Trial Refinement

At the entrance of the Shi family's residence.

Shi Jian, Han Feng, and Yang Hai looked at Shi Yan, who stood before the Earth Dragon.

Yang Hai glanced over, his brow furrowed slightly. This kid has gotten much thinner, he thought. He must have gone through a lot of hardship these past few days.

Shi Jian and Han Feng merely swept their eyes over Shi Yan, but their pupils suddenly brightened, and expressions of surprise appeared on their faces.

Yang Hai, who did not cultivate martial arts, naturally didn't know that a person's thinness didn't necessarily mean their body was weak.

Sometimes, a lean body could contain an explosive power several times greater than that of a burly man!

Shi Jian and Han Feng were both connoisseurs. Even with just a distant glance, they could tell that Shi Yan's body was far stronger than before. It was even more robust than that of the third-generation Shi family disciples who had cultivated diligently for over a decade.

The two exchanged a look, finding surprise in each other's eyes.

They couldn't understand what had happened to Shi Yan in just over half a year to cause even his bones to change.

After a few minutes, Shi Yan, Han Zhong, and their group finally arrived at the Shi family entrance.

"Great Uncle, Uncle Han, Father," Shi Yan said, his footsteps steady as he approached the entrance and greeted them.

Han Zhong walked over, exchanged pleasantries with Shi Jian and Han Feng, nodded at Yang Hai, and then stood beside Shi Yan without speaking.

Shi Jian and Han Feng's gazes were sharp, their eyes constantly scanning Shi Yan.

After a long moment, Shi Jian's eyelids twitched. He took a deep breath and said to Shi Yan, "Come with me." With that, Shi Jian turned and walked towards the inner courtyard of the Shi family, his steps significantly lighter.

Anyone familiar with Shi Jian could tell he was extremely excited at that moment.

"Kid, perform well!" Han Zhong winked at Shi Yan, hinting that good times were coming.

Shi Yan's expression was calm. He nodded gently and said to Yang Hai beside him, "Father, did you all wait for me specifically?"

Yang Hai's face was stern, but a peculiar smile played on his lips. "No one waited specifically for you. We just wanted to see what's going on with your body, to see if you've truly broken through to the Innate Realm."

"Han Zhong, come with me. I have something to ask you," Han Feng said, glancing at Han Zhong before turning and walking in another direction.

Han Zhong's face fell. He drooped his head and reluctantly followed his elder brother's footsteps, heading in a different direction from Shi Jian.

"Let's go, don't keep Great Uncle waiting," Yang Hai muttered, tugging at Shi Yan's sleeve. He lowered his voice, "What exactly is going on with you?"

"Great Uncle will definitely ask this question later, so we can talk about it then," Shi Yan smiled. He didn't show much of the expected respect to his father, Yang Hai.

Yang Hai was slightly stunned. He stared at Shi Yan blankly and said strangely, "You're a bit different from before, kid. You used to be straightforward; you'd answer whatever I asked. Now... you don't seem afraid of me anymore? Kid, have your wings grown strong enough that you don't care about me, huh?"

"You're my father, why should I be afraid of you?" Shi Yan asked in surprise. "Should I be afraid of you?"

"This isn't like you. You never spoke to me in that tone before," Yang Hai frowned, staring intently at Shi Yan for a good while before shaking his head and muttering to himself, "You brat, you're different now that you're a Martial Artist. Even your courage has increased significantly."

"Let's go, don't keep Great Uncle waiting," Shi Yan said with a smile.

After parting ways with Han Zhong, they quickly disappeared from the Shi family entrance, heading towards the inner courtyard from different directions.

The Shi family Martial Artists gathered at the entrance looked somewhat bewildered and whispered in surprise.

"The Patriarch wouldn't be waiting for Young Master Yan, would he? Did I misunderstand?"

"I don't know. I'm also very strange. The Patriarch never appeared with Young Master Yan before and never seemed to care about Young Master Yan's messy affairs. What's going on this time?"

"Who knows? Did Young Master Yan get into big trouble again? That's not right, though. Doesn't the son-in-law always resolve the trouble Young Master Yan gets into? Even though Young Master Yan causes a lot of trouble in the Merchant Alliance, there's never been a need for the Patriarch to step in, right?"

"Perhaps Young Master Yan has truly gotten into immense trouble this time. Who can say for sure?"

"Stop gossiping. From now on, you'd best show Young Master Yan some respect. Young Master Yan is no longer the bookworm he used to be. If you continue to be careless, don't blame me for not warning you when you face misfortune," Karl said, after arranging the Earth Dragon. Seeing the others still chattering, he couldn't help but scold them.

"Karl, what's going on? You came back with Young Master Yan. Do you know the situation?" a Martial Artist, who was friendly with Karl, asked.

"You'll know soon enough," Karl said with a proud smile. "Young Master Yan will surprise you all."

"What situation?"

"What exactly is going on?"

Their curiosity was piqued, and their gossip fires blazed. They surrounded Karl, relentlessly questioning him.

"I can't say for now, but you should find out soon enough." Karl ignored them, squeezed through the crowd, and walked away with the other Martial Artists he encountered along the way.

The rear of the Shi family.

In the center of the vast training ground, the rhombic Trial Jade Crystal gleamed under the sunlight, emitting a dazzling and magnificent radiance, like a miniature sun.

Shi Jian stood beside the Trial Jade Crystal. As Shi Yan and Yang Hai approached, he reached out and struck the Trial Jade Crystal. A burst of light suddenly flew from his palm into the crystal.

The normally dazzling Trial Jade Crystal's light dimmed completely, revealing its original color.

"Infuse your Essence into the Trial Jade Crystal," Shi Jian commanded in a deep voice, his eyes shining with divine light.

Shi Yan calmly walked forward, arriving beside the Trial Jade Crystal. He placed his left hand on it and channeled his Essence, which surged into the crystal.

The silver-white Trial Jade Crystal revealed intricate patterns. A faint, orange-yellow light gradually began to shine from within, growing brighter and more distinct.

"That's enough," Shi Jian's lips trembled slightly. His gaze remained fixed on Shi Yan. "I heard that our Shi family's Martial Soul... has also awakened within you?"

"Yes."

"Let me see."

"Okay."

Shi Yan extended a hand and rolled up his sleeve a bit.

With a thought, his arm slowly petrified, gradually revealing a dark brown color.

"Dark brown!"

Shi Jian and Yang Hai exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief as they stared in shock at the exposed section of Shi Yan's arm that had turned dark brown.

"Is it the lighting?" Yang Hai blinked hard, rubbed his eyes, then looked up at the dazzling sunlight and muttered, "Am I seeing things?"

Hearing him say that, Shi Jian also felt a bit doubtful. He grabbed Shi Yan's arm and said, "Come with me! Let's go to the shaded area behind this rock. It's out of the direct light, so there won't be any color distortion."

Shi Yan didn't resist, letting Shi Jian grab him as he calmly followed him to the back of a large rock.

"It really is dark brown!"

Shi Jian roared, his breathing slightly heavier. His eyes gleamed as he stared intently at Shi Yan, saying gravely, "You brat, what exactly is going on? Why, why is your Martial Soul dark brown? Could it be, could it really be the second stage?"

"That's right, it is indeed the second stage. I only have the cultivation of the Innate Realm, but my Martial Soul is already in the second stage!"

"Give me a reasonable explanation! In our Shi family, from our ancestors down to our generation, this phenomenon has never occurred! Our Martial Souls never enter the second stage until the Human Position realm. You are the first! What on earth happened? What happened to you?!" Shi Jian was almost going mad.

"Ahem, it's like this..." Shi Yan repeated the story he had told Han Zhong before.

After he finished speaking, he noticed that Shi Jian remained motionless, still staring at him with wide eyes and a peculiar expression.

"Great Uncle, what's with that expression? I've already explained it."

"You're saying that three strange crimson fruits made you awaken your Martial Soul? And made your Martial Soul so strange? And gave you Essence within your body, allowing you to rapidly advance to the Innate Third Heaven Realm?" Shi Jian's expression grew stranger and stranger. He asked in a low voice, "Just because of three fruits?"

"Yes, that's it."

"Where did those fruits appear? I'll send people to look for more of them right now."

"They're gone. There were only three. I searched for a long time afterward but never saw them again."

"You brat, you're not fooling me, are you?" Shi Jian looked suspicious, clearly not believing him.

Of course I'm fooling you, Shi Yan thought to himself.

Outwardly, however, he maintained a serious expression and affirmed, "I really don't know what's going on. All I know is that after eating the fruit, I became like this. I don't know anything else, and I don't know why my Martial Soul is different from others."

He gritted his teeth, determined to stick to his story.

Shi Jian questioned him several more times, trying various methods to probe him, but Shi Yan just kept shaking his head, claiming he truly didn't know anything else.

After several attempts, Shi Jian gave up questioning him. He pondered for a while before saying, "Your Martial Soul has turned dark brown. Hmm... um, has the special characteristic of your Martial Soul changed along with it? I mean, has its color changed, but its strength is still only at the first stage?"

"If my senses are correct, it should be at the second stage."

"Let me try." Shi Jian, being impatient, reached out and placed his hand on Shi Yan's chest. "Kid, quickly cover your body with Petrification! Don't be afraid, I'll increase my strength bit by bit, I won't hurt you."

"Okay."

Shi Yan knew Shi Jian wouldn't harm him, so he had no reservations. He immediately petrified his body and calmly watched Shi Jian's hand.

Gradually, a dark light flashed on Shi Jian's hand. The power fluctuations within the dark light became increasingly apparent, as if it were impacting Shi Yan's chest bit by bit.

Suddenly, Shi Jian's hand retracted all the dark light as if it were a sponge.

Shi Jian's old face was filled with excitement. He nodded repeatedly, overjoyed. "Good! It's indeed the second stage! You brat, I don't know how you did it, but starting today, you're not allowed to slack off! Whether you want to or not, I will force you to become a Martial Artist!"