CHAPTER 2: POINTING THE WAY: ANTS' CULTIVATION

The situation inside the Heavenly Pool Lake gradually settled. The swirling mist began to thin, and the view slowly became clearer.

The three cultivators stood up and began observing the state of everyone within the pool, selecting youths with exceptional potential. Whenever they saw someone radiating a strong, bright glow, they took note of the person. If they came across someone with only the faintest trace of light, they would shake their heads. Among the thousands present, only two showed outstanding talent.

Just then, one of the cultivators noticed Lu Chen. To his shock, not a single trace of light could be seen. Thinking his eyes were playing tricks, he carefully examined Lu Chen several more times, yet still saw nothing. In over a decade of cultivation, he had never seen nor heard of such a situation.

He quickly called out to the other two cultivators. "Have either of you ever heard of someone entering the Heavenly Pool Lake for baptism and showing absolutely no reaction?"

The moment Daoist Rufa heard this, he knew Lu Chen had failed once again. He sighed helplessly. "You'll find out soon enough. Go on and check the next one."

Blindman Lu had also been keeping an eye on everything happening in the pool. Seeing Lu Chen's state, he put away his guqin with a faint smile. At this moment, only he knew how absurdly gifted Lu Chen truly was.

The Heavenly Pool Lake returned to its tranquil state, as if nothing had happened. The three cultivators swiftly opened the barrier and began guiding everyone out.

Once the crowd had gathered, Daoist Rufa stepped forward and addressed them, "The Heavenly Pool baptism merely helps you tap into your Heavenly Pool. To truly begin cultivation, you must pass the Qi Absorption test. Using this Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk in my hand, you'll draw in the spirit qi of heaven and earth, circulate it through a full meridian cycle, and then store it in your Heavenly Pool."

"All you need to do is place your hand on the disk and focus your mind on the state you were in during your baptism. The speed at which the disk lights up reflects your affinity with the spirit qi. It also determines how quickly you will be able to absorb it in the future.

"It doesn't matter what method you use. As long as you succeed in lighting it up, a basic Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk will be constructed. That means you've officially stepped into the first level of the Qi Absorption Realm."

With that, the three cultivators nodded, signaling the start of the test.

The three of them worked together to summon a massive, two-zhang-tall disk. The giant one then projected smaller ones, which appeared in front of each participant for them to touch.[1]

Ten minutes later, four people had successfully activated the disk and entered the Qi Absorption Realm.

Those who passed within the first ten minutes were mostly disciples from established clans, blessed with top-tier training resources and cultivation tools. Since they had trained since childhood, the test posed little challenge to them.

Two hours passed. A large portion of the participants finally obtained their Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disks, barely making it into the Qi Absorption Realm.

By the four-hour mark, even more had succeeded. Most of them had done so purely by luck. The spirit qi within them was barely detectable, yet even so, the fact that they had acquired a Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk meant they could cultivate.

After sixteen hours, everyone except Lu Chen had completed the test. By now, the crowd had clearly split into several groups. The moderately talented clustered around the high achievers, while those with almost no talent were pushed to the outskirts. On the outer edge, people lowered their heads and bent at the waist, fawning over the more gifted with sycophantic eagerness.

Meanwhile, everyone gave Lu Chen a wide berth, avoiding him like he was bad luck incarnate.

Soon, whispers began to rise among the crowd.

"Is he even going to make it? It's been so long, even a pig would have passed by now."

"You don't know about him? That's Lu Chen. He's taken the baptism test for ten years and still hasn't succeeded. Maybe he really is a pig."

"Even a pig's smarter. He's nothing but a worthless piece of trash."

"Yes, a worthless piece of trash..."

The crowd broke into jeers, pointing fingers and heckling Lu Chen.

Hearing the mockery, the cultivator who'd first noticed Lu Chen finally understood the meaning behind Daoist Rufa's earlier sigh.

Lu Chen, however, didn't react much to the crowd's chatter. After ten years, he had grown numb to this sort of thing. His hand remained pressed on the disk, holding on to the faintest shred of hope. After all, this truly was his final chance.

Two more hours passed. Lu Chen had reached his limit. His gaze dimmed. He still couldn't understand why he alone continued to fail. Even one Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk would mean he could begin cultivating.

Then, dizziness suddenly overtook him. His strength gave out, and he collapsed.

The next morning, Lu Chen woke up in his bed. He turned over and walked outside to the great parasol tree at the edge of the village. Blindman Lu was there, playing his guqin.

Noticing that Lu Chen had woken, Blindman Lu began to play a piece filled with dramatic rises and falls. The melody rose and fell like a lone figure in white on the battlefield, surrounded by countless enemies. He fell, stood up, fell again, and stood once more, over and over, until in the end, he alone remained, standing amid a sea of corpses.

When the music ended, the hero stepped across that blood-soaked battlefield, raised his sword, and set out to conquer the world.

At that moment, Blindman Lu pointed to an anthill beneath the parasol tree and asked, "Do you know why we cultivate? Do you know why heaven and earth are called 'heaven and earth'?"

Lu Chen looked at the anthill. Just like before, the ants climbed upward, and fell, then climbed again. He thought, I have answered this same question for ten years. Why is Grandpa asking it again?

In that moment, everything from the past decade came flooding back. It felt as though a divine light had dawned before his eyes, revealing everything clearly. But it had come too late. Even with the answer now in front of him, it no longer mattered.

Lu Chen was about to say he was giving up when a sudden downpour began. The rain washed the anthill away. But more ants came, carrying bits of soil to rebuild the mound, resisting the rain together.

Lu Chen slowly crouched down and watched them.

Blindman Lu appeared behind him and said, "Looks like you've found your answer. Do you remember what you told me the last time I asked you about cultivation? You said you wanted to be like the ants, climbing upward and struggling against heaven and earth."

"You saw them climbing, but you didn't notice the skies darkening. You watched them ascend, but missed how they carried soil, gathered food, and built a mound to keep out the rain. You thought they were cultivating, battling the heavens. But did it ever occur to you that they were just trying to survive? They had only one goal. And in all that so-called cultivation, did they ever once care about your gaze?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen murmured to himself, "Other people's gaze... the purpose of cultivation... "

Blindman Lu looked at him and saw clarity in his eyes. He knew Lu Chen had figured it out. He continued, "You don't need the Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk to cultivate. Countless people have walked the path even without it. If you believe you've found your purpose, I'll take you to a place to begin your cultivation."

For some reason, Lu Chen didn't doubt what Blindman Lu told him. Instead, he felt that the place Blindman Lu spoke of would change his life completely. What Blindman Lu was really asking was, "Do you have the courage to set foot into this place in pursuit of your purpose?"

Lu Chen answered without hesitation, "Grandpa, please take me there. I want to find the true meaning of cultivation on my own. I will become a cultivator. I want to know what I'll be cultivating for."

Just then, the skies cleared. A light gleamed in Lu Chen's eyes, and the Twin-Fish Medallion on his chest gave off a faint glow, as if it agreed with his words.

Blindman Lu motioned for Lu Chen to stand. Lu Chen asked curiously, "Grandpa, what are we going to do?"

Blindman Lu didn't answer him directly. Instead, he said, "This village wasn't always called Greenheaven. Back in the Genesis Era, a Heavenly Emperor emerged from here. He was honored as the Green Emperor. To remember him, the village was renamed Greenheaven and has carried the name ever since. This ancient parasol tree was planted by that very emperor."

"In the village, there's a story that's long been passed down. When a descendant of Greenheaven Village is born with both the desire and the aptitude to cultivate, they can enter this place to seek their destined opportunity."

As Blindman Lu spoke, he reached beneath the strings of his guqin and opened a hidden compartment. From there, he took out a round token. On its front was the image of a city. One half lay in ruins, engulfed in flames, while the other half teemed with life, where a towering tree stood tall. That tree looked just like the ancient parasol tree before them.

The scene should have been one of conflict, yet a solitary figure at the border gave it an odd sense of harmony. He stood facing the city, holding a tattered battle flag in his hand. The flag had the word “Green” written on it.

The sight struck Lu Chen with a sudden wave of sorrow. At the same time, an uncanny sense of familiarity welled up in him. It felt like a memory from his own past.

Blindman Lu looked at him and explained, "This token has been passed down for generations in Greenheaven Village. Its only purpose is to open the portal inside the ancient parasol tree. But no one has ever entered it in all these centuries, so no one knows what lies beyond. If you're truly determined to cultivate, you can give it a try. But remember, you only get one chance. If you fail, you'll never be able to enter again."

With that, Blindman Lu pressed the token against the tree. It melted into the bark, and a dark, ethereal portal gradually formed on the trunk.

He turned to Lu Chen and said, "You only get one shot. Give it your all."

"I'll make it, Grandpa. Just wait. I'll succeed."

Just as Lu Chen stepped forward to enter, Blindman Lu suddenly called out, "Wait."

He walked over and carefully straightened Lu Chen's clothes. Then, he adjusted the Twin-Fish Medallion on Lu Chen's chest, gently patted his head, and said softly, "Go on. If you're so determined to cultivate, then stepping through is at least a path forward."

For as long as Lu Chen could remember, this was the first time Blindman Lu had ever helped him straighten his clothes. As he looked up at the old man, a sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

Blindman Lu urged, "Hurry now, or the portal will vanish."

Lu Chen turned back to the villagers, who had gathered behind them at some point, and waved at them.

Little Pup waved back. Lu Chen looked at him and said, "Wait for me. When I return, we'll cultivate together."

Then he stepped toward the portal. Just as he was about to pass through, a beam of green-blue light shot into the sky. At that moment, Lu Chen spotted a group of cultivators flying over.

He wanted to warn Blindman Lu. But before he could speak, the portal had already pulled him in.

After Lu Chen entered the portal, Blindman Lu retrieved the token. Around him, the villagers began forming hand seals. One by one, their appearances changed. They bowed toward Blindman Lu and said in unison, "Greetings, Lord of Rituals."

The child who had been Little Pup just moments ago now appeared as a tiny spirit beast. It perched on Blindman Lu's shoulder and said, "My lord, is this really the right thing to do? Letting him face such a future without knowing anything... isn't that a little too cruel?"

The old man with the guqin... no longer looked like an old man. He now stood tall, dressed in a plain white robe with a black sash embroidered with cloud patterns. His silver-white hair flowed down his back. With calm grace and sharp black eyes, he gazed into the distance at the incoming cultivators.

He shook his head and said calmly, "Time is running out. The passage between all worlds is nearly open. We follow the plan."

He looked at the ancient parasol tree, worry flickering across his face. "Let's hope it's still not too late. The future... is in your hands now, young master."

1. The zhang is a traditional Chinese unit of length. One zhang is roughly equal to 3.3 meters. ☜