someone’s aura was detected by Chen Fei, they had no hope of evading his pursuit.
Unless that person possessed a speed that far surpassed Chen Fei’s. However, among cultivators of the same realm, Chen Fei had yet to encounter anyone ’ with such exceptional speed.
Apart from the Star Gazing Art, Chen Fei had been consistently practicing the “Primordial Sword Scripture,” which had reached the perfection of its fourth level.
Although reaching the fourth level of the Primordial Sword Scripture allowed Chen Fei to begin incorporating it into the inheritance of the fourth style, his current primary focus was on mastering the “Great Thunder Sword,” which was still in the stage of proficiency.
Hence, the complete mastery of the fourth level of the Primordial Sword Scripture had not yet provided Chen Fei with significant combat enhancements.
However, given the current pace of his practice with the Great Thunder Sword, it wouldn’t be long before it reached perfection. With a perfected Great Thunder Sword, incorporated into the Primordial Sword Scripture, the boost in power would become quite substantial.
Chen Fei’s accelerated cultivation speed also influenced the pace of training for Chi Shuqing.
After all, they had been practicing together, and Chen Fei’s source power had always been the guiding force. The stronger Chen Fei became, the more he could naturally channel the elemental energy from all directions.
Currently, Chi Shuqing practically lived at the Primordial Sword Sect. The constant back and forth between her own cultivation and assisting Chen Fei was starting to feel bothersome. When compared to her solo cultivation, the speed of advancement while practicing with Chen Fei was undeniably much faster.
Clearly, when there were quicker and better alternatives available, hardly anyone would choose the original way.
Going from frugality to luxury is easy, but reversing the process and returning to frugality can test one’s self-discipline. The key was that Chi Shuqing had no need to test her self-discipline in this matter; there was simply no reason to consider it.
Moreover, after each joint cultivation session, Chi Shuqing’s body would feel weak, and she needed quite some time to recover before she could leave.
Chi Shuqing was very content with this cultivation lifestyle. However, the only issue was that she had been struggling to make progress with the Heart Refinement Formation that Chen Fei had taught her.
Even though she could understand things like diagrams, she couldn’t seem to lay out the formation, whether in reality or within the Strange Heart Realm. This seemed to confirm Chen Fei’s earlier speculation that the mysterious cultivation techniques or formations from that particular lineage might indeed require a specific kind of constitution to succeed.
Clearly, Chi Shuqing did not possess this constitution, while the young disciple from the earlier seedling period probably had the required constitution, meeting the lineage’s criteria.
Because Chi Shuqing frequently visited the Primordial Sword Sect, news of her relationship with Chen Fei had spread throughout the sect. Most of the elders looked at Chen Fei with envious eyes. The selection of partners among disciples of the Sunken Water Pavilion was already strict, and for elders in the Aperture tempering realm, it was even more so.
Chi Shuqing choosing Chen Fei in the beginning might have surprised some people, especially since Chen Fei seemed to possess immense potential but hadn’t yet transformed it into true strength. Only a select few like Qu Qingsheng truly understood how accurate Chi Shuqing’s judgment was and how swiftly she acted.
Under a starry sky, in the courtyard, Chen Fei sat cross-legged with Chi Shuqing beside him. She hadn’t left tonight mainly due to her lack of strength. Suddenly, Chen Fei’s eyes opened, and he looked in the direction of the mountain gate with a puzzled expression. He slowly stood up.
“What’s wrong?” Chi Shuqing asked, watching Chen Fei.
“Something’s odd!”
A faint light flashed in Chen Fei’s eyes. With Star Gazing Art activated, he ignored all terrain obstacles and took in the scene outside the mountain gate. “Elder Wu?”
Seeing the figure outside the mountain gate, Chen Fei was momentarily surprised. He naturally recognized the aura of Wu Guangyin. However, at this moment, Wu Guangyin felt extremely peculiar to Chen Fei, completely different from before.
What was more critical was that Wu Guangyin should be on the other side in Shang Wu City, monitoring the situation there. How could he suddenly return here?
Outside the mountain gate, Wu Guangyin moved silently, slipping into the mountain gate like a night bat. The disciples patrolling the mountain didn’t notice his presence. The formations inside the gate had already recorded his aura and didn’t trigger any alarms.
Wu Guangym’s figure flickered as he arrived at the residence of the inner sect disciples. His eyes displayed moments of clarity and struggle, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.
However, as the red glow in Wu Guangyin’s eyes grew stronger, the signs of his struggle gradually faded away. Instead, a bloodthirsty expression began to surface, sending shivers down one’s spine.
A sinister smile crept onto Wu Guangyin’s lips as he moved towards a particular house. With his right hand extended forward, a powerful suction force emanated from his hand.
An inner sect disciple was helplessly drawn into Wu Guangyin’s grasp, completely defenseless. Just as Wu Guangyin was about to crush the disciple’s neck, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Wu Guangyin’s expression changed abruptly, and he was about to react, but he suddenly felt an immense force surging into his body. All his elemental energy retreated in the face of this overpowering strength.
Wu Guangyin had almost no resistance and was subdued, unable to move.
With a gentle movement of his right hand, Chen Fei silently returned the oblivious inner sect disciple back into the residence. With Wu Guangyin in tow, he disappeared towards the main peak.
Wu Guangyin’s body trembled incessantly as he attempted to break free from Chen Fei’s restraint. However, the disparity in their strengths, coupled with Chen Fei’s sudden intervention, made it impossible for Wu Guangyin to escape. In the blink of an eye, Chen Fei arrived in front of Qu Qingsheng’s courtyard. Sensing Chen Fei’s aura, Qu Qingsheng appeared at the door and saw Chen Fei holding Wu Guangyin.
Upon witnessing this scene, Qu Qingsheng was momentarily surprised. However, he quickly noticed something unusual about Wu Guangyin. It wasn’t just the cruelty in Wu Guangyin’s eyes; there was also something extremely peculiar mixed in his aura.
“Just now, Elder Wu appeared in the inner sect disciple’s area…”
Chen Fei briefly recounted the recent events. When Qu Qingsheng heard that Wu Guangyin intended to kill an inner sect disciple, a hint of shock appeared on Qu Qingsheng’s face.
Qu Qingsheng was about to approach and assess Wu Guangyin’s condition when Wu Guangyin’s body suddenly trembled slightly, and the faint aura of cruelty that had been emerging vanished instantly.
Wu Guangyin slowly opened his eyes and, upon seeing Qu Qingsheng and Chen
Fei, he couldn’t help but pause, not fully understanding what had happened. Glancing around, Wu Guangyin realized he was back within the sect, and his surprise deepened.
“Sect Master, wasn’t I in Shang Wu City? What’s going on?” Wu Guangyin looked at Qu Qingsheng, his expression filled with confusion, puzzlement, and a hint of anxiety.
For anyone to suddenly find themselves transported thousands of miles away with a blink of an eye would be quite unnerving, let alone for someone in the Aperture tempering realm. This level of disorientation was even more terrifying.
“Do you have no recollection of what just happened?” Qu Qingsheng furrowed his brows.
As a veteran Aperture tempering realm cultivator in the Primordial Sword Sect, even though Wu Guangyin was only in the early Aperture tempering realm stage, he possessed significantly more experience and strength than the average elder. Under these circumstances, if Wu Guangyin could be silently controlled, what might happen to others who encountered a similar situation?
Chen Fei released his grip on Wu Guangyin’s shoulder, took a step back, and watched Wu Guangyin. He didn’t speak but continued to operate the Star Gazing Art to its fullest extent.
“I only remember observing the movements of that person in Shang Wu City. Everything that happened afterward is a blank,” Wu Guangyin shook his head.
“Relax your mind, I will examine your sea of consciousness,” Qu Qingsheng said with a solemn tone after a moment of contemplation.
Wu Guangyin’s situation seemed akin to someone having placed an imprint on his mind and subsequently manipulating it at will. Unfortunately, when it came to one’s own mental state, it was difficult for others to discern any irregularities from the outside if the person did not release their guard.
“Very well,” Wu Guangyin nodded.
Releasing his mental guard would mean being completely defenseless, but Wu Guangyin didn’t hesitate.
“Wait a moment,” Chen Fei suddenly stopped Qu Qingsheng, who looked at him with some confusion.
“Elder Wu, do you think Master Xi Lian is foolish?” Chen Fei stared at Wu Guangyin and suddenly asked.
“What…what?” Wu Guangyin’s aura trembled significantly, and he looked at Chen Fei with a bewildered expression.
“I mean, Master Xi Lian, is he a fool and a despicable person?” Chen Fei said with a stern voice.
“You… how dare you!”
Wu Guangyin’s eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, his acupoints all over his body quivered, and he was about to explode. However, Chen Fei’s right hand, in the form of a sword finger, had already touched Wu Guangyin’s forehead in advance..