Chapter 346: Chapter 183: Half-step Grandmaster
"Young friend, please enter the pavilion for a chat!"
Just then, a powerful and resonant voice echoed from within the Ice Castle. The speaker was none other than the Shen Family Ancestor, Shen Zhaoyi.
Outside the Ice Castle, everyone from the Shen Family was shocked. The Ancestor calling him "young friend" was not just an acknowledgment of Chen Cheng’s Martial Arts Power, but a sign of immense respect.
Everyone stopped their discussions and looked up toward the Ice Castle in unison.
Their faces all held expressions of reverence and solemnity, which then shifted into a mixture of different emotions.
Some were thrilled and excited, their hearts surging. Some felt a complex, indescribable mix of emotions. And some felt an inexplicable sense of loss...
"Young Master Chen is only nineteen, and he’s already entered the Ice Castle. This is terrible!" a Clan Elder suddenly exclaimed.
The crowd realized the implications, and another uproar erupted!
The Shen Family’s Ice Castle had been standing for several decades, and with it came a long-standing rule.
Any Shen Family disciple who could enter the Ice Castle before the age of twenty through their own strength would receive a reward from the Shen Family Ancestor.
A reward from an Organ Refining Realm expert was naturally extraordinary. One could freely choose from the Shen Family Treasure Vault’s collection of top-tier Cultivation Technique inheritances, precious Elixir Pills, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and Supreme Weapons.
One could even ask to follow the Shen Family Ancestor, cultivating Martial Dao inside the Ice Castle and receiving his personal guidance daily.
Ever since the Shen Family Ancestor established this rule, entering the Ice Castle before the age of twenty had been the dream of every young Shen Family disciple cultivating the Martial Dao.
This wasn’t just limited to the direct descendants of the Shen Family, but also included disciples from branch families, affiliated families, and even young people who had married into the Shen Family.
In short, any young person associated with the Shen Family who could enter the Ice Castle before the age of twenty by their own strength was considered to have obtained a great opportunity.
However, in several decades, no one had managed to do it.
Even Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang, widely acknowledged within the Shen Family as having the greatest Martial Arts Talent, were only able to enter the Ice Castle after turning twenty.
Let alone a Shen Family disciple, probably no one in the entire younger generation of Linji City could meet this condition.
The one who came closest was likely Jiang Lang, hailed as the number one Martial Artist of Linji City’s younger generation.
However, although Jiang Lang’s Martial Arts Talent was extraordinary, he wasn’t much stronger than Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang.
Of course, Jiang Lang was not part of the Shen Family, so even if he had the ability, he wouldn’t have the chance to enter the Shen Family’s Ice Castle.
Before Chen Cheng entered the Ice Castle, no one in the Shen Family would have ever thought he could get in by his own strength.
Patriarch Shen, Shen Mingyuan, had already prepared himself. As soon as Chen Cheng had trouble trying to enter the Ice Castle, he planned to use his Frost Snow Realm to form an Ice and Snow Ladder to help him in.
Shen Mingyuan’s intention was, on one hand, to test Chen Cheng’s Martial Arts Power, and on the other, to further display his own Martial Arts Power in front of Chen Cheng.
But Chen Cheng actually managed to get in by his own strength, so Shen Mingyuan’s plan naturally fell through.
And now, Shen Mingyuan had to consider whether Chen Cheng met the conditions to receive the reward established by the Shen Family Ancestor, Shen Zhaoyi.
On the surface, Chen Cheng had no connection to the Shen Family, but the family had long since planned to have one of the two sisters, Shen Qingyao or Shen Qingshuang, marry Chen Cheng.
Inviting Chen Cheng over today was precisely to discuss this matter.
Therefore, Chen Cheng could ultimately be considered a son-in-law of the Shen Family. And not just any ordinary son-in-law, but the son-in-law of the peerless twin beauties.
Naturally, he met the conditions and should receive the reward.
Otherwise, if Chen Cheng learned of this Shen Family rule in the future, even if he didn’t make a fuss, he would inevitably harbor some resentment.
’Sigh... If I had known this kid’s Martial Arts Power was so formidable, I would have formed the Ice and Snow Ladder for him early on to help him into the Ice Castle, and none of this would be an issue!’
Shen Mingyuan was filled with regret at this moment. If he weren’t the Patriarch of the Shen Family and didn’t have to maintain a dignified and solemn posture at all times, he would have probably been cursing and slapping his thigh!
’I hope this kid doesn’t set his sights on those few ultimate treasures in the Shen Family Treasure Vault!
Those are the heirlooms the Shen Family spent countless efforts to accumulate. If even one goes missing, I probably won’t be able to eat my dinner...’
...
From the outside, the Ice Castle looked like a fortress, but its internal layout was no different from a typical courtyard.
Gardens, rockeries, and various pavilions and buildings were all present. The only difference was that everything was covered in ice and snow, a scene from a frozen world.
But in this world of ice and snow, there was, surprisingly, a pond. The water in the pond was clear and green, and had not frozen. Inside, exotic fish swam about cheerfully.
In a pavilion by the pond, built from blocks of ice, stood a tall man with a ruddy complexion, half-gray hair and beard, and the appearance of someone in his forties or fifties.
This man was the Shen Family Ancestor, Shen Zhaoyi, one of the few Organ Refining Realm Martial Artists in Linji City.
"Junior Chen Cheng greets Elder Shen."
Chen Cheng walked slowly into the pavilion and cupped his fists.
Shen Zhaoyi nodded slightly, returning the gesture with a smile. "Young friend, to have such bearing at your age... Shen Zhaoyi is impressed."
Shen Zhaoyi was a dignified Organ Refining Realm Martial Artist, an existence at the peak of the Martial Dao in Linji City. For him to have such an amiable attitude and repeatedly call him "young friend" caught Chen Cheng completely off guard.
After entering the Ice Castle, Chen Cheng had carefully sensed the depth of Shen Zhaoyi’s Qi and Blood, and found his breathing to be steady and long.
But his outwardly expressed Qi Blood Power seemed no stronger than that of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm Patriarch Shen, Shen Mingyuan. In fact, it seemed faintly weaker.
This was clearly a world apart from what Chen Cheng had expected.
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