101: Chapter 101 Masterpiece

Tuesday, 1:00 AM, Secret Base.

Chen Zhen sat cross-legged in the center of the Celestial Star Array, with five fragments slowly rotating within his Dantian.

The five points of light were arranged in a pentagon; with every rotation, stronger Stellar Energy than before surged throughout his entire body.

That feeling of being filled with power was more than twice as strong as when he had fused four fragments.

He opened his eyes and looked at his palms.

In his palms, the pale gold layer within the dark blue radiance had deepened, as if it were about to solidify.

[Fusion of five star core fragments]

[Spiritual Power Limit: 800 → 1500]

[Acquired New Ability: [Star Core: Fifth Layer] (Passive) Stellar Energy intensity increased fivefold, Cultivation efficiency +300%, damage to yin-evil entities +1500%]

[Acquired New Ability: [Star Radiance Flash: Modified] Consumes 15 Spiritual Power, instantly teleport to any location within line of sight (distance ≤ 200 meters)]

[Acquired New Ability: [Purification Domain] Consumes 30 Spiritual Power, expands a 30-meter diameter Purification Domain, automatically purifying all contamination within the Domain]

Chen Zhen looked at that last ability and fell silent for a few seconds.

Purification Domain.

A 30-meter diameter, all contamination automatically purified.

If he had this ability before, he wouldn't have needed to stick talismans one by one to purify that fragment.

He stood up and walked over to the few pots of spiritual plants.

Nourished by the Spiritual Qi of the five fragments, the six pots of spiritual plants were growing at least three times faster than before.

The four soul-calming grass plants had bloomed twelve flowers overnight, the Mint leaves were so dense they seemed about to spill over, and the second crop of that wild soul-calming grass had already grown to a foot tall.

He picked the flowers, harvested the leaves, and ground them into powder.

anshen flower powder stock: 250 grams.

Mint leaves: 600 pieces.

Enough for a long time.

He walked back to the center of the array and checked the time.

2:00 AM.

It was very quiet outside, with only the rustling of the night wind through the leaves.

Shen Nian was sleeping in the corner, covered with an old piece of clothing.

He was seriously injured and needed rest.

Shen Mo and Zhou Rui had already returned.

Chen Zhen closed his eyes and activated [Fragment Perception].

Seventeen points of light.

Four red ones — two in the northeast, one in the northwest, one in the south.

Seven yellow ones — scattered everywhere.

Three green ones — Yun Xi was at the foot of Changbai Mountain, and the other two were still in their original places.

That small one of Shen Mo's — five kilometers away, moving slowly, likely on the way home.

Shen Nian — no fragment, but the residual aura on him was still there.

Himself — here.

And the last one.

Where was it?

He expanded his perception range.

One thousand kilometers.

Two thousand kilometers.

Three thousand kilometers.

None.

The last fragment was not within this range.

He retracted his perception and opened his eyes.

If it wasn't in this range, then it was —

On the other side of the Heavenly Road.

Tuesday, 6:00 AM, Chen Zhen opened his eyes right on time.

After a night of Cultivation, his Cultivation had increased by 120 points.

Qi Refining Level 5: 313/2500.

With the support of the five fragments, his Cultivation efficiency was at least three times faster than before.

He stood up and walked to the window.

The sun was shining brightly outside; it was an ordinary Tuesday morning.

He took out his phone and checked his messages.

Old Zhao had sent one last night: "Classes as usual today."

He put his phone away and walked over to Shen Nian.

Shen Nian was still sleeping, his breathing steady, his complexion much better than last night.

Chen Zhen crouched down and placed his hand on his chest.

He probed with Spiritual Power.

In [Internal Vision], the residual contamination in Shen Nian's body had basically disappeared — the Purification Domain from last night had taken effect.

But his meridians were damaged and needed time to recover.

He took a calming flower petal from his Storage Space and placed it in Shen Nian's hand.

Then he stood up and pushed the door open to leave.

At 7:00, Chen Zhen stepped into the classroom.

Zhang Meng was in the back row catching up on homework; seeing him enter, he shouted as usual: "Help! Lend me your English homework to copy!"

Chen Zhen threw his notebook over.

Zhang Meng caught it and buried his head in copying frantically.

Chen Zhen walked to his seat and sat down.

Su Xiaoya, who sat in front of him, turned around, her eyes bright.

"Chen Zhen, where did you go again yesterday?"

"Had some things to do."

Su Xiaoya stared at him for a few seconds.

"You seem... different again."

Chen Zhen didn't answer.

Su Xiaoya waited for two seconds, then turned back.

In the last row, Zhou Rui looked up at him, then looked back down at his book.

Shen Mo didn't come today — he had returned too late last night and asked for leave.

Chen Zhen withdrew his gaze and opened his textbook.

The first class was English.

The English teacher was teaching reading comprehension, and half the class was dozing off.

Chen Zhen wasn't sleeping, nor was he listening to the lecture.

He was constructing a new Talisman Array in his mind.

After the Fusion of the five fragments, his understanding of the Dao of talismans had deepened by another level.

He could now see through the structure of those complex runes he couldn't understand before at a single glance.

He took out a piece of paper and began to draw.

It wasn't an ordinary talisman, but a Composite Rune Array — fusing a Spirit Gathering Talisman, Calming Talisman, and Heart-Clearing Talisman together to form a three-in-one talisman.

The first version failed. The powers of the three talismans conflicted with each other.

The second version, after adjusting the structure, still failed.

The third version, the fourth version, the fifth version —

By the seventeenth version, the light on the talisman paper finally stabilized.

[Three-in-One Talisman · Experimental Version]

[Effect: Spiritual Qi +20%, Calming +30%, Heart-Clearing +30%]

[Quality: High-Quality]

Chen Zhen looked at this talisman and nodded with satisfaction.

One talisman served the purpose of three.

He put it away and continued drawing.

At noon, after school, Chen Zhen went to the cafeteria.

He got his food and found a seat.

Just after eating a few bites, three people walked over carrying their trays.

Zhou Rui, Zhang Meng, and Chen Hao.

Chen Hao sat down opposite him and looked at him.

"Chen Zhen, have you not been sleeping these past few days?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"I have."

Chen Hao shook his head.

"Impossible. You're so energetic every day, like you've been pumped full of adrenaline." He paused, "Do you have some secret?"

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Chen Hao waited for two seconds, then sighed.

"Forget it, pretend I didn't ask."

He lowered his head to eat.

Zhou Rui glanced at Chen Zhen from the side but didn't speak.

Zhang Meng looked bewildered, completely unable to understand the situation.

The third period in the afternoon was PE.

Today was the 1000-meter test.

The boys stood at the starting line, each rubbing their hands and eager to start.

Zhang Meng rushed out first, running it in three minutes and twenty seconds.

"Not bad," the PE Teacher noted down the result.

"Next, Chen Zhen."

Chen Zhen stepped onto the starting line.

The whistle blew.

He rushed out.

He didn't use his full strength, just a normal run. But with the support of the five fragments, his "normal run" was still much faster than everyone else's.

One lap, two laps, three laps —

When he crossed the finish line, the PE Teacher pressed the stopwatch.

"Two minutes and fifty seconds."

The whole field went silent for a second.

"Holy crap!" Zhang Meng was the first to shout, "You ran it under three minutes?"

Chen Zhen didn't speak; he walked to the side of the field to drink water.

The PE Teacher stared at him for a few seconds, then noted the result in his notebook.

"Chen Zhen, two minutes and fifty seconds, you've broken the school record."

There was an uproar below.

Chen Hao stood in the queue, looking at Chen Zhen's back.

In his eyes, there was no longer any complexity, only a kind of calmness.

He had resigned himself to fate.

After school, Chen Zhen packed his bag, ready to leave.

Zhou Rui walked over from behind and stood next to him.

"Master, Shen Nian has woken up."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Where?"

"At the Secret Base."

6:00 PM, Secret Base.

Chen Zhen pushed the door open; Shen Nian was sitting in front of the spiritual plants, staring blankly at the largest soul-calming grass.

Hearing the movement, he turned his head.

"You're back."

Chen Zhen walked over and sat down opposite him.

Shen Nian was silent for a few seconds.

Then he spoke: "My dad... is he really free?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Shen Nian took a deep breath.

"Thank you."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Shen Nian waited for a few seconds, then asked again: "What are you planning to do next?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Collect the remaining fragments."

Shen Nian was stunned for a moment.

"Do you know how many there are left?"

"Thirteen," Chen Zhen said, "Plus the five in my hand, eighteen in total."

Shen Nian was silent for a few seconds.

Then he stood up.

"I'll help you."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Why?"

Shen Nian smiled bitterly.

"Because of my dad's last words," he said, "He doesn't blame me anymore. I want to... do something for him."

Chen Zhen looked at him for three seconds.

Then he nodded.

"Heal your injuries first."

Shen Nian was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay."