Here, "without shame or worries" meant Shen Liqian would grant them the highest-grade cultivation, so neither would ever need to sever their cultivation again.
Not that it was much of a problem.
Even without that assurance, Shen Yiren and Shen Jixian severed their cultivations immediately out of respect for Shen Liqian.
Feeling the pain of their Spiritual Roots being severed from their Dantians and their Qi evaporating, Shen Yiren and Shen Jixian closed their eyes and gritted their teeth.
Shen Liqian watched, pleased.
He tucked the satisfaction behind a calm face.
Neither of them doubted him, and both severed their cultivation before he could finish speaking.
Dropping from the Sixth Stage of Qi Attunement must have been a shock for Shen Yiren, but he did it without hesitation.
Pride steadied Yiren more than pain.
When Shen Jixian opened his eyes, a fleeting sadness crossed his face.
Shen Liqian noticed it.
Shen Jixian looked down and clenched his hands.
"I will sever my cultivation as many times as you need me to, Liqian.
"But am I worthy of more gifts?
"I don't have nine Spiritual Roots like Yiren!
His knuckles whitened at the admission.
"All I have is unwavering loyalty, but loyalty alone won't help you in the long run!"
Shen Yiren gave his friend a curt look.
It was a harsh truth.
No words could ease his mind.
Only time could help him cope with his sense of inferiority.
I still want to help him, somehow.
Shen Yiren inwardly thought.
His past self would never have thought this way, but now he felt like family with Shen Liqian and Shen Jixian.
He wanted this family to grow stronger.
Unaware that his gaze lingered on Shen Jixian long enough for Shen Liqian to notice, Shen Yiren pondered what he could do.
Inwardly overjoyed, Shen Liqian shook his head.
"You are an archer, so you can't be that blind, Jixian."
Shen Jixian raised his head and stared, dumbfounded, at his friend and chief.
"I was born with only a single Spiritual Root, and now I have five of them.
"And I will have twelve of them in total.
"I will also repair my father's Dantian.
"In conclusion, anything is possible.
"You never know when an opportunity to sprout more Spiritual Roots will appear before you.
"But you can count on me to help you snatch that opportunity.
"I've also taught you that there's more to cultivation.
"You will focus on your body, spirit, and intents first, then catch up to us once you obtain more Spiritual Roots.
"Got it?"
Jixian swallowed once, then met his gaze.
How can you ask me this in such a casual way?
Liqian… you idiot!
From revealing he had been born with a single Spiritual Root to stating he had five and was aiming for twelve, Shen Liqian shocked his vassals and reassured them again.
They were only words, but neither doubted he would make those miracles real and help them chase their own.
Shen Jixian was so shocked that he inwardly called his friend an idiot, and that alone steadied him enough to meet Liqian's eyes again.
He nodded.
"Yeah."
The word came out rough but steady.
Smiling, Shen Liqian told his friends to sit down.
All three sat in lotus position, with Shen Liqian's vassals before him.
Shen Liqian looked deeply into their eyes.
"You must have noticed the abundance of Qi here.
"Our village was built on an Earth Qi Vein, which provides us with a lot of pure Qi.
"The issue is that someone has sealed this vein."
The room went taut with anger.
At the mention of their rare Qi source being sealed, Shen Yiren's expression turned feral, while Shen Jixian narrowed his eyes.
Both knew what that meant.
Shen Liqian continued, "I partially broke the hidden array, and that's why there's constant Qi leakage in my cultivation abode."
"I can't tell what consequences this will have for our clan, but we must be ready to be at the front line."
"I need you at your highest possible level."
Both men straightened as if answering a roll call.
The vassals nodded.
Shen Liqian looked over his shoulder.
"I'm using this Qi leakage to cultivate myself to the peak of Qi Attunement.
"Jixian should focus on Spirit Cultivation first.
"Yiren should focus on Dantian Cultivation like me."
The duo nodded and closed their eyes.
Shen Liqian turned to Zhiyin, who mewled and stood.
She had discussed potential cultivation methods for his vassals with Shen Liqian for days.
They had agreed it was best for them to cultivate something akin to Shen Liqian's Cosmic Asura Hydra.
Nothing matched that transcendent existence, but Zhiyin had a few cultivation methods tied to the Cosmic Universe.
She herself had cultivated cosmic Qi in her past life.
Shen Liqian turned to his archer friend.
Zhiyin followed his gaze and began imprinting the Golden Crow Nine Suns Cultivation Method into Shen Jixian's Sea of Consciousness.
Shen Liqian recalled their conversation about it.
It was a cultivation whose apex would turn Jixian into an immortal Golden Crow of Nine Suns that could devour up to nine suns across the universe.
Zhiyin had said few had ever reached that level, and the latest Golden Crow of Nine Suns had resurfaced a billion years ago.
As the method imprinted itself into Shen Jixian, his Sea of Consciousness heated up.
Sweat beaded at his temples despite the cold.
He studied the new method, growing both amazed and confused by its intricate content.
The chances of Shen Liqian obtaining the Golden Crow Bloodline were fifty-fifty, so it was likelier for Shen Jixian to obtain the bloodline through a much harsher, more primitive method.
No one knew the future, though.
Shen Liqian then turned to Shen Yiren.
By now, the Endless Nether Dragon Cultivation Method must have appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
His fingers twitched, as if testing the pull of a black hole.
From what Shen Liqian could grasp of it, Shen Yiren would one day become the Nether Dragon whose claws summoned black holes.
The path toward those pinnacles of cultivation was long, painful, and arduous, but Shen Liqian knew his vassals and friends would be able to reach them.
He had a tough path ahead of him.
Naturally, his friends also received methods to cultivate their spirits and bodies.
Their eyes opened.
They drew the next breath together on the same count.
In Shen Yiren's single eye, excitement and fear teemed.
His strong will quickly shooed away his fears.
The methods they received were exquisite and surely beyond this realm, but they were ready to tackle them head-on.
"You can use the leaked Qi—"
Shen Liqian began, only to see his friends kneeling in front of him and touching the cold floor with their foreheads.
The scrape of their foreheads on stone sounded loud in the quiet.
Official respect and gratitude had to be paid, regardless of their being friends.
Shen Liqian smiled faintly and allowed them to proceed.
A system window appeared in front of him!
[Shen Haoran has reached a breakthrough to First Stage of Qi Attunement Realm!]
[You can obtain a new reward!]
Excitement sparked in Liqian's eyes before he hid it.
Haoran?
You did it!
You're my little brother from now on!