The next day, as the first rays of morning sun fell upon Shen Haoran's face, his tightly closed eyes slowly fluttered open. He got out of bed, stretched his limbs, quickly washed up, and headed outside.
Shen Haoran was thrilled. Today was the day Elder Yan would help him awaken his Chaos Divine Body. From this day forward, he, Shen Haoran, would no longer be a byword for "useless." He wouldn't have to walk on eggshells around others anymore!
After leaving his room, Shen Haoran saw that Aunt Xue was still sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he left a note and hurried toward the back mountain. Elder Yan had told him they needed to find a secluded spot, and the back mountain was full of them.
The Shen Family estate was quiet in the early morning. Aside from a few people practicing their morning routines, the paths were empty. Shen Haoran went unnoticed, allowing him to move quickly. Just as he was about to enter the back mountain, Elder Yan's voice echoed in his mind, "Shen the kid, you're being followed. Watch your back!"
Shen Haoran's heart skipped a beat. He focused his senses and confirmed that an aura was indeed tailing him. He was immediately puzzled. 'For the past five years, I've kept an extremely low profile in the Shen Family and haven't caused any trouble. Who would be following me this early in the morning?'
'Could it be Shen Cheng and Shen Yue?' Shen Haoran could only think of the two of them, as they were the only ones in the Shen Family with whom he'd ever had a conflict.
'Hmph. Following me, are you? Let's just see who you are!' With that thought, Shen Haoran quickened his pace and vanished around a corner.
Moments after Shen Haoran disappeared, a figure quickened their pace in pursuit. As they rounded the corner, a pair of large hands shot out and seized her. She was caught before she even had time to react!
The large hands belonged to Shen Haoran. But before he could question his captive, he was startled by a sharp shriek.
"AHH!"
After the shriek subsided, Shen Haoran finally got his bearings and took a clear look at the person before him. It was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen, dressed in a cyan robe. A cascade of black hair was draped casually down her back, and her delicate features were so perfect they looked as though they had been sculpted.
"Ling... Ling'Er? Is that you?" Shen Haoran asked in disbelief. He had assumed his pursuer was Shen Cheng or his cronies; he never imagined it would be Shen Ling'Er!
This was the same Shen Ling'Er who had grown up with Shen Haoran. As a child, she had always been his little shadow, constantly trailing after him with a runny nose. After Shen Haoran's Cultivation stagnated and he was branded a "useless," the family Elders forbade her from having any contact with him. But she could never forget her Brother Xuan and would always sneak out to play and cultivate with him.
Later still, Shen Ling'Er was discovered to be a Cultivation genius of the family. She reached Spirit Tempering Tier Six at the age of twelve, and now, at fourteen, had reached the Peak of Spirit Tempering Tier Seven! Because of this, she was practically locked away and intensively trained by those "old geezers" on the council. Shen Haoran sometimes went months without seeing her. To think that she would be tailing him this morning!
"B-Brother Xuan... your hand... c-could you move it?" Shen Ling'Er stammered, her face blushing crimson as she looked up at Shen Haoran.
"My hand?" Shen Haoran asked, confused. He looked down and only then realized his palm was resting on top of Shen Ling'Er's head.
"Ah... sorry about that, I didn't mean to!" Shen Haoran hastily pulled his hand back, but not before shamelessly giving her hair a playful ruffle.
Of course, Shen Haoran's little stunt didn't escape Shen Ling'Er's notice. Her face instantly turned an even deeper shade of red.
Looking at the bashful Shen Ling'Er before him, Shen Haoran felt a moment of dazed wonder. 'To think that the snot-nosed little shadow who used to follow me around has grown into such a beautiful young woman! How times have changed.'
"Ling'Er, what are you doing sneaking around after me this early? Shouldn't you be at your morning practice?" Shen Haoran asked, pulling himself out of his reverie and breaking the awkward silence, acting as if his shameless little stunt moments ago had been done by someone else entirely.
"I... I wanted to give something to Brother Xuan," Shen Ling'Er answered, still blushing and flustered from the earlier intimacy. As she spoke, she pulled a small bottle from her robes and handed it to Shen Haoran.
Shen Haoran took the bottle. A medicinal fragrance wafted out before he even opened it. "This is..." He uncorked the bottle and saw five smooth, round Spirit Gathering Pills resting quietly inside.
"Th-this is... Ling'Er, I can't take these. They're far too valuable!" Shen Haoran refused. It was no simple matter for the Shen Family to refine Spirit Gathering Pills. Ordinary disciples received only two a month, while those of the direct bloodline received four. Even a genius like Shen Ling'Er was only allotted six per month! This bottle contained five pills—nearly her entire month's supply of Cultivation Materials. How could he possibly accept something like that?
"But the family assessment is only half a month away! If Brother Xuan doesn't reach Spirit Tempering Tier Five by then, you'll be expelled from the Shen Family!" Shen Ling'Er said, her voice filled with worry.
"Silly girl, I'm not going to be expelled from the family. Don't you trust your big brother?" Shen Haoran said.
"I do, but..."
"That's enough. Take them back. I can't accept them. I..." Before Shen Haoran could finish, he saw Shen Ling'Er's eyes well up and turn red. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as if from a broken dam.
"Does Brother Xuan not care about Ling'Er anymore? WAHHH..." Shen Ling'Er wailed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Ling'Er, don't cry, don't cry..." Shen Haoran said, trying to console her.
"Fine, Shen the kid, just take them," Elder Yan's voice interjected. "You might have use for them in a bit, you never know."
"Okay, okay! Ling'Er, stop crying. Your brother will take them!" Shen Haoran relented. Since even Elder Yan had said to, he had no choice but to accept. Besides, he knew this girl wouldn't let the matter rest if he refused.
When she heard Shen Haoran agree to accept her gift, Shen Ling'Er's tears immediately turned into a joyful smile. Watching her grin foolishly, Shen Haoran was left speechless. "Alright, hurry back to your morning practice," he said. "You'll be punished again if the Elders find out you snuck out. I need to go cultivate now, too."
"Okay! You can do it, Brother Xuan!" Shen Ling'Er made a playful face at Shen Haoran, then vanished down the path.
Watching her departing figure, Shen Haoran felt an even greater sense of urgency to awaken his Chaos Divine Body. 'It's not just for me anymore. It's for the people I care about. I have to succeed today!'
After Shen Ling'Er had gone, Shen Haoran turned and strode into the back mountain. The awakening of the Chaos Divine Body was at hand!