Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Constructing a Small World

Chen Yu turned, his gaze sweeping over the disciples before him. Their faces were etched with exhaustion. The great battle had left them mentally and physically drained. Seeing their brothers and sisters devoured by the Primordial Beasts had scarred their hearts, and grief was plain to see on every face.

Chen Yu took a deep breath and slowly began to speak. "You’re all very tired, aren’t you?"

Hearing his words, the disciples all nodded.

"And your hearts are in pain, aren’t they?" Chen Yu asked again.

The disciples nodded once more.

"And you feel a sense of despair, don’t you?" Chen Yu continued. This time, however, the disciples only looked at one another, offering no reply. Still, the look in their eyes was answer enough.

"I know. In this battle, we lost tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters! My heart aches even more than yours, and I am even more weary! But we cannot give in to despair! The Five Elements Sect grew to what it is today by relying on the strength of everyone. Now that our home has been destroyed, we must pull ourselves together, rebuild our home, and restore its former liveliness and glory! We aren’t just rebuilding for ourselves, but also for our fallen brothers and sisters, so that when they come home, they can find a place that belongs to them, instead of a scene of utter ruin!" Chen Yu said in a deep voice, looking at the disciples.

Upon hearing his words, a trace of guilt appeared on the disciples’ faces. ’We should just leave,’ they had thought. ’The Five Elements Sect is in ruins; its destiny is over.’ But after listening to Chen Yu, their faces flushed red, and any thought of fleeing was instantly extinguished. They looked at their familiar surroundings and shouted in unison, "We will rebuild our home!"

"Rebuild our home! Rebuild our home! Rebuild our home!" The shouts rang out, growing louder and louder until they seemed to shake the very heavens. The disciples’ passion was rekindled.

Looking at these young faces, Chen Yu nodded. ’These disciples are the future of the Five Elements Sect. After the transformation from this great battle, their future achievements will be limitless!’

After a short rest, once the disciples had mostly tended to their injuries, they began to clean up the Five Elements Sect. The post-war cleanup was no small task...

Days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, a month had gone by since the great battle. During this time, under Chen Yu’s leadership, the several hundred surviving disciples had rebuilt the Five Elements Sect. Although it lacked its former splendor, there was plenty of time for gradual improvement. The only drawback was the lack of people. A sect that once bustled with tens of thousands of disciples was now home to a mere few hundred, making the entire place feel rather deserted...

Today, however, those several hundred disciples were all gathered in one place. Even Sect Master Chen Yu and the Elders from the various halls had assembled, standing at the Yao Sect’s base and gazing nervously toward the Cultivation Room.

"It’s been almost a month. Why isn’t the Boss out of seclusion yet?" Zi Mo said anxiously, staring at the completely still Cultivation Room.

"Yeah, he was so badly injured. You don’t think something happened, do you?" Long Zhen said with some worry. But the moment his voice fell, three sharp raps landed on his head. Zi Mo, Shui Ruolan, and Xuan Yi all scolded him in unison, "What nonsense are you spouting? The Boss even managed to slay that black monster, let alone a few minor injuries!"

"Yes, yes, yes..." Long Zhen clutched his head and quickly replied. ’If I dare say one more word against it, the three of them would probably drag me off to feed the dogs...’

"Sect Leader, uh... it’s been a month, and Shen Haoran still hasn’t come out. Could something have really happened?" Elder Huo asked, worried, as he couldn’t sense any aura from within the Cultivation Room.

"Rest assured, he’s fine. On the contrary, it seems he’s stumbled upon a great opportunity!" Chen Yu said with a grin, his eyes narrowing. His keen senses could feel Shen Haoran’s aura growing at a frantic pace!

"A great opportunity?" Elder Huo looked puzzled.

BOOM!

Just as everyone was whispering amongst themselves, the calm space suddenly erupted. The surrounding Spiritual Power began to churn like boiling water before forming into torrents that flooded into the Cultivation Room. In an instant, a storm of Spiritual Power raged around them!

"He’s... about to break through!" Elder Huo cried out in pleasant surprise upon seeing this.

"Breaking through? Haha! As expected of my boss! You’re a total badass!" Zi Mo roared with laughter, completely ignoring the disdainful looks from those around him.

Inside the Cultivation Room, Shen Haoran sat cross-legged upon the Red Flame Jade Lotus. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian swirled around him, forming a black Fire Curtain. As thick pillars of Spiritual Power rushed into his body, they first had to undergo the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian’s Refinement. Pillars of Spiritual Power as thick as an arm would shrink to the size of a finger after being refined!

However, this finger-thick Spiritual Power was far purer than before. After surging into Shen Haoran’s body, the refined energy circulated once along the pathways of the Chaos Heaven-Dominating Technique before being poured into the Spirit Crystal within his Dantian.

As this pure Spiritual Power was poured in, the black Spirit Crystal flared with light and began to slowly shrink. From the size of a fist, it gradually became the size of a walnut, and finally, it was compressed to the size of a mung bean!

As Shen Haoran continued the compression, the mung bean-sized Spirit Crystal began to tremble violently, as if it could no longer withstand so much Spiritual Power. However, Shen Haoran paid it no mind and continued to pour Spiritual Power into it.

At a certain moment, the trembling black Spirit Crystal suddenly fell still, allowing the Spiritual Power to pour in freely. The next second, the black Spirit Crystal exploded!

THUMP...

A muffled thud echoed from within Shen Haoran’s Dantian. Far from being alarmed by the shattering Spirit Crystal, his face lit up with joy. He immediately calmed his Heart Spirit, gathered his Spiritual Thought within his Dantian, and began to act!

His Spiritual Thought darted back and forth within his Dantian. After a long while, it finally came to a stop! By this point, Shen Haoran was covered in sweat, his face somewhat pale.

The step Shen Haoran had just taken was called "World-Shaping!" That’s right—creating a small world within one’s Dantian! This was a mandatory step for breaking through to the Spirit Marquis realm!

To advance from the Spirit General to the Spirit Marquis realm, one must first shape a small world within their Dantian. Like a Spirit Crystal, this small world is used to store Spiritual Power. However, its storage capacity is vastly greater. Furthermore, it can not only store Spiritual Power but also generate it, just like a real world!

At this moment, Shen Haoran’s Dantian was filled with a gray, hazy mist. This mist churned slowly as lighter substances drifted upward and heavier ones sank. After a long while, heaven and earth were divided.

Shen Haoran stared at the small world in his Dantian, where heaven and earth had been divided, his face a mask of astonishment. His mind struggled to process it.

’This isn’t right. This isn’t what Elder Yan said a small world should be like! What’s going on?!’