Chapter 378: Roar
Dai Fangxuan's eyes were filled with excitement. He had expected to wait for a few more days, considering that Chen Fei had only arrived in the Black City District yesterday. Most people who came to the Black City District would stay for at least a few days.
They had already endured and waited for nearly three years. Waiting for a few more days was not a problem for Dai Fangxuan, but being able to kill Chen Fei shortly was even more wonderful.
It would be best if Chen Fei were severely injured and on the brink of death. Then Dai Fangxuan would have enough time to manipulate Chen Fei. Allowing Chen Fei to die so easily would not alleviate the three years of suffering.
However, Dai Fangxuan did not make this request to Miao Qisheng. After all, he was seeking help from Miao Qisheng, which was already a significant favor. Talking too much would not be appropriate.
Nevertheless, Dai Fangxuan had mentioned earlier that Chen Fei had a strong physique and possessed a profound technique. This was not only to attract Miao Qisheng to take action but also to intentionally spare Chen Fei's life.
After all, if Chen Fei didn't have any cultivation techniques on him, they would have to interrogate him and extract the techniques. Once the techniques were obtained, Miao Qisheng probably wouldn't care whether Chen Fei lived or died.
At that point, Chen Fei's life or death would be entirely in Dai Fangxuan's hands.
Thinking about this, a mixture of excitement and coldness filled Dai Fangxuan's eyes. Various forms of torture had already passed through Dai Fangxuan's mind.
In contrast to Dai Fangxuan's excitement, Miao Qisheng appeared quite calm.
For Miao Qisheng, it was simply a matter of leaving the city and killing an Aperture tempering realm early-stage cultivator.
As an elder of the Rain Pavilion, Miao Qisheng occasionally had tasks, and the vast majority of them involved eliminating early-stage Aperture tempering realm cultivators. While most were independent cultivators, there were also some from sects among them.
Even in the past few years, Miao Qisheng once killed an Aperture tempering realm mid-stage cultivator.
Fighting against cultivators of the same level inevitably led to some injuries, but in that battle, Miao Qisheng emerged unscathed, easily defeating the Aperture tempering realm mid-stage cultivator.
This performance astonished the entire Rain Pavilion at the time and firmly established Miao Qisheng's reputation.
Compared to other Aperture tempering realm cultivators, Chen Fei might have the background of the Primordial Sword Sect, which was relatively powerful. After all, with two Aperture tempering realm late-stage experts in the sect, it had considerable strength.
However, setting aside the Primordial Sword Sect's background, Chen Fei was just an Aperture tempering realm early-stage cultivator who had only broken through three years ago. While his talent was high, it couldn't hide the fact that he had limited experience due to his short cultivation time.
The area around the Black City District was a lawless zone where many people had died. Adding one more person like Chen Fei wouldn't cause any ripples.
"His agility is impressive; he must have noticed us. Quite vigilant," Miao Qisheng sensed Chen Fei's presence and chuckled softly.
"Then let's catch up quickly and not let him escape!" Dai Fangxuan said with some nervousness.
At this point, if Chen Fei managed to escape, who knew when they would have another opportunity like this? Dai Fangxuan couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Don't worry, he won't get away!"
Miao Qisheng grabbed Dai Fangxuan's shoulder, and with a flicker, his figure turned into a blur and disappeared from the spot.
As an assassin organization, the Rain Pavilion had its unique traditions, with agility being one of the aspects they highly valued. Being an elder of the Rain Pavilion, Miao Qisheng naturally excelled in agility.
It could even be said that Miao Qisheng's agility surpassed that of the majority of Aperture tempering realm mid-stage cultivators. Therefore, Miao Qisheng never worried that Chen Fei could escape.
As prey, no one could escape Miao Qisheng's grasp.
In less than fifteen minutes, spanning dozens of miles, Dai Fangxuan finally spotted Chen Fei's figure ahead.
Miao Qisheng suddenly accelerated, covering the remaining few hundred steps and blocking Chen Fei's path.
Dai Fangxuan had expected to see a fearful expression on Chen Fei's face. After all, being chased by two Aperture tempering realm cultivators, one of whom clearly had the aura of the mid-stage, would terrify most Aperture tempering realm early-stage cultivators.
But Dai Fangxuan found that Chen Fei's expression was extraordinarily calm, and there was no sign of panic in his eyes.
Miao Qisheng, too, looked at Chen Fei with some surprise. After killing so many people, Chen Fei appeared to be the calmest one. Was it because of his connection to the Primordial Sword Sect?
ii
So, it's you," Chen Fei said as he looked at Dai Fangxuan, his expression somewhat enlightened.
As soon as he left the Black City District, Chen Fei felt that someone had locked onto him, and later, he sensed two auras chasing him. One was entirely unfamiliar, while the other seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall who it was.
Now, seeing Dai Fangxuan's appearance, Chen Fei finally remembered.
When it came to defeated opponents, Chen Fei usually didn't bother to expend energy remembering their auras.
"You don't seem to be afraid at all. Is someone here to assist you?" Miao Qisheng glanced around. This place was desolate and hardly frequented by anyone. Miao Qisheng hadn't sensed the presence of any other Aperture tempering realm cultivators, but seeing Chen Fei's demeanor made him suspicious and slightly more cautious.
ii
No need to look around; there's no one else here," Chen Fei said with a smile.
"Putting on an act, Elder Miao, please take him down!" Dai Fangxuan, watching Chen Fei's expression, felt a surge of anger. They clearly had the absolute advantage, yet Chen Fei's behavior made Dai Fangxuan wish he could tear Chen Fei apart.
Miao Qisheng remained silent. Suddenly, a hint of sword intent flashed in his gaze as he directed it straight at Chen Fei's spiritual consciousness.
II
Hu!
II
Chen Fei's hair floated backward without any wind, drifting upwards. Chen Fei looked at Miao Qisheng with some surprise. This sword intent was extremely sharp.
For other Aperture tempering realm early-stage cultivators, if this sword intent were to strike their spiritual consciousness, it would undoubtedly cause severe damage and a significant loss of strength. Even Aperture tempering realm mid-stage cultivators would have their spiritual consciousness affected.
Judging by this sword intent, Miao Qisheng's spiritual consciousness was quite powerful, approaching the peak of the Aperture tempering realm mid-stage.
But for Chen Fei, this sword intent was far from being able to harm him.
Chen Fei's total spiritual consciousness power, in the mid-stage of the Aperture tempering realm, wasn't exceptionally high. Currently, he controlled sixty acupoints, which was even weaker than Miao Qisheng by quite a bit.
However, within Chen Fei's sea of consciousness, the Thousand Thread Technique and the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Technique continued to operate. Even if this sword intent could tear through the Thousand Thread Technique, it was absolutely impossible to breach the defense of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Technique.
"Hmm?"
Chen Fei remained unscathed, causing Miao Qisheng's eyes to narrow, and a sense of foreboding arose within him.
This sword intent attack had always been one of Miao Qisheng's key tactics for victory, and his advantage in this aspect was very clear compared to other Aperture tempering realm mid-stage cultivators.
Back when he could kill another Aperture tempering realm mid-stage cultivator without a scratch, Miao Qisheng had relied on this.
In his daily encounters with Aperture tempering realm early-stage cultivators that needed to be eliminated, Miao Qisheng would always start by cutting off their sword intent, then proceed with the attack, effortlessly and at ease. Over the years, Miao Qisheng had never failed.
Although some Aperture tempering realm cultivators had exceptional spiritual consciousness cultivation and could resist for a brief moment, none had ever been as calm as Chen Fei.
When that sword intent struck Chen Fei's sea of consciousness, it was like a river merging into the sea, and Miao Qisheng immediately lost his connection.
"Your sword intent is quite impressive, but I also have a move. Please appreciate it!" Chen Fei smiled slightly. The Godslayer Sword trembled intensely, and in the next moment, a sense of slaughter enveloped both Miao Qisheng and Dai Fangxuan.
Dai Fangxuan suddenly felt his sea of consciousness go blank, losing his perception of the surroundings. In the next moment, an intense pain swept through his entire head, as if someone had split it directly in half.
Dai Fangxuan instinctively clutched his head, and after a momentary pause, he realized where he was now. He quickly opened his eyes and found that he had somehow slumped to the ground.
In Dai Fangxuan's mind, the overwhelmingly powerful Miao Qisheng was now raising his sword to block Chen Fei's attack.
Dai Fangxuan stared at Chen Fei, and in a daze, he felt like he was witnessing a colossal giant, roaring to the heavens, an unparalleled and terrifying aura filling the surroundings.
Unstoppable. Anyone who tries to stop it will perish!
This made Dai Fangxuan suddenly recall that night three years ago. It was the same sense of being unable to resist, but this time, it wasn't him facing it; it was Miao Qisheng.
Yet, the result seemed to have remained unchanged. Miao Qisheng couldn't block this strike either.
It had only been three years, so how could Chen Fei have such astonishing changes in strength? Just like three years ago, when Chen Fei had just broken through, why did he possess such exaggerated combat power, reducing him to a wretched state?
Suddenly, Dai Fangxuan sensed something amiss. Chen Fei's aura wasn't that of an Aperture tempering realm early-stage cultivator; it was that of an Aperture tempering realm mid-stage cultivator.
Chen Fei had disguised himself! He had suppressed his aura to the level of an Aperture tempering realm early-stage cultivator.
But neither Dai Fangxuan nor Miao Qisheng had ever doubted whether Chen Fei's aura was genuine. After all, it had only been three years, and no matter how talented Chen Fei was, it was impossible for him to reach the mid-stage of the Aperture tempering realm.
Yet now, this utterly impossible feat was glaringly evident before Dai Fangxuan's eyes.
"Boom!"
The deafening explosion snapped Dai Fangxuan back to reality. He watched in horror as Miao Qisheng, with his own sword, had smashed him, causing him to spew blood from his mouth. Dai Fangxuan even heard the sound of Miao Qisheng's ribs breaking.
It wasn't just the ribs; at this moment, his internal organs must have been ruthlessly crushed by the tremendous force.
Miao Qisheng didn't turn into a pile of flesh on the spot, thanks to his body that had been tempered countless times as an Aperture tempering realm mid-stage cultivator. It had saved his life.
But being injured to this extent by a single sword strike, could his mid-stage Aperture tempering realm physique save him multiple times?
A sense of terror instantly climbed up Dai Fangxuan's heart. Whether it was the injury to his spirit or the realization of his dire situation, Dai Fangxuan had become somewhat belated in his awareness.
Now, at this moment, Dai Fangxuan finally realized that he was on the brink of death.
The fear of death flooded Dai Fangxuan's mind, overwhelming even the pain of his spirit being torn apart.
Dai Fangxuan didn't want to die, just like that one time three years ago when he clung to life and fought to escape. Death would mean the end of everything. Survival still held countless possibilities.
However, now, how could he go on living?
Chapter 379: Not Going To Say? Then Don't Say It.
Miao Qisheng was nearly obliterated by Chen Fei's sword, with the horrifying force ravaging his internal organs, rendering his elemental energy useless.
Unable to control his body, Miao Qisheng rolled dozens of steps before gradually coming to a stop, his clothes soaked in blood. He struggled to stand, looked at Chen Fei with eyes filled with fear and disbelief.
The lightning-fast sequence of events, from Chen Fei's Godslayer Sword to the Qianyuan Sword's strike, had occurred in the blink of an eye. Miao Qisheng was still trying to process what had just happened. Only the hole in his mental perception and his battered body constantly reminded him of the ordeal he had undergone.
It was only at this moment that Miao Qisheng realized why Chen Fei had remained so calm when they had blocked him. With such power, he could practically treat other mid-stage Aperture Tempering Realm cultivators like common chickens and dogs. Miao Qisheng's once proud strength now seemed laughable in the face of Chen Fei's might.
As Chen Fei approached step by step, Miao Qisheng wanted to escape, but his body had already been severely wounded by the previous sword strike, and numerous forces were entangled within him. Even if he wanted to burn his blood essence to flee, he couldn't do it.
Chen Fei's sword had already sealed the fate of life and death for Miao Qisheng.
How did you cultivate your core soul energy?" Chen Fei asked, gazing at Miao Qisheng.
The only thing that had left an impression on Chen Fei about Miao Qisheng was his nearly pinnacle-level core soul energy, close to the mid-stage Aperture Tempering Realm. In Chen Fei's eyes, this was an extremely rare accomplishment.
Based on Miao Qisheng's core soul energy, as long as his comprehension of the techniques can keep up, breaking through to the late Aperture Tempering Realm would be much simpler than for others.
To the victor go the spoils, I am inferior in skill!" Miao Qisheng looked at Chen Fei, a hint of pride on his face. He said, "But since we're both going to die, why should I share such a secret with you?"
Fair point! Then let's not talk about it!" Chen Fei nodded, and his Qianyuan Sword swept across Miao Qisheng's neck. Miao Qisheng stared with widened eyes as he fell to the ground.
Even in death, Miao Qisheng's eyes remained filled with incredulity and reluctance.
Miao Qisheng had thought that Chen Fei would negotiate with him. After all, Miao Qisheng's core soul energy was indeed much stronger than the average Aperture Tempering Realm cultivator.
Cultivating the spiritual aspect had always been a challenging aspect of Aperture Tempering, and achieving a balance with one's cultivation of aperture acupoints was already considered quite rare. Individuals like him, with such a significant gap between their core soul energy and aperture cultivation, were not unheard of but undoubtedly a rare minority.
There had to be other reasons behind this, and usually, when people encountered a secret that could make them stronger, they naturally had desires of their own.
As long as there were desires, they could be used as bargaining chips for negotiation.
Miao Qisheng had hoped to use this bargaining chip to secure his survival.
However, Miao Qisheng had never expected that Chen Fei would simply ask a question and then kill him without giving him another chance to speak, rendering all of Miao Qisheng's schemes completely useless.
Threads of spiritual essence wafted up from Miao Qisheng's body, entering the Qianyuan Sword.
Don't kill me, don't kill me!" Dai Fangxuan shouted loudly as he saw Chen Fei turning around. This was the only time that Dai Fangxuan had been so frightened by Chen Fei.
If Chen Fei could kill an expert like Miao Shengmiao, then wouldn't it be easier to kill someone like Dai Fangxuan in the early Aperture Tempering Realm?
But Dai Fangxuan didn't want to die. He wanted to live, in any form possible, as long as he didn't die.
"A reason," Chen Fei said, looking at Dai Fangxuan.
Elemental stones, spiritual pills, and spiritual weapons. I can take you to the Black City District, where you'll find them," Dai Fangxuan hurriedly replied, glancing at Miao Qisheng. He continued, "And his room, I can take you there too. Whatever secrets he might have could be hidden in his room."
Chen Fei's mind stirred slightly. After all, why had he come to the Black City District? Wasn't it to sell spiritual weapons and exchange them for cultivation resources?
While he had made a good haul yesterday, who could resist the temptation of more elemental stones?
With late Aperture Tempering Realm cultivators guarding the Black City District, Chen Fei wouldn't normally have considered plundering the place. After all, there was still a gap in strength. It wasn't worth taking such risks.
But if there was an insider leading him inside, the situation would improve significantly.
However, once Dai Fangxuan returned to the Black City District, he would definitely not stay quiet. The only real threat to Chen Fei in the city was the late Aperture Tempering Realm cultivator. Dai Fangxuan would undoubtedly go to great lengths to notify that individual.
How to guard against this?
Is the Black City District owned by your Rain Pavilion?" Chen Fei asked.
No, the Black City District belongs to the District Master. Rain Pavilion is just a partner and shares a portion of the profits," Dai Fangxuan shook his head, seeing that Chen Fei was considering his proposal from earlier. He hurriedly continued, "I'll take you to the Rain Pavilion's branch in the Black City District. The items there have nothing to do with the District Master of the Black City District. He won't care."
I'll take you there, as long as you spare my life. You can cripple my cultivation, that's all."
Dai Fangxuan's gaze towards Chen Fei was filled with pleading. He only wanted to stay alive, nothing more.
Chen Fei contemplated for a moment and nodded. In the worst-case scenario Chen Fei also had the ability to escape.
)
Compared to when he was at the Yashan Sect, Chen Fei's cultivation had not only improved, but the key was that his Soaring Heaven Technique had reached a state of perfection. Additionally, after absorbing the spiritual essence of the Hong Yuanfeng's spirit sword, his Shuttle of Flying Clouds had also been upgraded to the level of a mid-grade spiritual weapon.
Among the mid-grade spiritual weapons, the spiritual essence of the Hong Yuanfeng's spirit sword was undoubtedly the strongest, and its value was the highest, almost reaching the limit of a mid-grade spiritual weapon.
As a result, even with some consumption after extracting its spiritual essence it still brought the Shuttle of Flying Clouds to the lower limit of a mid-grade spiritual weapon.
)
Chen Fei picked up the spiritual weapons from Miao Qisheng, along with some miscellaneous items, and casually turned Miao Qisheng's body into ashes. Then, he used his elemental energy to grasp Dai Fangxuan and headed in the direction of the Black City District.
On the way, Chen Fei directly sealed Dai Fangxuan's cultivation using elemental energy, and at the same time, he slightly healed some of Dai Fangxuan's injuries, making him look less miserable.
Dai Fangxuan dared not offer any resistance, as if he was only seeking a chance to stay alive.
In less than fifteen minutes, Chen Fei returned to the Black City District with Dai Fangxuan. Dai Fangxuan looked at the city gate of the Black City District with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Not long ago, Dai Fangxuan had left the Black City District with a heart full of vengeance. Now, he didn't expect to return in this manner.
His companion, Miao Qisheng, had already died. When they left, he had been arrogant, but now he looked increasingly disheveled.
Upon entering the Black City District, Dai Fangxuan led Chen Fei to the mansion in the southeast corner of the Black City District. Chen Fei's aura had already been lowered to the level of an aperture tempering realm primary stage cultivator.
Walking behind Dai Fangxuan at this moment, he appeared inconspicuous, and when Dai Fangxuan entered the mansion, no one dared to stop him. He easily passed through several checkpoints.
In Chen Fei's perception, there was still an aura of an early Aperture Tempering Realm cultivator in the mansion at this moment. However, that aura did not come forward when it sensed Dai Fangxuan. Instead, it remained in the same place.
"That person and I don't usually have any conflicts, and we rarely meet," Dai Fangxuan explained in a low voice.
After passing through several corridors, Dai Fangxuan led Chen Fei to Miao Qisheng's courtyard. There were no guards in Miao Qisheng's courtyard, only some maidservants. When these maidservants saw Dai Fangxuan's arrival, they naturally didn't dare to obstruct him.
Everyone knew that Dai Fangxuan and Miao Qisheng were close friends. Dai Fangxuan often visited Miao Qisheng's courtyard, but only when Miao Qisheng was not present. These maidservants felt that something was amiss, but none of them spoke up. They neither had the ability nor the authority to question Dai Fangxuan's purpose for being there.
Accompanied by Dai Fangxuan, Chen Fei entered Miao Qisheng's study. Chen Fei surveyed the entire study, with his core soul energy extending all around meticulously examining every nook and cranny.
Compared to other Aperture Tempering Realm cultivators, Chen Fei's Thousand Thread Technique made his core soul energy extremely refined. In Chen Fei's eyes, any trace or clue would be magnified manyfold.
After a moment, Chen Fei moved to a bookshelf, opened a hidden compartment, and discovered several jade scrolls inside. Surprisingly, each jade scroll was enveloped in core soul energy. If they were opened incorrectly or forcibly dismantled, the entire jade scroll would shatter, rendering its contents unreadable.
Setting up such mechanisms on jade scrolls was a rather troublesome task, and the key was to periodically infuse core soul energy into the jade scrolls. Otherwise, if the core soul energy on the jade scroll was depleted, it would be destroyed.
Chen Fei collected the jade scrolls and glanced around. In this study, these jade scrolls were the most valuable items. However, for now, while he was still in the Black City District, Chen Fei wasn't ready to decipher them.
As for Miao Qisheng's bedroom, which was just a wall away, Chen Fei had already explored it using his core soul energy. He had also completed a thorough search of the entire courtyard and hadn't found anything else of significance.
Let's go to the secret vault!" Chen Fei said, looking at Dai Fangxuan.
Good!" Dai Fangxuan nodded. From start to finish, he stood quietly without any movement.
They crossed several more corridors and finally descended into an underground passage. As Dai Fangxuan led Chen Fei through the passage, the aura of another Aperture Tempering Realm cultivator within the mansion showed a slight ripple but ultimately didn't approach.
The passage had many checkpoints, but Dai Fangxuan handled them all effortlessly. As an elder of the Rain Pavilion, he naturally had the qualifications to be there.
In the end, the two stopped in front of a large iron door cast with an array formation. The door was surrounded by a formation, and if anyone tried to forcibly break it, it would likely not only alert the mansion but also the entire Black City District.
The secret vault has two layers. I can open the first one, but the innermost layer requires that formation disc in your hand," Dai Fangxuan pointed to the jade stone in Chen Fei's hand.
This jade stone had been taken from Miao Qisheng and had been in his possession all along.
I'll open the first layer now.
Dai Fangxuan looked at Chen Fei and took a step toward the iron door. However, before he could touch the formation, he found himself unable to move.
I need to activate this first layer of the formation," Dai Fangxuan said with a hint of confusion.
"And then the District Master of the Black City District will appear here?" Chen Fei asked calmly.
As the words fell, Dai Fangxuan, with his back to Chen Fei, couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly..
Chapter 380: Heart-Treading Technique- Part 1
"This formation belongs to the Rain Pavilion and has nothing to do with the District Master of the Black City District. The District Master won't appear here," Dai Fangxuan whispered.
"If you hadn't shown any emotions before touching the formation just now, I might have believed you," Chen Fei replied.
Chen Fei approached the iron door and carefully observed the formation in front of him. The defensive power was not particularly strong. If Chen Fei wanted to forcibly break through, he could do it within three strikes.
However, if Chen Fei really did that, it was likely that before he could enter, a group of Aperture Tempering Realm cultivators would rush over and surround him, making it difficult to escape and easily trapping him in a deadly situation.
"You've misunderstood," Dai Fangxuan tried to explain, his tone sounding very humble, as if he had been wronged.
"Feigning a desire to survive is a pretense. The real purpose was to lead me here, wasn't it?" Chen Fei turned to look at Dai Fangxuan, then glanced at the formation. His expression showed a slight change as he continued, "This formation, apart from attracting the District Master of the Black City District, should also be able to lead you inside. At that time, you can still stay alive!"
Dai Fangxuan looked at Chen Fei, and his expression gradually shifted from confusion to coldness and resentment.
Dai Fangxuan didn't bother to keep up the pretense anymore. After Chen Fei exposed his intentions, it became evident that all his previous actions had been unraveled by Chen Fei one by one.
Continuing to feign innocence would be futile.
While Dai Fangxuan did genuinely want to survive, he also wanted to drag Chen Fei down with him, leaving Chen Fei with no way out.
Since a mid-stage Aperture Tempering Realm cultivator couldn't defeat Chen Fei, he decided to call upon the District Master of the Black City District, who was in the later stage of the Aperture Tempering Realm. This formation indeed belonged to the Rain Pavilion and had no direct connection with the District Master of the Black City District.
However, the Rain Pavilion and the District Master of the Black City District were in an alliance. When the Rain Pavilion faced danger, the District Master of the Black City District, within his capabilities, would assist the Rain Pavilion in overcoming the crisis.
When this formation was normally activated, it would naturally reveal the contents of the hidden treasury inside, without raising any suspicion. But if the activation method were changed, it would serve as a means to communicate, and the message would be directly transmitted to the District Master of the Black City District.
At the same time, as Chen Fei had speculated, this formation would lead Dai Fangxuan into the treasury, temporarily safeguarding his safety using the treasury's formation, while waiting for the arrival of the District Master of the Black City District.
This was the survival plan that Dai Fangxuan had thought of when he was facing death.
As Dai Fangxuan stood in front of the iron door, with his palm just inches away from the formation, he was overwhelmed by the excitement of escaping death and trying to pull Chen Fei into this situation.
However, it was just those few inches that prevented Dai Fangxuan from touching it, and Chen Fei directly intervened, blocking everything.
At that moment, Dai Fangxuan's emotions were indescribable. To keep Chen Fei off guard, Dai Fangxuan had been acting very obediently since entering the Black City District.
There were actually several opportunities during this time when Dai Fangxuan could have secretly relayed information, but there was always the possibility of Chen Fei discovering it. Even if he hadn't been discovered by Chen Fei, the arrival of the District Master of the Black City District would undoubtedly alert Chen Fei.
In that case, Chen Fei would have had plenty of time to first kill Dai Fangxuan and then escape.
Dai Fangxuan wanted to stay alive. Even if Chen Fei died, Dai Fangxuan couldn't accept the idea of his own death.
What Dai Fangxuan most hoped for was to witness, under the protection of the formation, the scene where Chen Fei was intercepted by the District Master of the Black City District and then brutally killed.
Therefore, Dai Fangxuan obediently led Chen Fei all the way to Miao Qisheng's courtyard and to the entrance of the secret treasury. Everything went smoothly, and they were only inches away from achieving the ultimate goal.
But in the end, it was just that tiny distance that separated them.
"Without me, you can't open this formation, and you won't get anything," Dai Fangxuan looked at Chen Fei and sneered.
"Nothing is absolute! Recognize this?" Chen Fei's arm opened a wound, and blood gushed out, turning into a bloody mist that spread over the nearby formation. The formation showed slight ripples but didn't reject the power of the blood mist.
Dai Fangxuan stared at the blood mist and the changes in the formation, his eyes gradually widening as he recalled a certain legacy he had read about in ancient texts. The Rain Pavilion was an assassin organization, but it also took on various other tasks as long as they were commissioned. Therefore, their information-gathering was meticulous.
Among the information collected, there was knowledge of Blood Origin Techniques, and this was due to a technique within the Blood Origin Techniques that temporarily allowed control over formations. As long as it wasn't an extremely extravagant and top-tier formation, it could generally be managed, with the only variable being the duration.
Similar techniques existed in a few other cultivation legacies, but most of them were lost over time.
Blood Origin Techniques fell under this category of lost techniques. Dai Fangxuan had never expected to encounter this technique today in this place. And with Blood Origin Techniques, wouldn't Chen Fei be able to easily enter the secret treasury?
Dai Fangxuan lifted his head and saw a flash of swordlight blooming before his eyes. The next moment, his consciousness plunged into an infinite darkness.
Even in death, Dai Fangxuan had a question he wanted to ask, and he also wanted to hurl insults at Chen Fei, venting his frustration and anger. However, Chen Fei hadn't given him the chance after showing him the Blood Origin Technique.
Dai Fangxuan thus collapsed on the ground with a sense of bitterness and resentment, his breath gone.
Threads of spiritual essence floated up from Dai Fangxuan's body and merged into the Qianyuan Sword. With a casual motion, Chen Fei collected the spiritual weapons and elemental stone pills from Dai Fangxuan, then proceeded to dissolve the formation of the secret treasury..
Chapter 381: Heart-Treading Technique- Part 2
In less than fifteen minutes, the formation in front of the iron gate automatically cracked open a gap, revealing a second layer of formation in front of the solid iron gate.
This was a double-layered formation, the very support that Dai Fangxuan had relied on earlier to turn the tide. Unfortunately, Chen Fei had never trusted Dai Fangxuan from the beginning, despite his seemingly obedient behavior along the way. Chen Fei had never let his guard down.
The Blood Touch began to dissolve the second layer of the formation, which wasn't particularly strong. In just a moment, it granted partial control to the Blood Touch.
Chen Fei placed both hands on the iron gate and gently pushed it open.
The secret treasury wasn't very large. It contained several shelves where various spiritual materials, elixirs, and hundreds of elemental stones were neatly categorized.
Chen Fei scanned the contents and found that the value of everything wasn't as significant as he had imagined. It was even less valuable than the resources left by the Yashan Sect. However, upon further consideration, this was just a branch of the Rain Pavilion, so they would naturally keep only a portion of their resources here as rewards for various tasks.
Unlike the Yashan Sect, which practically carried their entire wealth with them and couldn't be compared in this regard.
Chen Fei was never one to complain about an unexpected windfall. Without further scrutiny, he stuffed all the items he could into his spatial grid.
For those items that couldn't fit, such as larger spiritual plants, Chen Fei simply swallowed them on the spot. Although they wouldn't have as many medicinal properties as when refined into elixirs, it was still more convenient than carrying them around.
Because elemental stones took up space, Chen Fei even transferred a portion of them onto his elemental stone panel.
Elemental stones charged into the elemental stone panel couldn't be retrieved once stored. However, simplified cultivation techniques always required the use of elemental stones. Charging them into the panel meant they were temporarily not needed, so it couldn't be considered a waste.
After a brief organization, Chen Fei made sure everything was in order, carefully checking to ensure nothing was overlooked.
There was no so-called second floor in this secret treasury. What Dai Fangxuan mentioned earlier was merely a diversion to shift Chen Fei's attention. Even Dai Fangxuan himself had very limited access to the treasury.
Dai Fangxuan came to this secret treasury with a single purpose: to delay Chen Fei and save himself. Unfortunately, he didn't accomplish either of those two things.
Chen Fei stepped out of the secret treasury, glancing at Dai Fangxuan's lifeless body. With a gentle wave of his hand, Dai Fangxuan turned into ashes. Chen Fei's figure flashed, heading towards the corridor.
The guards around the corridor glanced at Chen Fei, who was empty-handed, and didn't obstruct him, thinking that Dai Fangxuan had instructed Chen Fei to come up first.
Chen Fei glanced at the small formation disc above the corridor. Its function was simple: to monitor if anything from the secret treasury appeared in the corridor. The secret treasury's formations had an interesting feature – items stored in the treasury for some time would naturally acquire a certain aura.
The formation disc on the corridor could detect this aura. While this aura would dissipate quickly in the outside world, it provided enough time for the formation disc to detect any issues.
In terms of security, the Rain Pavilion had indeed implemented a clever design. It wasn't that the formations were exceptionally powerful, but rather their flexible approach to security.
If Chen Fei didn't have the spatial grid, his options at this moment would be limited to breaking out, which would likely cause a significant commotion. Given the Rain Pavilion's style, a large-scale loss of life might trigger some security mechanisms.
Each layer of security was intertwined, but in the eyes of true powerhouses, its effectiveness might not be as great.
With Chen Fei's current state of core soul energy, he could easily detect many hidden traps. In this world, absolute strength ultimately spoke for itself.
Chen Fei withdrew his gaze, calmly walking out of the corridor.
Inside the mansion, the cultivator in the courtyard nearby had still not noticed anything unusual. Holding Dai Fangxuan's token in his hand, Chen Fei left the mansion without encountering any issues.
Chen Fei sensed the location of the District Master of the Black City District from a distance; his aura was dark and deep, just like the Black City District itself. In this place, the District Master's strength would likely be significantly boosted.
However, these matters were no longer of concern to Chen Fei.
Chen Fei's figure flickered as he left the city gates of the Black City District, then transformed into a shadow, rushing towards the direction of the Primordial Sword Sect with all his might.
This trip to the Black City District had yielded quite a bit more than Chen Fei had originally expected. The resources obtained from selling the spirit swords, when exchanged, would be enough for Chen Fei to cultivate for some time.
Dai Fangxuan's appearance had further enriched Chen Fei's assets.
Among these gains, the elemental stone and elixirs were certainly valuable, but what caught Chen Fei's attention even more were the jade scrolls in Miao Qisheng's study.
Miao Qisheng was one of the rare cultivators in the Aperture tempering realm who possessed core soul energy exceeding the number of his acupoints. Chen Fei himself had a surplus of core soul energy relative to his acupoints, but with the multitude of cultivation techniques he practiced, he had several methods to enhance his core soul energy. Techniques like the Spirit Suppression of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique was top-tier in that regard.
Therefore, Chen Fei understood very well how difficult it was to let the core soul energy surpass the number of acupoints.
He had encountered some individuals with core soul energy slightly exceeding their acupoints, but none had a significant surplus. In contrast, Miao Qisheng's core soul energy had already reached the pinnacle of the mid Aperture tempering realm.
Considering that Miao Qisheng's number of acupoints was likely not much different from Chen Fei's, the surplus of core soul energy he possessed was close to twenty.
This naturally piqued Chen Fei's curiosity, and he wondered how Miao Qisheng had achieved this.
After spending several hours, Chen Fei rushed back to his sect from the Black City District, encountering no incidents along the way. Anyone who noticed Chen Fei's speed from a distance probably had sinister intentions, so they wisely avoided him.
Inside the courtyard's secret chamber, Baka remained quiet, nestled in a pot, in good condition. His strength was steadily recovering, and the elemental energy in the soil was abundant.
Chen Fei didn't disturb Baka and instead took out all the jade scrolls from the spatial grid.
There were quite a few jade scrolls, some from Miao Qisheng's study and many from the Rain Pavilion's secret vault.
The jade scrolls from Miao Qisheng still had core soul energy entwined with them, but Chen Fei didn't rush to decipher them. Instead, he began examining the jade scrolls from the Rain Pavilion's secret vault one by one.
It took him nearly four hours to finish reading all the secret vault jade scrolls. He casually set them aside, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Among these jade scrolls, there weren't many that would be helpful to Chen Fei, or rather, there were very few.
Much like the Rain Pavilion's unique Heart-Treading Technique, which disrupts the flow of others' vitality with the sound of footsteps, when practiced to a high level, even a single sound might shatter someone's heart and lungs, causing their demise.
It sounded impressive and highly practical. However, it was mainly designed for targeting body-refining realm cultivators. Using it to disrupt those in the Aperture tempering realm was not only a far-fetched idea but also yielded minimal results.
In essence, the Heart-Treading Technique was merely sound stimulation, and Aperture tempering realm cultivators could effortlessly set up a barrier using their elemental energy to block out such sounds. Furthermore, their control over their own bodies in the Aperture tempering realm was beyond casual manipulation.
Then there was the Core Soul Mark, used for tracking and hunting others once imprinted.
Those in the body-refining realm might not be sensitive enough to detect that they've been marked by a Core Soul Mark, but those in the Aperture tempering realm would certainly notice a foreign mental imprint on their own psyche.
There were several other techniques, most of which were designed for body-refining realm practitioners.
The only exception was a technique that involved burning one's blood essence, the Blood Ignition Technique.
It was used as a last resort or for escaping dire situations. However, excessive use could leave one severely weakened afterward, though to a lesser degree than rupturing one's cultivation acupoints. When faced with a life-or-death situation, one wouldn't have the luxury of worrying about the aftermath.
Chen Fei found this technique intriguing. Apart from potentially increasing his own foundation, the crucial aspect was whether Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique's enhancement of his physique would bring about any unique changes to the Blood Ignition Technique.
Chen Fei decided to give this Blood Ignition Technique a try soon, hoping for some pleasant surprises.
He shifted his gaze towards Miao Qisheng's jade scrolls, a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes. He hoped that among these jade scrolls, he would find the reason behind Miao Qisheng's formidable core soul energy.
Perhaps, this discovery would free Chen Fei from the constraints of his own core soul energy, and with those constraints removed, the resources he had acquired this time would be more than enough to propel him to new heights!
Chapter 382: Multi-tasking
Core soul energy entanglement was like a lock. If you didn't have the right method, you couldn't unlock it. Resorting to brute force could easily result in the destruction of the jade scroll itself.
Fortunately, Chen Fei's practice of the Thousand Thread Technique involved precise control over core soul energy. It was similar to refining medicine, where the properties of the medicinal herbs in the cauldron were in constant conflict.
If core soul energy couldn't adeptly resolve these conflicts, allowing for a greater release of the properties, the result of the alchemy could end up as an explosion.
So, while others might find these core soul energy entangled jade scrolls troublesome, for Chen Fei, it was only a matter of spending some time.
In less than half an hour, as the jade scroll trembled slightly, the core soul energy entanglement on it was unraveled by Chen Fei. He delved his consciousness into the jade scroll and began perusing the recorded information.
15 minutes later, Chen Fei withdrew his consciousness and placed the jade scroll aside.
This was a cultivation technique practiced by Miao Qisheng, which was quite good. When cultivated to its peak, it could open up eighty-one cultivation acupoints. In terms of intricacy, it was on par with the Zhongyuan Sword of the Primordial Sword Sect.
However, this was not what Chen Fei needed at the moment. If he had some spare time later on, he might consider picking it up and see if it could bring him any benefits.
For now, Chen Fei's primary focus remained on the Blade-Slaying Sword, these four cultivation methods. Unless a powerful core soul energy cultivation technique emerged, Chen Fei wouldn't consider practicing it alongside his current ones.
Chen Fei took the second jade scroll in hand and began unraveling the core soul energy entanglement on it.
This time, it took much less time to unravel compared to the first time, but Chen Fei withdrew his consciousness from the jade scroll shortly after entering.
A diary, Miao Qisheng's diary in the form of a jade scroll.
This was the first time Chen Fei had come across someone else's diary. It should contain records of some important events, but it wasn't what Chen Fei needed at the moment, so he decided to skip it for now.
Unless none of the other jade scrolls contained what Chen Fei needed, he would revisit this diary jade scroll to find the information he required.
Chen Fei took the third jade scroll in hand, unraveled it, and sent his consciousness inside. His speed in doing so was getting faster and faster.
The core soul energy entanglement on the surface of these jade scrolls might sound complex, and for those in the Aperture tempering realm without the appropriate skills, it would indeed be challenging.
However, for Chen Fei, who had already unraveled two jade scrolls, it was child's play. Unraveling the remaining jade scrolls had become increasingly effortless for him.
The third jade scroll contained a sword technique, and it was quite stunning. Chen Fei was captivated by the sword principles within, even though he only read a small portion.
However, as he progressed further, Chen Fei discovered that this technique inheritance was damaged. It could only cultivate thirty-one cultivation acupoints, and it couldn't even reach the pinnacle of the Aperture tempering realm.
It was like tasteless food that would be a pity to discard.
Such damaged technique inheritance was a source of frustration for many independent cultivators. They might have learned a powerful technique, but it was incomplete, leaving them feeling helpless.
The fourth jade scroll contained the record of a map.
Chen Fei looked at the map and had a nagging feeling that it looked somewhat familiar, but it didn't quite match up with his memories. It gave him a sense of something being both recognizable and unfamiliar.
It could either be that Chen Fei had made a mistake in his recollection, or Miao Qisheng might have made some alterations to this map. Moreover, the map alone didn't reveal what it represented.
The fifth jade scroll contained a set of formations, complete with detailed deployment methods and the items needed for the formations. What's more, Miao Qisheng's insights into this set of formations were meticulously recorded in the jade scroll.
From the recorded insights, it was evident that Miao Qisheng was in the middle stage of cultivating this formation. It was clear that he attached great importance to this set of formations.
"It requires the use of Strange Heart Stones?"
Chen Fei's heart stirred. Strange Heart Stones were known to be produced only in the Strange Heart Realm, and they were extremely rare. Whenever Chen Fei had entered the Strange Heart Realm and obtained Strange Heart Stones, he had used them directly.
After all, Strange Heart Stones had a significant effect on enhancing core soul energy. Even though Chen Fei was now in the Aperture tempering realm, Strange Heart Stones still had remarkable effects.
Strange Heart Stones and the map.
An image of the map he had just seen flashed through Chen Fei's mind. His eyes suddenly lit up. The terrain depicted on that map was none other than the Strange Heart Realm!
The Strange Heart Realm was a truly mystical place, corresponding to reality but not entirely the same. When Chen Fei had first seen the map, that familiar yet strange feeling was due to the mountains; they existed in reality but looked somewhat different from what was depicted in the jade scroll.
However, if it were in the Strange Heart Realm, the appearance of those mountains in the map would likely match.
"The reason for Miao Qisheng's increase in core soul energy, is in the Strange Heart Realm?"
The pervasive pollution in the Strange Heart Realm could indeed purify and enhance one's core soul energy. Back when Chen Fei was in the Aperture tempering realm, he had cultivated his core soul energy in this manner.
However, after advancing to the Aperture tempering realm, it became challenging for the pervasive pollution to have any significant impact on the core soul energy of someone in the Aperture tempering realm. Although the pollution still found its way in, it could be easily expelled with a bit of repair.
Since there were no significant injuries, the growth in core soul energy after repair was minimal, bordering on insignificant.
As for Strange Heart Stones, their quantity was extremely limited. Sometimes, Chen Fei would enter the Strange Heart Realm multiple times and still not find a single Strange Heart Stone.
Regarding slaying the eerie creatures in the Strange Heart Realm, Chen Fei had tried it and even used the Slaughter Spirit Technique to extract spiritual essence.
However, after a slight perception, Chen Fei gave up on the idea of assimilating this spiritual essence into his body.
In the outside world, whether it was slaying beasts or humans, or even eerie creatures, only a small portion of the spiritual essence obtained through the Slaughter Spirit Technique was composed of fragments of core soul energy. When fused into a spiritual weapon, it complemented each other.
However, the spiritual essence obtained from slaying the eerie creatures in the Strange Heart Realm was different. It was nothing but pure madness, completely distinct from the pervasive pollution in the Strange Heart Realm and the energy in Strange Heart Stones.
It was as if the eerie creatures in the Strange Heart Realm had been reduced to these primal instincts. Of course, it was also possible that the Slaughter Spirit Technique didn't work as effectively in the Strange Heart Realm due to some compatibility issues.
After all, initially, the Slaughter Spirit Technique couldn't affect core soul energy. It was only after Chen Fei had perfected it that he could use it to attach the Slaughter Spirit Technique to the Slaughter God Sword and use it in the Strange Heart Realm.
Chen Fei set down the jade scroll in his hand and picked up the last two jade scrolls, starting to decode them simultaneously. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had unraveled the core soul energy entanglement on both scrolls, and his consciousness delved into them to search for their contents.
But within moments, Chen Fei withdrew his consciousness.
One of the jade scrolls contained a list of Rain Pavilion personnel, including many who were undercover in various major sects, even within the Primordial Sword Sect.
However, their positions were generally low, at most reaching the level of inner disciples, and their roles were limited to gathering information. After all, to reach the position of a true transmission disciple, they would have to undergo a core soul energy examination, with almost no chance of passing.
Chen Fei recorded the names of several individuals and planned to report them to the sect leader, Qu Qingsheng. He even suspected that Qu Qingsheng might be highly knowledgeable about the infiltrators within the sect.
All the jade scrolls obtained from Miao Qisheng's study had been decoded. Chen Fei then picked up the one that recorded Miao Qisheng's diary and began reading from the most recent entries.
An hour later, Chen Fei set down the jade scroll in his hand, a smile unconsciously forming on his face.
Just as Chen Fei had speculated earlier, the reason behind Miao Qisheng's tremendous increase in core soul energy did indeed lie within the Strange Heart Realm. The function of that formation was to refine the eerie creatures slain in the Strange Heart Realm.
The eerie creature source obtained after refining could be absorbed into one's mental consciousness, aiding in the growth of core soul energy.
However, there was a drawback to absorbing this eerie creature source —it was impure and extremely prone to contaminating one's mental consciousness.
The madness within the eerie creature source could cause one's mental consciousness to collapse or turn into a mindless puppet with even the slightest lapse in attention.
Miao Qisheng's solution was to slay weaker eerie creatures in the Strange Heart Realm, and the contents of the map recorded some of these relatively weaker eerie creatures.
The weaker the Strange Heart beings, the lesser madness they contained after refinement. After a period of digestion, most of the risks could be eliminated.
Miao Qisheng was also constantly improving his understanding of this formation. The higher his comprehension of the formation, the more efficient the refinement process, resulting in less residual madness from the eerie creature source.
Furthermore, if one possessed enough capability, setting up two formations simultaneously, layering them, could exponentially increase the refining ability of the formations. Miao Qisheng had always aimed for this and continuously practiced this formation with that goal in mind.
Therefore, within the jade scrolls, Miao Qisheng occasionally recorded his insights into the formation, all to fully master this formation as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, Miao Qisheng's talent in formations couldn't be considered extraordinary; it was merely average. Coupled with the fact that the method of deploying the Heart Refinement Formation was quite different from typical formations, Miao Qisheng made occasional progress at best.
"Stacking two formations? If I cultivate this Heart Refinement Formation to perfection, how many layers can I stack?"
Chen Fei picked up the jade scroll containing the Heart Refinement Formation and began studying it seriously. An hour later, information about the Heart Refinement Formation appeared in his mind.
"New formation discovered. Do you wish to spend sixteen elemental stones to simplify the Heart Refinement Formation?"
"Heart Refinement Formation simplification in progress… Simplification successful… Heart Refinement Formation -> Formation Diagram!"
The cost of simplification surprised Chen Fei. He had simplified several techniques of the Primordial Sword Sect, and none of them had a cost higher than this one.
This indicated that mastering this Heart Refinement Formation was indeed extremely challenging, far from being as simple as learning a complete technique inheritance.
In Chen Fei's Sea of Consciousness, the Thousand Thread Secret Technique slightly trembled. It divided his core soul energy into hundreds of threads and began sketching the Formation Diagram of the Heart Refinement Formation in the air.
Compared to drawing by hand, the efficiency of simultaneously sketching with hundreds of threads of core soul energy was incomparable.
The complexity of the Heart Refinement Formation lay in the intricacies of its deployment, but the formation diagram itself was not complex at all. Therefore, Chen Fei, who could be described as a "jack of all trades" in this context, due to his ability to simultaneously operate hundreds of threads of core soul energy, was essentially like making both hands draw a circle at the same time.
In the blink of an eye, the formation diagram sketched by his core soul energy was completed. Instantly, hundreds of insights appeared in Chen Fei's mind. He couldn't help but close his eyes and absorb each of these insights one by
one..
Chapter 383: Banished Immortal
For several consecutive days, Chen Fei wholeheartedly immersed himself in the practice of the Heart Refinement Formation, even temporarily suspending the cultivation of other techniques.
After all, not practicing other techniques for a few days wouldn't have any impact on Chen Fei. If he could complete the formation diagram one day earlier and confirm its effects in the Strange Heart Realm, then Chen Fei's core soul energy would make a tremendous leap.
He wondered if there were any limitations to this formation diagram or if there were any hidden drawbacks to absorbing the eerie creature source. However, all of these questions would need to be slowly confirmed by Chen Fei after he entered the Strange Heart Realm.
With hundreds of threads of core soul energy simultaneously sketching, the speed was indeed very fast. By the seventh day, Chen Fei had successfully cultivated the Heart Refinement Formation, which was comparable to a typical late-stage foundational technique inheritance.
Chen Fei had already inquired about the location of the map that Miao Qisheng had recorded over the past few days. Initially, he hadn't planned to go there.
Chen Fei had been to the Strange Heart Realm before, so he had some understanding of its rules. In reality, the more densely packed with elemental energy a place was, the more mysterious it would be, and the stronger the eerie creatures. In remote and desolate areas with few human traces, eerie creatures were rare and much weaker.
Therefore, Chen Fei didn't necessarily have to follow the location on the map. However, when he thought about Miao Qisheng's deliberate recording of this map, Chen Fei ultimately decided to go to that location in the Strange Heart Realm to see if there was anything special about it.
If that place didn't have anything unique, then in the future, when Chen Fei entered the Strange Heart Realm, he could choose his own location.
Chen Fei walked out of the courtyard, just about to leave for the location on the map when he suddenly saw Chi Shuqing appear not far away.
"Do you know I was coming?" Chi Shuqing saw Chen Fei and swiftly arrived in front of him, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Yes, I got some Youth-Restoring Pills and wanted to inform you," Chen Fei replied.
Chen Fei pretended to reach into his sleeve, and three medicine bottles appeared in his hand from the spatial storage grid. He handed them to Chi Shuqing.
These pills were obtained from the Rain Pavilion's secret treasury. Unlike ordinary Youth-Restoring Pills, they were refined from spirit plants, and their effects were much better.
Most male cultivators probably wouldn't be interested in this kind of Youth-Restoring Pill, but for female cultivators, the value of these pills was likely several times greater than other spiritual pills.
Chi Shuqing took them with some delight, opened the bottle, and looked at the Youth-Restoring Pills inside. A smile of satisfaction appeared on her face.
"I have some doubts about my cultivation and would like to seek your guidance," Chi Shuqing said, casting a glance at Chen Fei. Her eyes were already filled with a layer of watery ripples, expressing deep affection. Chen Fei smiled faintly, didn't say anything, and took Chi Shuqing's hand, leading her into the house.
Practicing core soul energy in the Strange Heart Realm was crucial. However, when it came to cultivation, it was important to strike a balance between work and rest, or one could easily suffer setbacks.
Chen Fei believed that he could take a brief break without any issues.
A moment later, the elemental energy around the courtyard began to oscillate rhythmically, wave after wave, like ripples on the surface of a lake, advancing layer by layer without stopping.
"Like this, will the cultivation effect be better?" Chi Shuqing's gentle voice came.
"I don't know, but we can give it a try," Chen Fei replied.
Chen Fei was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly. He formed hand seals and immediately changed his technique. The next moment, the elemental energy around surged violently, layer upon layer, like waves crashing against the shore.
After a while, the elemental energy in all directions gradually subsided, returning to a brief calm.
However, this calm didn't last long. The elemental energy in all directions started to shake again. It was evident that this round of cultivation had not reached its true conclusion yet.
This happened repeatedly, intermittently, over the course of several hours, until the elemental energy around the courtyard finally settled down completely.
"I need to go on a journey and will be away for a few days," Chen Fei said to Chi Shuqing, looking at her.
Chi Shuqing nodded with a slightly blurred consciousness. When she fully regained her senses, she found that Chen Fei had already disappeared.
Chi Shuqing sat up and looked at the three bottles of Youth-Restoring Pills on the table, a smile appearing on her face. It had nothing to do with the value of the pills; it was because Chen Fei had given them to her.
That alone was more than enough. That's why Chi Shuqing had put in so much effort today, just to better support Chen Fei's cultivation.
It seemed that only in this way could Chi Shuqing fully express her joy.
Outside the mountain gate, Chen Fei's figure flickered, fuming into a blur as he sped forward.
The recent round of cultivation hadn't caused the slightest fatigue for Chen Fei. With the physique of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique, he could continue practicing if he wished.
With lightning speed, after two hours, Chen Fei stopped at a cliff. Looking around, he realized that this place was no longer just remote; it was a location where ordinary people would never venture.
A massive waterfall seemed to descend from the heavens, crashing down onto the water pool below, creating a thunderous roar. Mist rose, and when the sunlight hit it, it transformed into a colorful spectacle.
Chen Fei extended his right foot forward, descending from the cliff that was hundreds of meters high with the grace of an exiled immortal, landing lightly on the water pool.
The clear water reflected Chen Fei's figure, and even the fish beneath the surface were unafraid, swimming gracefully around him.
Chen Fei glanced around, then at the water pool, and his entire body started to sink beneath the water's surface.
When his consciousness entered the Strange Heart Realm, his physical body would be in an unprotected state. Of course, with his perception as a cultivator in the Aperture tempering realm, if there were any signs of danger, Chen Fei would quickly awaken.
Reaching the bottom of the water pool, the Dragon Elephant Formation, centered under Chen Fei's feet, immediately connected with the earth's energy within a radius of dozens of meters, forming an array that enveloped him.
At the same time, a shadow clone separated from Chen Fei, wielding the Qianyuan Sword, appeared outside the Dragon Elephant Formation.
The clone created by the Soaring Heaven Technique could be actively controlled or given a command to execute automatically.
However, compared to active control, the autonomously executing clone appeared rather clumsy. It could only move straightforwardly, and its effectiveness against warriors of the same level was minimal.
Nonetheless, it could provide a brief delay, which was sufficient for Chen Fei. With a flicker, the Slaughter Spirit Technique was employed, and both the mam body and the clone's presence vanished. If it weren't for someone deliberately tracking Chen Fei to this location, it would be challenging for an ordinary Aperture tempering realm cultivator passing by the cliff to detect his trace.
After a moment, Chen Fei closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the surroundings had completely transformed.
Between heaven and earth, only shades of black and white remained. In this place, there was no room for any colorful elements, not even for true living beings.
A faint murmur echoed in Chen Fei's ears, a pervasive contamination silently creeping into his consciousness. However, the intensity of this pollution was no longer capable of causing any trouble to Chen Fei.
Glancing around, especially at the distant mountain ranges, Chen Fei quickly matched the landscape to the records on the map. With a swift motion, he ran towards the direction to his right and behind.
Compared to the real world, many techniques were unusable in the Strange Heart Realm, including body techniques like Soaring Heaven technique.
Here, the only things one could rely on were their core soul energy and mental techniques.
Fortunately, cultivating mental techniques had always been a priority for Chen Fei. Whether it was the Thousand Thread Technique or the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique, as long as he didn't deliberately seek out extremely powerful eerie creatures, there were usually no major issues.
In this place, the concept of time became significantly blurred. Chen Fei even found it challenging to estimate how long he had been here. Suddenly, a dilapidated temple appeared in front of him.
Chen Fei's expression slightly changed. Although he had been to the Strange Heart Realm several times, he hadn't ventured very far. However, he believed he had seen a fair amount.
Yet, this was the first time Chen Fei had encountered such an obviously artificial structure within the Strange Heart Realm.
Chen Fei's gaze shifted from the broken temple to the faint outlines of several more buildings behind it, all of them appearing in a state of disrepair.
Chen Fei furrowed his brow slightly and used his senses to scan the broken temple and the distant structures, but he didn't detect anything unusual.
Chen Fei hesitated for a moment and began to cautiously approach.
With measured steps, Chen Fei slowly moved closer to the broken temple. The temple's entrance had long since disappeared, and even one of its walls had collapsed halfway.
As for the other three walls, which were slightly more intact, they were riddled with various large holes.
The interior of the broken temple was quite dim, but the entire Strange Heart Realm was shrouded in darkness, so Chen Fei could still see everything inside the temple with a single glance.
There were no statues or furniture inside the ruined temple, but on the walls of the temple's interior, there were inscriptions in human script.
Chen Fei pondered for a moment, then slowly walked into the temple and approached the wall. To his surprise, the inscriptions on the wall were records of the Heart Refinement Formation.
Due to the numerous damaged areas on the wall, there were occasional gaps in the records of the Heart Refinement Formation, but overall, it was still mostly intact.
Chen Fei turned his head to look at the other three walls, which also had inscriptions, but unfortunately, most of the text on these three walls had been destroyed.
Connecting the remaining text on those walls wouldn't provide a complete technique.
Someone like Miao Qisheng actually didn't destroy it after obtaining the Heart Refinement Formation?
Chen Fei walked up to the wall, carefully examined it for a moment, and then, with a subtle expression, extended his palm and patted it on a brick. The brick crumbled into dust as if it had decayed long ago, but in the next moment, the brick that had turned to dust automatically restored itself right before Chen Fei's eyes, as if nothing had happened.
"This kind of power…"
Chen Fei was astonished and couldn't understand the principle behind the brick's restoration. With this power of restoration, considering the numerous damages on the surrounding walls, what kind of force had caused this destruction in the first place?
The mystery of the Strange Heart Realm had deepened in Chen Fei's mind.
Was it the work of the Strange Tamers lineage, or were there other cultivators lost in the river of history?
Chen Fei glanced around to make sure he hadn't missed anything, then left the broken temple and began to ascend, wanting to see what was left in the other buildings..
Chapter 384: Thousand-Mile Soul Lock
The buildings were in a state of ruin, and it was unclear how many years they had been abandoned.
Chen Fei stood nearby, looking at the structures as if a strong wind could blow them all down.
Standing in place, Chen Fei cautiously observed for a moment to ensure there was no danger. Only then did he slowly enter. At first glance, he noticed the inscriptions on the walls.
They were still cultivation techniques, but they were severely damaged, so much so that a single line of text could have four or five breaks.
Chen Fei didn't mind and meticulously read every character on the walls, one by one. After finishing with one building, he moved on to the next, continuing to examine the words inscribed on the walls.
In these buildings, apart from the text on the walls, there was nothing else left; the interiors were virtually empty. Additionally, some of the buildings had completely collapsed, leaving only bricks and tiles scattered on the ground.
After a building had completely collapsed, the inscriptions on the bricks vanished and, with a light touch, turned into ashes. This time, these bricks didn't recover.
Chen Fei had visited all the dozen or so buildings. He stood at a high point, overlooking this group of structures. In the past, this place should have been extremely prosperous, but now all that remained were these broken walls.
[Cultivation Technique: Heart Technique (Miscellaneous)]
Seeing the information on the panel, a faint smile appeared on Chen Fei's face. That was the reason why he had carefully examined every wall.
Chen Fei couldn't personally cultivate these damaged Cultivation Techniques, but the panel could organize and condense them, just as in Pingyin County when an almost randomly compiled Thunderbolt Sword Technique was refined into the Astonishing Symbol Art.
And these Cultivation Techniques on the walls clearly have a lineage; it wouldn't make sense if nothing could be organized from them.
"Discover Cultivation Technique, spend thirty elemental stones to simplify Heart Technique (Miscellaneous)?"
"Heart Technique (Miscellaneous) simplification in progress… Simplification successful… Heart Technique (Miscellaneous) -> Star Gazing Art!"
The simplification cost was higher than expected, but fortunately, Chen Fei had enough elemental stones on the panel to cover this expenditure. Chen Fei checked Star Gazing Art with some curiosity since it cost a whole thirty elemental stones.
After a moment, Chen Fei's attention shifted away from the panel.
Star Gazing Art wasn't about gazing at stars in the distance but rather observing someone's aura from a great distance. It was somewhat similar to Aura Gazing, but even more mysterious.
In the concept of Star Gazing Art, every person was like a star. If you remembered someone's aura, you could even observe them from an incredibly long distance.
Of course, the specific distance one could reach was closely related to their level of understanding of the Cultivation Technique and the strength of their own core soul energy.
"You can practically use this for finding people, chasing them down, and surveillance."
Chen Fei's eyes held some astonishment. Thousand-Mile Soul Lock and Thousand-Mile Pursuit, most of the time, relied on placing a core soul mark on the target, making it difficult for the target to remove it quickly, and then chasing them down.
With this Star Gazing Art, you could directly see where someone was and then pursue them.
"According to the description at the end of this Star Gazing Art, it seems like you can even assassinate from a distance. But the Cultivation Technique is still incomplete!"
Chen Fei looked at the ruined buildings before him with a hint of regret in his eyes. The lineage of this cultivation art was undoubtedly specialized in mental attacks.
The combination of Star Gazing Art and remote assassination was incredibly powerful. As long as one's core soul energy was strong enough, ordinary people wouldn't be able to withstand it, and they wouldn't even know where the attacks were coming from, forcing them to passively endure the onslaught.
Unfortunately, what the panel could do was to refine Cultivation Techniques based on existing information and couldn't directly deduce new abilities. Therefore, the part of Star Gazing Art's description referring to remote assassination was beyond what Chen Fei's current version of the technique could achieve.
However, even in its current state, Star Gazing Art was already a very potent ability.
If it weren't for the panel, trying to organize such a powerful Cultivation Technique from these fragmented texts would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
"Discover Cultivation Technique, spend forty elemental stones to simplify Star Gazing Art?"
"Star Gazing Art simplification in progress… Simplification successful… Star Gazing Art -> Star Gazing!"
Star Gazing? As in looking up at the stars?
Chen Fei looked up at the sky, which was shrouded in gray. There were no stars in the Strange Heart Realm. It seemed that he would have to wait until he returned to reality to practice this technique.
After moving around the area and finding no other discoveries, Chen Fei pondered for a moment, then turned and left this region.
The reason for this mysterious inheritance's decline to such a state was unknown. If there were enemies within the Strange Heart Realm, staying here might lead to further dangers.
Because there were no other written records, Chen Fei didn't even know the name of this inheritance from back then. All the inscriptions on the walls were about Cultivation Techniques, with not a single piece of information about their origins.
He retreated to a sufficient distance until the cluster of buildings was no longer visible before he finally came to a halt.
Chen Fei glanced around, sensing the presence, and slowly walked towards the left front. In Chen Fei's perception, that direction held a crazed and chaotic aura.
This was an eerie creature unique to the Strange Heart Realm.
As he drew closer, the sensation of madness became increasingly pronounced. Eventually, Chen Fei saw a faint figure standing within a black mist.
Perhaps sensing Chen Fei's aura, the figure, which had originally faced away from him, suddenly turned its head backward, fixing a piercing gaze upon him.
Chen Fei remained composed. This eerie creature wasn't particularly strong. Judging by the classification, it was probably only at the first level, equivalent to the Body Refining Realm cultivators.
Most of the eerie creatures Chen Fei had encountered and slain in the Strange Heart Realm before were of this level. However, the heart essence extracted through the Slaughter Spirit Technique from these eerie creatures was chaotic and impossible to absorb.
Chen Fei glanced around the black mist but found no other eerie creatures. He took a step forward.
Sensing Chen Fei's approach, the eerie creature suddenly vanished into the black mist as if the figure he had seen earlier had been a mere illusion.
Chen Fei halted and scanned his surroundings. Then, he suddenly looked upward. A pair of crimson eyes locked onto his, and countless murmurs echoed in his ears.
Illusions started to appear before Chen Fei's eyes, and black splotches began to emerge in his mind. This was contamination.
Godslayer Sword!
A sword light slashed out from within Chen Fei, cleaving directly into the eerie creature. The frantic murmurs that had filled the surroundings abruptly fell silent as a crack began at the eerie creature's head and extended all the way down, splitting it in two.
Dealing with a first-level eerie creature like this was effortless for Chen Fei with his current strength. Even though the Strange Heart Realm was polluted everywhere, these eerie creatures could amplify that contamination.
However, the gap in tiers made this eerie creature utterly defenseless against the Godslayer Sword.
Threads of black light converged in front of Chen Fei. He formed hand seals, placing his palm on the ground, and a faint glow rippled outward. A formation appeared on the ground.
The black light formed by the eerie creature was dragged by the formation to the center.
As Chen Fei had perfected the Heart Refinement Formation, Strange Heart Stones, while still needed, had evolved from consumables into something akin to activation devices.
When the Heart Refinement Formation operated, it automatically absorbed the surrounding earth's energy to complete the final formation, without consuming Strange Heart Stones.
This particular Strange Heart Stone was obtained by Chen Fei when he had inquired about their availability from the head of the Strange Tamers Lineage, Elder Si Yuanhai, a few days ago. Si Yuanhai had managed to find a few of them in recent years and wanted to provide them all to Chen Fei. However, Chen Fei had only accepted one, wanting to pay for it. Si Yuanhai had insisted on giving it for free, and in the end, Chen Fei had no choice but to accept it with a wry smile.
As the Heart Refinement Formation was completed, Chen Fei's hand seals didn't end there. After a moment, two more formations appeared beneath his feet.
The difficulty of stacking the Heart Refinement Formation increased exponentially with each layer. Currently, Chen Fei's limit was the three-layered Heart Refinement Formation.
However, this was Chen Fei's current limit, not the limit of the Heart Refinement Formation. As long as Chen Fei continued to improve his core soul energy, the Heart Refinement Formation could be stacked further.
The stacking of these formations has no apparent limit; it depends solely on the user's own abilities and how far they can go.
The Heart Refinement Formation, when stacked in three layers, transforms into a colossal millstone, causing the thread-like black mist to dissipate from the eerie creature source.
In the blink of an eye, the black mist vanishes, leaving behind the pure essence within the Heart Refinement Formation. Chen Fei senses this eerie creature source, and the extreme, frenzied chaos he felt before has long since disappeared.
Chen Fei places his palm on the Heart Refinement Formation, and a strand of the eerie creature source separates and blends into the palm of his hand.
Like a river merging with the sea, Chen Fei doesn't feel any anomaly. Both the Thousand Thread Technique and the Spirit Suppression of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Technique naturally absorb this strand into his mental realm.
However, this tiny bit of the source provides only a minimal boost to Chen Fei. Still, he can sense the nourishing effect it has on his core soul energy.
Chen Fei looks at the remaining eerie creature source within the Heart Refinement Formation, emitting a faint glow, and a smile forms at the corner of his mouth. In the next moment, this source surges into his palm.
Chen Fei's eyes narrow slightly, and an ethereal sensation naturally arises within him. His previously stable core soul energy begins to tremble slightly, and his whole being seems to radiate light.
After a while, the unusual feeling on Chen Fei's body disappears, and he opens his eyes, sensing the strength of his core soul energy.
If Chen Fei's core soul energy was previously at the level of controlling nearly sixty acupoints, it has now surged to around sixty-one acupoints after absorbing this eerie creature source, directly increasing his core soul energy by nearly half an acupoint.
This was just a small, first-order eerie creature, and in the entire Strange Heart Realm, such eerie creatures were countless. Every time Chen Fei entered the Strange Heart Realm, he would encounter many of these eerie creatures.
However, Chen Fei had never killed them. Most of the time, he was searching for Strange Heart Stones.
Because killing these eerie creatures wouldn't allow him to extract and integrate the eerie creature source into his spiritual weapons, nor would it provide any personal benefits. Thus, Chen Fei had always ignored them.
He would avoid them whenever possible, and when unavoidable, he would simply kill them and then leave, not bothering to extract the eerie creature source.
But now, in Chen Fei's eyes, they had instantly become something different.
They were like walking pills of elixir..
Chapter 385: Rapid Progress
The primary way Chen Fei currently increased his core soul energy was through daily cultivation, relying on the stimulation and nourishment provided by his techniques and elemental energy, allowing his core soul energy to naturally grow.
Because he had perfected three techniques, the efficiency of using elemental energy to nourish his core soul energy was much higher than that of an average cultivator in the intermediate stage of Aperture tempering realm. He was on par with those in the later stages of Aperture tempering realm.
As for the elixirs that could replenish his core soul energy, Chen Fei occasionally managed to buy them once or twice, but most of the time, they were out of stock. Over time, Chen Fei stopped putting too much effort into this area.
These two methods were the most common ways for most cultivators to increase their core soul energy. In simpler terms, it was a matter of accumulating core soul energy over time.
Of course, his progress was also due to his cultivation partnership with Chi Shuqing. Chen Fei's core soul energy was growing at a not-so-slow pace because of this. However, Chi Shuqing was somewhat weaker and couldn't practice every day, which left Chen Fei feeling a bit regretful.
Now, with the Strange Heart Realm being developed in this way, defeating a first-order eerie creature led to an increase of nearly half a unit of core soul energy. This speed would be shocking if word got out.
If he were to defeat a second-order eerie creature, he wondered how much more powerful the effect would be.
However, Chen Fei currently had no intention of touching second-order creatures because there was no need to. With the three-fold stack of the Heart Refinement Formation, although its pollution-erasing ability was already formidable, it didn't mean it had no limits.
After defeating a first-order creature, the Heart Refinement Formation could completely eliminate pollution. Chen Fei saw no reason to take risks by attempting to face second-order creatures. Moreover, the strength of second-order creatures varied greatly.
Some were as weak as cultivators in the early stage of Aperture tempering realm, while others were as strong as those in the peak stage. Unlike first-order creatures, which could be dealt with using a single slash of the Godslayer Sword in Chen Fei's eyes, second-order creatures were an entirely different story.
Chen Fei waved his hand, retracting the Heart Refinement Formation beneath his feet. He then sensed his surroundings and proceeded towards the left-rear direction, where he vaguely sensed the presence of eerie beings.
Whether there were any eerie beings or not, Chen Fei would have to go and see for himself to know.
This method of searching was undoubtedly a bit inefficient. Chen Fei inexplicably thought of the Star Gazing Art, a technique that might have been created specifically for finding eerie beings.
With the Star Gazing Art to locate eerie beings, followed by defeating them and purifying them within the Heart Refinement Formation, this mysterious sect of cultivation likely had ways to quickly slay eerie beings to complement the technique. Unfortunately, this school had disappeared, and Chen Fei had no idea if he would ever have the chance to encounter the remnants of this sect again.
Perhaps somewhere in the Strange Heart Realm, there might still be a legacy of this sect, or even some successors. Alternatively, there might be nothing left at all.
One day later, in the real world, under the waterfall and in the pool, Chen Fei slowly opened his eyes. A faint streak of light seemed to flash across his eyes, and his mighty core soul energy trembled slightly within his sea of consciousness.
However, thanks to the operation of the Thousand Thread Technique and Suppressing Dragon Elephant Technique, the fluctuation in his core soul energy quickly disappeared, perfectly integrating into his physical body.
Seventy-two. Chen Fei's core soul energy had reached a level where he could control seventy-two acupoints.
He had increased from controlling sixty acupoints to seventy-two acupoints. Chen Fei had consecutively defeated dozens of first-order eerie creatures. As his core soul energy increased, the difficulty of further growth also continued to rise.
However, this didn't have a significant impact on Chen Fei; it simply meant slaying a few more first-order eerie creatures.
However, Chen Fei could indeed sense that the effectiveness of the first-order eerie creatures' sources in increasing his core soul energy was diminishing. But as long as it still had an effect, Chen Fei had no plans to change his target.
He would only switch to second-order eerie creatures when the first-order ones no longer worked.
After a day, Chen Fei had cultivated his core soul energy to the peak of the middle stage of the Aperture tempering realm, which was the level of Miao Qisheng when he was alive. Chen Fei's core soul energy was even slightly stronger than Miao Qisheng's.
According to the diary's records, Miao Qisheng had already spent more than ten years since he obtained the Heart Refinement Formation. In the beginning, he was studying the array, and then he gradually figured it out and began entering the Strange Heart Realm to defeat eerie beings and refine them.
However, due to Miao Qisheng's limited mastery of the Heart Refinement Formation, let alone superimposing arrays, even a single array wasn't operating perfectly. Consequently, there was still a considerable amount of contamination within the eerie creature source.
So, after absorbing an eerie creature source, Miao Qisheng had to rest for a while, refining the madness and chaos within the source. Only then would he continue to enter the Strange Heart Realm.
He repeated this process, gradually raising his core soul energy to the peak of the middle stage of the Aperture tempering realm.
Miao Qisheng was extremely satisfied with this growth rate, as it was thanks to the Heart Refinement Formation that he was able to smoothly progress from the early phase to the middle phase of the Aperture tempering realm. He even believed that breaking through to the later phase of the Aperture tempering realm in the future wouldn't pose too much of a problem. By then, he could sit on equal footing with the master of the Rain Pavilion.
If Miao Qisheng knew about Chen Fei's cultivation speed, he would probably jump up in astonishment.
When Chen Fei sensed that his core soul energy had reached seventy-two units, he voluntarily exited the Strange Heart Realm. After all, this kind of growth was somewhat different from his usual cultivation.
Sometimes the physical body might struggle to adapt to such a sudden surge in core soul energy. It's because Chen Fei practiced the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Technique, and his physique was extraordinary. Otherwise, even if other cultivators had the conditions, they would definitely need to progress gradually.
Putting away the Dragon Elephant Formation, Chen Fei's figure floated upward and stood on the surface of the pool.
The moonlight shimmered like water, and the deafening roar of the waterfall still echoed. However, compared to the daytime when the sunlight shone like incense smoke, the water pool now exuded a different kind of gentleness.
Chen Fei looked up at the sky, where stars covered the heavens, each one twinkling with its own radiance.
Insights about the Star Gazing Art began to appear in Chen Fei's mind. He lightly tapped the water's surface with his right foot, creating ripples on the water. Chen Fei's figure soared like an arrow, floating up to the cliff.
In his mind, the insights about the Star Gazing Art increased in speed.
The closer he was to the stars, the faster his insights grew.
In his Sea of Consciousness, Chen Fei's core soul energy followed a specific trajectory, gradually forming a totem resembling an eye. In the next moment, a faint light emanated from Chen Fei's eyes, and the stars in the sky were drawn much closer.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, the insights about the Star Gazing Art instantly soared, and a smile appeared on Chen Fei's face.
It was normal to use a technique to improve one's comprehension of it since many people learned techniques this way. After all, if you didn't use it, how could you understand it well?
However, using a technique to increase comprehension to this extent was undoubtedly a rare occurrence.
Chen Fei stood on the cliff, and as his proficiency with the Star Gazing Art continued to increase, the distance he could see with his eyes also grew.
With the increased distance, the speed of proficiency growth naturally rose as well.
The two formed a completely positive feedback loop. Normally, the more you practiced, the harder it became. However, for Chen Fei, practicing more meant that his practice speed continued to accelerate.
Four hours later, Chen Fei returned to the Primordial Sword Sect.
Unlike usual, Chen Fei didn't enter a secret chamber for practice this time. Instead, he began practicing the Primordial Sword Art directly in the courtyard to increase his proficiency in the Blade-Slaying Sword Technique.
At the same time, Chen Fei slightly raised his head, and his eyes gazed at the sky. Insights about the Star Gazing Art also emerged in his mind.
Practicing and simultaneously increasing the proficiency of two techniques – this kind of joy was something he hadn't experienced since he practiced the Giant Spirit Sword.
The collision of these two insights in his mind felt somewhat peculiar, but with Chen Fei's current mental strength, absorbing them was not difficult.
After all, these insights appeared in his mind gradually and systematically, rather than having the entire technique's insights forced into his mind all at once.
As days passed, the resolution of the core soul energy issue allowed Chen Fei to immerse himself completely in his cultivation.
On the tenth day of his return, Chen Fei opened three more acupoints, bringing the total number of acupoints under his control to sixty-one. On this day, Chen Fei reentered the Strange Heart Realm for the second time after returning from the water pool.
After ten days of cultivation, Chen Fei's core soul energy had stabilized completely, with no conflicts between it and his physical body. He no longer needed the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Technique to forcibly stabilize it.
Meanwhile, the Star Gazing Art had already reached a state of mastery after these ten days of practice.
During his previous stay in the Strange Heart Realm, Chen Fei spent very little time actually killing eerie creatures. Most of his time was spent searching for them.
Within the Strange Heart Realm, Chen Fei's mental perception could only vaguely sense the presence of nearby eerie creatures. Due to this vagueness, when he arrived at a location, he couldn't be certain that it would contain only first-order eerie creatures.
It could be second-order, or even more powerful than second-order eerie creatures.
When he encountered second-order eerie creatures, Chen Fei would keep a wide berth. As for those beyond second-order, when he felt something amiss halfway there, he would already sense the danger and take a detour to escape.
This method of searching not only wasted time but also increased the risk of encountering danger. Therefore, in these ten days, apart from taking spiritual pills, Chen Fei spent almost all of his time gazing up at the sky.
The starry sky wasn't only present during the day; it had always been there. It was just that it wasn't visible in the daytime, but this didn't affect Chen Fei's cultivation.
Thus, Chen Fei's cultivation of the Star Gazing Art was pursued with a near-rampant, mad dash for proficiency.
In ten days, the Star Gazing Art had not just reached the mastery level but was advancing crazily towards perfection.
According to Chen Fei's estimation, in another half a month, the Star Gazing Art would reach perfection, and within three months, this mysterious inheritance of the Star Gazing Art would achieve the level of great perfection.
As he continued to practice the Star Gazing Art, even without actively using it, Chen Fei became more sensitive to the surroundings' auras, and the range of his perception spontaneously extended.
It was as if practicing the Star Gazing Art had automatically granted Chen Fei a mental attribute that enhanced his perception of his surroundings at all times.
Four hours later, Chen Fei withdrew from the Strange Heart Realm.
The effectiveness of first-order eerie creatures continued to decrease rapidly, but it couldn't keep up with Chen Fei's insane efficiency in finding eerie creatures.
In four hours, he had slain nearly a hundred first-order eerie creatures, and Chen Fei's core soul energy had skyrocketed from controlling seventy-two acupoints to eighty.
Chen Fei had never imagined that one day the growth rate of his core soul energy would far exceed that of his acupoints.
The feeling was exhilarating!