Shen Haoran remained in a coma for two whole days. This was only because he had awakened the world's most powerful Chaos Body. Had this happened before, he would have been lucky to be alive, let alone wake up in just two days. The severity of his injuries was clear.
"Hsss!" Shen Haoran stirred awake and tried to move, but the immense pain made him suck in a sharp breath. He had no choice but to lie still on the bed, not daring to budge.
"Damn it, that old bastard Ge Xiong really didn't pull his punches. If I hadn't dodged to protect my vitals, that one palm strike would have been the end of me!" Shen Haoran cursed.
Seeing Shen Haoran's miserable state, Elder Yan gloated, "Serves you right. Who told you to act so tough? You just had to take that palm strike head-on. It would've been fine if you'd just let me block it for you."
"Hehe, I just wanted to test the limits of this body's toughness. I just... underestimated my opponent's strength!" As it turned out, when Ge Xiong had launched his palm strike, Elder Yan had offered to block it for Shen Haoran, but he had refused. And that was why he was now stuck in bed, unable to move.
"Hmph. Only you would be foolish enough to gamble with your own life!" Elder Yan said, his face stern.
In response, Shen Haoran could only offer a sheepish laugh. This time, he really had been too impulsive.
"All right, that's enough. Calm your mind and focus. Guide the Spiritual Power in your body to clear those blocked meridians. If you don't and there are lasting repercussions, you'll regret it when it's too late!" Seeing that Shen Haoran understood his mistake, Elder Yan's tone softened with concern.
"Okay, okay." Hearing this, Shen Haoran quickly did as he was told. 'This could affect my entire future in Cultivation; I can't afford to be careless!'
However, when Shen Haoran's Spiritual Thought probed his body, he found that most of his blocked meridians had already been cleared. Only a few crucial ones, like those around his heart and Dantian, remained obstructed.
"For the two days you were unconscious, your grandfather was the one clearing your meridians. However, he didn't dare to rashly work on critical areas like your heart and Dantian. It's a good thing he didn't, too. Otherwise, the fact that you possess a Spirit Pill would have been exposed!" Elder Yan explained.
Hearing Elder Yan's words, Shen Haoran felt a warmth spread through his chest. Even though they hadn't seen each other in five years, he knew his grandfather had always been watching over him from the shadows. Just two days ago in the main hall, he had been willing to turn against the Ge Family for his sake. It was clear how much his grandfather doted on him.
After a moment of elation, Shen Haoran immediately refocused his mind. He connected with the Spirit Pill inside him and carefully drew out a sliver of Spiritual Power to begin clearing the meridians around his Dantian. He controlled this sliver of Spiritual Power, pushing it forward bit by bit. The spasming of his meridians sent waves of pain that contorted his face, forcing him to grit his teeth. Fortunately, he made no mistakes. With his precise control, he managed to clear the meridians in both locations by noon.
Once the meridians were cleared, Shen Haoran spat out a mouthful of black blood. The pain in his body diminished greatly, replaced by an indescribable sense of comfort. He carefully assessed his condition and was thrilled to discover he was showing signs of another breakthrough!
"This is... a blessing in disguise! Haha!" Shen Haoran exclaimed, thrilled.
CREAK... Just as Shen Haoran was celebrating, the door was pushed open and Old Sir Shen walked in. He was utterly shocked to see Shen Haoran sitting up in bed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Haoran, when did you wake up?" Old Sir Shen asked. Two days ago, when he had cleared Haoran's meridians, the boy's body had been a complete wreck. He had estimated it would take at least seven or eight days for him to regain consciousness! Yet here he was, only two days later, sitting perfectly fine in front of him, laughing like an idiot. How could he not be stunned?
Seeing Old Sir Shen, Shen Haoran quickly wiped the goofy expression off his face and pretended as if nothing was amiss. "Grandfather, I just woke up!"
"Just now?" Old Sir Shen sounded skeptical.
Seeing his grandfather's "don't-try-to-fool-me" expression, Shen Haoran hurriedly explained, "It's true! I was asleep and suddenly coughed up a big mouthful of black blood. My body felt much lighter after that, and then I woke up!" He even pointed to the puddle of black blood he had just spat out.
"Oh, is that so?" Old Sir Shen said. "Let me check your pulse and see if your body has recovered." He grabbed Shen Haoran's arm and began to inspect his condition.
The examination only deepened Old Sir Shen's confusion. He found that Shen Haoran's meridians were completely clear. But when he had left yesterday, the meridians around his Dantian and heart had definitely still been blocked. 'Could Haoran have cleared them himself?' Old Sir Shen wondered, but he immediately dismissed the idea. Shen Haoran was still in the Spirit Tempering Stage. While those in the Spirit Tempering Stage did possess Spiritual Power, it was latent, infused within their bones and meridians. They couldn't actively control Spiritual Qi to clear their own meridians like a Martial Artist who possessed a Spirit Pill.
To confirm whether Shen Haoran's meridians were truly clear, Old Sir Shen sent a sliver of his own Spiritual Power into his grandson's body, slowly guiding it toward his Dantian. But he had underestimated the situation. His Spiritual Power moved with extreme difficulty through Shen Haoran's body, and as it neared the Dantian, it could barely advance an inch.
'This...' Old Sir Shen was astounded. His Spiritual Power, that of a Spirit General, was being blocked inside the body of a boy in the Spirit Tempering Stage? It hadn't been like this two days ago! This only piqued his curiosity further. He immediately increased his output of Spiritual Power, sending it rushing toward Shen Haoran's Dantian.
At that moment, Shen Haoran also sensed that something was amiss within his body. Old Sir Shen's Spiritual Power was of the Fire Attribute, and the increased output caused the Spiritual Power in Shen Haoran's body to churn and boil. But Shen Haoran wasn't concerned. He trusted that his grandfather would never harm him.
The deep-red Spiritual Power surged forward triumphantly, quickly arriving at Shen Haoran's Dantian. Old Sir Shen could now clearly see the area around his grandson's Dantian: a sea of gray mist shrouded it completely, obscuring whatever was inside.
Just as Old Sir Shen prepared to push his Spiritual Power further, the gray sea of mist churned. An immense suction force erupted from it, completely devouring his deep-red Spiritual Power. In that same instant, Old Sir Shen lost all control over his Spiritual Power, and his Spiritual Thought was forcibly ejected from Shen Haoran's body!
"This... How is this possible!" Old Sir Shen reeled in shock.
Shen Haoran was just as astonished. He had only felt a warmth spread from his Dantian before the Spirit Pill within it spun out of control. An immense suction force had erupted, swallowing Old Sir Shen's Spiritual Power, and then, to Shen Haoran's utter amazement, assimilated it completely!
After assimilating Old Sir Shen's Spiritual Power, the Spirit Pill began to spin rapidly. An even more potent stream of Spiritual Power flowed out from it, instantly surging into every one of Shen Haoran's cells, bones, and meridians. A powerful aura erupted from within him. Having already been on the verge of a breakthrough, Shen Haoran, after assimilating his grandfather's Spiritual Power, successfully broke through to Spirit Tempering Tier Seven!
"Haaa..." Shen Haoran exhaled a turbid breath, feeling incredibly light and refreshed. His previous injuries were completely gone, and his energy flowed more smoothly than ever before. "This is amazing! Haha!" He couldn't help but laugh aloud.
Watching his grandson suddenly break through right before his eyes, Old Sir Shen realized the boy had become an enigma, one that even he could no longer see through. While he was gratified, he also grew worried. The course of events was deviating completely from what Shen Haoran's mother had planned.
'Could this be fate?' Old Sir Shen thought, gazing at Shen Haoran. It seemed he had made a decision.