Chapter 416 - 415: Lian Shuang’s Troubled Heart

Chapter 416: Chapter 415: Lian Shuang’s Troubled Heart

"This should set your mind at ease!" Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun stroked his beard and smiled after the people from the Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple and the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers had left.

"Our three sects will take care of things here in the Southern Wilderness," Sect Leader Yuan said. "As for the situation in the Great Tang, I have also dispatched an elder from our sect to go personally. We will inform the Great Tang Emperor of this matter. With him there, I doubt the Beiming Sword Sect will find it easy to harm anyone from the Shangguan Clan."

"Then I must trouble you with this matter, Sect Leader," Ling Fei said with a cupped-fist salute.

At last, he could truly breathe a sigh of relief.

However, it was just as Sect Leader Yuan had said. With the Great Tang Emperor in the Great Tang, ordinary people truly couldn’t contend with him.

The more his own cultivation deepened, the more respect Ling Fei felt for the Great Tang Emperor.

After all, the Great Tang Emperor had been in the Imperial Capital, yet he had manifested a Dharma Aspect at the Celestial River Academy to face off against Elder Ling.

Based on this alone, one could imagine how profound the Great Tang Emperor’s abilities were.

Ling Fei, by comparison, felt utterly exhausted just from condensing his True Dragon Body.

And that power was already comparable to the Nascent Soul Realm.

’Then how powerful must the Great Tang Emperor’s techniques be?’

’The Divine Mansion Realm? Or even higher?’

Waves of shock crashed through Ling Fei’s mind.

It was fine when he didn’t think about it, but the more he did, the more unfathomable the Great Tang Emperor seemed. That level of power was truly something to aspire to.

"Haha, there’s no need for such pleasantries." Sect Leader Yuan laughed heartily, clearly in high spirits.

The power Ling Fei had displayed far exceeded his expectations.

It wasn’t hard to imagine how powerful Ling Fei would become once he reached the Nascent Soul Realm.

If Ling Fei reached the Divine Mansion Realm, then perhaps even Beiming Transformation Sea would find it difficult to contend with him.

In the future, the Southern Wilderness would belong to Ling Fei.

For the Lingyun Sect, this was undoubtedly the best news they could hope for.

"Sect Leader, do you happen to know what realm the Great Tang Emperor’s power has reached?" Ling Fei asked, interrupting Sect Leader Yuan just as he was blissfully contemplating the future of the Lingyun Sect.

"The Great Tang Emperor?" Hearing the question, Sect Leader Yuan’s expression turned solemn.

"His power is unfathomable," Sect Leader Yuan said after taking a deep breath.

"And how do you compare to him, Sect Leader?" Ling Fei asked.

"There is no comparison. It’s not even close," said Sect Leader Yuan. "The Great Tang Emperor wields the True Dragon Divine Artifact and cultivates the Celestial Emperor’s Technique. Within the Great Tang, he holds a unique, heaven-sent advantage. It’s impossible for the likes of us to challenge him unless we are several realms higher. But clearly, we have no such expert in the Southern Wilderness."

"Celestial Emperor’s Divine Artifact?" Ling Fei’s brow furrowed. The Great Tang Emperor had mentioned it cryptically once before.

"I’ve never fought him myself, but no one in the Southern Wilderness dares to challenge the might of the Great Tang," Sect Leader Yuan said. "So, as long as they have his protection, even if the Beiming Sword Sect goes to the Great Tang, they will most likely return empty-handed. You can be completely at ease about the Shangguan Clan’s safety."

"Mm," Ling Fei nodded slightly.

At the same time, he pondered, ’According to the Sect Leader, the Great Tang Emperor’s power should be above the Divine Mansion Realm. In that case, foster father’s power must also be at least that high. I just wonder... what realm has he reached?’ He recalled how Elder Ling had faced the Great Tang Emperor head-on and even forced him to back down.

This alone was enough to prove just how powerful Elder Ling was.

’At the very least, his power must be greater than the Great Tang Emperor’s. Otherwise, how could he have possibly intimidated him?’

’And what’s more, that was an injured Elder Ling.’

’If he weren’t injured, just how powerful would Elder Ling be?’

’My own power is still too low,’ Ling Fei thought. ’I have to keep improving.’

As Ling Fei’s cultivation grew stronger and his horizons broadened, he was naturally able to better deduce the true depths of his foster father’s power.

Only now did Ling Fei truly understand why his foster father had told him not to be in a rush to find him.

Because without sufficient power, forget about revenge; he would only end up as a burden to his foster father.

By doing this, Elder Ling was actually protecting him.

That was why he had left Ling Fei behind in the Southern Wilderness.

And yet, Elder Ling had no choice but to go and settle the grudges of the past by himself.

One could only imagine how helpless Elder Ling must have felt at the time.

’Foster Father... I will not be a burden to you.’ A determined light flashed in Ling Fei’s eyes.

"Alright, the North Spirit Ruins will open in seven days," said Yuan Huaitian. "You should prepare yourself. The North Spirit Ruins hold immense opportunities!"

"Understood." Ling Fei nodded, then took his leave.

Ling Fei was filled with anticipation for the North Spirit Ruins.

If he could advance another step, both his power and his foundation would improve. Then, he would become a true powerhouse among his peers.

Only by being unrivaled among those at his level could he walk further down the path ahead.

...

In his bedchamber, Ling Fei sat cross-legged on his couch, eyes tightly shut. His Heart Spirit, however, was busy reviewing the lessons learned from the Martial Arts Tournament.

’Mystical Perfection... by imbuing it with will, a Mystical of Martial Arts gains Spirituality. Only then can it be controlled at will,’ Ling Fei mused.

For example, condensing the True Dragon Body was considered bringing the True Dragon Mystical Technique to Perfection. However, making the True Dragon’s Claw clench into a fist required conscious control from his will.

This was a step forward.

This would also grant his Mystical Arts greater flexibility, allowing him to handle opponents with much greater ease.

’Celestial Pill Perfection means mastering a Mystical of Martial Arts. The Nascent Soul Realm is about continuously tapping into the power of that Mystical and evolving it into a Divine Technique.’

At this point, his understanding of the path of Martial Arts was becoming increasingly clear.

He was now one step closer to those Heaven-Reaching powerhouses.

’Evolving a Mystical into a Divine Technique requires not only vast Pill Essence but also extremely powerful Soul Power,’ Ling Fei clearly sensed his own deficiencies. ’Without enough Pill Essence, the Divine Technique can’t be sustained. Without enough Soul Power, you can’t sustain the evolution of the Divine Technique. The two are indispensable.’

After his battle with Xu Zitao, he had clearly felt his Soul Power rapidly depleting, leaving him completely exhausted.

He was clearly incapable of fighting like that for an extended period of time.

This was the gap between the Half-step Nascent Soul Realm and true Nascent Soul Realm Powerhouses.

In fact, Ling Fei’s ability to unleash such a powerful strike and completely control the True Dragon Body was all thanks to his formidable Soul Power.

Otherwise, a mere Half-step Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator would be completely incapable of mastering a Mystical to such a degree.

It could be said that thanks to his powerful Soul Power, Ling Fei had already managed to touch upon the Quasi-Nascent Soul Realm.

’Now, I must continue to perfect my Mystical Arts.’ With his mind made up, Ling Fei began to immerse himself once more in comprehending his Mystical of Martial Arts.

Although he had reached the Half-step Nascent Soul Realm, he had only just broken through, and his foundation in the realm was not yet perfect.

As he comprehended his own arts, Ling Fei constantly compared and contrasted them with others. ’Mystical of the Celestial River... Back then, the aura of Xu Zitao’s Beiming Sword Sea was truly like an ocean!’

’My Mystical of Meteor has also reached true Perfection.’

’My will moves, my body becomes a meteor! The meteor is speed!’

’The Celestial River... A great river is profound. When it surges, its aura is like a dragon; when calm, it is like a lake... A river is ever-changing. It shouldn’t be limited to a river; it can be a lake, it can be an ocean!’

...

Through this constant process of comprehension and comparison, Ling Fei’s understanding of his own Mystical of Martial Arts grew ever clearer.

His realm was also stabilized and consolidated.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, the young geniuses from every sect focused on consolidating their cultivation to give themselves a stronger foundation before entering the North Spirit Ruins.

’If my soul can take another step forward, my control over Divine Technique Mystical Technique will become even more effortless.’ On his couch, Ling Fei opened his eyes.

After seven days of seclusion, his mastery of the Mystical of Martial Arts had deepened.

At the same time, he could vaguely sense his current bottleneck.

It was his Soul Power.

His soul was already very strong, just one step away from another breakthrough.

If he broke through, relying on his formidable Soul Power, he would be comparable to a Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator.

’Unfortunately, breaking through is too difficult. I still need the right kind of catalyst,’ Ling Fei sighed softly.

Even though he had been constantly tempering his soul with True Dragon Blood Qi, it still wasn’t enough to induce another transformation.

If his soul were to transform, he would be able to unleash his Mystical of Martial Arts more effectively, opening up a whole new world of possibilities.

Ling Fei gave up on cultivating and walked out into the courtyard to clear his head.

At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the sky, dyeing the horizon crimson. Ling Fei stood on a balcony, gazing out at the ancient city.

’Tomorrow, the North Spirit Ruins will finally open.’

Ling Fei was filled with anticipation for what the ruins might hold.

Suddenly, he noticed a blue-haired woman standing tall on an adjacent balcony.

The woman was none other than Lian Shuang.

At that moment, Lian Shuang was also gazing out at the ancient city.

Lian Shuang’s eyes were as chilly as ever as she gazed into the distant Void, watching the sunset clouds on the horizon.

’Why is Senior Sister Lian Shuang always so cold and aloof?’ Ling Fei wondered, feeling a sense of surprise.

Although he and Lian Shuang had barely spoken, she had helped him during both the Lingyun Sect’s minor tournament and this major Martial Arts Tournament.

Without Lian Shuang’s guidance, even someone with his exceptional talent wouldn’t have been able to progress so quickly.

Because of this, Ling Fei felt extremely grateful to his Senior Sister.

But Lian Shuang was always so icy that Ling Fei had no idea how to approach her.

Seeing Lian Shuang standing alone, bathed in the glow of the sunset, his heart stirred. In a flash, he crossed the gap and drifted down onto her balcony.

As Ling Fei landed beside her, Lian Shuang’s long eyelashes fluttered. She tilted her head, glancing at the young man who had suddenly appeared.

However, after a single glance at Ling Fei, Lian Shuang retracted her gaze and continued staring into the distant Void, not saying another word.

Lian Shuang’s indifferent demeanor was enough to make anyone feel a bit awkward.

Fortunately, Ling Fei was already used to it.

"I’m surprised to find you in the mood to appreciate the sunset, Senior Sister Lian Shuang," Ling Fei said with a smile.

"The sun sets in the west, yet it leaves behind a brilliant afterglow, a picturesque scene that is mesmerizing." Lian Shuang gazed at the distant sunset, her eyes fixed on the crimson clouds. The corner of her mouth curved into a smile that was rarely seen, and a look of yearning appeared in her perpetually cold eyes.

This side of Lian Shuang left Ling Fei utterly astonished.

The cold indifference was completely gone from the Lian Shuang before him now.

It was as if she had shed her disguise, revealing her purest, most genuine side.

Ling Fei found himself captivated by her smile.

At the same time, Ling Fei’s gaze shifted, following hers toward the sunset on the horizon.

"The sunset is beautiful," Ling Fei said. "The clouds drift and change in endless variety. It’s so mesmerizing it makes you want to become a part of this heavenly scenery."

At the same time, he sighed to himself. Since leaving Longtan Town, he had rarely taken the time to appreciate such beautiful scenery.

His mind had been completely focused on cultivation.

"A setting sun is mesmerizing and leaves behind beautiful memories... but what of a person’s life?" Lian Shuang murmured to herself. A touch of sadness entered her beautiful eyes, the smile vanished from her face, and a hint of coldness returned. It was as if she had remembered something that weighed heavily on her heart.