sorting out

The ceremony ended, and the guests dispersed.

Shen Wen and Cai Lin returned to their room without performing any further rituals. Now that Cai Lin was pregnant, both of them prioritized the unborn child, simply leaning against the headboard side by side to talk.

"The Snake-People Clan's stronghold in the Northwest has stabilized. Kui Xing sent a letter saying the first batch of selected young warriors has begun laying their Foundations according to the Cultivation Technique you left behind."

Cai Lin's voice was calm, carrying a hint of imperceptible relief.

With Shen Wen's thorough arrangements, the burden on her shoulders had lightened significantly.

Shen Wen nodded. "The Northwest is our hidden stake; let it take root firmly first. On the Central Plains' side, we must also expand our overt influence."

He paused, suddenly remembering something. "By the way, I recall a rare item called the 'nine-colored origin stone' appearing in the Central Plains. It can evolve your Bloodline into a Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python."

"Though you are already an Innate Dao Body, one can never have too much talent and heritage."

Cai Lin's purple eyes flickered slightly. "nine-colored origin stone? There seem to be sporadic records of it in my clan's ancient texts, but it has long been extinct."

"Extinct doesn't necessarily mean it's gone," Shen Wen said. "Before, I was weak and alone, so I could only rely on luck. Now that I have a status in the Pill Tower, I can utilize the Pill Tower's channels.

By issuing it as a mission, we can have Alchemists and adventurers traveling in all directions keep an eye out. With a heavy reward, there will surely be news."

This was something that appeared in the Spatial Trade Fair in the original story, though Shen Wen didn't know when the nine-colored origin stone would show up there.

But with his current influence as a Grade 8 Alchemist, finding this item wasn't too big of a problem.

Cai Lin looked at him, warmth rippling in her eyes. "Alright."

Shen Wen remembered another matter and reached out a finger, lightly tapping Cai Lin's brow. "I have acquired a new Cultivation Technique called the 'Great Devouring Technique.' It shares many similarities with your Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python's Bloodline talent and might be beneficial for your cultivation."

A stream of profound and obscure information flooded into Cai Lin's Sea of Consciousness. She closed her eyes to concentrate, carefully sensing it.

After a few moments, a faint purple glow appeared around her body. As her aura circulated, it naturally took on a hint of devouring and absorbing charm.

Shen Wen was not surprised.

Cai Lin's innate talent was already extremely high, and with the enhancement of the Innate Dao Body, her Comprehension Ability was extraordinary.

Sure enough, after just one night, as the dawn light broke, Cai Lin opened her eyes, a vortex seemingly flashing deep within her purple pupils.

She whispered, "This method... is very mysterious. I have already grasped the initial path of operating the devouring power; I will just need to refine it slowly in the future."

Shen Wen smiled and pulled her shoulder closer... The next morning, according to the etiquette of an equal wife, Cai Lin needed to go to the main wife Cao Ying's place to pay her respects and serve tea.

The two met in the flower hall of Cao Ying's courtyard. Cai Lin held a teacup and bowed calmly. "Sister."

Cao Ying, dressed in casual clothes with a gentle smile, personally took the teacup, took a sip, set it down, and stood up to support Cai Lin. "Sister, please sit. You are heavy with child; these formalities can be waived from now on."

Her tone was natural and kind, without any intention of making things difficult. "Since our husband has given us both our statuses, we are one family.

From now on, focus on nurturing the fetus; I will handle the trivial matters."

Cai Lin nodded, and the two chatted for a bit in a harmonious atmosphere.

How clever was Cao Ying? She knew well the importance of domestic harmony to Shen Wen, so she naturally wouldn't stage any jealous dramas or back-garden fires... Shen Wen, meanwhile, returned alone to his quiet room for cultivation.

He closed the door, isolating himself from the outside world.

He sat cross-legged and thought to himself, "System, receive yesterday's compensation rewards."

In an instant, a vast torrent of information surged forth!

The overbearing thunder intent of the 'Lightning Emperors Secret Art,' the inviolable defense of the 'Lin Character Secret,' the 'One Qi Transforming into Three Purities' of the 'Shu Secret,' the Divine Sense precognition of the 'Qian Secret,' the extreme speed and space-time of the 'Xing Character Secret,' the unparalleled recovery of the 'Zhe Secret'... several distinct yet profound Cultivation Technique secret arts' Profound Truths rushed frantically into Shen Wen's Sea of Consciousness like a river bursting its banks.

If it were an ordinary Spirit Realm Soul, it would likely have been dazed and confused by the impact, requiring a very long time to recover.

But Shen Wen's Soul Foundation was solid, and he had cultivated the 'Past Amitabha Sutra' to stabilize his Divine Soul and the 'Future Non-Existence Sutra' to deduce and organize.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, golden Buddhist light and the clear glow of deduction shone brightly at the same time.

The 'Past Amitabha Sutra' acted like a stabilizing pillar, calming the churning Soul sea and making it tranquil; the 'Future Non-Existence Sutra' turned into invisible meridians, quickly categorizing, analyzing, summarizing, and integrating that chaotic and massive information stream into Shen Wen's own cognitive System.

At the same time.

The thunder ancestral symbol within his body seemed to sense the homologous aura of the 'Lightning Emperors Secret Art.'

It suddenly became active, and silver lightning burst from the pores all over his body, sizzling and crackling, making him look like a Thunder God descending to the world.

The two forces of thunder echoed and blended with each other, causing his control and understanding of thunder to instantly climb to a new level.

With the assistance of the two scriptures, the essence of the other five great secret methods was also quickly understood, and their core operating techniques were mastered.

After an unknown amount of time, the lightning in the quiet room gradually faded.

Shen Wen slowly opened his eyes, with silver electric flashes and Chaos mist alternating in the depths of his pupils, looking incredibly profound.

He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air; his aura was more condensed and restrained than before, yet it faintly exuded a depth that encompassed all things.

"What the System bestows are indeed all treasures," Shen Wen whispered to himself, a hint of thought flashing in his eyes. "Each one, if brought out, would be enough to shake the continent and become a closely guarded secret. And now I carry so many..."

The power of the ancestral talisman, the Ten Great Fierce Beast Arts, the Nine Secrets Technique, the Three Thousand Great Daos... the variety was vast, and the Systems were complex.

If he couldn't truly integrate them and make them his own, but instead bit off more than he could chew, it would only add to his troubles and undoubtedly be a waste of god-given gifts.

"It seems I will need a significant amount of time to properly sort them out." Shen Wen made a decision in his heart.

While raising his Realm was important, fully excavating and integrating the potential of these peerless Cultivation Techniques to form a unique combat and cultivation System might be more helpful for his future path... Burning Flame Valley, main hall secret chamber.

Valley Master Tang Zhen stood with his back to the hall door, gazing at the flickering flame totem on the wall in silence. Hurried footsteps came from behind as Elder Red Fire walked in quickly, his face solemn with a hint of urgency.

"Valley Master, the news from the Pill Tower has been confirmed."

Valley Master Tang Zhen did not turn around, his voice low. "Speak."

"Grade 8 Alchemist, Shen Wen," Red Fire said quickly. "He just passed the assessment the day before yesterday, refining the Grade 8 Intermediate Medicinal Pill, the yi shi pill, and triggering Five-Colored Pill Lightning. He is extremely young, likely not even twenty."

Valley Master Tang Zhen slowly turned around, a sharp glint in his eyes. "A twenty-year-old Grade 8? Is the news accurate?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," Red Fire nodded heavily. "This boy's Soul Realm is terrifyingly high, definitely not comparable to an ordinary Seventh-Rank Alchemist. And... he controls an invisible strange fire, which is very likely the Fallen Heart Flame from the strange fire ranking list."