Chapter 1020: Chapter 1019: Incredibly Strong Little Shitou

On Little Shitou, Ye Tianchen saw many reflections of his own childhood, and Little Shitou’s unwavering determination earned Ye Tianchen’s admiration. Despite everything, Little Shitou could begin his cultivation. Even though Ye Tianchen had used his powerful divine thought to probe within Little Shitou while he was unconscious and discovered that Little Shitou’s aptitude wasn’t very high, perhaps he wouldn’t progress as far as the other four disciples on the martial arts path, Little Shitou already had hope. His life now had hope, and as his mentor, Ye Tianchen was pleased!

Of course, Ye Tianchen didn’t tell Little Shitou about how he had condensed his martial arts true qi in his dantian into a terrifying form resembling a Demon God, or how after he fainted, the heavens sent down a thunder punishment, seemingly intent on striking Little Shitou dead. For Little Shitou, ignorance was better than knowledge. After all, he was still just a child of a few years, and this would be too cruel for him to know. Ye Tianchen chose to conceal it. He didn’t know why these phenomena appeared on Little Shitou; he could only pay more attention in the future.

Little Shitou was pitiable and the one Ye Tianchen most wanted to see grow strong. Orphaned since a young age, the child was very sensible. He would stand at the village entrance every evening, waiting, holding onto a glimmer of hope in his heart, believing that his parents would return. This daily perseverance came from the hope in his heart, a hope that moved Ye Tianchen.

A pitiful child, only five or six years old, orphaned since young, longing to cultivate but unable to. While other five senior brothers and sisters could cultivate and made rapid progress, he was troubled by the inability to overcome his body’s limitation, willing to pay any price in his efforts. For almost a year, Little Shitou never gave up. Even after passing out from exhaustion countless times, he still wanted to persist in cultivation to overcome his physical defects because of the hope he held. As long as there was hope, Little Shitou would grasp it firmly. This was touching and admirable, yet such a young child, after enduring unimaginable hardships, had not let go of that hope. He finally overcame his physical defect, successfully condensing the martial arts true qi in his dantian into form, unexpectedly leading to a heavenly thunder punishment…

Why? Why was the heavens so unfair to Little Shitou? Why wouldn’t even a child of a few years be spared? Ye Tianchen couldn’t understand at the moment but knew there must be significant hidden truths involved. He decided to pay extra attention to Little Shitou in the future!

“Master, I want to return to the village!” Little Shitou said, looking at Ye Tianchen.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, we have moved away from the original refuge in the heavenly pit… As your master, I think it would be best for you to diligently cultivate here for three to five years, maybe even eight or nine years would not be too long. You’ve just condensed your martial arts true qi into form and need a long period of cultivation. You have already fallen behind your four senior brothers and sisters. In Cangmang Mountain, with the protection of a special formation, it is like a world of its own, where you will rarely encounter danger. Cultivating here is the best option!” advised Ye Tianchen, looking at Little Shitou.

In truth, Ye Tianchen really wanted Little Shitou to cultivate in Cangmang Mountain. Another important reason was that, now that Little Shitou could cultivate, there was no need to confine him in the “Holy Heaven Prison” with the mysterious power of strong Chaos Qi. Otherwise, Little Shitou would have to return to Desolate Stone Village, where his only blood relative, Grandpa, had already passed away. This could be just as devastating for Little Shitou as never being able to cultivate…

“Master, I know. I just want to go to my grandpa’s grave and tell him that I can cultivate now, that I will find my parents, and that I will forever protect Desolate Stone Village, ensuring it doesn’t vanish from this world…” Little Shitou’s small body trembled as he clenched his fists, holding back his tears.

Ye Tianchen’s heart skipped a beat, a bit startled. He hadn’t realized that Little Shitou already knew the truth. This child was truly resilient; he understood what he needed to do and knew what he would guard for a lifetime.

“Alright, you can cultivate now. Your master will teach you how to condense martial arts true qi, and will additionally teach you the Thunder Sky Fist martial arts divine skill. A month later, you can go to the heavenly pit at Desolate Stone Village to pay respects to Grandpa Shi at your discretion!” Ye Tianchen pondered for a moment and said.

“Thank you, Master!” Little Shitou nodded and said.

During that month, Ye Tianchen and Little Shitou lived halfway up the mountain in two thatched huts. Every day, Ye Tianchen taught Little Shitou martial arts cultivation skill, mainly sharing his own experiences and insights during cultivation. On the path of martial arts cultivation, the mentor is naturally crucial, but the most important factor is the cultivator’s own talent, comprehension, and perseverance. Without surpassing oneself, one cannot advance far on the martial arts path. Ye Tianchen didn’t teach Little Shitou too much. For Little Shitou, who had just started cultivating, excessively domineering martial arts divine skill would backfire and make it difficult to cultivate successfully. The path of cultivation must be gradual and steady, not rushed.

A month later, although Little Shitou was still as frail as before, he appeared significantly stronger. That’s the benefit of martial arts—to build a strong body first. Ye Tianchen watched as Little Shitou left Cangmang Mountain. He neither escorted Little Shitou nor provided him with any treasures for protection, allowing Little Shitou to venture out on his own. This was Ye Tianchen’s test for Little Shitou. Sooner or later, Little Shitou would have to walk the world of martial arts on his own, and sooner or later he would grow up to become a martial artist among his peers. At that time, he would face battles among those of his generation. Whether it be fierce battles or making good friends, these were things Little Shitou had to do and experience himself. He couldn’t always grow in the greenhouse; otherwise, when would he truly grow up?

After Little Shitou left Cangmang Mountain, Ye Tianchen did not leave. It was a valuable and tranquil place, so Ye Tianchen remained in Cangmang Mountain for cultivation. He stayed in the thatched huts at night. What puzzled him was that since the night he met the mysterious old man, he never appeared again. Even though he knew this mysterious old man wasn’t a physical being, but rather a supreme figure who had left imprints of his presence there, Ye Tianchen still wanted to see this unparalleled old man who had reached heights that people could only look up to. Ordinary figures at the Emperor Realm were probably no more than this. More importantly, Ye Tianchen was most perplexed and shocked by how this old man’s appearance was so similar to his own!

The mysterious old man never reappeared, even though Ye Tianchen waited every night. This became Ye Tianchen’s greatest mystery—who was this mysterious old man? He had an invincible bearing, why had he left marks here, and why did his face resemble Ye Tianchen’s so much?

So far, Ye Tianchen knew nothing of the outside world. He conjectured that it might have already caused a great uproar outside, especially since the battle at Cangmang Mountain, where the Golden Strange Cloud became famous, as did the mysterious figure, the Demon Slayer Old Man, the dwarf youth, Tuoba Ye, and most famously himself, Ye Tianchen. The Golden Strange Cloud had shock-killed all the youthful geniuses, while Ye Tianchen had shock-killed the Golden Strange Cloud and also killed the Demon Slayer Old Man, but the mysterious figure escaped. This had once again stirred great excitement within the three major Ancient Martial Worlds, particularly because the death of the Golden Strange Cloud indicated an approaching storm of bloodshed. The secluded and powerful Jin family, sworn to secrecy since ancient times, was likely to erupt, and who could fathom what kind of disaster that would bring?

The Heavenly Mountain Ancient Martial World, which included Cangmang Mountain, was very close to the Song Mountain Ancient Martial World. The proximity of these two Ancient Martial Worlds was unexpected. The Heavenly Mountain Ancient Martial World wasn’t as large as the Song Mountain Ancient Martial World. Ye Tianchen had already learned some information about it, but he knew nothing about the most mysterious Penglai Ancient Martial World. At this time, in a paradise-like secluded area of the Heavenly Mountain Ancient Martial World, numerous buildings sat, consisting of ancient houses over a vast area. Protected by immensely powerful formations, even experienced martial artists might not discover it. At the center, the most prominent building bore a large golden plaque with four bold characters: The Jin Family!

This was the hidden land of the Jin family, located at the northern end of the Heavenly Mountain Ancient Martial World, directly opposite Cangmang Mountain and very far away. However, a dense murderous intent had long since permeated this place. A middle-aged man, clad in a golden Taoist robe, had eyes gleaming with golden divine radiance, his gaze coldly fixed outside this secluded place, exuding an air of murder.

Swish!

A boy, around ten years old, appeared beside the man, speaking with a maturity uncoupled with his age, “Father, has our eighth brother really been killed?” (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit QiDian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation and monthly votes, as your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)