Chapter 491: Susan's Surprise, Another Child of Destiny!
What followed was, naturally, a delightful and indescribable time. Zhong Lingyin, having not seen Shen Anyu for many days, was clearly missing him greatly and was quite clingy. Even during dinner, she held onto Shen Anyu, her head resting on his shoulder, a sweet smile on her face. Shen Anyu's handsome face also held a smile, his mood extremely good. Zhong Lingyin's earlier words were right; an international queen with tens of millions of fans, fulfilling all your requests, her beautiful eyes filled with infatuation and longing, passionate as fire—no man could resist.
Shen Anyu found it amusing; clearly, Zhong Lingyin also felt a sense of crisis, which was why she was pulling out all the stops. The arrival of new women around him had evidently spurred her competitive and possessive nature, transforming her from a superstar on a pedestal into a woman desperate to please her man. He tightened his grip around her, feeling the soft, delicate frame in his arms, a warmth spreading through his chest.
Shen Anyu embraced Zhong Lingyin's delicate body, feeding her various dishes during dinner, which served to appease Zhong Lingyin. He would pick up a piece of glistening, sweet-and-sour fish with his chopsticks, bringing it to her lips. Her eyes would crinkle in a blissful smile as she accepted it, her gaze never leaving his face. The simple act of sharing a meal became an intimate dance, a silent affirmation of their bond that left her feeling cherished and secure.
Then, after the meal, he imparted the Martial God Art to Zhong Lingyin.
He sat cross-legged behind her, pressing a single finger against the nape of her neck. A torrent of profound knowledge, a fusion of martial intent and spiritual cultivation, flowed directly into her mind. The art was vast and intricate, a universe of techniques and principles that would have taken an ordinary person a lifetime to even begin to comprehend. Zhong Lingyin's body trembled as the information flooded her consciousness, but Shen Anyu's steadying presence kept her grounded.
Zhong Lingyin didn't actually like practicing martial arts much; otherwise, among her Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters, she wouldn't be the only one without any Martial Dao cultivation. Her passion had always been for the stage, for the roar of the crowd, not the silent discipline of the training grounds. She had watched her sisters spar and meditate, but the allure had always escaped her.
First Senior Sister, the Female Sword Immortal Fairy Pei, is a Celestial Realm expert, a figure of legend. Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan and Fourth Senior Sister Ye Liyou are both formidable Martial Dao Grandmasters. Seventh Junior Sister Yang Luoluo, though young, is also a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Even the other two, Third Senior Sister Murong Jieyu and Sixth Junior Sister Lu Chanxi, possessed their own unique cultivation. Zhong Lingyin was the anomaly, the one who walked a purely mortal path.
However, as soon as Shen Anyu mentioned that reaching the Martial God Art's Perfection, transitioning from martial arts to the Dao to the Foundation Establishment Stage, would grant three hundred years of Lifespan, Zhong Lingyin immediately agreed. The words struck a chord deep within her soul. Her aversion to the hardship of training vanished, replaced by a desperate, burning desire. She wanted to stay with Shen Anyu for a long, long time, to live longer, to witness every chapter of his life without being left behind by the cruel march of time.
As for eternal youth, that was a concern of the past. All of Shen Anyu's women had taken the Dingyan Pill, so their mortal beauty was already locked in place. The true fear was not growing old, but being separated by death.
Shen Anyu explained the stark difference to her. "Mortal martial arts do not increase Lifespan," he murmured, his voice a low vibration against her back. "Even Celestial Realm experts have Lifespans not much different from ordinary people, and Land Immortals can at most live to the human limit of one hundred and fifty years. They are the peak of mortals, but they are mortal still."
"However," he continued, a hint of the vastness of the cosmos in his tone, "the Immortal Dao not only grants greater power but also fundamentally rewrites the rules of life and death. It increases your Lifespan."
He laid out the hierarchy of existence for her.
"Entering the Qi Refining Stage grants a Lifespan of three Jiazi. The Foundation Establishment Stage grants five Jiazi. The Golden Core Stage, ten Jiazi, and the Nascent Soul Stage, a staggering twenty Jiazi."
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he clarified, "One Jiazi is sixty years."
The implications dawned on her, a wave of shock and awe.
"In other words," he concluded, "one can live one hundred and eighty years in the Qi Refining Stage, a full three hundred years in the Foundation Establishment Stage, six hundred in the Golden Core Stage, and an incredible one thousand two hundred years in the Nascent Soul Stage."
Of course, this was only generally speaking. He didn't hide the dangers. If a person is killed, they will die, no matter how much Lifespan they have accumulated. A blade to the heart ends a cultivator as surely as it does a commoner. Furthermore, cultivating some special cultivation methods can also increase or decrease Lifespan; for example, the Nascent Soul True Scripture and the Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture that Shen Anyu cultivates could both extend one's existence far beyond the norm. Taking some precious longevity elixirs could also increase Lifespan, while being grievously injured or suffering a great loss of vitality would surely reduce it.
As the last of his words faded, the System's emotionless voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Detected that the host has invested in and taught the Destined Heroine Zhong Lingyin the Martial God Art; expected return: Martial God Art cultivation!]
Zhong Lingyin truly lived up to her title as a Destined Heroine and one of the seven Goddess Senior Sisters of Sword God Ye Linyuan, a powerful Child of Destiny. She possessed extraordinary talent and was favored by Luck. Even though she had never practiced martial arts before, with Shen Anyu's personal guidance and the direct impartation of knowledge, she entered the gate within a single day. At this rate, it would probably only take a few more days for her to formally step into the first layer of the Martial God Art.
This cultivation speed would likely make ordinary people despair. 'Is this what a Genius is?' Shen Anyu mused, a faint smile playing on his lips. This was the power of destiny, the innate advantage bestowed upon these central characters of the world.
Shen Anyu's eyes flickered as a thought crystalized in his mind; he noticed that the cultivation progress of the Destined Heroines was also related to their own narrative backgrounds. Zhong Lingyin and Yang Luoluo, both associated with the Child of Destiny Sword God Ye Linyuan, were linked to a powerful protagonist who could one day break through to the Martial God realm and ascend to the Xuanhuang World. Their original story had vast prospects and a high ceiling, so their own inherent Aptitudes were correspondingly higher.
However, Destined Heroines like Liu Mi, who hailed from a standard urban wealthy family novel, had much poorer cultivation Aptitudes. Their world was one of business and romance, not cultivation and ascension; their destinies were simply not built for it.
The only exception, the glaring anomaly in his calculations, was his yandere wife, Susan.
Susan was originally a Destined Heroine of the youth campus tragic genre. Her original background was a bleak one, fated to die in a car accident, a tragedy that would cause the Child of Destiny Lin Xiang to be overwhelmed with grief and set him on his path. She was truly the type of Destined Heroine with the least supernatural ability, a character from a world utterly devoid of cultivation.
And yet, Susan's cultivation speed was astonishingly, terrifyingly fast.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a cascade of notifications flooded his mental interface.
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target, Susan, has entered the first layer of the Martial God Art; returning one layer of Martial God Art cultivation!]
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target, Susan, has entered the second layer of the Martial God Art; returning two layers of Martial God Art cultivation!]
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target, Susan, has entered the third layer of the Martial God Art; returning three layers of Martial God Art cultivation!]
...
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target, Susan, has entered the seventh layer of the Martial God Art; returning seven layers of Martial God Art cultivation!]
Shen Anyu's eyelids twitched. He had only taught Susan to cultivate the Martial God Art the night before last. Yet, in just two days and three nights, Susan had already stormed into the seventh layer of the Martial God Art, her breakthrough speed like a bolt of lightning.
The Martial God Art, a top-tier martial arts divine skill that allows one to enter the Dao through martial arts, was known for being balanced and peaceful. Its greatest strength was its stability, but this came at the cost of speed. It heavily relied on comprehension and talent. Even a certified genius like Yang Luoluo would take several days just to enter the first layer, and ordinary people might not succeed in a year or even ten. The advantage of a balanced and peaceful divine skill is that it's not easy to suffer Qi Deviation, but its cultivation speed is deliberately not fast, unlike some evil demonic arts that advance at lightning speed but harbor countless hidden dangers.
Yet, Susan's cultivation of the Martial God Art was like a hot knife through butter, as if she was using a cheat code. Even though Susan already possessed at least the strength of a Land Immortal from her mysterious background, this cultivation speed was truly monstrous. How could cultivating a proper, orthodox cultivation method be this fast? It defied all logic.
Shen Anyu became even more curious, a deep, investigative intrigue simmering within him, about the Destined Heroine named Su Muyue, the entity who had a direct full affinity level in Susan's Soul.
Meanwhile, at the Shen Family old residence in the capital, Susan stood by a window, looking out at the lush green trees of the courtyard. A sickly, beautiful blush spread across her pale cheeks, and she murmured in her heart, her voice a soft whisper only she could hear:
'Husband, once Susan cultivates the Martial God Art to Perfection and enters the Dao through martial arts, I'll secretly sneak over to find you. And then... I'll tell you a big secret.'
A conspiratorial, joyful giggle escaped her lips.
'Hehehe, Husband, you'll definitely be surprised then.'
Two days later, the clingy Zhong Lingyin reluctantly bid farewell to Shen Anyu and headed to the Hangzhou Film and Television City for filming. Her career was a part of her, and Shen Anyu respected, understood, and blessed her choice, seeing her off with a lingering kiss.
"Now that I've enjoyed myself, it's time to get down to business."
Shen Anyu's eyes flickered, the warmth from Zhong Lingyin's departure replaced by a cold, calculating focus. His main purpose for coming to Hangzhou this time was for two Sons of Destiny and Sword God Ye Linyuan's Third Senior Sister, the Goddess Doctor Murong Jieyu.
Murong Jieyu traveled the world practicing medicine, and recently, she had settled down in Hangzhou, opening a medical clinic named the Suspended Kettle Pavilion. Her otherworldly beauty and miraculous medical skills had caused a sensation in a short period, drawing both patients and trouble.
The two Sons of Destiny were Tang Kun, the delivery rich man, and Wei Yunteng, the prodigy vocational student.
Shen Anyu first headed to the suburban compound where Wei Yunteng, the prodigy vocational student, was located. Looking at the simple, almost dilapidated conditions of the outer walls, Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps no one except a reborn person like Long Hao would have thought that a vocational student, in such a suburban compound, would want to create the most advanced lithography machine in the world."
A lithography machine, the crystallization of humanity's highest technology, required the concerted efforts of over a dozen countries, involving hundreds of billions in funds, and countless human and material resources to research and develop. And Wei Yunteng, a mere vocational student, was dabbling in lithography machines for the absurd sake of upgrading his education?
Only a Child of Destiny could be so outrageous.
Shen Anyu cast the Invisibility Technique and entered the suburban compound, finding that while it looked simple from the outside, it was surprisingly special inside. The courtyard was filled with machine tools and advanced equipment worth millions, some even tens of millions, all humming with latent power.
A young man with delicate features and the naive, untainted aura of a student was busy moving about.
He was Wei Yunteng.
As Shen Anyu was observing, the roar of a car engine came from outside the door.
Wei Yunteng also heard the commotion and quickly closed the inner courtyard gate before walking out...
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