Chapter 14: Advice

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

A new day had begun.

When he woke up, Chen Yiming hid his joy at having undergone three transformations deep in his heart. He ate some simple food and headed to the martial arts school.

When he arrived at the school, he saw that Senior Brother Wang had already started his morning training.

He relied on his special ability to constantly monitor his own progress. It was like playing a game and leveling up by killing monsters — increasing the stats of the character was his motivation to continue playing.

Senior Brother Wang, on the other hand, relied entirely on self-discipline. Every morning, he would practice on his own before the cultivation class. Ever since Chen Yiming entered the school, he had never seen Senior Brother Wang slack off.

Chen Yiming had come in his training robe, so he didn’t need to change and joined in the training straightaway.

The content of their morning training was the specialty of the school, the Mantis Snake Sword Technique. They practiced it over and over until they were thoroughly exhausted. Then, they stopped to let their bodies rest and recover before starting again.

This was what the two of them did every morning. Throughout the entire process, the two of them did not speak but remained focused on training. They did not let a single moment go to waste and worked to squeeze out every bit of potential from their bodies.

Because of their similar attitude towards cultivation, their friendship had grown. The more Senior Brother Wang saw of Chen Yiming, the more he liked him.

It was almost nine o’clock. There was still some time before the morning cultivation class.

The two of them stopped their training and sat side by side on the stone steps. They chatted and relaxed while resting.

Wang Bowen wiped the sweat off his face with a towel and took the initiative to ask about his junior brother’s cultivation status.

“Junior Brother Chen, you seem to have improved a lot during your training today. Have you undergone your first transformation?”

The third transformation was accompanied by a qualitative improvement. The enhancement was even greater than the previous two transformations combined. Chen Yiming had yet to bring his new body fully under control, so Wang Bowen noticed something had changed.

Chen Yiming scratched the back of his head to hide his nervousness.

“Ha ha, I managed to break through last night. I didn’t expect Senior Brother to be able to tell at a glance.”

This was the excuse he had prepared since he had achieved the first transformation. He did not want his performance to attract too much attention.

Wang Bowen patted Chen Yiming’s chest and laughed.

“You aren’t treating me as your brother, you didn’t even tell me that you had a breakthrough. The transformation can be thought of as having taken a step into the first realm of being a martial arts disciple. There are many things you should take note of.”

“I’m sorry. Senior Brother has already taken care of me a lot, I am truly grateful,” Chen Yiming thanked Wang Bowen from the bottom of his heart. He knew nothing about the path of cultivation, and was very lucky to have met a senior brother who was willing to guide him.

Wang Bowen placed a hand on his shoulder and praised him.

“Not bad, not bad. You’re only slightly slower than I was back then. Compared to the other trainees, your progress is considered fast.”

“Senior Brother, you are too humble. You are an expert who has achieved eight transformations. I’m still far from that.”

Wang Bowen was one of only two core disciples in the Mantis Snake Sword School who had undergone eight transformations. The other was his senior brother, Lin Yixuan.

He was only in his early twenties and was currently at peak physical condition, and he had a good chance to break into the realm of warriors. Based on Chen Yiming’s supposed cultivation speed, he couldn’t compare to Wang Bowen’s level of talent.

Wang Bowen thought seriously before saying, “Your understanding of swordsmanship is extremely good, while your body tempering speed is considered average. Compared to me, with my extremely fast speed of tempering, and above average understanding of swordsmanship, you might achieve your breakthrough a little slower at the beginning. But you might not be inferior to me in the future.”

“I suggest that from now on, you should eat the nourishing mutant beast meat for a prolonged period to improve your physique as much as possible. This will make it easier for you to achieve the sixth transformation in the future.”

In the disciple realm, the level of body tempering was the only criteria being considered. At this stage, the body’s innate ability was valued even more, and strength and speed were used as benchmarks.

“Mutant beast meat?”

Chen Yiming had only heard of it, but had never seen it before.

When Wang Bowen saw that his junior brother did not possess this knowledge, he immediately explained, “Mutant beasts refers to beasts that evolved under the influence of the Yuan Qi from the otherworld. The mutant beast meat that you can buy is usually from beasts that were brought from the blue planet into the otherworld and raised there. The meat produced will be transported back to the blue planet for cultivation purposes.”

“Is this mutant beast meat sold on the market? Why haven’t I seen it before?” Chen Yiming asked doubtfully.

He had been delivering food to the business district for several months, but he had never seen a store that sold mutant beast meat.

Wang Bowen chuckled and said smugly, “Mutant beast meat is a strategic resource. How can it be sold directly in the market? The martial arts forces rely on this to survive. Ordinary people don’t have the means to obtain it.”

Chen Yiming felt that he was being teased and asked anxiously, “Please enlighten me, Senior Brother.”

Wang Bowen pointed one hand at the ground and the other at the sky, then said, “It’s right in front of you. As long as you become a core disciple of the school, you can receive a certain amount of mutant beast meat every month. You can also spend money to buy more from the school.”

Hearing this, Chen Yiming was a little disappointed and sighed.

“I’m far from being a core disciple.”

To become a core disciple, other than being accepted by the head, one also needed to reach the level of three transformations. However, he was not willing to reveal his true cultivation progress.

He did not come from a martial arts clan, and if his performance was too outstanding, the school would not be able to protect him completely. A tree that is taller than the forest will be blown over by the wind.

Wang Bowen shrugged and offered another suggestion.

“If you join one of those companies that specialize in transporting supplies between the otherworld and the blue planet, you could also purchase it from them.”

Chen Yiming widened his eyes in shock.

“Transporting supplies?”

He was more inclined to progress steadily. He was unwilling to take the risk and leave the city unless absolutely necessary, and he didn’t mind if his progress was slow.

Because sooner or later, he would be able to accumulate enough Skill Points to upgrade his talent. The hurdles on the path advancing through the realms was not a problem for him, as long as he had the corresponding cultivation technique for it.

Wang Bowen took one look at Chen Yiming’s troubled expression, and decided not to toy with him any further.

“I was just teasing you just now. At your current strength, any mutant beast in the wilderness can easily kill you. You’re not even qualified to be cannon fodder.”

In the wilderness outside the city, the wild beasts on the blue planet had evolved into mutant beasts over the generations. This was due to the influence of the Yuan Qi from the otherworld that seeped out via the space-travel passage. Now, most of their bodies had undergone at least three transformations.

The beasts who had undergone three transformations were impervious to blades and bullets. Even a dozen trainees who had undergone one or two transformations would be unable to deal with them.

Therefore, in a team transporting supplies, ordinary guards were required to have three transformations, and the leader of the team usually needed to have six transformations. Otherwise, the failure rate would be too high, and the loss of personnel on each journey would be unsustainable.

“My clan has a contact we specially use to get it. I’ll give you an address later. Find time to go and buy it yourself.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Chen Yiming didn’t know how to express his gratitude.

Mutant beast meat was something that could not be bought with just money. This favor was not a small one, and he could only look for an opportunity to return it in the future when he had the ability to do so.