He didn't ask how the two of them had spent those four months; their scars alone were enough to tell how many dangers they had experienced.
Although Spirit Beasts in the vicinity of the dark zone were scarce, they weren't entirely absent, and four months should have been a very good tempering experience for the two of them.
Especially Shi Nuo, who, in four months, had his Cultivation reach level 55, matching Lin Beiya's Cultivation for the first time.
Ming Xin's spirit power also increased by one level, reaching level 34.
Coupled with their rapidly improving combat abilities, it could be said that all three had reaped substantial rewards.
"Let's go out first. I imagine you two are very tired. Let's find a town and rest for a while before anything else."
"Okay."
The two did not refuse. Four consecutive months of high-intensity mental focus had left them with a deep-seated fatigue, and they needed a peaceful environment to rest properly.
Lin Beiya could sense that they were not suitable for high-intensity combat at this moment.
So, they walked all the way out of Death Canyon. Any Spirit Beasts they encountered along the way were either dealt with by Lin Beiya or held back by him, allowing the other two to proceed first.
After two days of walking out of the canyon, Shi Nuo and Ming Xin, whose Spirits suddenly relaxed, almost collapsed to the ground. Helpless, Lin Beiya could only support them to a nearby forest and sit them down.
"Get a good sleep first. We'll set off once you wake up."
The two didn't try to be strong; with Lin Beiya keeping watch, they felt completely at ease.
Soon, the sound of their snoring came from beside him, indicating they were utterly exhausted.
Seizing this opportunity, Lin Beiya once again took out some food and fresh water to reward his own stomach.
It was already evening when they came out, and it wasn't until noon the next day that the two slowly woke up.
Although they had recovered some energy, the fatigue in their eyes was still evident.
"Alright, let's get a good rest once we find a place to stay."
"This place is too close to Death Canyon, and we don't know if there will be other dangers."
"Other dangers" referred to the Spirit Masters who came here for experience, and Shi Nuo and Ming Xin naturally understood this point.
They nodded, got up, and the three brothers headed east of the canyon.
According to the map purchased in Heaven Dou City, there were two towns relatively close to their current location.
Xinghai City, located at the southernmost tip of Tianshuang Duchy, and Soul Bright City, located at the northernmost tip of Sarikel Duchy.
Ultimately, Lin Beiya chose to go to Xinghai City.
The reason was simple: the eastern border of Sarikel Duchy was adjacent to Slaughter City, and Lin Beiya didn't want to get involved with that place too early.
Xinghai City, as its name suggests, is a coastal city, where most of the residents make a living from marine products.
Although it's by the sea, it has absolutely no relation to Ming Xin's hometown, Vast Sea City.
One is at the westernmost end of the continent, while Xinghai City is at the easternmost end of the continent; their only commonality is being by the sea.
The three brothers entered Xinghai City and used a portion of their Soul Master Tournament prize money to buy a detached courtyard in the southern part of the town.
Without any surprises, the three of them would be living here for the foreseeable future.
After four months of high-intensity mental focus and training, Shi Nuo and Ming Xin were already mentally and physically exhausted. They didn't even have time to properly inspect their new residence before finding their respective rooms, lying down, and resting well.
Lin Beiya, who didn't feel tired, spent his time in his room meticulously studying his brand new Spirit.
To call it brand new was a bit of a stretch; it was just that a five-pointed star pattern had appeared on his left-hand shield.
Lin Beiya had tried to Cultivate on the way there, and he discovered that the shield not only absorbed the spirit power he already had within his body but also forcibly took a portion of the spirit power he cultivated.
Fortunately, the cloth's fifty percent Cultivation speed bonus offset this, reducing his Cultivation speed to only that of an ordinary person, preventing too much neglect of his Cultivation progress when the shield was active.
Another point that concerned Lin Beiya was that the shield of justice now seemed to recognize his blood.
This meant his blood was equivalent to Athena's blood.
When his Spirit had just Awakened, his blood did not possess this power.
In the Saint Seiya anime, Athena's blood had miraculous effects, the most direct being its ability to evolve the gold cloth into a God Cloth.
This allowed the Saint Seiya wearing the cloth to possess stronger combat power.
So, in this World, if his blood was equated with Athena's blood, did it mean he could also evolve the gold cloth into a God Cloth?
Action speaks louder than words. Lin Beiya immediately summoned the leo gold cloth, then promptly cut his palm and dripped his blood onto it.
The cloth immediately shone brightly upon contact with the blood, which excited Lin Beiya immensely, as this was a means to directly enhance the combat power of the three brothers.
But soon, his smile froze, because although the leo gold cloth showed signs of evolution, it seemed to lose power at the last moment, slowly dimming and settling down.
Undoubtedly, the process of evolving into a God Cloth had failed.
Lin Beiya sighed softly.
"It seems I thought things too simply."
"However, this proves that my blood now indeed possesses some of Athena's divine blood's abilities, but it doesn't fully possess all of Athena's power."
"It seems I still need to Cultivate to a stronger Realm."
Although continuing to Cultivate might not necessarily allow Lin Beiya to Incarnate as an otherworldly Athena, this was the only effort he could make.
The other part was the shield of justice, which was still in a dormant state.
Lin Beiya also didn't know what it would be like when the Holy Shield Awakened... In the days that followed, the three brothers lived both peacefully and fulfilling lives.
Shi Nuo continued to Cultivate towards the critical point of the Seventh Sense, while Ming Xin was still striving to Awaken his Cosmo.
Fortunately, they were by the sea, so Cultivation grounds were not scarce.
Lin Beiya and Shi Nuo would even take a self-made raft out to sea and then dive into the deep sea.
They used the pressure of the seawater to train their Body Refining.
During this process, Ming Xin followed suit, but his physical strength had not yet reached the level of his two elder brothers, so he could only choose shallower waters closer to shore to gradually adapt.
Six months later, Shi Nuo, relying on the Holy Shield's Cultivation bonus, raised his Cultivation to level 57, while Lin Beiya's Cultivation only just reached level 56 because he needed to draw some spirit power to nourish the Holy Shield.
For the first time, Shi Nuo surpassed Lin Beiya in Cultivation.
Ming Xin, who still had residual medicinal power in his body, showed even more terrifying progress in Cultivation. The third spirit ring he obtained a year ago had pushed his Cultivation to level 33, and now his Cultivation had already reached level 37.
In another six months, he should be able to reach the Spirit Ancestor Realm through his own efforts, and he would only be 13 years old then.
However, to Lin Beiya's slight disappointment, Ming Xin still hadn't Awakened his Cosmo.
The underwater pressure training was extremely suitable for the three brothers. Logically, Ming Xin's physique had already reached the strength of the other two when they Awakened their Cosmo.
Now it seemed all that was missing was a subtle opportunity.
At night, Lin Beiya found Shi Nuo and directly explained his idea.
"Stone, it seems we need to put some pressure on that kid."
"Then, Beiya, what do you want to do?"
Thinking of the play Yue Guan and Lin Beiya had put on with him in Spirit City, Shi Nuo immediately guessed his intention.
However, the two brothers still needed to discuss the specific implementation.