Chapter 21: Chu Feng — To Cultivate This Technique, One Must First…

Chapter 21: Chu Feng — To Cultivate This Technique, One Must First... "What the hell, what was that sword technique just now? I’ve never seen anything like it!" "So elegant—this move, Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin, was both graceful and fierce!" "..." In the stands, the various institution heads first turned their eyes toward the Sword Martial King. Seeing that the old guy wore a completely baffled expression, they all shifted their gazes to Chu Feng. Whoosh! Chu Feng pulled out a folding fan from his waist and started fanning himself casually, looking like he had no idea what was going on. This brat... was actually playing dumb now. Seeing his behavior, the bigshots instantly knew—this sword technique had something to do with Chu Feng. The Carefree Sword King gave the Xuanhuo Alchemy King a subtle look. The latter immediately got the message and asked, "Xiao Feng, that Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin just now—is it really the ultimate technique of your Miscellaneous Dao Institution? How come this old man has never heard of it?" None of them believed the Miscellaneous Dao Institution could possibly have such a technique. After all, the Miscellaneous Dao Institution had been silent for over ten thousand years within Wendao Institution. If they truly had a technique of this level, there’s no way the others wouldn’t know about it. And the institution wouldn't have fallen to such a state. So they were more inclined to believe it was Xiao Chen’s personal fortuitous encounter. After all, that’s how prodigies were—getting unexpected blessings out of nowhere. Chu Feng smiled and said, "Sort of. Didn’t I mention earlier that I made up a technique for that boy Xiao Chen? That’s this Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin. Not bad, right?" As soon as he finished, the whole group of bigshots went quiet, staring at Chu Feng with disbelief in their eyes. Previously, none of them had taken Chu Feng’s claim seriously. After all, every major institution had their own top-tier inheritances. Chu Feng, who didn’t even have cultivation, even if by chance he invented a technique, it couldn’t possibly compare with their institutions’ legacies. But that Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin that Xiao Chen had just displayed... was definitely on par with a guardian-level technique. "You brat, how did you come up with that?" Xuanhuo Alchemy King asked, curiosity all over his face. "Got inspired by a storybook and made it up on the spot." Chu Feng replied seriously. Fengyun was a manhua—that counted as a storybook in this world. No issue there. ??? The bigshots all stared at Chu Feng blankly, their faces reading just three words: I don’t believe it. Xuanhuo Alchemy King muttered irritably, "Fine, if you don’t want to tell us, that’s your business. At least explain what the technique does?" "Of course." Chu Feng agreed without hesitation. None of them expected him to agree so easily. Was this kid trying to trick them? "Go into detail." Xuanhuo Alchemy King was purely curious—he didn’t even practice sword techniques. Chu Feng took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "Ahem... To cultivate this supreme technique, one must first abolish their own cultivation..." "Stop right there." The Sword Martial King immediately interrupted before Chu Feng could finish. "You brat, if you don’t want to tell us, at least don’t mess around like that." The other bigshots didn’t say anything, but their silence meant they agreed. Chu Feng just shrugged indifferently. "Senior, have you forgotten that when Xiao Chen came to my Miscellaneous Dao Institution, he was already a cripple? The technique I made for him was, naturally, designed for someone who had lost their cultivation." "That... actually makes sense." Xuanhuo Alchemy King thought the Sword Martial King was being too much. He’d wanted to hear more, but the old guy cut it off. The Carefree Sword King also spoke up, "Indeed—extraordinary people require extraordinary cultivation methods. Xiao Feng, does this cultivation technique have any special requirements?" "It does." Chu Feng said, "To cultivate this supreme technique, one must possess extremely high innate talent in the way of the sword. Anyone with average aptitude has absolutely no chance of mastering Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin." Upon hearing this, the bigshots immediately lost interest. What they wanted was a technique that could be cultivated by most disciples. This Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin might look powerful now, but how many geniuses were truly willing to abolish their cultivation to train in it? More importantly, no one knew what the upper limits of this technique were. If this technique could only be cultivated up to the Heaven Origin Realm, then wouldn't their genius disciples suffer a huge loss? After all, this was a cultivation technique written by a mortal without any cultivation. The bigshots shifted their attention back to the arena to watch the next semifinal between Lin Qingyu and Mo Qingwu. Compared to the previous semifinal, this one was a true clash of titans. Mo Qingwu and Lin Qingyu both fought with everything they had. After an intense battle that lasted an entire hour, a winner was finally decided—Lin Qingyu narrowly edged out and advanced to the finals. However, he wasn’t lightly injured. When he recalled Xiao Chen’s terrifying Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin, a sense of powerlessness stirred in his heart for the first time. That sword move... was not something he could resist at his current level. ... The next day. Xiao Chen defeated Lin Qingyu without suspense, winning the title of outer court grand competition champion. After the competition ended— Lin Qingyu left the arena immediately, his expression hollow and dazed. Once again, he had lost to Xiao Chen. This was something he simply couldn’t accept. Just as Lin Qingyu exited the plaza, a cold and stern voice rang out. "Qingyu, you’ve truly disappointed me. Just one loss and you’ve already lost your confidence." Hearing that, Lin Qingyu looked up and saw who it was. He said, "Master, I’ve failed your expectations." "Hmph!" The speaker was the Grand Elder of the Sword Dao Institution. He snorted coldly and said harshly: "Don’t call me ‘Master’ just yet. I’ll give you two options—either forget this match and follow me into the inner court to cultivate. In time, you will definitely surpass Xiao Chen. Or, after entering the inner court, choose another master." Lin Qingyu’s expression shifted slightly at those words, but his eyes quickly became firm. "This disciple is willing to forget this match. I believe that once I learn stronger sword techniques in the inner court, I will surely defeat Xiao Chen." "Good." The Grand Elder of the Sword Dao Institution nodded with satisfaction. "Let me tell you something—Xiao Chen’s sword technique was just something made up by the head of that Miscellaneous Dao Institution. It might work in the outer court, but once he enters the inner court, it won’t amount to anything. You’ll both be back at the same starting line." Upon hearing that, Lin Qingyu’s gloom was instantly swept away. On the other side, after basking in the cheers of the disciples, Xiao Chen immediately returned to the arena to share the hard-won victory with his master. But the moment he stepped onto the stage, eight institution heads locked eyes on him at once. "Disciple greets Master and all Martial Uncles." "No need for formalities," the Carefree Sword King responded. If this had been before, any disciple from the Miscellaneous Dao Institution calling them ‘Martial Uncles’ would’ve earned themselves a slap on the spot. But when Xiao Chen said it, they didn’t find it displeasing—in fact, it made them feel a bit closer to him. "Thank you, Martial Uncles." After bowing, Xiao Chen walked straight to Chu Feng. "Master, I’ve taken first place." Chu Feng patted Xiao Chen’s shoulder and smiled. "Well done. Today, let’s go into Wendao City and drink to our hearts’ content." Xiao Chen’s face lit up. "As you command, Master." Chu Feng rose to his feet and cupped his hands toward the others. "Seniors, we’ll take our leave." "Mm." None of them tried to stop Xiao Chen. Recruiting him could wait—let master and disciple enjoy their moment of joy first... ==================================================================================== Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44