Chapter 131: Upgrading the Flying Sword

Of course, these were merely the martial arts techniques and skills of ordinary warriors, nothing particularly extraordinary. Chen Fengyun was simply curious to observe them; they offered little benefit in enhancing his own strength.

However, Martin Dang’s cultivation method, the Divine Dragon Exorcism Technique, stirred something within him. It was likely that the Martin family possessed some dragon bloodline, as their technique could summon a divine dragon’s ethereal image. This dragon had a restraining effect on all evil creatures—demons, ghosts, and the like.

After consuming the giant crocodile meat, Martin Dang’s dragon blood seemed to have advanced. The summoned divine dragon’s image appeared more substantial and its power seemed greater.

“It seems the prehistoric giant crocodile also carries dragon blood. Could this be why the Earth Dragon wanted to kill it? And that crystal stone in the crocodile’s head—perhaps it could be of great use to Martin Dang. Should I give it to her?” Chen Fengyun pondered, feeling conflicted. This was the first time he had considered giving a gift to a girl, and Martin Dang gave off a different impression compared to An Jingru and Zhang Qingyan—perhaps because she was a kindred spirit.

“Better to wait for another time. We don’t know each other well yet; it wouldn’t be appropriate to give her something so suddenly,” Chen Fengyun finally decided.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a tremendous sound echoed from a nearby grove. Laughter followed. Everyone saw Wan Jianlin soaring into the air, seizing the moment to break through to the rank of Martial Dao Grandmaster.

“This guy sure is lucky. Without Mr. Chen, he wouldn’t have broken through so quickly,” Ye Mingfu said enviously. Actually, after Wan Jianlin’s fierce battle with the Japanese warrior Takeda Kurao in the underground palace, he was already on the verge of breaking through. Having just eaten a large amount of giant crocodile meat, he took the opportunity to progress.

“Ah, Wang Shu seems to be breaking through too,” at that moment, intense fluctuations erupted from Chu Wangshu’s body, though his face was flushed red.

Chen Fengyun instantly teleported beside him and struck his back with a palm, stabilizing his aura. After a long while, Chu Wangshu opened his eyes, beads of sweat covering his forehead.

“Brother Chu, don’t rush. It’s better to stabilize some more before breaking through,” Chen Fengyun advised. Chu Wangshu’s foundation was not as solid as that of the elder generation; if he broke through now, he would never progress further. Just now, he had tried to suppress his realm but almost suffered a backlash.

“Thank you, Mr. Chen. Wangshu understands,” Chu Wangshu said respectfully. Despite Chen Fengyun’s usual casual manner, Chu Wangshu could sense that Chen’s strength surpassed that of the Thirteenth Uncle, so he instinctively treated him with similar reverence.

“After this experience, if you all train for a few more years, there’s still a chance you can break through to the Grandmaster realm,” Chen Fengyun said to Ye Mingfu, Yang Wanshi, and Liang Lun’gang. After drinking the spiritual spring water in the underground palace and eating giant crocodile meat, their deficiencies had been supplemented and their talents improved.

“Mr. Chen, thank you so much for your help. If you ever come to Qian, be sure to let me know. I’ll take care of all your hospitality,” Li Dongsheng from northern Qian said, clasping his fists in gratitude after digesting the crocodile meat.

“Yes, when Mr. Chen visits us, be sure to let us treat you properly to show our thanks,” others chimed in, exchanging contact information before departing.

“Fengyun, are you still studying?” Martin Dang approached him, guessing from his age that he was likely still a student.

“I just took the college entrance exam this year and have been admitted to the capital’s university. In a few days, I’ll head there to begin my studies,” Chen Fengyun replied without hiding the truth.

“Really? I’m at the capital university too—second year. Haha, you’ll have your senior watching over you,” Martin Dang exclaimed, patting Chen Fengyun’s shoulder.

“Then I’m in your debt, senior,” Chen Fengyun nodded.

Soon, members of the northern faction also came up to thank him, especially Wan Jianlin, who spoke earnestly and even invited Chen Fengyun to visit Harbin for a few days. Chen politely declined, promising to visit another time.

Finally, the southern faction returned together to a small county near Shenyang. Although Chu Wangshu found no sign of his father, Chu Tianjie, he had now given up hope since the underground palace was flooded and would likely never reopen.

Chen Fengyun had Ye Mingfu bring over ten jin of giant crocodile meat back to the Thirteenth Uncle, then set off with Feng Tianbao back to Rong City. Meanwhile, the Earth Dragon began to slumber again, and it was expected that its strength would greatly increase upon awakening.

By the time Chen Fengyun returned to Rong City, it was already August 13th. They had spent over two days in the underground palace. Upon returning, Chen Fengyun casually wandered around Shenyang for half a day, mainly visiting antique markets in search of relics related to cultivators.

In just half a day, he found several such antiques and spent over 100,000 yuan to acquire them, gaining five attribute points and some materials.

Back home, Chen Fengyun settled the gains from this trip while preparing some giant crocodile meat soup for his parents. He didn’t give them the meat directly but mixed it with chicken broth, using only small amounts each time. Gradually, some of their minor ailments began to improve.

“There are still 28 attribute points left. How should I use them?” Chen Fengyun deliberated. After much thought, he spent 10 points to upgrade his Golden Bell Shield to the first stage of the Yellow rank.

To his surprise, the Golden Bell Shield transformed into the Vajra Invincible Body technique—a cultivation method specializing in strengthening the physical body, now at the peak of the Yellow rank. However, the remaining attribute points were insufficient to upgrade the Vajra Invincible Body further.

“The most fundamental skill for cultivators is the flying sword. I’ll use the remaining 18 points to enhance its rank,” Chen Fengyun resolved.

He sorted through the many refining materials he had obtained and selected those suitable for upgrading his flying sword. Spending 15 attribute points, he elevated the sword’s quality to the first stage of the Yellow rank.

After the upgrade, the sword’s blade became more ancient and weighty, its power greatly increased. With his divine sense, Chen Fengyun could now wield the flying sword to slay Grandmaster-level foes within a ten-kilometer range—something impossible before the upgrade.

Finally, only a meager 3 attribute points remained. After some thought, he decided to raise his alchemy skill to the eighth stage of the Mortal rank, feeling acutely that attribute points were running short.

“Crazy guy, where have you been lately? I couldn’t reach you by phone,” his close friend Gao Xiaohua called two days later.

“Heh, I went to Changbai Mountain for a few days. The signal might have been bad in the mountains. Fatty, how are things with you? Did you get your acceptance letter?” Chen Fengyun chuckled.

“I did. Rong City University—looks like I’ll be staying local. By the way, Crazy, my family just bought a new villa, but I don’t feel comfortable living there. Can you come over and take a look?” Gao Xiaohua invited him.