Cultivation Begins with Skill Points-Chapter 234: The Son of Destiny

"Disciple pays respects to Master."

In the Green Bamboo Courtyard, Gu Chen kneeled in front of Zhong Lin. His clothes were somewhat disheveled, and there was a bloodstain on his chest, suggesting that he had endured no small amount of hardship coming from Linyue County to the Sword Cauldron Sect.

He had just barely consolidated his Qi-Blood, and this journey spanned thousands of miles, so a young lad like him would naturally attract unwanted attention. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

This was also Zhong Lin’s test for him, to see if Gu Chen was truly the "protagonist" of legend.

"Stand up! Does your shoulder still hurt?" Zhong Lin asked.

"Ah!"

Gu Chen abruptly looked up at Zhong Lin, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Zhong Lin picked up his tea cup and took a light sip, "Later, find your Martial Aunt to get some ointment. An arrow wound can penetrate deeply; don’t let it harm your tendons and bones."

Gu Chen instinctively touched his shoulder, a surge of pain passing over it. It was where he had been shot by a mountain bandit’s arrow while crossing Songzhu Ridge. But how did his Master know?

Beside him, Gu Yourong laughed, "Silly boy, did you really think your Master would let you cross a thousand miles alone? You’re just a young lad at the Qi-Blood Realm; how could he be at ease letting you go?"

Gu Chen looked up at his master, who appeared as calm as the clouds and wind, his eyes reddening and tears nearly falling.

Since his parents’ passing, he hadn’t felt warmth in a long time and had faced endless disdain and indifference due to his inability to break through in cultivation.

Even when his talents inexplicably returned later, it only made him see through the so-called cold warmth of human feelings.

His Master took him as a disciple yet followed him unnoticed for over a thousand miles, always silently protecting him, which made him feel the warmth he’d lost once more, and he couldn’t help but weep.

No wonder he had managed to narrowly escape danger multiple times along the way; it was all thanks to his Master’s assistance.

No matter how much he had seen through human emotions, he was still just a fifteen-year-old boy.

With a thud, he knelt down again and heavily kowtowed to Zhong Lin.

"Enough."

Zhong Lin waved his right hand, and a formless power lifted Gu Chen up.

"No need to act like a little girl. Since you are my disciple, you shall naturally have my protection. Just focus on cultivating well in the future."

Gu Chen wiped away his tears and nodded heavily, "Disciple will not disappoint Master."

"Go, your Martial Aunt has already had someone prepare your room. Take a few days to heal."

"Disciple takes his leave."

Gu Chen bowed once more and then slowly exited the hall.

"Zhong Lin, your disciple is not bad. He knows gratitude and despite his young age, he’s already condensed his Qi-Blood. With your teaching, he will surely shine brightly given time," Gu Yourong praised.

Zhong Lin watched Gu Chen’s departing figure, but a strange divine light flashed in his eyes.

Zhong Lin had indeed been following behind Gu Chen, quietly observing him. After dealing with Han Jin, he had followed him.

The more he observed, the more convinced he became that Gu Chen was a child of fate, destined to be a protagonist.

Throughout the journey, Gu Chen was simply a calamity magnet, constantly attracting trouble. Sometimes, trouble would come even if you didn’t seek it.

Staying overnight in an abandoned temple and encountering martial artists’ duels, heroically saving a maiden only to be implicated in the extermination of a family, or destroying mountain bandits and obtaining divine weapons...

It’s like traveling with a calamity body, definitely treatment fit for a protagonist!

As for Gu Chen managing to escape life-threatening situations every time, that was all his own doing; Zhong Lin never intervened.

Zhong Lin now couldn’t tell if taking him as a disciple was good or bad.

It’s obvious what the bad is; as the protagonist, he’s bound to attract all sorts of trouble, and as his Master, you’d definitely be dragged into it, possibly even being crushed by his "Heavenly Slaughter Star" fate.

But there are benefits too; as long as the protagonist doesn’t die, chances would keep jumping into his lap. Tripping over a stone on the road could potentially be extraterrestrial meteors. As his Master, you might enjoy some good fortune.

It’s simply a mix of good and bad!

Zhong Lin rubbed his chin, thinking to himself, "I now suspect that given time, he could break through to Spiritual Origin Realm on the Xuan Gui Continent. Now I have to consider whether to take him to the Luoxing Islands."

If they stayed on the Xuan Gui Continent, Zhong Lin could firmly suppress any big troubles. Even if the child of fate grows stronger, the environment must be considered, as his Spiritual Origin Realm cultivation is sufficient to move freely on the Xuan Gui Continent.

But if they went to the Luoxing Islands, it would be different. Who knows when some monster might emerge? The Spiritual Origin Realm isn’t impressive there. Even with Xuandan refined, a higher-level master might come from farther afield.

Don’t think it’s impossible; previously, Zhong Lin didn’t believe it either. After observing Gu Chen during this time, he had no choice but to believe.

Who would expect that randomly beating a lowly thug could turn out to be a prince who was stranded outside due to conspiracy in his youth?

For crying out loud, this is the kind of thing you’d only read in a story, ridiculously melodramatic.

"What are you thinking about?"

Zhong Lin naturally pulled Gu Yourong into his embrace, sitting her on his lap, his left hand naturally resting atop a certain mountain, fondling it for a while.

"I’m thinking about whether to take Gu Chen along."

"Is it that secret you can’t tell even me?"

Zhong Lin’s hand paused, looking up right into Gu Yourong’s eyes. Damn, he slipped.

Gu Yourong giggled, leaning back against Zhong Lin, her voice soft, "I know you worry about me taking risks. I’ll cultivate well and wait for you to return home."

...

Time slowly passed. For the next three months, Zhong Lin practically didn’t leave; after satisfying Gu Yourong each day, he would meditate and cultivate, condensing Spiritual Origin.

With a storage bracelet full of cultivation resources, even on the Xuan Gui Continent, where primordial qi is scarce, there was no need to worry.

By the second month back, Zhong Lin broke through without any hindrance to the first realm of the Transcendent Realm, the Spirit Sea Realm.

Spirit Sea, Spirit Sea, Spiritual Origin Ocean.

Those cultivating Earth Level or higher techniques can expand their dantian with secret techniques. Ordinary Martial Artists use the Sea Expansion Pill for assistance. Both methods reach the same result, though with varying sizes.

According to Chen Jia’s description, Martial Artists using the Sea Expansion Pill expand their dantian by three to five times, while those using secret techniques expand it by five to eight times, a substantial difference.

This is why Earth Level techniques are so treasured; the Spirit Sea Realm is where differences begin, and moving forward, the gap only widens.

Zhong Lin sat cross-legged in a chamber, sensing his dantian with his mind. It had expanded nearly eight times compared to before, giving an overwhelming, boundless feeling. Previously filled with Spiritual Origin, it now appeared like a small pond; the quality unchanged, only the space had expanded, making it seem smaller by comparison.

"Good, the Red Flame Technique indeed deserves to be a middle-grade Earth Level cultivation technique, expanding my dantian nearly eightfold."

Zhong Lin was ecstatic in his heart. Eightfold is the limit achievable through secret techniques, much stronger compared to the Martial Artists breaking through with the Sea Expansion Pill.

Although a Martial Artist’s battle strength doesn’t solely depend on realm and Spiritual Origin quantity, with weapons and martial arts playing significant roles, abundant Spiritual Origin itself is the greatest advantage.