Concerning Cultivation

A large, luxurious horse carriage traveled through the middle of a wide avenue within Beast God City. The horses were tall and powerful. The driver also wasn't simple and exuded a heavy aura of a powerful beast art cultivator. Even at a glance, the bystanders could tell that this person was an elite warrior within the city. They couldn't guess who could be sitting inside but there was no doubt that it was some big shot.

The carriage rolled through the city which was still recovering from the war with the insects many months before. Most of the visible damage had been repaired. Brand new buildings had sprung in the place of those destroyed in battle. But there was a noticeable lack of people in the streets.

The population had yet to fully recover and many houses remained empty. The Lion Lord and the Eagle Lord were both reluctant to bring in people from the countryside and other territories they controlled. Their population would naturally recover within a few years as long as they enticed the existing population to have more children. This would then naturally lead to a boom of young people who could lead the Beast God Sanctum into a new era.

The carriage eventually came to a stop in front of an inconspicuous manor. It was obviously a residence for nobility with tall privacy walls and guards at the entrance. But its size was nothing to be envious of, even for ordinary residents of the city.

The squad of six guards formed two protective columns of three to greet the arrival. The rear door of the carriage swung open and a figure got off, their visage mostly hidden by the tall guards. At the same time, the main doors of the manor swung open in invitation. That guest quickly went inside and greeted the owner of the residence.

"My Lord Qiu, welcome to my humble home." He Xingping bowed deeply and said.

Before him stood one of the Spirit Lords of the Beast God Sanctum, Immortal Tempest Badger Qiu Chuyi.

Chen Wentian, through He Xingping's soul, noted that Qiu Chuyi had largely recovered from the wounds he had suffered during the demon attack. His immortal aura was as strong as ever.

"Executive Elder He Xingping, it has been a while. Come, let's talk inside." Qiu Chuyi said.

"Yes, Lord Qiu, please, this way."

The two men casually conversed as they made their way to the modest sitting room. After the servants served tea, Qiu Chuyi turned to He Xingping with a smile.

"How is your daughter? He Zhuoyan was it… how old is she now?" He asked.

Chen Wentian nodded, "I am honored that Lord Qiu remembered. Zhouyan is almost one year old."

Qiu Chuyi laughed and stroked his beard good-naturedly, "Wonderful! My great-grandniece is growing up so quickly. Hahaha!"

Chen Wentian had to think about it before he remembered. He Xingping's wife, Qiu Jingyi, was the immortal's grandniece. Due to this distance in blood relations, her family was considered a branch family and never given as much attention as the main descendants.

Chen Wentian chuckled politely, "True, children are so sneaky like that, growing so much when we don't have enough time to pay attention."

After some more light-hearted conversation, Qiu Chuyi put down his cup and turned to He Xingping, "Xingping, I'm here today for two things. You are a smart man, I'm sure you have already heard."

"Please speak, my lord."

Qiu Chuyi replied, "First, it is a custom for the infants of my family clan to have talent assessments around one year old. I'm sure the He Clan is the same and normally your daughter's future cultivation will be the He Clan's responsibility. However, I have heard some positive rumors about your daughter so I hope you won't object to me giving her an early evaluation."

Chen Wentian sighed in his mind but could only agree. People loved to talk and the Beast God Sanctum was still a small community even though it was such a big sect. He didn't know if it was his wife or any of the servants bragging and it didn't really matter.

He already knew what the rumor was about, the fact that He Zhuoyan had a very big appetite. Her mother's breastmilk wasn't nearly enough and they had already hired a second nursemaid. She was also very particular and only drank breast milk. Other babies would already have started with solid food but she flatly rejected it all in favor of just milk.

"Is my lord referring to my daughter's eating habits?" He asked.

Qiu Chuyi laughed and nodded, "It is a bit strange but also potentially good. A great appetite is always a positive sign in our sect. It means that the baby's body is strong and that she has great potential. Although children cannot truly cultivate the way of Body Refinement until they reach puberty, their innate talent can still be cultivated from a young age. A naturally large appetite can lead to naturally superior strength. And naturally superior strength can lead to a resilient spirit, sharp mind, and other advantages. If well taken care of, she can definitely become a future talent."

The immortal continued to nod and stroke his beard. From Chen Wentian's experience, this Qiu Chuyi was a crafty person so it was difficult to see where this conversation was going.

Qiu Chuyi continued, "This is a little secret but since you are family, I won't be stingy. My closed-door disciple, Yang Cang, is the most talented disciple I have ever taught. He also had a fearsome appetite as a child. Although he didn't have a fixation on breastmilk like your daughter, he could eat a whole chicken by himself when he was one year old. By five, he could eat a whole lamb in one sitting."

He paused and laughed heartily at the memory, "And if I had not found him, he would have probably driven his whole family into poverty. But thankfully, I did and took him in. I gave him whatever he wanted to eat, the best beast meats and as much as he wanted. With such an uprising, he was able to become the most talented cultivator of his generation within the Lion Faction. I think he has a good chance of following my footsteps and becoming a Spirit Lord."

Chen Wentian nodded along with the tale and filled the immortal's tea cup, "My lord, are there any other identifiers for infants to judge their innate talent? I am not well versed in this area."

In truth, Chen Wentian had already done some research but he wanted to hear another immortal's opinion. The world of cultivation was so vast and the possibilities endless. Matters concerning cultivation were often hidden as family secrets or clan treasures. There was a limit to what he could find out from the Beast God Sanctum, even as an executive elder. He had wanted to take over Yang Cang's soul during the Monster Fighting Competition but didn't find an opportunity. He also disliked that person on a fundamental level so he didn't bother to try anymore.

"You are right, there are." Qiu Chuyi said, "Certain physical traits unseen in others may be an indicator. It is often said that if a baby has a birthmark that is in the particular shape of an animal, they will have a high affinity for beast transformation arts relating to that. This could be debatable but often works out than not. In other cases, I have seen babies that arrive into the world with a full head of hair that has a higher intellect and talent for cultivating mind arts than the rest. Other traits can depend on specific behavior observed during childhood. Appetite is one but there are many more that can indicate unnatural talent. So… that said, does your daughter have some other special trait?"

True to Chen Wentian's impression, this wily old immortal was quick to take the hint. He nodded and said, "Lord Qiu, if you would please, it is better if I show you."

"Alright, lead the way."

"Please, this way."

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A/N Reminder to all, I wrote three special stories to celebrate IOAFD reaching one million words. They are a retelling of the side stories after the very first arc, with three brand-new smut scenes. They are free to read for a limited time!

patreon.com/posts/1-million-lin-95241918

patreon.com/posts/1-million-zhou-95242080

patreon.com/posts/1-million-wu-95242102

And as always, a tremendous thank you to all patrons that support this novel!