Chapter 616: Courtesy Before Force

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

The Sea Peak City, Yellow Stone City.

The Sea Peak City was vast, with cities of various sizes scattered throughout. Yellow Stone City used to be just a small town, but with the arrival of the third-tier power, Thousand Yard Sect, it has rapidly expanded.

Nowadays, Thousand Yard Sect resides temporarily within Yellow Stone City. The construction of a mountain gate from scratch, even with the participation of martial artists, would take at least a month.

Today, compared to the past, Yellow Stone City seems livelier. The leaders of many sects within the Sea Peak City have all made their appearances, welcomed into the attic by the elders of Thousand Yard Sect.

Inside the attic, the fragrance of tea lingers, and everyone wears warm smiles, as if they were long-lost friends reuniting after many years.

However, the majority of these people had never met before, and some hadn’t even been in the Sea Peak City until just over a month ago.

Because of the rampant sea monsters, they had no choice but to gather in this maritime area.

In just a moment, as Qu Qingsheng and his four companions appear in the attic, all eyes turn to them, with a hint of curiosity flickering in their gazes.

Up to this day, the Sea Peak City has already amassed sixteen fourth-tier powers, whereas in the past, it had never had more than ten.

Initially, having this number of fourth-tier powers was already considered saturation for the Sea Peak City. Any more would only squeeze the resources of other fourth-tier powers.

However, due to the sea monsters, forces requiring maritime territory had to relocate, and the Thousand Feathers Alliance had tacitly agreed to this.

Although the resources within the Sea Peak City are relatively abundant, supplying sixteen fourth-tier powers would undoubtedly be challenging, especially with the forceful entry of Thousand Yard Sect, a third-tier power, intensifying the resource scarcity.

Fortunately, sea monsters also serve as a resource. If one is willing to engage in combat, cultivation won’t necessarily be slow; it might even accelerate.

However, picking ordinary spiritual materials doesn’t entail risking one’s life as fighting sea monsters does; the danger levels of the two are incomparable.

Undoubtedly, the most valuable resource spot within the Sea Peak City is the lower-grade Tier-3 secret realm. Owning a secret realm allows for a steady supply of spiritual materials with no danger, just by assigning people to guard and cultivate it regularly.

Among the forces present, several initially possessed their own secret realms within their respective maritime territories. However, with the migration, these secret realms were inevitably lost.

Upon arriving in the Sea Peak City, attention naturally shifted to that particular lower-grade Tier-3 secret realm.

Yet, secret realms have their masters, especially considering the strength of Chen Fei from the Primordial Sword Sect. They had conducted investigations and knew that ordinary cultivators at the early stage of Combined Aperture Tempering realm probably wouldn’t stand a chance against Chen Fei.

The ability to single-handedly suppress four sects in a bloody battle, yet the other side chooses to swallow their pride and avoid conflict, reveals many underlying issues.

Therefore, although these fourth-tier powers harbored thoughts upon arriving in the Sea Peak City, those thoughts remained mere thoughts until the emergence of Thousand Yard Sect.

As a third-tier power, Thousand Yard Sect boasts mid-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, far surpassing the strength of the Primordial Sword Sect. Even if the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect were to join forces, the outcome would likely remain the same.

“Apologies for any shortcomings in hospitality. Please forgive us.”

Ye Qishan, the head of Thousand Yard Sect said, as he stood before everyone, bowing respectfully.

“No need for formalities, Master Ye!”

“Now that sea monsters are running amok, Thousand Yard Sect is willing to unite all the sects in the Sea Peak City, to stand together in times of crisis. We are deeply grateful for such noble intentions!”

Voices echoed as soon as Ye Qishan’s last words fell.

A smile graced Ye Qishan’s face as he glanced toward the position of Qu Qingsheng and his companions, noticing their calm demeanor throughout.

This meeting, initiated by Thousand Yard Sect, was prompted by the current situation with the sea monsters. It was essential for the forces within the Sea Peak City to share information and resources. However, the primary purpose was for Thousand Yard Sect to convey a message to the Primordial Sword Sect and its affiliates.

Reallocating resources within the Sea Peak City is currently seen as a gesture of goodwill. However, if the five sects of the Primordial Sword Sect refuse to cooperate, alternative measures will be taken later on.

In the eyes of Thousand Yard Sect, no matter how strong and talented Chen Fei of the Primordial Sword Sect may be, he was still only at the early stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. With Thousand Yard Sect’s power, requesting a share of resources was not unreasonable.

They were not demanding all resources be handed over, but they must have a share of that lower-grade Tier-3 secret realm, perhaps even the lion’s share.

Qu Qingsheng sensed Ye Qishan’s gaze and nodded slightly in acknowledgment. He didn’t pay much heed to the subtle gazes around him.

If it had been over a month ago, facing so many peer forces and a sect like Thousand Yard Sect, Qu Qingsheng would have certainly been in a passive position.

There was no denying that strength determined confidence. After all, under normal circumstances, the Primordial Sword Sect, combined with a few allied sects like the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, would indeed not have been able to defeat Thousand Yard Sect. The disparity in top-tier power was evident.

But now, Chen Fei could slay even late-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts. With so many fourth-tier powers present, plus Thousand Yard Sect, they weren’t collectively a match for Chen Fei alone.

Understanding this, the gazes of those around him hardly mattered.

An hour later, Qu Qingsheng and his companions left Yellow Stone City, bid farewell by Ye Qishan’s warm regards. As the figures of Qu Qingsheng and his group disappeared, the smile on Ye Qishan’s face gradually faded.

“Master, those five individuals just now avoided discussing the secret realm altogether,” whispered an elder from Thousand Yard Sect.

“The third-tier secret realm is of significant importance. Their reluctance to discuss it is normal,” replied Ye Qishan with a hint of mockery.

“But avoiding the topic altogether suggests they’re oversimplifying matters.”

“They must have great confidence in their own Master Chen,” speculated the elder.

“That Master Chen’s talent is undeniable. The Grand Elder once said that within fifty years, Master Chen is expected to reach the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Hence, we won’t demand the entire third-tier secret realm, considering it as giving face to that Master Chen,” Ye Qishan murmured softly.

Breaking through to the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm within fifty years – without such a judgment, Thousand Yard Sect’s appetite for this third-tier secret realm would have been even greater, instead of just settling for a portion.

“Considering that the Primordial Sword Sect is said to be a small sect, producing such a talent, one wonders what fortunes they’ve accumulated!” remarked the Thousand Yard Sect elder.

Despite Thousand Yard Sect’s resources, mid-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts were rare. At best, they could only ensure a steady supply of early-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.

“Carry out the plan as intended. They’ll come to understand the reality eventually,” instructed Ye Qishan before turning and leaving.

The gathering within Yellow Stone City attracted the attention of all within the Sea Peak City, despite the absence of mid-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.

Each attendee was a leader within their respective factions, with most decisions concerning their sects resting in their hands.

Many had anticipated disputes during the meeting, yet both the process and conclusion were remarkably peaceful.

However, some viewed this as merely the beginning, foreseeing unrest looming over the Sea Peak City in the near future.

Upon returning to their respective sects, figures like Yu Shoucheng provided brief reports, while others like Tong Zhongqiu refrained from expressing much opinion.

Ultimately, the outcome hinged on Chen Fei’s decision.

Chen Fei’s will now embodied the will of the Five Sects Alliance.

“So many sects have arrived in the Sea Peak City recently?”

Chen Fei was somewhat surprised by Qu Qingsheng’s words, but considering the current situation with the Thousand Feathers Alliance, it seemed inevitable.

Chen Fei hadn’t been paying much attention to the affairs of the Sea Peak City recently, as he had been immersed in closed-door cultivation.

Through recent training, his mastery of the Soul Breaking Technique had progressed from basic proficiency to mastery.

Using the Soul Breaking Technique as a medium, Chen Fei could slightly manipulate his own soul, but that was the extent of it; there were no further effects. In terms of Chen Fei’s current strength, there had been no changes.

Since it was an incomplete soul technique, Chen Fei could only cultivate it to perfection. It was estimated that only when it reached perfection could Chen Fei gain a slightly better understanding of his own soul.

Whether he could slightly enhance his own soul at that time would still require numerous attempts.

Aside from the Soul Breaking Technique, his Teleportation skill had also seen progress. Through countless nights of practice, Chen Fei finally advanced from proficiency to perfection.

The distance he could teleport had also increased from seventeen to thirty miles.

This progress was extremely evident. If Chen Fei wanted to escape, neither peak-level third-tier sea monsters nor Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators could stop him.

To a certain extent, Chen Fei was already fearless against forces of this level, no matter how numerous they were.

In extreme situations, Chen Fei also had hopes of escaping.

Moreover, his proficiency with the Profound Heavenly Sword had significantly increased, bringing him closer to the Great Completion stage with each passing day.

Aside from his techniques, Chen Fei’s elemental cultivation hadn’t increased much. After all, it had only been a little over a month, which was merely a fleeting moment for a late-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator.

For Chen Fei to condense a Flower of Essence through conventional cultivation methods, it would be impossible in the short term and would likely take several years at least.

Compared to other late-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, Chen Fei wouldn’t face any bottlenecks in condensing a Flower of Essence due to his superior comprehension of techniques.

However, it still required a process of accumulation.

Chen Fei did want to accelerate this process, but neither the secret methods he had acquired nor the Profound Heavenly Sword provided any insights in this regard.

Within the entire Thousand Feathers Alliance, only the three Mountain Sea Realm experts could possibly provide Chen Fei with answers.

However, given their unfamiliar relationship, it would be extremely challenging for Chen Fei to meet with them, let alone seek advice.

In the Sea Peak City, at Mount Tangnan, the newly arrived Blood Sun Sect was now stationed. Due to their early arrival, the mountain gate had already taken shape.

The Blood Sun Sect was a fourth-tier power, but this was merely a facade. Its true identity was a subordinate sect of the Death Shadow Sect.

Due to the invasion of the sea monsters, the Death Shadow Sect had no choice but to abandon the island it had cultivated for centuries and relocate to the Sea Peak City.

Inside a courtyard atop Mount Tangnan.

“Thousand Yard Sect only intends to keep the third-tier secret realm for themselves, with no intention of sharing it with other sects.”

“I suppose they want to save face for that Chen Fei.”

“So, what should we do? We’ve lost control of the secret realm we once controlled; it’s changed hands, and we’re left with only half under our control.” “If we stir up chaos in the Sea Peak City, do you think that would be enough to kill Chen Fei?”