Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Chapter 77: The Starry Night

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Junior Brother, are you serious?” Guo Linshan couldn’t help but ask, aware of the records left by the sect’s previous disciples.

“Is it too fast?” Chen Fei asked tentatively.

In truth, given a choice, Chen Fei would still prefer to quietly cultivate the Origin Connection Technique until reaching the fifth realm. However, the way the Primordial Sword Sect imparted their cultivation method left him with no other option.

Actually, most sects taught cultivation techniques in a similar manner.

Only rogue cultivators would casually hand you a secret manual and let you cultivate on your own. Firstly, the sect had to take responsibility for you. Secondly, they needed to assess your character and loyalty before deciding whether to teach you the cultivation technique.

Unless Chen Fei was willing to delay his cultivation progress, there was no way for him to hide it. After observing for the past few days, Chen Fei realized that he didn’t need to hide anything. Feng Xiupu was strict, but he wasn’t a bad person.

Moreover, after becoming his disciple, Chen Fei had actually become bound to Feng Xiupu’s branch.

“Even the fastest disciple took more than a month,” Guo Linshan grinned, sensing that his junior brother was showing off.

“In the end, whether it takes ten days or a month, it will depend on the results,” Feng Xiupu waved his hand, providing a rough estimate.

“Master, can I learn other cultivation techniques?” Chen Fei suddenly asked.

“What cultivation technique do you want to learn?” Feng Xiupu didn’t immediately refuse, curious about Chen Fei’s request.

“Sword techniques, movement techniques, archery techniques—I have dabbled in all of them.”

“Junior brother, you’ve learned a lot before,” Guo Linshan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Rogue cultivators always pursue a variety of methods,” Chen Fei chuckled.

“I haven’t touched archery. If there’s an opportunity in the future, you can explore the Sutra Library. Now that you have cultivated the Origin Connection Technique quite well, I can teach you a sword technique and a movement technique.”

Feng Xiupu pondered for a moment before retrieving two secret manuals from the bookshelf and placing them on the table.

“The Starry Night Sword? Master, isn’t this sword technique a little weak? I haven’t seen any other disciples practice it for a long time,” Guo Linshan glanced at the secret manual, puzzled.

“The Starry Night Sword is not focused on offense but rather on defense. Chen Fei’s current cultivation realm is still insufficient. No matter how strong his sword technique is, if his cultivation cannot keep up, it will be useless. It’s better for him to prioritize self-defense when facing danger. That’s the best choice,” Feng Xiupu explained. Guo Linshan considered Chen Fei’s cultivation base, which had just entered the Bone Tempering realm, and found the explanation reasonable.

Although the Starry Night Sword was not particularly adept at attacking, its defense was remarkably strong. It was indeed more suitable for Chen Fei.

“The Soul Chasing Step is similar. It’s not particularly versatile for swift movements or climbing, but it excels in long-distance attacks. If you encounter danger, don’t always think about resisting; if you can run, just run. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Feng Xiupu smiled.

Chen Fei’s eyes lit up. Feng Xiupu’s words resonated with him. If they encountered someone they couldn’t defeat, running away was the natural course of action.

Chen Fei had been thinking that it would be best if he could acquire a technique that excelled at long-range attacks. The martial artists he encountered were either at the Marrow Tempering or Visceral Tempering realms, all of them from sects.

Compared to wandering cultivators, these sect martial artists were undoubtedly much stronger. If Chen Fei still wanted to jump realms to fight, the chances of success were extremely low.

Therefore, it was crucial for him to be able to escape swiftly when unable to win.

“Thank you, Master,” Chen Fei expressed his gratitude.

Feng Xiupu waved his hand and opened the Starry Night Sword manual. “Currently, very few disciples are cultivating the Starry Night Sword. Besides its lack of offensive power, the difficulty of cultivating it is also extremely high. You need to listen attentively to my explanations. If you come across anything you don’t understand, you can ask me at any time.”

Chen Fei nodded, and Feng Xiupu began explaining the steps for cultivating the Starry Night Sword.

Compared to the sword techniques Chen Fei had cultivated in the past, the difficulty of the Starry Night Sword was much higher. Additionally, most of the sword techniques were primarily defensive, with only one or two active moves.

As the explanation went deeper, Chen Fei gradually let go of other distractions and devoted himself to learning. Whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand, he would immediately ask questions.

In the blink of an eye, two more hours passed before Feng Xiupu finished explaining the Starry Night Sword.

“Have you learned it?” Feng Xiupu looked at Chen Fei and inquired.

Chen Fei glanced at the interface. The Starry Night Sword was already at the beginner level. However, the progress bar was a bit different from previous cultivation techniques, requiring more proficiency.

[Cultivation Technique: Starry Night Sword (Beginner 1/300)]

“Yes, I have learned it,” Chen Fei replied, raising his head to look at Feng Xiupu.

Feng Xiupu nodded slightly. He glanced at Guo Linshan and saw his interest. Rather than sending him away, he picked up another secret manual—the Soul Chasing Step.

Another two hours of explanation passed, with Feng Xiupu occasionally pausing to perform a few steps. Compared to the difficulty of cultivating the Starry Night Sword, the Soul Chasing Step was just as challenging, if not more.

Chen Fei looked at the interface. He had also grasped the basics of the Soul Chasing Step and noticed that the required proficiency was the same as for the Starry Night Sword.

Deep in thought, Chen Fei realized that the interface’s assessment criterion seemed to assign the same proficiency requirement to cultivation techniques of the same level. It didn’t appear to consider the subjective difficulty of cultivation.

“Today, I have gained valuable insights into the Starry Night Sword and the Soul Chasing Step. I still have much to learn. If you have any questions, feel free to find me anytime,” Feng Xiupu said, handing the three secret manuals to Chen Fei, who accepted them eagerly.

“Thankyou, Master!”

Feng Xiupu nodded slightly and engaged in further conversation before Chen Fei and the others bid a hasty farewell and left.

Feng Xiupu watched Chen Fei’s departing figure and smiled. Previously, he thought that Chen Fei’s martial arts accomplishments in this lifetime would likely be mediocre at best. However, he was pleasantly surprised.

By specially teaching Chen Fei the Starry Night Sword and the Soul Chasing Step, Feng Xiupu wanted to test his comprehension abilities, apart from the reasons he had mentioned earlier.

If Chen Fei’s aptitude was merely highly compatible with the Origin Connection Technique, then although his achievements wouldn’t be bad, there would still be a limit, such as reaching the Visceral Tempering realm.

However, if Chen Fei’s comprehension abilities were truly outstanding and not solely reliant on the compatibility of the cultivation technique, then his potential limit would undoubtedly be much higher.

The Visceral Tempering realm was the final stage of the five realms of Body Tempering, but the path of martial arts was not limited to the Body Tempering realm.

“I feel rather guilty for keeping Senior Brother for so long today,” Chen Fei said, looking at Guo Linshan.

“Junior brother, you don’t have to be so polite. Besides, I had the opportunity to listen to our master explain the intricacies of the cultivation techniques. How could I consider waiting a little longer a waste of time?” Guo Linshan laughed and patted Chen Fei’s shoulder. His words were sincere. Although the Starry Night Sword was not his main cultivation technique, the principles of the techniques were sometimes interconnected, and there was no harm in listening and learning more.

“By the way, the mission’s timing has been set. It will commence in five days. Junior Brother, be prepared,” Guo Linshan suddenly mentioned.

“Understood. I hope Senior Brother will guide me when the time comes,” Chen Fei nodded.

The two chatted for a while before parting ways.

Chen Fei returned to his room, closed the door, and focused his attention on the panel..