Passed

The city gates of Pingyin County had already been closed, making it impossible to enter the city at this time. Fortunately, there were some merchants outside the city who had set up camp and were resting because they could not enter the city.

Chen Fei rubbed his hands together by the fire and listened to the low voices around him. His nervous mood slowly relaxed. Too many things had happened today, and if it weren't for his breakthrough in strength, he would be lying straight on Mount Pingyin.

Thinking of this, Chen Fei couldn't help but glance at his interface.

Name: Chen Fei

[Class: Warrior]

[Cultivation Technique: Extreme Mountain Fist (Master 307/1000), Extreme Mountain Breathing Technique (Great Completion)]

[Cultivation Realm: Skin Toughening (2/1000)]

The Extreme Mountain Fist had already reached the level of proficiency, and some of the insights related to the fist technique were still echoing in Chen Fei's mind. It could only be said that this simplification function was really powerful.

"The progress of the Skin Toughening realm hasn't changed."

Chen Fei furrowed his brow as he looked at his cultivation level. Before he broke through, the perfected Extreme Mountain Breathing Technique could increase his cultivation by about 10 points. Half a day had already passed since then, but he had only increased by 1 point.

"Has my cultivation level advanced to the point where the Extreme Mountain Breathing Technique can't keep up anymore?"

Chen Fei couldn't help but wonder if that was the case. After thinking about it for a moment, he concluded that it was probably the case. After all, this breathing technique was very basic, and the basics could be taught to the students of the Extreme Mountain Fist Hall without any restrictions.

If it were some kind of advanced breathing technique, it wouldn't be something that could be exchanged for with such a small tuition fee.

"I'll observe for a few more days to see how much my cultivation level can be improved with the Extreme Mountain Breathing Technique."

Chen Fei shifted his gaze away and decided not to sleep. He had just encountered a monster, and even though he had arrived at the foot of Pingyin County, he did not dare to let his guard down. Chen Fei also did not waste any time. He sat beside the bonfire and waved his hand gently.

As he waved his hands, insights about the Extreme Mountain Fist slowly appeared in Chen Fei's mind. Chen Fei couldn't help but immerse himself in the feeling of being rewarded for his hard work.

The people around Chen Fei looked at him strangely as he kept waving his hand. They couldn't understand what he was doing and some even distanced themselves from him, thinking he might be sick.

Lost in concentration, time passed quickly for Chen Fei. Soon enough, the sky brightened, and the city gate of Pingyin County opened. He followed the crowd into the city and headed straight for Qingzheng Medical Hall.

Cui Sanjie, the owner of the medical hall, had an ugly expression when he saw Chen Fei. "So, you're the only one who survived last night while everyone else died?" he asked.

Although the workers were not highly valuable, they were still assets of the medical hall, and the loss of a dozen workers could pose a problem. Not to mention the added trouble of not being able to harvest the medicinal herbs they were sent to collect, which could lead to further losses for the hall.

"I don't know if the others are dead or alive, but I didn't see anyone else at the city gate last night," Chen Fei replied softly.

"Everyone else is dead. How did you manage to survive?" asked Pu Liao, the guard of the medical hall, with a hint of reproach in his voice.

"I broke through to the Skin Toughening realm and escaped the calamity," Chen Fei answered as he threw a punch, creating a dull sound as it hit the air.

The surrounding people were surprised by the force behind Chen Fei's punch. It was not something an ordinary person could unleash. They were even more surprised that one of the workers had managed to reach the Skin Toughening realm. It was not an easy feat, and it required a certain amount of martial arts talent.

"Well done," Cui Sanjie nodded, slightly relieved that the Skin Toughening realm worker could offset the loss of the other workers. He could easily recruit new workers, but finding martial artists in the Skin Toughening realm was not as easy. They were more valuable than ordinary workers.

"I'll report this to the main family. As for you, you'll be a guard in the medical hall from now on," Cui Sanjie announced.

Cui Sanjie turned to Pu Liao and said, "Now that you've left your servant status, you're qualified to come into contact with some of the legacies of Qingzheng Medical Hall. Pu Liao, teach him a few of our Qingzheng breathing techniques and moves."

"Alright!" Pu Liao nodded. He glanced at Chen Fei and didn't say anything else.

Chen Fei couldn't help but smile. Before he came back, he had considered whether to continue staying in Qingzheng Medical Hall or go to the Extreme Mountain Fist Hall.

Having reached the Skin Toughening realm, Chen Fei had the right to choose.

The only thing to consider was the pros and cons of both.

If he stayed in Qingzheng Medical Hall, he would be able to access the medical hall's heritage. Although it was definitely not profound, it was still better than the Extreme Mountain Breathing Technique.

However, if he stayed in Qingzheng Medical Hall, he would still be a worker, and his freedom would be restricted.

Going to the Extreme Mountain Fist Hall would provide enough freedom. It was equivalent to a half-sect relationship, and the inheritance there should not be inferior to the medical hall. However, he would have to pay a high termination fee should he leave the medical hall.

Chen Fei had reached the Skin Toughening realm in nearly four months. Such talent was considered mediocre in the Extreme Mountain Fist Hall. The Extreme Mountain Fist Hall would not pay the termination fee for Chen Fei, and Chen Fei himself did not have the money.

The main reason why Chen Fei decided to stay in the medical hall was that he could learn a certain amount of medical skills and alchemy. This was what Chen Fei valued most.

Cui Sanjie and the others asked Chen Fei a few more questions before leaving.

"I don't have much time recently. Come and find me in a few days. I'll teach you the cultivation techniques then."

Pu Liao walked up to Chen Fei and said calmly before turning to leave.

After everyone left, Chen Fei heaved a sigh of relief. This hurdle was finally over. If he didn't have the cultivation of the Skin Toughening realm, he wouldn't have been able to escape from this scolding.

Because he had some value, he was exempted.

The medical hall arranged a separate room for Chen Fei. Although it was still very small, it was a world of difference compared to the original treatment. Chen Fei was quite satisfied because he did not have to worry about revealing anything when cultivating like this.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Other than standing guard in the medical hall to prevent people from causing trouble, Chen Fei spent most of his time cultivating in his room.

Three days was not a long time, but it was enough for Chen Fei to cultivate Extreme Mountain Fist to the level of perfection.

With his cultivation in the Skin Toughening realm and the perfection of the Extreme Mountain Fist, Chen Fei's current combat strength had increased by more than half. Even in the Skin Toughening realm, Chen Fei's current strength was not considered weak.

The only thing that Chen Fei was not satisfied with was the growth of his cultivation. In three days, the experience points of the Skin Toughening realm had only increased by 3 points.

It was one point a day, with a total of 1000 experience points. That meant that if Chen Fei relied solely on the Extreme Mountain Breathing Technique, he would need three years to advance to the next stage.