Being under extreme pressure, he was sweating crazily. Every brain cell of his started functioning at their maximum rate. Despite Shen Long studied in a prestigious school, he never worked hard to fully exploit his potential. And after all... He rarely uses his brain.
Shen Long could afford to lose his entire wealth, he wouldn't even mind if he lost his cultivation, but he absolutely cannot afford to lose face, especially in front of Song Wang'er.
He had always prioritized his pride and his image more than anything else. Surely, he loved being a cultivator; but losing his pride for this? For him, it is a big no.
He was on the verge of explosion, at the point where even his head started to hurt.
"COME ON!! There has to be a way out to this! BRAIN!" Shen Long, nearing his limit, was forcing his brain to continue functioning at its quickest.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face flushing with redness. His heart was beating faster than ever, but still, nothing came to his mind.
"Is there really no way around this matter? Am I, Shen Long, going to embarrass myself in front of everyone in the country?"
A sense of hopelessness overwhelmed him; his mind was filled with despair. His vision was blurred as he gradually lost control of his mind and body.
A black, swirling vortex suddenly formed in the sky, directly above Shen Long. The spiritual energy of the world, usually invisible, gathered - forming a purple, glittering streak shooting towards Shen Long.
Everyone was stunned by the scene they were witnessing. It all happened way too quickly. First, the disruption by Song Wang'er; then comes Shen Long's ridiculous laugh; then this rapid change of the weather left everyone flabbergasted.
Shen Long, himself, was blinded by the pitch black darkness. Losing complete control of his body, his consciousness travelled into an unknown chasm.
Slowly, his vision started to become clearer again. Shen Long could see his own body, floating in a cross-legged position. The body was directly above the crashing waves in an ocean, but it sat there untouched and unharmed.
His consciousness suddenly became much clearer; his understanding towards the World grew.
"Everything is like the sea. It is boundariless and endless. Everything that starts must end. Even a seemingly indestructible wave would grow weak. Every living being would die and reform, and there is no way to break free." Shen Long seemed to understand a portion of the World's Laws.
In other words, he had understood the Dao of Water. Although he only understood the surface of the Dao, his cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds. The spiritual energy was his physical prowess; the Dao strengthens his attack.
Spiritual power, strands of Qi, are like tiny droplets of water. A water droplet is almost negligible, and that was like Shen Long's power before. The Dao, however, allows him to merge these water droplets into one. A river, full of water, is a thousand time stronger than a water droplet.
His spiritual energy did not improve as he watched the waves again and again, but his understanding towards the Dao of Water and the natural laws of the world do. His usage of his Qi became much more refined, and Shen Long had stepped on the journey of a Daoist.
Anyone who could grasp a small portion of the Dao would receive a soul transformation. The cultivator was now one with the world; their identity had been approved by the Heavens.
A cultivator, without understanding any Daos, would still be a mortal. No matter their levels of cultivation, if they were not one with the world, their battle prowess would be severely limited. A Daoist's Qi might be weak, but he would be able to borrow power from the world itself.
Only a Daoist would be able to extend their lifespans. Typically, a Daoist who merely grasped an extremely small portion of a Dao, like Shen Long, would gain 500 years of longevity. Whereas a Daoist who had completely grasped one Dao, they would basically be immortal, as long as the Dao remained.
Shen Long's understanding of the Dao and the World matched up to a Saint, after Shen Long received his Baptism by the universe.. His consciousness seemed to be much stronger, and Shen Long's brain was able to process much quicker.
His reaction time, senses, karmic luck had all improved, and this is all because of the Water Dao.
But this was not the end of his transformation. The streak of light carried immense power and its power was enough to completely finish Shen Long's life. Its spiritual energy was so concentrated to a point that it became visible to everyone.
The streak of light, however, created an orb around Shen Long, and Shen Long's body was brimming with light. His shirt was all ripped, but his body was left unscathed.
The spiritual energy was rapidly entering Shen Long, and his spiritual Qi absorbed it all. Shen Long who was now conscious could feel clearly that his spiritual energy was accumulating.
This phenomenon was rather rare, even in other worlds in Zanghu Universe. The spiritual energy was controlled by the essence of the entire universe, and the universe would rarely help a cultivator to absorb it.
It, of course, had happened countless times in the past, but Shen Long was the first one in the past ten centuries. This had attracted a lot of attention by different beings in the universe who witnessed the scene.
Daoist Fireblade, of course, noticed this and he was brimming with joy.
"Good! Good! Another talent is going to arise! Shen Long! You haven't made me disappointed! Seems like I'm really going to be able to return to Earth! It has been way too long..." Daoist Fireblade laughed merrily as he began to move closer to Earth.
"He is my disciple! He is definitely going to Westpool Academy!!"
"No! He is going to Woodland Academy!"
"Are you guys stupid? He is obviously suited to the "Darknorth Academy!"
A group of cultivators, arguing continuously, also began to move in the direction of Earth.
Shen Long, of course, was not aware of these beings coming to receive him. Shen Long's strand of Qi now stood at the apex of Qi Condensation. He was only a step away from Foundation Establishment.
His body also became much tougher and stronger. Most importantly, his face seemed to have changed as well, becoming more refined and handsome.
Shen Long's enlightenment ends as Shen Long stands up and speaks.
"Hello, Reporter Chen! Sorry, I had a sudden enlightenment. Why did you just ask? Let's restart the interview!" Shen Long politely asked.
"Mr... Mr... Shen... I think you should find some clothes to wear first..."
Shen Long was utterly embarrassed. After all, he could not escape the fate of him being a laughing stock of the entire country.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"