Chapter 438: Breaking the Limit

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Chen Fei looked in astonishment at the aperture that existed somewhere between the void and reality. However, he soon realized that this couldn’t be considered a typical aperture; it only bore some resemblance to one.

Apertures were places where one harnessed and refined elemental energy. But this newfound anomaly didn’t seem to absorb elemental energy or exhibit the characteristics of elemental refinement.

Chen Fei continued to observe this new anomaly, with various martial arts techniques and scriptures flashing through his mind. However, none of them provided any information about this newly appeared anomaly.

Even the most fanciful tales from the world of fiction had never mentioned such an anomaly.

An hour passed, and the frequency of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant’s operation began to decrease, the boiling blood gradually calming. At the same time, this new anomaly remained stable.

The human body’s mysteries lay in the constant exploration and utilization of its inherent wonders in martial cultivation.

There were always said to be 108 apertures within the human body, a fact confirmed since ancient times. There had never been any mention of a martial art that could enable one to cultivate additional apertures.

108, in harmony with the profound principles of heaven and earth. The reason humans could practice martial arts was because certain characteristics within the human body resonated with the unique traits of this world. When these two aspects converged, humans could harness the great power of heaven and earth within themselves.

If there truly were undiscovered apertures, and Chen Fei had chanced upon one, he would have to carefully consider whether he should cultivate it or not.

The path of martial cultivation involves connecting the 108 apertures, achieving the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, and then forcibly fusing the 108 apertures to break through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

These are the established stages of growth, and the realms beyond, such as the Mountain Sea Realm or even more formidable realms, follow this same trajectory.

In this martial world, various methods of cultivation have emerged over the years, too numerous to count. However, in the end, the path of martial arts has endured and spread widely.

Apart from its competitiveness in terms of combat power compared to other cultivation methods, what’s crucial is that martial arts practice is suitable for the vast majority of people, and the path is clear.

Other cultivation methods often have special requirements for one’s physique, the environment, or even a specific type of spiritual material to continue practicing. Some may find themselves at a dead end midway, like the Resisting Evil lineage.

Attempting to control the evil powers for combat, but these powers are sealed within one’s own body. Each time one harnesses these powers, irreversible harm may be done to the body.

This is especially true in the early stages, and if one continues to seal even more potent powers within the body, the first thing that may collapse is the body itself.

So, while 108 apertures can lead to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, whether 109 apertures can ultimately achieve this realm remains uncertain.

Fortunately, this new anomaly that has appeared is not an aperture.

During this one-hour observation of the emergence of this anomaly, Chen Fei gradually discovered some of its mysteries.

The most obvious change was that, with the appearance of this anomaly, the strength of Chen Fei’s physique had improved significantly. At this moment, Chen Fei resembled a humanoid beast, possessing unimaginable power.

Besides the tremendous advancement in strength, this anomaly was currently exerting a pull on the other 108 apertures within Chen Fei’s body.

This discovery was the most surprising to Chen Fei. This pulling sensation indicated a possibility: this anomaly might assist in the final fusion of these 108 apertures into a single whole, achieving the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

For those in the Aperture Tempering realm, breaking through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm required first pushing their mental limits and then forcibly fusing all their apertures together. At this point, the specific details of how they achieved this fusion would vary depending on their individual cultivation methods.

For instance, in the case of the Primordial Sword Scripture, although it was difficult to cultivate, once mastered, not only was achieving the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm effortless, but the subsequent path to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm would also be less convoluted.

One of the most significant advantages lay in how, after reaching the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm with the Primordial Sword Scripture, the daily practice of the technique would gradually draw the 108 apertures closer together, preparing a solid foundation for the eventual forcible fusion.

This newfound anomaly seemed to be providing a unique path to achieving the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, one that differed from the traditional methods of martial cultivation.

At this moment, the anomaly within the Suppressing Dragon Elephant’s body was pulling on Chen Fei’s various apertures constantly, even bypassing his usual daily practice.

Although the force applied was not great, this continuous pulling had no interruptions. Day and night, it tirelessly exerted its influence.

If Chen Fei combined this with his daily practice of the Primordial Sword Scripture, his chances of successfully breaking through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm in the future would be significantly higher compared to other practitioners at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm.

The Combined Aperture Tempering realm, the dream of countless martial artists, and at this moment, Chen Fei had taken a step ahead of others at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm.

While there were many practitioners at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, the number of those who had reached the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was much smaller. For example, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had practitioners at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, but they had not yet broken through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

This illustrated how challenging it was to reach the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Chen Fei stood up, sensing the faint but persistent anomaly within his body, the immense power it provided, and the surging elemental energy formed by the 108 apertures. A smile appeared on Chen Fei’s face.

As long as it didn’t take too long for the apertures to be drawn together, and as long as he could obtain the rare elixirs or spiritual materials that could help his mental limits break through, Chen Fei would be able to achieve the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

The only challenge lay in the fact that such elixirs or materials were extremely expensive and rare. Trying to obtain them through conventional means was virtually impossible.

To some extent, the elixirs or spiritual materials that could help break through mental limits were even more precious than ordinary top-grade spiritual weapons.

Top-grade spiritual weapons were relatively rare even in bustling places like the Boundless Sea. The elixirs or materials that could facilitate mental limit breakthroughs were even rarer.

Once they appeared, they would inevitably lead to a frenzied rush to acquire them, and the required amount of elemental stones would be an extremely exorbitant figure.

Chen Fei’s current stash of elemental stones had already dwindled significantly, with most of them used to purchase elixirs to achieve his current level of cultivation.

He did possess a high-quality spiritual sword, obtained from the slaying of the Heavenly Sun Mansion’s Tao Shiyue. However, even if he were to sell this high-quality spiritual sword, not to mention the question of whether there was a market for it, the amount of elemental stones it would fetch wouldn’t make a significant difference.

Of course, Chen Fei had another avenue: entering the Strange Heart Realm and slaying Tier-3 Evils.

Tier-2 Evil origins were no longer of any use to Chen Fei at his current level. It was like a bottle that was already filled with water; the Tier-2 Evil source couldn’t make the bottle any larger and therefore couldn’t contain more water.

However, the Tier-3 Evil origin, due to its different nature, would have a much more significant effect if Chen Fei could kill a Tier-3 Evil and refine its origin. It might be even more potent than regular mental limit breakthrough elixirs.

But Tier-3 Evils represented the existence of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Chen Fei’s Godslayer Sword could slay Tier-2 Evils, but when it came to Tier-3 Evils, his attacks might be no more than ordinary damage.

This kind of damage, which was far from being able to slay a Tier-3 Evil, seemed like an unattainable goal, and it would only enrage the Tier-3 Evil, leading to relentless pursuit and attack on Chen Fei.

The prospect of being pursued relentlessly by an Evil equivalent to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was too intense for Chen Fei to contemplate. Therefore, seeking out mental limit breakthrough elixirs or spiritual materials seemed more suitable for him.

Fortunately, Chen Fei had plenty of time right now. He had just broken through to the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, and the 108 apertures hadn’t fully come together yet. This gave him time to search for the elixirs he needed to break through his mental limits.

Compared to other practitioners at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei had a significant advantage, so he maintained a stable mindset.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Fei arrived outside the Haiyan City, with the goal of the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking.

The night had already fallen, and in the past, there would be few people outside the Haiyan City at this hour. But with the appearance of the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking, even under the cover of night, this place was still bustling with activity, even more so than inside the city.

Chen Fei looked ahead. The so-called Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking was actually a small hill, currently carried by a monstrous beast, with a person standing on the beast’s back.

A Tier-3 beast, equivalent to a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert among humans, and due to its massive size, the aura it emitted was incredibly imposing.

Although the beast was currently lying quietly on the ground, and it hadn’t even opened its eyes, there weren’t many people who could approach within a hundred steps of it.

Without the cultivation level of the Aperture Tempering realm, one might feel trembling just by looking at the beast, and it had nothing to do with bravery. It was purely because of insufficient cultivation, being overwhelmed by the beast’s aura, rendering them powerless to resist.

Compared to the strong aura of the monstrous beast, the mountain-shaped spiritual treasure on top of it didn’t exude much compelling presence at the moment, resembling an ordinary small hill.

However, when one observed it closely, they would notice the extraordinary nature of this mountain, compelling one to keep their attention fixed on it.

The higher one’s cultivation level, the more pronounced this feeling became. In contrast, those martial artists in the Body Tempering Realm didn’t sense anything unusual.

“Spiritual treasure!”

Chen Fei’s gaze flickered, and then he moved swiftly, arriving in front of the monstrous beast.

The beast seemed to sense Chen Fei’s aura at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, opened its eyes slightly, glanced at Chen Fei, and then closed its eyes again.

Chen Fei’s hair moved without wind, and ripples appeared in his sea of consciousness. Even though the Tier-3 beast didn’t react aggressively toward Chen Fei, his mind and body instinctively went on guard.

It was a subconscious response when facing creatures much more powerful than oneself, and Chen Fei was no exception.

Shao Yongmin stood on the back of the monstrous beast, looking down at Chen Fei. Upon seeing Chen Fei’s pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm cultivation, a hint of interest appeared on his face.

Shao Yongmin was the one responsible for maintaining the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking, similar to the duties of the disciples at the Enlightenment Tower. He was in charge of the daily operations of the ranking.

Many practitioners at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm had come to challenge within the Haiyan City, but so far, none had managed to make it onto the ranking..