Chapter 10: Rapid Cultivation, The Dawn of Revenge!-From Servant to Saint: The Path to Enlightenment(The mountains rise high beneath a small, distant moon.)

Upon hearing this, Yang Ze gathered his thoughts and replied with a grave expression, "You needn't say more. I understand perfectly."

Seeing her father's serious demeanor, Yang Yun felt relieved, but after a moment's hesitation, she spoke again to stress the importance, "Once I complete the Qi Refinement stage, I will be permitted to elevate one member of our family to become an outer disciple of the Jade Immortal Sect."

"As for the candidate, Father, I will leave that decision to you. In the future, if fortune smiles upon us, there might even be hope for a true disciple."

Yang Ze trembled at her words, scarcely able to believe it. "You can bring someone into the sect?" he asked in astonishment.

Yang Yun nodded and explained, "This is a privilege reserved for true disciples. Since you wish to supplant the current ruler, Father, you must not let this opportunity slip by."

"If our Yang family produces another disciple of the Jade Immortal Sect, then even in the battles of the mundane world, our chances would greatly increase."

Yang Ze was overwhelmed with excitement, but he had always trusted his eldest daughter's words without fail, so he was already considering whom to send with Yang Yun to the sect.

Meanwhile, Shen Yan remained completely unaware of the changes stirring within the Yang residence.

After returning to the manor and completing his tasks, he did not leave the kitchen. Instead, he cleaned and gutted the sea serpent and made a pot of snake soup.

The moment he tasted the soup, a familiar heat surged through his body. He directed the Heavenly Emperor's Seal to absorb the innate purple energy, soon discovering that it now contained an amount equal to two crimson-gold silver-eyed fish.

"Now that I have six portions of innate purple energy at hand, it should last me quite some time," Shen Yan thought. He considered the amount of innate purple energy from one adult crimson-gold silver-eyed fish as a single portion, thus keeping clear count of what was stored within the Heavenly Emperor's Seal.

After tidying up, he returned to his room to rest. When the moon had climbed high, he slipped out as usual and made his way to the shore to continue practicing the Primordial Unity Technique.

…

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Steam rose from Shen Yan's body as he struck the seaside rocks with relentless blows. His hands, already blurred and battered, revealed glimpses of bone beneath the flesh.

Yet despite the agony, he gritted his teeth and continued to beat and pound the rocks with wild abandon. When his arms could no longer muster strength, he used his shoulders, back, and chest to grind against the rough stone, refusing to stop even when his body was covered in wounds.

When there was not a patch of intact flesh left, he began to kick and batter the rocks with his legs, which soon became swollen and torn open.

Only when he was utterly exhausted did he use the Heavenly Emperor's Seal to restore himself, then began the torturous process anew.

In addition, Shen Yan secretly studied the fist techniques of the young masters in the Yang household, practicing them daily by the sea.

Thunderclap! Bull Demon Splits the Mountain! Dragon Elephant Breaks the Army!

His training bordered on self-mortification, but it forged his body into steel. Every inch of his bones and flesh was tempered again and again, until he could command every ounce of his strength at will.

Yet this relentless cultivation brought with it immense strain. Though the Heavenly Emperor's Seal could heal his physical injuries, the torment on his spirit nearly drove him mad.

But the flames of vengeance burning in his heart spurred him on, compelling him to endure this inhuman ordeal.

Others who practiced the Primordial Unity Technique did so with extreme caution—dressed in fine robes, nourished by medicine and food, assisted by skilled physicians, and even then, they would rest three days for every day of training.

Shen Yan, by contrast, practiced every single day without pause, treading the edge of life and death. Without the innate purple energy provided by the Heavenly Emperor's Seal, he would have perished long ago.

He kept up this regimen for a full six months, and by the end, his body had undergone a profound transformation.

His skin, once smooth and fair from the initial transformation of the Heavenly Emperor's Seal, had darkened to a bronze hue. His muscles, though not bulky, were sharply defined.

His mind, too, had grown unshakable; a mere glance from him could send the household servants fleeing in terror.

Most importantly, with the power of the Heavenly Emperor's Seal, his Primordial Unity Technique had finally reached perfection.

"After half a year of toil, I've finally mastered the Primordial Unity Technique. Not only that, but my proficiency with the three fist techniques borders on the miraculous. What’s more, this relentless training consumed less than one portion of innate purple energy. The treasures of the sea are even more precious than I imagined."

Shen Yan had feared that the six portions of innate purple energy within the Heavenly Emperor's Seal would not suffice to complete his training. Yet, to his surprise, the technique's mastery consumed barely half a portion, which delighted him.

This left him with ample reserves for other arts.

"Now that I've reached my limits, it's time to consider revenge."

Though born a servant, Shen Yan understood the need for balance in cultivation. After half a year stretched taut as a bowstring, he knew that to push further would risk breaking himself.

Thus, he resolved to pursue both cultivation and vengeance, while seeking other techniques to bolster his strength.

At this, he thought of Steward Liu, who had been avoiding him lately, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "My revenge will begin with Steward Liu. Once he is dealt with, I’ll move against the true members of the Yang family."

As he guided his fishing boat with the help of the waves, Shen Yan quietly plotted.

Armed with formidable skills and the mastery of water manipulation, he was no longer dreaming idly about confronting the Yang household.

"They killed my parents, enslaved me—until every last one of them is dead, my hatred will not be sated."

Years of oppression had forged his hatred into a river as deep as the heavens. Now that he had power, it surged forth without end.

Having made up his mind, Shen Yan manipulated the currents and moved forward with caution.

Over the past six months, under the pretense of searching for the crimson-gold silver-eyed fish, he had explored every corner of Jinzhou Bay. In the end, he discovered only a handful of spirit herbs and three or four sea creatures containing innate purple energy.

Among them were two crimson-gold silver-eyed fish. When his reserves had been full, he had spared them, but now, needing one to kill Steward Liu, he set out to catch another.

With his water manipulation skills, he quickly reached the area where the fish were most active and easily caught one.

"With this crimson-gold silver-eyed fish, I'll have the perfect bait to lure Steward Liu out to sea," he murmured.

Fishermen said that the crimson-gold silver-eyed fish was rumored to carry the bloodline of the Sea Dragon King; for martial artists, it could strengthen their foundation and boost their strength, and for ordinary people, it could even prolong life.

Given the Yang family's resources, that young mistress Yang Yun had likely eaten more than one; her strength might well surpass his own. He would need to proceed with utmost caution and patience if he hoped to succeed in his revenge.