After The Calamity-Chapter 15: I’ve Reached Arcen Awareness.

After those words, Tian Han returned to his training. He began doing push-ups with the fifty-kilogram weight on his back. Surprisingly, the push-ups he did with fifty kilos now felt even easier than the ones he used to do with just ten.

After completing a total of forty push-ups, Tian Han took a short break. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, drank some water, and started doing push-ups again. Once he finished another set of forty, he rested a bit more and then grabbed onto the makeshift pull-up bar he had built from planks, beginning his pull-up routine.

"One, two, three, four... thirty."

After his thirtieth pull-up, he took another short break before continuing. After a few such breaks, he completed the rest of the pull-up session, thus finishing his daily training.

Once done, Tian Han realized he was completely drenched in sweat and smelled awful. He quickly went home and took a shower. While drying his hair with a towel, he headed toward the living room.

When he got to the living room, he sat down for a while. On the table was a basket with some fruit.

The fruits in the basket looked quite strange: The first was blue and wrinkled, resembling a tomato. The second looked like a carrot but was yellow and covered in peach-like fuzz. The third was black and grape-shaped but had a texture that felt unpleasant to the touch. The fourth resembled a miniature pineapple—about the size of a human hand—and was a very light shade of green.

All of these fruits had been grown in Tian Han's garden. About a week ago, everything in the garden had ripened, and Tian Han had harvested them, filling baskets that were now scattered around the house.

Even though the fruits looked bizarre, each had its own unique flavor, and it would be wrong to say they were bad. Tian Han had discovered how flavorful they were and started treating himself to a few pieces after training to enjoy a bit of relaxation.

He slowly reached for the fuzzy, carrot-like yellow fruit, picked it up, and took a big bite.

As soon as he bit into the fruit, he felt a strange fuzzy texture in his mouth, but it quickly vanished, leaving behind a very sweet flavor. It was so delicious that it made you want to eat more and more.

After happily devouring the fuzzy fruit, he reached for the small pineapple-like one, peeled its skin, and took a large bite.

This one was extremely sour—so much so that anyone eating it would surely scrunch up their face. But Tian Han loved the sourness.

Then, he grabbed the grape-like one with the odd texture. Even though he had gotten used to it, the texture still made him feel slightly disgusted every time he touched it.

Suppressing that feeling, he popped the grape-like fruit into his mouth. As soon as it touched his tongue, the sense of disgust vanished as if it never existed. In fact, the texture felt so pleasant on his tongue that he could eat this fruit endlessly.

While munching on fruit, Tian Han continued to rest, glancing out the window and seeing that the sun still had a few hours left before setting.

"Now, even after finishing all my training, there's still time before sunset. I use that time to relax and rest. I think I'm getting used to the life of a cultivator."

He crossed his legs and gazed outside from the couch. After enjoying his fruit and the view for a little longer, the basket was empty, and he felt fully rested.

Tian Han slowly got up from the couch, stretched his back, then sat on a cushion in the lotus position.

"I've rested enough. I can train a bit more."

He reached into his robe and pulled out a vial. Inside were two pills. These were given to him by Sect Master Ye Feng on the first day he arrived at the sect. Ye Feng had said these pills would help him reach the Arcen Awareness stage.

Tian Han had already used eight of these pills, which had helped him sense Arcen energy within two weeks. Ever since he first sensed it, he hadn't used any more, saving the last two for later.

He placed the pills in his mouth. As soon as they touched his tongue, they began to dissolve, causing a tingling numbness. As they melted down his throat, they left a burning trail, finally reaching his stomach.

As the effects reached his stomach, a burning sensation erupted—as if he had swallowed acid—but Tian Han was used to this by now. Even with two pills at once, the effect barely fazed him. He sat perfectly still in his lotus position.

Soon after, the burning faded, replaced by a sweet warmth, followed by a sense of intoxication. But again, Tian Han remained unaffected, sitting calmly.

Once the dizziness faded, his senses sharpened considerably. Aware of this, he immediately summoned the image of Arcen energy in his mind and began visualizing a flowing river.

The first river he imagined roared fiercely, sweeping away everything in its path. The Arcen energy tried to resist, as if it was fighting against the current. Eventually, it failed and was torn apart by the raging waters.

"First failure."

He tried again, this time visualizing a gentle river—like the touch of a man softly caressing a woman without breaking her heart. But Arcen energy was no delicate lady. It was stubborn and proud. The river couldn't contain it, and the energy scattered once more.

"Second failure."

He visualized a third river—neither too strong nor too gentle, very close to balanced. The Arcen energy sank into its depths as if being pulled under and drowned. But it resisted, refusing to be subdued. After struggling, it broke free and escaped the river's grasp.

"Third failure."

Tian Han decided to visualize the river one last time. This time, the river flowed with a rhythm and harmony, like the melody of an orchestra. Each sound of the flowing water resembled a note played by a musical instrument. When the Arcen energy saw the approaching current, it surged forward with all its might to resist. As soon as the river touched the Arcen energy, it trembled—filled with surprise and joy.

The Arcen energy suddenly found itself in the middle of a grand performance. Though it wanted to resist, its instincts told it to surrender and join this harmonious flow. It hesitated but couldn't disobey its instincts. Gradually, it lowered its guard and allowed itself to be swept away by the current.

Like a fish dancing through water, the Arcen energy flowed with the river, enhancing its rhythm and joining its melody. As they merged, the flow of the river grew stronger, more powerful, but also more beautiful—because the orchestra had now found its conductor.

The song of the river's orchestra surged in strength, turning the current into a tsunami. The river became so powerful that it began to absorb everything around it, making them a part of its music. It continued to expand, eventually transforming into a vast sea.

From above, this sea looked so pure and clear that it would leave anyone in awe.

As the river completed its transformation into a sea, Tian Han's body began to float a few centimeters above the meditation cushion.

Though there was no wind in the room, his robes and hair fluttered, giving him an ethereal, almost divine aura. It looked as if the world itself was blessing him.

Slowly, he descended back to the ground. When he opened his eyes, they were full of pride, arrogance, joy, relief, and confidence.

"I DID IT!"

Tian Han leapt to his feet and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I DID IT! I REACHED ARCEN AWARENESS!"

He couldn't contain his joy. He ran around the house, yelling until his voice went hoarse.

"HAHAHAHA! I, TIAN HAN, HAVE REACHED THE ARCEN AWARENESS STAGE! NO ONE CAN TREAT ME LIKE A CHILD ANYMORE. I AM A TRUE CULTIVATOR NOW!"

His excitement wouldn't fade. No matter how much he ran, how much he screamed, it wasn't enough to let it all out. How could it be? He had finally achieved his childhood dream. And not just that—ever since arriving at the sect, he had only left this damned house twice. The first time, he was beaten to near-death by Guang Mu. The second time, he went to the library with Li Shan.

Of those two trips, only the one with Li Shan even counted as going "outside."

"I did it! I did it! I did it! Mother, Father—your son did it. Your son has finally become a cultivator. No one can call me worthless anymore. No one can steer me off my path. Yes, it was hard, but I did it! I really did it!"

While Tian Han celebrated, yelling at the top of his lungs, a few people outside heard the ruckus and gathered in front of his house, curious about the commotion.

As more people noticed the growing crowd, a full-blown gathering formed outside Tian Han's house.

Some hoped for another entertaining scene like last time; others were simply curious.

It only took a few minutes for the crowd to grow massive. Students who arrived later asked what was going on, and others responded however they pleased:

"That kid brought in by the Honored Sect Master is being horribly tortured inside."

...

"You know the one who got beaten up by Guang Mu? Guang Mu's about to beat him again. That's why we're here."

...

"The new outer sect kid... I heard he finally snapped and is trying to kill himself."

The rumors spread like wildfire, and with each whisper, the crowd grew larger.

At that moment, Li Shan, who had come to visit Tian Han, noticed the gathering in front of his house.

As soon as he saw it, a ruthless, murderous glint appeared in his eyes.

"If any of you so much as touched Little Brother Han... none of you are leaving here alive."

Li Shan paused for a moment where he stood. Then, he slammed his foot against the ground and launched himself forward with terrifying speed. The force left a crater in the shape of his foot.

He flew toward Tian Han's house so fast that the buildings he passed became nothing but blurs.

He skidded to a sudden stop right in front of the crowd, creating a shockwave that drew everyone's attention.

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The crowd turned to him. With a cold, brutal gaze, Li Shan looked them over and spoke.

"Where is Little Brother Han?"

The moment they saw the expression on his face, the crowd fell into a dead silence. No one dared make a sound.

Seeing that no one was answering, Li Shan began parting the crowd with his oppressive presence, heading straight for Tian Han's house. As he got closer, he started hearing Tian Han's loud yelling and celebration. He quickened his pace, now visibly worried.

Finally, he made it through the crowd and entered the garden. As he ran toward Tian Han's house, he shouted,

"Little Brother Han, are you alright?!"

Just moments after Li Shan called out to Tian Han, the door suddenly burst open as Tian Han shot out of the house like a cannonball. He had just entered the Arcen Awareness stage and couldn't yet control his strength, resulting in him blasting straight through the door.

Seeing Tian Han crash through the door, Li Shan instinctively planted one foot forward and the other behind, bracing himself.

Tian Han flew toward him like a bullet fired from a gun. Li Shan managed to catch him, but was pushed back several meters due to the sheer force.

After catching him, Li Shan looked at Tian Han with concern and asked,

"Little Brother Han, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Tian Han's face lit up with a massive grin—so wide that you could practically count every single tooth.

"Big Brother Li, I've reached Arcen Awareness."