Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

“Chen Fei actually accepted the challenge.”

In a courtyard, Qian Guangji’s face was filled with satisfaction as he said, “The previous instigation was just a prelude. Many more tactics haven’t been deployed yet. But Chen Fei couldn’t handle it like this. He’s truly young.”

“He didn’t really lose his composure completely. Didn’t he give himself a month to prepare?” Fan Zongzheng’s face also bore a smile. They had indeed planned a lot beforehand, fearing that Chen Fei would remain as indifferent as he had been in previous years, completely disregarding the outside world. In that case, they would have had no way to influence him.

Unexpectedly, just by inciting discussions, the effect was remarkable. Chen Fei was immediately stirred up and willing to accept the challenge.

“Hahaha, a month. How long can a month really be? Does Chen Fei really think he can fully comprehend the profound transmission technique within a month? It’s laughable!”

Qian Guangji burst into loud laughter. The profound true transmission technique was incredibly intricate. According to the information Qian Guangji had gathered, most disciples who had received the true transmission technique could only grasp the basics within six months, far from mastery.

Only those exceptionally gifted individuals could achieve mastery of the technique within half a year and unleash its immense power.

Who did Chen Fei think he was?

Still, don’t underestimate him. Based on the information we’ve received, Chen Fei’s archery skills are outstanding. Those who have seen him in the mystic realm have all praised him. It’s said that he can directly threaten those in the Visceral Tempering realm.”

Fan Zongzheng’s smile faded. Even though he had always believed that Chen Fei had relied on luck to pass the true transmission trial, when it came to an actual showdown, they had to give their all.

In open terrain, archery can indeed be quite effective. I’ve heard that Chen Fei’s body technique is also extraordinary. It’s reasonable that he gained some reputation within the mystic realm by combining the two.”

Qian Guangji nodded and said, “However, in a combat arena with limited space, it’s hard to employ archery effectively. As long as we get close, Chen Fei’s archery will be ineffective!”

“Archers also practice close combat techniques. Chen Fei’s swordsmanship should be decent as well. That’s something we should be cautious of!” Fan Zongzheng reminded.

“Of course, that’s natural. In the combat arena, we give it our all and leave no room for Chen Fei. But now, what needs to be resolved is how to get Chen Fei to agree to put up the Aperture Breaking Pill as a stake!”

Qian Guangji said in a low voice. The challenge was about the position of the true disciple, and the Aperture Breaking Pill was completely unrelated to that. It already belonged entirely to Chen Fei.

“Let’s use the things we planned to exchange with him earlier as a stake and provoke him into accepting the bet. If he can’t withstand verbal provocation, we can continue using words to provoke him!” Fan Zongzheng said with a serious tone.

“Good!” A smile appeared on Qian Guangji’s face.

It wasn’t only Fan Zongzheng and Qian Guangji who were watching the true disciple position and the Aperture Breaking Pill. Many other inner disciples were also keeping an eye on them.

Those rumors that had been amplified weren’t solely the work of Fan Zongzheng and Qian Guangji. Many others were involved as well. Their goal was simple: to provoke Chen Fei.

And without much effort, Chen Fei couldn’t hold back, bringing joy to all who had participated.

The challenge now and the challenge six months later would undoubtedly have different levels of difficulty. No matter how much they looked down upon Chen Fei in their hearts, when it came to the actual challenge, they would undoubtedly give their all.

Lowering the difficulty of the challenge now was naturally the best outcome.

They were all eagerly waiting for the month to pass so they could directly remove Chen Fei from the true transmission position.

In a courtyard halfway up the True Transmission Peak.

After passing the message to Ge Hongjie, Chen Fei had stopped paying attention to the changes outside and immersed himself in the practice of the Zhongyuan Sword.

The artificially created waterfall had an effect. At this moment, Chen Fei sat beneath the small waterfall. As the gentle flow of water struck him, various insights regarding the Zhongyuan Sword arose in his mind.

If there were outsiders present, they might find Chen Fei’s appearance somewhat odd. The water flowed down from above, drenching Chen Fei’s head. It seemed dissonant no matter how one looked at it.

Fortunately, there were no outsiders, and Chen Fei absorbed the insights of the Zhongyuan Sword, seemingly undergoing a subtle transformation in his internal energy.

The internal energy cultivated from the Origin Connection Technique previously didn’t possess any distinct features, but now, as he practiced the Zhongyuan Sword, his internal energy gradually became denser.

With undivided attention, Chen Fei immersed himself in cultivation. The days seemed to have returned to a familiar rhythm—alchemy and practice. This was what Chen Fei repeated every day, yet he didn’t feel impatient. On the contrary, he found it enjoyable.

For anyone experiencing constant improvement in their abilities, such a life would likely not breed complaints. People mostly complain when they feel they’re stagnant or even regressing, despite their desperate efforts.

Fifteen days later, Chen Fei reached mastery level in the Visceral Tempering section of the Zhongyuan Sword. At that moment, his internal energy underwent a complete transformation.

It felt as though he had suddenly gained weight, transforming from a floating air into something with substance. Chen Fei could sense the texture of his internal energy. The most noticeable change was that each time he practiced, he could clearly start to harness the Vital Energy.

Previously, when he practiced, the surrounding Vital Energy would be mildly drawn into his body, the effect quite weak. By increasing the concentration of Vital Energy in the vicinity, he could slightly enhance his cultivation speed.

Now, in the same elemental environment, Chen Fei’s cultivation speed had further increased. It was as if this type of internal energy had a kind of adhesive effect on the surrounding Vital Energy.

Aside from the accelerated practice and the denser internal energy, the power of Chen Fei’s techniques had also increased significantly. It was as though his internal energy had been refined, but in a different manner.

Chen Fei stood in the courtyard, sword in hand, and drove it into the ground ahead of him.

The next moment, a gravitational fluctuation spread out from the point where the sword landed, affecting an area within a radius of ten meters. Anything within that range was caught in the gravitational disturbance.

This was the Zhongyuan Sword at the Visceral Tempering realm—using the sword as a pivot to exert pressure in all directions. Chen Fei could also use himself as the center, causing the gravitational field to move with him.

Currently, the maximum radius of the gravitational field was ten meters. Alternatively, it could be focused solely on the sword’s blade, making it the most potent attack of the Zhongyuan Sword.

How he used it was entirely up to him.

Satisfied, Chen Fei nodded and retrieved the sword from the ground. The Zhongyuan Sword at the mastery level could already pose a threat to the Visceral Tempering realm. Especially when all the power was concentrated into the sword’s blade, the resulting force was truly astonishing.

And this was only mastery level. With continued practice, the power of the Zhongyuan Sword would keep increasing. Chen Fei looked forward to seeing what scenes would unfold when he fully mastered the Visceral Tempering realm of the Zhongyuan Sword.

Time continued to pass, and another fifteen days flew by. However, the Zhongyuan Sword hadn’t yet reached the Great Completion level.

The speed of cultivation for the Zhongyuan Sword had somewhat exceeded Chen Fei’s expectations. He had thought that he could reach Great Completion of the Zhongyuan Sword in the Visceral Tempering realm within a month.

Nonetheless, this didn’t hinder him. At most, once he dealt with the challengers, he could continue his cultivation.

These challengers were never Chen Fei’s main focus. His attention was directed toward the other true disciples on the True Transmission Peak, particularly those from previous years. There were over ninety true disciples, and Chen Fei was curious about the power levels of the top-ranking disciples.

In the early morning sunlight, a knock sounded on the door of Chen Fei’s courtyard.

“Come in.”

Sitting on a stone bench, Chen Fei knew that a group of people would be arriving today, so he waited in the courtyard.

“Creak!”

The wooden door of the courtyard swung open with the sound of wood rubbing against wood. Qian Guangji entered, his face carrying a faint smile as he looked at Chen Fei.

“Junior Brother Chen, we meet again. Congratulations on becoming a true disciple!” Qian Guangji greeted with a cupped fist salute, his eyes containing a hint of insincerity.

“Please, take a seat. Let’s wait for the others.”

Chen Fei gestured for him to sit, and Qian Guangji nodded, taking a seat on the stone bench. Qian Guangji naturally didn’t think he was the only one visiting Chen Fei today. There were definitely other inner disciples eagerly watching Chen Fei’s true disciple position.

In about fifteen minutes, people began to arrive in the courtyard, one after another.

Several of them exchanged glances, their intentions known without being spoken.

Half an hour later, there were already nine people seated in the courtyard.

After waiting for a while, Chen Fei realized that no one else was coming. He stepped forward and closed the door, then turned to face the nine individuals in the courtyard. Some of them had participated in the trial alongside him, and he recognized a few faces.

However, most of them were complete strangers. Judging from their aura most were approaching the mid-stage of the Visceral Tempering realm. Chen Fei could even sense that they were intentionally suppressing their cultivation to prevent themselves from advancing further.

Chen Fei smiled faintly. It seemed that for the position of true disciple, many of them had done more than just wait for a month. They had waited for quite a long time.

Their intention was clear: if there were true disciples in the initial stage of the Visceral Tempering realm, they wanted to rely on their current level of cultivation to make a move.

Unexpectedly, they had encountered Chen Fei, a true disciple who had just broken through to the Visceral Tempering realm. This was truly a golden opportunity for them.

“Perhaps there are no more participants. I’m the first one here. Can I speak first?”

Seeing that Chen Fei had closed the door, Qian Guangji stood up and looked at Chen Fei.

No rush. Let me speak first, and then you can share your thoughts.”

Chen Fei glanced at Qian Guangji, smiling slightly, and then turned his attention to the others. He said, “Fellow senior brothers, we all know why you’ve come here. Allow me to share my thoughts as well.”

Chen Fei paused for a moment and continued, “I’m willing to accept your challenges. However, there must be stakes, and they should be proportionate to the true disciple position, right?”

Hearing Chen Fei’s words, the nine individuals fell silent for a moment. But soon after, someone chuckled softly.

Qian Guangji had been somewhat displeased when Chen Fei closed the door and blocked his chance to speak. However, upon hearing Chen Fei’s words, a smile emerged on his face, laced with mockery.

“Junior Brother Chen is quite confident. That’s good. I was worried that you might back down before 1 came. Since Junior Brother Chen has requests, that’s even better. 1 heard that Junior Brother Chen is collecting the spirit materials for the Half-Spirit Sword. 1 happen to have a piece of refined iron. How about I challenge you first?”

Lan Yunfeng stood up, looking at Chen Fei. In his hand appeared a black mineral, his eyes already filled with anticipation.

Lan Yunfeng had long been impatient for the true disciple position!