Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Chen Fei had encountered people from the Heavenly Sun Mansion several times while walking in the Imperial City.

Heavenly Sun Mansion was located right on the outskirts of the Imperial City, so it wasn’t surprising to come across them. In fact, it would have been abnormal not to encounter them. Heavenly Sun Mansion was known for its powerful and aggressive martial arts, so as soon as Chen Fei saw this person, he understood their identity.

However, he couldn’t help but wonder why someone from Heavenly Sun Mansion would come to find him.

The Primordial Sealing Mirror?

The Primordial Sealing Mirror had been sold for over two thousand elemental stones. For most people, this amount of elemental stones would be tempting. Even smaller sects might never be able to accumulate that many elemental stones because they were constantly being used up.

But it shouldn’t have attracted the attention of Heavenly Sun Mansion. After all, they were a force with strong individuals in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, and their resources were probably even more extravagant than what the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect possessed.

This was the Imperial City, the heart of the dynasty, a place where talent and resources from all over the world converged. The resources available here were beyond imagination.

When the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect initially entered the secret realm, they could provide a cultivator in the Initial Combined Aperture Tempering realm with a top-grade spiritual sword, and the same went for the Divine Flame Sect.

This indicated the level of resources that dominant powers possessed.

“May I ask who you are?” Chen Fei stepped forward and greeted the visitor with a courteous nod.

“I’m Shen Zhengsu from Heavenly Sun Mansion. I’ve come here unannounced, and I hope you won’t mind,” Shen Zhengsu replied with a warm smile.

“I’m Chen Mu. I’m not sure why Brother Shen has come to see me. What can I do for you?” Chen Fei’s face displayed a hint of surprise when he heard the name Heavenly Sun Mansion.

Encountering a dominant power like Heavenly Sun Mansion would naturally inspire awe in ordinary people. Chen Fei was currently portraying himself as a wandering cultivator, so it was only natural that he should show respect.

Seeing Chen Fei’s expression, Shen Zhengsu’s eyes revealed a hint of pride. He continued with a smile, “Our sect leader is currently recruiting closed-door disciples. Have you heard about it, Brother Chen?”

“Of course,” Chen Fei nodded, still not understanding why Shen Zhengsu had sought him out.

“With the current instability in the world and the audacious acts of certain individuals, our sect leader cannot bear to see the state of affairs as they are. Therefore, he has decided to teach some martial arts after the Elemental Tide. At that time, not only cultivators like Brother Chen but also martial practitioners in the Body Tempering realm will be welcome to attend.”

Shen Zhengsu explained and then took out a jade slip from his pocket, handing it to Chen Fei, saying, “Brother Chen, with this jade slip, you will be able to enter our mansion for the teachings when the time comes.”

“Heavenly Sun True Immortal is truly benevolent, and we are all looking forward to it,” Chen Fei replied without hesitation, accepting the jade slip from Shen Zhengsu and placing it carefully in his robe.

“We will be eagerly awaiting Brother Chen’s arrival at that time,” Shen Zhengsu said with an even brighter smile.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Shen Zhengsu left the Prosperity Inn, and Chen Fei did not linger on the second floor of the inn either, returning directly to his own room.

“Reluctant to accept the state of the world, opening the altar for teachings…”

Chen Fei sat cross-legged on the bed, his fingers gently tracing the jade slip in his hand, lost in thought.

The reputation of the Heavenly Sun True Immortal was indeed impressive, at least from what Chen Fei had heard. However, such hearsay should be taken with a grain of salt.

In the world of Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts within this dynasty, except for those sects with a more sinister reputation, most of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts had a good reputation, thanks to their numerous followers.

Other martial practitioners, who had nothing better to do, might speak ill of Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, but the average martial practitioner wouldn’t dare. After all, words could bring disaster, and a casual comment might be enough to get one in serious trouble.

Within the jade slip, there was the aura of Heavenly Sun Mansion, and Chen Fei estimated that it would be used to verify his identity when the time came.

The only concern on Chen Fei’s mind right now was that if the Heavenly Sun True Immortal really announced the teaching event, there would likely be a flood of people heading to Heavenly Sun Mansion.

Even on the day of the event, it would probably be overcrowded. After all, having a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert teach martial arts was a rare opportunity for most people.

If luck was on your side and a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert deemed you talented, your future could skyrocket.

That’s why it seemed somewhat deliberate for Shen Zhengsu to personally deliver the jade slip. However, Chen Fei couldn’t quite figure out why they were doing this.

“The teaching event is after the Elemental Tide, so it won’t affect my plans.”

Chen Fei casually set the jade slip aside. He had always adhered to his principle of not getting involved in anything strange, especially when it involved the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Moreover, even if there were no ulterior motives, the teachings of the Heavenly Sun True Immortal would be of very limited help to Chen Fei.

What Chen Fei lacked were martial arts techniques, resources, and, most importantly, time. He wasn’t like other martial practitioners who struggled to understand a particular martial art or martial philosophy.

In essence, if it came down to innate talent, Chen Fei, with his character sheet, could even outshine Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts. The higher the level of martial arts, the more pronounced Chen Fei’s advantage became.

Therefore, Heavenly Sun Mansion held no meaning for Chen Fei.

Outside the Imperial City, as Shen Zhengsu walked halfway, a figure silently appeared beside him.

“Senior Tao!” Seeing the newcomer, Shen Zhengsu quickly bowed and paid his respects.

“How did things go?” Tao Shiyie asked in a deep voice.

“The jade slip has been delivered, and Chen Mu accepted it willingly,” Shen Zhengsu replied with a soft smile. For martial practitioners, especially independent cultivators, there was no reason to refuse the teachings of a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert.

“How’s the reaction of the spirit device?”

“It matches the reports from below. Chen Mu is indeed quite young, and it’s rare for someone his age to have reached this level of cultivation.”

From his pocket, Shen Zhengsu took out a piece of jade, which was now emitting a lush green color.

This was a lower-grade spiritual device, not for combat or assisting in cultivation but specifically designed to measure a person’s age. It was somewhat similar to the methods used by most sects to assess a person’s aptitude, except this spiritual device was more portable.

Few people would deliberately craft such a spiritual device since its utility was limited. However, for Heavenly Sun Mansion, this device could help them locate individuals more quickly.

Within the Imperial City, many shops had people from Heavenly Sun Mansion, and thus, they had specifically crafted many of these lower-grade spiritual devices.

For a dominant power like Heavenly Sun Mansion, lower-grade spiritual devices hardly cost much. These devices, which served almost no other purpose, would not harm them even if they crafted dozens of them.

And the color shimmering on the jade stone at this moment indicated that the person being assessed was indeed quite young, even remarkably so.

“This person’s talent and aptitude make him an excellent choice,” Tao Shiyie commented while looking at the jade stone, appearing somewhat surprised.

“Before going, I had someone investigate Chen Mu. There are no companions within the Imperial City, and this person is extremely diligent. Besides occasional outings, he spends most of his time in the inn,” Shen Zhengsu whispered.

“Very well, have some people keep an eye on him. If there’s any unusual activity, notify me immediately,” Tao Shiyie said with a serious tone.

Such talent and potential fully met the requirements of their sect, and the results were even better than those of some Body Tempering realm martial practitioners. After all, in the Body Tempering realm, you could sometimes forcefully boost your cultivation with pills.

On the other hand, in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, if your innate aptitude was lacking, you probably wouldn’t even qualify to enter the realm, unless you had a strong background and used more than ten times the resources to forcefully elevate yourself.

Furthermore, being in the mid Combined Aperture Tempering realm at such a young age was an extremely rare talent among independent cultivators.

“Understood!”

Shen Zhengsu nodded. It would be best if Chen Mu obediently made his way to Heavenly Sun Mansion on his own. Otherwise, if Tao Shiyie, who was in the later Combined Aperture Tempering realm, took action, there would be no escaping the excruciating pain of bone-crushing and flesh-tearing torture.

Inside the inn.

Chen Fei quickly put the matter of Heavenly Sun Mansion out of his mind and continued his daily cultivation at his own pace.

With over two thousand elemental stones in hand, Chen Fei immersed himself completely in his practice. Whenever he felt the medicinal power inside him diminish, he replenished it with a spirit pill.

For more than a dozen consecutive days, except for occasional trips to purchase batches of spirit pills with most of the elemental stones, Chen Fei hardly left the Prosperity Inn.

During these days, as the time for the Elemental Tide approached, the entire Imperial City became increasingly bustling. Especially the martial arena within the Imperial City, there were almost daily competitions among Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.

As for the clashes among Body Tempering realm practitioners, there were more than a dozen matches every day.

Many people made a name for themselves here, gaining fame and fortune, but there were also those who suffered serious injuries or even lost their lives in these competitions.

This was the harsh reality; when you chase after fame and fortune, you must be prepared for them to turn against you. Even if you were mentally prepared, when the moment of truth arrived, it could still catch you off guard.

As the crowds increased, the Prosperity Inn became crowded. Because the Imperial City enforced a curfew, if you hadn’t found a place to stay, you had to leave the city at night. However, the Elemental Spirit Pool required staying for a full day and night, so leaving midway meant losing most of your time.

Inside the inn, people began sharing rooms. Many strangers ended up sharing rooms together.

Some people approached Chen Fei to share a room, but he politely declined.

Time passed quietly, and the ten-plus days felt incredibly short. However, even though the time was short, Chen Fei’s cultivation showed no signs of stagnation.

During this time, Chen Fei tried to enter the Strange Heart Realm once again. Fortunately, the hostility towards him from the Strange Heart Realm did not increase, and as time passed, it even slightly decreased.

Facing this situation, Chen Fei decisively lulled a few Tier 2 Evils to liven things up, raising his mental power from eighty-eight to ninety-three beads.

This rapid improvement, even faster than consuming Mind Power Pills, left Chen Fei with a sense of exhilaration.

The increase in mental power did not hinder the advancement of his apertures. With his unrestrained consumption of spirit pills, any other person might have suffered damage to their meridians, but Chen Fei remained unscathed. His opened apertures progressed from eighty-five to ninety, and his elemental energy grew even more robust.

At the same time, his cultivation of the Thousand Threads Technique finally completed the eighth layer and moved on to the ninth layer..