Chapter 442 - 442: Impossible
Chapter 442 - 442: Impossible
The Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking was specially designed based on the performance of those who cleared the first two stages to set the guardians of the third stage. Because of this deliberate targeting, the difficulty of getting through was extremely high.
Those who could cultivate to the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, which one of them wasn’t a genius? But even so, many people still got stuck at the third stage and couldn’t progress any further.
Yan Zesong himself was in such a situation, so when he saw Chen Fei’s performance, Yan Zesong found it somewhat hard to accept.
Being deliberately targeted and still being able to get through so quickly, it was obvious that the strength exceeded many, and it could only be achieved by not caring about this kind of targeting.
For a moment, Yan Zesong appeared somewhat silent. His ambitious intention to conquer the third stage and challenge the top thirty rankings had diminished significantly.
When you work so hard to accomplish something, and others achieve it effortlessly, that feeling was something Yan Zesong had rarely experienced in all these years.
On the other hand, Yan Zesong’s peers had this experience every time they faced him. Yan Zesong did not expect that today, he would actually experience this awful feeling himself.
Inside the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking.
Chen Fei was in the Vital Energy Team, his gaze slightly moved as he was currently reading the new rules for challenging the list.
“They really have the option to change appearance and aura.”
Stepping into the fourth stage, with the opportunity to officially challenge the top thirty rankings, the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking can directly modify the aura and appearance for those attempting the list.
Some people have a strong background and don’t mind their aura and appearance being exposed; they even welcome fame spreading far and wide. For such individuals, being famous has far more advantages than disadvantages.
However, there are those who clearly don’t want to be constantly scrutinized by others. Of course, with their cultivation at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to scrutinize them anyway.
“Modify!”
Chen Fei didn’t hesitate and directly altered the aura and appearance he had left in the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking.
Outside the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking, everyone sensed the figure representing Chen Fei, and his aura underwent a change.
This change was extremely domineering, forcibly reversing the impression that everyone present had of Chen Fei’s original aura.
The might of a spiritual treasure, even if it’s just a spiritual treasure’s offspring, was not something the people present could resist. Even those at the Combined Aperture Tempering realm would probably be affected.
Not to mention that everyone present was beneath the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.
At this moment, those present weren’t surprised by this. Such modifications to one’s aura happened frequently, and many people who enjoyed watching the excitement had their impressions changed several times in the past few days.
For the people present, the modifications made by the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking were only an attachment. The real impact of this aura modification was that if someone truly made it onto the list, others elsewhere looking at the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking would see the modified aura as well.
At this moment, among the top thirty on the list, approximately half of them had their auras modified. The rest either had strong backgrounds or, for personal reasons, retained their original auras.
In the practice of martial arts, some do it to change their fate, to give themselves a chance to control their own destiny. Others do it for fame, to become renowned across the world; it’s their pursuit.
Inside the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking.
Chen Fei touched his face and found that his appearance had already changed slightly. Even if someone tried to copy Chen Fei’s information after this spiritual treasure’s modification, it would only show this false face.
It was necessary to conceal some of his information, that was for sure. With Chen Fei’s current level of strength, the only ones who could pose a threat to him were those above the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.
But those above the Combined Aperture Tempering realm wouldn’t bother with him if he didn’t provoke them, just as Chen Fei wouldn’t randomly target a Body Tempering realm warrior like the one he encountered now.
There was simply no need; they were not in the same league, and their chances of crossing paths were very rare. Chen Fei also didn’t hold much interest in Body Tempering realm warriors, with their so-called stroke of luck.
Chen Fei’s view of Body Tempering realm warriors was similar to how those above the Combined Aperture Tempering realm viewed those in the Aperture Tempering realm. The principle was the same.
Now, the only ones who might still be interested in Chen Fei were probably the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. After all, they knew that Chen Fei had not been practicing for long, and achieving the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm so quickly was almost a certainty.
But from what Chen Fei had learned, not to mention the Boundless Sea, even in the Thousand Feather Alliance alone, there were quite a few Aperture Tempering realm experts below the top thirty rankings.
Talent, in itself, is difficult to deduce using common logic; prodigies don’t play by the rules.
Moreover, the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect has already moved into the Thousand Feather Alliance along with the Yu family, distancing themselves from the Haiyan City.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect did this to prevent Shen Yansheng of the Divine Flame Sect from appearing. Being in a more central location within the Thousand Feather Alliance, it was undoubtedly much safer there. The Yu family’s original territory and its surrounding resources had long been fully exploited.
With the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect as an ally now, it was only natural to act together. Both sides collaborated to occupy a place in the core area of the Thousand Feather Alliance.
So, people from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect nowadays would most likely not know that Chen Fei had reached the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm because their activities were not in the same region.
Even if the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect did find out, it was difficult to say how likely it was for Tong Zhongqiu to take action.
Moreover, Chen Fei, in his current state, although unable to defeat someone in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, had the confidence to escape from the pursuit of an early-stage Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert.
As Chen Fei was touching his cheek, suddenly images of ten individuals appeared in front of him. They were ranked from thirtieth to twenty-first on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking. Chen Fei could now challenge any one of them at will.
If Chen Fei succeeded in the challenge, he would directly make it onto the list and could continue to challenge any of the top ten positions.
With enough strength, he could reach the top position with just a few challenges.
Chen Fei’s gaze swept over the challengers, and among them, three were in the late Combined Aperture Tempering realm, while two were in the mid Combined Aperture Tempering realm. These were truly talented individuals, but Chen Fei didn’t intend to pick them.
If he were to engage in a real fight, there was a high probability that they would forcefully enhance their strength, raising it to the pinnacle of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Chen Fei had little interest in such somewhat distorted battles.
Chen Fei’s gaze settled on a martial artist wielding a long staff, ranked twenty-fourth on the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking.
Chen Fei rarely encountered people who used staff-like weapons, and this ranking was suitable for him to assess the overall strength of the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking.
“Hum!”
The entire martial arena trembled slightly, and elemental energy surged all around. Even a misty fog enveloped the area. After a moment, when all the dust settled, what met Chen Fei’s eyes was no longer the martial arena but a grassy plain.
A gentle breeze blew, causing Chen Fei’s hair to sway, and his green robe clung to his body.
Chen Fei looked around with great interest, never expecting that the environment would undergo such a significant change when entering the official challenge.
A figure slowly appeared in front of Chen Fei, holding a long staff. Their eyes were sharp, and a powerful aura emanated from them, shattering the surrounding grass with its pressure.
Compared to Xia Xiangyi from the third stage, the sense of threat this opponent gave Chen Fei had risen significantly.
In normal circumstances, all those at the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm should have relatively similar strength. After all, they have the same cultivation level, and their 108 apertures are all connected to form a whole.
In terms of cultivation methods, there shouldn’t be much difference since they all follow the inheritance that allows them to achieve complete apertures.
However, despite starting from the same point, there were still significant differences in strength among them. Some individuals, after reaching the peak of their primary cultivation method, would continue to cultivate other secondary methods.
Their energy seemed boundless, or rather, their talent allowed them to see results in any cultivation method in an extremely short time.
Some people achieved the pinnacle of the Aperture Tempering realm through relentless effort, reaching 108 connected apertures. Others, however, couldn’t cultivate more apertures because they already had 108.
Outside the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking.
As Chen Fei selected his opponent, the aura representing him underwent a change, leaping several positions upward before finally coming to a stop. “Directly challenging the twenty-fourth position?” Everyone was momentarily stunned when they saw Chen Fei’s position.
No matter how they looked at it, and no matter what their choice, the first opponent should have been the thirtieth-ranked. This sudden jump in rank was something they hadn’t seen in all these days.
“I can’t believe it; I just bet that he would make it onto the list!” Someone suddenly exclaimed in frustration.
After all, the odds for betting on Chen Fei making it onto the list, offered by the Precious Tempering Pavilion, were extremely high. Some adventurous individuals wanted to take a gamble, thinking, “What if he actually succeeds?” However, at this moment, watching Chen Fei directly challenge the twenty-fourth position, it didn’t look like a challenge at all; it seemed more like he was playing around.
In Haiyan City, for so many days, not a single pinnacle Aperture Tempering realm expert had made it onto the list. It was evident how difficult it was to achieve this.
After all, the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking almost encompassed the top talents within the Thousand Feather Alliance and the surrounding areas. Only thirty could make it onto the list at a time, which clearly showed how extreme the competition was.
“Hahaha, when it comes to betting, it’s all about small profits and quick turnover. Even if we bet on him losing, we’ll still make some profit, albeit a small one.”
“You’re absolutely right; it’s all about having some fun with a little gamble.”
As Chen Fei’s position changed, the atmosphere in the area became lively. The vast majority, if not all, didn’t believe that Chen Fei could succeed.
Even though he had cleared the third stage quickly, the third stage was just a threshold to confirm one’s qualification to challenge the top thirty. There was still a significant gap between that qualification and the actual top thirty rankings.
This Chen Fei seemed to be excessively confident.
Yan Zesong looked at the aura representing Chen Fei on the mountain peak, his brows slightly furrowed.
When Yan Zesong saw Chen Fei’s choice, he couldn’t help but feel that Chen Fei was setting himself up for failure. Even winning against the thirtieth-ranked opponent would be considered quite challenging, let alone this kind of leapfrog challenge.
However, as Yan Zesong thought about his recent encounters with Chen Fei and the shocks Chen Fei had given him each time, he started to feel less certain.
But soon, Yan Zesong shook his head. It was impossible.
In the distance, Mi Xian stared at the Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix Ranking, her eyes wide open in astonishment..