Chapter 4

His body had already recovered to a level close to that of a normal person, but the essence and energy he had depleted in the past could not be replenished in a short time. The Shen family, being a large and wealthy clan, naturally had easier access to precious herbs. Even without the steward Wu, Shen Lian had a good chance of finding an opportunity to return home.

In both literature and martial arts, the saying "poor scholars, rich warriors" holds true in cultivation as well.

Even in ancient Earth, those famous Taoist priests mostly came from wealthy families. Zhang Daoling, who founded the Way of the Celestial Masters, was naturally affluent. Later, Sun En, a descendant of a prominent family, and Ge Hong, a Marquis of the Inner Pass, and Tao Hongjing, known as the Chancellor of the Mountains, all came from privileged backgrounds.

These well-known cultivators, regardless of whether they achieved immortality, all shared one thing in common: they were not lacking in resources. If they had to struggle for basic necessities, even the most talented individuals would not be able to achieve much in their cultivation.

The original Shen Lian was limited by his experiences and lacked guidance, so he did not realize these things. He thought that powerful individuals only needed a secret manual and could achieve greatness through seclusion and hard practice.

Cultivation and martial arts both seek personal evolution. From the perspective of modern society, which has experienced an information explosion, even cultivation requires a foundation of resources, despite the emphasis on mental and spiritual cultivation.

In modern society, even a single human genome project requires the collaboration of many countries to accomplish. This undoubtedly indicates that the path of evolution he is about to embark on cannot be achieved by working alone.

The ancients spoke of the four essentials of cultivation: Dharma, companions, wealth, and land.

He already had the Dharma, but his understanding of it was still shallow.

Companions could be fellow cultivators who practice together, mentors who impart knowledge, or friends who share information and experiences, much like how modern scientists often attend conferences and hold important positions in universities to utilize their resources.

Wealth refers to the resources needed for cultivation. Due to his limited knowledge, he was still at a loss about what resources were suitable for cultivation.

Land is a place where he could cultivate in peace and safety.

Now, he had some of these things, but they were not sufficient.

The most important thing was not cultivation itself, but companions and mentors.

Studying alone leaves one without friends and leads to narrow-mindedness. As a modern person, Shen Lian knew that working in isolation was not the best choice. If the original Shen Lian had received guidance, his body would not have been in such poor condition, and he would not have left himself vulnerable.

If he had come to this world, he would have been assimilated by his predecessor rather than taking control.

These experiences, if gained within a cultivation sect, would have been imparted by elders.

Even in the cultivation novels he read in his past life, the protagonists initially joined sects before breaking away.

Just like a great scholar, one must first study and gain experience before beginning independent research.

These reasons were enough for Shen Lian to know what he should do next.

In the long term, he needed to find a high-level sect and ideally become a disciple.

In the short term, he needed to strengthen his body, replenish his essence and energy, and lay a solid foundation.

In fact, the predecessor's efforts to strengthen his divine soul were not without benefits. At least his divine soul was much stronger than that of an ordinary person, allowing him to perceive his body in great detail. He could easily grasp the limits of his training, know when to stop, and understand how to exert his strength without harming himself.

Through his gradual training, his hand-eye coordination and sensory acuity far exceeded those of ordinary people.

If he returned to modern society, his performance in large-scale games would be extraordinary.

Time passed, and soon it was the morning of the second day.

Shen Lian was already sitting in a comfortable carriage, driven by Steward Wu. His driving skills were excellent, and the ride was smooth, with almost no bumps. Of course, this was also due to the Shen family's investment in road maintenance for their commercial transportation.

To become wealthy, one must first build roads. Although the road construction cost a lot of money, the long-term benefits were significant. The Shen family's reputation in Qingzhou Prefecture also improved, and this could be counted as a political achievement for the officials of Qingzhou Prefecture. Apart from the Shen family's visible financial loss, everyone was happy.

All of this was due to Grandfather Shen's insistence. Although the head of the family, Shen Lian's eldest uncle, was somewhat reluctant, and his second uncle was not very supportive, Grandfather Shen had the authority to make this decision when the Shen family was not as wealthy as it is today.

From these small matters, it was clear that Shen Lian's maternal grandfather was not an ordinary person. He had a long-term vision and decisive leadership, which is why he was able to expand the Shen family to such a great extent.

Shen Lian, combining his thoughts with the original Shen Lian's memories, had already formed a rough image of Grandfather Shen in his mind.

This was one of the benefits of a strong divine soul. His logical analysis skills had greatly improved.

Due to his strong divine soul, or perhaps because of the *Shangqing Lingbao Ziran Suoxin Dingxin Zhenjie* (True Explanation of the Shangqing Lingbao Natural Locking of the Heart and Stabilizing the Spirit), he, who was originally a slow person, had transformed into someone who was calm, sharp-minded, and increasingly rational.

Whenever he visualized the deity holding the jade ruyi in his mind, the chaotic thoughts that arose each day would gradually subside.

********

Qingzhou Prefecture City was bustling with traffic and commerce. A low-key but luxurious carriage stopped in front of the Shen family's mansion, a prominent household in the city.

As the carriage arrived, the gatekeeper said, "Steward Wu, are you here to pick up the third young master?"

Steward Wu replied, "That's right."

Shen Lian lifted the curtain and slowly stepped out of the carriage. Even with the predecessor's memories, it had been six or seven years since he last returned here, but the changes were minimal.

The two stone lions at the gate had accumulated more wind marks, meticulously recording the passage of time.

The main gate was wide open, and a middle-aged man walked out. This was Shen Lian's second uncle, Shen Qingshan.

Shen Qingshan was a lay disciple of a martial arts sect in his youth and had learned a formidable set of skills. It was said that he once fought off dozens of bandits bare-handed while transporting goods, making him a well-known brave figure in Qingzhou City.

Perhaps due to his age, Shen Qingshan's robe revealed a somewhat plump figure, and his muscles were slightly relaxed, but his eyes were much sharper than those of an ordinary person.

Shen Qingshan carefully examined his nephew. His first impression was that Shen Lian was very thin, not as robust as he was in his youth. Over the years, Shen Lian seemed less introverted than he was as a child. His thin frame had a resilience like that of a bamboo growing in a crevice, unyielding to the wind.

Shen Lian's face also increasingly resembled his deceased sister.

He and his sister had a closer relationship than his elder brother, who was sent to study at a young age, while he and his sister stayed at home more often.

However, after he spent seven years learning martial arts, he became estranged from his sister. Later, when his sister became pregnant out of wedlock, it was a great disgrace to the family in his eyes.