Chapter 283 - 272: Dao Heart
The dining hall was spacious, bright, and tidy, not much different in style from those in the mortal realm.
Several attendants in short blue tunics bustled about, bringing out freshly cooked dishes and arranging them in a long row. It was a self-serve setup, much like a buffet.
The youths were starving and flocked to the counter to get food.
Zhao Lin was a bit hungry himself. He glanced around and saw that noodles were available. Recalling it had been a long time since he’d eaten any, he asked an attendant for a large basin for his noodles, then grabbed a massive bowl for the sauce.
As he walked back with the sauce, a boy whose name he didn’t know saw the massive bowl in Zhao Lin’s hand and exclaimed in shock, "Senior Brother, you’re eating a bowl *that* big?!"
Zhao Lin glanced down and explained, "This is the sauce. The noodles are over there."
He said, gesturing toward his seat.
"Ah..."
When the boy saw the basin on the table, filled to the brim, he was stunned into silence.
If it had been anyone else, the boy would have surely made a sarcastic comment or two. But Zhao Lin had spent years in a high position, and his bearing reflected it. He unconsciously radiated an authority that prevented the boy from daring to make any casual jokes.
Zhao Lin ignored the boy’s stare, sat down, and poured the sauce over his noodles before digging in.
He’d barely taken a couple of bites when a commotion erupted outside the dining hall.
Then, a group of twenty to thirty boys and girls walked in, chatting and laughing.
The two groups of youths locked eyes, both freezing for a moment. But they quickly understood who the others were.
Junior Martial Uncle Wu had mentioned that among this batch of new disciples, twenty were from the small worlds, while twenty-five were from Nanhe Province itself.
Needless to say, these newcomers were the "locals."
The two groups quickly went back to normal, sitting in their respective clusters to eat and chat. A distance of several yards separated them, drawing a clear line between the two.
Zhao Lin sat alone at his table, eating his noodles and observing them discreetly.
He noticed that the local youths seemed more composed and confident. They spoke and acted with a casual ease, while the youths from the small worlds were more reserved, most of them just eating quietly.
The reason was not hard to guess. The local youths were born on the Xuanyuan Continent and had been immersed in matters of cultivation since they were young. Some of them were even born into cultivator families and knew the subject inside and out.
The youths from the small worlds, on the other hand, hadn’t even known Xuanyuan Continent existed a year ago. They were new arrivals, lost and uncertain, so it was only natural they felt constrained.
Zhao Lin noticed another difference: the local youths were younger. On average, they were nearly two years younger than those from the small worlds.
This didn’t even include Zhao Lin himself. If he were included, he alone would raise the average age by almost a year.
After a moment’s thought, Zhao Lin understood why.
As soon as a local youth developed a Spiritual Root, they would be discovered immediately.
But in the small worlds, discovering cultivation talents depended on the limited number of stationed cultivators. Often, these prospects were missed for a year or two before being sent here.
Looking at their young, innocent faces, Zhao Lin couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
’These gifted youths with Spiritual Roots are so lucky, able to start cultivating at such a young age.’
Just then, a voice drifted into his ear. "You guys see that big fella?"
From that one sentence alone, Zhao Lin knew they were talking about him. He frowned inwardly.
It wasn’t that he wanted to listen to their conversation. But with his cultivation having reached the Innate Realm, his hearing was far beyond that of a normal person. Even without trying to eavesdrop, their words simply floated into his ears.
The speaker was a handsome boy of about fourteen or fifteen. He said teasingly, "I’d guess that guy’s in his late twenties, if he’s not thirty already."
The dark-skinned boy beside him shot a furtive glance at Zhao Lin and asked in surprise, "How can a disciple be that old?"
Hearing the word "old," Zhao Lin felt a prickle of discomfort, but he quickly saw their point.
’In my previous life, back when I was in middle school, I’d thought my thirty-year-old teachers were middle-aged. It was only natural for these kids to see me the same way.’
He let out a silent, self-deprecating laugh. ’Ever since I started practicing martial arts, I’ve almost always been the youngest among my peers at the same realm. To think that now, starting on the path of cultivation, I’ve become the old man...’
The handsome boy continued, "Who knows? I’d guess he has a high-grade Spiritual Root at the very least. Why else would they recruit someone that old?"
But the dark-skinned boy offered, "My guess is he’s the descendant of some Foundation Establishment Cultivator from one of the small worlds. His Spiritual Root might have emerged late, but that Cultivator is willing to invest heavily in his training."
Across from the two boys sat a beautifully featured girl in rich clothes. She gave a faint smile and said in a sweet voice, "You’re both wrong."
The two boys seemed to place a lot of trust in the richly-dressed girl. Without a hint of doubt, they asked in unison, "Why is that?"
The richly-dressed girl said, "My grand-uncle told me that this year, a thirty-one-year-old Martial Cultivator came from the small worlds. That must be him."
The two boys exclaimed in surprise, one after the other, "A Martial Cultivator!"
"Our Commandery hasn’t had a Martial Cultivator in years, right?"
"That’s right."
The richly-dressed girl nodded. "The last Martial Cultivator was over a hundred years ago."
At first, Zhao Lin paid them no mind, but the information the richly-dressed girl revealed suggested she came from a cultivator family. Her perspective and knowledge were clearly out of the ordinary, so he started to listen intently.
The handsome boy bit on his chopsticks and said casually, "No wonder he’s so burly. Turns out he’s just a fighter."
The richly-dressed girl shot him a look and smiled. "Don’t underestimate Martial Cultivators. My grand-uncle told me it’s harder for a normal person to reach the Innate Realm through martial practice than it is for one of us Cultivators to reach the Golden Core Realm!"
The handsome boy scoffed, "So what? Martial arts are martial arts, and cultivation is cultivation. Starting at his age... unless he has a Heaven and Earth Spirit Root, there’s no way he’ll ever reach Foundation Establishment."
This time, the richly-dressed girl didn’t argue. Instead, she sighed softly. "You’re right. It’s a shame. Those who enter the path of cultivation through martial arts are all individuals of great wisdom and courage. But ultimately, they can’t defeat time."
The dark-skinned boy suddenly chimed in, "I remember the sect has a Martial Cultivator who made it to the Purple Mansion Realm."
"You’re talking about Elder Lu, right?"
The richly-dressed girl shook her head gently. "Elder Lu was incredibly lucky. He survived impossible odds to render a great service to the sect. It was only through that lucky chance and the resulting rewards that he barely managed to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm."
"But decades have passed, and he’s still stuck motionless in the Early-stage Purple Mansion. Isn’t that proof enough?"
’Zhao Lin’s heart sank. His first instinct was to doubt them, but on second thought... these kids had nothing to do with him, and they weren’t talking for his benefit. There might be some truth to their words.’
’The stationed cultivators, Huang Zhusong and Lv Qing, probably hadn’t mentioned this on purpose. They most likely wanted me to cast aside my mortal wealth and agree to join the sect.’
’After all, some stationed cultivators go a whole year without finding a single person with a Spiritual Root. Having nabbed a ’conscript’ like me, they’d naturally want to claim the achievement.’
’But so what?’
’I went through hell and back, spending over a decade to forge four Spiritual Root nodes from scratch and painstakingly join the ranks of Cultivators.’
’How could a few words from others possibly shake my resolve?’
’My will to cultivate is as firm as iron. Even if my Spiritual Root is low-grade, or even just Mortal Grade, I will still pursue the path to immortality.’