Time passes swiftly, like a white horse galloping past a crack in a wall.
A year has gone by. In that time, nothing particularly outrageous occurred on the isolated island; at most, some disciples formed cliques. Naturally, there were also many who fell into despair and chose to end their lives. The island seemed chaotic, yet it was like water trapped in a bottle—no matter how turbulent, it could never attract the slightest attention from the Martial Arts Alliance.
Today, light snow drifted in the sky. Shen Han sat quietly by the lake, gripping a fishing rod.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the inheritance of the Cliff Pool!]
[You have learned the cultivation technique "Star-Sucking Great Art"!]
Feeling the notification in his mind, Shen Han nodded slightly. Over the past year, he had acquired a vast number of cultivation techniques. Among them were many from righteous sects, though there were certainly no shortage of those from demonic cults. The Star-Sucking Great Art was a long-lost demonic technique capable of forcibly drawing another person’s internal energy into one’s own body to be used as one’s own. Those who had their energy drained were always left withered, their spirits shattered, perishing in a matter of moments.
The mountain range where the Martial Arts Alliance resided must have held many stories. Whether these were battles between the righteous and the wicked, or something more profound, Shen Han did not know.
Once he had fully mastered the Star-Sucking Great Art and reached true perfection, his gaze drifted to a rat not far away. It was a grey rat, fat and well-fed. With a casual wave of his hand, the rat flew uncontrollably into his palm. The plump rodent showed no desire to resist; it simply hung its feet limply, looking entirely innocent.
An instant later, the rat was drained into a husk, as if it had been hung on a cliffside exposed to the wind and sun for ten thousand years. Then, with a flick of his hand, Shen Han restored it. The shriveled husk returned to its chubby self. Shen Han broke off a piece of flatbread, stuffed it into the creature's mouth, and let it go.
"A truly sinister technique."
He hadn't even used a ten-thousandth of his power. If he were to unleash the Star-Sucking Great Art at full strength, even an expert at the Innate Great Perfection would likely not withstand it for a single heartbeat.
"If there is no need, I should not use this technique. It would only cause panic in the pugilistic world."
During this year, his cultivation had long since broken through the Innate Great Perfection! Innate Great Perfection was the true peak of the Innate Realm. However, this did not mean one could simply rest on their laurels. Breaking through required constant cultivation and the consumption of pills, allowing the sea of Qi within to undergo its second qualitative change. The first change occurred at the Qi Condensation Realm, where Qi transformed into True Essence. The sea of Qi within became a sea of True Essence. The second change happened at the Innate Great Perfection: the sea of True Essence had to transform into a Spirit Origin Sea.
There were still many at the Innate Great Perfection in the world, but to truly break through it was harder than reaching the heavens. And that was without mentioning the thirteen shimmering meridians within Shen Han's body. The effort he had to expend to induce this qualitative change in such a massive amount of True Essence was thousands, even tens of thousands of times greater than anyone else's.
Yet, he had no fear. He had too many medicinal treasures. Right now, Shen Han had over five thousand various pills stored away, and that was even while consuming them every single day. With such a massive supply of pills combined with hundreds of incredible techniques, Shen Han had long since surpassed the Innate Great Perfection.
He officially possessed Spirit Origin! When True Essence was observed within the body, it appeared a pale blue; True Essence was a deeper blue-green. Spirit Origin, however, had a faint, golden radiance added to that base. Shen Han’s body was permeated with this golden light, archaic and peerless, like a heaven-sent treasure!
Once the Innate Great Perfection is broken, one reaches the Postnatal realm! The Spirit Origin Sea overflowed, and the dense Spirit Origin that spilled out strengthened his meridians for a second time! This was the First Level of Postnatal, the Crystallization Realm! Such strength was truly astonishing; within the Martial Arts Alliance, besides the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, there was only one other person who could match it.
But this was not his limit. Under the refinement of various precious pills and techniques, Shen Han had broken through this realm three months ago! Now, he had surpassed the Crystallization Realm and officially arrived at the Postnatal Second Tier—the Pill Embracing Realm, the same level as the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Jian Yunshan. Beneath the surface of his Spirit Origin Sea, a condensed Internal Core had formed. This was the true core of the Postnatal Second Tier, the very thing every practitioner dreamed of!
"I am now at the same level as the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. However, he is merely at the same realm; to me, killing him would be no different than killing a rat."
Shen Han was not boasting. His martial foundation was incredibly solid, and he had pushed every realm to its absolute limit. Not to mention, having mastered the Ten Thousand Swords Return to One, his body had become terrifyingly lethal. A young man who had been mediocre a year ago had now officially become a dazzling star in the firmament. His strength was terrifying and extraordinary. If the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Jian Yunshan, knew of this, he would likely be gripped by intense fear.
"Still, there is no need to be conceited. My strength is indeed at the peak of the Martial Arts Alliance, unmatched by any. But the Martial Arts Alliance is, after all, only a small place. There are the great masters of the Penglai Immortal Island in the East Sea. There is the Huorong Mansion in the Northern Frontier, where the temperature of the Lava Pool scorches the sky. Not to mention the strange Demons in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains... A year passes in the blink of an eye. It seems like a long time, but for me, it is merely a tiny fragment of my life."
Shen Han looked at the cold pond water. He felt no arrogance, only a sudden, slight sense of loneliness. The path of cultivation was too long, and many things could not be explained in a single day. Perhaps, by fishing in the river of time, he would one day find clarity and peace of mind.
Just as Shen Han prepared to continue staying on the island to slowly increase his strength, an unexpected guest arrived on the island that had remained quiet for a year. Shen Han was slightly surprised when he saw who it was. It was his elder brother, Shen Ye.
...
Shen Ye was Shen Han’s biological brother. More than a year ago, Shen Han had stepped forward to shoulder the pressure from the Martial Arts Alliance for him. Seeing him again after a year, his brother looked significantly aged. Shen Ye had once been a standout among his peers, undefeated in sparring with other sects. But in this past year, his once jet-black hair had become streaked with silver. Though there were few wrinkles on his face, his eyes held the weight of too many storms.
Under the falling snow, seeing Shen Han—his younger brother—sitting alone by the lake, silently fishing, his nose soured, and tears instantly flowed.
"Brother Han, you have suffered!"
He hurried over. Shen Han put away his rod and stood up, walking forward to embrace him gently. He didn't use much force, but his brother hugged him with all his might, patting his shoulder again and again, murmuring about how hard it had been and how he had suffered. He was haggard and filled with immense grief.
Shen Han felt deeply moved. "Brother? How did you manage to get here?"
The isolated island of the Martial Arts Alliance was usually strictly off-limits to visitors from other sects. Shen Ye’s presence was an anomaly.
Shen Ye let go of Shen Han, wiped the tears from his face, forced a smile, and said seriously, "I wouldn't have been able to enter the back mountains, but a hero from the Tiance Manor helped me."
Shen Han nodded slightly. "Zhao Wenlin."
Shen Ye replied immediately, "Yes, that is the hero. He is very powerful within the Martial Arts Alliance now, a true prodigy. He seems to have a good relationship with you! When he learned I wanted to see you, he privately petitioned the elder, and the elder finally agreed to let me come here."
Shen Han understood.
"The snow is heavy out here, so let's head back to my quarters. I'll brew some hot tea for you."
When Shen Ye followed Shen Han back to the residence where he had spent the last year, he looked at the modest, clean courtyard, feeling even more heartbroken and regretful. "If I had been the one to step forward and shoulder all of this back then, you wouldn't have had to end up here!"
Shen Han said while brewing the tea, "The mountain villa has treated me well. I lack neither food nor clothing."
He gestured to the various items neatly arranged on the shelf; he truly wanted for nothing. He also knew that these supplies from the Martial Arts Alliance were not free—they came at a great cost. The fact that the villa had invested so much for someone who had been considered to have no martial potential showed their true, kind nature. Sometimes, one simply has no choice.
The two brothers sat around the fire, talking at length. The snow rustled outside until Shen Han finally asked why Shen Ye had come.
"Is there trouble at the villa?" Shen Han inquired.
Shen Ye forced a smile. "It's not that complicated, actually. It's just... our little sister is getting married. She was hoping you could write a message for her."