Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

The stall owner carefully looked at the brief introduction of the Light Slicing Shadow Sword and a small portion of its cultivation method with a glint of interest in his eyes.

Compared to the cultivation technique he practiced himself, the Light Slicing Shadow Sword couldn’t be considered superior, but it was certainly quite outstanding.

If he were to bring back this cultivation technique, it might not replace his own family’s legacy, but it could at least be considered as an alternative. If a genius were to emerge among their disciples in the future, they might even be able to integrate both cultivation techniques.

“This is quite good,” the stall owner looked up at Chen Fei and said after some consideration.

“You have a discerning eye, this is one of the most outstanding among my several cultivation techniques,” Chen Fei replied, pointing his finger like a sword in the air.

As his finger moved, the void rippled slightly.

The stall owner watched Chen Fei’s movements, and his eyes lit up. This display revealed the essence of the Light Slicing Shadow Sword and directly conveyed the meaning that was left unfinished in the jade slip earlier.

The stall owner carefully sensed Chen Fei’s aura and was sure that he couldn’t be too old. There was a clear difference between him and someone who had crossed the two-hundred-year mark and was approaching the end of their lifespan.

In other words, Chen Fei hadn’t been practicing the Light Slicing Shadow Sword for a very long time.

With such a short cultivation time and such extraordinary power in the technique, either Chen Fei had exceptional talent, or the difficulty of cultivating the Light Slicing Shadow Sword was lower than what he had imagined.

With exceptional talent, he would have likely joined one of the major powers a long time ago. So, is it that the cultivation technique is relatively easier to practice?

The information was too limited, and the stall owner couldn’t be sure, but he could still purchase this cultivation technique.

Several thoughts crossed the stall owner’s mind, but he didn’t show any of them on his face.

“Give me a fair price, and I’ll take this cultivation technique,” the stall owner said in a low voice.

“How about one hundred fifty mid-grade elemental stones?” Chen Fei replied with a smile.

“No…”

“Don’t rush to refuse. Besides this Profound Slaying Sword, I can bundle the other two cultivation techniques together for you. If you want this Profound Slaying Sword, I can offer you a package deal of two hundred mid-grade elemental stones. How about that?”

Chen Fei intercepted the stall owner’s words and came up with a surprise package deal.

Cultivation techniques were invaluable to those who needed them. But for those who didn’t, they couldn’t be said to be worthless, but certainly, no one would spend more money on them.

Just like Tong Zhongqiu and Qin Haishan, the cultivation techniques in Chen Fei’s hands were not something they would buy because they didn’t need them.

The same applied to others at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Unless their current cultivation technique was exceptionally poor, they might consider switching to another one.

After all, for the vast majority of Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, they might only be able to stay in the early Combined Aperture Tempering realm for their entire lives. If a cultivation technique is only slightly better, it’s of little significance.

Trying to rely on selling cultivation techniques to acquire a large number of elemental stones is an extremely difficult task. Unless it’s a truly top-notch heritage, it’s nearly impossible.

But truly top-notch heritages are never put up for sale. Just like Chen Fei himself, he would never reveal the core secrets of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant because that was the most closely guarded secret.

Upon hearing Chen Fei’s offer, the stall owner felt a momentary surge of excitement.

Two hundred mid-grade elemental stones for four cultivation techniques, averaging fifty stones each, was definitely not expensive and could even be considered quite a bargain.

However, the stall owner quickly regained his composure because he didn’t have two hundred mid-grade elemental stones.

It was a harsh reality that the majority of early Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators found it challenging to amass a large number of mid-grade elemental stones. The daily expenses for cultivation had already consumed most of their resources, and saving any significant amount was an extremely difficult task.

“I don’t need the other three, just this Light Slicing Shadow Sword for one hundred mid-grade elemental stones!” the stall owner said in a firm tone.

“That’s a bit low,” Chen Fei hesitated.

“It’s already quite a bit. You and I both know that selling cultivation techniques isn’t easy. Finding someone willing to buy is already a good thing,” the stall owner whispered.

“That’s true, one hundred forty mid-grade elemental stones,” Chen Fei lowered his offer a bit.

“Still too much. One hundred mid-grade elemental stones, and I’ll buy it. Otherwise, forget it,” the stall owner insisted.

Chen Fei and the stall owner locked eyes, and after a brief standoff, Chen Fei seemed to concede and nodded, saying, “Let’s consider it making a friend. I’ll sell you the cultivation technique.”

“Actually, the price I offered was already quite reasonable,” the stall owner couldn’t help but smile upon hearing Chen Fei’s words.

“These kinds of heritages are not easy to come by in ordinary places,” Chen Fei said, taking out a jade slip and handing it over. Inside was the complete Light Slicing Shadow Sword technique.

The stall owner counted out fifty mid-grade elemental stones from his spatial pouch, took the jade slip, and meticulously inspected it. This inspection took several hours.

Chen Fei didn’t rush, and Qin Haishan and Tong Zhongqiu went to other stalls to browse.

“Alright, the technique is flawless. Here are the remaining elemental stones.”

The stall owner finally withdrew his attention from the jade slip, a smile on his face.

Buying and selling cultivation techniques naturally required careful verification. Fortunately, the Light Slicing Shadow Sword technique wasn’t significantly more profound than what the stall owner had already learned, so after several hours of inspection, he confirmed that the technique was complete.

“Thank you!” Chen Fei accepted the remaining elemental stones, gave a slight bow to the stall owner, and then walked away.

The stall owner watched Chen Fei’s departing figure and glanced at the jade slip in his hand. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret. After all, it was a full one hundred mid-grade elemental stones.

As the stall owner had mentioned earlier, buying and selling cultivation techniques was a challenging business. Those who needed them would be willing to pay a high price, while those who didn’t need them wouldn’t spend a single coin.

The stall owner knew that trying to sell the Light Slicing Shadow Sword technique further would be a lengthy process of cashing in, and there was even a significant probability that he might not find a buyer at all.

After Chen Fei had walked past the stall owner, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Duan Muxiao from the Death Shadow Sect had effectively created a value of one hundred mid-grade elemental stones for him.

When Chen Fei was in the marketplace with so many people, he chose this particular stall owner because the stall owner appeared quite ordinary in terms of his aura.

This was the judgment of the Judgement Eye, informing Chen Fei of the potential buyer’s identity. As expected, the deal was eventually sealed.

This time, Chen Fei didn’t immediately agree when the stall owner mentioned one hundred mid-grade elemental stones. Those who set up stalls for trade were generally people whose elemental stone resources were not abundant.

Chen Fei knew that if he dared to shout down the price like that, the stall owner would likely feel cheated and immediately change his mind.

Face, whether important or not, sometimes played a significant role, especially in front of strangers.

A hundred mid-grade elemental stones would have been a no-profit deal.

However, selling cultivation techniques was something Chen Fei reckoned he might not have many opportunities to do in the future. There were too few people willing to buy them. Others didn’t have Chen Fei’s speed in learning new techniques, nor did they have the ability to seamlessly integrate them.

Having too many cultivation techniques didn’t bring much benefit to many Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators. The saying “jack of all trades, master of none” held true; one needed time to properly learn and master each technique.

After walking around the marketplace for a few rounds, Chen Fei attempted to sell some more techniques, but there were very few interested buyers.

As for the items on the stalls, Chen Fei didn’t find many that caught his interest, and the few that did had exorbitant price tags.

Given Chen Fei’s current situation, it was still most cost-effective to continue buying spiritual pills and raise his foundational cultivation.

With a higher realm, many things would become easier.

Of course, if he came across an exceptional Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivation technique, Chen Fei would still acquire it. However, in the marketplace, he had yet to encounter such an opportunity.

However, Chen Fei’s current cultivation level was not high enough to participate in the more exclusive trading events.

An hour later, Chen Fei and Qin Haishan reunited with Tong Zhongqiu, and they left the marketplace.

The three of them flew into the sky, looking towards the area where the spiritual treasure was located. They were about ten miles away and could vaguely see the treasure’s location.

Many other Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, like Chen Fei and his companions, were also observing the spiritual treasure from a distance.

Getting any closer was out of the question. The ten major forces had declared that the ten-mile radius was off-limits, and even stepping one foot inside could potentially trigger an attack.

Their lives were in their own hands, so they had to take care of their own safety.

“I always knew there was a secret in the Imperial City, but I never thought it would be such a massive secret!” Tong Zhongqiu gazed ahead and sighed.

At that time, all the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators in this region knew that there were benefits within the Imperial City. However, due to the overwhelming strength of the royal family and the city’s extravagant defenses, no one could uncover the truth despite their suspicions.

Chen Fei remained silent. He pointed his right hand at his forehead, and a beam of light radiated from it.

The distant scene rapidly zoomed in, and what appeared before Chen Fei’s eyes was a massive crater. Surrounding the crater were several individuals, each exuding an extremely formidable aura.

The weakest among them were at the late Combined Aperture Tempering realm stage, while a few individuals had reached the pinnacle of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, causing the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth to tremble slightly.

Clearly, these individuals were the ancestors of the various forces, the peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, the strongest in the Mountain Sea Realm in the Thousand Feathers Alliance.

Inside the crater, there were several fragments. The formidable power within these fragments circulated, and just looking at them made Chen Fei feel a deep sense of awe.

Due to the fragmentation, the unobstructed power of the spiritual treasure exerted immense pressure on martial artists.

“Hmm!”

Suddenly, the fragments of the spiritual treasure trembled, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth responded. Ripples emanated from the crater, spreading in all directions.

The Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts within the crater had long grown accustomed to this phenomenon, and even those observing from a distance seemed unperturbed.

Qin Haishan and Tong Zhongqiu, who had experienced this phenomenon a few hours ago, remained calm.

Chen Fei’s expression remained unchanged, but the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Point within him resonated again at this moment, vibrating at the exact same frequency as the ripples emitted by the spiritual treasure fragments.

It was truly a resonance!

This time, Chen Fei was completely certain that there was a connection between the Suppressing Dragon Elephant Point and these fragments of the spiritual treasure.

Darn it, this damaged spiritual treasure is somehow connected to me!

Chen Fei’s eyes flickered, and his emotions started to rise, becoming increasingly difficult to suppress. A spiritual treasure, even if it’s damaged, is invaluable.

Looking at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators gathered here now, they were merely seeking the residual spiritual essence from the spiritual treasure, and they didn’t dare to hope for the damaged spiritual treasure itself.

However, at this moment, this spiritual treasure was resonating with Chen Fei, and there was even a sense that it wanted to come to him.

But with so many late Combined Aperture Tempering realm and even peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm warriors present, how should Chen Fei handle this situation?

If this spiritual treasure were to fly over, it would undoubtedly trigger attacks from the peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts accompanying it!