Even though Chen Fan didn't think a Mortal Deity would pose any threat to him, he had taken the fight much more seriously.
As a cultivator who had reached Heavenly Tribulation straight from Connate Spirit, Chen Fan knew better than anyone about the power of a Connate Cultivator. Although Lin Shuming had only less than three hours of life, he could unleash enough power to rival an Earth Level Deity.
Even though he didn't possess any Earth Level Deity's Dharma Treasure, neither did he gain the invincible physique of an Earth Level Deity; the fact that he was considered a deity meant that he was going to be a tough nut to crack.
Qi Refinement and the Connate Spirit marked the line between mortals and immortal cultivators. No one could be called an Immortal Cultivator before they reached Connate Spirit. Only after they did so, could they start to form Golden Core and Nascent Soul and embark on the journey in space in order to seek higher enlightenment.