Chapter Fifty-Three: The Beginning

Another peaceful day dawned.

It was a month after Chen Jin had endured his sister’s abduction of the world. He carefully examined the Supreme Azure Immortal Record he had acquired from Wu Quan, found nothing amiss, and handed it over to Chen Lan.

When Chen Lan received the book, she was visibly excited; Chen Jin couldn’t fathom the source of her enthusiasm. Moreover, she still harbored thoughts of journeying to Mount Emei—obsessed with the place as if a lover awaited her there. Yet their father kept a close watch, so she couldn’t leave. Still, Chen Jin suspected she was secretly preparing; her parents had confiscated her ID card, but who knew when she might manage to steal it back.

She was also learning the Supreme Azure Immortal Record, though so far without results. Even when Chen Jin transmitted a ball of low-level vital energy to her, her body remained unchanged; she didn't even experience diarrhea, as if the energy was expelled like a mere breath. Yet if it was expelled, the energy should return to the world, but it didn’t. It seemed to hide within her, refusing to emerge.

Chen Jin puzzled over this, finally guessing her spiritual power was insufficient. He advised her to continue meditating on the general principles of the Supreme Azure Immortal Record to nurture her spirit.

As for the Spirit Nourishing Elixir, Chen Jin dared not drip it onto Chen Lan’s brow. This elixir was only for those who had embarked on the path of cultivation; her spiritual power was not even preliminarily complete, so she could not absorb it. If the elixir filled her insubstantial spiritual force, it might crush her mind entirely, so he refrained.

For his parents, Chen Jin had spent the past few days carefully supplementing their health with medicinal recipes derived from another world atop Ge Hong Mountain, preparing a cup of nourishing herbal tea every night, using common medicinal herbs.

Over the past month, Chen Jin noticed the concentration of vital energy in his surroundings truly increasing. Where before, operating the Gengxin Metal Vitality Method for fifteen minutes yielded a single strand of primordial energy from the environment, now he could acquire three strands in the same time—a milestone, a threefold leap.

According to the group, this was not the limit; a tremendous surge was imminent, at least doubling the current baseline. That meant from three strands of primordial energy, it would leap to six.

This surge was predicted to happen tonight, though the precise hour was unknown.

Moreover, the government’s decree for the popularization of cultivation methods would begin implementation tomorrow.

It was indeed a cause for celebration, a sign of great fortune.

Chen Jin sat cross-legged on the rooftop, waiting for the transformation of the world’s vital energy.

The moon rabbit had already risen in the east, hanging at the tip of the willow branches.

Eyes open, Chen Jin gazed at the round silver moon in the sky, feeling the breeze brush over his head and stir his hair.

The wind carried a pleasant scent.

He picked up the watch lying on the ground and checked the time. “Half past nine.”

Looking up, the sky remained unchanged.

Whoosh…

A gust of wind swept through, stronger and cooler than before.

The air was fresher...

“Has it begun?” Chen Jin wondered quietly.

He then activated the Gengxin Metal Vitality Method and began performing the Yu Step.

On the rooftop, Chen Jin moved through the Yu Step, graceful as a dance—though in truth, it resembled an ancient shamanic ritual.

After ten minutes of movement, he stopped.

He wasn’t out of breath, nor did he sweat.

He sighed, “The world has truly changed.”

…

Early in the morning, a news report dominated all mainstream media, accompanied by a video:

The nation had established a Cultivator’s Association, an organization composed of the country’s top cultivators, directly subordinate to the highest authorities. It would guide all cultivators in rational planning, promoting cultivation in every household. Every citizen would enjoy the right to cultivate, and a wave of cultivation was about to begin.

In the video, a room with six walls painted white contained an immortal-looking Daoist with snowy hair and beard, seated on a meditation mat. As time passed, the Daoist gradually floated up from the mat, suspending himself a meter above the ground.

Every mainstream media outlet reported this news, and the internet instantly erupted.

Open platforms like Weibo collapsed outright.

Chen Jin rose early, but had not checked the news. By the time he thought to look, Weibo had already crashed, and other social media were even more frenzied.

His QQ and WeChat group chats were constantly refreshing with the news.

Chen Jin ignored this, preferring silence; even his cultivation chat group was quiet, perhaps because last night had left them all excited.

In any case, that was the situation.

“Hehehe…” An urgent, flustered voice sounded at Chen Jin’s door.

It was Chen Lan, so anxious that she called her brother “hehe…”

…

“What’s the matter…” Chen Jin drawled, opening the door.

“Big brother, big brother, it’s really beginning!” Chen Lan rushed in, her cheeks flushed, shouting.

“Then… have you succeeded?” Chen Jin smiled at her, half amused.

Chen Lan’s smile instantly faded. “Brother, can’t you avoid pointing out my shortcomings? I’m almost there—I can feel I’m close to succeeding.”

“Read more Daoist classics. The wisdom of those before us should be put to use. I told you to study hard before, but you wouldn’t listen. Regret it now, don’t you?” Chen Jin said.

“Who said I didn’t study hard? If I hadn’t, I couldn’t have gotten into County No.1 High. I’m a rare talent, picked from a thousand.” Chen Lan pouted.

“And you—my brother—ended up at No.7 High…” she muttered.

“What did you say?” Chen Jin glared.

“Nothing, really. I’m going to tell Mom and Dad!” Chen Lan darted out of the room.

Watching her go, Chen Jin shook his head.

He wondered how many teenagers across the vast land would be as excited as Chen Lan.

Probably quite a few.

Especially those middle and high school students.

The standards for advancing to higher schools would surely change.

To attend a good school, neither money nor grades would matter—only your cultivation aptitude score.

Who knew if crystal ball aptitude testing, like in fantasy novels, would appear?

The thought of such scenes made him want to laugh.

“Wow! A seven-colored supreme cultivation prodigy! So amazing, so cool, so impressive! I’ll bear your children!”

“Incredible—a level nine spiritual power cultivation genius! So awesome, so cool, so impressive! I’ll bear your piglets!”

…