Chapter 66: Chapter 64: Astonishment and a Gift

Shen Tingchu looked at Shen Changchuan, who stood respectfully before him. The more he pieced together the circumstances, the more a heartfelt admiration for the young man grew in his heart.

He had seen youths with even greater innate talent. In the vast Immortal Cultivation Realm, there was no shortage of famous prodigies from the younger generation whose Cultivation advanced far more rapidly than Changchuan’s.

For example, a certain prodigy from the Yuqing Sect—hailed by the outside world as its future star—had broken through nine realms within a year of stepping onto the Path of Immortal Cultivation to reach the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer.

It was rumored that he was already attempting to break through to the Soul Emergence Realm.

Compared to such world-shaking young prodigies,

Shen Changchuan was nothing special.

Yet, among all those young geniuses,

one whose character could compare to his...

Shen Tingchu had never met a single one!

Despite possessing talent far superior to most of his peers, he had, at such a young age, an exceptionally clear understanding of his own situation. He reined in his youthful vigor, willing to lie low and remain unnoticed among ordinary people, just like an average person who blends into the background.

This was something most young people were utterly incapable of.

Youth is a time of high spirits.

It’s normal to be reckless and brazen in one’s youth.

Deep in every person’s heart lies an innate desire to stand out, to display their exceptional qualities before a crowd, and to bask in the cheers from all around.

This is especially true for the young.

They love the feeling of being the center of attention, adored and praised by all.

The young man before him could certainly have achieved that.

With the aptitude he had now displayed, while perhaps not the single most talented of the Tian Nan Shen Clan’s younger generation, he was undoubtedly among the top-ranked, one of the few prodigies you could count on one hand!

He could have become famous in the clan’s competitions, basking in the envious gazes of his peers and the praise of the clan’s elders.

But he had resisted this deep-seated desire.

’It’s not that youthful exuberance and recklessness are bad.’

’Nor does it mean that someone who knows how to hide their strength, to play the fool to catch the wise, is inherently superior.’

’It’s that someone who can recognize reality and restrain their own primal urges possesses a mental fortitude and strength of character that far surpasses that of ordinary Cultivators!’

Shen Tingchu marveled at this inwardly.

One must understand, that kind of adulation... it’s not just high-spirited youths; even young adults or mature, middle-aged Cultivators might not be able to resist it.

At an age when one is supposed to be spirited and impulsive,

he understood the need to lie low,

to suppress his own talent,

and was content to be an unseen face in the crowd.

He accumulated power in silence,

waiting until he was far from Tian Nan City—far from that great vortex and its dangerous shackles—to make his meteoric rise!

With such a character,

who wouldn’t give him a thumbs-up in admiration?

At this moment, a certain phrase came to his mind:

"Thus, by stirring the heart and steeling one’s nature, one’s insufficiencies are strengthened."

’A person with such strength of character...’

’If this boy doesn’t meet an untimely end, his future accomplishments will be anything but small!’

Gazing at Shen Changchuan,

Shen Tingchu made this judgment in his heart.

At the very least,

putting aside the distant future,

advancing to the Soul Emergence Realm in the future should be no problem for him.

Although for many Cultivators that threshold was like an insurmountable chasm,

seemingly impossible to cross,

if a person had a firm character and a transcendent will,

if they could remain undiscouraged by failure, persevering time and again to build their reserves, polishing their foundation regardless of the time it took, and using that to assail the bottleneck repeatedly...

Then no matter how solid that bottleneck was, with the passage of time, it would eventually crumble before them as if it were made of sand!

’It’s just a pity... that First Madam... is truly an awful choice of a wife!’

As his mind filled with admiration for Shen Changchuan,

Shen Tingchu couldn’t help but also think of the First Madam of the Shen Family Mansion in Tian Nan City.

He shook his head inwardly again and again.

Her reputation for being jealous, petty, and intolerant of the talented was known throughout Tian Nan City.

Stabbed seven times in the back and ruled a suicide...

Did she really think everyone was blind?

But even so,

there was nothing to be done.

After all, it was the Clan Leader’s private family affair, so outsiders were in no position to comment.

Furthermore, the First Madam herself came from a powerful background and had more than enough support.

As for the Clan Leader, he had begun to withdraw from worldly affairs decades ago and often went unseen for years at a time.

The power within the Shen Family Mansion had fallen into the hands of the First and Second Madams.

Within the Shen Clan itself, the Elders of the various branches were busy vying for power and profit. They rarely intervened unless their own interests were directly at stake.

Alas,

the Tian Nan Shen Clan...

It had long lost the fighting spirit of its ancestors, that unity of purpose that allowed them to blaze a trail through all obstacles.

"Young man, your talent is impressive, and I’ve taken a liking to you. These are some of my insights from when I cultivated to the Soul Emergence Realm. They’re yours."

"I hope that one day, you too can join our ranks as a fellow traveler on this Dao!"

Musing to himself,

Shen Tingchu turned his palm over, produced a Jade Slip, and handed it to Shen Changchuan.

Faced with the Jade Slip and the goodwill extended by Shen Tingchu,

Shen Changchuan was visibly stunned.

This turn of events,

was completely unexpected.

To some, these cultivation insights might be insignificant.

But for the vast majority of lower-level Cultivators, they were priceless treasures!

Shen Changchuan was clearly among the latter.

Given his current situation, he would almost certainly have to achieve his breakthroughs outside the clan.

That meant he likely wouldn’t be able to rely on the clan’s resources much longer.

This included things like the inherited Technique for advancing to the Soul Emergence Realm.

To obtain the Soul Emergence Technique, he would first have to reveal his strength at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer to qualify for entry into the Scripture Pavilion.

And that,

needless to say, would definitely attract the First Madam’s attention.

His so-called brother had only revealed his Cultivation at the Qi Introduction Sixth Layer before meeting his end—a "suicide" by seven stabs to the back.

Shen Changchuan didn’t think his own fate would be any better if he revealed a Cultivation Realm at the Ninth Layer.

The contents of this Jade Slip undoubtedly solved a major problem he would have faced when trying to advance to the Soul Emergence Realm in the future.

Moreover,

it wasn’t just the crucial advice for breaking through to the Soul Emergence Realm that was useful.

The process of cultivating from the Qi Introduction Sixth Layer to the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer—

all the summarized experiences and key points to be aware of—

was also of immense value to Shen Changchuan!

With a predecessor’s path to follow,

his future Cultivation would undoubtedly be much faster and smoother.

At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about accumulating hidden injuries from not knowing certain techniques, which could affect his future breakthroughs!

For Shen Changchuan,

the benefits were immense!

"Senior... this junior is eternally grateful!"

Shen Changchuan accepted the Jade Slip, performed a solemn fist-clasping salute, and spoke with deep gratitude.

Shen Tingchu nodded slightly.

"Consider this me forming a good bond with you in advance," he said.

"You’ve made the right choice. In your current situation, only by advancing to the Soul Emergence Realm will you have the power to break free from your shackles."

"Go back and cultivate diligently. I hope that one day, you will be able to walk the same path as me."

After offering a few words of encouragement,

Shen Tingchu was still filled with emotion over his unexpected discovery of this young man.

However, he had important matters to attend to. Having gifted his cultivation insights, he prepared to depart.

But just before leaving, Shen Tingchu added a quiet warning:

"By the way, something big may be about to happen here. With your current strength, you’ll be nothing but cannon fodder if you get caught up in it."

"You should find a way to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, Senior."

"This junior has already made preparations to depart. I was planning to leave tomorrow."

Shen Changchuan said respectfully, bowing his head.

But after a long moment without a reply,

Shen Changchuan raised his head.

The space before him was empty,

as if the entire encounter had been nothing but an illusion.

After a long moment,

Shen Changchuan finally let out a long breath.

He sat down,

clutching the Jade Slip from Shen Tingchu—which detailed the experiences of cultivating to the Soul Emergence Realm—his eyes flickered, his thoughts unreadable.