Chapter 396: Enlightenment

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The immense medicinal power within the elixir surged through Chen Fei’s body, while external vital energy also flowed into him, exerting constant pressure on his physique.

For other cultivators, facing such a situation would likely make them feel overwhelmed.

During a breakthrough, the nearby natural energy would become restless. It was a tempering process for both the body and the mind. Most cultivators would diligently absorb this energy at this time, converting it into their own foundation and strength.

However, Chen Fei found this insufficient and directly consumed the elixir, aiming to advance his strength in a short period.

They say “greed can lead to self-destruction,” but Chen Fei wasn’t just anyone; he had enough power to do this. What seemed like a reckless act to other practitioners was nothing more than a step forward in Chen Fei’s eyes. “Hum!”

The Suppressing Dragon Elephant trembled. The originally chaotic medicinal power and vital energy were forcibly suppressed. Following the route outlined in the Primordial Sword Scripture, they were refined into elemental force and filled into his apertures.

The seventy-second aperture was quickly filled, and in the next moment, the seventy-third aperture was opened, allowing the majestic elemental force to rush in.

At the same time, the effect of tempering the mind through the natural energy of the world began to manifest. A feeling of ethereal transcendence arose within Chen Fei’s heart.

This was the sublimation of the mind, different from the growth of his mind after he had refined the Strange Heart Realm.

On the martial path, during the Body Tempering realm, cultivators refined their five viscera and six bowels in preparation for breaking through to the Aperture Tempering realm. When their cultivation reached the Aperture Tempering realm, they absorbed natural energy, continuing to refine their bodies at a deeper level.

Every time there was a breakthrough in the minor realm, the natural energy of heaven and earth would temper every aspect of a martial artist. Previously, when Chen Fei broke through from the early Aperture Tempering realm to’the mid Aperture Tempering realm, his mind had also undergone tempering, but it felt completely different from this time.

This time, Chen Fei felt that his mind had become incredibly agile and free, and the speed of his thoughts had reached an unprecedented level. Enlightenment!

A word appeared in Chen Fei’s mind. It was recorded in the Primordial Sword Scripture that when a martial artist broke through to the late Aperture Tempering realm, there would be a collision of insight in their mind.

This collision of insight was elusive and unpredictable. Depending on the individual’s circumstances, the duration of this insight collision varied, and even some martial artists with lesser foundations did not experience it. Or if it did occur, it was too brief to grasp.

The Great Thunder Sword!

As soon as Chen Fei felt his mind becoming more agile, he didn’t hesitate at all and began to comprehend the Great Thunder Sword.

Because he knew there would be one moment of insight, Chen Fei had already planned how to make the most of this rare opportunity before his breakthrough.

Compared to other practitioners, Chen Fei’s speed of comprehending martial techniques was absolutely unimaginable. However, he wouldn’t give up on this opportunity that was akin to an epiphany just because he could comprehend techniques quickly.

The Soul Tempering stage of Suppressing Dragon Elephant was too profound and mysterious. He had only mastered them to a limited extent at the Proficiency Realm, and there was still a long way to go before reaching the Perfection.

Most martial techniques, without reaching a certain level, mainly accumulated quantity without providing a qualitative transformation of power. This moment of insight couldn’t elevate the Soul Tempering stage of Suppressing Dragon Elephant to the Perfection.

The Great Thunder Sword, on the other hand, had already reached the Perfection, and it wasn’t too far from the Great Completion. At Chen Fei’s current rate of progress, it would probably take another half a year to fully cultivate the Great Thunder Sword to the Great Completion level.

A time period of half a year might not seem significant for practitioners in the Aperture Tempering realm. Chen Fei also considered it quite manageable. However, given the current tense situation, if there was a chance to shorten this half-year timeframe, Chen Fei would naturally take advantage of it.

Moreover, Chen Fei had already perfected the fourth layer of the Primordial Sword Scripture long ago and was currently cultivating the fifth layer. As soon as the Great Thunder Sword reached the Great Completion level, Chen Fei’s strength would immediately experience a significant boost.

Countless insights regarding the Great Thunder Sword collided within Chen Fei’s sea of consciousness. Compared to the usual gradual progress in cultivation, the profound mysteries of the Great Thunder Sword were almost entirely presented before Chen Fei at this moment.

“Sizzle!”

A faint electric light appeared on the surface of Chen Fei’s body, bursting forth with great intensity. His aura at this moment was as imposing as heavenly might. However, this aura gradually receded and returned to calm.

The Great Thunder Sword, Great Completion level, achieved! Meanwhile, the collision of insights in his mind continued.

Typically, the duration of such insight collisions was not long. Many martial artists took the opportunity when breaking through to the late Aperture Tempering realm to comprehend their primary martial techniques.

By doing so, when the breakthrough concluded, martial techniques with fewer apertures to unlock could almost be fully understood. Even top-tier inheritances that could unlock over a hundred apertures could be comprehended to a significant extent.

This approach had immense benefits for both their current strength and future cultivation.

After completing the comprehension of the Great Thunder Sword, Chen Fei sensed that there was still a bit of time left in this state of insight.

Perhaps it was due to Chen Fei’s mind power reaching the late Aperture Tempering realm before the breakthrough, which was crucial. After all, the collision of insight depended on the connection between the mind and the natural energy of heaven and earth.

The stronger one’s mind, the longer the duration of insight collisions.

Without any delay, Chen Fei began to comprehend the Star Gazing Art. The Star Gazing Art was already very close to the Great Completion level, and with just a moment of insight, its proficiency soared. In a short while, it reached the state of Great Completion.

By this point, it was evident that the insight collision was showing signs of weakening, indicating that this enlightenment born from the breakthrough was coming to an end.

To have this kind of opportunity again, Chen Fei would have to break through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Even reaching the peak of the Aperture Tempering realm with a full aperture cultivation of 108 would not grant such insight collisions.

At the tail end of the enlightenment, Chen Fei applied it to the Thousand Thread Technique.

This was the Alchemist Alliance’s main cultivation technique, and Chen Fei had already cultivated it to the eighth level. As the enlightenment progressed, the profound mysteries of the eighth level of the Thousand Thread Technique began to unfold before Chen Fei’s eyes.

However, before Chen Fei could absorb much of it, his incredibly agile mind suddenly paused, then slowly circulated. The feeling of extreme agility that he had just experienced had disappeared.

A sense of longing and loss involuntarily arose in Chen Fei’s heart, but he quickly pushed it aside.

For other practitioners, the disappearance of such enlightenment would indeed be difficult to accept, even heart-wrenching. After all, compared to months or even years of fruitless attempts to comprehend a technique, the feeling of exhaustion and frustration was hard to bear.

Under the influence of this kind of insight collision, the overwhelming flood of realizations in one’s sea of consciousness was too intense, making it hard to resist the temptation of immersing oneself in it.

However, Chen Fei had his panel, and with effort, he would gain rewards. Compared to other cultivators, he had been fortunate enough already. Therefore, that sense of longing and loss was merely a fleeting moment for Chen Fei.

As the insight collision ended, the natural energy from all directions gradually returned to calm.

Chen Fei let out a slow breath and slowly opened his eyes, which now had a warm and jade-like gleam.

Not only had Chen Fei’s martial techniques improved, but his mind, which controlled eighty apertures, had also elevated to the position of eighty-three apertures.

Furthermore, Chen Fei’s own aperture cultivation had broken through ten apertures under the infusion of elixirs and vital energy, reaching a total of eighty-two apertures.

This number of apertures surpassed the limit that the Zhongyuan Sword could unlock and exceeded the maximum number of apertures that practitioners of the entire Primordial Sword Sect could open many years ago.

Of course, now that he had regained the Primordial Sword Scripture, the potential number of apertures he could unlock had long surpassed this limit With the fourth layer of the Primordial Sword Scripture, which combined the Zhongyuan Sword, Giant Spirit Sword, Soaring Heaven Technique, and Great Thunder Sword, he could potentially open up to a hundred apertures.

Unlocking a hundred apertures was already a remarkable achievement that only top-tier techniques could accomplish.

With Chen Fei having opened eighty-two apertures, he had directly surpassed the stabilization stage of the late Aperture Tempering realm. Even now, his number of apertures was likely only a few less than that of the Sect Leader, Qu Qingsheng.

After all, Qu Qingsheng had not possessed the Primordial Sword Scripture for long, and in the past two years, he had only been able to open a few apertures due to his already high cultivation and quick comprehension of martial techniques.

Otherwise, Chen Fei would’ve surpassed him in terms of cultivation.

However, according to the current trend, surpassing Qu Qingsheng in terms of aperture count was inevitable and would likely occur in a very short time.

Chen Fei got up, turned to look at the entrance of the secret room, and saw Chi Shuqing standing there. At this moment, she was gazing at Chen Fei with a face full of admiration.

When Chen Fei broke through to the late Aperture Tempering realm, Chi Shuqing had sensed the agitation of vital energy because she was so close.

There were many reasons for the agitation of natural energy, with the most common being the use of techniques that tapped into it. However, Chi Shuqing’s thoughts quickly turned to Chen Fei’s aperture synchronization and centered on his breakthrough.

The synchronization of apertures was indeed a sign before a breakthrough, but a sign was just a sign. There was a fundamental difference between a sign and an actual breakthrough.

When the signs of a breakthrough appeared, many people would continue to accumulate their strength, solidifying their foundations to increase the success rate of the breakthrough. After all, a failed breakthrough could be profoundly detrimental, and repairing the damage and attempting another breakthrough would require more time.

According to Chi Shuqing’s estimation, Chen Fei had only broken through to the mid-Aperture Tempering realm for less than a year. He should wait for some time before attempting another breakthrough, and although she couldn’t predict exactly how long, several months at the very least seemed reasonable. Chi Shuqing was curious and wanted to see what Chen Fei was up to. Although she had considered the possibility of his breakthrough, it wasn’t very likely, given how fast it would be.

Just yesterday, his apertures synchronized, and today he had already broken through—it seemed too exaggerated.

However, when she entered the secret room and saw Chen Fei’s elevated aura the scene clearly told her the truth. Chen Fei wasn’t just attempting a breakthrough; he had already succeeded. His aura clearly indicated that he had reached the advanced Aperture Tempering realm.

What’s more, even after breaking through to the advanced Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei’s aura continued to rise. This sight left Chi Shuqing in a state of confusion, struggling to find words to express her feelings..