Cultivation starts from simplifying the exercises

Chapter 2115 Condensing Spiritual Materials of Rank
Chen Fei quickly glanced at Cao Feiyu's pale face and the bloodstains at the corner of her mouth, already holding several healing pills that exuded a gentle vitality in her hand, ready to hand them over at any time.

The puppet stood quietly behind him, its runes dim, clearly indicating that the continuous high-intensity manipulation and interference had greatly depleted its spiritual energy.

"I'm fine." Cao Feiyu raised her hand and casually wiped away the bloodstains remaining at the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.

She turned her head and looked at Chen Fei, who was standing beside her with a concerned expression. Her face, which was slightly pale from blood loss, showed no pain at all; instead, it blossomed into a bright and radiant smile.

This smile dispelled the coldness between her brows, like the first melting of ice and snow, and the return of spring to the earth.

Besides the smile, Cao Feiyu's eyes also showed an emotional fluctuation that was completely different from before.

Besides the relief of surviving the ordeal, there was also admiration and gratitude for Chen Fei's accurate judgment and tacit cooperation, as well as an indescribable sense of closeness and recognition.

These emotional fluctuations stem from choices and trust made in dire circumstances.

When Cao Feiyu discovered that Ke Muqing's strength had suddenly surged to the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm, she knew she had no chance of winning, and even her hope of escape was slim. At that moment, she twice told Chen Fei to go first, intending to cover their retreat and buy Chen Fei a chance to survive.

This was her responsibility as a senior student. However, Chen Fei's choice was unexpected and deeply touched her.

Chen Fei did not heed her advice to escape alone, but resolutely chose to stay and fight alongside her against the powerful enemy.

This unwavering loyalty in the face of adversity, this courage and resourcefulness in the face of adversity, instantly transformed Chen Fei's image in Cao Feiyu's heart from a junior brother who needed care to a comrade-in-arms to whom she could entrust her life, and even a more subtle and complex being.

"Senior sister, let's find another place to recover. There are other vengeful demons approaching."

Chen Fei's concern was quickly replaced by solemnity. A faint light flickered between his brows. In the distance, more than one malevolent aura was being drawn by the aftershocks of the fierce battle and was rapidly approaching this place.

Before he finished speaking, Chen Fei moved his right hand in a circular motion. The dense resentment and demonic energy belonging to Ke Muqing that had not yet completely dissipated in the surrounding space rapidly separated and condensed from the drifting black mist, eventually transforming into a fist-sized core of origin.

Chen Fei rolled up his sleeve and put the primordial crystal, which contained surging energy and pure resentment, into his sleeve.

"Go!" With a low shout, Chen Fei didn't delay any longer. His figure blurred, and he transformed into a streak of green light, rushing away into the distance.

He did not choose a straight route, but instead used the shadows of the ruins and the complex terrain to conceal his tracks and hide his presence as much as possible.

"Alright!" Cao Feiyu didn't ask any more questions. She suppressed the surging blood and qi in her body, and her figure also transformed into a silver sword light that was still agile. She followed closely behind Chen Fei and flew away into the distance.

The two figures, one in green and one in silver, vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a huge, charred crater, the lingering energy ripples, and the stench of blood in the air.

Not long after Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu disappeared, two dark figures, their bodies wreathed in varying degrees of resentful demonic light, appeared one after the other like ghosts beside the ruins where the battle had just ended.

The shadow slowly solidified, revealing its form: a tall, thin figure, like a bamboo pole, covered in dark blue scales, with eerie green flames flickering in its eye sockets.

The other was short and stocky like an iron tower, with four arms, dark brown skin covered with rock-like patterns, a bull-like head, and black, sulfurous breath coming out of its nostrils.

The two vengeful demons' eyes, filled with destructive desire, swept over the bottomless, charred crater below.

The aura of the fallen demon, the remnants of pure sword energy, and the chaotic spatial fluctuations... all these traces silently testify to the ferocity of the battle that had just taken place.

Seeing all this, the flames flickering in the eyes of the two vengeful demons turned noticeably gloomy, and the malevolent aura and chill emanating from their bodies intensified.

"It's Ke Muqing's aura... He's dead." The tall, thin demon's voice was hoarse and dry, like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing against each other.

Although they were not acquainted, these powerful vengeful demons from the same region were able to sense each other's auras. At this moment, Ke Muqing's unique aura was rapidly dissipating, leaving only dense remnants of resentment after his fall.

"Yes, it's him, and..."

The short, stocky, four-armed demon took a deep breath, sniffing the remaining violent energy in the air, and said in a voice like muffled thunder: "Judging from the residual power fluctuations, Ke Muqing must have used a secret technique at the last moment to temporarily raise his power to the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm."

“But even so, he still died.” The tall, thin, vengeful demon interjected, his surprise turning into apprehension.

The two demons remained silent for a moment, carefully sensing the two remaining auras on the battlefield. One was sharp and pure, carrying a majestic sword intent, belonging to a human sword cultivator; the other carried traces of array fluctuations.

"They were killed in an attack."

The short, stocky demon judged, its bull-like eyes flashing with a ghostly light, "The sword cultivator is the main attacker, engaging in a head-on confrontation, while the other seems to be skilled in formations and interference, providing support from the sidelines. Their coordination is extremely tacit. Ke Muqing has power, but he is completely restrained by the opponent, and will eventually die from exhaustion. He may even be devoured by the backlash of his own rampaging power."

"Should we give chase?" The tall, thin demon's eyes flickered with green flames, revealing his killing intent.

The short, stocky demon did not answer immediately. He carefully sensed the intensity of the remaining sword energy in the air and the obscure array fluctuations again, and looked at the battle traces under his feet. A trace of caution and weighing of options flashed in his bull-like eyes.

After a long pause, he slowly shook his head and said in a muffled voice, "You've seen what happened to Ke Muqing with just the two of us. If we chase after her, it will only put us in danger."

The tall, thin demon's eyes flickered a few times, but reason prevailed over them. He knew his companion was right. If he could kill Ke Muqing, he might be able to kill them.

"Hmph, consider them lucky." The tall, thin, resentful demon snorted unwillingly.

The two demons exchanged a few more whispered words, glanced one last time in the direction Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu had left, and with a flicker, they transformed into two ethereal demonic shadows and vanished from the spot.

Hundreds of thousands of miles away, the terrain began to change, and the dilapidated palace complexes were gradually replaced by barren mountains and scattered waters.

There was a small lake nestled between two low rocky hills. The lake water was an eerie dark green, calm and lifeless, but the resentment and demonic aura surrounding it was much thinner than before, as if the lake water had some kind of purifying or isolating effect on the resentment.

"Whoosh!"

A beam of azure light descended, then faded, revealing Chen Fei's figure.

As soon as he landed, he did not relax immediately. Instead, he turned around abruptly, his eyes flashing like lightning as he looked in the direction he had come from. A faint light continued to flicker between his brows as he amplified his divine sense perception to the limit, carefully probing the fluctuations in the sky behind him and along the way.

At the same time, a simple early warning and isolation array quickly took shape, minimizing the fluctuations in the aura of this area.

"Have they caught up?" Almost as soon as Chen Fei came to a stop, another silver sword light fell, and Cao Feiyu appeared beside Chen Fei.

Her breathing was still somewhat weak, but after a period of flight and meditation, a trace of color returned to her face. At this moment, she followed Chen Fei's gaze and spoke with a hint of tension that was barely perceptible.

Chen Fei's divine sense, like an invisible tentacle, extended into the distance, meticulously sensing every ripple of energy in the air. Apart from the inherent desolation and faint resentment of the ruins, and the vague and chaotic energy fluctuations coming from some distant places, he did not detect any powerful aura that was clearly targeting them and rapidly approaching.

After a few more breaths, Chen Fei's brows finally relaxed slightly. He shook his head: "I haven't sensed anything yet, so I guess they've given up." Confirming that he was temporarily safe, Chen Fei relaxed a little.

He reached into his sleeve with his right hand and took out the primordial crystal he had obtained from Ke Muqing. As soon as the crystal appeared, the surrounding air seemed to turn colder, and a pure yet violent energy fluctuation faintly emanated from it.

With a flicker of spiritual light at his fingertips, Chen Fei was about to split the valuable primordial crystal in two.

As the two had previously agreed, the profits from their collaboration would be split equally.

"Wait a minute."

Cao Feiyu reached out her slender hand and gently pressed it against Chen Fei's finger, which was about to cut down, stopping him. Her palm was icy cold, trembling slightly from the intense battle, but the force with which she pressed down was resolute.

"Don't give it to me anymore. Keep this source." Cao Feiyu looked at Chen Fei, her tone calm, yet carrying an unquestionable air.

Chen Fei paused, looking at Cao Feiyu with surprise.

In the sunlight, her face was still somewhat pale, but her eyes shone like stars, clearly reflecting his face.

Chen Fei frowned slightly. "Senior Sister Cao, didn't we agree before that the spoils would be split 50/50? You took on the greatest pressure and risk in killing this fiend, so you should take half of the source, or even more."

Cao Feiyu was the main attacker, bearing all the attacks and counterattacks, and was the most seriously injured. It was only right that she should take more of the spoils, but now she doesn't even want half of them.

Upon hearing this, Cao Feiyu smiled faintly. She shook her head, looked at Chen Fei with clear eyes, and said softly, "In that battle just now, if it weren't for you, Junior Brother, I wouldn't have been able to escape, let alone kill him. It can be said that you deserve the most credit for defeating this fiend. This source is what you deserve. As for me, being able to escape with my life is already a great fortune. How could I dare to take this?"

Chen Fei felt a slight warmth in his heart as he looked at the unwavering determination in Cao Feiyu's eyes, but he still felt uneasy.

He smiled wryly, still trying to separate the origins: "Senior sister, you can't say that. We fight side by side, neither of us can be missing. If you weren't at the forefront, directly restraining most of his attention and attacks, my little tricks would be useless."

Our victory was due to mutual reliance and support; the spoils of war should naturally be shared.

As Chen Fei spoke, a spark of light ignited at his fingertips, and he prepared to make the division.

Seeing that Chen Fei insisted on breaking up, Cao Feiyu's smile faded slightly. Instead of withdrawing her hand, she took a half step forward and looked more intently into Chen Fei's eyes. In those clear eyes, Chen Fei's face was reflected, as was her own complex and indescribable emotions.

"Junior Brother Chen,"

Cao Feiyu's voice was not loud, but it carried a peculiar strength as she spoke, word by word: "Just now, I told you to go first, but you didn't. As your senior sister, I asked you to leave the danger, but you refused and chose to stay and live or die with me."

She paused, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes, then a touch of stubbornness: "Now I'm telling you not to share this origin, but you won't listen. So..."

Her tone suddenly took on a faint hint of reproach and seriousness as she stared intently at Chen Fei: "So, my identity as your senior sister is fake? My words carry so little weight with you?"

"This……"

Chen Fei was completely taken aback by Cao Feiyu's perspective and was momentarily speechless. His fingers, which were about to sever the source, froze in mid-air. Looking at Cao Feiyu's extremely serious gaze, he didn't know how to respond.

Is it true that she admitted to being her senior? Of course not.

Because he regarded her as a comrade-in-arms to whom he could entrust his life, Chen Fei felt that the spoils should be distributed fairly. He was unwilling to keep all the spoils for himself and even less willing to let her suffer a loss.

However, Cao Feiyu's words at this moment carried an air of unassailable sophistry.

Using her status as a senior, and the past incident of him refusing to leave when she had told him to go first during the crisis, she bound this concession together with affection, trust, and even something more subtle.

This was not a simple distribution of spoils; it was more like an emotional affirmation and feedback.

Seeing Chen Fei's stunned and speechless expression, a barely perceptible hint of smugness flashed in Cao Feiyu's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper gentleness.

She sighed softly, her voice softening but remaining firm: "Accept it, junior brother. This essence will be more beneficial to your cultivation, and besides..."

Cao Feiyu turned her head and looked at the hazy mist in the distance of the lake. Her profile appeared gentle yet firm in the dim light: "Now that we have overcome this life-or-death ordeal side by side, there will be many more times in the future when we need to support each other. How can this friendship be measured by a mere external object?"

Having said all that, Chen Fei knew that to refuse again would be hypocritical.

Looking at Cao Feiyu's resolute profile, he finally gave up insisting on separating them. With a flick of his wrist, he solemnly stored the dark red emanation of the demonic energy into his sleeve.

"However, senior sister, we've agreed that this is a one-time thing, and there won't be any more. After that, no matter what happens, the gains must be split equally between the two of us, as we agreed."

Seeing that Chen Fei had finally accepted it, Cao Feiyu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a genuinely relaxed smile. She didn't turn her head, but simply hummed softly, saying, "Hurry up and recover. Although this place is safe for now, it's not a place to stay for long."

The two said no more. Cao Feiyu found a relatively clean and secluded rock by the lake and sat cross-legged. Then she placed the long sword that had accompanied her through fierce battles across her lap.

My fingertips brushed across the sword, sensing the weariness and joyful spirit emanating from it, and silently soothed it.

Next, she took out several jade bottles and boxes, all containing healing elixirs and restorative spiritual materials secretly prepared by the Danchen Sect.

Cao Feiyu swallowed the pill, closed her eyes, and a faint silver-white light emanated from her body. Her breathing gradually became long and steady as she began to focus on healing her injuries and restoring her depleted essence.

Having gone through life and death together, some things no longer need to be said; they have quietly taken root.

The lakeside was quiet, with only the slightest ripples from the breeze across the dark green surface.

Seeing Cao Feiyu enter meditation to heal her injuries, Chen Fei felt somewhat relieved.

His eyes were slightly closed, and a faint light flowed between his brows. He pushed the wondrous perception of the Undying True Light Mirror to its limit, constantly sensing the slightest movement of the wind and the ripples of energy around him, as well as any aura that might contain malice.

After confirming that it was temporarily safe, Chen Fei spared a sliver of his attention and focused on himself.

Chen Fei hadn't been greatly depleted from the previous fierce battle, so at this moment, he was more concerned about the wisp of vengeful demon essence he had just acquired.

With a slight thought, Chen Fei silently activated the Devouring Heaven Divine Forging technique, beginning to peel away the fragments of the rank within the Origin of the Vengeful Demon.

The dense, impenetrable resentment and demonic energy on the outer layer of the crystal was gradually stripped away and refined by the power of the Devouring God. As the outer impurities were removed, tiny crystal fragments began to emerge from the core of the original crystal.

These tiny fragments contain a mysterious rhythm, as if they were miniature manifestations of the rules of heaven and earth.

The stripping process lasted for more than ten breaths. When the last wisp of resentful black energy was refined, about a dozen fragments of the rank, shimmering with starlight, were stripped away.

Chen Fei carefully scanned these fragments of rank with his divine sense, sensing the aura of rules contained within them, and his brows twitched slightly.

According to estimates, these fragments of rank are enough to condense a full 40% of the required materials for a mid-grade sixteenth-rank rank spirit material. It is truly unexpected that Ke Muqing, a vengeful demon, would have such a wealth of rank fragments in his origin.

Chen Fei's mind raced. Considering the unusual situation of Ke Muqing's breakthrough in battle, which revealed his pseudo-late-stage strength, it was probably because the source of this vengeful demon contained so many fragments of his own rank that he was able to temporarily break through the bottleneck under the forced infusion and catalysis of the chaotic erosion.

This vengeful demon ultimately lacked the understanding and control it possessed in its previous life, resulting in its power being violent and scattered, riddled with flaws, and unable to unleash the control and supernatural transformations of a true late-stage Tai Cang Realm expert.

Withdrawing his thoughts from pondering the nature of the vengeful demon, Chen Fei refocused his attention on the fragment of his newly acquired rank.

Chen Fei's mind sank into the Void Realm, where shimmering fragments of various colors were quietly suspended, which were the rank fragments he had accumulated before.

Previously, we were still some distance away from condensing a complete set of sixteenth-grade mid-level spiritual materials, and we still needed the half-set of spiritual materials promised by Cuiping Peak to complete the set.

However, now, with the addition of the rank fragments he just obtained from Ke Muqing, the total number of rank fragments Chen Fei possesses has reached the standard required to condense a complete and flawless sixteenth-rank mid-grade rank spiritual material, and even slightly exceeds it.

With this in mind, Chen Fei put all the fragments of the spatial dimension into the spatial dimension.

As all the space fragments are brought into this particular environment, wondrous changes begin to occur.

These fragments, which were originally emitting faint, rhythmic light independently, began to resonate and attract each other in a mysterious way. They were no longer floating quietly, but began to converge and move towards the center point very slowly.