Cultivation aptitude

The aptitude awakening ceremony was still ongoing. The death of mortals could not disrupt such an auspicious event.

"Not qualified, not qualified, not qualified," the middle-aged man repeated, each time crushing the hopes of another aspiring youngster.

As the line of candidates slowly dwindled, anxiety and fear spread like wildfire among the villagers.

The Immortal continued to reject candidate after candidate until only three people remained standing on the platform. At the forefront stood a weak-looking boy with a sharp glint in his eye, next was a timid yet stunningly beautiful girl, and at the very end stood Wei Wushang.

Today, if none of these three can demonstrate cultivation talent, then the entire village may have to face a terrible fate.

"Next," the Immortal's emotionless voice resounded.

'My turn, here goes nothing,' the frail-looking boy thought, his heart pounding a little faster as he slowly approached the Immortal.

At the same time, standing at the very end of the line, Wei Wushang's face suddenly showed a reaction he hadn't shown in quite a long time.

'Zi Chen... my old friend,' Wei Wushang's eyes flickered with varying emotions.

In the darkest moments of his life, when all the people around rejected him, Zi Chen was the only person who had extended a hand of friendship.

The bond forged during those difficult times was something Wei Wushang never forgot.

As Zi Chen faced the Immortal, Wei Wushang's thoughts were drawn back to the nightmarish day when their friendship suffered a damaging blow.

On that day, Wushang had been left bruised and battered in his own home, the direct result of the vicious violence inflicted by Zi Chen's parents.

Their acts of brutality rose from their contempt for Wei Wushang, whom they regarded as a bad influence on their beloved son.

But on the very night of that assault, against the will of his parents, amidst a fierce storm that could scare most people back into the comfort of their houses, Zi Chen had secretly escaped from his room and come running to Wei Wushang's aid.

From a very young age, Zi Chen had been burdened with a frail body, consequence of an unknown illness that left him perpetually weak and vulnerable. Even the simplest of tasks, like walking tens of meters would leave him breathless and exhausted.

Despite this, Zi Chen possessed a heroic spirit.

He never complained or cried about life's injustices. On the contrary, Wei Wushang often saw Zi Chen expressing gratitude that it was he who endured the illness, rather than his mother, father, or loved ones.

On that rainy day, however, the sight of Zi Chen was heart-wrenching. He arrived at Wei Wushang's side, his small figure trembling with each and every breath as though it might be his last. The rain had seeped through his clothes, making him look even more pitiful. Nevertheless, it was his eyes that struck Wei Wushang the most. Eyes that were filled with sorrow so strong it could shatter even a heart of stone.

As Wei Wushang lay before him, emotions overwhelmed Zi Chen like never before. Tears streamed down his face as he cried and begged for Wei Wushang's forgiveness, his understanding, all the while applying ointment to his wounds and bandaging him with heartfelt care.

Once he had finished, Zi Chen wiped the tears from his face, bowed deeply, and pleaded for forgiveness once more before turning and walking back into the storm.

On that day, Wei Wushang truly came to know the depth of Zi Chen's character.

"Hmph, no talent. Girl step forward."

Wei Wushang's recollection of the past halted as he saw Zi Chen slowly walking back from the Immortal, his head lowered even more than usual. The boy had been rejected.

"Hah, guess I'm as useless as ever," Zi Chen smiled somewhat indifferently at the result. His life experiences had taught him to expect disappointments, never holding many expectations in the first place.

Contrary to Zi Chen's reaction, his parents in the crowd below appeared to have lost the light in their eyes.

This had been their final ray of hope for their son. With Zi Chen's health deteriorating steadily over the years, the prospect of him reaching his twenties seemed increasingly dim. Becoming a cultivator represented their last hope for extending his life, but today that hope was cruelly extinguished.

Zi Chen noticing the pain etched on his parents faces, flashed them a foolish grin and gave them a thumbs up, as if to say 'it was alright'.

Almost instantly upon seeing Zi Chen's actions, his mother couldn't hold back any longer and collapsed to the ground, overcome with sobs. Her husband tried to console her, but his own eyes were also brimming with a flood of emotions.

"Please don't cry, Mother," Zi Chen felt a pang of regret, quickly hurrying to her side.

But in the heat of the moment, he had momentarily disregarded the limits of his body.

For the past fifteen minutes since the Immortal arrived, he had been kneeling and standing on his own while pushing his physical limits to the edge. Now as he rushed to his mother's side, his body finally gave out.

"Shit!" Zi Chen cursed, his face inches away from colliding with the hard marble floor, until a firm hand from the side grabbed him and pulled him upright just in time.

Zi Chen tried his best to quickly calm his racing heart and regain his earlier balance.

But when he raised his eyes to see the person who was supporting him, he choked on his words halfway, "T-thank you, frien... ah?"

Zi Chen was stunned, realizing it was Wei Wushang who was actually supporting him.

Staring into Wei Wushang's face, for a moment Zi Chen was at a complete loss. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words escaped.

"Brother..." Wei Wushang finally broke the silence, the edges of his gaze softening for the briefest of moments.

"I... I.." Zi Chen struggled to speak openly, only managing to barely utter the words "thank you" before lowering his gaze in unspeakable shame and walking away.

But as Zi Chen passed by, Wei Wushang was certain he also heard the word "sorry."

Wei Wushang's eyelids trembled slightly as he turned to watch Zi Chen being supported off the stage by his father. Seeing Zi Chen's figure appear even more fragile than before stirred an unknown sense of urgency within Wei Wushang.

Though Wei Wushang couldn't fully comprehend the nature of this urgency, he knew one thing for sure and only that.

This feeling of urgency had nothing to do with saving his friend's life. That much was brutally obvious to him.

And while all of this unfolded, the Immortal had already called for the girl to step forward two times.

But the girl showed no reaction.

Nearby, the village head immediately contorted his face into an ugly countenance as he hurried to the girl's side with his aged body, shouting angrily in her ear.

"Kyaa!? Sorry, sorry, I'm coming!" The girl's exclamation rang out in surprise as she finally realized it was her turn. Her nerves had gotten the better of her.

The villagers watched in silence as the young girl with trembling legs finally summoned the courage to step forward.

The middle-aged man's hand pressed on her shoulder. He was quiet for a good while before saying, "Low-grade talent, not bad. Stand behind me."

The crowd instantly erupted in cheers, and the old village head also let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, something good had happened.

The girl gradually came to her senses and hastily bowed towards the Immortal to express her gratitude before excitedly running to stand behind the middle-aged man.

'At last, it's my turn.' Wei Wushang took a deep breath, his nerves tingling with anticipation and nervousness. He took three large steps and stood before the Immortal, his mind completely blank like a sheet of paper.

The Immortal's gaze briefly flickered as he gazed at Wei Wushang, yet his face retained its typical stoic countenance.

After a few short breaths, the Immortal's hand descended upon Wei Wushang's shoulder.

As soon as the Immortal's hand made contact, Wei Wushang's expression underwent a rapid change. His entire body quivered intensely under the invasion of an unknown force.

This pressure was the direct result of the Immortal injecting spiritual essence into his body.

Inside Wei Wushang's body, an earth-shattering movement was taking place.

The wisps of spiritual essence invading his body twisted and turned, eventually forming into a fist. The fist moved back a few inches before charging forward with fierce momentum, colliding with an invisible barrier.

Bam!

A muffled thud resounded within Wei Wushang's body, but the transparent barrier remained intact.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man was unaffected and maneuvered the colossal fist to repeatedly bash the barrier.

Bam, bam, bam, bam...!

It took at least a dozen good shots before a ten-centimeter-long fissure appeared in the dark space.

Then there was total silence. But a few breaths later, the fissure which had been darker than the abyss emitted a faint light.

The light was so feeble that it seemed as though the darkness around it was about to devour it, snuffing it out of existence.

The Immortal's eyes lit up as he commanded his spiritual essence to charge into the fissure.

A second later, a small orb of light broke free from the fissure and the surrounding space began to collapse inwards, drawn towards the emerging brilliance like a moth to a flame.

Within moments, the entire space had been devoured by the orb of light like a hungry beast, which then began to tremble uncontrollably.

Then with a sudden and soundless explosion, the orb of light fragmented into a thousand dazzling shards, each scattering a silver ray of light in every direction. The rays of light intermingled and fused together in a magical display, creating a fist-sized spherical shell.

The shell glowed with a blinding radiance that reached its peak, before slowly subsiding to reveal a Dantian made entirely of shimmering crystals.

The instant the Dantian was formed in his body, Wei Wushang could hear a resounding bang from within his abdomen.

Instantly, all the fine hairs on his body stood on end, and a rush of heightened awareness flooded through him.

Soon after, Wei Wushang's mind went blank. His breathing became slow and steady, and his heart rate slowed to a calm rhythm. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, one of utter serenity.

In this state, Wei Wushang heard the Immortal's voice, which was distant yet reassuring, "Hm, low-grade aptitude. There is hope for cultivation."

The lively shouts and cheerful laughter from the villagers below came to an abrupt halt.

The happy and excited expressions of the villagers were still glued on their faces, unable to change due to such an unforeseen shock.

After a brief moment of silence, the crowd erupted in a fit of madness.

"This, this, this, how can this be?" Some people hugged their heads, revealing an expression of disbelief.

"Have the heavens forsaken us? Why in the world did this accursed bastard awaken a talent?" an old lady in the crowd shouted so loudly that her remaining teeth rattled loose.

"Perhaps there's really a flaw in the test. I mean, even the renowned genius Shu Feng failed, and yet this scoundrel succeeded. It's as if we're witnessing pigs take flight, simply unbelievable!"

Hushed murmurs spread through the crowd. Many harbored such doubts but were too hesitant to voice them, fearing the wrath of the Immortal.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with the test. It's just that this outcome had completely exceeded the expectations of these mortals.

They never, for even a second, believed that someone as unlucky and cursed as Wei Wushang could awaken the potential for cultivation. In their eyes, it was utterly preposterous!

All of the villagers were greatly shocked, but one person was struggling more than anyone else.

The village chief knelt, his aged body drenched in layers of sweat, and his nails digging painfully into the soil as he muttered to himself, "It's over, everything is finished. We are all going to die, every single one of us. Curse it all, this is divine punishment!"

The villagers who heard the village chief's ramblings immediately turned pale, their faces drained of blood.

They were so stunned by the incident that they neglected to consider the possible repercussions of this unexpected turn. Having mistreated the boy for so many years, it wouldn't be strange for him to seek revenge now.

The more they contemplated this possibility, the clearer the impending disaster became in their minds.

They had crossed a line they couldn't erase, and regret gnawed at them now. But alas, there was no use crying over spilled milk.

While these events were unfolding, high above the platform...

Kee-ow~!

Under the azure skies and amidst billowing white clouds, a flock of multicolored peacocks unfurled their wings and took flight.

And as they soared and danced through the soft white clouds, their trailing tails like shimmering banners unfurled by divine hands, painted an image of otherworldly beauty across the heavens.

Wei Wushang stood in the center of the platform, staring dazedly at the middle-aged man.

As the man's words finally registered in his mind, a smile slowly graced his youthful face.

He raised his gaze to match the boundless sky above, the vastness of it all filling him with awe.

Under the bright sunlight, the multicolored feathers of the birds dazzled even more magnificently.

Swoosh~

The wind blew, causing Wei Wushang's hair to flutter freely.

Closing his eyes, Wei Wushang sighed with a deep sense of relief, "I truly am blessed."