Chapter 440 - 438: Shock
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, another month had passed.
During this month, Shen Changchuan took the time to thoroughly solidify his recent breakthrough into the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer Realm.
He used the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique to temper the True Qi in his body multiple times.
This further enhanced the purity of Shen Changchuan’s Magical Power.
His foundation in the Seventh Layer Realm was now completely stable.
His power had once again advanced.
However,
to Shen Changchuan’s slight disappointment,
the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique had become far less effective now that he had reached the Soul Emergence Late Stage.
This was because,
the Magical Power of the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer was already a cut above the purity of Magical Power from the Soul Emergence Sixth Layer and below.
Attempting to further compress and temper Magical Power that was already so pure yielded extremely limited results.
It was like forging pig iron into refined steel; no matter how much more you hammered it, the steel could hardly be improved further.
Thus, it was only natural that the effectiveness of the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique had plummeted.
Shen Changchuan found this regrettable,
but he wasn’t surprised.
After all, this Secret Technique was merely a method created by a Cultivator at the Soul Emergence Third Layer Peak to break through to the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer.
Even though Shen Changchuan had made certain improvements to it later on,
its foundation remained the same, so he couldn’t expect much more from it.
Besides, even with its diminished effect, as long as it still worked, it remained a serviceable tool.
He had spent a month solidifying his Cultivation at the Seventh Layer Early Stage, and the Secret Technique had certainly played a part in that.
Meanwhile, during the month Shen Changchuan spent in seclusion,
news of him slaying Qiu Kunsheng, the Sect Leader of the Corpse Refining Sect, finally began to circulate in the outside world.
This news,
once again sent massive shockwaves through the countless Cultivators and Demon Cultivators of both the Tian Nan Domain and the Nanyue Kingdom.
It swept through the lands like a tidal wave, its ripples even beginning to spread to other domains!
"He’s already advanced to the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer? Didn’t the news from three years ago say he had just broken through to the Fourth Layer? Advancing three whole realms in three years, especially after reaching the Soul Emergence Middle Stage... what kind of monster is he?!"
"Gasp! A cultivation speed like that... it’s simply inconceivable!"
The moment the news broke, it sparked furious discussion.
Countless Cultivators were shaken to their core.
"It’s unbelievable! I heard his background isn’t great, either. As the son of a concubine, he was supposedly ostracized by the Shen Clan Leader’s wife and received very little support from the clan. He didn’t even dare reveal his talent until he was a teenager and arranged to be stationed at a small village thousands of miles away!"
"To come from a background like that and reach the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer Realm in just over a decade... it’s simply unimaginable!"
"Heh, the Shen Family must be kicking themselves raw, don’t you think? A monstrous talent the likes of which the Tian Nan Domain hasn’t seen in a thousand years, and they just ignored him and let him go. I’d wager that even the current Shen Family Ancestor wasn’t nearly as brilliant in his youth!"
"That’s for sure! Even the Shen Family Ancestor in his day couldn’t claim to have killed a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator while he was at the Peak of the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer. He certainly didn’t reach the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer by the age of twenty. And let’s not even talk about slaying a Sect Leader at the Eighth Layer Late Stage right after breaking through to the Seventh Layer!"
"And I heard the Shen Family Ancestor only managed to advance to the Divine Travel Realm because he had the entire clan’s backing to go and make his fortune in the Central State. But Shen Changchuan? He grew up right here, in our resource-poor region."
"Based on their achievements, the Shen Family Ancestor in his youth was nowhere near Shen Changchuan’s level!"
"I’m certain of it. In the future, Shen Changchuan’s achievements will absolutely surpass those of the Shen Family Ancestor!"
"I heard the Shen Family became estranged from Shen Changchuan just to suck up to the Clan Leader’s wife from the Central State. Now, they must be kicking themselves so hard they’re bruised!"
Shen Changchuan’s fame hadn’t spread throughout the world overnight.
He had first become known to the public years ago when, while still in the Qi Introduction Realm, he had defied the odds and slain an expert of the Soul Emergence Realm.
Then, two or three years ago, he modified the Gu-controlling Secret Technique and spread it widely. This act changed the tide of battle and benefited hundreds of thousands of lower and middle-tier Cultivators, making his name known to everyone in the Tian Nan Domain and the Nanyue Territory.
Naturally, his origins had long since become public knowledge.
As part of the backdrop to Shen Changchuan’s rise, the Tian Nan Shen Clan naturally became a laughingstock in public gossip.
Of course,
mocking the Tian Nan Shen Clan was only part of the widespread discussion.
Most people who heard the news were primarily shocked by the incredible speed at which Shen Changchuan’s Cultivation Realm was advancing.
They were shocked that even though Shen Changchuan’s Cultivation Realm was advancing so rapidly,
he could still simultaneously improve his combat prowess at an equal rate, allowing him to challenge and defeat senior experts from higher realms!
"When I first set out on the Path of Immortal Cultivation, a senior once told me that in our Dao, you can’t have your cake and eat it too."
"He said you either choose to focus wholeheartedly on sprinting through your Cultivation, pouring most of your energy into raising your Cultivation Realm. You’d practice few, if any, combat techniques, sacrificing fighting ability for the sake of rapid advancement. Or, you choose to practice more Magic, sacrificing speedy advancement in your Cultivation Realm to gain strength greater than that of other Cultivators at your level..."
"I always believed that to be profoundly true."
"But it wasn’t until he appeared that I finally understood. What that senior said back then—that you can only choose one, strength or Realm—that’s a rule that only applies to us common folk. It doesn’t apply to geniuses."
"A true, peerless prodigy can have their cake and eat it too. They can have both a high Realm and immense power!"
"Crossing the entire Soul Emergence Middle Stage in three years, and immediately being able to slay powerful enemies more than a full realm above him right after breaking through... I doubt I could even conjure up such an achievement in my wildest dreams."
These were the emotional words,
of a fairly well-known Loose Cultivator from the Tian Nan Domain, a man at the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer himself. He had spoken them after a long silence, upon hearing of Shen Changchuan’s deeds.
And his deeply emotional words,
struck a chord with countless people.
It shattered the composure of innumerable Cultivators, leaving them speechless.
This was because anyone who walked the Path of Immortal Cultivation had faced the difficult choice between focusing on their Cultivation Realm or their combat power.
And even though everyone made a different choice,
every single person who had personally faced that dilemma understood its weight.
That was precisely why,
the Cultivators who heard his words were so deeply moved.
And it was why the news about Shen Changchuan,
caused such an uproar throughout the Immortal Cultivation Realm.