It's over!
Looking at the Crocodile Demon not far ahead, collapsed on the ground and lifeless,
Shen Changchuan let out a long sigh of relief.
The Heart Spirit he had kept taut finally relaxed.
It might have looked like Shen Changchuan had the upper hand, effortlessly toying with the Crocodile Demon and not even giving it a chance to touch him.
But in reality,
the fight had been anything but easy for him.
It was fine as long as the Crocodile Demon's attacks missed,
but a single hit would have been devastating!
Shen Changchuan had no Defense Magic, nor did he possess any defensive Magical Artifacts.
The Crocodile Demon's Realm was a level higher than his own, and the power of its Talent Magic was immense.
One careless mistake,
and he could have died on the spot!
Under such circumstances, he had to keep his Heart Spirit stretched to its limit, not daring to relax for even a moment.
The drain on his Heart Spirit was unimaginable!
'My abilities are still too limited.'
'Even though I managed to kill this Crocodile Demon by combining my Perfection Level Spiritual Eye Technique and Light Body Technique,'
'the enemies I face in the future might not be like today's, where I had the advantage in speed and agility.'
'If I run into an enemy who's faster than me, or one who has some kind of Magic that can restrict my Body Technique and agility, I'll be in big trouble!'
Shen Changchuan didn't get carried away by his success in killing a Crocodile Demon of a higher Realm.
Instead, he carefully replayed the battle in his mind,
analyzing and reflecting on the problems he had encountered.
'I need to learn more Magic, to master more skills! Especially Defense Magic or defensive Magical Artifacts. That's undoubtedly my biggest weakness.'
'If I can shore up my weaknesses, I'll have a much larger margin for error in battle.'
'Besides, I have the progress bar panel. I can use it to cultivate skills to 100% Perfection. Plus, once a Magic reaches Perfection, it gives me a Trait enhancement. That's my advantage!'
'Playing to my strengths while mitigating my weaknesses is the Righteous Dao.'
As Shen Changchuan gazed at the massive body of the Crocodile Demon, his thoughts began to wander.
A general plan for how to improve his strength in the future started to form in his mind.
However,
Shen Changchuan quickly realized something.
The area around Dawan Village was extremely remote.
The presence of Immortal Cultivation Forces was incredibly weak here!
There wasn't even a common Workshop nearby.
No matter how he looked at it, it would be difficult to acquire new Magic or other skills in the vicinity!
'Sigh.'
'The power struggles in the rear courtyard of the Shen Family Mansion were dangerous, but if I had shown some aptitude for Immortal Cultivation, getting cultivation Techniques, Magic, and so on would not have been a problem.'
'And while Dawan Village is safer than the Shen Family Mansion, acquiring new Magic is incredibly difficult here.'
'Truly, where there is fortune, calamity is hidden; where there is calamity, fortune resides.'
'Hopefully, when the Wu Family Collection opens in two months, I'll be able to find something suitable to shore up my weaknesses.'
At the thought of this cold reality,
Shen Changchuan couldn't help but sigh again.
'Oh well,'
'shoring up my weaknesses can't be rushed.'
'I'll focus on raising my Cultivation Realm first.'
'It's all about getting stronger,'
'it's all the same.'
'But then again, don't ordinary low-to-mid-tier Demon Beasts usually only have one type of Talent Magic? What was the deal with this Crocodile Demon?'
The thought of Magic reminded Shen Changchuan of something.
He looked at the massive body of the Crocodile Demon,
a puzzled expression on his face.
The Defense Magic that could turn its body to stone,
the Water Arrow Technique that spat out Water Arrows as thick as buckets,
and that dense barrage of projectiles, like a sky full of hidden weapons, that it used as a feint before trying to escape.
All these abilities...
The Crocodile Demon had used them all during the fight.
The number of Magic spells this Demon Beast had mastered...
seemed a little high.
It didn't make sense.
'And this thing seemed way too smart!'
Shen Changchuan recalled the battle.
The demon had acted as if it was going to fight him to the death, but it turned out to be just a feint before it turned tail and ran.
If it weren't for his Perfection Level Light Body Technique giving him a significant boost in speed and agility, it might have actually escaped back into the river.
That level of intelligence...
wasn't something an ordinary Demon Beast should possess!
'Could it have some powerful bloodline inheritance, or did it find some kind of Heavenly and Earthly Treasure that could enlighten its mind?'
The thought surfaced in Shen Changchuan's mind.
He looked into the distance.
The river, which had been turbid and raging during the rainy season, now flowed quietly.
Shen Changchuan was lost in thought.
'Maybe I should go take a look. I might find something else.'
Shen Changchuan thought to himself.
However,
he was a cautious person.
After such a major battle, he had used up more than half his Magical Power. He wasn't in peak condition, so it wasn't the best time to investigate the river.
After all,
if there was one Crocodile Demon in the river,
who could say there wasn't a second, or a third?
Shen Changchuan had a steady temperament and wouldn't take such a risk so easily.
At the very least,
he would have to wait a few days
until he was back in peak condition and had confirmed there were no other Demon Beasts in the river.
Just as Shen Changchuan was pondering this,
not far behind him,
Han Qinhu had already cautiously approached with members of the village patrol.
"Changchuan, how is it? Is it taken care of?"
Han Qinhu asked, his eyes fixed on the enormous body of the Crocodile Demon entangled in countless vines.
Even though the Crocodile Demon lay there motionless,
a trace of fear remained in Han Qinhu's gaze.
Clearly, the earlier battle,
and the terror of the Crocodile Demon, had left a deep impression on him.
"It's fine. At least we dealt with it before it could get back to the river. Otherwise, we would have been in for a lot of trouble."
Given the intelligence the Crocodile Demon displayed when it tried to escape,
Shen Changchuan could predict that if it had gotten away, it would have become a huge problem for Dawan Village.
"Grandfather, are you and Uncle Dayong okay?"
Seeing the trace of blood at the corner of Han Qinhu's mouth,
Shen Changchuan asked with concern.
"Don't worry, it's not a big deal. The Iron Shield blocked most of the force. Dayong and I just took the small remaining bit, so we only have some internal injuries. A few days of rest and we'll be fine."
Han Qinhu waved his hand dismissively.
But then,
a series of coughs wracked his body, and Han Qinhu's face flushed red.
"Grandfather, don't try to act tough. Go get some rest. Let them handle the rest."
"When Village Chief Zhao from Zhao Family Village visited last time, he gave me a spirit ginseng. I've already used the main root for my Cultivation, but there are still plenty of rootlets left. Later, you and Uncle Dayong can take them to make tea. It should help you recover faster."
Shen Changchuan quickly supported Han Qinhu,
gently patting his back.
It wasn't that Shen Changchuan was being stingy.
It was because if mortals carelessly absorbed Spiritual Qi, they risked having their Dantian Meridians destroyed by its violent power, which they were unable to bear.
Although it was also possible they might achieve Qi Introduction Success in one go, crossing the Immortal-Mortal Boundary to become a Cultivator.
However, the probability of the former was much, much higher.
For Spirit Awakening and Qi Introduction, to walk the path of Immortal Cultivation, the proper method was to take a Qi Introduction Pill, or use Spiritual Food like Spirit Rice Porridge for Qi Introduction and Body Forging, tempering the body until it could withstand the Refinement of Spiritual Qi.
The rootlets of the spirit ginseng were still part of it and contained a trace of Spiritual Qi,
but because the main body had been consumed, that trace of Spiritual Qi had already dissipated and wouldn't pose much of a threat.
On the contrary, having been nourished by Spiritual Qi, its Medicinal Power was greatly enhanced.
For Mortal Martial Artists like Han Qinhu, it was a top-grade tonic.
"COUGH, COUGH... well, in that case, thank you, Changchuan!"
Han Qinhu coughed a few times,
caught his breath, and thanked him.
"Grandfather, what are you saying? You're one of my closest relatives. If it weren't for your help, I'd be overwhelmed just trying to manage Dawan Village..."
"It's just that the Spirit Grain hasn't been harvested yet. Otherwise, I would have already helped you with Spirit Awakening and Qi Introduction to become a Cultivator."
Shen Changchuan said softly as they talked.
Hearing this, Han Qinhu's heart warmed, and he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
In his entire life,
the best decision he had ever made was probably pulling strings with that Shen Family steward to get his daughter into the Shen Family.
Although for his daughter, being drawn into the whirlpool of the Shen Clan was perhaps not a good thing.
But in this world, you can't always get what you want. Is there really any such thing as a perfect situation?
As long as the final outcome was good,
that was enough.
Han Qinhu glanced at the massive corpse of the Crocodile Demon not far away.
A wave of emotion washed over him.
'My grandson's strength seems to have improved again.'
Thinking about how worried he had been earlier,
he couldn't help but blush.
'My grandson is a peerless genius, with the potential to become an Immortal. How could he possibly be unable to handle a single Demon Beast?'
'From now on,'
'all I need to do is listen to my grandson's decisions.'
...
With the combined effort of the brawny Mortal Martial Artists from the village, the Crocodile Demon's corpse was soon carried to the Half-Mountain Courtyard.
At the same time,
the fallen were given proper arrangements.
The houses that had collapsed as collateral damage during the battle were all repaired.
All the various after-effects were dealt with.
Dawan Village gradually returned to peace.
Time passed quietly during this process.
In the blink of an eye, five days had gone by.
Within these five days,
Shen Changchuan had already returned to his peak condition.
From the life-and-death struggle with the Crocodile Demon, he had also gained some insights. His Cultivation had faintly improved, and he was now approaching the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Early Stage Peak.
But he wasn't in a hurry to break through.
Instead, he went to the riverbank every day,
using his Spiritual Eye Technique to inspect the river, which had swollen and turned murky and turbulent from the rainy season.
For five consecutive days, the faint Demon Qi that had lingered in the river had completely dissipated.
Not a trace of Demon Qi remained.
'The lingering trace of Demon Qi is completely gone. It seems the Crocodile Demon was the only Demon Beast in the river!'
'It's time to take a look. I hope I'm right...'
After confirming there was no more danger,
Shen Changchuan didn't hesitate, jumping directly into the river and diving deep toward the bottom.
In the dim, churning water, his vision was severely limited, making it difficult to see his surroundings.
But now,
the light of the Spiritual Eye Technique flared in Shen Changchuan's pupils.
Relying on the enhanced perception and vision from the Spiritual Eye Technique, Shen Changchuan could easily see things eight or nine meters away through the murky water.
And so,
he began to search within the dim, yellowed river.