Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Complete Transformation

A buzzing rang in his mind once again, but this time it shifted—now it was on the left. Zhao Lei felt his body tilt backward, his feet lifting off the ground.

With a sharp crack, his body slammed hard onto the sandy earth. As the dust settled, he lay there motionless, like a corpse. Even now, he had no idea what had just happened. Aside from a slight trembling, his body offered no other response.

In the cultivation world, from the moment they embark on their path, cultivators devote themselves to frantically improving their spiritual power. As their cultivation grows, their bodies are naturally nourished and protected by spiritual energy. Thus, almost all cultivators neglect physical training in the early stages, deeming it a waste of time. When their spiritual energy is rendered useless, their bodies are no different from ordinary mortals.

Shen Wan smacked his lips and swaggered over to Zhao Lei. He squatted down, gazing at that now asymmetrical face, and sighed.

“Ah, a fist just can’t compare to an iron club. Should I try to even it out?” He weighed his fist, pondering how many punches it would take to make the left side of this guy’s face match the right.

Lying on the ground, Zhao Lei shivered at the sight of the golden gleam in Shen Wan’s eyes.

The Nine-Bone Soul Demon Lock was a top-tier Earth-grade treasure—his strongest artifact, bar none. If even that couldn’t harm his opponent in the slightest, what kind of cultivation did this man have? Zhao Lei himself was at the high stage of Foundation Establishment, just one step from perfection. Yet his adversary injured him with nothing but an ordinary fist—could this man be a Golden Core cultivator?

“So young, and already at the Golden Core stage...”

At this thought, his trembling intensified. Instinctively, he arched his body, which only made the pain in his face feel as if it had been torn apart.

“Ahhh…” He gritted his teeth, peering through the slit of his swollen eye to see that the right side of his face was grotesquely puffed up. Terror mounted within him. Thank goodness it was only the back of the blade—if it had been the edge…

He shuddered reflexively and glanced at Shen Wan, who was now baring his teeth and drooling. Why was this guy suddenly salivating?

“Se—senior, please—I was wrong! Spare my pitiful life! I swear I’ll never dare again!” Zhao Lei’s voice grew even hoarser as he desperately scrabbled backward with his feet.

But Shen Wan wasn’t one to press his advantage mercilessly. He had landed his punches, made his point, and his opponent had admitted defeat—so he decided to let it end there. He stood up, dusted off his robes, and glanced at the two others still cowering behind the sea rocks in the distance—they didn’t even dare show their faces.

“Well, best to leave a line for others, so we meet amicably in the future. Not everyone is as kind as I am. I hope you learn from today’s lesson, turn over a new leaf, and start afresh!”

Turning slightly, his half-profile illuminated from behind, Shen Wan’s figure appeared especially tall and imposing.

Moreover, he felt his parting words had a certain flair. Pleased with himself, he shamelessly gave himself a mental compliment.

But Zhao Lei had no mind for lofty sentiments. Aside from the phrase “so we meet amicably in the future,” he heard nothing else. The man before him was a demon incarnate; even if he died, Zhao Lei would never want to see him again. He had already scrambled several meters away, nodding frantically in agreement. This was a Golden Core cultivator—one wrong look could mean utter annihilation. He dared not harbor a single thought of resistance.

In his peripheral vision, Shen Wan noted Zhao Lei’s eager compliance and nodded in satisfaction. With a flourish of his sleeve, he strode away.

Watching the receding figure ascend the winding stone steps and vanish from sight, Zhao Lei let out a long breath. The feeling of surviving a disaster—there was nothing like it. Silently, a tear traced its way down his swollen cheek. Was this not, in its own way, a kind of deliverance?

…

A gentle breeze stirred; before he knew it, afternoon had arrived.

Shen Wan returned to the sect. No sooner had he reached the main courtyard than the disciples—already tipped off—spotted him. They hurried to send word to the Grand Elder, finally allowing Wei Zhen, who had been searching everywhere, to breathe a sigh of relief.

With spiritual energy boosting him, Wei Zhen reached the courtyard in no time. The moment he saw his junior brother looking as nonchalant as ever, Wei Zhen nearly wanted to smack him. He’d been searching the sect in desperation, while this one looked as if he’d just returned from a pleasant holiday.

When Shen Wan caught sight of Wei Zhen, he was nearly in tears. “Senior Brother!”

Regardless of how heartfelt it was, that call immediately dispelled much of Wei Zhen’s anger.

“Junior Brother, where on earth did you go? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Wei Zhen rushed forward, grabbing Shen Wan’s shoulders and shaking him.

“Uhh… uhh… uhh…” Shen Wan, dizzy from the shaking, quickly broke free and explained, “I was trying to find the location of Listening Cloud Ravine. What a ridiculous place—no one in the sect seems to know where it is! Luckily, I’m clever and went to ask Brother Xiao Hong, the famous animal keeper. But he gave me a fake map! Hmph.”

Shen Wan wore a look of righteous indignation, leaving Wei Zhen somewhat embarrassed. In truth, Shen Wan couldn’t really be blamed for this. Yet, this ‘famous animal keeper Xiao Hong’—who on earth was that…

Having pieced together most of the story, Wei Zhen finally relaxed after a day of tension. Perhaps because of his earlier anxiety, he now noticed the large patches of dirt on Shen Wan’s clothes.

“What happened to you? Why are you so filthy?”

Shen Wan shrugged nonchalantly. “I just took a stroll outside the sect. Thought Listening Cloud Ravine might be beyond the gates, then ran into a few fools and had a scuffle with them.”

“What?!” Wei Zhen’s eyebrows shot up.

This was Qianxuan Sect—even if not the very best among the valley’s great sects, it was still ranked among the top hundred, though admittedly near the bottom. For someone to dare cause trouble at their gates—did they take Qianxuan Sect for nothing? And for the trouble to land on his own junior brother—these people must have a death wish!

Rage boiled up within him. He hadn’t even seen these individuals, yet in his mind, their names were already struck from the register of the living.

Seeing the flush of anger rise on his senior brother’s face, Shen Wan felt a touch of warmth. Alone in the world of cultivation, to have someone care so deeply for him—he couldn’t deny being moved. He smiled slightly, just about to reassure his senior brother that those people had already been thoroughly beaten by him, so there was nothing to worry about—

Just then, a figure appeared at his side.

“Junior Elder, you’ve finally turned up.” Elder Qu Fanghua, upon hearing the news, had hurried over at once. Seeing the Grand Elder had arrived before her, she finally felt at ease.

With her arrival, Wei Zhen snorted coldly.

“Qu, take Elder Shen to Listening Cloud Ravine. Cultivation there has already begun—every moment lost is a setback.”

Seeing the Grand Elder’s burning anger, Qu Fanghua didn’t know what had transpired with the junior elder that day, but anything that could enrage the Grand Elder so surely wasn’t trivial.

“Senior Brother Wei, what’s happened?”

“Hmph!” Another cold snort.

“Some vermin have already tunneled right up to our Qianxuan Sect’s door!”

His voice was frosty, his gaze already fixed toward the gates.

Qu Fanghua’s expression grew grave as well. She followed his gaze, then said, “Very well, I’ll take Junior Elder to Listening Cloud Ravine now and join you shortly.”

Wei Zhen could no longer stand still—a sweep of his sleeve, a gust of wind, and where he had stood, there was now only empty air.

From above came a resounding voice.

“They’re just ants, after all. Nothing more than a flick of the finger—hardly worth the fuss!”

With that, his voice faded into the sky.

Qu Fanghua relaxed at last. If Senior Wei could say so, then it truly was nothing serious. She turned with a gentle smile, ready to lead Shen Wan to Listening Cloud Ravine.

Shen Wan swallowed, silently burning a string of paper offerings for those hapless fellows in his heart…

Then, turning on his heel, he followed Elder Qu with swaggering steps deeper into the heart of the sect.