A young man was seen relaxing against a tree.
Obviously slacking off.
He looked no older than thirteen.
He had long brown hair tied into a ponytail, eyes as blue as the ocean, and a smile that could light up a room; if one was ever fortunate to see him smile.
『My name is Martin… or at least, that was my name back on 21st century Earth. Like your average reincarnation story, I didn't exactly set the world on fire in my previous life. But hey, I never expected to kick the bucket from bingeing on junk food for a solid decade. (;一_一)
Still, they don't call it "junk" food for nothing, right?
I used to make a living as a translator for Xianxia novels. It wasn't glamorous, but it paid the bills.
There was this one novel [Lotus Emperor Blossoms Across the Eternal Heavens] that I was supposed to translate, and the paycheck was pretty sweet.
So, to get myself excited up for the job, I asked my followers for some info to get me hyped. They delivered, and it sounded like your typical cultivation novel, average.
Anyway, I was ready to dive in and translate, even if it turned out to be a snooze fest. But as soon as I cracked open the first chapter… heart attack. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a new life faster than my first time in bed… which, by the way, never happened. Yes, a virgin. (╥﹏╥)
In this new life, I go by Song Chen, and my old man is the patriarch of the Song Scholarly House, one of the three great houses that make up the Song Clan. Unfortunately, our branch of the clan is the weakest and poorest of the bunch.
Tch, disappointing…
Not just to my parents, but to everyone who thought I'd be the key to our clan's comeback.
Oh, and to add insult to injury, if one of my senior martial brothers, Tianyu, breakthrough to the Core Formation Realm, my old man has agreed to pass on his title as Patriarch to him. So, no pressure, right?
I've been desperately holding out hope for some kind of powerful system for the past 13 years, but it's looking like that ship has sailed. (￢_￢)』
Song Chen stretched out his arms.
"This is so stupid…"
Nearby, Song Tianyu was teaching a group of children in a large grassy field. There were over twenty of them, all looking eager to learn. The oldest would be around 15, while the youngest were about 10. The boys idolized Song Tianyu like he was their hero, and even the little girls had developed crushes on him, which sometimes made him uncomfortable.
With a serious expression, Song Tianyu adjusted his long light-blue robes.
"Alright, students, what I'm about to teach you today is something worth taking notes on. So, if you think you won't remember it all, feel free to write it down or ask your mates about it after class, okay?"
All the children shouted—
"YES, SENIOR BROTHER!"
Song Tianyu smiled at them and continued.
"Cultivation begins with the Soul Realm, which has eleven minor realms: Spiritual Sea-Opening Realm, Qi Condensation Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, Core Formation Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, Soul Formation Realm, and so on… the Soul Realm is all about striving to break free from the mundane, seeking meaning and purpose beyond mortality."
Everyone nodded and listened attentively, with some even jotting down notes.
Song Tianyu carried on, enjoying the attentive silence.
"After that comes the Stellar Transformation Realm, which consists of eight minor realms. But you don't need to worry about those for now."
The students had been paying close attention.
But they suddenly froze when they spotted a streak of light far away.
"What's that—!?"
"It felt like a mountain hit the earth!"
"Even this aura… it feels familiar!"
All the eager young daoists in training looked around to see where the presence was coming from. Some kept looking straight ahead, while others sensed the aura from a different direction.
Song Tianyu smiled as he watched the children try to guess where the individual would emerge from.
He already knew who it was and just nodded.
"It must be Elder Stonehead."
There were very few active daoists on Mount Tianzhu with the aura of a Peak-stage Core Formation cultivator!
Calmly looking to the side, Song Tianyu saw Elder Stonehead appear exactly where he had predicted.
The middle-aged man was dressed in luxurious robes and carried himself like someone who thought pretty highly of himself.
Still, there was something stiff and grumpy about him.
If you looked closely at his eyes, you'd notice clear traces of irritation—like he was already fed up and just waiting for someone to do one more dumb thing so he could finally lose it.
"Today, our humble school will be conducting our annual disciple assessment ceremony."
Elder Stonehead didn't waste any time.
He clearly wasn't in the mood for hellos or small talk, even though the students standing in front of him were staring with wide, amazed eyes.
While the elder didn't acknowledge his presence—although he hadn't expected him to—Song Tianyu respectfully placed his hands together and bowed his head.
"Greetings, Respected Elder."
Elder Stonehead looked at Song Tianyu.
"Hm? (๑•̌.•̑๑)"
He noticed something very different about the young cultivator before him.
『Impossible… there's no way this brat has already achieved Mid-stage Core Formation!』
Elder Stonehead's brow twitched as his eyes narrowed at the audacity of this young man. How could a mere junior, who had not even spent a quarter of his years in cultivation, dare to stand before him with such confidence?
"Y-, You have progressed well, Tianyu…"
The elder commented very reluctantly.
But he quickly held his head high with a smug ahem!
"However, speed is not everything in cultivation. Your foundation must be solid, or it will crumble at the first true test."
Song Tianyu smiled.
The kind of innocent smile that would make someone trying to ridicule you feel annoyed.
"Elder, I appreciate your concern. My foundation is as solid as the stone of this peak. Perhaps even stronger."
Nearby, Song Chen, still lounging carelessly under a tree just stretched and yawned.
He watched Tianyu with half-lidded eyes.
『Not a smart response. If it were a young master, you'd be dead by now… but knowing Elder Stonehead, he's wise enough to realize our branch clan needs talent like yours to survive… plus, he's a coward.』
Elder Stonehead's grip behind his back tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"Junior, you dare boast before me? Do you not grasp the years of sweat and blood it takes to truly master the path of cultivation?"
Song Tianyu didn't lift his head once to show respect for the middle-aged cultivator before him.
"Elder, it seems the mountain wind has chilled your perspective. In this era, talent can indeed shorten the path that others have tread for decades."
A heavy sigh left Song Chen's mouth.
『Honestly, despite years of constant bloodshed, these cultivators still haven't learned how to communicate properly. With Tianyu's attitude, I wonder how he's managed to survive in his sect without getting attacked by a young master… aren't they supposed everywhere?』
He continued to observe the exchange.
To him, it felt like reading yet another confusing chapter of a Xianxia novel—the same clueless main character that makes you want to pull your hair out, and some overly jealous elder acting up for no good reason.
"Junior, you dare!"
Elder Stonehead's voice thundered.
His Qi flared up around him, causing the air to tremble.
"If you think your quick advancement makes you my equal, you are sorely mistaken. There is a reason I am called Elder Stonehead – my strength and perseverance are unmatched!"
Song Chen chuckled in the corner.
『Ah yes, unmatched perseverance and strength, yet still stuck at the Core Formation Realm after so many years. The equivalent of a low-level cultivator naming his Earth-grade treasure the Buddha Slaying Sword…』
He slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Bahahaha!"
He didn't know when he laughed out.
A young girl with short black hair and cute, big purple eyes gazed at Song Chen as he laughed. She had a calm face but couldn't hide her smile when she saw him laugh.
Meanwhile—
Song Tianyu stayed unfazed by Stonehead's flaring Qi.
Due to his solid foundation, he remained steady where most Mid-stage Core Formation cultivators would have collapsed in the elder's presence.
"Elder, your achievements are indeed remarkable. Yet, in the end, it's not the duration of the journey, but the strength of one's resolve and talent that defines a true cultivator."
Elder Stonehead had more to say, but when he saw the way the disciples around stared at Song Tianyu in shock, as though he were some sort of divine being, he snorted coldly and returned his focus to the matter at hand.
『The fact they find him so impressive, tch!』
The elderly cultivator faced the disciples once more and cleared his throat.
"The rules for the assessment are simple."
With a small motion of his hand, Elder Stonehead created a bright blue altar that immediately caught the eyes of every disciple.
Their eyes lit up in amazement.
"Wow, so beautiful…"
"I wanna touch it!"
Elder Stonehead pointed at the altar.
"Use your spiritual energy to punch the altar, and it will react to the potential number of spiritual seas your future holds. Anyone with fewer than three spiritual seas will fail the assessment and be expelled from our school. We don't have time to train failures."
Song Tianyu was about to speak, perhaps to argue that Elder Stonehead was being too harsh, but the elder simply held out a hand to silence him.
Some of the disciples who weren't sure about their talent grades started to panic, while those certain they had the required number of spiritual seas remained calm.
"What the heck?!"
"He's really going to… ex… expel us—!?"
While some were deeply worried, others shifted their attention to Song Chen, hoping to calm their own fears.
After all, he was the most useless one here.
"Look! Song Chen is relaxing under a tree again, even after the elder said there'd be an assessment."
"Who cares? Maybe he's not bothered because he knows he'll fail. After all, it's been five years since he joined the school, and his cultivation hasn't improved. Today's probably his last day here!"
"It's a crying shame too… Patriarch Scholarly doesn't deserve such a useless and incapable son."
"Yeah! If he were more talented, maybe our clan would have more respect among the other two. My parents said we were already a laughingstock to the other clan branches, but after he was born, we weren't even worth laughing at. I hate him so much!"
The black-haired, purple-eyed beauty frowned.
Song Meiling.
She nervously fiddled with her dainty fingers as she stared at Song Chen.
He was relaxing so peacefully against the tree, but she knew he could hear every insult.
『Chen…』