1 Prologue: Cultivation is Boring (1/2)
That day, there was an air of tension in Xiao Mu Village.
Located at the foot of the Kun Lun Mountains, the village was surrounded by verdant trees on all sides. The vast empty fields stretched underneath the clear, blue skies, farming tools, carts and equipment abandoned alongside untended crops.
The farmers had deserted their post to watch the single most important yearly event in the village. All of them had gathered in the village square, worried parents fussing over their excited children. The adults exchanged nervous glances as they forced their offspring to stand in line, fidgeting nervously as they lifted their eyes to the podium.
The village chief, an old man of about eighty, stood at the podium and cleared his throat. Taking a deep breath, he rested his weathered gaze upon the eighty-odd children who were lined up before him. They were resplendent in their golden and white ceremonial garb, chattering incessantly as they looked forward to the ceremony.
After all, this was the most important event in their lives, one that would determine the path of their futures.
”It's very good to see you all here today.” The village chief bowed politely. ”As you know, today is the Evaluation Ceremony.”
The parents listened intently as the village chief went through the formal speeches and explained the significance and importance of the ceremony. All very boring stuff, and several of the kids actually dozed off when listening to the old man drone on and on…
However, the moment the ceremony finally began, they snapped to full wakefulness.
”Ang Di Yi! You're first in line. Please step forward!”
A chubby boy nervously stumbled forward, his ruddy cheeks glistening with perspiration. He approached the podium hesitantly, staring at the obsidian rock that was nestled on a mahogany table next to it.
”Please place your hands here,” the village chief instructed as he gestured toward the gleaming rock. Ancient runes glowed as the obsidian stone gave off a soothing air of qi, throbbing with energy as if it was alive.
Di Yi gulped and nodded before he obediently pressed his palms against the obsidian stone. A bright light instantly flashed the moment he made contact, and arcane symbols materialized in the air above it.
The village chief studied the golden runes, and then nodded.
”Three Star Constitution!”
Cheers and applause broke out from the other children and adults. The village chief nodded in approval and clapped an encouraging hand on Di Yi, who was rooted to the spot in disbelief.
”Very respectable talent,” the chief told him warmly. ”I look forward to seeing your exploits in future, Di Yi.”
”T…thank you!”
Di Yi shuffled away, barely able to contain his excitement. Three Star Constitution was rare even in the history of the village, but it guaranteed him a career as a martial artist. Even among the great Zhou Empire, martial artists with Three Star Constitution could become renowned heroes who put their lives on the line to defend civilians from the demonic sects and magical beasts.
”Next! Chen Er Ren!”
Not wasting any time, the village chief turned to the next child in line. The tension continued to climb as the kids were evaluated one at a time, but unfortunately, the next ten weren't lucky enough to receive such a high rank. Many of them received a rating of One Star Constitution, which caused them to burst into tears.
Such a rank would mean they had no talent for martial arts whatsoever, and they were consigned to perform menial labor or other non-combat vocations. Most likely, the majority of them would follow their parents in becoming farmers.
With their fates determined by this single event, it was only natural that the children were all tense and anxious.
Among them, only one child seemed relaxed. Unlike the majority, he did not have any parents accompanying him. He stood alone, off to the side, his handsome face sliding into an utterly bored expression. He stifled a yawn and shook his head, causing his brown curls to rustle against his temples. He glanced at the worried children and tense adults around him, scornful of all the fuss they were making over this little event.
It wasn't long before it was finally his turn.
”Next!” the village chief shouted. ”Hao Cai Neng!”
Cai Neng leisurely strolled toward the obsidian slab, his expression as relaxed as ever. With a single, flippant motion, he stuck his hand on the stone.
Instantly, a brilliant golden glow erupted from the slab and materialized in gigantic runes above the podium. The village chief gaped at the runes, his eyes bulging in disbelief.
”F…Five Star Constitution?!”
The moment the words left the chief's lips, the entire square fell into deathly silence. Everyone present, from the youngest child to the most seasoned adult, turned to stare at the still-bored Cai Neng, who looked as if he didn't understand what was going on.
”That's…that's impossible…” the village chief murmured, his aged voice cracking. ”The legendary Five Star Constitution, the highest in the history of Zhou Empire? Only the legendary Emperor Zhou Zui Qiang has ever achieved such a rank!”
The crowd finally remembered to breathe, gasps echoing across the square as they began mumbling to each other. The highest rank that even the oldest adults had seen was Four Star Constitution, a genius who had left the village a few years ago to become a legendary martial artist in the service of the great Zhou Empire. Even a Four Star Constitution was just beyond their imagination, yet here was a kid who surpassed even that!
Nobody knew quite how to respond to this sudden turn of events.
Cai Neng yawned.
”Can I go now? I'm getting tired.”
Then the square exploded into chaos. The crowd was in an uproar, with the adults rushing forward to congratulate the child, with several people rubbing their eyes in disbelief, and several children glaring daggers at him out of jealousy. There was quite the mixed reaction, and before long, Cai Neng found himself mobbed by the excited crowd.
”I don't really see why you're all making such a fuss,” Cai Neng complained as he attempted to get away from the crowd.
”Fu Man Chu!” the village chief shouted to his deputy. ”Get Cai Neng to my office! I'll be talking to him later. The rest of you, get back in line! The ceremony's still not over! Back! Back, the lot of you!”
As the village chief struggled to rein the agitated crowd back under his control, a middle-aged deputy with a mustache seized Cai Neng's arm and dragged the bewildered boy away from the square and toward the biggest house in the village.
*
Cai Neng awoke with a start when someone shook him. He blinked, realizing that he must have dozed off while waiting for the village chief. Deputy Fu had placed him upon a bench outside the chief's office, and he taken the opportunity to nestle against the soft cushion and leather to take a nap, figuring that the chief would still need quite some time to wrap up the ceremony.
”Sorry to keep you waiting. You can come in now.”
”Right.”
Cai Neng rubbed his eyes and stretched himself. Glancing out of the window, he saw that the skies had gotten a little darker. The ceremony had taken place close to noon, but now the sun was past its zenith. Glancing at the clock hanging in the lobby, he realized that three hours had passed since he was brought here.
Taking his own sweet time, huh?
Cai Neng suppressed his annoyance and followed the village chief into the office. Stepping onto the polished, marble floor, he glanced around curiously. As expected, the interior was lavish, with red carpet lining the floor, and the walls polished to glimmer. Scrolls and gold-lined stationary were scattered across a large, expensive-looking wooden desk, and a large, velvet chair sat at the back. The chief wasted no time settling himself comfortably in that luxurious piece of furniture before gesturing for Cai Neng to take a seat in a slightly smaller but also similarly expensive chair on the other side of the mahogany desk.
”First of all, allow me to congratulate you.”
”For what?”
Cai Neng yawned. The chief raised an eyebrow at his response.
”For being evaluated with a Five Star Constitution, of course. Do you know what that means?”
”I have an idea, but I think you're going to tell me anyway.”
The chief chuckled and reclined back in his seat. ”Well, it means you'll definitely be a legendary hero in future. You have unparalleled talent for martial arts…the potential to be the strongest warrior in all of Heaven and Earth. If you harness your potential, you will become invincible…you might even achieve feats on the same scale as the legendary Emperor Zhou, the founder of our great Zhou Empire.”
”So? That doesn't mean I will.”
”…huh?”
The village chief wasn't sure he had heard Cai Neng right. The boy was scowling impatiently, crossing his arms as he glared at the chief.
”Quit wasting my time. If you want something from me, hurry up and spit it out. I'm late for my afternoon nap.”
The chief was taken aback by his rudeness. There were few in the village who dared to speak to him in such a tone, and those who did were either idiots or not afraid of death. However, Cai Neng clearly belonged to the latter, so the chief merely chuckled and smiled indulgently.
”What have I done to deserve such disrespect, young one?”
”Well, you forced me to come here.”
”Will it kill you to indulge an old man like me in conversation?” Then realizing what Cai Neng's reply would be, the chief quickly raised his hand and shook his head. ”Never mind. Anyway, you have great potential, and it is our duty to help you realize your innate abilities to the fullest. Our village will sponsor your enrollment in a martial arts academy. We'll send you to Martial City where you can choose whichever martial arts academy you want to enroll in. Upon your enrollment, you'll be granted entry to a famous sect among the Martial Arts Alliance, the Alliance who established all the various martial arts academies. Which one would you like to join? There is the Nine Tail Fox Sect, the Kun Lun Sect, the Snow Valley Sect, and the Heavenly Way Sect. These are four out of the eight strongest orthodox sects. Or you can join one of the Celestial Creature Sects…maybe the Green Dragon Sect or the White Tiger Sect. I'll personally recommend the Kun Lun Sect, but any one of them will definitely accept you as an inner sect disciple. Under their guidance, you will reach the Qi Gathering Stage in one month, which will make you a fully-fledged martial artist…”
”Hold it,” Cai Neng interrupted. ”What makes you think I want to be a martial artist?”
The chief blinked. ”What?”
”Honestly, all you people seem to want to do is meditate and punch other people. Boring!” Cai Neng yawned.
A long, uncomfortable silence stretched out between them.
”Well, that's hardly what martial arts is about!” the chief laughed. ”We train ourselves to become physically and spiritually stronger. If you train hard enough, you'll be able to pull off superhuman feats. You can kill magical beasts with your bare hands, shoot energy beams, control the elements and have the heavens bow down to you! Don't you want that kind of power? You know? Wielding fire or shooting qi beams out of your hands?”
”You conveniently left out the part where I have to go through years of super-boring training to reach that stage.” Cai Neng shook his head, disgruntled. ”Sounds completely unnecessary. I would rather spend my life doing something more interesting.”
”Don't worry.” The village chief held up a hand of assurance. ”With your talent, you'll be able to reach that level in half the time most people require.”