Shang took a deep breath.
Sure enough, the fight hadn't been easy, but it had definitely done its trick.
Before the fight, Shang had been far more afraid than during the fight.
The worst thing that could happen to someone was that they became so afraid of dangerous fights that they refused to ever risk their lives again.
Obviously, this wouldn't be a problem if one's goal was to just live a peaceful life, but for someone with Shang's ambition, such a weakness would have been crippling.
Shang needed to risk his life from time to time. It was important that he always remained used to and comfortable during dangerous fights so that he could unleash all his power when it actually mattered.
Additionally, dangerous fights were important since they pushed one's mind and body to the limit, unlocking resources and strengths one had never thought existed.
Just after this fight, Shang had already realized several things about his Addum, which would probably save him a couple of years in time.
Shang summoned some ore and grabbed both of his swords.
One of his swords had turned into a dagger, while the other one had turned into a long sword.
As the swords absorbed the ore, Shang's mind looked through the ground. Spirit Senses couldn't penetrate solid matter nearly as far. At most, Shang could see around 20 kilometers into the ground.
'Sword's at its limit regarding Entropy. It needs Sixth Realm Entropy ore.'
'I know where there's a lot of Entropy ore, but I can't just go there.'
Of course, the place Shang was thinking about was Area 23. Based on context clues, Shang was certain that the black columns in the earth in Area 23 were made of Entropy ore in the Sixth Realm.
If Shang could get to Area 23, he could just go to one of these columns and cut off a kilometer or so of Entropy ore. The column was big enough, and if Shang only peeled off a ten-centimeter-thick sheet, nobody would notice. After all, he wouldn't have broken through the pillar.
However, getting to Area 23 was basically impossible right now. It was already extremely dangerous getting away from it, and Shang still wasn't strong enough to travel on his own.
Sure, he had killed a really powerful Initial Ancestral Beast, but what if he met an aggressive Mid Ancestral Beast?
He would just die.
Well, he could enter the towns and make use of their Pathfinder Magic Circles, but that would cost a ridiculous amount of money.
Additionally, the closer he got to Area 23, the more warriors would be known, and the more likely it was that someone would connect Shang to that one guy that killed an Assistant Supervisor 300 or so years ago.
Lastly, Shang was now deeply connected to the Temple of Blood, and he couldn't just leave like that.
Sadly, Shang also couldn't ask the Temple of Blood since that would be very suspicious.
Why would anyone be interested in that stuff?
Even more, Shang was fighting with Light, Darkness, Ice, and Fire Affinities.
Shang couldn't risk unveiling his secret.
'I guess I have to keep a lock on Sword's Entropy for now. Luckily, I have plenty of other abilities to rely on.'
After the swords had absorbed the ore, Shang put his long sword into his inner world and his Addum on his back.
Then, Shang turned to face the atrophied corpse on the ground.
The atrophied head and the atrophied body had flattened a huge area, destroying trees and beasts. The blood that was leaking out was flooding the surroundings, but it quickly turned to ice due to the remnant Ice Mana in the air.
It was very difficult to recognize that this had once been a snake. Sure, it was long, but that was where the resemblance ended.
Everything had atrophied to the point that this was basically just a moldy skeleton with some thin skin covering it.
For a while, Shang only looked at it.
All the Zone Beasts he had seen in Area 23 shot through his mind.
They had been calamities.
They had been natural disasters.
They had been higher powers.
When Shang had just been at the Soldier Stage, the biggest beast he had ever fought had been that ice bear in Jerald's garden, and it was only a couple of meters tall.
And then, Shang saw the Storm Eagle.
A wingspan of nearly four kilometers.
A cry that turned Shang unconscious.
The speed to travel through the entire Storm Eagle Zone in less than a minute.
As just a small Soldier Stage student, Shang had been less than nothing in front of that monstrosity.
Shang could have seen himself as a teacher in the academy.
Shang had dreamt about flying in the sky like Duke Whirlwind.
Shang hadn't been able to comprehend the power of King Skythunder.
And the Storm Eagle?
It was impossible.
How could any human reach such power?
It was impossible to fight or kill something this monstrous.
And now?
Shang just focused on the corpse.
It was around five kilometers long which was about as big as the Storm Eagle.
It had destroyed kilometers of its surroundings during the fight.
It had traveled tens of kilometers in an instant.
Shang remembered the fight between the Ice Wyvern and the Volcano Wyrm he had seen from a distance.
Back then, Shang couldn't comprehend how much power these two beasts must have released during their fight.
It had been apocalyptical.
And now?
Shang looked at the vast streaks of frozen wasteland that cut through the forest like someone had taken a huge white pencil.
So much of his surroundings had been destroyed.
The size of the beast corresponded to the sizes of the Zone Beasts in Area 23.
Its powers corresponded with the powers of the Zone Beasts.
Yet, it felt so different to Shang.
It was almost like he wasn't on the level of power he had witnessed back then.
But he actually was.
He had done it.
He had done the very thing he had seen as impossible back then.
'At this moment, I am far more powerful than any "King" in Area 23 had ever been.'
'But it's not enough!'
'There's still so much left!'
'I can grow vastly more powerful!'
'I can't relax yet!'
Shang focused on the corpse again and put it into his inner world.
In its current state, it was mostly worthless. At most, its bones could be sold for like two or three Grade Six Mana Crystals.
However, there was one thing that might be worth a lot.
Its two unique horns.
But for now, Shang couldn't sell them.
The Temple of Blood thought of him as being as powerful as a powerful seedling of an Empire, but that was very different from Shang's true power.
Shang's true power was equal to a King Contender, and that was something on an entirely different level.
Shang's mere existence threatened the rise of a Mage King in the future, and the Mage Kings were the core of an Empire's power.
If an Empire found out about Shang's power, they might kill him just so that he didn't join any other Empire.
So, for now, Shang decided to keep the corpse a secret.
Eventually, Shang left the battlefield behind and flew back to his town.
