The Science of Cultivation - Chapter 3: Rising Phoenixes (Patreon)

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“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely become a great cultivator in your place and get you an Ascension Pill, too.” Zi Xi said as he stepped forward toward the transparent talent orb.

Another hand landed on Li Lang’s shoulder and he couldn’t help but smile when he saw it was Zi Xiao Mei. His two childhood friends were there for him. His memories of them may be hazy, but there was no doubt they had always been there for him.

Zi Xi’s confident declaration had drawn the attention of everyone in earshot. Many were looking on in anticipation to see if the young boy could back up his words, while others wanted to see the disappointment on the arrogant brat’s face.

Zi Xi didn’t let the audience wait and strode straight toward the table where the orb and examiner were.

“May I?”

The examiner wordlessly nodded and gestured for Zi Xi for his hand.

The moment his hand made contact with the orb, light flashed out. It started from a dull red and brightened rapidly. Not even a second had passed before the light already changed to orange.

At the sight of the orange light, gasps could be heard all around Li Lang. He particularly took note of the people’s faces who were waiting for Zi Xi to fail, as he found their shock amusing and satisfying. The satisfaction was to the point where Li Lang had to question himself regarding his strong emotions.

Is this young body affecting my thinking? How intriguing.

Li Lang didn’t have time for introspection, as the scene didn’t end there. The orange light grew brighter and brighter until the color soon changed to a pale yellow.

“Grade three! Brother will definitely be able to get you and Dad the Ascension Pill given some time!” 

Li Lang could feel Zi Xiao Mei’s hand tighten around his shoulder as she exclaimed excitedly.

The grip grew even tighter, like a vice, when the color began to change once again. Green light began to rain down the platform into the plaza.

By now, even the deacon who was floating in the air, acting all mighty, began paying full attention to where Zi Xi was. His steel-like expression broke when the light changed to blue. His eyes struggled to pop out of his socket, and he quickly vanished from his spot only to reappear beside Zi Xi.

The blue light in the orb brightened, and hints of indigo were present, but quickly vanished. The orb then stabilized at a dark blue color.

The audience was all stunned into silence, and before they could recover, the blue light dashed out of the orb and transformed into the shape of a phoenix. The blue energy, shaped like a phoenix, rushed into the skies and a deafening screech rang out for many miles before exploding into harmless specks of light, like fireworks.

Once the phenomenon ended, the deacon swiftly picked up Zi Xi’s hand and took his pulse. He furrowed his brow before turning to the examiner, who was waiting with bated breath to write down the latest results.

“Eighty-nine spiritual roots, top of grade five talent with a unique physique.”

“Sir…Unique physique? Which one?”

“Just write it down as unique. I’ll report to the elders myself when we return.”

“He probably doesn’t know.” A soft voice whispered into Li Lang’s ear.

“Xiao Mei, be quiet. He can probably hear you.” 

As Li Lang had suspected, the deacon turned to them with eyes like a hawk. However, it softened when it landed on Zi Xiao Mei.

“I see that is your sibling, correct?” He asked as he rested a hand on Zi Xi. “Come here, girl. It’s your turn.”

Zi Xiao Mei hesitated for a moment, but seeing her brother before her, she took a deep breath and moved toward the examiner after flashing Li Lang with a reassuring smile.

By this time, the crowd had recovered and the sound of hundreds of people muttering filled the plaza. 

“Grade five aptitude! I can’t believe I witnessed it myself. I heard you could become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if you slack off with that kind of talent!”

“Hey, who is that guy? Can anyone introduce him to me?”

“Shut up. You think he’d spare any time for someone with grade one talent like you? It’s too obvious you’re just aiming for Ascension Pills.”

“...Can you blame him? Ascension Pills could let even people like us with grade one aptitude breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment realm and live for a hundred years longer.”

“His twin sister is apparently next. Do you think she’ll have similar results?”

“Quiet, it’s starting!”

The crowd only quieted down when Zi Xiao Mei placed her hand on the orb.

The light flashed out with just as much intensity as in Zi Xi’s case. The color rapidly climbed from red to orange, then to yellow. As if the scene was set on replay, the color of the orb only stopped when it reached dark blue once again.

Another phoenix shot out from the orb and spread its wings as it flew high above, before dissipating into tiny blue lights.

The noise from the crowd erupted once again as the mesmerizing scene repeated itself.

The deacon quickly repeated his inspection of the younger sister.

“You two, what are your names?”

“Zi Xi.”

“I am Zi Xiao Mei.”

He nodded with a satisfied look before taking out two wooden tokens and handing them to the siblings.

“Show these to the gate guards when you come to our sect. They’ll let you go straight in without any further tests. I look forward to seeing you two at Mount Clear Heart.”

The siblings bowed and thanked the deacon and then retreated like the rest of the children who had finished their test. Those who had been accepted were invited to visit the Clear Heart Sect’s home base in a week. This gave the children time to bid farewell to their families and prepare for their long-term stay in the sect. The travels also acted as another test for the potential recruits.

That meant all the children returned home once their test was complete, regardless of the results. 

While being dragged away by Zi Xiao Mei, Li Lang was lost in thought, completely unaware of the looks of the crowd or the whispering of nasty rumors about him. 

He was busy reassessing his situation and his current condition. His memories of his past life had all come back, and he found himself in possession of a lifetime’s worth of memories from another world while his body was only ten years old.

As a biodefense expert for many decades, he knew enough about biology to know how much the physical body affected one’s mind. He had to make some adjustments to adapt to his new reality.

Not only that, he found himself in a world of cultivation. And as if to mock the efforts he had previously put into his research, a viable way to immortality was dangling before him, piquing his curiosity to the fullest. 

Then he found out he had no talent, which meant no sect would accept him or direct any resources his way, which made it especially difficult for him to come into contact with cultivation-related knowledge beyond the surface layer. 

With a viable avenue to immortality in front of me, am I forced to give up because of my talent? No! I must not give up and look for ways to learn more about cultivation. However…it isn’t likely unless I become a cultivator myself. That way, I can gain more time, too!

Li Lang turned to look at his two childhood friends walking beside him. Zi Xi immediately noticed his gaze.

“No need to feel down, Li Lang. We both got grade five talent. It should be possible for us to get enough Ascension Pills for both you and Lord Father. You won’t get rid of us so easily.”

That’s right…these two will have longer lifespans the higher their cultivation goes. I’ll be just a memory to them if they don’t strain themselves to attain those pills. They already have enough on their plate, supporting their dad, and now I’m added to the mix…

Li Lang began thinking up ways he could help. He doubted he could buy a cultivator pill so easily, so he would have to do some investigating first.

Time went by in the blink of an eye, as he was lost in his thoughts. The next thing Li Lang knew, he was standing in the main hall of a mansion, where a middle-aged man with a long mustache stood before him and his friends.

“---and that’s all, Lord Father.” Li Lang only tuned in at the last bit of Zi Xi’s report to his father.

“I see…” The man swirled his mustache and turned to Li Lang to give him a look over with undisguised pity in his eyes. “You should all go rest for now. I’ll have the servants prepare a feast for tonight.”

At the man’s words, two servants suddenly appeared and guided Zi Xi and Zi Xiao Mei away. Li Lang swiftly stepped out of the main hall and followed his memories back to his room. He found it spartan, just how he remembered, with only a simple bed and drawers. 

He had been given his own room from a young age, despite his supposed status as a servant. The master of the mansion had always treated him well, and he heard it was because his late parents had served diligently throughout their lifetime.

Li Lang surveyed the room and then paced around anxiously with a hand on his chin. He couldn’t calm his mind when there were so many fascinating things waiting for him to research, and most important of all, cultivation.

It became especially arduous for Li Lang to sit still without being able to delve straight into researching a subject that piqued his curiosity. It didn’t help that he was used to planning out how to utilize every minute of his time. One didn’t become one of the forerunners for the Progressor of Mankind award without an enormous amount of effort behind it.

He paced around the room restlessly while he dug through his memory for something productive to do.

That’s right! There’s a library here. I needed to learn more about this world, so it’s perfect!

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