Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 287 - 26: The Bearing of a General
January 15, 2018
In the afternoon, at the training ground of the Shen Family Outer Courtyard, Shen Feihong and his entourage of three finally encountered the envoy group from the Cyan Cloud Li Family. There were no theatrical thunderous claps nor the expected youthful enthusiasm.
There was only the sound of angry girls accusing the Shen Family of age fraud and the popping sound of veins bulging on Shen Feihong's temples.
To the Li Family, the names of Shen Feihong and his companions had been ubiquitous these past few days.
The true prodigies that the Shen Family Outer Courtyard prided themselves on, monopolizing the top two spots in the Shen City competition, having ventured into the Chaos Battlefield multiple times, and achieving heroic accomplishments at a young age.
Moreover, among the Hong Hu Brothers, the elder brother Shen Feihong had shown the demeanor of a great general at a young age, leading an army of over a thousand into the Chaos Battlefield to combat demons, qualifying him as a competent military commander. His younger brother Shen Feihu, well-read and knowledgeable, had gained a little fame as a polymath. As for their cousin Shen Qing, he was extraordinarily gifted, a rarity in the present age. At 17, he participated in the Shen City competition, advancing against all odds to the runner-up position, only narrowly losing to Shen Feihong in the finals. By 18, he had broken through to the Early Stage of the Cloud Flipping Realm, with his comprehensive combat power even surpassing that of Shen Feihong, also at the Early Stage of the Cloud Flipping Realm. He was hailed as one of the most outstanding young cultivators on the Xiangzhou Continent in nearly a hundred years, second only to the mysteriously powerful City Lord Zhao of Golden Jade City.
Even from the perspective of the Cyan Cloud Li Family, this was a classic "other people's children" scenario. Alter their story slightly, and it could easily compile into dozens of youthful tales of destined great men.
According to the Shen Family, if these prodigious "other people's children" hadn't been on vacation these past few days, outsiders would never have been so arrogant in the Shen Family Outer Courtyard. And once their vacation ended and they returned to the Outer Courtyard, they would naturally restore order and correct the twisted chaos. To the Li Family, they were like doomed locusts in late autumn, in dire peril.
With the Shen Family constantly building up the atmosphere, Shen Qingming and the others were eager to witness the capabilities of these boastful members.
Instead, the actual encounter was a disaster. Especially when Shen Feihong prominently stepped into the training ground, Shen Qingming could almost hear the sound of something shattering.
Li Chaolu even pulled over a Shen Family member, demanding sharply, "Is this what you call the demeanor of a great general!? Tell me, this guy who looks like a silver-backed gorilla... no, a gorilla, how exactly does he resemble a great general!?"
Gripped by Li Chaolu, the Shen Family member struggled for a bit, realizing that his well-trained physical strength couldn't compare to this plump little girl, and he sighed helplessly, asking in a low voice, "Isn't this big enough?"
"...What?"
The Shen Family member paused and replied softly, "By the time Big Brother Feihong was 10 years old, he was over 1.8 meters tall. At 12, when he hit puberty, his height increased by a foot in a year, his frame expanded entirely, his muscles piled up rapidly, and he gained half his body weight in a year. By the time he was 15, the elders in the family had to look up when speaking to him. Of course, such a person is a great general."
"So that's what a great general is!" Li Chaolu was convinced.
"And look at his face, can you even use the term little general?"
"You Shen Family members are quite the masters of double entendre!"
"You should be grateful it's not a triple entendre… but supposedly, there's another aspect where he's genuinely a great general too."
Li Chaolu was puzzled, "What do you mean?"
"Uh, it's better that you don't know."
Li Chaolu, of course, was dissatisfied with the mysterious air, but just as she was about to inquire further, she noticed Li Xinyu behind her, looking animated. Instantly realizing something, she blushed, and incidentally stomped down hard, flattening Li Xinyu's left foot into a duck web shape.
After a moment, Li Chaolu asked again, "Is he really only 20 years old?"
The Shen Family member said, "During last year's Shen City competition, his bone age was measured by the Holy Sect envoy."
"..." Given that the judgment was made by people from the Holy Sect, it naturally wouldn't be wrong, yet gazing at that face filled with heavy features, Li Chaolu could only marvel internally at the wonders of the world.
Meanwhile, Wang Jiu couldn't help but smile.
Seeing that seemingly mature young face reminded him of a friend with an exceptionally high intelligence index.
Even after a millennium, despite tragedies like the severing Immortal Demon War, outstanding bloodlines continue to be passed down through generations. A young girl like Shen Qingming inherited the Immovable Tyrant Body of her forebearers. And Shen Feihong perfectly inherited the early maturity of his ancestors.
The same troubles once plagued Shen Kaishan, who had a weathered face of a 38-year-old at age 18. When the family arranged matches for him, they never provided a portrait or a recording talisman. After meeting in person, more than nine out of ten women would make excuses to escape, such as fixing their makeup or washing their hands. Those who persevered usually possessed exceptional skills, such as the blind ronin from Teng Country or the demon hunters from the Nether Sea.
However, having that peculiar appearance granted Shen Kaishan an extraordinary cultivation environment, allowing him to focus on cultivation, benefiting his rapid advancement in cultivation power, rather than being ensnared by romantic entanglements like others.
As for Shen Feihong…
Although this tall and stout young man didn't quite inherit the essence of his ancestral bloodline, compared to the petite yet remarkably strong Shen Qingming, the divine mysteries hidden in his flesh were much weaker. But cultivation is half innate and half pursued; through personal effort and the momentum of history, there are numerous cases of mortals turning into Immortal Venerables. Shen Feihong's physique actually suits the needs of cultivation.
It just needs a little more honing...
Shen Kaishan once advised his comrades before the decisive battle.
"In the decisive battle with the Demon Emperor, my vanguard will likely perish on the battlefield. I am a simple man, a lifetime devoted to cultivation and battling, my heart's desires are thoroughly fulfilled, even in death, there are no regrets. However, I hope that if the Shen Family can preserve a sliver of bloodline after the decisive battle and my brothers and sisters survive, you could take care of them. A simpleton like me, without guidance, might easily go astray."
A frank man who usually roared more than he spoke had made such a gentle request; in the context of an impending final battle, it was deeply moving. Everyone agreed without hesitation.
Those who promised back then are now mostly gone; being the only survivor, Wang Jiu would certainly do his best to look after his descendants.
Especially a descendant who bears a close resemblance to him.
After a moment of pondering, Wang Jiu advised Shen Qingming through the Mind Passage: "Once the battle starts, give it your all, don't hold back."
Shen Qingming rolled up her sleeves: "Alright!"
However, just as the confident Shen Qingming of the Wind-Rising Realm was about to leap out and challenge Shen Feihong of the Cloud Flipping Realm, someone stepped forward first.
"Wait, since your Shen Family sent in an elder, it's only rightful that the eldest from our side should take up the challenge. I'm the oldest among this group, so I'll take this battle."
As Li Wanqing spoke, she voluntarily summoned the pitch-black Yuqing Taoist Armor, the armor's menacing contour covering her entirely, immediately drawing gasps from those around.
With the armor attached, Li Wanqing's True Essence fluctuated intensely, quickly transitioning from the Late Stage of the Cloud Surge Realm to exhibit the characteristics of the Cloud Flipping Realm.
Even her Li Family companions were quite astonished by this change. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
A month ago, on the eve of the Cyan Cloud Grand Competition, Li Wanqing was still at the Late Stage of the Cloud Surge Realm, far from breaking into the Cloud Flipping Realm. Yet, in just one month, she had already reached the Cloud Flipping Realm?
Is this the legendary cultivation talent no less than that of Li Fengyun? It's true that one should look at her differently after a mere three days, displaying such drastic transformation over every interval.
Wang Jiu, however, saw it clearly: "Popped pills, huh."
Li Wanqing's current state was certainly not normal; no matter how exceptional one's talent, breaking through two realms within a month while also piercing the minor bottleneck between the Cloud Surge and Cloud Flipping Realms is beyond the capabilities of contemporary cultivators. Even in the Jiuzhou Era, such feats were incredibly rare.
Using medicinal assistance and restraining within the Yuqing Taoist Armor, she could at least temporarily unleash the power of the Cloud Flipping Realm.
Perfect for challenging the Shen Family's general of the same realm.
"But... why is Sister Wanqing so keen?" Shen Qingming wondered.
Li Chaolu sighed from behind: "Think about it, why would she be so invested?"
Shen Qingming paused, then a sudden flash of insight crossed her mind. Her gaze swept over the female cultivators in the Shen Family Outer Courtyard, and indeed she spotted a delicate, shy little girl named Shen He? Watching the standoff between Li Wanqing and Shen Feihong with teary eyes, concern etched on her face—for both the man and woman involved!
In an instant, Shen Qingming's mind conjured a complex love story, leaving her with one question.
Wasn't Li Wanqing supposed to enter the Shen Family Outer Courtyard with her? Yet within less than a day, having just returned from a Lingshan visit by midday today, she managed to charm people from the Shen Family!?
Her talent and gifts truly excel more in this area than in cultivation!
On the other side, Shen Feihong appeared completely oblivious to the gaze from Shen He, merely looking down at Li Wanqing in her black armor.
After a while, Shen Feihong suddenly asked, "You should still be under 18 this year, right?"
Li Wanqing replied, "I'll be 18 later this month, why? Are you lamenting that an 18-year-old girl possesses power comparable to yours, feeling inadequate?"
Shen Feihong's gaze shifted slightly but he answered candidly, "Yes, whenever I see true Immortal Cultivation talents like you, I can't help but feel disheartened by the gap in innate talent. But on the other hand, whenever I think that I can compensate for this innate gap through double the rigorous practice, I'm immensely inspired. For the past twenty years, I have always motivated myself this way, climbing to become the chief of the Outer Courtyard and the Shen City Grand Competition champion. Now, if you think you can taunt me with this reason, you're much too naive."
