After Zuo Chuan left, Old Sir Shen spoke with concern. "Haoran, wasn't that decision a bit impulsive? Zuo Chuan is a genius disciple of the Spirit Crane Sect. Right now, you're two entire realms behind him. Do you have the confidence to catch up in two years?"
"I don't," Shen Haoran admitted, shaking his head. It was true. Two years was a short time, and Zuo Chuan was no slouch; his strength was bound to improve significantly in that period. 'But to save the Shen Family,' he thought, 'this is the only path forward!'
"Sigh. This will be hard on you. For the next two years, you can use any of the Shen Family's resources. We will do everything in our power to help you improve your strength!" Old Sir Shen said with a sigh.
Shen Haoran took a deep breath. 'Looks like I need to start planning for the future.'
Afterward, Old Sir Shen instructed Ling'Er to have Shen Haoran taken to rest and recover. Now that Shen Haoran's strength was fully recognized by everyone, there was no longer any need for him to continue with the family assessment.
The rest of the assessment didn't take long. After the disturbance Zuo Chuan had caused, no one had the heart for it anymore. As soon as it was over, everyone returned home to prepare for the hunting competition two years from now. After all, a chance to enter one of the Three Great Sects was incredibly precious.
......
The days passed, one by one. It was now the sixth day since the end of the assessment.
On this day, Shen Haoran sat in the courtyard, his hands formed into a Sealing Technique as he immersed himself in Cultivation. Over the past six days, his injuries had healed at an astonishing speed, shocking everyone in the Shen Family, including himself. Elder Yan, however, just scoffed, "Making a big fuss over nothing. Rapid recovery is the most basic function of the Chaos Divine Body!"
Shen Haoran was secretly delighted. 'With such an insane recovery ability, I won't have to worry about injuries anymore!' But his joy lasted less than two minutes before Elder Yan poured cold water on his excitement. "Don't get ahead of yourself. If your injuries exceed its recovery limits, and it's time for you to die, you'll die!" Hearing this, Shen Haoran could only give Elder Yan the middle finger.
Time always flew by during Cultivation. In the blink of an eye, the sky darkened, and Shen Haoran slowly opened his eyes. But after a full day of cultivating, he didn't look excited at all. Instead, he looked troubled, his brow furrowed into a deep frown.
"Noticed the problem, have you?" Elder Yan asked, seeing his expression.
Shen Haoran carefully sensed the state of his body before answering, "Yeah, there's definitely a problem. The Spiritual Power inside me feels… unstable!"
"Of course it is! You broke through five tiers in less than half a month, and you haven't had any real combat to stabilize your foundation. It'd be a miracle if your Spiritual Power *wasn't* unstable!" Elder Yan retorted.
As it turned out, during his battle with Shen Cheng at the family assessment, he had drawn out an excessive amount of Spiritual Power from the Spirit Pill within him. This power had flooded his meridians and bones. Though most of it was consumed in the clash against Shen Cheng, a considerable amount remained. Over the past six days, Shen Haoran had refined this lingering power, allowing his strength to break through once more, reaching Spirit Tempering Tier Eight!
It was precisely because of these successive breakthroughs that the Spiritual Power in Shen Haoran's body was now far too unstable. 'If I keep cultivating like this,' he thought, 'I'm afraid something terrible will happen!'
"Elder Yan, what should I do?" Shen Haoran asked hurriedly. He was sure an old monster like Elder Yan would have a solution.
"There is a way to solve this. Cultivation is like laying a foundation—it must be solidified, layer by layer. Since your internal structure has already set, we can't work on it from the inside. We can only rely on external force!"
"External force?" Shen Haoran repeated, confused.
"Real combat! The life-and-death kind!" Elder Yan declared. "Real combat is the best method of Cultivation. A flower raised in a greenhouse will never grow strong. Only on the brink of life and death can one truly break through their limits!"
"Oh, but who would seek a life-and-death battle with me out of the blue?" Shen Haoran asked, stumped.
"How can you be so dense? Who says it has to be a person? A Spirit Beast will do just fine. Besides, for a total novice in combat like you, starting with Spirit Beasts is the best choice!" Elder Yan said, rolling his eyes at Shen Haoran.
At Elder Yan's words, it all clicked for Shen Haoran. 'Looks like it's time for me to go out and get some experience.'
Having made his decision, Shen Haoran didn't delay. That very evening, he explained everything to Aunt Xue. When she heard he was leaving to gain experience, she was reluctant to see him go but ultimately agreed. After all, he was a grown boy now, and it was time for him to venture out into the world.
Next, Shen Haoran went to see Old Sir Shen. Upon hearing his grandson's plan, the old man was gratified and immediately gave his approval. Shen Haoran then gave him a list of items that Elder Yan had told him to prepare. Old Sir Shen at once sent men to retrieve them from the warehouse and even gave Shen Haoran a Storage Ring! Although Shen Haoran already had the Sealing Spirit Pearl and didn't need a Storage Ring, it was a heartfelt gesture from Old Sir Shen, so Shen Haoran accepted it.
At the crack of dawn the next day, Shen Haoran rose and set off without disturbing anyone.
"Shen the kid, not going to say goodbye to your Little Ling'Er? You'll probably be gone for a long time," Elder Yan teased.
Shen Haoran smiled and shook his head. "No need. If that girl Ling'Er knew, she'd definitely try to follow me. It's better not to tell her."
"I have a feeling that on this trip, you'll definitely attract a few more young ladies to bring back!" Elder Yan said with a laugh.
"Enough, you old coot. Always so flippant. Let's go!" Shen Haoran cast one last, reluctant glance at the Shen Family's main gate, then turned and walked away.
What Shen Haoran didn't know was that after he left, a slender silhouette appeared at the gate. It was none other than Shen Ling'Er.
With tears in her eyes, Shen Ling'Er watched his receding figure and whispered, "Brother Haoran, I'll cultivate as hard as I can so I won't hold you back!" With that, she turned and headed back inside.
After leaving the Shen Family, Shen Haoran walked alone down a country path.
"Oh, right, Elder Yan, where are we going?" Shen Haoran asked.
"Straight east, to Celestial Martial City!" Elder Yan replied.
"Celestial Martial City?" Shen Haoran said. "I've never heard of it."
"Celestial Martial City is an ancient city in the eastern part of the Xingluo Continent. It's only natural you haven't heard of it."
"The eastern part! Why are we going so far away?" Shen Haoran asked in confusion.
"To give you a gift. But before that, you must break through to the Spiritualist realm!" Elder Yan said mysteriously.
"A gift, huh? That sounds great!"
And just like that, one person and one Spiritual Thought walked eastward into the rising sun. A new adventure had begun!