Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Chen Fei, accompanied by Ren Zhongyang, returned directly to the medical hall. When Chen Fei had awakened earlier, they were on the streets, and there were no available accommodations.

Interestingly, Ren Zhongyang ended up in the medical hall, where there were typically dormitory arrangements.

The people inside the medical hall were puzzled when they saw Chen Fei and Ren Zhongyang return, especially when it was made clear that they needed lodging.

“He has practiced medicine here, and 1 have also practiced medicine here. Even if you need it, I can continue practicing here for the next few days,” Chen Fei said to the medical hall’s manager with a persuasive tone. “So, you should arrange for accommodation.”

“The medical hall doesn’t provide accommodations,” the medical hall’s manager replied emotionlessly.

“No accommodations?” Chen Fei’s voice slightly rose.

“No accommodations,” the manager replied firmly.

“Then where do you all stay?” Chen Fei pointed to the other medical attendants inside the hall, and there were quite a few of them, at least a dozen.

“Where we stay is none of your concern!” The medical hall’s manager’s face suddenly turned cold, and his gaze became icy as he looked at Chen Fei.

“Do you want to eat a piece of fruit?” Chen Fei beckoned with his right hand, and an apple appeared in his hand, which he placed in front of the manager.

The manager’s eyebrows trembled, and he chose to ignore Chen Fei’s offer. He was well aware of Chen Fei’s unusual abilities. Eating the fruit would likely not benefit him at all and might even result in a financial loss.

“Do you know that the martial hall in the city just collapsed?” Chen Fei placed the fruit back in his basket and looked at the medical hall’s manager, suddenly speaking in a hushed tone.

“Are you threatening me?” The medical hall’s manager’s eyes widened, and a malevolent aura suddenly pervaded the surroundings. Ren Zhongyang, standing nearby, couldn’t help but shiver involuntarily, looking at the medical hall’s manager with a frightened expression.

On the way back just now, Ren Zhongyang’s spiritual awareness had been suppressed again, causing him to forget who he was. The only thing that remained was an increasing sense of trust in Chen Fei.

“Yes, I am threatening you! Guess what, can I use the same method to bring this place down as well?” Chen Fei stared directly into the medical hall’s manager’s eyes and lightly tapped the basket. The basket emitted a faint sound of coins colliding with each other. Just from the sound, it was clear that there were hundreds of coins inside.

“Where do you think the money in my basket comes from?” Chen Fei whispered.

The medical hall’s manager’s eyes were filled with resentment, as if it was about to burst out. However, Chen Fei remained unfazed.

As time passed, Chen Fei’s expression gradually became cold and indifferent. The increasingly cold demeanor of Chen Fei made the medical hall’s manager inexplicably anxious.

He had no idea how Chen Fei had caused the martial hall to collapse, but having witnessed Chen Fei’s manipulation of the patients, combined with this threat, it seemed that Chen Fei was not merely making empty boasts.

If he didn’t provide Chen Fei with a satisfactory answer, Chen Fei might really bring down the medical hall.

Thinking of this result, the medical hall’s manager couldn’t help but retract his imposing manner. Providing accommodation for a night wasn’t worth taking such a risk.

“One night, ten copper coins!” The medical hall’s manager said darkly.

“One copper coin!” Chen Fei shook his head, refusing directly.

The medical hall’s manager’s eyes widened in shock. This bargaining style was not a straightforward cut but a chop to the ankles. A surge of anger rushed to his head, but he managed to suppress it forcefully.

“Alright, one copper coin!” The medical hall’s manager gritted his teeth, and the sharp teeth collided, producing a metallic sound.

Half an hour later, Chen Fei settled into the dormitory in the backyard of the medical hall. Outside, the sky darkened at an unusual speed.

The night had descended!

Inside the room, the soft green lights flickered. The shadows of Chen Fei and Ren Zhongyang on the walls lengthened and shortened, appearing eerie and unsettling.

Ren Zhongyang lay sprawled on the bed, snoring loudly. Since his spiritual awareness had been obscured, Ren Zhongyang’s behavior resembled that of an ordinary person, completely forgetting that he possessed extraordinary powers.

Due to the continuous struggle between his core soul energy and the mist, he was extremely exhausted. In less than a moment, he fell into a deep slumber.

Chen Fei sat cross-legged on the side, looking at the copper coins in the basket. Under Chen Fei’s gaze, the copper coins floated one by one. Chen Fei contemplated for a moment, and the coins shattered one by one.

Pure source energy emanated, and Chen Fei took a slight inhalation, absorbing strand after strand of power into his body.

Chen Fei’s originally suppressed mind suddenly became active. He used the “Thousand Threads Technique” to incorporate these source energies one by one into his core soul.

Like flowing water, refining these source powers felt incredibly smooth to Chen Fei. He didn’t encounter the slightest obstruction, smoothly assimilating these energies for his own use.

In just a moment’s time, Chen Fei began to feel the growth of his core soul energy.

Chen Fei’s core soul energy had already reached the level of controlling thirty acupoints after refining some high-grade spiritual materials. Now, with the increase in his core soul energy, he quickly reached the level of controlling thirty-one acupoints.

The speed showed no sign of slowing down or stopping. With the continuous shattering of the copper coins, Chen Fei’s core soul energy continued to surge forward.

Thirty-two acupoints, thirty-three acupoints, thirty-four acupoints—within less than an hour, Chen Fei’s mental power reached the level of controlling thirty-six acupoints.

This was the level of core soul energy intensity that could only be achieved by the peak of the initial stage of the Aperture Tempering realm. Most cultivators in the Aperture Tempering realm needed time to accumulate in order to reach such a level.

It was rare for sects to reward their disciples with Spirit Enhancing Pills, and only a few sects did so.

Even the powerful Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, like Liao Hanqin, spent more than twenty years to reach his current level of core soul energy.

And this process of assimilation was not yet over. As time passed, after a brief pause, Chen Fei’s core soul energy directly broke through to the level of controlling thirty-seven acupoints.

At this point, Chen Fei’s core soul energy seemed to have undergone a minor purification, becoming even purer and more agile. However, this wasn’t a true transformation. Only when Chen Fei’s acupoint cultivation also reached the mid-stage of the Aperture Tempering realm would his core soul energy undergo a profound transformation.

Despite this, Chen Fei’s current gains were far from insignificant, and these gains were not yet complete. He had only used half of the copper coins, and his assimilation was still ongoing.

Controlling thirty-eight acupoints, thirty-nine acupoints, forty acupoints, forty-one acupoints!

As he progressed, the growth of his core soul energy slowed down. When there were around a hundred copper coins left, Chen Fei gradually stopped. Feeling the agility of his core soul energy, he let out a sigh and slowly opened his eyes.

With his core soul energy surging, Chen Fei sensed a slightly floating sensation in his body once again. He continuously circulated the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique to gradually suppress and ultimately eliminate this unusual feeling.

With control over forty-one acupoints, and with the assistance of the Godslayer Sword attracting the mist, Chen Fei’s core soul energy no longer needed to restrain itself too much.

If his core soul energy continued to grow, the mist’s influence on Chen Fei would diminish more and more until it was completely ignored.

If his cultivation could reach the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, he could even directly tear apart this Despair City, instead of being constrained by various rules as he was now.

With about a hundred copper coins remaining, Chen Fei didn’t refine them all, just keeping them for future needs. After all, the city gate wouldn’t open until midnight in two days, and no one could predict what might happen during these two days.

“Hmm?”

Chen Fei, who was sensing the subtle changes in his strengthened core soul energy, suddenly raised his head. His ears twitched, picking up the sounds from outside the room.

“Pitter-patter!”

Faint footsteps echoed from outside, to be more precise, on the main street outside.

Since nightfall, the entire Despair City had fallen into silence. Whether it was the main street outside or the interior of the medical clinic, both people and the eerie entities were hiding within their houses.

Therefore, the sudden sound of footsteps stood out distinctly.

“The temperature is dropping too!”

Chen Fei looked at the frost forming on the windows, and the room’s temperature was rapidly decreasing. The eerie green candles flickered for a moment before going out.

The whole room plunged into darkness instantly.

“Pitter-patter!”

The footsteps on the street gradually became clearer, as if numerous people were moving together. However, upon closer listening, there was only one set of footsteps echoing.

The echoing footsteps felt like they were stomping on people’s hearts, one thud after another. It made the chest feel tight, as if one wanted to scream out loud to release the pent-up frustration and unease.

In his restless sleep, Ren Zhongyang began to toss and turn, as if something was gradually entwining around him.

Chen Fei squinted his eyes, staring at the wall as if trying to see through it to the outside. There was an unusual aura approaching, as if it were drawn by something, heading straight towards them.

On the bed, Ren Zhongyang’s body instinctively curled up, his lips turning purple. The elemental energy within his body seemed sealed, showing no signs of movement, rendering him completely defenseless.

Chen Fei furrowed his brow. Despair City in the dead of night was undeniably terrifying, but did that mean even hiding indoors couldn’t shield one from this terror?

“Whoosh!

H

Outside the house, the wind suddenly picked up, causing the entire window to shake. That presence was now standing outside. Chen Fei could sense that the presence was fixated on the house.

Or perhaps, fixated on the people inside.

“Screech!”

A sharp, piercing screech that seemed to resonate only in the soul washed over Chen Fei. A powerful sense of drowsiness engulfed him, causing veins to bulge on his forehead.

Chen Fei’s eyes snapped open, and he surveyed his surroundings. He realized that the environment had changed at some point. He was no longer in the house; all around him was an endless mist.

“Chen Fei!

H

A familiar voice called out from afar, like an old friend not seen in years. It was a simple call, yet it evoked countless memories and emotions in Chen Fei.

“Chen Fei!”

In the mist, a figure appeared, slowly approaching. Chen Fei’s attention was involuntarily drawn to this figure, filled with immense anticipation, hoping that it would appear soon.

God Slaying! God Slaying! God Slaying!

As the figure’s hands and feet began to emerge from the mist, three consecutive strikes of the Mirror Image Godslayer Sword sent three sword lights flashing through the void, piercing into the figure’s body.

“Screech!”

Once again, a sharp screech resounded, and Chen Fei’s eyes opened. He was back in the room, realizing that everything had been like an illusion.

Chen Fei turned to look at Ren Zhongyang, whose vitality and spirit had diminished by more than thirty percent!