Chapter 431: Revealing One’s Edge

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Thousand Feathers Alliance!” In the cave, Chen Fei muttered this name under his breath.

According to the information provided by the Yu family, the Thousand Feathers Alliance was the most powerful alliance in the nearby waters.

The alliance formed by several sects in Immortal Cloud City, when compared to the Thousand Feathers Alliance, was insignificant. In fact, there was no comparison at all.

Let alone anything else, the Thousand Feathers Alliance had over a thousand large and small forces within it. And any force that could be called significant invariably had a practitioner in the Advanced Aperture Tempering realm overseeing it.

In other words, within the Thousand Feathers Alliance alone, there were over a thousand in the Advanced Aperture Tempering realm. But this calculation actually underestimated the Alliance’s strength significantly.

Because within the Thousand Feathers Alliance, there were many forces like the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect and the Yu family.

Yes, over in Immortal Cloud City, having a Combined Aperture Tempering realm practitioner qualified as a dominant force. However, within the Thousand Feathers Alliance, there were numerous forces with Combined Aperture Tempering realm practitioners.

The term “dominant force” no longer applied to Combined Aperture Tempering realm forces within the Alliance.

Inside the Thousand Feathers Alliance, the only ones worthy of being called a dominant force were the leader of the Alliance, the Mountain Sea Realm.

The Thousand Feathers Alliance had Mountain Sea Realm cultivators, and it was precisely because of this Combined Aperture Tempering realm presence that these over a thousand forces remained so tightly united.

Moreover, the Thousand Feathers Alliance didn’t have just one Mountain Sea Realm. According to the Yu family, a new Mountain Sea Realm had emerged within the Thousand Feathers Alliance fifty years ago.

Today, the Thousand Feathers Alliance actually had two Mountain Sea Realm cultivators. These two Mountain Sea Realm experts jointly governed the Thousand Feathers Alliance, and the more than a thousand forces within the alliance followed their will.

The Yu family was one of the members of the Thousand Feathers Alliance, and the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was also going to join the Thousand Feathers Alliance.

Entering the Thousand Feathers Alliance came with an additional responsibility and required complete obedience to the Alliance. However, in return, the Thousand Feathers Alliance provided protection.

Of course, the strength of the Thousand Feathers Alliance was such that it didn’t force anyone to join. In the eyes of the Thousand Feathers Alliance, even forces with Combined Aperture Tempering realm practitioners were just another part of the whole.

It could be said that having one more or one less didn’t matter at all to the Thousand Feathers Alliance.

But not joining the Thousand Feathers Alliance would bring a lot of inconvenience when dealing with matters within the Alliance. If you chose to live within the boundaries of the Thousand Feathers Alliance and yet refused to become a part of it, it was obvious that you were making things difficult for yourself.

There used to be forces that were stubborn like this because they didn’t want to take on any obligations. However, such forces often disappeared gradually within a decade or so.

No one knew how they disappeared, and in the perilous Boundless Sea, any random danger could make you vanish without a trace.

“Do you want to continue following the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect?” In the cave, Qu Qingsheng glanced at Zhou Zixun and Chen Fei and spoke in a deep voice.

The Thousand Feathers Alliance was undoubtedly a natural choice for the Primordial Sword Sect. However, there was a crucial decision to make – whether to join as an independent entity or to follow the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect in a subordinate capacity.

The difference in nature between the two options was substantial. If they chose to join as subordinates, the Primordial Sword Sect would essentially vanish, becoming a branch of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.

Following the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had its advantages, including the fact that Tong Zhongqiu was still alive. Joining the Thousand Feathers Alliance would guarantee access to the Alliance’s islands, resources, and safety.

While there were many Combined Aperture Tempering realm practitioners within the Thousand Feathers Alliance, it was not so common that the Primordial Sword Sect’s status would be completely overlooked. They would still receive a certain level of respect.

However, Qu Qingsheng could accept leaving the mountain gate that he had managed for many years and starting anew in a different place. What he couldn’t accept was the Primordial Sword Sect disappearing and becoming a mere branch of another sect.

In a relatively short time, probably less than twenty years, hardly anyone would remember the Primordial Sword Sect, not even the elderly members of the sect.

“We won’t follow. Well join the Thousand Feathers Alliance independently!” Zhou Zixun declared with determination.

The thought of the Primordial Sword Sect disappearing was even more unbearable to Zhou Zixun than his own death. Throughout his life, aside from his pursuit of martial arts, his greatest wish was to see the Primordial Sword Sect continuously grow and prosper.

Now, being told that the Primordial Sword Sect was on the brink of vanishing, Zhou Zixun couldn’t bear it.

“Joining the Thousand Feathers Alliance independently will be challenging at first,” Qu Qingsheng whispered, looking at Chen Fei.

With three Advanced Aperture Tempering realm practitioners in their sect, Qu Qingsheng wanted to know Chen Fei’s opinion. In fact, Chen Fei’s current opinion might truly determine their next course of action.

“However difficult it may be, we can overcome it, right?” Chen Fei looked at Qu Qingsheng and Zhou Zixun, a hint of a smile on his face.

Not following the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect meant that the Primordial Sword Sect would be a relatively ordinary force within the entire Thousand Feathers Alliance. Even with three Advanced Aperture Tempering realm practitioners, they would still be relatively weak due to their newcomer status.

In many places, there was an inherent tendency towards exclusion, especially towards newcomers. This was almost instinctual and extended beyond exclusion to outright bullying of newcomers.

Between ordinary people, this was the case, and among martial practitioners, the exclusion and bullying would be even more direct and violent.

So, joining the Thousand Feathers Alliance independently was akin to choosing the most challenging path.

But what could they do?

As Chen Fei said, however difficult it might be, they could overcome it, couldn’t they?

“Hahaha, right, what does it matter how difficult it is!” Zhou Zixun burst into hearty laughter when he heard Chen Fei’s words. He vigorously patted Chen Fei’s shoulder, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

“Good, then we’ll join the Thousand Feathers Alliance independently. I’ll explain it to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect!” Qu Qingsheng’s face also broke into a smile.

As long as the future of the Chen Fei sect firmly stood by their side, in Qu Qingsheng’s view, there was no difficulty that could defeat them.

At the beginning, they proceeded with caution, but as long as Chen Fei grew, everything would change.

A hint of a smile appeared on Chen Fei’s face as he turned to look outside the cave.

The raging wind whipped the rain around, but eventually, the rain would stop following the wind.

After two days of continuous storm, it gradually subsided.

The Yu family had unearthed the large ships they had hidden on the island years ago. Although these ships were meticulously constructed at the time, they had still suffered damage and wear over the years.

Fortunately, the core structures of these ships remained intact. After two days of repairs and the temporary construction of some additional vessels, everyone set sail once more.

This journey took nearly five days. Thankfully, the weather was not as turbulent as in the previous days. On the fifth day, another island appeared before them.

After a period of rest, procurement, and the acquisition of several larger vessels, the group set off once again in a grand manner.

Finally, on the ninth day, they arrived at the island that the Yu family had originally managed.

The Yu family had left some people behind in the Boundless Sea. Of course, the highest cultivation level among them was only in the early Aperture Tempering realm, serving as a backup. It turned out that they were needed so soon.

After a few years had passed, the Yu family’s island had become quite desolate. However, with the arrival of this large group of people, the entire island quickly came to life again.

At this point, many islands were actually quite close to each other, and reaching the mountain gates of other factions no longer required days of sailing.

Even practitioners with Aperture Tempering realm-level agility could traverse multiple factions on the same day. Only martial artists in the Body Tempering realm had to rely on ships for inter-island travel.

Joining the Thousand Feathers Alliance didn’t require them to travel all the way to the Alliance’s headquarters. They could simply submit their application at the nearby Haiyan City.

Haiyan City was the largest city nearby and also the largest island, almost equivalent to a small piece of land.

After Qu Qingsheng explained their decision to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, there was some attempt to persuade them to stay, but there was no real insistence.

Both parties parted amicably. If the Primordial Sword Sect was willing to merge with the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, the latter would naturally welcome it. If not, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect wouldn’t suffer significant losses.

Under the elemental energy of the Boundless Sea, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had confidence in giving birth to new Combined Aperture Tempering realm practitioners. As long as they could establish a seamless connection with the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect could firmly establish itself within the Thousand Feathers Alliance.

Compared to the Primordial Sword Sect’s Combined Aperture Tempering realm practitioners, they indeed seemed less significant.

Half a month later, on an island, a group of island residents watched with curiosity as construction activities unfolded in the distance.

Within the influence of the Thousand Feathers Alliance, many islands had inhabitants, but not all of them had factions stationed there. It depended on whether the island had corresponding cultivation resources in its vicinity.

The island chosen by the Primordial Sword Sect had scarce resources in its vicinity, which is why no other factions had stationed here previously.

At this moment, not only the Primordial Sword Sect but also the Sunken Water Pavilion was present on this island.

The Sunken Water Pavilion had ultimately chosen the same path as the Primordial Sword Sect, which was to independently join the Thousand Feathers Alliance. Clearly, the Sunken Water Pavilion also wanted to preserve its own sect’s heritage rather than becoming a branch of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.

Following the Primordial Sword Sect was solely for mutual support during the initial, most challenging period. After all, the combined strength of the two sects, while not at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, was enough to deter prying eyes.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and the entire island was calm and peaceful. The Primordial Sword Sect and the Sunken Water Pavilion gradually adapted to the Boundless Sea. Perhaps due to the change in environment, both sects saw three individuals each breakthrough to the Aperture Tempering realm one after another.

“Congratulations, Senior Sister Zhang!” Chen Fei congratulated Zhang Fangqiong with a bow in the courtyard.

“Compared to Junior Brother Chen, I’m already quite far behind,” Zhang Fangqiong looked at Chen Fei with a bright smile, her eyes carrying a hint of indescribable meaning.

Ten days later, Ge Hongjie attempted to break through but ultimately failed. Subsequently, multiple members from both sects tried, but they all ended in failure.

While it was true that breaking through had become somewhat easier in the Boundless Sea, it was still a challenging endeavor.

In the courtyard,

“Chi!”

An incredibly sharp sword aura circulated in Chen Fei’s hand. This was the most razor-sharp sword elemental power Chen Fei had ever displayed.

The Blade-Slaying Sword, the sixth transmission, was finally perfected.

Over the next few days, after six months of stagnation, Chen Fei’s apertures finally broke through once more, bringing the total number of apertures to one hundred and six..