Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

“Good friend, has your strength increased again?”

In the Sea Peak City, within the third-tier secret realm, Baka held a huge stone bowl in one hand, looking curiously at Chen Fei.

The bowl contained a concoction made from spirit materials. While the medicinal properties were secondary, Baka enjoyed the taste.

With the improving conditions of the Primordial Sword Sect, there were now specialized alchemists in the secret realm who prepared these concoctions for Baka daily.

Every day brought a different flavor; with so many spirit materials in the secret realm, creating diverse concoctions was not difficult for the alchemists.

“A slight improvement,” replied Chen Fei, holding a small bowl in his hand.

He smiled and added, “But what about you? Managing such a vast area in the secret realm, can you handle it?”

“There’s nothing I can’t handle. The more spirit herbs I manage, the faster my

strength grows.”

Baka grinned, his face contorted with flesh and skin.

Currently, Baka was responsible for cultivating and ripening all the spirit materials within the third-tier secret realm. This wasn’t due to the domineering nature of the Primordial Sword Sect, demanding shares from the other four factions.

Rather, it was because Baka’s ability to ripen spirit materials was exceptionally strong, resulting in significantly better growth compared to the areas managed by the other four factions, especially evident with the central spirit tree gifted by the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.

Surpassing the other three faction’s spirit trees was inevitable, and there was even a faint trend of surpassing the mother tree of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.

This fact was quite exaggerated, and disciples from the other four sects were not blind. Chen Fei had not suggested Baka hide his identity, so everyone knew just how extraordinary Baka’s abilities were.

Eventually, representatives from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect and the other three factions requested Baka to manage additional areas within the secret realm. As compensation for his efforts, they offered to allocate twenty percent of the profits from the spirit materials.

Baka’s talent allowed him not only to ripen spirit materials but also to extract elemental energy from them and absorb it into his own body.

Managing the entire secret realm with the capabilities of a second-tier monster was somewhat challenging. However, it was not a comprehensive control; rather, it involved merely ripening the materials and collecting the elemental energy.

After consulting with Baka, the Primordial Sword Sect agreed to the request from the other four factions, allowing Baka to oversee the entire secret realm.

Meanwhile, upon learning of Baka’s preferences, the other four factions also dispatched alchemists to reside in the secret realm. Currently, Baka was attended to by five alchemists, which made his stay here quite enjoyable.

Standing nearby, Tong Linyun looked around with curiosity. This was her first time visiting this third-tier secret realm.

Over a month ago, the Pinnacle Peak Sect had already settled in the Sea Peak

City, with their mountain gate positioned quite close to that of the Primordial Sword Sect.

The atmosphere in the Sea Peak City became increasingly lively due to the settlement of the Pinnacle Peak Sect. Many were eager to see how the Thousand Yard Sect would react. After all, with both being third-tier powers and situated in the same maritime region, disputes were almost inevitable.

However, to everyone’s surprise, the Thousand Yard Sect displayed remarkable restraint, even bordering on concession.

It was as if the conflict hadn’t even begun; the change from their initial assertiveness upon entering the Sea Peak City was extremely noticeable.

Many speculated whether the downfall of the Blood Sun Sect had made the Thousand Yard Sect feel threatened.

But only the true elites of the Thousand Yard Sect knew that within the Sea

Peak City, there were top-tier powerhouses, and their treasured heritage, the

Concealment Bell, passed down for generations, was still missing. How could they dare to assert themselves aggressively?

Tong Linyun observed the thriving growth of the spirit materials around her and then looked at Baka, who was only at the peak of the second tier. His talent was truly remarkable.

With such a creature, the effects within the lower-tier third realm increased dramatically, directly contributing to a substantial increase in resources for a sect. Moreover, this kind of wealth could continue to grow steadily.

Half an hour later, after bidding farewell to Baka, Chen Fei and Tong Linyun left the secret realm, soaring into the sky towards the southeast direction. Today, Chen Fei was leaving the Sea Peak City to head to the headquarters of the Thousand Feathers Alliance. Before departing, he specifically visited Baka in the secret realm.

The invitation from the headquarters of the Thousand Feathers Alliance was directed at all those in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, welcoming anyone willing to attend.

However, in the end, Qin Haishan and his companions hesitated and chose not to go together.

At their age and level of cultivation, what they lacked were not techniques or secret methods; in fact, excessive reliance on such methods could even hinder their progress.

What they needed to focus on was delving deeper into their current martial techniques to further their understanding and advance.

This was the reality for the vast majority of martial practitioners, overly intricate techniques sometimes did more harm than good, failing to facilitate rapid advancement in their cultivation.

These Combined Aperture Tempering realm martial practitioners might have been gifted during their Combined Aperture Tempering realm training. However, as they entered a new realm, facing new challenges, their talents alone were no longer sufficient to propel them forward at such a rapid pace.

What remained was simply perseverance.

Only those true geniuses, whose talents were capable of handling these profound techniques, would opt for the better and stronger ones. The primary targets of the Thousand Feathers Alliance’s invitation were precisely these individuals.

Another reason was the precarious situation currently faced by the Thousand Feathers Alliance. Without a Combined Aperture Tempering realm powerhouse within the sect, the situation seemed somewhat perilous.

Naturally, Chen Fei intended to go. What he lacked were precisely various secret methods, although in the eyes of others, his mastery of secret methods had already reached an astonishing level.

As for the safety of the Primordial Sword Sect, with his clone present, ordinary problems were easily resolved.

As for Tong Linyun, currently in the mid-stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, she still had aspirations for the late stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Since Chen Fei was going, Tong Linyun ultimately decided to accompany him.

After all, having a companion during cultivation had its own merits.

The two flew at an extremely fast speed, with Chen Fei’s figure gliding effortlessly, exuding a natural and harmonious aura.

The Great Completion of the Profound Heavenly Sword technique allowed for a subtle refinement in Chen Fei’s elemental energy, which, upon closer inspection, seemed fitting and natural.

Back to basics, nothing more!

Tong Linyun looked at Chen Fei with admiration in her eyes. She could faintly sense that Chen Fei’s strength seemed to have improved significantly since they last met.

Already in the late stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, and it had only been a few months since they last met. However, with Chen Fei, it felt like years had passed, with his strength progressing with each passing moment.

The phrase “astonishing talent” couldn’t begin to describe the image of Chen Fei in Tong Linyun’s mind.

Just as they flew over a stretch of sea, Chen Fei glanced down at the sea below, his expression subtly shifting.

■■What’s wrong?” Tong Linyun noticed Chen Fei’s expression and couldn’t help but ask with curiosity.

“I spotted something strange,” Chen Fei pointed to a drifting ship on the sea. With red silk fluttering, the entire ship was decorated in a festive manner. The deck was bustling with activity, with people coming and going, each wearing a smile on their face.

Upon hearing Chen Fei’s words, Tong Linyun looked at the ship carefully, gradually noticing something amiss.

Though many people were on board, welcoming with smiles, their smiles lacked any genuine warmth. Instead, their faces seemed forced into smiles, their eyes vacant and lifeless, resembling puppets on strings.

“So many deaths recently, even the Evilness is increasing,” Tong Linyun whispered softly.

Most Evilness stemmed from grievances. Nowadays, many people from several maritime regions were being kept captive by sea monsters, their pent-up grievances unable to be expressed.

Furthermore, disciples of the Shadow Abyss Sect had begun to move less frequently. With these factors combined, occurrences of Evilness naturally became more frequent.

Chen Fei nodded. While there had always been some level of conflict within the Thousand Feathers Alliance, it had generally been restrained. Matters between sects typically didn’t escalate to the point of breaking through the gates and mountains.

As for massacring cities, aside from the initial incident at the founding of the Thousand Feathers Alliance, any martial practitioner daring to do so was invariably killed by the alliance’s strong.

Furthermore, this kind of killing was relentless; as long as the perpetrators remained alive, the pursuit would not cease.

Over time, few dared to commit such insane acts.

Additionally, disciples of the Shadow Abyss Sect occasionally emerged to cleanse any Evilness, further reducing the likelihood of its occurrence. However, the situation had now undergone significant change. In several maritime regions, the number of deaths had skyrocketed.

“What should we do about this Evilness?” Tong Linyun asked Chen Fei.

“Kill!”

Chen Fei’s figure disappeared into the air, reappearing in front of the Evil ship.

“Senior of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm!”

“We pay our respects to the senior!”

Upon seeing Chen Fei, the people on the deck all displayed shock on their faces. Then, one by one, they knelt down and worshiped him.

Chen Fei didn’t respond. At this moment, under the scrutiny of his Heavenly Eyes, the evil ship had already transformed into another form. Its pale hull was painted with red pigment on both sides, but upon closer inspection, it was blood—dark, almost black blood.

This was a paper boat, and everyone on the deck was made of paper. Their wooden eyes stared straight at Chen Fei, their cheeks covered in white powder, with only the sides painted in striking red.

A chilling aura emanated from the paper boat, accompanied by a force attempting to influence Chen Fei’s mind, trying to cloud it.

However, the current Chen Fei was no longer the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator he once was. Even a peak third-tier Evil couldn t affect his mind.

Tong Linyun landed beside Chen Fei, looking at the paper boat with a hint of confusion in her eyes, which deepened gradually.

“Zing!”

A sword hum sounded in Tong Linyun’s ears, dispelling her confusion instantly. As she looked at the paper boat again, a sense of dread washed over her.

Tong Linyun hadn’t expected the strength of this evil boat to be so formidable. She had barely approached, and yet she was affected.

When she had observed it from the sky earlier, she had thought it was merely a preliminary third-tier Evil, at most reaching the middle stage.

Stepping forward, Chen Fei swung his Qianyuan Sword.

Countless sword elements surrounded the blade, converging into a massive force that enlarged the sword several times over. With a mighty slash, the enlarged Qianyuan Sword descended upon the paper boat.

“Screech!”

The eerie boat emitted a piercing sound, mingled with various curses and chants of men, women, young, and old, but Chen Fei paid no heed.

“Boom!”

The gathered power on the evil boat, along with the relentless paper figures, were all obliterated under this single strike. The entire paper boat was split into two by the sword..