Chapter 103: Breaking the Grade!

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Shen Anyuan soon arrived at Mount Luojia. He stood respectfully before Shen Boyu and said, “Second Uncle, you summoned me?”

“Yes. I already know everything.” Shen Boyu looked at Shen Anyuan. “You’re feeling very unwilling to accept this, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Shen Anyuan nodded. “I never expected things to turn out this way.”

“Fate and timing. This is the fate of you and me, uncle and nephew, and it is also his fate. Things have come to this point. Let it end here.”

“Second Uncle, after all the effort we put in, we ended up helping that brat instead. How can we simply give up? Believe me, I absolutely won’t fail next time. He won’t have such good luck again.” Shen Anyuan pleaded with him.

“I asked you to come here because I was worried you would refuse to let the matter rest and try again.” Shen Boyu’s voice grew stern. “Do not forget what happened to Shen Qingping.”

Shen Anyuan’s heart sank. He knew that his second uncle was using Shen Qingping’s reckless provocation as a warning.

If he refused to heed the advice, he would end up guarding Ghost Mountain just like Shen Qingping.

He missed his son, but he could not go and guard Ghost Mountain.

If he went, there would be no one left here to run around and support Qingping.

By then, he would lose the position beneath him, and father and son would be stationed together at Ghost Mountain. They would probably never return.

At the very least, there would be many people who did not want them to come back.

“Yes, Second Uncle.” Shen Anyuan bowed in agreement.

“I know you’re unhappy. I’m unhappy too. This failure is no one’s fault—not yours, not mine. We can only blame bad luck.” Shen Boyu consoled him. “But this matter will not end here. What we did was not meaningless. Once everything truly begins to ferment, someone will naturally act on behalf of our family.”

“Second Uncle, you still have another move prepared?” Shen Anyuan asked excitedly.

He knew how formidable the old man was. As long as Shen Boyu was willing to act, there was no one he could not destroy and nothing he could not accomplish.

He did not care who killed Tang Fei. He only wanted Tang Fei dead.

“Wait a while longer,” Shen Boyu said. “In the end, I will not disappoint you.”

“Thank you, Second Uncle.”

“Until then, I do not want you to do anything else. Whether it is good or bad, you must act as though you have nothing to do with this matter. Otherwise, go to Ghost Mountain and keep Qingping company.”

“Yes, Second Uncle.” Shen Anyuan nodded at once.

“Go. Clean up your trail properly.”

“Yes. Then I shall not disturb your rest, Second Uncle.”

Shen Anyuan bowed to Shen Boyu, nodded at Chang Biao, and then turned and left.

“Xinglan should be coming back soon, shouldn’t she?” Shen Boyu asked.

“Yes. Next month is Her Highness Xiuxue’s seventeenth-birthday coming-of-age ceremony.”

“I see.”

Shen Boyu’s brows drew together slightly, as though he were pondering something important.

As he continued thinking, he fell asleep.

Chang Biao waved for the young woman singing opera nearby to leave. He personally took a blanket and draped it over Shen Boyu before quietly standing guard beside him.

—

“Hiss.” Ran Ran inhaled sharply. “That cut is really deep. Are you always this ruthless with yourself?”

“If I hadn’t struck hard enough, how would the Discipline Oversight Committee believe that he was the one who injured me?” Tang Fei said with a smile.

He then looked at Ran Ran curiously. “You’re a teacher in the Ancient Martial Arts Department. You must have seen plenty of fighting and bloodshed. Haven’t you seen people get hurt before?”

“I have,” Ran Ran replied. “But every time I see it, I still feel awful, as though the wound had been cut into my own body.”

“I’m used to it.” Tang Fei wore a cheerful expression, as though such things were perfectly ordinary. “If one of those mutated beasts accidentally swiped at you, it could tear away a piece of your flesh. What is one knife wound by comparison? It may look frightening, but I know exactly what I’m doing. I didn’t damage any vital organs.”

“Mm. You don’t need stitches. I’ll apply some genetic medicine. It will heal soon, and it won’t even leave a scar.”

“Thank you, Teacher Ran,” Tang Fei said gratefully.

After cleaning and disinfecting the wound on Tang Fei’s chest with antiseptic wipes, Ran Ran took out a bottle of genetic medicine and sprayed it over the injury twice.

In the blink of an eye, a layer of white skin-like membrane appeared over the wound, wrapping the split tightly.

Ran Ran looked at Tang Fei. “Why do I always feel that you live under tremendous pressure? You put everything you do into it with all your strength, even when it means hurting your own body. Is it because you’ve only just arrived on New Star and haven’t adapted to life here?”

Ran Ran had not known Tang Fei for very long, but she felt that he lived with extraordinary urgency, as though some dangerous thing were constantly chasing and threatening him from behind.

Had he brought the habits of life on Old Earth with him to New Star? Or was he simply unable to adjust after immigrating?

By all rights, he should have been living a far more relaxed and comfortable life than most people.

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He was close to the princess, while his younger brother was a student of Shang Xiulin, a disciple of the Imperial First Military Academy. Both brothers possessed exceptional talent in martial arts.

Even if they simply followed a steady path of development, they would have boundless prospects.

What, exactly, was he so anxious about? And what was he afraid of?

Tang Fei put his clothes back on and lay comfortably on the treatment bed. He gazed up at the ceiling, but his eyes held no focus.

“I suppose that’s it,” Tang Fei said. “Although Old Earth is fraught with danger, I’ve already grown familiar with the way it operates, so I still have confidence that I can cope with it. New Star is a wonderful place, but all its dangers are unknown, making them impossible to guard against. That’s why I feel so insecure.”

“I understand that sort of mindset.” Ran Ran nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“I need to raise my cultivation level,” Tang Fei replied. “The only thing that can give me a sense of security now is greater personal strength.”

“No problem.” Ran Ran nodded. “I specifically designed a training program for you. Its code name is Devil. If you follow the program I created, I’m confident I can raise you to the upper level of Qi Manipulation within three months and help you enter the Netherworld Realm within a year.”

As she spoke, Ran Ran transmitted a file to Tang Fei.

Tang Fei read through it on his phone, then shook his head.

“What is it?” Ran Ran asked. “Are you worried the training is too demanding for you to complete? Or are you worried the time frame is too short for you to advance?”

“I want double.”

“Double the time?”

“No. Double the training.” Tang Fei shook his head. “I want to reach the upper level of Qi Manipulation in one month and enter the Netherworld Realm in three.”

Ran Ran refused. “No. My training program is already extremely demanding, and it is scientifically and reasonably designed. Just as I told you last time, excess leads to harm. I understand how badly you want to advance and break through, but everything must proceed gradually and in a cycle. If you damage your body, you may regret it for the rest of your life.”

“That won’t happen.” Tang Fei’s expression was resolute. “I know exactly what I’m capable of.”

“Student Tang Fei, I am your teacher. You need to trust my professional judgment.”

“Teacher Ran, I am Tang Fei. You need to trust my explosive power.”

“But—”

“No buts. That’s the decision.”

“Am I your teacher or your sparring partner?”

“How would you like me to address you?”

“…”

—

In the days that followed, Tang Fei entered a period of frenzied training.

With Coach Ran Ran accompanying him, he completed twice the daily workload of the Devil Program at school.

After returning home, he went to the training room in the basement and practiced the Ten Thousand Sword technique from the Netherworld Chart.

Hard work brought its rewards. Tang Fei could feel the Yin-Yang energy within his body rising rapidly.

Moreover, the city wall he had never been able to climb over showed faint signs of loosening.

He knew he was about to enter the upper level of Qi Manipulation.

This was another breakthrough, a year after he had entered the middle level of Qi Manipulation.

Clang!

“Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven.”

Clang.

“Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight.”

Clang, clang.

“Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.”

Sweat streamed down Tang Fei’s forehead, and his clothes were completely soaked.

He felt utterly exhausted. He knew that his physical strength was about to be depleted once again.

He was like an oil drum that had to burn away its very last drop of fuel during every training session, until he no longer even possessed the strength to stand.

After a night’s rest, however, the support and regulation of his Yin-Yang energy would restore his body to its original condition.

That was the power of cultivators: their energy and strength circulated endlessly.

Once ordinary people released their strength, they could not draw it back.

Little Fatty did not understand cultivation, so after every punch he threw, the force simply vanished.

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Once he exhausted all the strength in his body, he needed a long period of recovery and adjustment.

Clang!

“Ten thousand swords.”

Bang!

Tang Fei collapsed face-first onto the floor.

“Big Brother!”

Little Fatty, who had been standing guard nearby, hurried over.

When Tang Fei regained consciousness, it was already dawn the following day.

The red sun was rising, and a thin mist hung like a veil over the world.

Drops of dew glistened on the pine needles in the courtyard.

Outside the window, birds sang amid the flowers, while the fluttering of insects’ wings roared beside his ears.

“Hmm?”

Tang Fei was delighted.

Because he was a cultivator, his hearing and eyesight had already been considerably sharper than ordinary people’s.

But they had never reached this level.

Had he entered the ranks of true cultivators?

Tang Fei’s movements awakened Little Fatty, who had been sleeping soundly with his head resting beside the bed. Little Fatty rubbed his eyes and said excitedly, “Brother, are you all right?”

“I’m fine now,” Tang Fei replied. “What happened last night?”

“Brother, you gave off hot vapor all night. I was terrified that you were burning up.” Little Fatty still looked shaken.

“Hot vapor all night?” Tang Fei thought for a moment. “Then I must have been cleansing my tendons and marrow, completely expelling the impurities from my body.”

Tang Fei looked at Little Fatty with utmost seriousness. “I’ve reached the upper level of Qi Manipulation.”

“What? Really? Big Brother, you’re incredible! I knew you were about to break through.” Little Fatty was ecstatic.

Tang Fei’s success made him even happier than his own achievements would have.

“Yes. From now on, no one will be able to deceive us,” Tang Fei said.

“Brother, even someone at the upper level of Qi Manipulation can’t beat everyone.”

“That’s why I said ‘deceive.’ I feel as though I’ve become smarter.”

“…”

While Tang Fei and Little Fatty were eating breakfast, the doorbell rang.

Little Fatty checked the video intercom and said happily, “Brother, Sister Phoenix is here.”

Phoenix entered with a bright smile. “I knew you two would be having breakfast.”

She handed the meal box she had brought to Little Fatty. “Here, I brought you some extra food.”

“Thank you, Sister Phoenix.” Little Fatty took the meal box and ran inside to eat, leaving the spacious courtyard to Tang Fei and Phoenix.

Phoenix studied Tang Fei carefully. “Oh, Student Tang Fei, you seem a little different today.”

“I broke through last night,” Tang Fei replied. “I’m now at the upper level of Qi Manipulation.”

Phoenix was delighted for him. “Wow, that’s wonderful. Congratulations, Student Tang Fei.”

Tang Fei smiled calmly. “What brings you here today?”

Phoenix pretended to be annoyed. “What? I gave you the house, so am I not allowed to visit?”

Tang Fei looked directly into her eyes. He knew Phoenix understood that this was not what he had meant.

Phoenix dared not meet his gaze. She handed him the invitation in her hand and said, “I came to give you and Little Fatty invitations. According to imperial custom, seventeen is the age of formal adulthood. I’d like to invite both of you to attend my coming-of-age ceremony.”

Tang Fei accepted the invitation. “Little Fatty and I will definitely be there.”

End of Chapter