Chapter 204: The Holy Son Struggle

Although the Yunding Heavenly Palace’s abundant spiritual energy was no longer supporting him, Chen Fei’s progress in cultivating the Thousand-Temper Body Technique remained swift as ever.

This was thanks to the massive amount of merit points he had exchanged for high-quality cultivation resources.

Even so, Chen Fei had remained in seclusion for nearly ten days!

At this moment, he was at a critical juncture in his cultivation. Shirtless, his sharply defined muscles seemed to come alive, twitching and twisting with loud cracking sounds.

Anyone who had ever suffered from muscle cramps would understand how excruciating this could be.

But Chen Fei looked as if he was savoring the experience—his expression calm and even somewhat pleased.

As his muscles continued to ripple, he suddenly took a deep breath.

In front of him, spiritual energy condensed into a thread-like cloud, which he directly inhaled. Instantly, the trembling muscles across his body settled and began to emit a faint golden glow.

Amidst the golden radiance, a golden character appeared.

At first, it was faint and dim, but as Chen Fei absorbed more spiritual energy, the character grew increasingly brilliant.

With his internal vision, Chen Fei could clearly see a golden human-shaped figure materialize atop the Dao Embryo within the Void Heaven Cauldron.

“Condense!” Chen Fei growled.

The golden figure slowly merged with the Dao Embryo, sitting cross-legged on the cauldron’s surface, golden light radiating from its head.

At that moment, the Void Heaven Cauldron trembled violently, and a stream of pure energy surged from it, spreading throughout Chen Fei’s body.

The massive sword lying in front of him began to tremble violently.

Chen Fei’s eyes snapped open. With a wave of his hand, the heavy, blade-less sword flew lightly into his grip.

“It’s done!” A flash of excitement lit up his eyes.

Ten days of grueling cultivation and vast consumption of body-tempering resources had finally allowed him to reach the seventh level of the Thousand-Temper Body Technique!

He casually swung his arm—no resistance at all. The once-impossibly heavy sword now moved as if weightless.

Chen Fei’s lips curled into a smile.

He checked his cultivation: still at the peak of the Ninth Grade Dao Realm.

But in terms of combat power, he was confident he could crush any low-stage Origin Realm cultivator!

And if it really came down to a life-or-death fight, even high-stage Origin Realm enemies might not stand a chance!

Strapping the greatsword to his back, Chen Fei stepped out of his courtyard. Though he still had over ten thousand merit points left, that amount meant very little to him now.

This time, he was heading out to see if there were any suitable missions within the Tianqing Sacred Land.

Compared to when he first arrived, the faces of those around him seemed noticeably more tense and solemn.

Chen Fei wanted to ask about it, but couldn’t find anyone appropriate.

“Junior Brother Chen Fei?” a surprised voice called from behind.

Turning around, he saw it was Ma Qi.

The two were no strangers—they’d started off on the wrong foot, but at the banquet, Ma Qi had come to respect Chen Fei’s strength.

“It really is you!” Ma Qi exclaimed joyfully, then gave him a once-over. His expression turned startled. “Mid-stage Dao Realm?”

Chen Fei smiled and nodded.

Though he had already reached the peak of the Ninth Grade Dao Realm, he was deliberately concealing his true strength, only showing the level he had displayed after returning from the Xianle Secret Realm.

Still, that alone was enough to shock others.

Ma Qi clearly remembered that at the banquet, Chen Fei had only been at the Third Grade Dao Realm. It hadn’t been long since then! Even if the Dao Realm wasn’t considered extremely high by Tianqing’s standards, no one improved that fast!

Casting a glance around, Ma Qi leaned closer and grabbed Chen Fei’s arm.

Chen Fei raised a brow. “Senior Brother Ma, what’s going on?”

“Shh, come with me!” Ma Qi quickly led him to a secluded stele forest nearby—a quiet place few visited.

“What’s happened?” Chen Fei asked curiously.

Ma Qi sighed. “You’ve been in seclusion, so you don’t know. Our people were ambushed by the Evil Sect—fourteen elders were heavily injured, even the sect master was hurt!”

“What?” Chen Fei’s eyes widened in shock.

Ma Qi grunted. “The Evil Sect didn’t come out unscathed, though. Their top brass took heavy damage. But the problem is, they’ve been hiding within the imperial courts of the Xuanhuang Continent for years. They’re deeply rooted. Three days ago, the sect issued an order to begin a full-scale purge.”

“That sounds like a good thing.” Chen Fei didn’t think much of it.

Ma Qi, however, sighed again. “Junior Brother Chen, you’re only in the Dao Realm. I came to warn you—don’t get involved. Right now, a lot of people are watching you.”

“Watching me?” Chen Fei looked puzzled.

Ma Qi’s expression turned strange. “You really don’t know?”

“Please just tell me plainly,” Chen Fei said, exasperated.

After scrutinizing Chen Fei’s face, Ma Qi spoke gravely: “It’s the Tianqing Holy Son selection!”

“Tianqing Holy Son?” Chen Fei was surprised.

“After you met the ancestor, he announced that the competition for the Holy Son would begin. A lot of people think this title was made specifically for you. They can’t question the ancestor, so they’ve turned their resentment toward you.”

Chen Fei was genuinely stunned.

How did things end up like this?!

“Holy Son is the face of the sect’s future,” Chen Fei said. “Do you really think I qualify with my current cultivation?”

Ma Qi shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. The selection for the Holy Son is entirely up to the ancestor. He might pick based on cultivation speed. And let’s be honest—who in the Tianqing Sacred Land can match your speed?”

Chen Fei’s eyes went wide. He sucked in a breath. “That’s… allowed?”

“Why not?” Ma Qi spread his hands. “We’re just guessing, but the fact is—people are watching you now. You’d best stay away from sect missions for the time being. Someone might try to sabotage you!”

Chen Fei raised a brow. “Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother Ma. I’ve just exited seclusion and still have much to learn. Let’s grab a drink when I’m free.”

“Deal!” Ma Qi chuckled and quickly departed.

Once Ma Qi was gone, Chen Fei’s face turned cold.

There was definitely truth in what he said. It seemed that the ancestor had taken a liking to him and wanted to nurture him deliberately.

That would certainly make his path in the sect more difficult from now on.

But so what?

Instead of retreating, Chen Fei’s fighting spirit burned brighter:

“Let’s see what tricks you all have up your sleeves.”

With that, he gave a cold snort and, instead of heading to the Mission Pavilion, made his way toward the area where registered outer disciples lived.

He wanted to check in on Gong Tianshou, Dong Feng, and the others—see how they were doing.