Free Web NovelChapter 208: Chapter 160: Fame-Slayer
Regardless of whether the person who witnessed his talent’s advancement that night was Martial Saint Honglian, he was, at the very least, safe within the Shenxiao Army for now.
Zhuo Feiming didn’t linger long in front of Yu Fei, giving outsiders the impression that she was merely showing him a bit of special regard.
She was an exceedingly thoughtful person. Ren Feng lacked for nothing, so she would gift him odd and curious trinkets. But for those truly in need, her gifts were invariably essential.
After reviewing Yu Fei’s file, she knew his sword was broken, so she had a Grandmaster Daoist Soldier Embryo of immense potential specially forged for him.
For prodigies stuck at a cultivation bottleneck, she gave precious resources for a breakthrough. For those with weaker methods, she gifted Cultivation Technique manuals suited to their path; with a Martial Saint’s insight, they were certain to be a perfect match.
Having confirmed that Martial Saint Honglian held no ill will toward him, Yu Fei asked sincerely, "Thank you, Your Eminence. Might I ask if this sword has a name?"
Zhuo Feiming paused at his words. After a moment’s thought, she said, "You are a Sword Cultivator, unparalleled in attack. Let’s call this sword Name-Sever!"
She then pointed a finger, and a flower of flame appeared on the blade, coalescing into two ancient words: Name-Sever.
"May this sword protect you on your path!"
With that, she moved on to the next prodigy. Many looked on with envy; a gift from a Martial Saint was incredibly rare, but Yu Fei had even had his weapon personally named!
Name-Sever? The implications were self-evident!
After the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition ended, her estimation of Yu Fei grew. She had likely grasped his future potential, but during the battle, a deeper idea had taken root in her mind.
The current state of the battlefield was a stalemate. Though skirmishes occurred, they didn’t affect the bigger picture. If humanity unleashed its full might, it could certainly achieve impressive results, but what then?
The question plaguing all the Martial Saints was what exactly these alien races were. Why could their numbers, including experts at the Martial Saint level, increase so endlessly?
This violated the fundamental principles of the martial path. Humanity had only managed to produce a large number of high-level experts after several centuries of reform and the freeing up of society’s productive capacity.
Yet the alien races were just spawning troops without any logic. If they had possessed such an ability from the beginning, humanity should have been annihilated long ago.
This was a puzzle that confounded all of humanity’s leadership.
If humanity could produce an expert who surpassed the Martial Saint realm, could they break the stalemate? Or if a Martial Saint with unparalleled offensive power emerged, could they break the stalemate?
These were all unknowns.
The Prodigy Development Program was established three hundred years ago, and Zhuo Feiming herself was one of its beneficiaries. The program was designed to cultivate Ninth-Realm Martial Saints or even stronger existences. However, though all these years had passed and the number of Martial Saints had indeed increased considerably, a "game-changer" had yet to appear.
Yu Fei might be that slim possibility, because his martial foundation was constantly improving.
She had watched the entire process of his talent’s advancement that night, and it was, to put it mildly, inconceivable.
With her profound martial wisdom, she suspected it might be a special kind of talent. Throughout the history of the martial path’s development, there had always been strange and unique constitutions. According to historical records, a thousand years ago, someone was born with the innate ability to control fire. Unfortunately, they possessed no martial talent whatsoever and ultimately passed away in obscurity.
Zhuo Feiming was willing to provide protection from the shadows, to take a gamble on this possibility.
After the ceremony, Yu Fei struggled back to his residence, lugging the giant sword. He planned to leave to attend his teacher’s wedding. The Celestial Pride Positioning Competition was over, and participants were being evacuated in batches.
Just as he finished packing and was about to leave, Yu Fei was stopped.
"Student Yu Fei, the Army Commander requests your presence. Please come with me!"
The Gang Qi Martial Artist before him was polite, but his tone held a firmness that brooked no refusal.
Yu Fei sighed internally. "My apologies for the trouble," he said.
’What is this all about! Even though Martial Saint Honglian has shown me some faint goodwill, I really don’t want to get too close to one of humanity’s peak combatants. The enormous gap in our strength, coupled with the possibility that she might have seen through my secret... My instincts are screaming at me to get as far away from her as possible.’
But... a Martial Saint had summoned him. So, Yu Fei went along, overjoyed.
***
Clouds streaked past. The sky was vast and boundless.
Aboard the fighter jet *Crimson Phoenix*, Yu Fei sat across from Zhuo Feiming, carefully choosing his words as he faced the Martial Saint.
Up close, he realized Zhuo Feiming was quite tall. She wore a simple, plain white outfit, minimalist in style, with only a single crimson daisy embroidered on the sleeve cuff.
Her bearing was poised, and her words carried an air of supreme confidence, a "who else but me" sort of swagger. Yet, she also possessed a natural, convincing charisma.
A languid voice broke the silence.
"I was looking over your file and just realized—Yan Sea is your teacher!"
Yu Fei was taken aback. "You know my teacher?"
’My teacher just broke through to the Grandmaster realm. Ten years ago, he was only at the sixth-level Gang Qi realm. It’s strange that his name would have reached the ears of a Martial Saint.’
Zhuo Feiming smiled. "That little fellow, Yan Sea, served in the Shenxiao Army back in the day. I had a vague memory of him, so I looked him up. Found out the kid’s actually getting married. Since you’re his student, you must be heading there as well. I figured I might as well take you along since it’s on my way."
This wasn’t a lie. She did have matters to discuss at the Shenhan University headquarters, and it was a convenient detour to see Yan Sea—to get the young man to rejoin the ranks and set the hook, so to speak.
"I would be deeply honored!" ’I can’t believe Teacher Yan Sea actually served in the Shenxiao Army. What a coincidence.’
Zhuo Feiming waved her hand dismissively. "That sword, Name-Sever... you’re a long way from having the power to wield it freely. Once you’re at the university, make sure to find a body-tempering method and train it well! Your body is the true foundation of the martial path. Do you know the main reason Warriors fall on the battlefield?"
Yu Fei shook his head, a blank expression on his face.
"About thirty percent of our Warriors die from sheer exhaustion. In the high-intensity slaughter of the battlefield, many run out of Qi Blood, their Inner Qi vanishes, and their physical stamina is completely depleted. They end up falling to an enemy that outnumbers them a thousand to one.
"Therefore, a powerful physique is the key to survival. Sword Cultivators tend to focus too much on killing power and finesse. While this gives them an edge in duels, they are easily swamped by the tide of enemies on a massive battlefield."
Yu Fei nodded gravely. This was precious advice from one of humanity’s peak combatants, and it carried immense practical wisdom.
"I see you cultivate the Pure Yang True Body. It’s an excellent introductory Cultivation Technique for a top-tier body. It was my first choice back in the day, too. A pity I was unable to absorb the Violet Qi from the Eastern Sunrise."
At this, Zhuo Feiming’s tone grew wistful. The Immortal Vast Heaven True Form was among the most powerful physiques available even to Martial Saints, but the requirements to begin its cultivation were exceptionally difficult. She considered the little fellow, Yu Fei, to be incredibly lucky.
"The only problem with this Cultivation Technique is its slow growth. The physical enhancements are not obvious in the early stages. You would be best served by also practicing another Iron Body Skill as a supplement in the meantime."
"I understand. Thank you for the guidance."
Afterward, Yu Fei seized the opportunity to ask more questions about the martial path. Zhuo Feiming’s explanations of its core principles were like a key, unlocking his understanding. A Martial Saint who had walked the path to its very end could distill its essence with breathtaking clarity. A single sentence from her would often leave Yu Fei pondering for ages—it was an unprecedented experience.
’He still didn’t understand why Zhuo Feiming was being so kind to him. Perhaps it was on account of Yan Sea. Whatever the reason, he had accepted her kindness, and he couldn’t help but develop a favorable impression of Martial Saint Honglian and the Shenxiao Army.’
He had only just stepped into the wider world; how could he possibly know its true depths?
...
「On the outskirts of Mingchuan, at Cyan Deer Manor.」
It was an elegant estate. Within the manor, a sea of purple flowers rippled like waves in the gentle breeze. Winding bridges and covered walkways snaked through the scenery, past shimmering, clear waters. It was a perfect fusion of natural beauty and modern architectural aesthetics.
Su Yue meticulously inspected the fine details of the decorations, instructing the staff to make minute adjustments. This was the wedding she had long dreamed of; she would not tolerate a single flaw.
Yan Sea followed respectfully behind a gray-haired old man. This was Su Yue’s father—his father-in-law.
The couple had worked hard to finally earn Mr. Su’s approval, but that didn’t stop the man from repeatedly putting Yan Sea in his place.
"I only have one daughter. She disappeared from my life for years because of you, without a single word. Yan Sea, even today, I am still furious. Do you understand?"
Yan Sea lowered his head, nodding. He knew he owed a great debt to both Su Yue and her father. He couldn’t find any other words, so he simply kept admitting his faults and vowing that he would treat Su Yue well.
