Granny Wu

"Is it that comfortable down there?" Granny Wu teased, her voice filled with warmth.

Ding Wei hurriedly rose to his feet, his cheek throbbing from his uncle's slap, and a wave of embarrassment washed over him. Although Granny Wu wasn't his biological grandmother and he had never known any of his grandparents, she had been a supportive figure in his life for as long as he could remember.

He remembered a time when his uncle had confronted Granny Wu in the street during one of his fits of anger. His uncle had ordered her to never interact with Ding Wei again, threatening her with a serious beating. Despite his uncle's imposing stature, flanked by two burly guards and known for attacking villagers, Granny Wu had fearlessly stared him in the eye and dared him to try.

Ding Wei knew he would never be able to repay her loyalty. She truly was the bright spot in his life.

"Granny Wu... I..." he began, his voice filled with gratitude.

Without hesitation, Granny Wu grabbed his hand, her touch comforting and familiar. "Come along, Little Tiger. You can join me for breakfast today. I won't let you run away this time."

Having carefully avoided Granny Wu for the past week precisely because she always tried to feed him, even though she struggled with money as much as he did, Ding Wei attempted to decline.

"It's okay, Granny. You don't need to share. I've already eaten," he said, forcing a smile. Almost immediately his stomach growled in protest, betraying him and causing a flash of pink to color his cheeks.

Granny Wu chuckled. "Ah, don't you know it's a sin to lie so blatantly? Or is it because you can't stand this old lady's cooking?"

"It's not that at all, Granny. I love your cooking!"

"Then you have no excuse."

With Granny Wu leading the way, they headed to her home, which was located near the compound in the better area of Guangzhu. Ding Wei had visited her cottage often as a little boy, spending countless afternoons in the backyard garden.

The small cottage was built in the shape of an 'L' and surrounded by a tall cobbled fence. Hidden beyond the fence, a garden flourished with a variety of peculiar plants and flowers. The thatched roof had been redone a few months before, and Ding Wei had assisted some of the other village youths in finishing it over a single afternoon.

Granny Wu, highly respected and regarded as the closest thing to a doctor in the entire village, gestured for Ding Wei to come inside. "Come in, Wei. This place is practically your home already."

Scuttling into the kitchen, Granny Wu tended to a pot that burbled on the stove, filled to the brim with a sweet-smelling porridge. Little flakes of dried fruit glistened in the mix, making Ding Wei's mouth water.

Soon, two bowls were filled and placed on the table, and Granny Wu sat across from him, resting her head on her elbow. "Tell me, what has gotten into that crazy uncle of yours?"

Ding Wei took a seat at the kitchen table. "It's my fault, Granny... I challenged Ding Chen to a fight in the square."

"So? It's only natural for youngsters to spar. It's an essential part of cultivation," Granny Wu replied dismissively.

He frowned bitterly. "Uncle didn't see it that way..."

Granny Wu scoffed. "That disgusting man... Still, I was really surprised to see your cultivation level increase."

He let out a sigh. "It won't be enough. Even if I managed to raise my level to the Muscle Refinement Level like Chen, he has far more resources and is much more talented..."

Even with the book he had found, Ding Wei didn't truly believe he could challenge his cousin. They were leagues apart. He was in the second level of the Awakening Stage and Chen was in the fifth. While he spent most of his days tending to the Ding Compound, his cousin spent many hours practicing with tutors from the Blue Crane Sect.

Granny Wu shook her head vigorously. "That's not true. In terms of talent, Ding Chen is not your match. Your potential is something he can only dream about."

"Then why was I stuck in the first level for over five years while he progressed to the fifth?" Ding Wei asked bitterly, disbelieving.

"A bottleneck. It happens to all cultivators at some point. They reach a level in their cultivation where they're completely stuck and can't progress. They may consume three times as many resources as they have in their entire lifetime and still not break through."

Ding Wei blinked. This was the first time he had heard of something like this. His knowledge of cultivation came solely from listening to the other boys in the village, and he had never interacted with a real cultivator, leading to many gaps in his understanding.

"Is it possible for a bottleneck to occur in the very first level?"

Granny Wu hummed in confirmation. "A bottleneck can occur at any point and for many reasons. We don't know much about them yet. However, cultivators who have successfully passed through multiple bottlenecks often say that there was something missing in their Qi. They needed a type of energy that aligned with theirs, whether it came from a rare resource, a special location, or a new cultivation method."

"How interesting..."

"Now that you've broken through, you'll find your cultivation rising much faster than before."

Ding Wei blinked in surprise. "Granny... How do you know so much about cultivation? Were you a practitioner in the past?"

Granny Wu seemed lost in memories for a moment. "... No, I was never a cultivator, although I wished to be. My talent wasn't high enough, and I failed the entrance exam for a sect. However, I traveled to distant lands in my youth and met many people."

She affectionately pinched his cheek. "There's much you can learn just by talking to people with good intentions. Remember this advice, Little Tiger."

"Then... What do you think I should do to prepare for the fight?"

Granny Wu took a moment to ponder. "Hmm... Truthfully, in the Awakening Stage, the main difference between fighters is their combat experience. If you could engage in real fights or find sparring partners, you would have the best chance."

"What about techniques? If Cousin Chen used a powerful technique against me, how could I win?"

Granny Wu laughed. "There are no powerful techniques in the Awakening Realm. True energy manipulation is only available after a core is condensed. Until then, any manipulation is difficult and limited to internal techniques only. Besides, any internal technique powerful enough for beginners would be impossible for anyone out here to acquire."