In this lifetime, he became Dao companions with Chen Mengze.
Shen Mo, even though he obtained the Destiny Panel, was enthralled by Chen Mengze's beauty during the first twenty years. He fathered seven children—three sons and four daughters—with her, and then he was busy raising them, neglecting his cultivation!
It wasn't until he turned fifty, when his primal Essence and Qi started to dissipate, and his cultivation state was far from what it used to be, that he finally came to his senses.
However, by this time, it was already too late. Despite the Destiny Panel having divine effects against the heavens, it required substantial effort and investment. Shen Mo could neither earn enough Destiny Points nor save enough Spirit Stones. Coupled with his poor talent and waning vitality, he couldn't open his Dantian to step into the Qi Gathering Realm, ultimately halting at the Body Tempering Realm Layer IX.
