For instance, the old man had him practice the "Dragon Elephant Demon Suppressing Skill"...
Tang Fei had inquired about Phoenix regarding this cultivation technique; it was quite a unique existence.
Everyone knew it was powerful, and if one could cultivate it to the ninth level, amassing the power of nine dragons and nine elephants, they could be said to vanquish gods in their path and extinguish Buddhas where they stood.
However, this cultivation technique was extremely difficult to master, and until now, there had never been a tale of anyone who had succeeded...
After spending years of time and effort, one could merely manage the first or second level, and if lucky, the third or fourth, yet the destructive power remained vastly insufficient.
The effort invested bore little correspondence to gains reaped.
Therefore, this technique gradually disappeared from New Star, with fewer and fewer willing to pick it up.
Even the children from impoverished families would look for simpler and more effective techniques that could yield quicker results.
The faster the progress, the quicker they could change their and their families’ living conditions.
No one wished to gnaw on this tough bone.
What if they failed to gnaw through it? What if they ended up failing?
Those with less at stake were more likely to lose.
Since they didn’t dare to gamble.
Tang Fei was different, though; he had no other choice on Old Land as he couldn’t learn the Tang family’s techniques, and the old man was a mechanic by trade...
Anyhow, having nothing better to do, the old man passed on this technique to him.
Regrettably, even after more than a decade, Tang Fei could only muster the power of one dragon and one elephant.
His ultimate move was still far from perfected; Tang Fei still had a long way to go.
When Tang Fei returned to the small courtyard, Chen Tianqi was in the midst of training.
Seeing Tang Fei enter, he immediately halted his cultivation technique and, smilingly, asked, "Where have you been? You haven’t returned for two days?"
"I went to take care of some things and visited my brother on the way back," Tang Fei replied.
"That’s nice, having family right before your eyes, it’s not quite easy for me to go back..." Chen Tianqi said enviously.
Tang Fei knew from Chen Tianqi that his hometown was in Hai Zhou, quite a distance from Phoenix City.
Even though transportation was advanced now, with air cars and sea trains able to cover the distance in a few hours,
Chen Tianqi wouldn’t go back without good reason.
"What have you been up to these past days?" Tang Fei inquired.
"Training," Chen Tianqi answered. "White Crane Academy is brimming with talent, and the only way to stand out is to work tirelessly... A small mishap and you’re left trailing at the back."
"Then let’s work hard together," Tang Fei suggested with a smile.
Chen Tianqi looked at Tang Fei with a wry smile and said, "That’s what us ordinary students would think. What do you have to worry about? Ever since you successfully became a disciple of the headmaster, you’ve been on a completely different path of cultivation..."
"Just look at Shen Xinglan, does he worry about not keeping up? Does he fear falling behind? Not at all. He only needs to carry himself gracefully as the impeccable senior brother."
"Could it be because Shen Xinglan is intrinsically strong?" Tang Fei posed the question.
"That too..." Chen Tianqi muttered.
Shen Xinglan had become famous at a very young age, and their peers grew up listening to his inspiring tales... He was the epitome of the proverbial ’child from another family’.
They might begrudge others, but when it came to Shen Xinglan, they lacked the confidence even to feel resentful.
It was as if Tang Fei suddenly remembered something and casually said, "By the way, I ran into Qin Shuang on the way back."
"Really?" Chen Tianqi’s eyes lit up as he asked, "What was Qin Shuang doing? Did she challenge you to a sword duel?"
"Yeah, I told her no, that my swordsmanship wasn’t as good as yours. But I also told her about a friend of mine named Chen Tianqi, whose swordsmanship is stunningly brilliant, moving heaven and earth, stirring spirits and gods, and that she could have a match with you when she’s free..."
"Really?" Chen Tianqi asked, excited.
He hadn’t expected Tang Fei to make such an introduction at this time, treating the goddess as if she were nothing.
They say heroes struggle at the gate of beauty, but Tang Fei...
Clearly wasn’t like other heroes.
"Of course it’s true," Tang Fei said earnestly. "Didn’t you want to challenge her to a sword fight? Why haven’t I seen you make any moves?"
"I did go looking for her, but she didn’t want to see me..." Chen Tianqi said helplessly.
"There won’t be any such troubles now; I’ve already given her a heads-up for you," Tang Fei declared. "But you have to keep it up... What’s that saying? A persistent suitor can win the heart of a virtuous maiden."
"With someone like Qin Shuang, cold on the exterior but undoubtedly fiery inside, such a girl is often too reserved to easily engage with men... Seek her out a few more times, melt away that frosty exterior, and her fiery passion will surely be unleashed onto you alone."
Chen Tianqi nodded vehemently, saying, "Right, that’s exactly what I thought. I read in a book that the colder a girl appears on the surface, the hotter her heart burns, just waiting for the destined one to melt it..."
Tang Fei looked at Chen Tianqi with a confident voice and said, "You are that destined one."
Chen Tianqi felt a burning enthusiasm throughout his body.
Whether Qin Shuang had fire in her bones, he did not know, but Tang Fei was about to set him alight.
"Where did you see Qin Shuang? I’ll go find her for a duel right now," Chen Tianqi said, unable to contain his excitement.
"Stone Forest," Tang Fei replied. "We met in Stone Forest, but she’s probably back in her dormitory by now... You should look for her there. With your connections, getting her dormitory number should be easy, right?"