The War Settles, Nascent Soul Perfection!

After the war, more than a decade passed, and the iron hooves of the Giant Bear Clan trampled across the land.

In the years since the Dao Venerable E Gu attained enlightenment, the entire landscape of the Beast Realm has been completely rewritten; any race within tens of millions of miles of the Giant Bear's territory either submits or is annihilated, there is no third way.

The Mountain Bear Lineage annihilated the Frenzied Lion, the Heavenly Snake, and the Mysterious Horse; the Pale Bear Lineage swept across the Northern Wasteland, annexing dozens of small and medium-sized tribes.

The Iron Bear Lineage was even more ferocious, directly breaking through the Eastern Territory Abyss and uprooting the Bat Wing Clan that had been entrenched there.

Each of the seven main branches leads a region, like seven sharp blades, which have expanded the territory of the Giant Bear Clan many times over.

Shi Jian never went to the battlefield again.

With the main lineage's prohibition in place, he obediently stayed in Divine Firmament Plain, managing his territory and diligently cultivating to the point of perfecting his immortal Immortal Foundation.

Over the years, he devoted all the resources he had captured from battles such as Fallen Fire Valley and Burning Lion City to his cultivation.

A large number of spiritual items Dao of Lightning were refined, and a powerful aura surged into the Dantian; within the Nascent Soul, strands of the original aura condensed.

From twenty strands, to twenty-five strands, and then to thirty strands...

Spiritual practice knows no time.

While Shi Jian was in seclusion, the world outside was still changing.

Rising stars emerged from all branches, including a young bear demon with remarkable talent who distinguished himself in the conquests; though not as terrifying as Shi Jian was back then, he was still a remarkable figure.

Several years later, the war gradually subsided.

It's not that the Giant Bear Clan didn't want to fight anymore, but rather that they had already fought all the ones they could.

Within a radius of nearly ten million miles, no other tribe dared to challenge the giant bear; even the remaining forces hiding in the corners of the country sent envoys to kneel and present their letters of submission.

The Dao Venerable E Gu issued a decree, establishing the boundaries.

The region is centered around seven main veins, each occupying a territory; beneath them are more than eighty branch veins in the inner border regions, which protect the main veins and enjoy their protection and resource allocation.

Further out, there are more than three hundred small mountain ranges in the remote border areas, which serve as both barriers and outposts.

The Lightning Bear Line is prominently listed among the more than eighty branches of the inner border regions.

The territory spans 300,000 li, with several large Spirit Vein traversing the east, west, north, and south, and hundreds and thousands of spiritual mountains scattered throughout the land.

It is sufficient to support the cultivation needs of hundreds of millions of Demon Beast.

Given time, it will eventually build up into a powerful branch; this shows the Mountain Bear Lineage's investment in the Lightning Bear branch.

Clearly, they intend to turn the Lightning Bear Line into their strongest ally.

On this day, deep within the Divine Firmament Plain, in Shi Jian's secluded stone hall, a great spiritual light shone forth.

He sat cross-legged on the futon, and within his nascent Nascent Soul, the thirty-sixth strand of vital energy finally condensed into form.

Thirty-six strands of energy intertwined and circulated within the Dantian, resembling a miniature thunderous dome; each strand contained extremely pure Dao of Lightning origin, resonating with each other to form a naturally formed power of the Great Dao.

In an instant, the Nascent Soul Perfection!

Shi Jian slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of lightning disappeared into the depths of his purple-gold beast pupils.

He raised his hand and clenched his fist, feeling the surging, powerful energy within his body; compared to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, the power of the Perfected Immortal Foundation was more than doubled.

The Purple Pivot Lightning flowed through his meridians, and wherever it passed, even the walls of the meridians glowed faintly. What concerned him even more was his Divine Sense.

Shi Jian closed his eyes and spread his Divine Sense out without reservation.

That invisible force of perception spread in all directions like a rising tide; penetrating the stone palace, penetrating the mountains, penetrating the earth.

It could almost take in the entire Divine Firmament Plain, a territory spanning 300,000 li.

Every patrolling bear demon, every flowing Spirit Vein, and every piece of ore contains the Heaven and Earth Qi Dynamic, revealed in every detail.

This level of Divine Sense coverage has already surpassed the Nascent Soul stage.

"Spirit Transformation."

Shi Jian's lips curled up slightly. The strength of his Divine Sense had completely rivaled that of Spirit Transformation cultivator; it was even superior to some newly entered Spirit Transformation demon immortals.

This is thanks to the continuous refinement of Soul Lightning over the years.

The breakthrough in his realm, coupled with the accumulation of Enlightenment System year after year, led to a complete transformation and solidification of his soul.

Furthermore, through repeated battles and challenges to his own limits, his spirit became increasingly solidified. Coupled with the enhancement of his bloodline by the Barbarian Bone Dao Fruit, his physical body and spirit progressed in tandem.

Shi Jian stood up, his bones making a series of crisp cracking sounds.

After more than ten years of seclusion, he had accumulated many chronic ailments; he stretched his limbs, and the entrances to his cave abode opened one by one.

As Heavenly Light streamed in, Shi Jian squinted.

The sky over Divine Firmament Plain was a clear, deep blue, with rolling mountains in the distance, brimming with Spiritual Qi; the territory had changed dramatically compared to more than ten years ago.

Newly built demon caves are scattered like stars in the sky; patrolling bear demons occasionally fly overhead, and the Lightning Bear Line is gradually improving.

Everything was in perfect order.

Just as Shi Jian stepped out of the stone hall a few steps, a streak of earth-yellow light shot towards him from afar.

Shan Li.

Her figure landed in front of Shi Jian, her bright yellow robe fluttering in the wind; compared to more than ten years ago, her temperament was more composed, and there was a touch of maternal gentleness between her brows.

But those spirited eyes still shone brightly.

"You've finally decided to come out?"

Shan Li looked him up and down, then sniffed.

"Um."

"Is it complete?"

"Um."

Shan Li took a step closer and patted Shi Jian on the chest.

That palm strike was no light one; it was imbued with the power of Earth Dao Immortal Foundation. Yet, when it landed on Shi Jian, it was like a tickle. This woman was still incredibly fierce.

"Sure, it's as hard as a lump of iron."

Shan Li grinned, then grabbed his ear. "You've been in seclusion for over a decade, not even showing your son's face. You're really something!"

"Cultivation is of utmost importance."

"Cultivation is important? Your youngest son can already run around, but you, as his father, haven't even seen him once!"

Shan Li released his grip, took out a communication Jade Slip from his robes, and tossed it to him.

"Xiao'er sent a letter back a couple of days ago, saying that he was out training and had killed two Golden Core Demon Beast; he is currently in seclusion to consolidate his cultivation and should be able to return before the end of the year."

Shi Xiao, his eldest son.

Shi Jian took the Jade Slip and probed it with his Divine Sense.

Shi Xiao's voice came through, his tone much calmer. He had already reached the Golden Core Realm, which was impressive among bear demons of his age.

He is already outstanding, deserving the title of genius!

"Is Xiao'er's Golden Core still stable?"

"Very steady, just like his father."

Shan Li snorted, "He's just like you, always burying his head in cultivation without saying a word, only answering half a sentence out of ten questions."

Shi Jian put the Jade Slip slip away, then suddenly remembered something.

What about the younger one?

Shan Li's expression changed instantly, from dissatisfaction to a strange sense of smugness, and she reached behind her and beckoned.

A furry thing rolled out of the bushes in the distance.

It was a bear cub, pure white, its fur exactly the same color as Shi Jian's pale giant bear body; its round body was only a few feet in size, its four short legs kicking very fast, making it wobble as it ran, looking just like a white ball of fluff.

What's even more striking is that tiny, bluish-white arcs of lightning occasionally flashed out from the bear cub's fur.

Clatter

The bear cub was running too fast and tripped over a stone, rolling forward twice; a blue-white arc of lightning crackled and popped, scorching a small patch of the surrounding grass.

The bear cub got up, shook its fur, and acted as if nothing had happened; it continued to run towards Shi Jian on its short legs.

Shi Jian squatted down and reached out to scoop up the ball of fluff.

The bear cub writhed in his palm, nudging his fingers with its wet nose and making soft whimpering sounds.

Its round, black bean-like eyes curiously observed the unfamiliar bear.

"Shi Lei," Shan Li said, hands on his hips, "Your father, call him father."

The bear cub tilted its head and bit Shi Jian's finger; its teeth hadn't fully grown in yet, so the bite was itchy but didn't hurt.

Shi Jian looked down at the little guy and gently probed into him with his Divine Sense.

A vibrant aura of Dao of Lightning pulsed slowly within the young bear's body. Though faint, it was extremely pure; its talent in Dao of Lightning was even superior to that of Shi Xiao in his childhood.

"How's your Root Bone?" Shan Li asked, leaning closer.

"He has a very high affinity for Dao of Lightning, but he doesn't follow the same path as me; this kid is more suited to cultivating the path of Frenzied Thunder."

Shi Jian held the bear cub in his palm, watching the bluish-white lightning arcs darting among the white fur. "But in terms of talent in the art of Dao of Lightning, it's even stronger than Xiao'er was when he was little."

Shan Li chuckled and poked the bear cub's round belly.

"Of course, when I was pregnant with him, I ate a lot of Nascent Soul blood and flesh; this little rascal started absorbing Dao of Lightning energy even in the womb, he's incredibly clever."

The bear cub, its belly poked, snorted unhappily, shrank into Shi Jian's palm, and clung to his fingers with its paws, refusing to let go.

Shi Jian watched this scene with a calm expression, but his heart softened for once.

With one son at the Golden Core stage undergoing training elsewhere and the other still a child, and with Shan Li overseeing the territory, the future of the Lightning Bear Line finally began to take shape.

"Oh, right."

Shan Li suddenly remembered something and took out a bone-white token from his storage Law Treasure.

"The main branch issued an order the day before yesterday that the borders have been determined; each branch within the inner borders must send a representative to the main branch's ancestral temple to participate in the Territory Enfeoffment Ceremony."

She tossed the token to Shi Jian, "Now that you've reached the Nascent Soul Perfection, the clan will probably have to re-rank you."

Shi Jian took the token and glanced at it.

The back of the token is engraved with a line of small characters: Three months later, at the Mountain Bear Ancestral Court, all lineages will pay homage.

"The Territory Enfeoffment Ceremony..."

Shi Jian put away the token, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The structure of the Giant Bear Clan has been established: seven main branches, over eighty inner territories, and three hundred distant territories. This grand ceremony, though ostensibly a demarcation of territories, is in reality a re-demarcation of the spheres of influence and discourse power of each branch.

How much benefit he can gain from this grand ceremony, now that he Nascent Soul Perfection, depends on his influence and status.

"Come on, it's been so long since we've seen each other, let's eat first."

Shan Li grabbed Shi Jian's shoulder, "You've been in seclusion for over ten years, and look how weak you are! Tonight, I'll personally treat you to a good restorative treatment, and then I'll test your skills tonight!"

Shi Jian was led forward by her arm, a smile spreading across his face; then he looked down at the little guy, and then looked up at the distant, rolling mountains.

A territory spanning 300,000 li, two sons, and a shrew.

Life isn't so bad.

He is not far from reaching the Spirit Transformation, but he wonders what Spirit Transformation stage is like!