Chapter 521: The Peak of Heaven and Man! Just Stay Here, I Won't Hold Back!
Just then, Shen Anyu, who was replying to messages, had a look of doubt in his eyes. Susan, being the yandere she was, was the most clingy, sending Shen Anyu at least hundreds of messages every day, sharing all her moods and happenings; even if Shen Anyu didn't reply, she was content, and if Shen Anyu did reply, Susan would be happy for a long time. But today, she hadn't sent him a single message, which was very abnormal, making Shen Anyu feel a bit unaccustomed; yandere-type girls are a joyful pain.
However, Susan was very special. Her strength was immense, a silent, slumbering power that even his nanometer monitoring robots couldn't safely approach without being detected. This inherent danger was why he had never deployed them on her person, granting her a unique bubble of privacy among his women. A slight frown creased Shen Anyu's brow. He couldn't shake the feeling that this silence was more than just a whim. Accessing the surveillance network around the Shen Family's old residence in Teikyo, he quickly scanned the feeds. A wave of relief washed over him as he found her, still within the estate's grounds.
She was in one of the secluded cultivation chambers, sitting cross-legged, her entire form bathed in an ethereal glow. She seemed to be in deep seclusion, utterly absorbed in her practice.
'So that's it. She's cultivating.'
His curiosity piqued, Shen Anyu pulled up the system's investment panel, his eyes widening in disbelief at the string of notifications that flooded his vision.
"Hiss… Susan has actually cultivated to the tenth layer of the Martial God Art?" The words escaped his lips in a sharp, astonished breath. The progress was simply absurd.
A cascade of emotionless, mechanical prompts echoed in his mind, each one a hammer blow of pure power.
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target Susan has entered the eighth layer of Martial God Art, rebating the eighth layer cultivation of Martial God Art!]
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target Susan has entered the ninth layer of Martial God Art, rebating the ninth layer cultivation of Martial God Art!]
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target Susan has entered the tenth layer of Martial God Art, rebating the tenth layer cultivation of Martial God Art!]
…
'What in the world is this cultivation speed? A monstrous talent doesn't even begin to describe it. Cultivating to the tenth layer of the Martial God Art… in just one week?'
Rumble!
Before he could fully process the insanity of her progress, the rebated power slammed into him. It wasn't a gentle stream; it was a tidal wave, a spiritual tsunami that detonated within his dantian. The surging, boundless energy, refined and purified by the system, ripped through his meridians. His God-level Steel Body, already unbelievably resilient, groaned under the strain before greedily absorbing the torrent. His bones vibrated with a deep hum, becoming denser, harder, glowing with an internal, metallic light. His blood roared through his veins like a river of molten suns.
The bottleneck to the Late Stage of the Heavenly Human Realm, a barrier that would take others decades of painstaking effort to overcome, shattered like glass. But the deluge of power didn't stop. It continued its relentless assault, pushing him onward, upward. His spiritual sense exploded outward, his perception of the world becoming impossibly sharp. He could feel the flow of qi in the air, the pulse of life from the earth, the silent song of the distant stars.
His cultivation soared, blasting through the Late Stage and rocketing straight to the absolute apex of the Heavenly Human Realm—the Peak of Heaven and Man!
Shen Anyu slowly opened his eyes, a universe of power swirling within their depths. He gently clenched his right fist. The air in his grasp didn't just compress; it imploded. A terrifying crackle echoed in the silent room as space itself warped around his knuckles, creating a shrieking micro-vacuum.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent a punch toward the sky. There was no grand wind-up, no dramatic shout. Just a simple, direct motion. An invisible column of force, pure kinetic energy and condensed qi, erupted from his fist. It tore through the atmosphere, silent and unstoppable. Ten thousand meters above, a vast canvas of white clouds was violently ruptured. A perfect, circular hole was punched through the cloud layer, and a brilliant pillar of sunlight speared down, illuminating the earth below.
The tenth layer of the Martial God Art was already a step into the domain of a Land Immortal. The sheer volume of cultivation rebated to him was vast and immeasurable. However, Shen Anyu's foundation was simply too profound, his God-level Steel Body too monstrously powerful. It acted like a black hole, absorbing the immense energy to temper and reinforce itself, preventing a direct breakthrough into the next major realm. The rebated power, which would have instantly created a new Land Immortal in anyone else, was still not enough to push him over the final threshold.
Even so, the raw power coursing through him was intoxicating. 'With my current strength,' he mused, a dangerous glint in his eye, 'coupled with the God-level Steel Body, I could shatter a so-called Land Immortal with my bare hands.' And that wasn't even factoring in his immortal cultivation methods or his ultimate trump card, the Two-Aspects Life-Death Mystical Light—a divine ability that could simply erase his enemies from existence.
Shen Anyu calmly reviewed the investment rebates from his other assets. Sword Immortal Nie Yun was still in deep seclusion, diligently working to break through to the Land Immortal realm. Even with Shen Anyu's guidance providing the key, the final step still required time and personal enlightenment.
Meanwhile, the women of his family and harem who had received the Martial God Art were also showing progress, though their results were far more reasonable.
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target Aunt An Zhiyue has entered the first layer of Martial God Art, rebating the first layer cultivation of Martial God Art!]
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target Liu Ruyan has entered the first layer of Martial God Art, rebating the first layer cultivation of Martial God Art!]
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target Ye Liyou has entered the first layer of Martial God Art, rebating the first layer cultivation of Martial God Art!]
[Ding! Detected that the host's investment target Luo Yuhe has entered the first layer of Martial God Art, rebating the first layer cultivation of Martial God Art!]
…
The list went on. Su Hongmian, Liu Qingyue, Qin Ningbing, Jiang Linlin, and the other Destined Heroines had all successively entered the first layer. The extraordinary talent bestowed upon them by the Mandate of Heaven ensured their progress was steady and pleasing.
What brought a genuine smile to Shen Anyu's face was seeing Aunt An Zhiyue's name on the list. Of course, her existing strength played a significant role; cultivating the Martial God Art from the Heavenly Human Unity realm was naturally faster. But to break through the first layer so quickly spoke volumes of her outstanding talent and unyielding will. After this breakthrough, An Zhiyue, the Yanxia Female War God, seemed to radiate an even more dazzling brilliance, like a majestic Phoenix soaring through the Nine Heavens. Shen Anyu was genuinely happy for her.
As for the rest of his family, his maternal grandfather, An Youmin, was on the cusp of entering the first layer, while the others would take more time. Most of the Destined Heroines had successfully taken their first step. Zhong Lingyin and Zhou Luyao, who had only recently received the technique, were just beginning, while a few others like Liu Mi were also close to their own breakthroughs.
"This is all normal progress," Shen Anyu murmured to himself, his gaze drifting back to Susan's profile on the system panel. "But Susan… Susan is not normal. She's an absolute monster."
He clicked his tongue, a sound of genuine wonder. Even a Prodigy blessed by the heavens would be considered exceptional if they could master and break through one layer in a week. After all, the mortal world was starved of spiritual energy compared to a true cultivation plane like the Xuanhuang World. The lack of resources and proper environment naturally throttled cultivation speed. Yet Susan's progress was as effortless as eating and drinking. It was utterly abnormal.
The mysteries surrounding her piled higher. Who was the Destined Heroine named Su Muyue, slumbering deep within her soul? What was her true origin? Why did Susan possess such terrifying strength and talent? With no clues, it was impossible to even begin to unravel.
Still, Shen Anyu was content with one simple fact: Susan would never, ever harm him. If the system's favorability rating wasn't capped at a hundred, hers would have undoubtedly exploded through the ceiling long ago.
Her meteoric rise in strength also brought him enormous benefits. This direct leap to the Peak of Heaven and Man was almost entirely her contribution. If Susan managed to cultivate the Martial God Art to its perfected state and enter the Dao through martial arts, he would ascend to the Land Immortal realm—or perhaps even higher—without lifting a finger.
Even Young Master Shen had to admit, this feeling of relying on a woman for power was truly too delicious.
However, a sliver of concern tempered his satisfaction. With Susan's strength growing exponentially, he worried for the safety of his other women. The "Asura Fields" that erupted between Liu Ruyan and Ye Liyou, or Su Hongmian and Liu Mi, were entertaining dramas. There was a limit to their jealousy-fueled squabbles, and he was often the ultimate beneficiary. But if Susan were to join that chaotic mix, the Asura Field would become a literal field of blood.
"I still need to become stronger," he resolved, his eyes hardening. "Strong enough to easily subdue even Susan."
Ignoring the inexplicable power she possessed, Shen Anyu, the one who reaped all the investment rewards, had no excuse not to become stronger himself.
Early the next morning, Shen Anyu drove to Yang's Hotpot Restaurant. His target, naturally, was Yang Qiuchan, the associated heroine of Wu Ming, the Child of Destiny who followed the path of the Reborn and Cunning Dao.
'That guy Wu Ming is too cautious, a complete coward,' Shen Anyu thought, his fingers tapping a light rhythm on the steering wheel. 'Even if I take down Yang Qiuchan, it might not be enough to bait him out of his shell. But I'll secure her first. An opportunity is bound to present itself later.'
A flicker of greed flashed in his eyes. He coveted Wu Ming's portable immortal abode, a treasure capable of growing all sorts of miraculous plants, like the longevity fruits that could extend one's lifespan and the Huangliang Rice that could directly increase cultivation. In a true crisis, he could move his women and family inside and be safe from even a world-ending catastrophe. According to the system's appraisal, the value of that abode was immense.
As for why Wu Ming hadn't already taken Yang Qiuchan with him into his sanctuary, Shen Anyu had a theory. Entering the portable immortal abode likely required some preparation and time; it wasn't an instantaneous escape. That gutless wonder was paranoid, terrified that Shen Anyu was already watching Yang Qiuchan, waiting for him to get close so an ambush could spring and suppress him instantly.
Now, Wu Ming had completely vanished, abandoning his rented apartment and disappearing without a trace. He had already retreated into his immortal abode, making him impossible to find. Shen Anyu felt a rare sense of helplessness. He could scheme against and overpower a strong Child of Destiny, but a cowardly one who simply refused to show his face was a different kind of problem.
"Heh heh, Wu Ming, go ahead and hide. I won't be polite. I'll take down Yang Qiuchan, the goddess you've secretly admired for years."
Shen Anyu was very frustrated, so he naturally needed to let off some steam.
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