Chapter 394: Fainting

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation , Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

In the middle stage of the Aperture Tempering Realm, there was a sign of acupoint synergy, indicating an imminent breakthrough into the late Aperture Tempering Realm. Even though Chi Shuqing’s own cultivation level was not high, she had some knowledge.

However, Chen Fei’s rate of cultivation growth seemed a bit exaggerated.

From breaking through the early Aperture Tempering Realm to now, it hadn’t even been four years. Four years might be considered a long time for ordinary people, and for martial cultivators in the Body Tempering Realm, it could allow for further progress.

But for those in the Aperture Tempering Realm, four years of time was probably just enough for those in the early stage to stabilize their cultivation. If the cultivation went smoothly, they might be able to open two or three acupoints, which would already be considered excellent talent.

With even better talent, perhaps they could open a few more acupoints, but that would be the limit, with no further changes expected.

However, when it came to Chen Fei, four years had been enough to go from the early stage of cultivation to breaking through to the middle stage of cultivation, which was already astonishing. And now, there were even signs of breaking through to the late stage of cultivation.

At this moment, aside from suspecting whether Chen Fei was some kind of ancient monster reincarnated, Chi Shuqing also began to wonder where her own years of cultivation had led her.

Clearly, both were on the path of martial arts, but why did Chen Fei’s path seem so strange, strange enough to make people doubt its authenticity. “Occasionally, there are gains in cultivation,” Chen Fei said with a soft smile when he saw Chi Shuqing’s surprised expression.

“I wish I could have occasional gains too,” Chi Shuqing said, clinging to Chen Fei’s arm, her voice sweet.

“Your physique is a bit weaker; it’s hard for me to help,” Chen Fei pinched Chi Shuqing’s cheek gently, feeling its delicate texture.

Hearing Chen Fei mention her weaker physique, Chi Shuqing shyly buried her head, unsure of how to respond to such words.

Chi Shuqing used to hear from her senior sisters that she should have the upper hand when practicing together. However, when it came to Chen Fei, she found that she was often the first to give in during their joint practice sessions. This was completely different from what her senior sisters had told her.

The next morning, Chen Fei arrived at Immortal Cloud City in high spirits, while Chi Shuqing was still lying weak in Chen Fei’s courtyard.

Last night, Chi Shuqing seemed to have been provoked by Chen Fei’s words feeling a sense of injustice. It didn’t make sense that the principles that worked with her fellow sisters didn’t seem to apply when it came to Chen Fei. There must be some problem in the process.

Chi Shuqing hadn’t figured out which part of the process was the issue yet, but that was okay. Practice would reveal the truth. When you don’t understand something, you go straight into action, and then everything becomes clear.

So, Chi Shuqing decided to challenge her own limits. She felt that surrendering too early might be one reason why she seemed weaker.

As long as she held on, she believed that in the end, it would be Chen Fei who couldn’t hold on.

She had lower cultivation and less insight than Chen Fei, and there was no reason to give up in this aspect as well.

Therefore, Chi Shuqing persisted, and whether it was self-encouragement or not, she indeed held on for much longer than before, surprising even Chen Fei. However, Chen Fei was only mildly surprised. Looking at Chi Shuqing’s somewhat triumphant expression, he exerted a bit more force, and the final result was self-evident.

Even though Chi Shuqing encouraged herself to persevere with all her might, some things couldn’t be changed solely by willpower.

Not being able to hold on was indeed just that – not being able to hold on. Chi Shuqing’s thoughts kept circling around this idea in her mind after fainting. Within Immortal Cloud City, Chen Fei continued his usual visit to Chi Defeng’s residence. Chi Defeng’s son was growing up, and due to good nutrition and careful care from an early age, he looked much healthier than the average child. s

Moreover, he wasn’t afraid of strangers and would approach Chen Fei to say hello.

The couple, Chi Defeng and his wife, appeared somewhat worried, clearly affected by the recent events involving Master Xi Lian.

The calamity of the Ghastly puppet had already spread throughout the entire vicinity of Immortal Cloud City, and everyone knew about the events that happened ten days ago. While they were grateful for the protection of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, they couldn’t help but feel anxious.

The strength of Shangwu City had gradually formed an impression in everyone’s minds. In the past, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was seen as an undefeatable force, but with the events of the past few years, it had undeniably weakened.

Faced with the even more powerful Divine Flame Sect, they feared there might be no better solution. When it truly became impossible to stay, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect might be able to flee, but what about ordinary people like them? Where could they possibly run to?

This wasn’t baseless worry but a real and ongoing situation. Previously, with the arrival of the Yu family, Immortal Cloud City had briefly returned to its former prosperity, even surpassing it.

However, with the occurrence of the Ghastly puppet calamity, this prosperity quickly waned, and many people no longer had the heart to enjoy it.

For the lowest members of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, after their initial concerns, they had no choice but to continue with their daily lives. They couldn’t change anything and couldn’t even change their own circumstances. Fretting about it would be somewhat melodramatic.

As for those who had some resources, they found that they seemed unable to change the situation either. Immortal Cloud City was already the safest place for miles around, so where else could they run?

The Imperial City?

In theory, that should be the safest place in this region. However, the distance from Immortal Cloud City to the Imperial City was at least thousands of miles Under the current circumstances, aside from cultivators in the Aperture Tempering Realm who could traverse such distances, the chances of anyone else reaching the Imperial City and surviving were slim.

Relying on his past cooperation with Chen Fei, Chi Defeng had managed to accumulate a considerable fortune. In recent years, most people didn’t dare to trouble him because of his connection with Chen Fei.

So these past few years, Chi Defeng had been living quite comfortably, and he had hoped to peacefully grow old like this without regrets. However, he was now being told that having a normal and peaceful old age seemed rather difficult in the current circumstances. Anyone in his shoes would likely feel some anxiety.

Chen Fei patted Chi Defeng’s shoulder and offered some comforting words which had some effect. If something truly went wrong, Chi Defeng had decided that he would follow Chen Fei, which might increase his chances of survival.

After checking on Chi Defeng, Chen Fei went to find Si Yuanhai of the Resisting Evil lineage and discussed the Strange Heart Stones Si Yuanhai had given him the last time.

Without those Strange Heart Stones, even if Chen Fei had perfected his Heart Refinement Formation, he couldn’t set it up without the essential materials. Searching specifically for Strange Heart Stones within the Strange Heart Realm wasn’t terribly difficult, but it did require some luck. Sometimes you could stumble upon them by chance with just a brief search, while other times, even after spending ten days or half a month inside, you might not see the slightest trace of a Strange Heart stone.

The appearance of Strange Heart Stones within the Strange Heart Realm followed no particular pattern; it was entirely random. In the physical world, you could usually track the growth of herbs or understand the conditions they required. Many spiritual materials had similar patterns. However, Strange Heart Stones were an exception; they were purely a matter of luck.

Now, with the advancement of his Star Gazing Art, Chen Fei’s perception had increased significantly within the Strange Heart Realm, allowing him to find some Strange Heart Stones.

Finding Strange Heart stones wasn’t as simple as searching for Strange Heart, but it was indeed easier than before.

This time, Chen Fei had brought back several Strange Heart stones to return to

Si Yuanhai. Si Yuanhai was reluctant to accept them because the debt of gratitude Chen Fei owed to their sect was far more significant than a few Strange Heart stones.

Si Yinan, on the other hand, watched the scene with a smiling face and didn’t interject. Compared to their first meeting years ago, Si Yinan had grown into a graceful young lady, no longer exhibiting the mischievous behavior of her youth.

Half an hour later, Chen Fei left, unable to persuade Si Yuanhai to accept the Strange Heart stones. In the end, Chen Fei didn’t insist on it.

Chen Fei strolled over to the Endless Sea Pavilion, which was his primary purpose for coming to Immortal Cloud City today – to purchase medicinal pills.

With seventy-one acupoints opened and acupoint synergy established, all that was left for Chen Fei to break through to the late Aperture Tempering Realm was to open one more acupoint. It wasn’t a foregone conclusion, but it wouldn’t pose too great a difficulty for him.

However, a simple breakthrough to the late Aperture Tempering Realm didn’t align with Chen Fei’s character.

When breaking through from the middle to late Aperture Tempering Realm, the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth would surge intensely’ making the absorption of spiritual energy easier than before. Furthermore, ’ because the acupoints and mental power were undergoing refinement by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, they would become much more sensitive and acute. During this time, if resources were sufficient, it was entirely possible to advance one’s cultivation even further.

Chen Fei had come to the Endless Sea Pavilion to purchase a sufficient quantity of spiritual pills to be consumed later.

Of course, Chen Fei wouldn’t buy everything from just one store; that would draw too much attention. There were many apothecaries in Immortal Cloud City selling spiritual pills, and Chen Fei planned to purchase from multiple shops.

“Chen Hall Master, it’s been a while. Is there something you need?” The shopkeeper at Endless Sea Pavilion greeted Chen Fei with a slight smile.

’Td like to buy some spiritual pills to enhance my cultivation,” Chen Fei replied.

“We’ve recently received a new batch of spiritual pills in the store. Chen Hall Master, please follow me,” the shopkeeper said, leading Chen Fei upstairs with a slight gesture of his right hand.

“Primordial Sword Sect, Chen Fei?”

As they ascended the stairs, a figure appeared at the midway landing of the second floor. The man was nearly two meters tall, with a sturdy build and a full beard on his face. Chen Fei searched his memory for a moment and recognized who the person was.

It was Yu family’s Yu Shijin, with an early cultivation level in the Aperture Tempering Realm. He was a direct member of the Yu family, known for his exceptional talent, and it was said that he had earned the favor of the Yu family’s Patriarch, Yu Shoucheng, making him the pride of the Yu family.

Families like the Yu family valued both talent and family connections when allocating resources, and Yu Shijin seemed to have both in abundance. His cultivation had progressed rapidly, and he had reportedly opened over a dozen acupoints, with exceptional mastery of his cultivation technique.

“I heard you have good talent. How about a friendly match?” Yu Shijin looked at Chen Fei with a challenging expression..