Chapter 42: Moved to Tears

The most significant thing was Zhang Shen’s youth. After a brief exchange of blows, Luo Tian could feel Zhang Shen’s surging vitality. A youthful essence that starkly contrasted his own waning energy as he approached his old age.

With youth on his side, Zhang Shen’s potential seemed boundless.

Even if he lacked a lineage to inherit, or hit a dead end in his cultivation, his sheer youthfulness alone could wear Luo Tian to death.

Should a deep-rooted enmity form, who could bear the brunt of Zhang Shen’s vengeance once Luo Tian passed away? 

After all, Luo Tian had found no younger family members with the potential to ascend to the True Core stage.

Killing Zhang Shen was an option. Yet after some exchanges, Luo Tian recognized that although he could best Zhang Shen in combat, he could never entirely eliminate him as a threat.

Though outwardly boiling with rage, Luo Tian had already been strategizing on how to defuse this situation without any lingering risks. Therefore, his moves had become more about posturing than genuine intent.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have confronted each of Zhang Shen’s attacks with direct counters.

Zhang Shen sensed Luo Tian’s dwindling fighting will. Having gauged his own strength and its standing at the True Core stage, he too lost the desire to continue the battle.

“State your terms. Let’s settle this grudge on acceptable conditions,” Luo Tian resumed his initial composure, treating Zhang Shen with renewed seriousness. “As for previous matters, Luo Jun did wrong you by attacking your subordinate. Since he’s from my family, I’m willing to make amends for his actions.”

Like Luo Tian, Zhang Shen had to consider not only avenging Li Shuang but also safeguarding the future stars of his own family.

“Very well,” Zhang Shen agreed. “A compensatory resource for my subordinate should suffice,” he said, not pushing the issue too far.

He had no intention of locking horns to the death with another True Core cultivator merely for the sake of a subordinate. His previous actions had merely served to stake his position and assess his own power.

Without any haggling, Luo Tian reached into his storage bag, extracted a small box, and tossed it over to Zhang Shen.

“The value of this item should adequately compensate your subordinate,” Luo Tian assured him.

Zhang Shen received the box and immediately opened it to find a spiritual fruit within.

Good heavens! A low-grade True Core-level spiritual fruit as compensation for an Innate-level martial artist? Talk about generosity.

Zhang Shen keenly sensed Luo Tian’s inclination to resolve the issue once and for all.

Naturally, he understood that Luo Tian’s generosity was intended to fully dispel his, a cultivator at the True Core stage, dissatisfaction with the Luo family. After all, there was a difference between merely compensating someone and entirely satisfying their grievances.

“Very well, let’s consider the matter settled from this moment on,” Zhang Shen declared, genuinely impressed by Luo Tian’s magnanimity. 

Any grudges he had held against the Luo family were significantly lessened as a result.

Li Shuang waited at a distance, filled with anxiety.

After the elderly patriarch of the Luo family had retreated, Li Shuang sensed that something was off and hastily distanced himself from the courtyard. As he’d suspected, the courtyard was soon obliterated in a series of ground-shaking explosions.

The ripple effects of the clash between the two True Core cultivators had sent Li Shuang tumbling, leaving him grimy and disheveled. 

Yet, his primary concern was for Zhang Shen. Should Zhang Shen lose, his own fate would likely be sealed.

Li Shuang was also bewildered. Weren’t they there to resolve a conflict? Why had they suddenly resorted to combat? Was it worth inciting such a violent clash over a squabble among lower-level martial artists? Could True Core experts really be so impulsive?

Regardless, none of this could dampen the profound sense of gratitude he felt.

Zhang Shen had engaged in full-scale combat with a peer-level expert, solely for the sake of a mere subordinate like him. 

How could he not be willing to give his life for such a master?

From a distance, Zhang Shen noticed Li Shuang’s emotionally charged and restless appearance.

Inspecting his own spotless attire, he purposefully gathered a handful of residual dust from the air and patted it onto himself, thus appearing somewhat disheveled.

“Master!” 

Li Shuang’s heart sank with relief upon seeing Zhang Shen unscathed. The sight of dust on his master’s attire stirred his emotions further. He was so deeply moved that he nearly burst into tears.

“Let’s go. The issue has been settled,” Zhang Shen spoke.

Generally, if a subordinate was wronged and you merely resolved the situation without seeking retribution, they might feel grateful, but not particularly indebted. That was just human nature. However, the moment you openly advocated for them, regardless of whether justice was ultimately served, their loyalty toward you became unshakable.

Upon returning to the Li family’s artifact-crafting workshop, Zhang Shen revealed the spiritual fruit he had received as compensation from Luo Tian.

Li Shuang immediately fell to his knees, saying that he couldn’t possibly accept such a precious item. He had already suffered once from the dangers of holding a treasure but being guiltless and had no desire to relive that experience. Previously, he had only come into contact with an Innate spiritual flame, possessing a True Core spiritual fruit now could bring about an end he couldn’t even fathom.

Without hesitation, Li Shuang offered to relinquish the spiritual fruit to Zhang Shen.

What else could Zhang Shen do but graciously accept the generous offer?

He was relieved that his subordinate was perceptive, otherwise, despite not voicing any disappointment, he might have been less favorable toward him in the future.

Li Shuang wasn’t left empty-handed either. Zhang Shen compensated him with a selection of resources that were appropriate for both Innate and Acquired martial artists, exactly what Li Shuang and his family were in desperate need of at the moment.

Subsequently, Zhang Shen tasked Li Shuang with upgrading the Cold Moon Blade and handed him the Flame Iron.

As this was the first mission his master had entrusted him with, Li Shuang was naturally committed to executing it impeccably to express his gratitude. It was evident that Li Shuang would have his hands full for a while.

Back in his modest courtyard, his temporary residence, Zhang Shen recognized that his time in such a humble dwelling was drawing to a close.

“Now that I’ve entered the True Core stage and solidified my foundation, it’s time to push forward,” Zhang Shen contemplated, a spark of ambition flashing in his eyes. 

Advancing his physical self to the True Core stage had inflated his ego anew.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have recklessly sought out a spar with Luo Tian. A cautious man like Zhang Shen had never picked fights without reason, it was his inflated ego that led him astray.

This recent sparring session served as a wake-up call. Although attaining the True Core stage was a milestone worth celebrating, he remained but a mere ant in the grand scheme of things.

Even defeating Luo Tian, a martial artist considered to have maxed out his potential, wasn’t a simple task. So why be arrogant? He sat that notion aside, choosing instead to concentrate on his cultivation practice.

However, with his physique now at the True Core stage, even relentless training would only yield incremental progress.

The experience points accumulated from Innate stage techniques, martial skills, and martial arts milestones were utterly insignificant when stacked against the colossal amount of experience needed to advance within the True Core stage.

“Perseverance remains crucial, but from here on, making leaps and bounds will likely be more challenging,” said Zhang Shen.

He wasn’t one to shy away from reality. After all, wasn’t stagnation over several years, or even decades, common upon reaching the True Core stage in martial arts? The fact that he was still making progress set him ahead of many.

“Thankfully, there are methods to boost my combat capabilities in the short term.”

After ascending to the True Core stage with his physical body, numerous miraculous phenomena had manifested. Corresponding to the True Dan Fire, which evolves from the Innate Fire in martial cultivation, Zhang Shen sensed a Blood Flame springing forth within him. This flame’s potency was by no means inferior to that of the True Core Fire from martial cultivation.

Simultaneously, he felt a surge of energy akin to True Qi coursing through his body. This energy, deeply connected to his stamina and life force, was aptly named by him as the Power of the Flesh.

Equipped with both the Blood Flame and the Power of the Flesh, an audacious thought flashed through his mind. 

Could he experiment with the Art of Blood Refining? Normally, True Core martial artists would refine True Core artifacts using their internal True Core Fire. Yet, for those practitioners who specialized in bodily refinement, an alternative technique known as the Art of Blood Refining had been devised.

Artifacts refined via this method were equally effective compared to those honed through the traditional True Core Fire technique.

His thoughts veered to the blood-red short arrow and the long knife stored in his spatial bag. Both of which were True Core artifacts. Even without appropriate cultivation methods, possessing two additional True Core artifacts would undoubtedly amplify his peak combat prowess.

With determination quickly translating into action, Zhang Shen’s daily routine consisted of honing his martial skills and deciphering arcane texts. During the earlier half of the night, he practiced the Mountain of a Thousand Layers technique with composure. In the latter half, he engaged in Blood Refining of True Core artifacts.

Every two weeks or monthly, he’d make a trip to the Li family’s artifact-crafting workshop. He took it upon himself to go there as he had not disclosed his location to Li Shuang and others. Not wishing to attract attention, Zhang Shen preferred to keep his residence in the bustling Sunfire Market a secret.

Just like that, three years flew by.

“Finally, the Soul-Seizing Arrow is fully refined,” Zhang Shen murmured, eying the blood-colored arrow hovering in front of him. 

With a simple gesture, he absorbed it into his being.

Zhang Shen had initially planned to store the artifact in his Dantian but was unable to do so, as his Dantian was only at the Innate stage and wasn’t capable of material storage yet.

He had been somewhat disappointed, but a fortunate turn of events changed his perspective. He discovered that he could actually absorb True Core artifacts directly into his body, which could safely harbor these magical treasures.

However, the refining process for a single True Core artifact proved more difficult than he had anticipated. Just the Soul-Seizing Arrow alone took him three years to fully refine, and he hadn’t even begun working on the long knife yet.

Furthermore, his focus on Blood Refining had sidetracked his martial cultivation progress. Even with plentiful resources, he had ascended only two layers within these three years.

Cultivation Level: Innate Stage Eighth Layer

Progress: 93%.

The accumulated experience points from his martial cultivation, skills, and techniques over the past three years barely nudged his physical level forward.

Physical Level: True Core Stage First Layer

Progress: 33%.

This slow rate of progress was deeply frustrating for Zhang Shen. 

Although he had mentally prepared himself for such a slowdown, experiencing it firsthand still proved irritating. With no other options, Zhang Shen took this as a character test, using his frustration to cultivate a more serene mindset. 

During this time, Zhang Shen, who had considered himself emotionally stable, realized he still had room for improvement in that aspect.

“Clearly, many things cannot solely be judged by self-perception. One has to experience them firsthand, survive the trials, to cultivate a truly flawless state of mind.”

It was a wake-up call that Zhang Shen appreciated.

As the sun set, Zhang Shen made his way to the Li Family’s artifact forging workshop, where Li Shuang had already been waiting for some time.

“Master, here is the revenue for the past six months,” Li Shuang said, handing over a storage bag brimming with lower-grade spirit stones.

Ever since Zhang Shen had settled the dispute between Li Shuang and the Luo Family, word had rapidly spread throughout the Sunfire Market that a True Core stage expert was backing Li Shuang.

Armed with such an influential endorsement, business at the Li Family’s forging workshop boomed almost instantly. 

Li Shuang was wise enough not to hoard all the profits for himself.

Zhang Shen accepted the generous share of earnings without hesitation. They were rightfully his. According to Li Shuang’s initial pledge, Zhang Shen was entitled to all the profits, but being a reasonable man, he only took his promised share.

However, what truly enriched Zhang Shen wasn’t merely the financial gain. The most invaluable acquisition was the artifact forging legacy that Li Shuang willingly offered. A treasure far beyond any monetary value.