Chapter 574: Forceful Breakthrough

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

In the middle stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, within the entirety of the Thousand Feathers Alliance, it was already considered a mid-tier force, and there were very few powers that could threaten warriors at this level.

After all, there were only so many in the late stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, and even fewer at the peak of this realm. To ensure stability, the Thousand Feathers Alliance prohibited mutual attacks between factions.

Even if one accidentally provoked those top-tier powers, as long as they were willing to yield and offer sufficient benefits, they could still preserve their lives.

Take the recent bloodshed, for example. While it seemed like it required a lot of medium-grade elemental stones, it was actually a disguised means of protecting the weaker factions.

However, with the invasion of sea monsters now, the stable environment the Thousand Feathers Alliance once enjoyed has begun to deteriorate.

With two Mountain Sea Realm powerhouses presiding over the Thousand Feathers Alliance, and even with the natural ally, Master Haiyue, the Alliance undoubtedly possessed formidable high-end strength.

But even with this power, the Alliance still couldn’t completely eradicate the sea monsters in this incursion, and Min Yanlu was even stationed at the frontline.

It was quite apparent that among the sea monsters on the opposing side, there were comparable forces resisting. The Mountain Sea Realm couldn’t achieve decisive victory in one fell swoop and could only engage in such protracted battles.

Chen Fei recalled the rumors he had heard before, about the unrest in the center of the Endless Sea, forcing some weaker sea monsters to migrate. The position of the Thousand Feathers Alliance, far from the conflict, provided a perfect opportunity for recuperation, hence the arrival of these sea monsters.

Previously, Chen Fei had been somewhat skeptical about this rumor, but as his time in Sea Dominion City grew longer, he found himself increasingly believing in it.

However, regardless of whether the rumor was true or false, one thing was certain: the war was not going to end quickly. To preserve his own life in this war, apart from trying to stay away from the conflict as much as possible, the most important thing for Chen Fei was to enhance his strength.

Chen Fei’s current rate of strength improvement was actually quite fast. It’s not common for someone to comprehend martial arts with continuous insights every moment. Even fewer people can comprehend multiple martial arts simultaneously, with none of them overlapping.

Moreover, the quantity of spirit pills Chen Fei consumed each day was staggering. For an ordinary mid-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator to consume pills in such a manner, it was uncertain whether their cultivation could advance, and their physical body might likely give out first, causing issues.

Yet for Chen Fei, the amount of medicinal pills he ingested directly correlated with how much his strength would improve. He was almost always in a state of rapid advancement.

If others were to learn about Chen Fei’s cultivation speed, their eyes would likely bulge with envy.

According to Chen Fei’s own estimation, due to the consumption of Celestial Azure Flower, which significantly increased the toughness of his Combined Apertures, the daily intake of pills increased substantially.

It was estimated that in less than two years, Chen Fei could cause a collapse of his Combined Apertures once, reaching the fourth stage of Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

There wouldn’t be any encountered bottlenecks in the process because his comprehension of martial arts was high enough to support advancing to that extent.

Within less than ten years thereafter, Chen Fei was confident he could break through to the late stage of Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Becoming a strong figure in the late stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm before the age of fifty was something the Thousand Feathers Alliance hadn’t seen in a long time. Compared to the geniuses of those top-tier powers, Chen Fei outshone them all.

After all, in the plans of those geniuses, they only aimed to reach the late stage of Combined Aperture Tempering realm before the age of two hundred, then spend several decades advancing to the peak of Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

By then, considering the consumption of longevity spiritual materials, they would have nearly a hundred years to contemplate how to break through to the Mountain Sea Realm.

This was already considered the fastest breakthrough method, and the various issues regarding bottlenecks weren’t given much consideration. Over the years, there were only a handful within the Thousand Feathers Alliance who could break through at such speeds.

Meanwhile, the number of so-called geniuses far surpassed this figure. Chen Fei was satisfied with such a cultivation speed, but the reality was that he needed to be even faster.

The system had bestowed upon Chen Fei unparalleled talent, but this talent required time to be realized. However, Chen Fei was lacking in time, so he needed to find a way to elevate his cultivation realm even faster.

Seated cross-legged on the cushion, Chen Fei’s blood circulated throughout the cultivation chamber, enveloping the surroundings in a faint glow.

While improving the proficiency of three martial arts techniques, Chen Fei simultaneously sensed the gradual enhancement of his Combined Aperture Tempering realm within his body.

The process of improvement went smoothly, even silky smooth, without any indication of encountering a bottleneck.

After much deliberation, Chen Fei halted the advancement of the three martial arts techniques, formed hand seals, and began to cultivate a secret technique recorded within the Profound Heavenly Sword.

Initially, the first Combined Aperture Tempering realm martial arts technique Chen Fei acquired was a secret technique recorded in the Primordial Profound Art, which allowed the Chen Fei of that time to advance from the initial stage of Combined Aperture Tempering realm to the first stage of Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

The Primordial Profound Art was merely a moderate and peaceful martial arts technique, yet it contained such secret techniques. Naturally, among the inheritances of the other top-tier forces, there were also numerous secret arts for advancing realms.

However, very few people would dare to use such techniques because one wrong move could potentially harm the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. In such cases, not only would the realm fail to advance, but it could also harm the practitioner’s essence, resulting in more losses than gains.

If it were before, Chen Fei wouldn’t have dared to attempt these secret arts either. However, after consuming the Celestial Azure Flower, the current state of his Combined Aperture Tempering realm emboldened him.

With Chen Fei’s current comprehension of martial arts and the condition of his body, he already possessed the necessary foundation and conditions to successfully execute these secret arts.

A crack appeared on Chen Fei’s forehead, and his Heavenly Eye activated, emitting a beam of light directly through his flesh, illuminating the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

The subtle changes within the Combined Aperture Tempering realm became apparent in Chen Fei’s perception.

Since he intended to forcefully enhance the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei needed to be intimately familiar with every minute change within it. While ordinary mental perception was already refined enough, Chen Fei required even more thorough control, not missing a single detail.

“Hum!”

Chen Fei’s body trembled slightly, sending ripples throughout the cultivation chamber. At this moment, a tremendous pressure completely enveloped the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

This scene bore some resemblance to when Chen Fei broke through from the Aperture Tempering realm to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, forcibly melding the one hundred and eight Apertures into one. However, in terms of details, it was completely different.

Because the power possessed by the Combined Aperture Tempering realm at this moment far exceeded the sum of the one hundred and eight Apertures back then.

In normal cultivation, the elemental energy within the body continuously increased, gradually compressing the Combined Aperture Tempering realm and refining the elemental energy. But now, it was a forced compression of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, completing what would normally take several years in just a moment.

The level of danger involved in this process was far greater than that of a warrior breaking through from the Aperture Tempering realm to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Beneath the Heavenly Eye, the Combined Aperture Tempering realm began to show signs of instability. If this instability persisted, the result would be the rupture of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Chen Fei, based on the observations of his Heavenly Eye, began to adjust the changes in pressure around the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, ensuring that the force exerted on the Combined Aperture Tempering realm remained completely balanced.

Minute vibrations began to emanate from the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, causing Chen Fei’s internal organs, limbs, and every part of his body to tremble along with it.

Chen Fei remained composed, continuously applying pressure to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. With the secret technique from the Profound Heavenly Sword, although it was not yet fully mastered, the assistance of the Heavenly Eye made it feasible to forcefully compress the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Moreover, because he could observe and control every bit of force, this compression became manageable.

According to the secret technique in the Profound Heavenly Sword, such compression was extremely perilous and had to be completed within half an hour. Otherwise, no matter how resilient the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was, it could still shatter.

But now, Chen Fei gradually compressed it, simulating the natural compression of elemental energy in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, reducing the danger of this process several times over.

Currently, Chen Fei was like adding an accelerator to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, completing a journey that would normally take two years in just a few hours.

As the Combined Aperture Tempering realm gradually shrunk, the backlash it received became stronger and stronger. However, Chen Fei consistently adjusted the pressure around the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, keeping it in a stable state.

One hour passed, then two, then three.

Chen Fei remained calm, watching as the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was compressed to a critical point. Half an hour ago, the Combined Aperture Tempering realm was at this size, and now it remained at this position.

Chen Fei remained patient, enduring the strain on his Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Despite the ever-changing force of the backlash around the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, Chen Fei stayed steadfast, maintaining the same pace of adjustment.

Having consumed the pills to boost his mental energy in advance, as well as deliberately hunting down the Strange Heart Origins in the Strange Heart Realm, Chen Fei’s mental reserves were in full swing. He didn’t have to worry about a shortage of mental energy in the short term.

In Sea Dominion City, the headquarters of the Eternal Spring Sect.

Liu Wanggu’s face darkened as he looked at the body of Liu Shizhen. The mid-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm aura emanated from him, causing everyone around to refrain from even daring to breathe heavily. “Shizhen didn’t retreat when the Tier Three sea monsters appeared?” Liu Wanggu turned to look at Zong Zhengren, his words devoid of any emotion. “Yes! There was no time to pull him back,” Zong Zhengren replied with a lowered head.

Liu Wanggu looked at the others, all of whom lowered their heads. Liu Wanggu didn’t say anything; he knew that on matters like this, these people wouldn’t dare to deceive him.

However, Liu Wanggu couldn’t believe that Liu Shizhen, a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator, would be so cowardly as to freeze in place when faced with Tier Three sea monsters. It could only mean that someone had plotted against Liu Shizhen when he was outside the city!

“I want to know all of Shizhen’s recent activities, and anyone he may have offended!” Liu Wanggu looked at Zong Zhengren and demanded.

Perhaps Liu Shizhen had offended someone, or it could be the enemy of the Eternal Spring Sect. But regardless of who it was, Liu Wanggu needed to uncover the truth.

“Yes!”

Zong Zhengren quickly bowed and acknowledged. Just as he felt relieved that Liu Wanggu didn’t punish him, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out involuntarily.

“This is a minor punishment. Don’t disappoint me again in the future!” Liu Wanggu’s low voice echoed in Zong Zhengren’s ears, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

In the cultivation chamber of Sea Dominion City,

Chen Fei sat cross-legged, and the aura of the heaven and earth within the room was trembling slightly. At a certain moment, this tremor reached its peak frequency, and Chen Fei’s eyes suddenly opened wide. A tremendous suction force surged from his body.

The heaven and earth aura within the cultivation chamber rushed towards Chen Fei at an astonishing speed, filling his Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

After six hours, during which Chen Fei’s Combined Aperture Tempering realm remained completely motionless for more than three hours, he finally compressed it to the fourth stage.

As the aura of the heaven and earth poured into his body, the elemental energy within Chen Fei began to compress and refine rapidly, and his aura soared. Feeling the changes in his body, Chen Fei couldn’t help but smile.

The entire breakthrough proceeded smoothly, without any unexpected occurrences. All the various situations Chen Fei had anticipated were effortlessly resolved with the assistance of the Heavenly Eye and the secret technique from the Profound Heavenly Sword.

The reverse infusion of elemental energy continued for several hours, indicating that the elemental energy within the cultivation chamber was abundant enough. Otherwise, such a method of absorption would have undoubtedly caused significant celestial phenomena outside.

“Reaching the fourth stage of Combined Aperture Tempering realm didn’t seem too difficult, so perhaps attempting to reach the fifth stage of Combined Aperture Tempering realm isn’t out of the question?

Chen Fei pondered as he sensed the power within his body, his gaze flickering slightly..