No Longer Afraid

Xian'er floated over.

"Alright, now you have two more Foundation Establishment First Layer helpers. In terms of combat strength, they're no weaker than you."

She glanced at Little Black and Treading Snow.

"It's just that they haven't mastered their Divine Ability yet. I'll teach them these next couple of days. I have methods for taming Demon Beasts here; I'll help you practice. Just have Qingshu Qinghua lend a hand."

Shen Jingchuan nodded.

"Okay, I'll tell them."

He turned to the two horses.

"Little Black, Treading Snow, remember this, this is Sister Xian'er. From now on, she will teach you how to use Divine Ability and how to cultivate. Follow along and you'll progress much faster. Understand?"

Both voices responded together.

"Master, we understand. We will obey her."

Little Black said again.

"She's very kind to us."

I followed through the Treading Snow.

"We also know that the two girls who look alike are the master's sisters; they are the master's closest relatives."

Shen Jingchuan nodded in agreement, secretly marveling at the performance.

This isn't just a mythical beast. Compared to animals on Earth, it's practically an elf, with intelligence almost on par with humans.

Big Black, standing to the side, also spoke up, his voice muffled.

"Although I can't fly and haven't awakened my Innate Divine Ability, I can still handle ordinary cultivators."

Shen Jingchuan made a decision in his mind.

This is equivalent to having two Foundation Establishment Realm helpers, plus one Qi Refinement Realm helper.

He became interested and walked to the open space.

"Big Black, let's have a match and see what you're made of. You all stay back, I'll spar with Big Black."

Qingshu Qinghua quickly pulled Little Black Treading Snow to the side.

Big Black looked up at him.

"Okay, you go first, you start."

It paused.

I'm afraid of hurting you, I'll be careful.

Shen Jingchuan: "Hey, you're really getting cocky."

Unsure of Big Black's true strength, he didn't dare to exert his full power, only unleashing thirty percent of his Spiritual Power before striking Big Black a palm.

The palm strike reached Big Black's shoulder.

A faint black light suddenly rose from Big Black's body, like a hard shell, which was its Demon Power.

With a loud thud, the palm struck solidly, causing the Big Black creature to sway and plow two furrows in the ground with its four hooves, but it did not fall over.

Shen Jingchuan raised an eyebrow and added two more points of force.

Big Black got a slap and became angry. With a muffled roar, it lifted its front legs and stood upright.

Two large, bowl-sized forelegs, coated in black light, slammed down on his head, creating a gust of wind.

Shen Jingchuan dared not take the blow head-on and dodged to the side.

The hoof slammed into the ground with a loud thud, sending dust flying high and creating two craters in the ground.

The moment the Big Black's four hooves touched the ground, it lowered its head, and its single horn rammed into his chest, fast and heavy.

Shen Jingchuan took two steps back and slashed the side of its neck with the edge of his palm.

The Big Black, with its thick, rough skin, flashed with a black, demonic light, yet seemed unaffected. It turned to the side, its lower back suddenly exerting force, and its two hind legs kicked up and swung backward with incredible speed and ferocity.

He was prepared and jumped away.

Shen Jingchuan understood.

Big Black's Demon Power is around the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining. He is much stronger than other cultivators of the same level and can withstand beatings, but he is slow to turn around and clumsy in his movements.

He no longer held back, unleashing sixty percent of his Spiritual Power. With a swift movement, he circled around the Big Black beast.

The Big Black dog charged wildly, using its hooves and horn to smash through the air, sending dust flying everywhere, but not a single speck of dust touched it.

After fighting for more than ten rounds, Big Black missed with a lunge, exhausted his strength, and his side was wide open.

Shen Jingchuan lunged forward, placing a palm on its waist and releasing his Spiritual Power into it.

The Big Black dog's four hooves buckled, and it staggered forward two steps. The black light dissipated, but it didn't fall down. It stood up, panting heavily.

Shen Jingchuan withdrew his hand, laughing and scolding.

"Not bad, you've got some skills. Want to try again?"

Big Black shook its large head, its voice filled with Qi Ingestion.

"No more, no more, Master, you've made my eyes blurry. You're not really fighting yet; if you were, I would have been defeated long ago. Once I advance, you won't be a match for me."

Shen Jingchuan was in Big Black when he turned around and saw Little Black next to him.

"Little Black, come on, let's practice together."

Xian'er quickly floated over to stop her.

"Don't go."

She pointed to Little Black's single, jet-black horn.

"Your Cultivation Method is excellent, Spiritual Power is abundant, but that depends on who you're comparing yourself to. At your current level, you might be able to handle ordinary cultivators at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining."

She paused.

"Little Black has just awakened and isn't very strong yet. If you really fight it, you might be able to barely manage a draw. But it can't control its Demon Power right now, and if it suddenly uses too much force, it could knock you out with an electric shock."

"This lightning suddenly erupts from its horn. If you're accidentally hit by it, you'll either die or suffer for days. Do you still want to try?"

Shen Jingchuan pondered for a moment.

He thought of the stun guns on Earth and didn't want to get shocked for no reason. If Little Black didn't know his own strength and knocked him unconscious, that would be truly miserable and embarrassing.

"Forget it, I'm not practicing anymore."

Little Black chimed in, "Master, I also feel like I can't control myself well enough, and I'm afraid I'll hurt you."

As they were talking, a chill suddenly emanated from the frost-white unicorn horn of the Treading Snow beside them, and it shone towards Shen Jingchuan.

The moment that chill touched him, Shen Jingchuan felt as if his blood had frozen. He shivered and quickly jumped away.

He pointed to the Treading Snow.

"You brat, stop right now! Are you trying to kill me? Why is it so cold? Are you trying to freeze me to death?"

The sound of Treading Snow in the snow echoed in his mind, making him laugh out loud.

"Master, I was just joking. I can stop anytime."

After explaining the situation, Shen Jingchuan turned to look at Xian'er in mid-air.

"Sister Xian'er, then I'll entrust them all to you." He cupped his hands in greeting. "I'm going out to cultivate."

Xian'er spoke to him using her Divine Sense.

"Go in peace. I know that these three horses and those two little girls will be your help in the future. You are still too weak now, and I look forward to the day when you can be of assistance to me."

Shen Jingchuan's expression turned serious.

"Sister Xian'er, don't worry. I owe everything I have today to you. As long as I'm alive, I will help you until I can rebuild your physical body and free you from this Heaven and Earth Ring."

Xian'er gazed at him quietly, a hint of relief in her eyes.

"Alright, I've got that in mind. Go and cultivate now; you don't need to worry about things in this space."

Shen Jingchuan glanced at the spirit field and the three horses again before turning to say goodbye. With a thought, he left the space and returned to his cave abode in the market.

He sat cross-legged in the Spirit Gathering Formation, taking stock of what he had been doing all this time: consolidating his foundation, nurturing his Divine Sense, and refining a large number of High-Grade Spirit Concentrating Pills and High-Grade Qi Condensing Pills.

High-grade pills contain very little toxin, and he circulates his internal energy every few days to expel that little bit of toxin from his body, so it hardly causes any harm to his health.

He had long since mastered the use of that Soul-Seizing Nail. Although he had never actually used it on anyone, following the methods taught by Xian'er, he had no problem controlling how to retrieve, release, or harm someone's soul.

And the Five Elements Heaven and Earth Ring, which he has practiced repeatedly these days, has become quite proficient in.

Shen Jingchuan sat cross-legged in the formation, silently reviewing his assets, and his confidence gradually grew.

He was no longer as wary of the Wang Household as he had been before.

Putting everything else aside, he currently commands two second-tier Demon Beasts, Little Black and Treading Snow, equivalent to two Foundation Establishment cultivators. The Wang Household's ancestor is at most a Foundation Establishment; what does he have to fear?