Chapter 276 275: A Higher Regard
In the Martial Vein Martial Arts Arena, all eyes were fixed on Ling Fei.
Some gazes held admiration, while others were cold and harsh.
"If this Ling Fei wants to obtain our Martial Vein's Martial Arts, he'd better have the talent for it!"
"Let's see what he's capable of first." Many of the geniuses watched on with cold detachment.
After all, they had to exchange a sufficient amount of Merit Points to obtain any Martial Arts.
All of which they had earned through hard work.
'But this Ling Fei gets to learn them directly just because he's a Pill Master? On what grounds?'
Many of them felt it was extremely unfair.
For this very reason, the Lingyun Sect rarely made such exceptions to grant preferential treatment to a genius.
But when it came to Ling Fei, they naturally wouldn't be so rigid.
They knew that if this young man was successfully nurtured, the entire landscape of the Southern Wilderness would change with him.
How could they not give preferential treatment to such a pivotal figure?
"It's just a spar. I'll naturally do my best," Ling Fei said with a smile.
"Excellent," Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun replied with a smile.
"Ling Fei, what level of opponent do you plan to pick for your first spar?" the Martial Vein's Peak Master asked with a smile from the high platform.
He was a slightly chubby elder with the surname Cheng.
"Let's start with the geniuses who haven't yet condensed a Sword Intent Seed!" Ling Fei said, smiling. "I haven't fought in a long time. I need to warm up."
He had been in seclusion recently, so his combat experience had grown a little rusty.
Besides, sparring from the weakest to the strongest was the best way to continuously deepen his understanding.
"In that case, let's start with these few."
Steward Huang, who was standing beside them, pointed to the geniuses below and said, "This person is named Huang Ping. He has comprehended the Gale Sword and is a genius of our Martial Vein's Small Primordial Pill Realm."
"Gale Sword?"
Ling Fei's gaze shifted toward a young man in yellow robes. The man's expression was calm as he stood below, yet his very posture was like a sword, exuding a piercing aura.
"This one is named Cheng Xianwu. He has comprehended the Thunder Sword, and his combat power is a bit stronger than Huang Ping's. The one next to him is Zhou Jian. He has comprehended Extreme Point Sword Intent. His combat power is considered extremely strong throughout our entire Martial Vein, and even among all the Small Primordial Pill Realm disciples in the Lingyun Sect. If he were to condense a Sword Intent Seed, few could ever hope to contend with him."
"These three are the top three disciples below the Sword Intent Seed level," Steward Huang said with a smile.
He held these three in very high regard.
Especially when mentioning Zhou Jian, a glint flashed in his eyes.
Evidently, this person had immense potential.
"Alright, then I'll spar with these three first," Ling Fei said.
'For me, the stronger they are, the better. Only then can I stimulate my own potential,' he thought.
"Good!" A glint flashed in Peak Master Cheng's eyes as he looked down below.
"Huang Ping, you will spar with Pill Master Ling Fei first," Steward Huang said to Huang Ping below, his eyes glinting.
"Yes!" Huang Ping's gaze sharpened, and he leaped toward the Martial Arts Platform in front of him.
"Heh heh, if you win, there will be a reward," Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun said with a laugh from the high platform.
"A reward?" Hearing this, Huang Ping was taken aback.
"A Ninth Grade Elixir!" Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun said with a smile. "As for whether it's a Tendon Continuation Pill, a Celestial Essence Pill, or an Antitoxic Pill... the choice is yours."
'Alright!' A trace of excitement stirred within Huang Ping.
As everyone knew, Elixirs were divided into grades, from First Grade to Ninth Grade.
Ninth Grade was the highest.
A single Ninth Grade Celestial Essence Pill was enough to allow some people to break through directly from the Body Tempering Realm to the Innate Realm.
For many, it was an Elixir that could change their destiny.
Although such an Elixir was of little use to them, for some of their clan members, it was a rare Spirit Pill.
As for a Ninth Grade Tendon Continuation Pill, that was even more precious.
If one were injured, taking this kind of Elixir would allow for recovery in an extremely short amount of time.
For a Cultivator, recovering quickly from injuries during their trials was as good as having their life saved.
"There's actually such a reward?" Hearing this, all the genius disciples below felt a quickening Heartbeat.
'Too bad it's not me sparring with this Ling Fei. Otherwise, that would be a Spirit Pill falling from the heavens!' many thought with regret.
'In their eyes, a battle against Ling Fei, who had just entered the Small Primordial Pill Realm, was a guaranteed victory.'
'After all, a Ninth Grade Elixir wasn't so easy to obtain under normal circumstances!'
"Heh heh, Elder, by offering such a reward, aren't you afraid my Martial Vein's disciples will go all out and injure your precious disciple?" Peak Master Cheng said with a laugh.
"Heh heh, I'm only afraid that if they don't go all out, it won't serve the purpose of tempering him," Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun chuckled.
"Ling Fei, you'd better be careful now!" Peak Master Cheng added with a smile. "It wouldn't be good if you were injured by one of my Martial Vein's disciples!"
"I will do my best." Seeing this, Ling Fei remained fearless.
'It would be for the best if these people fought with all their strength.'
"Good." The other elders nearby all smiled. They too were eager to see Ling Fei's performance.
With a flicker in his eyes, Ling Fei's figure shot toward the Martial Arts Platform.
He was now as light as a swallow; as he shot forward, it was as if he were gliding, or even flying.
A Cultivator in the Small Primordial Pill Realm not only had denser Essence Qi, but also a higher degree of harmony with the world around them.
As his body moved, he had the feeling of melting into the heavens and the earth.
This was the difference between a Small Primordial Pill Realm and a Celestial Spirit Realm Cultivator.
WHOOSH!
In a flash, Ling Fei appeared on the Martial Arts Platform.
Across from him, Huang Ping's gaze was sharp. He stared at Ling Fei, appearing very calm as a piercing aura emanated from his body.
It was an aura unique to Sword Cultivators.
"My name is Huang Ping. I entered the Small Primordial Pill Realm four months ago. I have control over Gale Sword Intent and am on the verge of condensing it into a Sword Intent Seed," Huang Ping said to Ling Fei, a glint in his eye.
This was a show of respect for his opponent, as well as a display of his own confidence.
"I have control over Sword Intent and have also condensed a Cold Dao Mystical Seed. However, this will only be a contest of swords. I will not be using the Cold Dao Mystical for now," Ling Fei said.
"A Cold Dao Mystical Seed?" Upon hearing this, Huang Ping's gaze sharpened, and he looked at Ling Fei with a newfound hint of surprise.
It was common knowledge that most people only condensed a Mystical Seed after entering the Small Primordial Pill Realm. Those who could condense a Mystical Seed beforehand definitely possessed extremely high Martial Arts talent. Even with his pride as a Sword Cultivator, Huang Ping couldn't help but look at this opponent, who had only just entered the Small Primordial Pill Realm, in a new light.
"This Ling Fei has already condensed a Cold Dao Mystical Seed?" When these words reached the ears of the onlookers, they caused an uproar.
No one had ever imagined that this Alchemy genius would have condensed a Mystical Seed so early.
To think, many of the geniuses in the Martial Vein's Small Primordial Pill Realm had yet to condense a Mystical Seed!
"It seems this Ling Fei really does have some skill!" many of the Martial Vein disciples murmured.
"Hmph, talk is cheap. Who knows if he's actually condensed a Mystical Seed or not?" someone said coldly.
"True. And since he says he won't use it now, maybe he's just bluffing," someone immediately added in agreement.
"Heh heh, Elder, it seems this Ling Fei is even stronger than we thought!" Peak Master Cheng of the Martial Vein, however, turned to the Elder with a broad smile.
"This is indeed rather surprising," Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun said with a smile.
Ling Fei had not mentioned the fact that he had condensed a Cold Dao Mystical Seed to many people.
Even the Elder was surprised.
"Well then, let's see how he performs next." For a moment, all the elders on the platform were filled with anticipation for the upcoming spar.
