Volume 1 Chapter 14: Advancement

Chen Fei dodged with lightning speed, yet he was still a fraction of a moment too slow. A dart, gleaming with cold light, grazed his arm as it flew past.

Bang!

The wall behind the man in black shattered violently upon impact.

Chen Fei had no time to see who had attacked him. Sealing the wound on his left hand with spiritual energy, he immediately activated his Phantom Step technique and vanished at the alley’s end.

“He dodged that?” A man and a woman appeared soon after. The woman stared in astonishment at the faint bloodstain left on the ground.

“His reaction speed is incredible, almost as if he has a third eye. He must be at least a Ninth-Rank Great Spirit Master,” the man beside her responded.

“That makes sense. Only a Ninth-Rank Great Spirit Master could evade your hidden weapon, senior,” the woman nodded in agreement.

“However, even if he is a Ninth-Rank Great Spirit Master, it won’t help much. He’s been poisoned with my ‘Spirit-Eroding Gu Toxin.’ Even if he manages to preserve his Dantian, his cultivation will be nearly destroyed. Even with Silver Moon Academy’s aid, recovery won’t be quick,” the man grinned.

The dart was coated with an extremely expensive Spirit-Eroding Gu Toxin, designed specifically to target cultivators below the True Spirit Master level in the Spirit-Conquering Realm. It had never failed.

“This Heavenly Prodigy Academy of Lu Kingdom is truly pathetic. They sent a Seventh-Rank Spirit Master to assassinate a Ninth-Rank Spirit Master?” The woman kicked the fallen man in black with a hint of ridicule.

“That person probably isn’t from Lu Kingdom’s Heavenly Prodigy Academy. More likely, someone sent a suicide assassin to test Chen Yang’s true strength,” the man explained.

“Who?”

Suddenly, the man’s expression changed. He flicked his wrist, sending a dart flying toward the alley’s entrance.

Outside the wall, a figure disappeared at an incredible speed, retreating swiftly.

“Senior, it seems many want Chen Yang dead!” The woman, seeing the fleeing figure, immediately understood that person must also be a Ninth-Rank Great Spirit Master.

“The secret realm is about to open, providing an opportunity to break through for Great Spirit Masters,” the man said coldly. “For True Spirit Masters in the Spirit-Conquering Realm, it’s a tremendous chance. No one wants an unknown outsider to get involved.”

He collected all the darts he had thrown and left with the woman.

Chen Fei did not run far but hid around a corner.

The dart’s poison, traveling through the bloodstream, aimed directly for his Dantian to corrode it.

Unfortunately, Chen Fei’s Dantian had long since been destroyed, replaced by the Void Heaven Cauldron. The toxins posed no threat; instead, the cauldron absorbed and refined them.

“This is poison refined from the essence blood of the Silver Jiao ferocious beast!” Chen Fei was shocked. The Silver Jiao was a powerful demon beast feared even by True Spirit Masters. Once, a Silver Jiao in Daqing Kingdom slaughtered three small cities in succession and escaped surrounded by many True Spirit Masters.

Through the cultivation of myriad techniques, Chen Fei had awakened part of the Silver Jiao’s innate talent—Spirit Erosion!

“Blessing in disguise!” Chen Fei smiled broadly as he realized this.

When he activated the Spirit Erosion ability, his spiritual power gained a corrosive toxicity akin to the Spirit-Eroding Gu Toxin. Though not as lethal, it was still formidable.

“Unfortunately, my current spiritual power can’t be projected far enough to fully unleash Spirit Erosion’s destructive power,” he lamented. The ability required hitting flesh and entering the opponent’s body to manifest its terrifying effect.

From his hiding spot, Chen Fei saw three figures walk out of the alley where he was attacked.

“Lu Yijun?” The first to appear was his senior, Lu Yijun, with whom he had recently dined.

“Could that man in black have been a suicide assassin sent by him to test my strength?” Chen Fei frowned, considering this likely.

If he couldn’t withstand even a Seventh-Rank Great Spirit Master assassin, Silver Moon Academy wouldn’t have invested so much in him and would revoke everything given.

Next, Chen Fei saw a young man and woman, both confident and evidently from influential backgrounds.

“These must be the real assassins. Their darts were even coated with deadly poison,” Chen Fei silently noted.

After confirming no one else lurked in the alley, Chen Fei left.

He then visited a small courtyard where Li Zhong lived, leaving the treasure sword and Silver Moon Academy jacket bestowed upon him there.

After tending to his arm wound and changing clothes, he returned to the Su family before nightfall.

As night fell, Su Ran came back. They exchanged few words, and she entered the secret chamber, not emerging again.

Just as Su Ran had said, in her heart, he was merely a shield — a blind, useless person who could never affect her.

Chen Fei paid it no mind. Instead, he took out the pills and spirit-level martial arts bestowed by Sun Qianyi.

Now, surrounded by many unseen powerful forces intent on stopping him from entering the secret realm, he urgently needed to strengthen his cultivation and power.

He took out a Spirit Transformation Pill and inhaled deeply.

For Great Spirit Masters, the Spirit Transformation Pill was an absolute high-grade elixir!

This third-grade pill was fiercely sought after among Great Spirit Masters. This time, Silver Moon Academy had truly invested heavily to win him over.

Most importantly, the pill perfectly matched a Great Spirit Master’s growth.

Two hours later, thanks to Sun Qianyi’s Spirit Transformation Pill, Chen Fei’s cultivation soared, reaching the fifth tier of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

With the Void Heaven Cauldron, he could absorb the pill’s efficacy completely. His breakthrough was as easy as eating or drinking; all he needed was sufficient cultivation resources.

Next, Chen Fei opened the spirit-level martial art and studied its content carefully, beginning to practice.

“Silver Moon Swordsmanship!”

“Silver light surges like a tide, pure and white as the moon…”

“It is a close-combat technique combining agility and swordplay.”

“Once mastered, it will be like adding wings to a tiger for me!”

Chen Fei was very pleased with the spirit-level martial art Sun Qianyi had given him. Together with Phantom Step, Qi Manipulation, and Thousand-Phantom Slash, it would create a synergy greater than the sum of its parts.

Time passed as Chen Fei immersed himself in Silver Moon Swordsmanship.

Suddenly, painful groans like a bird’s shriek sounded in his ears.

Chen Fei snapped open his eyes and stopped practicing, looking toward the secret chamber.

The agonized sounds came from Su Ran’s chamber.

Chen Fei hesitated, unsure whether to check.

The sounds resembled intense pain but also bore some similarity to a woman’s cries at the peak of pleasure.

If Su Ran was pleasuring herself, would it be too awkward to barge in?

After three seconds’ hesitation, he feigned blindness, pushed open the secret chamber door, and stepped inside.