In the eastern part of the Purple Smoke Empire lay the Profound Spirit Mountain Range, a chain of mountains that stretched across the entire empire and was the largest in the Southern Domain of the Starfall Continent. Within the Profound Spirit Mountain Range, ancient trees reached for the sky, Spiritual Power was abundant, and exotic flowers, rare herbs, and valuable medicinal ingredients were countless. This made the Profound Spirit Mountain Range a land of fortune for mercenaries and merchants.
But because of the abundant Spiritual Power, the mountains were also overrun with Spirit Beasts, and a moment of carelessness could turn anyone into their next meal. However, opportunity and danger always went hand in hand. Some desperados loved to linger within the Profound Spirit Mountain Range, always dreaming that a windfall would drop from the heavens and grant them a life without worry. As a result, the mountain range was surprisingly lively.
...
"AH!" One early morning, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the outer edges of the Profound Spirit Mountain Range. Soon after, a disheveled young man was seen scrambling and tumbling as he fled through the forest. This young man was none other than Shen Haoran, who had previously set out for training.
Shen Haoran had been in the Profound Spirit Mountain Range for a month now. During this time, he had engaged in countless battles with Spirit Beasts and savage beasts, and the Spiritual Power within his body had gradually solidified, firmly stabilizing at Spirit Tempering Tier Eight.
However, just as Shen Haoran was feeling satisfied with his training progress, he managed to land himself in some serious trouble.
"I'm telling you, brat, how did you manage to provoke this Tier Two Spirit Beast, a Sword Beebird? Do you have a death wish?" Elder Yan berated Shen Haoran while dragging him through the air at high speed. The Sword Beebird was small, but incredibly fast, and it had earned its name because its beak was as sharp as a sword. But it was not to be underestimated; it was a Tier Two Spirit Beast, equivalent to a human Martial Artist at the eighth or ninth tier of the Spiritualist realm.
"AHHH! I don't know either! I just wanted to treat myself, so I snatched a nest of bird eggs. How was I supposed to know they belonged to this thing?! Ahh! Elder Yan, fly faster, fly faster! I feel like its beak is already poking me! I don't want to be turned into a pincushion!" Shen Haoran shrieked as he glanced backward.
"Hmph, serves you right!" Elder Yan snorted coldly. Although he was scolding Shen Haoran, he still sped up, increasing the distance between them and the Sword Beebird.
But in his current state as a mere Spiritual Thought, Elder Yan's power was greatly diminished. On top of that, he was lugging around Shen Haoran's dead weight, so he naturally couldn't fly that fast. Before long, the enraged Sword Beebird caught up to them again.
Seeing the Sword Beebird's blood-red, frenzied eyes, Shen Haoran shouted, "Is it really that serious? I just ate a few of your eggs! Just go back and pop out a few more, and you'll be fine, right?"
Hearing Shen Haoran's words, Elder Yan stumbled in mid-air, nearly dropping him. The Sword Beebird, on the other hand, was thoroughly enraged by Shen Haoran and picked up even more speed. The pressure on Elder Yan instantly increased!
Seeing the Sword Beebird catch up again, Shen Haoran said sheepishly, "Uh… Did I say something wrong?"
Elder Yan roared in his mind, 'It's not god-like opponents you have to fear, but pig-like teammates! Back in my day, even Tier Seven or Tier Eight Spirit Beasts wouldn't have dared to breathe too loudly in my presence. Now I'm being chased all over the place by a mere Tier Two Spirit Beast. If word of this got out, how could I ever show my face again!' But there was nothing he could do. This was the kind of useless teammate he was stuck with. For now, all Elder Yan could do was fly forward with all his might.
And so, the two humans and one beast began a battle of attrition in the forest. But after a good while, the Sword Beebird still showed no signs of fatigue, doggedly sticking right behind Elder Yan.
The Sword Beebird wasn't tired, but Elder Yan could feel his Spiritual Thought beginning to waver. Indeed, such a long period of high-speed flight was extremely taxing on his Spiritual Thought.
"You brat, just how many of its eggs did you eat?!" Elder Yan roared.
"Uh, not many, not many. Five. But there were only five in its nest," Shen Haoran said, scratching his head sheepishly. Holy crap. So Shen Haoran had wiped out its entire family line. No wonder the Sword Beebird was chasing him so desperately.
"You…" Upon hearing Shen Haoran's words, Elder Yan was rendered speechless.
"Elder Yan, look out! There's a cliff ahead!" Fearing a lecture from Elder Yan, Shen Haoran quickly changed the subject.
"A cliff!" Seeing the towering rock wall ahead, an idea sparked in Elder Yan's mind. He accelerated, flying straight toward it.
Seeing Elder Yan fly directly at the cliff as if he intended to smash right through it, Shen Haoran cried out in alarm, "No, no, no! Elder Yan, I know I was wrong! I'll never be so reckless again! Don't crash! Ahh, we're gonna hit it!" Staring at the rapidly approaching rock face, Shen Haoran squeezed his eyes shut in terror.
Would Elder Yan crash into the rock wall? Of course not. At the last possible moment, he pulled Shen Haoran into a sharp ascent. The cliff face passed by just millimeters from Shen Haoran's nose.
Elder Yan's abrupt change in direction was part of a calculated plan, but the Sword Beebird in pursuit was not so lucky. It was moving too fast to change course and slammed head-on into the rock wall. The impact from its immense momentum knocked it unconscious.
After closing his eyes, Shen Haoran waited for a long time but felt no pain from a crash. He slowly opened his eyes, and when he saw the unconscious Sword Beebird embedded in the rock wall, he finally understood Elder Yan's strategy.
"Haha, this is the first time I've ever seen such a stupid Tier Two Spirit Beast! Elder Yan, how do you think it managed to survive this long with an IQ that low? Haha!" Shen Haoran roared with laughter, clutching his stomach.
Hearing Shen Haoran's words, Elder Yan could no longer hold back. He dropped him directly from the sky, saying, "I'm also wondering how you've managed to survive this long with your IQ!"
"AH!" Accompanied by Shen Haoran's miserable shriek, the forest chase thus came to a dramatic close...
In the evening, the fragrant aroma of roasting meat wafted from a cave. Over a fire, a small, lean Spirit Beast was being roasted until its skin was crispy and the meat inside was tender. This Spirit Beast was none other than the Sword Beebird that had given Shen Haoran so much trouble during the day.
At this moment, a bruised and swollen Shen Haoran sat by the fire, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth as he stared intently at the Sword Beebird.
"Can't you show a little more promise? You've completely disgraced the inheritor of the Chaos Divine Body!" Elder Yan said, frustrated by his lack of potential.
"Hey, people are made of iron, but food is steel; miss one meal and you'll starve. What's wrong with eating? Besides, this beast put me through hell today. This is just its way of compensating us!" Shen Haoran argued righteously. With that, he tore off a leg, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled while chewing, "Elder Yan, you want some?"
"You…" Elder Yan was exasperated, but there was nothing he could do about Shen Haoran.
Seeing Elder Yan annoyed but helpless made Shen Haoran feel much more balanced. It was payback for the old guy dropping him from the sky, which was why his face was now swollen like a pig's head.
Shen Haoran devoured the roasted meat in a few large gulps, then asked, "Elder Yan, I've consolidated my strength at Spirit Tempering Tier Eight, so the first stage of my training is complete. What should we do next?"
Hearing Shen Haoran bring up a serious topic, Elder Yan also grew solemn. "After consolidating your strength, it's time to improve it. The beasts in this outer region are no longer enough to meet your combat needs. We'll continue deeper into the mountains, to the middle region!"
"The middle region!" Shen Haoran exclaimed. "The middle region has Tier Three and even Tier Four Spirit Beasts! Those are equivalent to human Martial Artists at the Spirit Pupil and Spirit General Level! Won't a kid like me at the Spirit Tempering Stage be committing suicide by going there?"
"Hmph. Only by challenging your limits can you break through them. Don't tell me you don't even have that much awareness!" said Elder Yan.
"Who says I don't? I'll go! But… we should probably prepare before we go, right?" Shen Haoran said weakly.
Seeing Shen Haoran's demeanor, Elder Yan let out a loud laugh. "Of course. I already went to scout. There's a small town about three miles from here. We'll prepare some things there, and then your real training will officially begin!"
"Alright then… Elder Yan, will you teach me any Martial Skills? I've been training for so long, and I still haven't learned a single one!" Shen Haoran said plaintively.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely teach you. And I'll be sure to teach you *well*," Elder Yan said, giving Shen Haoran a sinister smile.
Seeing Elder Yan's creepy smile, goosebumps erupted all over Shen Haoran's body. 'Looks like the days ahead are going to be tough!'