vstars Chapter 18 has been upgraded.
Chapter 18 has been upgraded.
"Young Master, you... you've attained the Congenital stage?"
Seeing the woman die at Shen Che's hands, Shen Tong was so shocked that he couldn't speak.
Wasn't he only half a step into the Innate Realm a few days ago? How come he's already in the Innate Realm in such a short time?
He quietly stepped forward and examined Shen Che from head to toe. He found that Shen Che had a solid foundation and strong strength, and it was definitely not the kind of cultivation method that forced growth.
This foundation feels much more solid and robust than it was back then.
"Phew!" Shen Tong breathed a slight sigh of relief, then became so excited that she couldn't contain herself.
It was a mixture of excitement that the master had a successor and a vague sense of worry.
A sixteen-year-old master of innate talent—that's absolutely top-tier in the martial arts world. Such a prodigy is right before our eyes.
"Has it been upgraded?" Shen Che, on the other side, was stunned.
Just after killing the woman, he suddenly sensed a change in the system; his level had actually increased by one.
In other words, he can now invest in two people at the same time, and the scope of his search has also doubled.
Previously, I thought that leveling up depended on improving one's realm, and that only when one's strength increased or one's spirit became strong enough could one form contracts with more people.
I didn't expect it to require fighting monsters. You should have told me sooner.
Over the next few days, Shen Che continued his search for investment targets. Although the search scope had expanded, finding suitable investment opportunities remained difficult.
There are one-star and one-and-a-half-star geniuses; ordinary geniuses are a dime a dozen. But true prodigies still have to rely on luck.
The number of opportunities he could encounter that required investment was extremely limited.
During this period, the best person Shen Che found was a three-star genius, just like Chen Chuan.
However, they clearly come from a prominent family and have neither a lack of resources nor martial arts skills. Even if they did, they wouldn't lack something like him.
What he lacks are those kinds of divine skill manuals, pills that can instantly increase one's cultivation by ten years, and so on. He wants those too.
If I had that thing, I would have used it myself first.
Meanwhile, during this period, Shen Tong also frequently encouraged him to travel the martial arts world and accumulate experience.
Originally, he refused, wanting to stay here and not go anywhere.
But now that he knows the system upgrade requires fighting monsters, wandering the world seems to be the best option for him at this moment.
Only by expanding the search scope can we find more geniuses and invest in several at once.
A virtuous cycle, it's simply perfect!
After thinking about it, he agreed.
In just one day, Shen Tong had prepared everything he needed for his travels.
"Young master, take this money and don't mistreat yourself."
"Uncle Tong, I'm here to travel the world, not to buy property."
Shen Che was somewhat dazed when he took the banknote from Shen Tong. "I never had this much money in my bank account before."
With so much money, could they have emptied out the Hidden Sword Manor?
"Young master, when traveling the world, you must carry enough money. You must not suffer any hardship."
As they spoke, Shen Tong took out a jade bottle from his bosom.
"This is an antidote pill that Master obtained from Medicine King Peak. It can cure most poisons in the martial arts world."
"In the world of martial arts, there are many underhanded tricks. Even though you are a master of innate skill, you may still fall victim to them. It's useful to keep these on hand."
"Oh, right, and this too." He then pulled out a palm-sized iron box made of fine iron from his pocket.
"This is Falling Snow, a top-tier hidden weapon capable of breaking through innate qi. It can launch hundreds of poison needles at once, like a flurry of snowflakes, making it impossible to defend against."
"Even ordinary innate masters can't stop it, and even grandmasters can suffer a minor loss if caught off guard."
"Young master, if your skills falter while you're out in the world, this can help you out."
"Is this something I can manage?" He mechanically took the hidden weapon; he had never seen such a good thing before.
He was merely traveling the martial world, and he seriously suspected that his Uncle Tong had emptied the coffers of the Hidden Sword Manor.
"And these too!" Shen Tong then handed over a piece of paper with many names written on it, along with their sects, families, and so on, all of which were familiar to him.
"These are all the master's close friends from the past, the kind who would risk their lives for him."
"If the young master really encounters something extremely difficult, he can reveal his identity and ask them for help."
"Also, young master, it's best if you don't use your real name when you travel the martial world. It's better to come up with a pseudonym or avoid getting involved with Hidden Sword Manor."
"After all, since the purpose is to travel the world and hone one's skills, it should naturally have the effect of tempering oneself."
"Is that so?"
Although Shen Che didn't quite understand, he figured that Shen Tong, being an old hand, wouldn't try to fool him.
For an entire day, Shen Tong held his hand and meticulously explained the details needed for navigating the world, as if she wanted to impart all her experience to him.
After talking all day, Shen Che's head was feeling a bit swollen.
It was late at night when Shen Tong escorted him to the entrance of the villa and saw him off.
This was the first time Shen Che had ever heard of such a thing: people didn't leave home during the day, but chose to travel the martial world at night.
Indeed, navigating the world is a skill in itself.
"Young master, have a safe journey. When traveling the martial world, survival is the most important thing; nothing else is shameful!"
"Understood!" After waving to Shen Tong, Shen Che prepared to ride away.
After taking a couple of steps, he turned back to look at Shen Tong, who had been watching him leave, before speaking again.
"Also, Uncle Tong, you shouldn't call yourself an old servant anymore. You're an elder who watched me grow up."
"Young Master!" Shen Tong smiled at Shen Che and said as if reminiscing, "Back then, Master picked me up from the freezing cold and gave me the first hot meal of my life."
"From that moment on, I swore that I would be loyal to him to the death for the rest of my life."
"Now that the master has passed away, this old servant will remain loyal to the young master. No matter when or where, this old servant will always be this old servant!"
"Uncle Tong, in my eyes you will always be an elder, not a servant!"
"Let's go!" Shen Che waved to Shen Tong, and then rode away slowly.
"Take care, young master. This old servant will protect the house!"
"Master, the young master has grown up; you can rest assured now!"
Watching Shen Che's departing figure, Shen Tong sighed softly, her original relaxed state instantly becoming much more tense.
His easygoing demeanor instantly transformed into one of fierce anger.
"Young Master, I'm afraid our Hidden Sword Manor is already being watched. Even Second Master might not be the first to be targeted. Some things can't be kept secret any longer."
"You are already a master of the innate realm. As long as you don't reveal your identity outside, you are much safer than inside the manor."
"Master, the young master has left, and I have no more scruples. Whoever dares to lay a hand on me, I will chop it off!"
"Rest assured, no matter what, I will definitely return Hidden Sword Manor to Young Master intact!"
Only after Shen Che's figure had completely disappeared into the distance did Shen Tong withdraw her gaze and slowly walk into the manor.
"Pass down the order: say that the young master has gone into seclusion, and no one is allowed to disturb him!"
"The entire village, heighten security!"
On the other side, Shen Che, who was descending the mountain, looked around at the night scene with great interest, initially feeling a bit curious.
This was his first time coming down the mountain, and he had no idea what life was like outside, or how lively the city was.
But when he got to the city gate, he was a little stumped.
Oh no, Uncle Tong didn't say that the city gates would be closed late at night.
Left with no other option, I had to go to the countryside and stay overnight at a villager's house.
"System, come on, one more time!"
Countless starlight flashed through my mind, and my divine sense was quickly drawn into one of the starlights.
In the blink of an eye, a bustling metropolis appeared before us.
Searching for any potential geniuses within the city, his previous nonchalance vanished instantly, and he tensed up immediately.
"Huh? A three-star talent? No, at least a three-and-a-half-star! A real talent!"