"Hmm?" Chen Fei noticed the scene not far away. He paused for a moment, and then an amused smirk involuntarily touched his lips.

Although he didn't know why they seemed to be fighting amongst themselves, it worked out for the best. It saved him the trouble of dealing with such a petty matter. Honestly, given their level, he truly couldn't be bothered with them anymore.

"What's wrong, Brother Fei?" Huang Feng asked curiously, noticing that something seemed off.

"Nothing, just a few flies." Chen Fei laughed and shook his head before driving off in his Mercedes GL4000, disappearing into the vibrant, glittering night.

「...」

Between eight and nine o'clock the next morning, the plane Chen Fei was on, flying from Northern Mountain City to Tongzhou City—the capital of Jiangnan Province—started up slowly and entered the vast atmosphere.

The sun was just rising, its rays growing steadily stronger. As Chen Fei sat in the first-class cabin gazing at the clouds, he suddenly felt a faint, warm current of energy inside him, bringing a look of surprise and delight to his face.

Is this… the Qi of True Fire? He immediately circulated the Spiritual Energy within his body, practicing the newly acquired "Sanyang Sword Manual." Instantly, he felt a warm flow of energy continuously surge from the surface of his body, a clear manifestation of his abundant Spiritual Energy reaching a state of overflow.

His cultivation of the "Sanyang Sword Manual" had been firmly stuck at the peak of the second layer. He had no clue how to condense the Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire and break through to the third layer of the technique.

But now, he seemed to faintly touch the edge of a breakthrough... Could it be because of this warm, pervasive sunlight?!

"It seems my luck is quite good." Chen Fei glanced at the blinding sunlight outside the window, a faint smile involuntarily gracing his lips.

Clearly, he was unlike ordinary people. After practicing the "Sanyang Sword Manual," he could now faintly sense the power within the sunlight. This power shared the same origin as the True Yuan Fire inside him, but it was on a much, much higher level.

This situation was obviously extremely beneficial to him, as he could seize this opportunity to break through. Breaking through from the peak of the second layer of the "Sanyang Sword Manual" to the third was equivalent to reaching the Qi Refining Fourth Layer in his cultivation. If he could condense the Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire, his combat power would inevitably soar.

"Hah. Since my luck is so good, I might as well give it a try." With this thought, Chen Fei exhaled a turbid breath, his gaze hardening with resolve.

Although his current setting was not ideal—a first-class cabin on a plane thousands of feet in the air—this kind of fleeting opportunity was priceless and not to be missed.

After all, if he succeeded in breaking through to the third layer of the "Sanyang Sword Manual" and condensed the Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire in his body, he wouldn't need thirty-six strands, or even nine. A single strand would likely be enough to let him dominate the Innate Early Stage.

This was, after all, a method from the Cultivation World—and one of the most fearsome sword manuals at that. It was not to be taken lightly.

Circulate!

With that thought, Chen Fei's eyes sharpened. He circulated the Spiritual Energy of the "Sanyang Sword Manual" without hesitation. At once, waves of heat like a stampede of wild beasts began to burn through his meridians. His skin turned visibly red, and his teeth clenched together with a CLANG.

It hurts so much.

Feeling the tearing pain inside him, even someone as tough as Chen Fei couldn't help but grimace. In truth, his method of cultivation was incredibly dangerous; the slightest misstep could lead to disaster. But he had no choice. Being completely self-taught, he couldn't afford to consider all the risks.

However, being self-taught had its advantages, namely the audacity to charge forward fearlessly. The rolling, scorching Qi of True Fire surged through his limbs and bones like a raging flood or a thundering cavalry.

In an instant, that wild, immense, and searing energy flooded the depths of his Dantian, gradually coalescing into a phantom of the Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire.

I'm about to succeed? Let's go!

Seeing this, Chen Fei's confidence surged. He pushed the "Sanyang Sword Manual" even more furiously, all while madly absorbing the essence of the sun from the heavens. He channeled all of that majestic natural power into his body to solidify the phantom Sword Qi.

As the powerful solar essence flowed into the phantom, it began to visibly solidify, gradually starting to glow and grow brighter as a terrifying heat began to rise from it.

BANG!

Just a short while later, a fiery ripple, one that would make anyone who saw it tremble, bloomed from the phantom Sword Qi. It spread out, layer by layer, circle by circle, before forming a high-speed spiral that exploded violently in a thousandth of a millisecond.

PFFT!

An unnatural flush appeared on Chen Fei's face as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, startling the nearby passengers and flight attendants.

"Are you alright, sir?" a shapely, pretty flight attendant asked as she hurried over anxiously.

"I'm fine. But could you please get me a cup of hot water?" Chen Fei expressionlessly touched his lower Dantian, wiped the blood from his mouth, and shook his head, though an involuntary smile touched his lips.

It seems... I actually succeeded?!

"Hot water? Of course, sir. Please wait a moment." The flight attendant noted that his complexion wasn't particularly pale, and after a sigh of relief, she turned to get the water.

"Buddy, how about I take a look at you? Spitting up blood out of nowhere is not a good sign. I may look young, but I'm a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. Here's my card," a man in gold-framed glasses sitting behind Chen Fei said, handing over a business card.

"Hundred Herbs Hall?" Chen Fei subconsciously took the card. His eyes swept over it and noticed the prominent name 'Hundred Herbs Hall' and the man's name—Ning Shucheng.

"A doctor from Hundred Herbs Hall? I remember hearing that's the best traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Tongzhou City, isn't it?" one passenger murmured.

"That's right," another chimed in. "Elder Ning Biguo of Hundred Herbs Hall used to be a physician for the national leaders in Zhongnanhai. After retiring, he returned home to Tongzhou and opened Hundred Herbs Hall. It's incredibly famous."

"Young man, you're really in luck," a third person added. "To meet such a kind doctor from Hundred Herbs Hall, who's even offering to check on you. Spitting up blood out of nowhere is a serious matter. You should let him take a look."

「...」

Hearing Chen Fei's whisper, many on the plane were surprised. Hundred Herbs Hall had a massive reputation in Tongzhou City, hailed as the number one traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Jiangnan Province. Its fame surpassed even those of the TCM departments in the capital's top-tier hospitals, which spoke volumes.

Upon seeing this and sensing the crowd's trust and respect for his family's Hundred Herbs Hall, as well as the praise for his grandfather, Elder Ning, a hint of pride appeared on the young Ning Shucheng's face. He smiled at Chen Fei and said, "Buddy, don't worry, I won't charge you for checking on you today. But I promise I will do my absolute best."

"There's no need. I'm fine," Chen Fei replied with a smile, shaking his head.

Traditional Chinese medicine? He himself was a practitioner, and a very, very skilled one at that. He naturally knew that he was perfectly fine—in fact, he was doing exceptionally well.

Successfully condensing a strand of the Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire was proof that his "Sanyang Sword Manual" had broken through to the third layer. What did this mean? It meant that from this day forward, even an Early Innate Ancient Martial Artist would have to think twice before acting recklessly or looking for trouble with him. Because now, he had the power to take the life of an ordinary Early Innate Ancient Martial Artist!

"Buddy, being stubborn isn't always a good thing," Ning Shucheng said with a slight frown upon being rejected. He hadn't expected his kind offer to be refused, even after mentioning Hundred Herbs Hall. It left him feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Sigh. People these days really don't know what's good for them. To put it bluntly, they're just asking for trouble.

"Brother, thank you for your kindness. My surname is Chen," Chen Fei's voice suddenly sounded by his ear. "However, if I'm not mistaken, your ancestors are from the Ning Family of Ning'an Prefecture, correct?"

"How did you know?" Ning Shucheng's eyes instantly sharpened.

"Relax, relax." Chen Fei smiled and waved his hand dismissively. He leaned in and explained in a low voice, "Everyone in the Martial Forest knows of the two great Divine Doctor families of the Nanning Northern Song. I guessed it because your surname is Ning and I can sense the considerable solid internal strength within you."

The so-called Nanning Northern Song referred to the two most renowned Divine Doctor families in the Ancient Martial Arts circles of Huaxia, stretching back to ancient times: The Ning Family of Ning'an Prefecture in the Southern Martial World, and the Song Family of Qi Yuan Valley in the Northern Martial Forest. Both were venerable families with foundations no weaker than the Eleven Second-Tier Sects.

"...So you're a fellow practitioner. Forgive my impudence." Ning Shucheng was stunned for a long moment by Chen Fei's words before he slowly shook his head and smiled. No wonder. That explained everything.

"You're too kind, Brother Ning," Chen Fei said with a polite smile. "I just had a small epiphany and made a slight advancement in my realm. I wasn't deliberately refusing your kind offer."

"Oh, so that's what happened! In that case, my heartfelt congratulations, Brother Chen," Ning Shucheng replied at once. Since it was just a small breakthrough in cultivation, coughing up some blood was perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. It seemed he had poked his nose into something that wasn't his business.

Sigh, how awkward. But now, he began to notice something. This peer, who looked to be about his age, gave off an unfathomable feeling, like gazing up at a great mountain or looking into a still abyss—it was unbelievable. He was already at the peak of a Second Rate Ancient Martial Artist. If this person was even stronger than him, could he possibly be at the level of a First-Class Ancient Warrior? This... this... this... That's impossible, right?! This was no joke.

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