Chapter 311 - 308: A Slight Improvement
’I hope that wasn’t too much of a blow to him.’
As Shen Changchuan walked away, he replayed the battle in his mind, a trace of unease stirring within him.
After that one move had not only shattered Shen Tingchu’s ultimate technique but also sent him flying,
Shen Changchuan had already come to a realization:
by grasping the concept of "Presence," his strength had surpassed that of an ordinary Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator by an entire tier.
And so, as Shen Tingchu stubbornly continued the fight,
he had reined in his power as much as possible.
He stopped using his Presence, relying only on ordinary Magical Power to face his opponent.
To that,
any discerning observer would have been able to tell.
But even so,
because Shen Changchuan’s foundation was so solid from his breakthrough, and because he had condensed a Spirit Body and a Divine Seed, every aspect of his being—from his body to his Magical Power—had undergone a transformation that far surpassed ordinary Cultivators.
Thus, even without using his Presence, Divine Techniques, or any Tier Two Magic,
Shen Changchuan still had his opponent completely suppressed.
Against Shen Tingchu’s storm-like assault, Shen Changchuan’s defense was effortless.
He was like an unbreakable reef, weathering wave after wave of furious blows without being moved in the slightest.
In the end,
Shen Tingchu unleashed his strongest, last-resort killing blow,
only for Shen Changchuan to dismantle it with a casual Cyan Wood Sword Light.
After that, it was as if all the fight had gone out of Shen Tingchu in an instant.
The spar
came to an end.
’It should be fine. After all, you don’t make it to the Second Layer of the Soul Emergence Realm by being mentally fragile.’
’It was just a momentary shock; he’ll probably recover soon.’
’Besides, it’s not like I could have just thrown the fight, could I?’
After some thought,
Shen Changchuan finally put his worries to rest.
At the same time,
his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Though the spar had been full of surprises and he had ended up holding back significantly against Shen Tingchu,
the outcome made one thing clear:
there was a massive gap in power between him and an ordinary Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator!
From his Presence, to his Spirit Body, to his Divine Seed,
each of these things gave him a crushing advantage over other Cultivators of the same Realm!
’I never imagined my combat prowess would be this formidable. All that time I spent cultivating Divine Techniques and laying my foundation before the breakthrough was worth it...’
A hint of joy spread across Shen Changchuan’s face.
He couldn’t help it;
after fighting Shen Tingchu, he had a clear point of comparison, and he knew for certain that his past efforts had not been wasted.
At this point,
among ordinary Cultivators in the Soul Emergence Realm,
he was certain that anyone below the Third Layer would pose little threat to him.
In fact, if he mastered a few more Tier Two Magic spells to the Perfection Level and went all out, he was confident he could even kill an ordinary cultivator at the Third Layer of the Soul Emergence Realm!
Of course, the Soul Emergence Realm beyond the Third Layer was another matter entirely.
That marked the transition from the Soul Emergence Early Stage to the Soul Emergence Middle Stage,
a transformation that brought another significant leap in power compared to the First, Second, and Third Layers.
Therefore, challenging someone at the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer
was likely still beyond his reach.
’I can’t get complacent. I still have to work hard!’
’In a few years, at the Yuqing Immortal Sect’s entrance competition, there will definitely be people who have already reached the Soul Emergence Middle Stage. After all, the age limit for the Immortal Sect’s entrance trial is fifty.’
’Right now, there’s still a considerable gap between me and Cultivators at the Soul Emergence Realm Middle Stage or higher.’
Shen Changchuan reined in the joyful expression on his face,
reminding himself to stay vigilant.
’And I’m not necessarily invincible, even among my peers!’
’Take those with an Innate Spiritual Body, for example. They start with a huge advantage. When they break through to the Soul Emergence Realm, they can skip the step of condensing a Spirit Body entirely. Not only that, but their Spirit Body has an astonishing affinity for Divine Techniques of the same element. As long as they find the right one, they can almost certainly cultivate it to Perfection and form a Divine Seed!’
’Even without an Innate Spiritual Body, the heirs of those Great Powers are just as formidable, thanks to the mountains of resources they have access to!’
’They might not be lucky enough to be born with an Innate Spiritual Body, but Cultivation Talent can be altered with enough external help!’
’Before I broke through to the Soul Emergence Realm, I was fortunate enough to obtain a Heaven and Earth Treasure like the Dream Traveling Immortal. It allowed me to simulate and adapt to the process of forming a Spirit Body in advance, ensuring my Foundation Establishment stage was a complete success... The scions of families backed by experts in the Divine Travel Realm, the Profound Pill Realm, or even higher will only have access to even greater resources!’
’This is no time to be getting ahead of myself!’
Shen Changchuan sighed internally.
Having come this far,
he understood one thing very clearly:
geniuses could be created with enough resources.
Take himself, for instance. In the beginning, his Cultivation Talent was only slightly better than his peers.
But then, Heaven and Earth Treasures like the Cyan Essence Water Grass, the Cyan Essence Purifying Spirit Pill, and the Earth Vein Spiritual Milk had directly remolded his Cultivation Talent, elevating him to the level of a genius among his peers.
During his breakthrough to the Soul Emergence Realm, he had even managed to form a Spirit Body.
From that moment on, all his meridians were open,
and his Cultivation Talent had instantly become among the best in the world!
If he could achieve such a transformation through sheer luck and opportunity,
how could the direct heirs of powerful families and major factions be any less?
As long as their backers were powerful enough,
it wouldn’t be surprising if they had access to Heaven and Earth Treasures capable of directly transforming a person’s body to grant them a Spirit Body!
That’s right.
Besides being born with one or forming one during the Foundation Establishment Stage of a Soul Emergence breakthrough, a Spirit Body could also be acquired by consuming certain Heaven and Earth Treasures.
However, treasures with such an effect were so incredibly rare that not even an expert in the Divine Travel Realm would necessarily have the right to possess one.
With this sobering thought in mind,
Shen Changchuan returned to the manor where his mother, Han Yue’er, was staying.
"Changchuan, are you all right?"
"I’m fine. I met with the Ancestor and received quite a few good things."
"That’s good. Oh, by the way, your father sent someone over just now. He wants you to go see him."
When Shen Changchuan returned to the manor,
his mother Han Yue’er was in the living room. Upon seeing him, she voiced some concern and then spoke.
"What does he want with me?"
"Well... regardless, he is your father. I suppose he just wants to see you."
"Fine. I’ll think about it in a few days."
"Mother, I made some gains from this trip. I need to find a quiet place to enter seclusion for a couple of days."
"Is that so? I’ll take you there, then..."
Led by his mother, Han Yue’er,
Shen Changchuan settled into a quiet, secluded house built near the entrance of a Spiritual Spring.
The small amount of Spiritual Qi was better than nothing for Shen Changchuan.
But it was a kind gesture from his mother, Han Yue’er, so Shen Changchuan didn’t mind.
He sat cross-legged on the White Jade Meditation Mat,
and began to carefully reflect on his battle with Shen Tingchu.
The lessons from the fight lingered in his mind, and as he absorbed them one by one, his strength improved slightly.