51: Are you my brother?

"Little boy, don't be afraid. I am Zhang Zhenpeng, the Dean of Hailu Intermediate Academy in Hailu City." Beneath the middle-aged man, six spirit rings—two yellow and four purple—emerged. He placed his hand on Shen Guyan's lower abdomen, channeling gentle Soul Power.

No matter how one looked at him, the boy before them appeared to be only six or seven years old. Yet, he was able to reach the Core Region of the Far North alone; he surely possessed extraordinary abilities.

More importantly, this Little fellow had actually already obtained a spirit ring for himself.

What did this signify? This Little fellow before him was definitely a young Genius! Even if he was out gaining experience from a great Family, he could still go with the flow and do him a favor.

"My... my sister is still in the cave..."

With the arrival of this group, Shen Guyan's body finally relaxed. Darkness instantly shrouded his vision, and he fell straight into the man's arms, unconscious.

Before losing consciousness, he only hoped this group could also take away the unconscious Gu Yue... "Hey, little boy, what's wrong?"

"Wake up! Wake up!"

"..."

——

The surroundings were serene. Shen Guyan sat cross-legged in silence within his spiritual space, with only his steady and even breathing echoing through this unique domain.

His eyes were tightly shut, and his brow was slightly furrowed as he immersed himself wholeheartedly in the repair and tempering of his Mental Energy.

At this moment, he seemed completely isolated from the outside World; only he and this mysterious, unpredictable spiritual space remained in his World.

During the perilous exchange with Gu Yue, his consciousness had nearly been shattered by a single blow from her. This was the first time Shen Guyan understood the importance of the Mental Energy Realm. On a Spirit Master's path of Cultivation, the strength of one's Mental Energy plays a pivotal role. Not only can it enhance a Spirit Master's control and the effects of their spirit abilities, but it is also one of the key factors in determining victory or defeat when facing powerful opponents.

As for his current Spirit Origin Realm, although he already possessed a certain mental foundation, there was still a difficult and long road ahead to reach higher Realms.

Within this spiritual space, Shen Guyan's Mental Energy was like agile yet resilient threads, flowing slowly under his control. Each thread contained his will and power; they intertwined and performed Binding, like an invisible net, constructing the basic framework of his mental world.

He carefully guided these Mental Energy threads, letting them constantly weave and collide, attempting to find an opportunity for a Breakthrough within these dynamic changes.

Time seemed to lose its meaning in this spiritual space. Immersed in Cultivation, Shen Guyan was completely unaware of time passing in the outside World. Under continuous tempering, his Mental Energy gradually became more condensed and powerful. Every mobilization of his Mental Energy gave him an unprecedented sense of fulfillment, as if he were step by step touching the deeper mysteries of this mental world.

However, the path to a Breakthrough was never smooth sailing. Just as Shen Guyan felt he was about to achieve a Breakthrough, the stubborn resistance of the next Realm suddenly loomed before him. This resistance was like a towering mountain, indestructible, bringing the progress of his Mental Energy to a screeching halt.

He could clearly feel that this resistance came from his own mental limits; it was an insurmountable barrier of his current Realm.

Thus, Shen Guyan began to constantly adjust his mental state, letting his state of mind gradually calm down like a deep and serene lake without a single ripple. He focused all his attention on the resistance blocking his progress, carefully sensing its every detail in an attempt to find a weak point.

In his perception, this resistance was not entirely flawless; there were subtle gaps and cracks, though these flaws were fleeting and required extremely sharp insight to capture.

"Break!" After a long period of observation and analysis, Shen Guyan finally discovered a weak point in the Bottleneck. Without hesitation, he concentrated all his remaining Mental Energy, which gathered like countless threads into a powerful torrent, and charged at that weak point with all his might.

Under the guidance of the Great Primordial Art, this torrent of Mental Energy was like surging waves, carrying the momentum of a mountain-toppling sea as it slammed violently against that Bottleneck.

"Boom!" A dull, massive roar echoed through the spiritual space, as if a heavy bomb had detonated in Shen Guyan's mind. The powerful impact made his mental Incarnation tremble involuntarily; his face instantly turned as pale as paper, and pea-sized beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead.

"Again!" However, he did not give up. Instead, he gritted his teeth and continued to increase the output of his Mental Energy, attempting to break through this obstacle in one go.

Through Shen Guyan's unremitting efforts, that powerful resistance finally began to show signs of loosening. The once rock-solid barrier now had fine cracks appearing, as if it had been struck fiercely by an invisible giant axe. Seeing this, a gleam of surprise flashed in Shen Guyan's eyes.

Taking advantage of his momentum, he once again condensed all his Mental Energy and launched a final charge toward the resistance that was already showing cracks.

"Crack!" A crisp sound rang out, and the barrier of resistance that had once made Shen Guyan hesitate finally shattered completely. In an instant, an unprecedentedly powerful force, like a flood breaking through a dam, surged into Shen Guyan's mental world.

At this moment, his Mental Energy received an unprecedented boost, as if it had instantly broken through an invisible shackle and entered an entirely new Realm.

Shen Guyan could clearly feel his Mental Energy continuously expanding and growing. The Mental Energy that was once like threads had now become like thick ropes, full of strength and resilience.

Simultaneously, his perceptive abilities were greatly enhanced, his thinking became more agile, and his ability to understand and analyze various matters reached a new height.

With the Breakthrough in Mental Energy, Shen Guyan successfully advanced from the Spirit Origin Realm to the Spirit Connection Realm. This elevation in Realm gave his strength a qualitative leap. He slowly opened his eyes, which sparkled with excitement and joy.

Just as Shen Guyan woke up, a timid figure immediately entered his sight.

"You..." Shen Guyan's expression changed drastically, and he retreated repeatedly. Standing by his bed at this moment, wasn't it the Co-lord of Spirit Beasts, the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yue, who had nearly wiped out his consciousness?

"You..." Gu Yue timidly hunched her shoulders, her small hands trembling uncontrollably in front of her. Her large eyes were brimming with tears, making her look incredibly pitiable.

"Are you really... my older brother?"