Chapter 386: Destiny

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

However, when Chen Fei’s mind exited the Strange Heart Realm, that feeling of dizziness and light-headedness reappeared once more. When his core soul energy reached the late stage of the Aperture tempering realm, the weakness in his acupoint cultivation was somewhat highlighted.

Fortunately, with the continuous operation of the Spirit Suppression of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique, this uncomfortable sensation gradually dissipated.

Inside the secret chamber, Chen Fei opened his eyes, and there seemed to be a radiant light in his gaze. An aura of not being angry but imposing emanated from him.

After a moment, this aura was retracted by Chen Fei.

For a short period, or until Chen Fei’s acupoint cultivation caught up, there was no need to enter the Strange Heart Realm again.

In martial cultivation, both elemental energy and core soul energy were crucial, and it was best for the number of acupoints not to exceed one’s core soul energy. Otherwise, it could lead to inadequate control. While core soul energy could surpass the number of acupoints, and many believed the more, the better, it was clear that more was not always better. People thought this way because they hadn’t had the opportunity to let their core soul energy significantly surpass the number of acupoints.

Exceeding the number of acupoints by a small margin was fine, but as in Chen Fei’s case, exceeding it by an entire realm, problems began to manifest. Thankfully, Chen Fei had the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique, and this minor issue wouldn’t adversely affect him.

The Strange Heart Realm would always be there; it wouldn’t disappear. Since Chen Fei had already found a way to increase his core soul energy, he could elevate it when needed.

The following morning.

“Has your core soul energy increased again?” Chi Shuqing muttered, looking at Chen Fei in astonishment.

A few days ago, Chi Shuqing had already noticed that Chen Fei’s core soul energy had become much stronger because they had been practicing together, and it was Chen Fei who predominantly guided the operation of the techniques.

Chi Shuqing clearly sensed the increased activity and growth in her own core soul energy, both of which exceeded her usual levels. Her own core soul energy hadn’t changed much recently, so any change could only come from Chen Fei.

However, today, Chi Shuqing discovered that the rate of increase in her core soul energy had unexpectedly risen again. It had only been a few days, and she couldn’t fathom how Chen Fei’s core soul energy could grow so rapidly.

“I made some gains in my cultivation,” Chen Fei said, looking at Chi Shuqing’s languid demeanor. “Have you heard of the Strange Heart Realm?”

“Of course, I’ve heard of it,” Chi Shuqing replied wearily. “Rumors say that only core soul energy can enter that place, and it’s filled with impurities. Only those in the Aperture tempering realm can resist that kind of mental contamination.” “Are you interested in visiting the Strange Heart Realm?” Chen Fei contemplated for a moment before saying.

At present, Chi Shuqing was too weak, and the assistance she provided to Chen Fei in their joint cultivation was diminishing. It had become more about enjoyment. Enjoyment was, of course, a good thing – a blend of work and leisure. But what if, on the foundation of enjoyment, they could continuously enhance their cultivation, wouldn’t that mean double the happiness?

Inside the Strange Heart Realm, there were numerous eerie creatures. Even if a few hundred people were to hunt them down, it wouldn’t pose any threat to Chen Fei, let alone just having one more person like Chi Shuqing. Moreover, Chen Fei could clearly sense that the effects on himself might start to weaken after the First-Order Eerie creatures, possibly to the point of no growth. However, if Chi Shuqing could improve, it would provide substantial assistance to Chen Fei.

“Go to the Strange Heart Realm?” Chi Shuqing was slightly startled but nodded nonetheless. Whatever Chen Fei said at this moment, she was willing to listen.

“Then let’s speed up our cultivation,” Chen Fei chuckled softly, and Chi Shuqing closed her eyes, blushing with shyness.

An hour later, Chen Fei led Chi Shuqing into the Strange Heart Realm.

It was Chi Shuqing’s first time in the Strange Heart Realm. The world was gray and white, with faint murmurs in the background. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she found this environment too oppressive.

Here, there was a strong aversion to living beings!

“Where are we going now?” Chi Shuqing stuck close to Chen Fei. It seemed that only in this way could she instinctively feel a hint of security.

Chen Fei didn’t speak. He activated the Star Gazing Art, his eyes emitting a faint light. In the next moment, he grabbed Chi Shuqing’s hand, his figure flickering, and he rushed forward.

After a moment, a blurry figure appeared in Chi Shuqing’s vision, and a chaotic and maddening aura swept toward them. Chi Shuqing was about to speak when she saw Chen Fei had already taken her into the black mist.

The eerie creature turned its head toward Chen Fei, its mouth about to roar, but before it could let out a roar, a sword light flashed, and the eerie creature’s figure split in two instantly.

The eerie creature’s stone floated out, and Chen Fei’s right foot stepped forward. The formation diagram of the Heart Refinement Formation appeared on the ground, forcibly pulling the eerie creature’s source over.

Having recently slain too many eerie creatures, Chen Fei had become adept at dealing with First-Order eerie creatures. He acted simply and straightforwardly.

Chi Shuqing was still somewhat unresponsive. She saw wisps of black gas emanating from the formation diagram, filled with filth and madness, making it seem best to avoid it.

In just a moment, a pure eerie creature source calmly floated within the formation diagram. Chi Shuqing glanced at Chen Fei, who nodded in agreement. Chi Shuqing then placed her palm on the formation diagram.

The eerie creature source within the formation floated over and passed through the position of Chi Shuqing’s palm. Chen Fei furrowed his brow slightly as he noticed that this eerie creature source didn’t integrate into Chi Shuqing’s mind.

Chi Shuqing also looked somewhat surprised. She could feel her mind’s strong desire to absorb this source, as integrating it would undoubtedly bring great benefits. However, to her dismay, this source seemed elusive, like an illusion, and there was no connection established between them.

Chen Fei attempted to control the source to make contact with Chi Shuqing, but the result remained unchanged. For Chi Shuqing, this source felt fake.

Stepping forward, Chen Fei reached into the formation diagram. As soon as the eerie creature source made contact with Chen Fei, it naturally merged into his mind.

Chen Fei radiated a faint light for a while before stopping.

His mind had grown a bit more, but compared to before, the growth provided by the First-Order eerie creature was now quite minimal. However, that wasn’t the main concern. The source was normal, so why couldn’t Chi Shuqing absorb it?

Chen Fei had some speculations in his mind. Activating the Star Gazing Art, he looked around and held Chi Shuqing’s hand. The two of them disappeared into the black mist.

After a moment, by the side of a small stream, Chen Fei sliced an eerie creature with his sword. It wasn’t dead yet, as Chen Fei had intentionally spared its life.

“You go ahead and kill it,” Chen Fei turned to Chi Shuqing and said.

“Alright!”

Without asking more questions, Chi Shuqing conjured a sword blade in her hand and proceeded to kill the eerie creatures with a few swift strikes.

As these eerie creatures weren’t slain using the Slaughter Spirit Technique, they manifested as a mass of black mist. Chi Shuqing drove this black mist into the Heart Refinement Formation.

The Heart Refinement Formation activated, and the black mist began to seep out. Within the formation diagram, only a cluster of eerie creature source remained. However, compared to when Chen Fei had used the Slaughter Spirit Technique, the formation took much longer to operate. It was only in the final moments that it expelled the lingering impurities from the source.

“Now, give it a try,” Chen Fei said, turning to Chi Shuqing.

Chi Shuqing nodded and reached her hand into the Heart Refinement Formation. The eerie creature source floated over, but the result was the same as the first time—it passed right through Chi Shuqing’s palm.

It was like a wisp of mist passing by, or even less substantial. At least with mist, you could feel its presence when it touched you, but this eerie creature source left Chi Shuqing without any sensation.

Chen Fei had Chi Shuqing step fully into the Heart Refinement Formation, but there was still no change. In the end, Chen Fei absorbed the eerie creature source.

“Heart technique, Heart Refinement Formation…”

In Chen Fei’s mind, he couldn’t help but recall the Heart Formation and the monk’s spiritual device he had encountered in the Strange Wind Realm. “Maybe I need to control this formation to make it work?” Chi Shuqing speculated.

“Perhaps, but it’s also possible that controlling the Heart Refinement Formation won’t allow us to absorb these sources either!” Chen Fei furrowed his brow and then thought of those ruined buildings once again.

With the might of the Heart Refinement Formation and the Star Gazing Art, that mysterious lineage must have been incredibly prosperous and powerful in its heyday. After all, the rapid growth of core soul energy could solve many problems for cultivators.

However, despite having such a powerful heritage, this lineage declined, leaving behind only remnants and ruins.

Chen Fei had initially thought that this lineage encountered an irresistible adversary within the Strange Heart Realm, leading to its downfall. Now it seemed that the transmission of this lineage required individuals with special constitutions to cultivate successfully, didn’t it?

The compatibility between techniques and cultivators mattered significantly.

If the compatibility was high, cultivation could be smooth sailing. Conversely, if the compatibility was lacking, it might be challenging to make progress, especially for those with mediocre talents.

Therefore, a sufficiently powerful sect typically had multiple techniques in its transmission, allowing its members to have a variety of choices rather than being confined to a single path.

Often, the introductory techniques for beginners were already a way of selecting suitable candidates. These entry-level techniques often embodied the unique characteristics of a sect’s techniques.

Regular cultivation techniques emphasized compatibility, so it was entirely normal for the mysterious lineage of the Strange Heart Realm to prioritize compatibility.

It was even possible that this lineage required individuals with certain physical attributes or mental characteristics to practice it.

“Let’s head back for now. I’ll pass on the Heart Refinement Formation to you later. Try to practice it and see if you can master it,” Chen Fei said softly, looking at Chi Shuqing.

Although Chen Fei had doubts about whether Chi Shuqing could control the Heart Refinement Formation, given her lack of response when she touched the source earlier, he still wanted to give it a try.

As for whether Chen Fei possessed this special constitution or not, it was uncertain. However, since the interface allowed Chen Fei to forcefully control the Heart Refinement Formation, whether he had a special constitution was no longer important.

“If I can’t control this formation in the future, I’ll still have to rely on you to cultivate my core soul energy,” Chi Shuqing said playfully, looking at Chen Fei.

Chi Shuqing also considered the possibility that she might not be able to control the formation, and she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. But constitution was something that couldn’t easily be changed; it was determined by one’s innate nature and was difficult to alter later in life.

Chen Fei smiled faintly, grasping Chi Shuqing’s hand, and they both disappeared into the Strange Heart Realm.

Over the next month, Chen Fei continued his systematic cultivation, opening up seven more acupoints, bringing his total to sixty-eight.

Compared to the previous pace of opening one acupoint every three days, Chen Fei’s progress was slightly slower this month. It wasn’t due to a lack of resources, but rather a deliberate decision to slow down in order to further solidify his foundation.

Compared to other cultivators, Chen Fei’s martial foundation was already exceptionally strong. After all, with late-stage Aperture Tempering realm techniques in his repertoire at the great completion level, he was undoubtedly a unique presence in this realm. Even in a place boasting numerous geniuses like the Imperial City or other dominant factions, it was unlikely for anyone to match Chen Fei’s monstrous talents..