A Year Away

Cultivation knew no seasons. A year passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Shen Fan turned twenty. After finishing his final set of punches, he stood quietly in the middle of the courtyard.

Feeling the surging qi and blood within him, Shen Fan smiled.

"My last first-rate technique has broken through, too!"

He opened the Status Panel and looked it over:

Host: Shen Fan

Aptitude: 32 (Rare in a century)

Physique: Ice Spirit Body

Lifespan: 400

Martial Path: Savage Bull Fist (Major Accomplishment), True Combined Strength (Major Accomplishment), Three Yuan Art (Major Accomplishment), Ape Strike Technique (Major Accomplishment), Thousand Mechanisms Hand (Major Accomplishment), Iron Shirt (Major Accomplishment), Startling Swan Art (Major Accomplishment), Great River True Scripture (Major Accomplishment), Sea Wave Fist (Major Accomplishment), Evergreen Cultivation Method (Beginner), Cold Shadow Art (Minor Accomplishment)...

Realm: Innate Layer Four

There were many more techniques on the Status Panel now. Every technique below the Innate Realm had reached Major Accomplishment. Even Cold Shadow Art, an Innate Cultivation Method, had reached Minor Accomplishment, and his realm had broken through to Innate Layer Four.

At Innate Layer Four, Shen Fan possessed an unimaginable amount of True Qi. His foundation was so solid that when he broke through, he had immediately gained over a hundred strands of True Qi. With each subsequent increase in realm, the True Qi within him had surged explosively.

By the time he reached his limit, Shen Fan possessed over ten thousand strands of True Qi.

At Innate Layer Four, Shen Fan had already compressed nearly a third of his True Qi. Thousands of strands had condensed into liquid, flowing quietly through his meridians like a little stream.

With the True Qi he now possessed, he could easily withstand the attacks of someone at Innate Peak.

As he mastered more techniques, Shen Fan's lifespan had also increased to four hundred years, and his aptitude had broken through to the next stage.

His aptitude, rare in a century, had awakened a special physique when he broke through to the Innate Realm: the Ice Spirit Body. Perhaps because of the techniques he practiced, this physique was exceptionally well suited to his Cold Shadow Art.

Cultivating Cold Shadow Art had become twice as effective with half the effort. That was an important reason he had managed to bring it to Minor Accomplishment in just one short year.

Of course, awakening the Ice Spirit Body had done more than simply increase his cultivation speed. This was a special physique, after all, and its boost to his combat strength was terrifying as well.

The ice-attributed True Qi Shen Fan cultivated far surpassed that of ordinary people. Even the founder of Cold Shadow Art could hardly have unleashed power this fearsome.

When Shen Fan struck with his palm, he could actually freeze his target. The effect far exceeded what an Innate martial art ought to be capable of; it even carried a hint of the Core Formation Realm.

Moreover, Evergreen Cultivation Method, which had troubled Shen Fan for so long, had finally reached Beginner. It turned out that the prerequisite for cultivating it was to first reach the Innate Realm.

Evergreen Cultivation Method was already quite effective at Beginner. Evergreen True Qi had formed within him, and it wasn't meant specifically for combat; instead, it had excellent support effects.

With Evergreen True Qi, Shen Fan's recovery speed had greatly increased. Some injuries could heal in an instant, vastly improving his ability to stay alive.

However, after reaching Beginner, his progress in Evergreen Cultivation Method had slowed considerably. It lagged far behind Cold Shadow Art.

Since Shen Fan wanted to break through to the next realm quickly, he continued to focus on Cold Shadow Art.

But no matter what, Evergreen Cultivation Method was undeniably a technique of an exceptionally high grade!

After mastering every first- and second-rate martial art in Laiyang City, Shen Fan had become completely immune to these low-level techniques.

From now on, only Innate martial arts or those above the Innate Realm could help him improve!

So, if he wanted to keep making progress, Shen Fan would eventually have to leave this little city.

And today might just be the right day.

"Senior Brother, why are you standing there? Come practice!" Li An spotted Shen Fan and looked a little puzzled.

But Shen Fan opened his eyes and didn't move. Instead, he smiled faintly. "Junior Brother, you've reached Major Accomplishment in True Combined Strength, haven't you?"

"Major Accomplishment? Yeah, I reached it half a year ago!" Li An answered without a second thought.

"Good. In that case, it's time for me to leave," Shen Fan said slowly, leaving Li An feeling a pang of sadness.

"Senior Brother, are you really leaving?"

"Yes. Laiyang City is simply too small." Shen Fan lifted his head and gazed at the azure sky, his voice slightly distant.

"That's true. A True Dragon like you could never stay in a little place like Laiyang City forever, could you?" Li An fought back his tears.

"Senior Brother, after you leave, will you come back to visit us?" Li An asked, hopeful.

But Shen Fan fell silent. A definite yes seemed unrealistic, while a no would hurt too much.

After considering it for a moment, Shen Fan smiled and said, "I'll come back."

He didn't say he would come back to see the people he knew, because even Shen Fan didn't know when he would return.

His lifespan had already far surpassed that of ordinary people. Perhaps, once his realm grew higher, a single retreat could last as long as a mortal's entire lifetime. If that happened, even if he returned, he might not see Li An again.

Even so, Li An was satisfied with that answer. He nodded. "Senior Brother, you're sure to become someone important. I wish you a safe journey!"

Li An offered Shen Fan his sincerest blessing.

Shen Fan left. Before going, he gave Li An a first-rate technique. He returned the other techniques from the City Lord's Mansion to Zhang Longyun.

He also left behind the Cold Shadow Art, as thanks for the Martial Hall's kindness in teaching him.

When Liu Zhen returned home that night, he suddenly found a first-rate technique beside his bed. He was wondering about it when a thought suddenly struck him.

That night, he didn't sleep. He sat in the courtyard, drinking wine and gazing at the full moon until dawn.

He knew that the man who'd seemed like a legend had finally left.

Shen Fan was gone. Almost no one knew except Li An, but there was no need for many people to know. Some people were born with no need to be remembered by others. Their mark was already there, branded upon the world.

A legend, eternal and undying.

With a simple bundle on his back, Shen Fan swept low across the ground like a giant bird. At that speed, he could travel a thousand li in a day.

But the Black Dragon Mountain Range was simply too vast. Crossing it would take Shen Fan at least half a month.

For ordinary Martial Artists, this would have been impossibly difficult. Crossing the Black Dragon Mountain Range was far too dangerous. But for Shen Fan, already at Innate Layer Four, the challenge was manageable.

Besides, he didn't need to cross the central region. By skirting the outer edges, he could avoid many dangers.

With patience and caution, Shen Fan finally emerged after more than half a month.

After traveling through wind and dust, Shen Fan looked thoroughly disheveled. Despite taking every possible precaution, the unexpected had still happened.

After seven or eight days on the road, when he was closest to the heart of the mountain range, he encountered danger despite having taken a detour.

Some powerful Demonic Beasts sensed his presence, and a grueling chase began.

The Demonic Beasts deep in the mountain range were far beyond anything Shen Fan had imagined.

Having read extensively, Shen Fan knew that Demonic Beasts were divided into several ranks.

The lowest rank was the Lesser Demon, a beast that had only just become demonic. Demonic Beasts at the Innate Realm were all Lesser Demons; those at the Core Formation Realm were called Demon Generals. Above them were Great Demons, Demon Kings, and the legendary Demon Emperors.

Lesser Demons had already begun to develop intelligence. By the Demon General level, their intelligence was more or less comparable to that of ordinary people.

The ones pursuing Shen Fan were several Demon Generals: a Three-headed Bird, a Wind Chasing Wolf, and a Hellhound!

Shen Fan was no match for them at the Innate Realm, so he could only flee. Fortunately, he had cultivated several Light Body Cultivation Methods and Explosive Cultivation Methods, so he was still faster than the Demon Generals.

In the end, he escaped with his life. But Shen Fan remembered those beasts. He thought that once he grew stronger, he would go back and settle the score!

He, Shen Fan, was no magnanimous man!