After resolving Shen Liuyu's matter, Shen Hanyu finally entered a complete state of cultivation with peace of mind.
He urgently needed to continuously strengthen himself before the plot began. Strength was the kingly way, the only hope to survive in a chaotic world.
This era did not lack geniuses of astonishing talent. Although the cultivation system was not complete, there were still many powerful soul masters who forcibly carved out their own paths. This was a form of innovation, and also the continuous development and progress of the era and history.
Sometimes Shen Hanyu would think, if this were not a world from a book, if the protagonists here did not have predetermined fates and were forcibly reduced to love-brained idiots, what would this world be like?
The love views of men and women in the Douluo Continent generally had some issues; this was an undeniable fact.
Yet, in such a deformed world, it was paradoxically filled with surprises and hope. Every day, lives were born here, and countless lives slowly departed from here.
At present, the major opportunities from the original story have mostly been taken by him. As for the remaining minor opportunities, he could just pick them up conveniently later. Regarding the divine inheritances...
That could be set aside for now; it was too early.
......
After spending two days being affectionate with Shen Hanyu, Shen Liuyu reluctantly returned to Shuiyue Academy.
As for her soul power and soul rings, Shen Hanyu was somewhat troubled, unable to find a solution no matter what. In the end, he had Tianmeng secretly leave a mark of its spiritual power on Shen Liuyu's soul rings. This spiritual power mark had no other effects; it only concealed the soul rings from sight and perception.
With Tianmeng's vast spiritual power, this mark could last about five years. As long as the opponent's spiritual power did not exceed Tianmeng's, they would be unable to discover Shen Liuyu's true soul ring configuration.
As for the sudden surge in soul power, that was easy to explain—just make up stories about various medicinal herbs and heavenly treasures. Unless someone had ulterior motives, no one would delve deeply into it.
Shen Hanyu also planned to stay in Element City for a while longer. If any blind fool provoked his sister, he could reward them with a one-way ticket to the West for the whole family...
Before fully entering his cultivation state, Shen Hanyu purchased a lot of food and some basic supplies in the city. Then, with the cover of Tianmeng's terrifying spiritual power, he checked on Little Phoenix.
Seeing that she was growing well, he felt slightly relieved. He then followed Tianmeng's guidance to a cave in a dense forest outside the city and began his complete immersion in bitter cultivation.
He only told Shen Liuyu about this location, so there was no fear of problems. Moreover, with Tianmeng's round-the-clock warnings, the safety factor was maxed out.
......
The ice attribute of the Cold Heaven Spear itself had already reached its peak. Even Tianmeng had praised it endlessly, claiming it was the strongest ice attribute it had seen on a human soul master in hundreds of thousands of years, just one step away from the ultimate ice.
Following the last ice-fire forging, a change had appeared on the Cold Heaven Spear. A red line now ran through the originally crystal-like spear body, flowing with scorching energy. Yet, it echoed with the other ice attribute energies, constantly circulating internally—a truly peculiar phenomenon.
Shen Hanyu had some guesses about this but didn't want to say much. As long as it wasn't a bad thing, it was fine.
Now, aside from cultivation, nothing could move his heart.
In his spare time, Shen Hanyu and Tianmeng discussed spear techniques again due to some issues. To be honest, Shen Hanyu didn't understand any spear methods. Rather than saying that, it was more accurate to say he only pursued ultimate attack power and strength. Spear methods were too awkward in this kind of fantasy world—some were hyped to the heavens, others were disparaged into the gutter...
Speaking of this, one had to face a direct problem: no matter how strong your techniques were, as long as the opponent's strength was sufficient, you would still just be a clown on the spot, unable to take the stage. In the face of absolute strength, techniques instead became a new form of clownery...
As a result, without those external factors, his compatibility with the Cold Heaven Spear was incredibly high. As long as he held the Cold Heaven Spear, he would naturally produce the most suitable attack methods in accordance with the martial soul. This was the induction between him and his martial soul, unbreakable by any factors. This was the path most suitable for him.
Of course, Shen Hanyu did not deny that some techniques were indeed outstanding. After all, this was a world where hidden weapons could shatter a god's heart...
Of course, the premise was having the protagonist's halo. Otherwise, it was not recommended to try...
If any bad consequences occurred, those who had traversed would be responsible themselves...
...
The days of secluded cultivation in the cave passed quickly. In just one month, with the energy from the large rechargeable battery · energy supply station · Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and the help of heaven and earth vital energy, Shen Hanyu unsurprisingly advanced to level 57.
Not only did his cultivation level rise, but even the meridians that previously had faint hidden injuries were completely nourished and restored by Tianmeng. His flesh and blood rejoiced, filled with a sense of pleasure.
With a good mood, his cultivation speed naturally became faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, three months passed, and Shen Hanyu's cultivation had directly reached level 58.
This promotion speed could be said to be unprecedented and unmatched. Shen Hanyu devoted almost all his time to cultivation except for the necessary time to handle personal matters.
This state even made Tianmeng sigh with emotion. After all, few humans could endure loneliness and solitude for long periods. Since entering the mountain, Shen Hanyu spoke no more than three sentences per month. If not for his spirit remaining abundant and active, Tianmeng would have suspected something was wrong with his mental state.
Time slowly passed, and the scenery of this forest began to change gradually.
From the initial deep green to the current yellowish hue, it was as if it had transformed, emanating the unique scent of the years. The space itself seemed to carry traces of summer passing and autumn arriving.
Shen Hanyu continued his cultivation in this dense forest as usual, but he found that pure cultivation had slowed down. Even with Tianmeng's help, it was far less effective than before.
Shen Hanyu was not annoyed by this. He simply cultivated while battling soul beasts.
Deep in this dense forest, there were three 20,000-year-old Earth Explosion Bears. Shen Hanyu's opponents were sometimes one of them, sometimes two, and sometimes he faced the triple encirclement from the three brothers.
Even though their years were a bit lacking, they compensated with excellent coordination and clever minds. It seemed they realized Shen Hanyu only wanted to spar with them and not take their lives...
These three soul beasts actually slacked off completely. Every day, after eating and drinking their fill, they came to fight Shen Hanyu. Of course, each time they fought with killing intent, showing no mercy.
The intelligence of 20,000-year-old soul beasts was still not too high, but perhaps due to inertial thinking in their minds, they did not find sparring with Shen Hanyu repulsive. Shen Hanyu naturally welcomed it.
Tianmeng also seemed to notice Shen Hanyu's exceptionally special state and rarely spoke to him, only giving simple instructions occasionally before continuing its own matters in the spiritual sea.
It had a good understanding of Shen Hanyu and naturally did not worry about any major problems if he continued like this.
What it wanted to do now was nothing more than to help him become a god with all its might, then fulfill its long-held dream... that is, to have the Ice Emperor sweetly call it "Brother Tianmeng"~