The Power of Mental State

The eastern horizon was lit by the rising sun as expected.

Shaking his head, Shen, despite not sleeping all night, felt no fatigue. He mumbled to himself, realizing that the deeper his cultivation went, the less sleep he needed. Occasionally, going without sleep was no issue at all.

This day was destined to be extraordinary.

Starting today, Shen would change his usual way of handling matters. This was Wilad's suggestion: since he had the Pure Power - Battle Aura, he shouldn't dishonor this divine gift!

To use strength to overcome everything! By adopting this mindset in his cultivation, he could break through all future obstacles!

Regarding cultivation obstacles... Shen's aptitude had to be mentioned. Indeed, he only had ordinary aptitude! Throughout history, it was said that those with ordinary aptitude could at best become six-star warriors in their lifetime! The gap between a six-star warrior and a one-star Glorious warrior was an insurmountable chasm for those with ordinary aptitude!

Last night, Wilad mentioned that Shen's cultivation speed, even mastering the genuine Galan Battle Qi manual, was no less than those with perfect aptitude. This sparked Shen's curiosity about why ordinary aptitude practitioners could never surpass that barrier.

Wilad provided a detailed explanation. This explanation gave Shen a clear understanding.

For example, advancing from one star to two stars is like walking on a narrow path until reaching the end, marking the progression. This continues until... the transition from six stars to the next tier. At this point, the path diverges into countless forks! Each fork might take many years to traverse, only to end in a dead end, forcing the practitioner to start over. 

Among the countless paths, only one is the true path, but those with ordinary aptitude have no way of knowing which one it is! With odds less than one in a thousand, one could spend a lifetime searching without finding the way!

Only those with high or perfect aptitude could sense an intuitive guidance to discern the true path among the forks, allowing them to progress and find the exit!

According to this probability, some might be lucky enough to choose correctly on their first try and advance from ordinary to Glorious warrior or Great Mage!

Wilad laughed at this and explained that even if one chose the correct path initially, how would they know it was the right one? The journey takes many years. Over such a long time, doubt and second-guessing creep in. Life is finite, and wasting years on a wrong path is costly.

Thus, even those with immense luck who initially chose correctly often doubted and turned back. More than half of those with ordinary aptitude spent their lives in this cycle of choosing, regretting, and re-choosing, never fully completing a single journey! This is the fundamental reason why ordinary aptitude practitioners could never advance to Glorious warriors.

Shen found this explanation profoundly insightful. Indeed, if one could traverse the path without second-guessing, even some with ordinary aptitude could succeed. But the reality allowed years for doubt, making perseverance exceedingly rare.

So, the issue lies in the practitioner's mental state during cultivation! And strength signifies determination!

To use strength to eliminate all obstacles and suppressions! Wilad believed Shen's aptitude wasn't inferior to perfect aptitude. The Sandy family believed Shen had perfect aptitude. But all of this was false! Only Shen knew he truly had ordinary aptitude! This meant he too would face countless choices when advancing from six-star to Glorious warrior!

When the time came, could he ensure he wouldn't regret or hesitate for years? He couldn't guarantee it! Even with a more stable character in the future, Shen couldn't be sure he wouldn't doubt or hesitate, choosing a path and sticking to it without pause!

Given this, he had to try to make a change! Starting today, he would integrate the determination of Pure Power - Battle Aura into his very bones, mind, and perhaps even his soul!

From the moment he stepped out of his residence, Shen felt a subtle shift in himself.

If he had been inwardly focused before, now he remained so but with an undercurrent of sharpness ready to ignite! This change in mindset was intentional and not yet natural for Shen. However, for his future cultivation path, he had to force himself to change!

When he arrived at the training room, Elder Thor was already waiting with a smile.

"Cotton! You're now a four-star warrior. Starting today, you can train in the four-star training room!" Thor seemed to notice a slight change in Shen—his presence seemed sharper than before. But this was not surprising. A possessor of Pure Power - Battle Aura without any sharpness would indeed be strange!

"Yes, Elder Thor," Shen nodded.

This elicited a chuckle from Thor. "Cotton, you can call me Master from now on. Remember that!"

"Yes, Master Thor," Shen nodded again and followed Thor to the four-star training room, where only seven other practitioners were training.

When Thor announced with a smile that Shen would join the four-star training room, the seven four-star practitioners all smiled warmly. Even though they had mocked Shen before the duel, seeing him defeat Tanmo so thoroughly and being favored by Thor, they knew to forget the past!

Yesterday's duel effectively announced within the Sandy family that Shen had surpassed Tanmo in importance! Henceforth, no one in the family would dare show disdain or mockery towards Shen!

Although Shen was cultivating the determined mindset of Pure Power - Battle Aura, it didn't mean he had to be destructive to everyone. That attitude was reserved for facing challenges. Smiling at the seven fellow practitioners, Shen began his training again.

After one or two hours of training, Shen was interrupted by Thor's laughter around ten in the morning. The timekeeping system on the Galan continent, like Earth, followed a 24-hour day, measured using magical hourglasses.

"Haha, Cotton, you're not that young anymore. Our lives aren't just about training..." Thor's smiling face made Shen curious. Seeing his reaction, Thor laughed more brightly and said, "Yesterday, Elder Arto mentioned Rebecca..."

Shen froze. Were they really making his relationship with that lively girl part of a transaction? As Shen instinctively prepared to refuse, Thor seemed to sense it and stopped him, saying, "Elder Arto mentioned that this matter is not urgent! My idea is for you two to spend some time together. If you truly don't like her, then that's fine; we won't force it! But you should at least interact with her and give it a try! So, today, don't train. Spend the day with Rebecca in Châteauroux, as a monthly break!"

Saying this, Thor sighed inwardly. Pure Power - Battle Aura was indeed profound. Shen's expression had shown he was ready to refuse, which was unlike his previous obedient self. Before, Shen would have followed orders without question, even if he resisted internally. But Pure Power - Battle Aura's essence is to overcome all obstacles and challenges! If unwilling, he would never bow down!

Just one night, and Shen already had the courage to refuse Thor outright?!

Even so, Thor wasn't overly concerned. Shen's future was bright—perfect aptitude! Mastery of Pure Power - Battle Aura! Combined, these attributes qualified him to aspire to the rank of Battle God! For their small family, with the highest cultivation being a four-star Great Mage, nurturing someone with such a promising future was truly a divine blessing!

Therefore, their attitude towards Shen couldn't be the same as before, treating him as a mere subordinate!

Thor's words dissipated Shen's initial refusal. Was he really asking him to go on a date with Rebecca? To be honest, Shen was taken aback. He hadn't expected Thor to use such a tactic. Refuse? Shen realized that he wasn't actually opposed to Rebecca. What he opposed was the idea of a marriage of convenience.

But this time, a date and a walk weren't about a marriage of convenience. Although the Sandy family had an ultimate goal, Thor's tone suggested the decision was still Shen's. This wasn't a challenge!

Since it wasn't a challenge or obstacle, and since Shen didn't oppose Rebecca—he even had some anticipation—he agreed. After all, he was a normal man, and facing such an attractive girl, he couldn't be indifferent.

Pure Power - Battle Aura also emphasized acting according to one's nature! If Shen forced himself to say he wasn't interested in a girl like Rebecca, he might end up with other distractions, like regret, which could become obstacles in his cultivation.

So, finally, Shen nodded.