Chapter 22: First Layer Heaven Limit

"Jenny, your son Jack is really making something of himself now, isn't he?"

"Yeah, to kick and break such a thick tree, it's no wonder he's a cultivator. If these old arms and legs of mine so much as touched it, they'd definitely be gone."

"Uncle Isobel, you really have a way with words."

"Congratulations, Jenny. Your family has produced a cultivator."

"Oh Aunt Rowley, you flatter me."

"Jack has only just reached Foundation Establishment, there's still a long road ahead before he becomes a real cultivator. Who knows, maybe one day the hardships of martial training will be too much for him, and he'll no longer want to pursue cultivation."

Outside in the courtyard, a group of older folks walked around Doris Clark, showering her with praises while she remained quite modest.

Inside the courtyard, Jack Clark and Glenn Clark were busy dismantling the peach tree, stripping off its branches and cutting the trunk into sections to be piled aside for easy disposal.

But when they said 'both of them', it was actually just Glenn alone doing the work.

"Brother, it was clearly you who kicked the tree down, so why am I chopping the trunk while you just watch?" Glenn rubbed his sore shoulders as he spoke.

Jack, annoyed, replied, "Because you wanted to see the power of True Martial. Quit your complaining and keep working."

His shins were still in pain, and he couldn't squat down. What else could he do?

However, Glenn was only grumbling. After witnessing the overbearing force of True Martial, he was filled with excitement, and the thought of cultivating himself grew even firmer in his heart.

That evening, the 50-plus centimeter Hexagonal Power Lycophyte lay sprawled on the table, showing a human-like laziness on its face, its eyes as black as beans, looking spiritless and seemingly in a daze.

In the room, Jack Clark sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes tightly shut.

Inside his body, Qi Blood circulated along the Dragon Elephant Power path, refining the transcendent energy drawn into his body. With each circuit completed, his physique strengthened a bit more.

According to the Cultivation Methods, the primary goal of the First Layer Heaven was to strengthen the constitution, tempering the skin, membranes, tendons, and bones to become tougher.

When the physique and Qi Blood reached the current realm's limit, True Strength would emerge from nothing, resembling the internal energy in martial arts novels, marking a breakthrough to the Second Layer.

The basic requirement for reaching the First Layer Heaven Limit is an arm strength of 300 kilograms, with a physique approximately five times that of an ordinary person.

And that is just the basic data. Combined with practicing True Martial Arts, even a First Layer Heaven cultivator can unleash fearsome combat strength, far surpassing that of an ordinary person.

In the following days, nothing unexpected happened, and everything operated routinely.

Every day, Jack Clark went to school for cultivation on time. When he encountered any problems, he would seek advice from Lori Parma and during the afternoons, he would occasionally exchange ideas with Justin Welan.

Besides that, with his Avatar eating large amounts of food daily, its body size was visibly growing, and its Evolution value was steadily increasing by 2 points each day.

Monday morning.

On the Third Floor, in the individual Cultivation Area, Jack Clark, who had been sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes, revealing a wry smile on his somewhat weary face.

Not far away, Justin Welan resting on the sofa, chuckled, "How is it? Isn't it hard to accept such a strong sense of loss, all at once?"

"Indeed." Jack nodded.

It had been three days since Foundation Establishment, and at first, his physique and strength attributes had been increasing by 1 point each day.

If he continued to cultivate at this pace, he could have reached the First Layer Heaven Limit in just one month.

But unexpectedly, after three days, Jack discovered that the rate at which his body absorbed transcendent energy while cultivating had sharply decreased.

At his current rate of cultivation, he estimated that it would take at least four days to improve by 1 point in attributes, and roughly four months to reach the First Layer Heaven Limit.

For Jack, the gap was a little startling.

"Hey, I was about the same as you back then."

Justin Welan chuckled, "Enjoying that rapid progress right after Foundation Establishment, then feeling the speed slow down by several times after a few days is indeed uncomfortable."

"Otherwise, with the cultivation speed of the initial Foundation Establishment, I was confident that I would reach the First Layer Heaven Limit in half a month."

"But now, I feel like it'll take another month or so."

Jack Clark nodded.

Justin Welan had already been at Foundation Establishment for half a month, and in this situation, it would take him another month or so to cultivate to reach the First Layer Heaven Limit. It would take him just over two months in total.

This cultivation speed was about double his.

Now both their strengths were weak, and this disparity didn't seem obvious, but as they continue to cultivate to the Second Layer Heaven, the Third Layer Heaven, or even higher realms,

this gap brought about by talent would become bigger and bigger.

Of course, cultivating quickly doesn't mean one will definitely become a strong man.

Similarly, in the Cultivation World, there are records of ordinary people who cultivate slowly at first, then make a breakthrough and surpass geniuses due to their accumulated efforts, but the chances of that are incredibly slim.

Plus, while ordinary people are diligently cultivating, aren't these geniuses also working hard? For example...

Whoosh!

Off in the distance, Crystal Lewis, dressed in a tight cultivation suit, exhaled deeply and slowly sheathed her long sword, 1.5 meters long, 10 centimeters wide, and weighing 20 kilograms.

The school's Cultivation Area is divided into two types: one like Jack Clark's area for quietly cultivating Cultivation Methods, and another with wide spaces for practicing Sword Skills and similar needs.

The surrounding walls are also reinforced with some kind of high-strength material, and there is an assortment of testing and cultivation equipment that meets the needs of most students' regular cultivation.

A few geniuses prefer solitude or have special cultivation requirements, and they also have the option of renting special Cultivation Rooms from the school for a fee.

Only, this is quite expensive. For instance, the activity room Crystal Lewis and the others applied for costs tens of thousands a month and even requires approval, which is said to take two days to obtain.

Crystal Lewis wiped the sweat from her brow, placed the long sword on the rack, and came over: "Jack Clark, don't think too much. Although you are a bit slower in cultivation speed compared to us, your foundation is solid."

"And in the path of cultivation, persistence is what's most valuable. Short-term advantages don't mean everything."

Although Jack Clark refused to join their small club that day, Crystal Lewis didn't mind. As the Class Leader, she would occasionally remind Jack of some cultivation common sense.

Jack Clark nodded slightly. "Don't worry, Class Leader, this little setback won't affect me."

At that moment, Justin Welan asked curiously, "Class Leader, how long do you think it will take you to reach the First Layer Heaven Limit?"

Crystal Lewis wiped the sweat off her forehead and thought for a moment, "I expect it to be within half a month."

Instantly Justin's eyes widened: "How is that possible? We both cultivate Advanced Skills, and you only started Foundation Establishment two days before us. Why are you so much faster than me?"

Crystal Lewis glanced at him skewedly and scoffed, "Because you're lazy. Look at Jack Clark. Every time his energy recovers, he's cultivating, making progress every day. And you?"

Justin Welan said speechlessly, "Class Leader, we are just high school students, not ascetics. Why do we need to cultivate so diligently?"

"And it's not just me taking a break, they are resting too. Why don't you scold them?"

Not far away, Freya Louise with her long hair cascading over her shoulders was quietly reading a Taoist book, while on the opposite sofa, a female student named Vera Wada was eating pastries.

To the uninformed, this scene might look like a place for afternoon tea.

But Jack Clark knew that this was simply their way of recuperating. Circulating Qi Blood and refining extraordinary energy was actually quite draining on the spirit and Qi.

Whether it's Foundation Cultivation Methods or their current True Martial Arts, neither was easy in terms of cultivation.