Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Chapter 444: Resisting Evil

Translator. Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Rao Chengwan had just learned that he had dropped from the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking. Initially, he thought about challenging it nearby to see what the other person was made of.

However, unexpectedly, the other person leaped directly to the twenty-fourth position on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking, highlighting the noticeable gap between them.

Was Rao Chengwan, who was originally ranked thirtieth on the list, unwilling to continue climbing? Not really. It was more a matter of being unable to climb any higher. He had tried several times but failed, ultimately settling at this position.

Rao Chengwan reached into his pocket and retrieved a token – the Haiyue Token. However, at this moment, the Haiyue Token had lost all its spiritual power, turning into an ordinary piece of metal.

The Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking had revoked Rao Chengwan’s qualification to enter the Haiyue Cave. If he wanted to enter the cave, he would have to either regain his spot on the list or obtain the Haiyue Token through other means.

“Senior Brother, what should we do now?” a reporting disciple asked in a

hushed tone.

“Let me think about it. You can go for now,” Rao Chengwan replied.

With a casual flick of his hand, the Haiyue Token turned into fine iron dust and fell between his fingers.

After Chen Fei jumped to the twenty-fourth position on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking, a halo representing him appeared on the mountaintops in various locations. From this moment onward, as long as Chen Fei remained on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking and continued to rise in rank, people from all over could immediately see it.

If someone had challenged the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking for fame, they had truly become famous within and outside the Thousand Feathers

Alliance at this moment.

At this moment, everyone near the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking had their eyes fixed on the halo representing Chen Fei. They wanted to see what this newly ranked individual would do next.

This edition of the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking was actually nearing its conclusion because the Haiyue Cave, where the list was derived from, would officially open in a year, marking the end of its fifteen-year cycle. As a result, those who had the qualifications and abilities to make it onto the list had already challenged it in the past decade and a half.

in the earlier years, the list underwent the most drastic changes, but now, it had stabilized, with truly formidable individuals having firmly secured their positions.

Someone like Chen Fei, who had suddenly jumped to the twenty-fourth position, was a rare occurrence in recent years.

Therefore, Chen Fei’s performance on the list was drawing the attention of not only those on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking but also everyone outside it. They all wanted to see what this somewhat mysterious pinnacle of Aperture Tempering realm expert would achieve in the end.

Would he remain in place or strive further to climb higher?

Meanwhile, various betting markets had sprung up in the cities where the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Rankings were located. Faced with these betting markets, people were enthusiastic about placing their bets.

Outside of Haiyan City,

The Precious Tempering Pavilion had reopened its betting markets, offering a wide range of options, including staying in place or rising to specific rankings. There were a total of eleven different options.

Among them, the highest predicted rank for Chen Fei was the fourteenth position. However, this particular betting market garnered no attention; no one believed that Chen Fei could reach that rank.

The most popular bet in the market was whether Chen Fei would rise by two or three positions.

On the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking, almost all the individuals listed were among the most powerful practitioners in the Thousand Feathers Alliance and its surrounding areas. There was a noticeable gap in strength between each ranking.

Once you moved a few positions higher, the disparity became extremely pronounced.

Over the years, many of them had not made it onto the list, but they had been exposed to a wealth of information about the list. They could offer a multitude of insights into the various situations on the list.

Those who managed to break into the top twenty were typically the prodigies of various major factions, with very few from smaller factions making it onto the list. It wasn’t impossible, but it was indeed exceedingly rare.

Talented prodigies had long sought opportunities to join major factions because it was only there that their talents could be fully realized.

Although Haiyan City was the largest city in the vicinity, many small factions were stationed in the surrounding areas. The Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking would only come to Haiyan City every few years. Sometimes, the frequency of its appearances could reveal a lot of information.

Apart from the fourteenth-ranked option where no one placed bets, there were a few sparse bets that began at the twentieth position. As time passed, the people outside of Haiyan City grew quiet, all of them watching the changes on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking. What intrigued them the most now was which rank Chen Fei would ultimately choose to challenge.

As time ticked away, suddenly, the halo representing Chen Fei leaped up several layers.

“The fourteenth rank, he’s challenging the fourteenth rank!” someone exclaimed loudly.

Everyone’s eyes widened slightly. On his first attempt, he had jumped six positions, challenging the twenty-fourth rank. Now, at the twenty-fourth position, he leaped ten places directly, going all out to challenge the fourteenth rank!

Yan Zesong’s expression was somewhat stiff because he didn’t know how to react. Was the gap between individuals really this vast? He hadn’t even passed the third level, and now Chen Fei was about to challenge the prodigy ranked fourteenth.

Yan Zesong was well aware that within the Thousand Feathers Alliance, there were many Aperture Tempering realm experts far stronger than himself, but they felt somewhat distant. Because of the distance, he didn’t feel their strength deeply. In the surroundings of Haiyan City, there were no major factions, so there were naturally no prodigies of that caliber.

However, at this moment, this person he had some acquaintance with suddenly revealed that he might be one of those exceptional individuals. The feeling was just too intense.

Within the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking,

As Chen Fei selected his opponent, the verdant grassland around him began to tremble slightly. In the next moment, the grassland disappeared, replaced by a towering cliff at Chen Fei’s feet.

It was much smaller than the previous dueling arena, no wider than a few dozen steps, and strong winds howled up from below the cliff.

A figure appeared in front of Chen Fei. It was a veiled woman with only her eyes visible, and her eyes exuded a sense of deathly silence.

An eerie aura enveloped the woman, and in a surreal moment, you might not even consider her a human but rather something closer to the realm of the uncanny.

“Sheng Lanping, please,” her cold voice echoed from Sheng Lanpmg’s lips.

“Chen Fei, please,” Chen Fei replied with a courteous gesture.

“Crackle, crackle, crackle!”

As soon as the words were spoken, countless icy tendrils extended from beneath Sheng Lanping’s feet. In just a moment, the cliff, no larger than a hundred steps in diameter around Chen Fei, was shrouded in a chilling atmosphere.

The wind seemed to grow more fierce, and even the sky began to produce snowflakes.

A snowflake gently landed on Chen Fei’s hair, transforming into a droplet that moistened his locks.

“Roar!”

A piercing, eerie howl suddenly appeared behind Chen Fei. The grating sound seemed as though it would pierce eardrums and turn your mind into a quagmire.

“Roar, roar, roar!”

Chen Fei hadn’t even turned around yet, and several more roars surrounded his body. These sharp roars overlapped, each one growing more powerful than the last.

In a surreal moment, it felt like the entire universe was filled with these sounds, and as these roars continued, they gradually faded away. They went from being within the range of what human ears could endure to a higher frequency. They vibrated through not just your eardrums but your entire body, from your muscles and bones to your internal organs.

In the blink of an eye, everything happened, and the icy ground had long turned into shards of ice. However, these ice shards didn’t dissipate; instead, they surged toward Chen Fei like sharp blades.

“Hiss!”

Chen Fei’s figure suddenly appeared in front of Sheng Lanping. The ice shards blocking his path were forcefully crushed into powder as he swung the Qianyuan Sword, aiming a strike at Sheng Lanping.

These sudden eerie roars were something an ordinary Aperture Tempering realm practitioner might immediately fall victim to due to their abruptness. Underestimating them could lead to instant danger.

For those in the later stages of the Aperture Tempering realm, they might be turned into bloody mist and cease to exist on the spot. Even for those in the later stages, at most, they could withstand a few more attacks, but the outcome wouldn’t differ significantly.

Even for a pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm expert, injuries would be sustained. This cliff was too small, and attacks from all directions were so bizarre that there was no place to hide. One had to bear them head-on.

However, Chen Fei remained calm at this moment, unaffected in both his mental and physical state by any of these attacks.

His mental state, in particular, was fortified with the Thousand Threads Technique and the Spirit Suppression of the Suppressing Dragon Elephant technique. Attacks like these would need to increase their intensity several times over to even begin to unsettle Chen Fei.

“Boom!”

Under the Qianyuan Sword, Sheng Lanping’s body exploded into a flurry of ice powder, causing the entire cliff to tremble slightly, with numerous cracks spreading.

Chen Fei turned his head to look at several Snow Evils behind him. Just a moment ago, Sheng Lanping had swiftly transferred her true form onto these Snow Evils, narrowly evading Chen Fei’s strike.

The Snow Evils had no trace of living aura, only an endless chill. At a glance, it was impossible to discern which Snow Evil Sheng Lanping had hidden herself within.

Or rather, even if Chen Fei discovered Sheng Lanping’s true form, she could freely switch positions among these Snow Evils. The Snow Evils were inexhaustible, and Sheng Lanping’s true form wouldn’t be harmed in the slightest.

Furthermore, if any of these Snow Evils were dispersed, a new one would immediately take its place, ensuring that there were always eight Snow Evils. “What an impressive technique!” Chen Fei sincerely exclaimed.

This method of manipulating the bizarre was strikingly similar to the Resisting Evil lineage followed by individuals like Si Yuanhai. However, compared to them, Sheng Lanping’s strength was many times greater and much more formidable.

The roaring from the Snow Evils’ mouths continued unabated. Although it currently had no effect on Chen Fei, it raised a question: with no defense, could it ever be broken? Even water could wear away stone.

Chen Fei’s figure flickered and appeared in front of one of the Snow Evils. The Qianyuan Sword swept across.

The Snow Evil was shrouded in a heavy Yin aura, its hands reaching for Chen Fei while two more arms sprouted from under its armpits, joining in the attack on the Qianyuan Sword.

Meanwhile, the other three Snow Evils appeared behind Chen Fei, targeting the vital points of his body. Although their power was not on par with the Snow Evil in front of Chen Fei, they had reached the level of the later stages of the Aperture Tempering realm.

This was equivalent to one pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm Snow Evil working in tandem with seven Snow Evils at the later stages. As long as they were not instantly wiped out, the Snow Evils’ attacks would be ceaseless..