Chapter 36: The Situation

In his private alchemy room, Chen Fei orally consumed a Spirit Pill and sat cross-legged to circulate his Jingxuan Qi. It was not until a full hour later that Chen Fei opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Chen Fei had not yet fully deduced the formula for the Spirit Pill; he was stuck on the final step and could only rely on time to slowly grind through it. According to Chen Fei's estimation, it would likely take about another month to deduce the complete formula.

Although the formula was not yet finished, it did not prevent Chen Fei from using Spirit Pills for cultivation.

Because of his sales in the black market, while Chen Fei currently lacked large sums of money, small amounts of cash flowed in constantly. There was no pressure at all for him to consume a Spirit Pill costing fifteen taels of silver.

With his Great Perfection Jingxuan Qi combined with the Spirit Pills, based on the feedback provided by his panel, Chen Fei estimated it would take nearly a year to push his cultivation to the Bone Forging Realm.

Compared to the previous estimate of over a year, the time required had been significantly reduced.

If Chen Fei wanted to further compress the time needed to reach the Bone Forging Realm, he would either need to obtain high-tier internal qi techniques or consume Constant Float Pills.

High-tier internal qi techniques were kept by the various aristocratic families in Pingyin County; generally, only direct descendants could obtain such inheritances. Even if Chen Fei married into a prominent family, the possibility of obtaining an internal qi technique would remain low.

Thus, in Pingyin County, Chen Fei was unlikely to have the chance to obtain stronger internal qi techniques; he could only rely on luck in the black market to obtain techniques that could still be simplified.

As for the Constant Float Pill, it was actually a pill intended for martial artists in the Marrow Refining Realm. The Spirit Pills Chen Fei used now were typically something only Bone Forging Realm martial artists could afford for cultivation.

Consequently, Chen Fei was actually consuming pills above his current stage. Fortunately, the burden of the Spirit Pill on a martial artist's body was not great; one pill a day was well within Chen Fei's tolerance.

Chen Fei estimated he could likely consume Constant Float Pills now as well. Unfortunately, Constant Float Pills were almost non-existent in Pingyin County. Even if they did exist, they were monopolized by the disciples of the various aristocratic families.

Chen Fei had not seen a Constant Float Pill in any apothecary or medical clinic. Even in the black market, they would occasionally appear once or twice, but they were quickly bought up before Chen Fei could even make a move.

Chen Fei stood up and walked into the courtyard, his long sword beginning to move. Wisps of sword qi swirled around the blade, and as the sword light flickered, it was as if a flame had risen within the courtyard.

"Ssh!"

A moment later, Chen Fei retracted his move, leaving a straight furrow in the ground caused by the sword qi.

[Technique: Fire Pattern Sword (Great Perfection)]

Two days had passed since he encountered the anomaly outside the city, and Chen Fei had successfully cultivated the Fire Pattern Sword to the level of Great Perfection.

To Chen Fei's delight, the Great Perfection of the Fire Pattern Sword had actually faintly triggered the growth of the "Immortal Pointing the Way" ability. Logically, Immortal Pointing the Way should have reached Great Perfection long ago, with its power already fixed.

Later, Chen Fei realized it was likely because his overall growth had unlocked some of the limitations of Immortal Pointing the Way. After all, his cultivation was only at the Flesh Refining Realm, and his swordsmanship realm was relatively mediocre.

No matter how powerful Immortal Pointing the Way was, it could only manifest based on his existing conditions.

This also illustrated the exaggeration of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect; a single move within one of their sword techniques surpassed all the various sword styles Chen Fei had painstakingly fused together. However, it also stimulated Chen Fei's longing for the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect; they were truly a behemoth.

Two days ago, the Zhang family had made a significant move. Knowing that Sun Shu had become something close to an anomaly, and that the hatred was directed at the Zhang family, they had been unable to eat or sleep in peace.

That day, the Zhang family gathered their forces, even bringing people from the yamen, and all rushed toward the dense forest outside the city.

No one knew whether the two sides eventually met; everything was kept strictly secret.

Chen Fei did not participate in this matter again. To the outside world, Chen Fei was merely a Skin Refining Realm alchemist. If it hadn't been for Zhang Yuezhen that day, such a battle would never have become entangled with him.

As night fell, Chen Fei disguised himself and appeared in the black market.

"The situation in the south hasn't been optimistic lately. You should be careful."

Inside the small hut, the scent of medicinal herbs permeated the air. Chi Defeng looked at Chen Fei and said with a smile.

"Will the rebels fight their way to Pingyin County?" Chen Fei asked, somewhat surprised.

Since the imperial army's massive defeat, various rumors had been spreading within the county. Some said the army would regroup and fight a decisive battle against the rebels. Others said the rebels had already surrounded the imperial army and were gradually picking them off.

"It's unknown, but the imperial army is currently retreating toward Pingyin County. Where they will eventually station themselves is still uncertain."

"Are the rebels chasing them?" Chen Fei asked.

"Not quite," Chi Defeng shook his head. "Those rebels have captured so many cities and territories; they are currently focusing on stabilizing their rule and have no immediate intention of continuing the pursuit."

Chen Fei felt a slight sense of relief. The battlefield between two armies was the most dangerous place. With his current small stature, whether he could even preserve his life in such a situation was a question.

"Is there any way to get to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect?" Chen Fei thought for a moment and suddenly asked.

If one were to consider where it was safe nowadays, aside from the imperial government's rear, it would likely be within the territory of such top-tier sects.

From Skin Refining to Organ Refining, there were the commonly known Five Realms of Body Refining. Above Body Refining, there were even more profound realms of cultivation—the true beginning of transcending the mortal coil.

The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect possessed such top-tier experts. It was precisely because of the existence of such powerhouses that the surroundings of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect remained relatively peaceful.

Rumor had it that fires of war were breaking out all over the imperial territory, and no one knew where things had gone wrong. The only thing Chen Fei could think of was to head toward such a top-tier sect.

As long as he raised his cultivation, he would have the ability to resolve whatever happened afterward.

"No. The world outside is in chaos and anomalies are rampant. Trying to traverse such a long distance is difficult and dangerous."

Chi Defeng shook his head and said, "It is not yet time for that."

Chen Fei nodded slightly with a frown and began to inventory today's medicinal herbs. A moment later, Chen Fei took out a herb and handed it to Chi Defeng. Chi Defeng, expressionless, pulled another herb from behind his back and handed it back to Chen Fei.

Chen Fei's eye twitched slightly; this game of distinguishing real from fake was not over yet. The key was that Chi Defeng showed no sign of shame; he simply had an expression that said, *Oh, you discovered it? Great.*

"By the way, if I encounter an anomaly, is there any good way to save my life?"

As he packed the herbs and prepared to leave, Chen Fei suddenly asked.

If absolutely necessary, Chen Fei would not leave Pingyin County alone. But if such a day truly came, he wasn't afraid of anything on the road except encountering an unstoppable anomaly—that would be a real problem.

"Oh? Have you encountered an anomaly lately?"

Chi Defeng looked Chen Fei up and down; he didn't seem to be missing any limbs.

"I went out of the city a few times and ran into them."

"Then how did you deal with it?" Chi Defeng asked curiously.

"I exhausted one with blood qi and internal strength until it died; for the other, I couldn't win the battle of attrition, so I just ran," Chen Fei said, remembering how dangerous it had been with Sun Shu. Fortunately, he had run fast enough.