Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Chapter 410: Fighting Ten

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Qingyu Pavilion?”

Chen Fei walked through several streets and stopped in front of a building. There was a constant stream of people at the entrance. Compared to other shops, Qingyu Pavilion was filled with hearty laughter and occasional flirtatious voices.

“Sir, would you like to come inside and take a rest?” The girl at the door saw Chen Fei stop and quickly invited him warmly.

As soft as the misty rain in Jiangnan, the girl’s gaze seemed to be looking at her own lover, making it hard for anyone to resist getting lost in it.

“I have some other matters to attend to. I’ll come another time.” Chen Fei smiled faintly, waved his hand, and walked away.

It had been many days since he last practiced with Chi Shuqing. When it came to matters like this, if you didn’t experience them often, your thoughts might be somewhat restrained.

Of course, just a bit restrained. After all, it was one of human instincts, and sometimes it was hard to control by will alone.

And if you experienced it frequently, it would be like savoring the flavor, and when the break was a bit longer, you would unconsciously miss it. After all, the gentle village is the hero’s grave.

But about Qingyu Pavilion, Chen Fei would only take a brief look. He wouldn’t actually go inside. It wasn’t because of any cleanliness issues; it was purely because he was worried that those girls wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Even Chi Shuqing, as a master of the Aperture Tempering realm, couldn’t endure long periods of joint practice. These girls were mostly at the Flesh Tempering realm, so how could they withstand it?

Certainly, he couldn’t just bring a dozen of them all at once, could he?

Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely impossible…

Chen Fei couldn’t help but smile and shook his head. He didn’t actually return to Qingyu Pavilion but continued walking forward until he stopped in front of another shop.

Thousand Treasures Pavilion, on par with the two shops Chen Fei had visited earlier. It wasn’t that Chen Fei had specifically chosen Thousand Treasures Pavilion as the seller of the Primordial Sealing Mirror; it was simply the farthest from the inn.

“Sir, what can we assist you with?” The shopkeeper, upon seeing Chen Fei, approached with the same warmth as the previous two shops.

“I’d like to sell a top-grade spiritual weapon,” Chen Fei said softly.

“A top-grade spiritual weapon?”

The shopkeeper’s heart trembled. Just now, he had noticed that Chen Fei was at the mid-stage of the Aperture Tempering realm, and he thought there might be a substantial deal coming. However, the shopkeeper had not expected it to be this significant.

Thousand Treasures Pavilion had been operating in the Imperial City for many years, and they had certainly bought and sold top-grade spiritual weapons, but to put it into perspective, they might not see one in a whole year.

“Please, sir, come inside.”

The shopkeeper quickly led Chen Fei to the inner room, and servants promptly served tea. The fragrance of tea filled the room. Chen Fei picked up the teacup, took a sip, and immediately praised, “Excellent tea!”

“If you like it, sir, I’ll have a couple of pounds prepared for you later as a token of our appreciation,” the shopkeeper said with a smile.

The tea was indeed exceptional, grown in a land rich in elemental energy, and even the water used for irrigation was infused with elemental stones. Furthermore, both the tea leaves and the tea-making personnel were carefully selected young women.

Each step was carried out with extreme precision. Therefore, even the high-ranking officials and nobility in the Imperial City rarely had the privilege of tasting such tea, let alone buying a couple of pounds at once.

However, compared to the upcoming transaction for the top-grade spiritual weapon, these tea leaves, considered invaluable to ordinary people, seemed quite ordinary.

“No need,” Chen Fei said, waving his hand. He took out the Primordial Sealing Mirror and placed it on the table. “Please, appraise this item, and let me know how many elemental stones it can be sold for.”

The shopkeeper put on gloves and glanced at Chen Fei. Seeing that Chen Fei didn’t object, he carefully examined the Primordial Sealing Mirror.

Chen Fei sat quietly, occasionally sipping his tea, patiently waiting for the shopkeeper’s evaluation of the Primordial Sealing Mirror.

After about fifteen minutes, the shopkeeper set the Primordial Sealing Mirror down with a smile on his face.

In reality, many spiritual weapons didn’t require appraisal. The spiritual essence within them was often self-evident. However, top-grade spiritual weapons were highly valuable, and even slight differences could mean hundreds of elemental stones, making the shopkeeper extra cautious.

“This mirror exudes a brilliant aura and possesses formidable power, making it effective both defensively and offensively,” Chen Fei explained.

“It’s indeed a valuable item,” the shopkeeper nodded, not disputing Chen Fei’s assessment.

The shopkeeper contemplated for a moment and continued, “For top-grade spiritual weapons, our store offers two options. One is for us to purchase it directly, and the other is to consign it with our store. If you choose the consignment option, we will take a small commission after it’s sold.”

Chen Fei’s expression subtly changed upon hearing that there was an option to consign the top-grade spiritual weapon. He hadn’t expected this method for selling such items. It seemed that many people preferred not to sell directly to the shops, perhaps feeling that it was less profitable, which had led to the emergence of this second option.

Additionally, fierce competition existed among the shops capable of purchasing top-grade spiritual weapons within the Imperial City. There were several of them, so they needed to ensure that the sellers were satisfied.

“If you choose to sell this mirror directly to our store, I can offer 1,900 elemental stones. If you opt for consignment, you will receive half of the final selling price, and we’ll take the other half,” the shopkeeper explained.

1,900 elemental stones was a decent price, not too low but not exceptionally high either – a fairly standard offer.

If Chen Fei obtained these 1,900 elemental stones, combined with what he had gained from his previous transactions, he would be close to gathering the resources needed for his cultivation to reach the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm.

Of course, for other advanced Aperture Tempering realm practitioners, these elemental stones alone wouldn’t be sufficient to reach the pinnacle of their cultivation.

The cultivation technique played a significant role, and almost only dominant-level factions had techniques that could take them to the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm. Therefore, for the average Aperture Tempering realm practitioner, there was virtually no chance of reaching this level.

Having the cultivation technique was one thing; being able to fully comprehend it was another. Of course, the most crucial factor was whether their mental power could keep up.

Compared to opening acupoints, mental power cultivation was the most challenging. After all, acupoints had resources, and with the right cultivation technique comprehension, opening them was relatively straightforward.

But mental power had to be honed over time. Alternatively, one could rely on a sufficient supply of mental-enhancing elixirs, which were much more expensive than elemental power-enhancing elixirs.

However, with the support of the Strange Heart Realm as his backup, Chen Fei only needed to focus on improving his acupoint cultivation.

“How long would it take if I choose to consign it?” Chen Fei inquired. If it took too long, he wouldn’t opt for it since he planned to leave the Imperial City once the Elemental Tide ended.

“It can be as short as three days or as long as ten days, but there will definitely be a result. If there’s no result within that time frame, our store will purchase this spiritual weapon for 2,000 elemental stones,” the shopkeeper confidently replied.

With Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s connections and the ongoing Elemental Tide, it was unlikely to take more than three days to find a buyer. Top-grade spiritual weapons were rare, and many sects were eager to acquire them for guarding their mountain gates.

“Alright, let’s go with consignment,” Chen Fei nodded. As for any potential troubles that might arise from consigning the item, he was curious to see if anyone would be so kind as to seek trouble with him and fill the gap in his remaining resources!

“Where are you staying, sir? We’ll send word to you as soon as we have news,” the shopkeeper said with a smile.

“I’m staying at the Prosperity Inn. You can find me there.”

“Prosperity Inn? Sir, considering that the Elemental Tide is approaching in the Imperial City, our store has a few premium rooms available at the Mountain Origin Inn nearby. You’re welcome to stay there.”

Chen Fei couldn’t help but glance at the shopkeeper. They certainly had excellent customer service. He was aware of the Mountain Origin Inn, which was very close to the Elemental Tide’s location, and it had been fully booked months ago.

“No need, just notify me when you have news,” Chen Fei waved his hand, got up, and walked toward the exit. As he reached the shop’s entrance, his footsteps hesitated for a moment as he looked at the bustling street outside.

Two figures flashed through the air and landed in an open space not far away. Calling it an open space was not entirely accurate; it was, in fact, a specially designed martial arena within the Imperial City.

As these two figures entered, the martial arena’s formation activated, providing complete protection around the area.

Within moments, the area surrounding the martial arena was filled with spectators. With the protective formation in place, these onlookers had no fear of getting harmed.

Chen Fei stood at a distance, sensing the strength of the formation.

This formation was known as the Heavenly Phenomenon Formation, with exceptionally strong defensive capabilities. It couldn’t be broken unless one reached the late stage of the Aperture Tempering realm. However, the two participants within the formation were only in the early stages of the Aperture Tempering realm, so there was no need to worry about their safety.

“Recently, Heavenly Sun True Immortal has taken on disciples, and with the Elemental Tide approaching, these kinds of competitions happen almost daily,” the shopkeeper explained while standing beside Chen Fei.

Chen Fei nodded slightly. The current atmosphere in the Imperial City was probably the liveliest it had been in years. Participating in these events during such a time could indeed help spread one’s reputation.

In the world of martial arts, some sought profit, some sought fame, and some aimed for both.

The two participants in the martial arena appeared to be quite young, and having reached the Aperture Tempering realm at such an age could earn them the title of prodigies no matter where they were.

Soon, cheers and applause rang out around the martial arena. Chen Fei glanced at the scene but quickly lost interest. He turned and headed in the direction of the Prosperity Inn.

The shopkeeper of Thousand Treasures Pavilion watched as Chen Fei departed and then returned to the store, relaying the information about the top-grade spiritual weapon to the main branch.

Dealing with top-grade spiritual weapons was no small matter, and if the main branch had a need for it, they could acquire it themselves or use it to build some goodwill by selling it to someone in desperate need of such an item.

As for the idea of resorting to violence and theft for profit, the shopkeeper did briefly entertain such thoughts for a moment. After all, a successful attempt could yield nearly 2,000 elemental stones in profit.

Even for a sizable organization like Thousand Treasures Pavilion, earning 2,000 elemental stones would still require an extended period of time. For any faction, this amount was a significant temptation.

However, the shopkeeper ultimately dismissed such thoughts. He couldn’t imagine that the main branch behind him would engage in such actions.

The fact that the person had come alone to sell a top-grade spiritual weapon, despite having only mid-stage Aperture Tempering realm cultivation, raised questions about whether he had other companions.

Thousand Treasures Pavilion had been in business for many years and had dealt with various unscrupulous activities, but when it came to the Aperture Tempering realm, they exercised extreme caution. They had never engaged in any illicit activities involving top-grade spiritual weapons.

Part of it was related to their reputation, but more importantly, it was about being cautious..