C17 Zhang Sanfeng Awakens

Early in the morning, a rooster's crow shattered Su Chen's wonderful dream, leaving him quite irked. If he could have bested the village chickens in a fight, Su Chen would have taken action long ago.

Yawning, Su Chen ambled down the path, his energy sapped. He watched as a flurry of children dashed past him. Instinctively, he stepped aside. As an adult, he knew the importance of respecting elders and cherishing the young—a hallmark of Chinese virtue—not because he feared being bowled over by the rambunctious kids.

"Heh, heh." A group of children, under the guidance of several strong men, practiced their punches and kicks. Each swing was accompanied by an explosive sound. Bare-chested and muscles rippling, they stirred a sense of envy in Su Chen.

"These kids have six-packs already? That's child abuse! They could be sued for this."

"Do you have any objections to the training methods here in the village, Young Master Su?" Shou Yang inquired, having overheard Su Chen's muttered comment. Curiosity piqued, he approached for an answer.

Another person who speaks Chinese, Su Chen thought. He turned to see a familiar face—one of the individuals who had appeared and then vanished from his room the day before.

"There's nothing to complain about. It's quite good," Su Chen replied, not daring to express any real dissatisfaction. As someone less formidable, he knew his place and preferred to keep a low profile.

"How is Young Master Su's elder doing?"

"Much better, thank you for asking. And I haven't had the chance to ask how to address you, sir."

"Haha," Shou Yang chuckled, pleased with the formality. "I'm Shou Yang. Just call me Shou Yang, Young Master Su."

Suddenly, Shou Yang's expression turned to one of surprise as he looked northward, toward the direction from which Su Chen had come. Without needing a prompt from Shou Yang, the villagers had already sensed that something was amiss.

Above Su Chen's guest room, a black and white Tai Chi symbol rotated slowly. With each turn, it absorbed a vast amount of primal energy, creating a swirling vortex. At the heart of the vortex, a silhouette could be seen sitting cross-legged.

"The commotion seems a bit excessive," Su Chen remarked with astonishment as he gazed at the whirlpool. If nothing had gone awry, Zhang Sanfeng must have been behind the creation of this Tai Chi pattern. Yet, the resulting spectacle appeared to be overwhelming, drawing the attention of everyone in the village.

"The elder of Young Master Su is truly remarkable!" Shou Yang finally managed to express his admiration after a long pause. What more could he say?

He had used his spiritual sense to observe the old man in the guest room, who hadn't even reached the first level of body casting. There was a peculiar, faint power within him, comparable in strength to someone at the fourth level of body casting. Considering the extraordinary phenomenon unfolding, such events were typically associated with breakthroughs in the body casting realm! Do all Celestial Beings advance in their stages like this? As Shou Yang pondered, he glanced at Su Chen. Just as feeble. Not every outsider from the heavens was like this.

Unconcerned with Shou Yang's thoughts, Su Chen was already rushing towards Zhang Sanfeng's location. The old man had stirred up quite the trouble as soon as he awoke!

The vortex spun with increasing velocity, nearly engulfing Zhang Sanfeng in primal energy, leaving only a silhouette visible.

By now, the locals had encircled the area. If not for Su Chen's status as a Celestial Being, he wouldn't have been able to get through.

"You've arrived, young friend," the doyen greeted.

"Yes, but what's happened to my elder?" Su Chen inquired, visibly concerned.

"There's no need to worry, Su Chen. This gentleman is in the midst of transcending his current state," the doyen explained.

"A breakthrough," Su Chen muttered, dumbfounded. A breakthrough with such a spectacle?

"He's reached the fifth level of body casting and is still advancing," an Untamed Tribe member exclaimed in amazement.

"Now the sixth level! Who is this person? They're advancing too quickly!"

"The seventh level now! Has this person consumed some kind of unparalleled elixir?"

The chatter of the Untamed Tribe members was lost on Su Chen; even if he could understand, it would still be beyond his comprehension.

"He's reached the eighth level. Is he about to break through to the Spiritual Origin Stage?"

"What's so surprising about that? At this rate, reaching the Spiritual Origin Stage would take just an hour."

"Gulp." The man who had just asked swallowed hard. "In all my years, I've never seen such cultivation. It's thrilling."

"..."

"It's finished," the patriarch announced. As the doyen's words settled, the spinning Tai Chi symbol began to slow, and the influx of primal energy ceased, revealing Zhang Sanfeng's figure.

Now, Zhang Sanfeng bore no trace of his former aged appearance. His white hair had turned black, as had his beard. Anyone seeing him now would never guess he was a centenarian; he looked no more than forty.

Zhang Sanfeng, light as a falling leaf, descended before Su Chen and remarked, "Is this the Immortal Realm you spoke of? It truly is wondrous."

"Uh..." What was Su Chen to say in this situation? With the natives present, how should he manage expectations? Su Chen's face was a picture of awkwardness. "This isn't the Immortal Realm. We're quite a ways from there."

Zhang Sanfeng paused, taking in the news. If this wasn't the Immortal Realm, he could only imagine how extraordinary the actual Immortal Realm must be. He set aside these thoughts for the moment and turned to address the doyen and the others, "Sanfeng pays his respects to the esteemed seniors." Despite their primitive attire, Sanfeng did not dare underestimate them. Their auras were formidable, each one reminiscent of a primordial beast, capable of crushing him effortlessly.

The doyen and the rest were taken aback. It was unheard of for an elder of a Celestial Being to pay them such respect. They quickly responded, "Please, there's no need for formalities. As an elder of Su Chen, you are one of our own."

"Elder," Zhang Sanfeng echoed, glancing at Su Chen, who could only offer a sheepish grin and hastily interjected, "Haha, congratulations, Sage Zhang, on your breakthrough. This is the domain of the Untamed Tribe. Your recovery is thanks to our patriarch's aid."

Zhang Sanfeng, filled with gratitude, expressed his thanks to the patriarch and the others, stirring up excitement among the members of the Untamed Tribe.

Once the tribe members had dispersed, Su Chen took the opportunity to explain to Zhang Sanfeng about this world. Truth be told, he was still trying to grasp the nature of this world himself, having been transported to the Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre universe just two days prior. His understanding of the Untamed Tribe was limited at best.

"Su Chen, are you suggesting that we are no longer in the Yuan Dynasty, nor overseas, but rather in an entirely different world?"

Su Chen gave a nod in confirmation.

"What a stroke of luck! An incredible stroke of luck!" Zhang Sanfeng could scarcely contain his excitement. It was beyond his wildest dreams that he, Zhang Sanfeng, would encounter such a fortuitous opportunity at the ripe age of one hundred.

"Sage Zhang, try to calm down," Su Chen interjected upon noticing Zhang Sanfeng's exhilarated demeanor. After all, crossing over to another world was a minor event for him. "Have you reached the pinnacle of the Innate Realm? Can you now defeat Emperor Shun of Yuan?" While some say revenge is a dish best served cold, Su Chen preferred his without delay.

"With my present level of cultivation, I believe it shouldn't pose a problem," Zhang Sanfeng replied, his certainty not absolute. However, the twinkle of amusement in his eyes gave Su Chen all the assurance he needed that victory was assured.

Quake in fear, mortal—no, Emperor Shun of Yuan—prepare to face the judgment of a transmigrator!