Chapter Three: The Compendium of Marvels

“Rest assured, Uncle Huan, I will always remember your and Father's instructions,” Shen Junhuai said solemnly, tears glistening in his eyes. “From now on, you are as good as my own father. I will strive to let you witness my hard work and perseverance!”

“That is enough,” Shen Yihuan waved his hand dismissively. “The rules of the Shen family must be observed. Your sincerity is what matters. But do not forget Seventh Elder’s hopes for you!”

After bidding farewell, he returned to the courtyard, greeted his mother, and then hurried into his own room. He impatiently opened the ‘Compendium of Marvels’ and began to study it carefully.

The ‘Compendium of Marvels’ was similar to Earth's ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas’, divided into four main sections: ‘Records of Mountains’, ‘Records of Seas’, ‘Records of Marvels’, and ‘Records of the Wastelands’. It detailed myths, geography, plants, animals, minerals, products, sorcery, religion, medicine, immortal arts, and peoples. However, currently less than a third of the book could be accessed; Uncle Huan had mentioned that the rest was sealed, and the method to unseal it remained unknown.

One passage about martial cultivation especially caught Shen Junhuai’s interest. Cultivators were divided into three realms: lower, middle, and upper. The lower realm consisted of five stages: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Divine Transformation. The middle realm included Void Refinement, Unity, and Great Ascension. At the final upper realm, only the Tribulation remained; if one survived the heavenly tribulation, they could ascend to the immortal world and be as eternal as heaven and earth.

The martial skills he had learned belonged to the martial way, equivalent to the cultivator’s Qi Refining stage, also divided into nine levels. To reach the Foundation Establishment stage, one must begin cultivating immortal arts after attaining the fourth level of the martial way.

The fundamental difference between martial artists and cultivators lay in the spiritual root and its attributes.

Those born with spiritual roots were one in a million, and among them, single-attribute roots were the best. The five attributes—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—were ideal when possessed singly, creating harmony in cultivation. Those with all five attributes were considered mixed roots; though cultivation was possible, the odds of success were astronomically low, yet those who did succeed possessed tremendous power, strong spiritual sense, and their internal spiritual energy far surpassed their peers. Such individuals, once achieved, were all mighty beings.

The second realm for martial artists did not require balanced absorption of spiritual energy; any energy sufficed. Cultivators, however, needed balance and purification during their second Qi Refining stage.

Testing for spiritual roots required a crystal known as the Spirit Essence Stone. Shen Junhuai felt frustrated—what was he to do? Since the answer was unclear, he decided to set it aside for now. His immediate concern was to advance his own realm.

The ‘Compendium of Marvels’ also contained methods for alchemy and artifact forging, but these required Foundation Establishment, which could not be rushed. This ancient book was a treasure, but only useful once the existence of a spiritual root was confirmed.

“Shen Junhuai? That useless Seventh Young Master from the Fourth Elder’s branch?” Shen Junhuai heard this at the main gate of the Shen estate the next day.

“Heh, who else could it be? Survived two attacks by wild beasts and still didn’t die—what luck.” The speaker was one of the estate guards; it was the first time Shen Junhuai had returned since he and his mother were driven out.

He held his breath, struggling to suppress his anger. Indeed, he couldn’t blame these people—his predecessor had weak cultivation, was timid by nature, and had been humiliated by his cousins since childhood, even the servants looked down on him.

This visit was to ask his grandfather about the tests for recruiting disciples into the cultivation sects. He remembered a sect recruitment assessment organized by the city lord’s mansion when he was younger; all his peers attended, except for him. He knew which of the Shen family’s wives had meddled behind the scenes. Of course, his own grandfather never regarded him as a legitimate grandson.

Outside the main hall of Shen Ao, the family patriarch.

The guards’ report received no reply, so Shen Junhuai had to wait alone by the outer wall.

“Well, isn’t this our Seventh Young Master? Visiting grandfather without kneeling—do you still think you’re part of the Shen family?” his fifth cousin Shen Linghan sneered as he came out of the gate, “A Shen family good-for-nothing, you didn’t die out there, but you lost all your pride. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t wait at the Shen family’s gate anymore?”

Watching Shen Linghan’s arrogant demeanor, Shen Junhuai felt sorrow for his predecessor’s weakness and helplessness.

He remained calm throughout; he understood that without his father, he had lost all standing in the family. Even when his father was alive, there was no dignity. In his heart, he no longer considered himself a Shen.

“You should just go home. Grandfather said you can still use the Shen family name, but don’t think about entering the main estate again,” Shen Linghan said cheerfully, the disdain in his voice undisguised.

Shen Junhuai said nothing, only gazed deeply at the redwood gates studded with gold, then turned and left.

In his memory, his parents’ union had never been approved by the patriarch. His father, Shen Ao’s fourth son, was rebellious from a young age, disregarding conventions, scoffing at the intrigue of great clans. His temper alienated uncles and brothers alike, and he was never favored by the family.

On the way home, Shen Junhuai already understood that his mother and he would have to move out of the Shen family’s side estate. From now on, it would truly be just the two of them relying on each other.

He would have to carve out a life here, and he absolutely could not depend on the Shen family anymore. Pingdu City was still the same chaotic town as before, and he could feel the hardship of survival. It was a world where the strong preyed upon the weak. Without power, one could barely survive, and only at the feet of others.

He needed to cultivate to the fourth layer of the martial way. Although he possessed Shen family techniques, these would limit his future progress. Once he tested for spiritual roots and found suitable cultivation arts, it would mark his true departure from the Shen family.

The streets of Pingdu City crisscrossed like a spider’s web, with wide avenues branching into countless smaller lanes.

On either side of the streets were all kinds of shops, many selling wares previously unheard of in Pingdu, let alone seen. The most common shops dealt in materials from fierce beasts, low-grade spiritual herbs, and weapons. The higher-end shops offered magical artifacts and pills.

What Shen Junhuai sought was a narrow alley behind these shops. Stalls here sold spiritual herbs, pills, and weapons, though of lower quality and at cheaper prices.

Much like Earth’s antique black markets, hidden among these stalls were high-grade items not meant for public sale.

Because the Shen family did not favor them, the household stipend was reduced, and daily life for mother and son was often a struggle. Sometimes Shen Junhuai would find a trivial item discarded by the clan and trade it here for a bit of extra money; his vanadium-iron sword had come from such a deal.

There were almost no counterfeit goods here—on the martial continent of Star Sky, experts were everywhere, and the risks of selling fakes were far too great.