Chapter Fifty: The Trial of Tempering

At the entrance to the Shi family estate, Shi Jian, Han Feng, and Yang Hai all gazed toward Shi Yan standing before the earth dragon beast.

Yang Hai cast a glance at him, his brows knitting slightly as he thought to himself, “This boy has grown much thinner; he must have suffered quite a bit these past months.” Shi Jian and Han Feng, however, after sweeping their eyes over Shi Yan, suddenly brightened with surprise lighting their features.

Yang Hai, untrained in martial arts, naturally assumed a thin body meant physical weakness. He did not realize that sometimes, a lean frame might hold explosive strength far exceeding that of a burly man.

Shi Jian and Han Feng, both experienced in martial cultivation, could tell at a glance—even from a distance—that Shi Yan’s body was now stronger than ever before, sturdier even than those of the Shi clan’s third-generation youths who had trained for a decade.

The two exchanged a glance, each finding surprise mirrored in the other’s eyes. They could not fathom what had happened to Shi Yan in just over half a year to bring about such a transformation, even altering his very bones.

After a few minutes, Shi Yan, Han Zhong, and their companions finally arrived at the Shi estate’s entrance.

“Grandfather,” Shi Yan greeted in a steady voice as he approached.

Han Zhong stepped forward, greeted Shi Jian and Han Feng, nodded toward Yang Hai, and then stood silently at Shi Yan’s side.

Shi Jian and Han Feng kept their intense gazes fixed on Shi Yan, their eyes roaming over him.

After a long moment, Shi Jian’s eyelids trembled and he drew a deep breath. “Come with me,” he said to Shi Yan, before turning and striding briskly toward the inner courtyard of the Shi estate, his steps noticeably lighter.

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

“Kid, make a good impression!” Han Zhong winked at Shi Yan, hinting that better days were ahead.

Shi Yan maintained his composure, nodded slightly, and turned to Yang Hai. “Father, were you all waiting for me?”

Yang Hai put on a stern face, but an odd smile tugged at his lips. “No one was waiting for you. We were just curious about what’s happened to your body, wanting to see for ourselves whether you’ve truly broken through to the Xiantian Realm.”

“Han Zhong, come with me. I have questions for you.” Han Feng shot Han Zhong a look and walked off in another direction.

Han Zhong pulled a long face and, unwilling but resigned, slouched after his eldest brother, heading away from Shi Jian’s path.

“Come on, don’t keep your grandfather waiting,” Yang Hai muttered, tugging Shi Yan’s sleeve and whispering, “What exactly happened to you?”

“Grandfather will ask soon enough. I’ll explain everything then,” Shi Yan replied with a faint smile, showing little of the deference expected of a son toward his father.

Yang Hai was momentarily taken aback, staring at him in surprise. “You seem different from before,” he said. “You used to answer directly, never dodging a question. Now... it’s as if you’re no longer afraid of me. Have you grown wings, boy? Do you think you can ignore your father now?”

“You’re my father—why should I be afraid of you?” Shi Yan asked, puzzled. “Should I be afraid?”

“That’s not like you. You never spoke to me in that tone before,” Yang Hai said, frowning and studying him intently for a while before shaking his head and muttering, “Troublesome brat—after becoming a martial artist, you really have changed. Even your courage has grown.”

“Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep grandfather waiting,” Shi Yan replied with a smile.

After parting ways with Han Zhong, Shi Yan quickly disappeared through the main gates, making his way toward the inner courtyard from another direction.

The Shi family martial artists gathered at the front gate looked on in confusion, whispering in surprise.

“Is the patriarch waiting for Young Master Yan? Or am I mistaken?”

“I don’t know, but it’s odd. The patriarch never used to appear with Young Master Yan, and he never seemed to care about the boy’s troubles. So what’s going on this time?”

“Who knows? Did Young Master Yan get himself into serious trouble again? But that can’t be—hasn’t the son-in-law always resolved his issues? Even if Young Master Yan caused problems in the Merchant Alliance, none were ever serious enough for the patriarch to intervene.”

“Maybe this time the trouble really is enormous—who can say for sure?”

“Enough gossip,” Karl said sharply, having settled the earth dragon. “From now on, you’d better show Young Master Yan more respect. He’s no longer the bookworm you remember. If you don’t know your place, don’t blame me if you suffer for it later.”

“Karl, what’s going on? You came back with Young Master Yan—do you know what happened?” asked a martial artist friendly with Karl.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Karl replied with a proud smile. “Young Master Yan will surprise you all.”

“What’s going on? What is it?” The men’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued; they surrounded Karl, pestering him for answers.

“I can’t say for now, but you’ll know soon,” Karl said, squeezing through the crowd to join the other martial artists.

—

At the rear of the Shi estate, in the center of the vast training ground, a massive rhombus-shaped testing crystal gleamed under the sunlight, casting dazzling rays like a miniature sun.

Shi Jian stood beside the testing crystal, and as Shi Yan and Yang Hai approached, he pressed his palm to it. A burst of light shot from his palm into the crystal, and its brilliant glow faded, revealing its natural color.

“Infuse your essence into the crystal,” Shi Jian commanded, his eyes bright and sharp.

Unhurried, Shi Yan stepped forward, placed his left palm on the crystal, and sent his inner essence surging into it.

Intricate patterns appeared on the silvery crystal, and a misty orange glow gradually radiated outward, growing brighter and deeper in hue.

“That’s enough,” Shi Jian said, his lips twitching, eyes locked on Shi Yan. “I’ve heard that the Shi family’s Martial Spirit... has awakened in you as well?”

“Yes,” Shi Yan replied.

“Show me.”

“Very well.” Shi Yan rolled up his sleeve, revealing his forearm. With a thought, his skin began to harden, taking on a deep brown hue.

“Dark brown!” Shi Jian and Yang Hai both gasped in disbelief, staring at Shi Yan’s transformed forearm.

“Is it just a trick of the light?” Yang Hai blinked hard, rubbed his eyes, then glanced up at the glaring sun. “Am I seeing things?”

Shi Jian, now uncertain, grabbed Shi Yan’s arm. “Come. Let’s move to the shade behind that rock—away from the sunlight. There won’t be any color distortion there.”

Shi Yan did not resist, calmly following him behind a large stone.

“It really is dark brown!”

Shi Jian’s exclamation came with a roughened breath. His eyes flashed as he fixed Shi Yan with a grave stare. “You brat! What happened? Why is your Martial Spirit dark brown? Could this really be the second stage?”

“That’s right. It’s the second stage. Though I’m only at the Xiantian Realm, my Martial Spirit has already advanced.”

“Give me a reasonable explanation! Since our ancestors, no one in the Shi family has ever experienced this! Before reaching the Xiantian Realm, our Martial Spirits have never entered the second stage. You’re the first! What happened to you?!”

“Ahem, here’s what happened...” Shi Yan repeated the story he had told Han Zhong.

When he finished, he found Shi Jian still frozen, eyes wide, expression odd.

“Grandfather, why are you looking at me like that? I’ve already explained.”

“You’re saying that three strange vermilion fruits awakened your Martial Spirit, transformed it, and filled you with essence, letting you charge straight into the third level of the Xiantian Realm?” Shi Jian’s face grew more peculiar by the moment. “Just three fruits?”

“Yes, that’s what happened.”

“Where did you find them? I’ll send people at once to see if we can find more.”

“They’re gone. I searched thoroughly afterward and never found another.”

“You’re not pulling my leg?” Shi Jian looked skeptical, clearly unconvinced.

Of course I’m fooling you, Shi Yan thought, but his face remained earnest. “I truly don’t know what happened. I ate the fruits and this is the result. I don’t know why my Martial Spirit is different from everyone else’s.”

He gritted his teeth and stuck to his story.

Shi Jian pressed him for details, trying various methods to probe the truth, but Shi Yan kept shaking his head, insisting he knew nothing more.

Eventually, Shi Jian gave up, thinking for a long while before asking, “Your Martial Spirit has turned dark brown. Has its nature changed along with its color? Or is it just stronger, but still only at the first stage?”

“If I’m not mistaken, it should be at the second stage now.”

“Let me test it.” Impatient, Shi Jian pressed his hand to Shi Yan’s chest. “Now, harden your body. Don’t worry—I’ll increase my strength gradually. You won’t be hurt.”

“All right.” Shi Yan, confident that Shi Jian would do him no harm, allowed his body to petrify completely and watched calmly.

Slowly, a dark radiance gathered in Shi Jian’s palm, its energy growing more intense as it pressed against Shi Yan’s chest.

Suddenly, Shi Jian withdrew his hand, absorbing all the dark light back into himself.

Shi Jian’s face was alight with excitement as he nodded in delight, exclaiming, “Excellent! It truly is the second stage! I don’t know how you managed this, but from today onward you’re not allowed to slack off! Whether you like it or not, I’m going to push you until you become a true martial artist!”

—

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