After the conversation with his father, Chen Xuan realized the cruelty of this world, where there was no rule of law and only the law of the jungle prevailed. If you were powerful enough, you could annihilate another family without anyone daring to object. If you lacked strength, you could only be at the mercy of others. This was the brutal rule of the Tianling Continent.

Chen Xuan deeply felt the pain of being powerless. "Strength, I need to improve my strength as soon as possible," he silently exclaimed.

"Currently, the two families dare not make a move against us, as they still fear your grandfather. After all, he is at the mid-stage of the Spiritual Martial Realm, and there's a big difference between the early and mid stages. But we cannot rule out the possibility of these two families taking desperate measures," his father explained.

"Fortunately, your generation of youngsters is much better than ours. You have better conditions for cultivation, with the supply of spiritual stones and elixirs," his father continued.

"What are spiritual stones?" Chen Xuan asked.

"To cultivate, one needs to absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and earth. However, this process is slow. Spiritual stones contain a large amount of spiritual energy and can be directly absorbed, making cultivation faster. Elixirs are equally important. A first-grade elixir like the Huiyuan Pill can sustain three days of cultivation. But elixirs are expensive. Each disciple of the family can only receive one per month, while each person can get ten spiritual stones per month," his father explained patiently.

Chen Xuan's father then introduced the situation of various families and clans.

"Among our clan's youngsters, Chen Lihao, at eighteen, has reached the seventh level of the Precelestial Stage, making him the most likely candidate to break through to the Spiritual Martial Realm. Then there's your second uncle's grandson, Chen Yujian, who, at less than fourteen, has already reached the sixth level of the Precelestial Stage. Each level of advancement becomes increasingly difficult."

"But there are also talents from other families. Wu Tianming from the Wu family and Li Yuanlang from the Li family, both at seventeen, have also reached the seventh level of the Precelestial Stage. These are promising young talents," his father added.

After dinner, Chen Xuan returned to his room, contemplating his own lack of progress. At thirteen, he was only at the second level of the Precelestial Stage.

"Practice," he thought, sitting cross-legged. It was his first time cultivating in this world.

"Focus on the lower abdomen." "Maintain the yuan energy." Chen Xuan activated the Changchun Jue, and suddenly, a thin green energy flowed out from his brow, entering his body.

"What is this?" Chen Xuan stopped and tried to identify the source of the energy.

Stolen story; please report.

His consciousness followed the green energy and arrived at a hazy green sky.

"Where is this?" A voice came from the sky.

"You've finally come!"

Suddenly, an old voice resounded from the sky.

"Who are you?" Chen Xuan immediately became alert.

"Where is this?" Chen Xuan was shocked.

"You don't need to be afraid. I am the one who brought you to this world," the old voice replied.

Chen Xuan was furious. "Did anyone ask for your permission to bring me here? I was living just fine. Did you have my consent to bring me here, or did you just randomly choose a dying teenager?"

The old man was speechless at Chen Xuan's words.

"I, as a demonic lord, how dare you speak to me like that," the old man felt an urge to kill.

After venting his anger, Chen Xuan calmed down. "Who are you, and where is this place?"

"Kid, you're the first one who dared to speak to me like that. You can call me Lao Li. You can see me if you walk forward. This place is your sea of consciousness, deep in your soul."

After listening to Lao Li, Chen Xuan walked forward and saw a large rock with a faint figure next to it.

"Why is this rock the same as the one I bought, but bigger?" Chen Xuan looked puzzled at the rock in front of him.

"Don't bother looking; this is the one you bought," Lao Li said.

"Old man, did you bring me here?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Kid, show some respect to your elders. Call me Lao Li!"

If he had a body, Lao Li would have been furious, but at the moment, he was just a soul, and his soul was still very fragile.

"Yes, it was me who brought you here. This rock is a soul stone. I stored my soul in it. Only a soul stone can keep my soul from perishing," Lao Li replied.

"Why did you choose me out of so many people?" Chen Xuan asked.

Lao Li chuckled awkwardly. "I regained my perception of the outside world that day, and the rock was in your hands. So, I brought you here."

"How did you get to Earth?" Chen Xuan asked.

"It's a long story. Back then, as a demonic lord, I dominated the world..."

"Wait, wait, skip the details about your past. I don't want to hear about those histories!" Chen Xuan interrupted.

Lao Li was annoyed. "Fine, let me tell you briefly. I offended many people back then and was eventually besieged by a dozen others of my level. Unable to escape, I chose to self-destruct, forcing open a passage through space. Fortunately, I obtained a soul stone by chance, which allowed me to preserve my soul. However, my soul was also damaged, and I lost my perception of the outside world until you appeared. That's why I brought you here."

Chen Xuan roughly understood the situation and wondered whether he was lucky or unlucky.

"You said this is a soul stone. What exactly is a soul stone?" Chen Xuan asked.

"A soul stone is formed by absorbing the souls of billions. I obtained it by chance. It's extremely rare. It's hard to find a second one on the entire continent," Lao Li explained.

"Kid, rest assured. Since I brought you here, I will turn you into a peerless powerhouse. In my prime years..."

"Stop, stop, why are you talking about your past again? Those things are in the past. I don't want to know. If you have the ability, turn me into a strong man now," Chen Xuan interrupted, annoyed.

"You think cultivation is easy? Just say you want to improve, and it'll happen? I said I would help you, but I didn't say I would directly improve your strength. Ultimately, it's up to you!" Lao Li said.

"How can you help me? I urgently need to improve!" Chen Xuan hurriedly asked.

"I can't help you, but it can," Lao Li pointed to the soul stone.

Chen Xuan almost burst out cursing.

"You're fooling me!" Chen Xuan was angry.

"I can't help you, but it can. However, it depends on you," Lao Li continued.

"This kid doesn't know his place. If you have the guts, come and fight me. I haven't settled the score with you yet, and you're already challenging me," Chen Xuan said angrily.

"I can't help you, but he can," Lao Li said, pointing to the soul stone. Seeing Chen Xuan struggling, Lao Li felt a bit better. Who asked you, kid, to disrespect me?

"Although the soul stone can help you, you have to be prepared to endure hardship," Lao Li warned.

"As long as it can improve my strength, I can endure any hardship!" Chen Xuan said.

"Don't speak big words. Wait until you persevere," Lao Li said, "what you're about to face is not something an ordinary person can bear."

"I will arrange a cultivation plan for you. Prepare according to what I say," Lao Li said.

"How will I communicate with you in the future?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Use your consciousness. As long as you communicate with the soul stone, you can communicate with me!"

"That night was a restless one for Chen Xuan, as he continued to converse with the unfamiliar old man appearing in his spiritual consciousness."