Chapter 237 - 234: All Sides in Motion
Shen Shengliang was indeed filled with regret.
If Time could be turned back,
he would have given the version of himself from an hour ago—the one blinded by Spirit Stones—a hard slap!
This was a man who clearly possessed the strength to rival a True Cultivator of the Soul Emergence Realm, yet was willing to remain unknown, patiently hiding in this remote place.
Such a formidable individual,
how could he ever have hoped to provoke him?!
But unfortunately,
what was done was done, and it could not be changed.
Worse yet,
he had previously, in a commanding tone, ordered that man’s people to their deaths just to buy time for his own escape...
He had undoubtedly offended him even more deeply.
Every time this crossed his mind,
Shen Shengliang couldn’t resist the urge to slap himself again!
This was no longer a matter of Spirit Stones. It was a matter of survival...
However,
Shen Shengliang was ultimately an insignificant figure in this great battle.
Whatever he did,
even if he died,
it wouldn’t cause much of a stir.
Few would even notice him.
Because,
at this moment,
with the end of the battle,
news of what had transpired spread in all directions with the speed of a thunderclap!
Everywhere the news reached, it caused a massive uproar!
"Xu Ziming, the Demon Cultivator from the Nanyue Kingdom, invaded Dawan Village and was slain by its Guardian, Shen Changchuan!"
"After three hundred years, another peerless figure has appeared in the Tian Nan Domain, one who can slay a Soul Emergence Realm expert while still in the Qi Introduction Realm!"
The unbelievable news
rapidly spread to every corner of the Tian Nan Domain’s Immortal Cultivation Realm!
Innumerable gazes instantly focused on Dawan Village!
On every street and in every alley, discussions erupted.
In other Immortal Cultivation Cities, everyone from the local prodigies to the prudent elders of major powers, and even some Ascetic Cultivators who rarely paid attention to the outside world, were all following this development with great interest.
"Slaying someone in the Soul Emergence Realm while in the Qi Introduction Realm? Has another Demon of such talent risen since the destruction of the Xiangshan Sect..."
"Who is Shen Changchuan? I’ve never heard his name. Could he be a prodigy the Tian Nan Shen Clan was secretly cultivating with all their resources, only revealing him now?"
"He’s from the Tian Nan Shen Clan, that much is true, but the part about being cultivated with all their resources is wrong. I heard that Shen Changchuan is the illegitimate son of the Tian Nan Shen Clan’s Leader, Shen Fuxing, but he received no significant attention or resources from the family. After many years of Cultivation, he only reached the Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak, and his strength was considered quite mediocre. It wasn’t until over a year ago, when he supposedly fled to the borderlands to escape internal family strife, that his rise truly began..."
"He reached the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer in just over a year, and on top of that, he has the power to slay a Soul Emergence Realm Demon Cultivator? What kind of joke is this!"
"Anyone can find this information out. Would I lie to you? That Shen Changchuan has been in Dawan Village for over a year, and many people are aware of certain things... It’s just that, supposedly because of the Clan Leader’s wife, he had been hiding his abilities. It wasn’t until the Demon Cultivator Xu Ziming from the Nanyue Kingdom attacked today that he was forced to act, revealing his true strength!"
"A person with such a patient and forbearing disposition... perhaps his Cultivation wasn’t only at the Third Layer Peak over a year ago. Maybe he was already disguising his true level long before that..."
"I don’t care about Shen Changchuan’s background, I just want to know how he did it! According to the rumors, he killed a Soul Emergence Realm Demon Cultivator in just three moves? Not even fiction dares to be this bold!"
"Didn’t you hear? Xu Ziming was injured and careless. Shen Changchuan seized the opportunity and ended the fight in a single blow."
"Even so, it shouldn’t have been that easy, right?"
"The power of a Treasure Artifact... that’s not impossible..."
Countless people debated the matter.
Some young geniuses were inspired, setting Shen Changchuan as the rival they would one day surpass.
Some prudent high-ranking members of major powers frowned, wondering if this would stir up another storm.
Others simply refused to believe it, thinking it was all just baseless rumors spread by liars.
Opinions varied from person to person.
But regardless,
Shen Changchuan’s name,
in an extremely short period of time, had become famous far and wide!
...
「In a certain manor」
"Excellent, excellent. Truly a fine son of our Shen Clan, to accomplish such a great feat!"
Having read the widely circulating news about Shen Changchuan that Shen Tingchu had collected, the Shen Family Ancestor stroked his long beard, his face breaking into a smile as he nodded in approval.
"Congratulations, Ancestor. With such an accomplished junior, the clan’s prosperity is assured!"
Seeing this, Shen Tingchu, who stood below, couldn’t help but offer his congratulations.
To be honest,
when he first heard the news, he had been completely stunned.
’If I remember correctly, I first met him about a year ago.’
’Back then, what was that kid’s strength?’
’He was only at the Qi Introduction Sixth Layer, right?’
’In just one short year,’
’not only has his Cultivation Realm reached the Ninth Layer Middle Stage, but he can also fight above his level and even slay a Soul Emergence Realm Demon Cultivator?!’
’Of course, I know of that Demon Cultivator, Xu Ziming. Not long ago, I was the one who heavily wounded him. If the Ancestor hadn’t used the clan’s secret summons to gather the Shen Clan members at that moment, I would have hunted him down and finished him off for good.’
’But even so,’
’to be able to crush him in a direct confrontation,’
’is still enough to show how extraordinary that kid Shen Changchuan is!’
’It doesn’t matter if he was just finishing the job or got lucky. This battle record proves, at the very least, that he possesses the means to kill a Soul Emergence Realm True Cultivator!’
In a single year,
to go from a mere Qi Introduction Sixth Layer Cultivation to this point,
truly left even Shen Tingchu with a shaken Heart Spirit.
’It seems my decision to invest in him back then was the right one... To be able to defeat someone in the Soul Emergence Realm while still in the Qi Introduction Realm... Once he advances to Soul Emergence, his strength will be anything but weak!’
’And if he can maintain this speed of improvement after advancing to Soul Emergence, then the payoff will be even greater!’
At this thought,
Shen Tingchu’s heart burned with excitement.
’There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.’
’My initial gesture of goodwill, gifting him that Cultivation Experience,’
’was naturally made with future returns in mind.’
’Originally, it was just a strategy of casting a wide net, but I never thought I’d actually catch a hidden dragon!’
This undoubtedly made Shen Tingchu particularly ecstatic.
He immediately decided to add more fuel to the fire.
"However, Ancestor, I’ve heard that the Clan Leader’s primary wife is mean-spirited, incredibly petty, and vicious in her actions... Shen Changchuan should have been our Shen Clan’s Qilin’Er, but he was forced to flee Tian Nan City out of fear of her machinations."
"Should we not immediately induct him as one of the family’s ’seed members’ to prevent him from being secretly harmed by that venomous woman?"
The so-called "seed members,"
were, to put it simply, the clan’s most talented young geniuses, chosen for their innate talent, Comprehension, and aptitude. The clan would gather them and provide them with vast resources for their development.
He, Shen Tingchu,
was one of the Shen Clan’s seed members from the previous generation!
The Shen Family Ancestor closed his eyes upon hearing this.
After a moment of careful contemplation, his eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing in their depths.
"No. I have other plans for him!"