Chapter Four: Lacking Talent? I Am a Late Bloomer!

“These blood and qi foundation building methods are excellent, but just too difficult to cultivate!” Xu Chen held a book titled “Twelvefold Wave Body Tempering Method” in his hands. He had also perused the other foundation-building techniques the administrator had mentioned earlier. Yet, given his aptitude, this “Twelvefold Wave Body Tempering Method” was the only one he could hope to master.

“With my talent, reaching proficiency would take at least four years. By then, I’d be sixteen,” he mused. “And I still need to master the Six Sacred Ape Forms to reach the Blood and Qi Realm. To defeat the Sacred Ape in those six forms would likely take more than ten years.”

Staring at the manual in his hand, Xu Chen fell into deep thought. “Damn it, ten years or more is still better than being a useless layabout at home.” He couldn’t resign himself to being a mere stud at home, waiting for his father to ascend to godhood and his son to become a saint. That was not a life he could accept.

Clutching the “Twelvefold Wave Body Tempering Method,” Xu Chen found the administrator and paid a thousand spirit coins to purchase the manual. Spirit coins were minted from spirit stones mined by the human race, each coin infused with equal amounts of the world’s spiritual energy. They were the standard currency within the human realm; an ordinary family could earn a thousand spirit coins in a year, while his father, Xu Qiangjia, as a centurion, received a monthly salary of three thousand.

Leaving the Avenue of the Human Emperor building, Xu Chen hailed a beast-drawn carriage and hurried home. By the time he arrived, it was noon. Just as he wondered whether to cook, the bell of the courtyard’s array chimed.

“Xiao Chen, before your parents left, they told me to bring you meals every day,” called Aunt Zhao, the neighbor, from outside the gate. Xu Chen opened the door to find Aunt Zhao holding a food box. “I know you don’t like eating at other people’s houses, so from now on, I’ll bring you breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day,” she said warmly.

“Thank you, Aunt Zhao,” Xu Chen replied politely. Aunt Zhao’s husband was a squad leader under his father and would always bring gifts during the holidays.

“No need for thanks between our families.” With that, Aunt Zhao handed over the food box and left.

Returning to the courtyard, Xu Chen finished his meal and began to study the “Twelvefold Wave Body Tempering Method.”

Three months passed. One day, while practicing the Sacred Ape Stance in the yard, Xu Chen suddenly looked up at the sky. A crane glided gracefully overhead, descending slowly and landing in the courtyard. It carried a parcel in its beak, which it placed on the stone table.

“Son, your mother and I are doing well at the front lines. Don’t worry about us. In another two or three months, you should be reaching the Blood and Qi Realm, right?” His father’s voice issued from the crane’s beak, every intonation and inflection uncannily mimicked.

“When you reach the Blood and Qi Realm, go find your Uncle Zhao. He’ll take you to the Great Creek Sect—I’ve arranged everything. Inside the parcel are the magical resources your mother and I exchanged for military merits at the front line. Make good use of them. When things quiet down at the front, your mother and I will come to visit you.”

Xu Qiangjia’s voice faded. The crane added, “All right, I’ve finished relaying your father’s message. Do you need me to send a reply? Ten characters per spirit coin.”

“Your son is safe and well. Please do not worry. I hope you and mother prioritize safety at the front. I’ll await your return,” Xu Chen replied, flicking three spirit coins into the air. They arced gracefully and landed in the crane’s beak.

Within the human realm, the low-end courier industry had long been monopolized by the crane clan. Every day, one could see flocks of cranes flying over human cities.

“Your parents care so much for you. Would you like to say a bit more?” asked the crane, flapping its wings.

“I’ll only say more if it’s free,” Xu Chen answered, moving to open the parcel on the stone table. Inside was a spatial wooden box.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be off,” the crane said, spreading its wings and soaring away.

Opening the spatial wooden box, Xu Chen found a spirit-iron broadsword, a green inner armor, a pair of boots, a letter, and assorted pills and supplies.

“It seems my parents have done well at the front these past three months,” he remarked.

Lifting the spirit-iron war blade from the box, it instantly transformed into an eight-foot saber. It was so heavy that he nearly dropped it. “Damn, Father overestimated my strength—this blade must weigh at least three hundred pounds. I only have the strength of three oxen right now; wielding this is a real struggle.”

Xu Chen practiced the Desolate Slash saber technique his father had taught him—except, where before he’d used a wooden sword, now he wielded a real magical weapon. After one set, he was exhausted, having spent nearly eighty percent of his energy.

Sitting on a stone bench with the saber, Xu Chen sighed. “When my father was twelve, he could run through the Desolate Slash technique four times with a three-hundred-pound blade. I can barely manage once.” He cursed under his breath. “If I’m weak, I’ll just have to practice more!”

Xu Chen rose and began to practice the “Twelvefold Wave Body Tempering Method.” He now trained in a dual cultivation regimen—Sacred Ape Six Forms in the morning, Twelvefold Wave in the afternoon. With his experience from the Sacred Ape Forms, he quickly got the hang of the Twelvefold Wave; already, a second wooden door had appeared in the sacred white space within him.

That night, a spiritual lantern glowed over the courtyard as Xu Chen sat reading a treatise on human cultivation.

“The top talents among the human race usually cultivate multiple blood and qi foundation-building methods, striving to accumulate their roots to the utmost,” he read. “It is said that the Seventh Human Emperor, before the age of fifteen, mastered twelve of the most elite blood and qi foundation methods to the state of unity between form and intention. At the peak of blood and qi, he possessed the terrifying strength of nine dragons and lit that legendary Lamp of Flesh and Bone. Crossing realms in battle was as easy as eating or drinking.”

“However, for those of average talent, after age fifteen, cultivating blood and qi foundation methods becomes unsuitable. By the time one’s bones set at twenty, foundation-building becomes almost impossible.”

Xu Chen could not help recalling the first time he activated his cheat and entered that mysterious door. There, the Sacred Ape Six Forms—his own image—demonstrated the unity of form and intent. A terrifying ape phantom appeared behind him. “Defeat me, and you will gain my understanding of the Sacred Ape Six Forms,” the apparition said. Then, with one punch, the excited, newly empowered Xu Chen was smashed to bits; at the time, he hadn’t even reached the strength of one ox, while the Sacred Ape Xu Chen wielded the might of ten tigers. That blow nearly scarred him for life.

“If I too could master twelve foundation-building methods, could I reach that level—ignite the legendary Lamp of Flesh and Bone? Others may not be able to cultivate these methods after twenty, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. Give me enough time—twelve, twenty, thirty methods—I’ll find a way.”

The more Xu Chen thought about it, the more excited he became. He couldn’t resist practicing the Twelvefold Wave Body Tempering Method in the courtyard. Waves of blood and qi surged from his body, each stronger than the last, building one atop another. By the twelfth wave, he was soaked in sweat, his spirit and strength utterly spent.

“It doesn’t matter if my talent is average. I can still achieve greatness—only, it will come later!”