Chapter 71 - Sixty-Seven: The Disappearance of
Chapter 71: Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Disappearance of
Big Cousin
Translator: 549690339
Tang Zuo, who felt he had grasped the whole story, did not want to give Xu Shuhui false hope, so he changed the subject: “Wasn’t there talk of a cousin coming to visit? Why is it a courier marker from the Beast Taming Sect in Chuanyuan?”
“I was wondering the same thing, but the courier officer said the letter was left at the Chuanyuan courier station by a dashing young man.”
“Seems like this cousin wants to wander around for a bit.” Tang Luo could only think in this way. Every son of a large clan had a stage of travelling for experience. Constantly isolating oneself to practice, no matter how high one’s realm, can lead to stupidity. This was a profound truth learned from countless bloody lessons over many years.
“Chuanyuan is only thirty thousand miles from Xiling. Even if one travels three hundred miles a day, it would only take three months to reach.” Xu Shuhui casually spoke up.
Tang Luo, who had completed condensing nine Mortal Realm Starlets, officially entered a state of aimless drifting. Even though he could still condense two Metamorphic Realm Starlets, he decided not to until he found suitable candidates. Instead, he chose to accumulate for a while.
Because the treatment for those in the Metamorphic Realm is starkly different from those in the Mortal Realm. Perhaps to a Mortal Realm cultivator with a low realm, receiving ten gold coins per day would make one grateful. But to someone in the Metamorphic Realm, ten gold coins would be too little. Perhaps raising the price to a hundred or two hundred gold coins per day would tempt someone.
It’s not that Tang Luo can’t afford it. It’s just the cost-effectiveness which isn’t very high. To condense a Metamorphic Realm Starlet would require 2999 points of Spiritual Power. With normal aptitude, the daily return would be six points. This means it would take more than a year to recoup just the initial outlay. This rate of return is too low.
Unless another person with aptitude like Fang Han appears, Tang Luo plans to accumulate Spiritual Power for three years to break through to the Fierce Realm. That way, he could condense even more Mortal Realm Starlets.
Wait until the daily increase of Spiritual Power exceeds one hundred points, then consider the matter of condensing Metamorphic Realm Starlets.
So currently, Tang Luo has a lot more time to research martial arts techniques, constantly increasing his contribution in the Martial Hall.
When Tang Bin took a whole box of improved martial arts from the Star Pavilion for the fourth time, he said to Tang Luo: “On the first day of the third month, the elders of the Secret Arts Pavilion want to meet you.”
“Oh?” Tang Luo raised an eyebrow in surprise.
To a big clan like the Tang Clan, the most important foundation is their martial arts and secret techniques. And the so-called Secret Arts Pavilion is the department where a clan researches martial arts and develops martial techniques.
In simple terms, they systematically do what Tang Luo is currently doing. However, when Tang Bin first reported to the elders of the Secret Arts Pavilion, they did not believe that a thirteen-year-old boy could offer insights into martial arts techniques, so they never met Tang Luo. They only casually tossed a few secret scriptures at him to tinker with.
The original intention was to let Tang Luo understand the breadth of the world, and that martial arts are not simple. But who would’ve imagined that the martial arts tossed his way would one by one be improved, cracked, and integrated.
Ultimately, the most obvious change in the Tang Clan’s martial arts over the past year has been among the Mortal Realm cultivators. Now, people in the Mortal Realm of the Tang Clan can each take on two of what they used to be.
A few of the integrated martial arts techniques have even become part of the Tang Clan’s foundation. And as Tang Luo continually modifies these techniques, although all of them are Mortal Realm techniques, he’s accumulated more and more contribution points, even surpassing several members of the Secret Arts Pavilion. To continue blocking his entry into the Secret Arts Pavilion would be hard to justify.
Therefore, the elders of Secret Arts Pavilion asked Tang Bin to relay a message, inviting Tang Luo to participate in the next Secret Arts Pavilion Council.
The so-called Secret Arts Pavilion Council is a monthly meeting where the Pavilion exchanges achievements. It has a history of more than a hundred years, but in recent decades, the Tang Clan’s main technique, Heavenly Pathway Technique, and the Tongtian Domination Scroll have become increasingly complete. So, improvement has become harder, and the Secret Arts Pavilion hasn’t made any real advancements for several years now.
However, this does not change the position of the Secret Arts Pavilion in the hearts of every member of the Tang Clan.
“Alright, I will definitely be there on time.” Tang Luo nodded. He held great respect for these quietly dedicated elders of the Secret Arts Pavilion. After all, they’d managed to elevate a Mysterious Realm technique to such levels. And without exaggeration, given enough time, they might even elevate the Heavenly Pathway Technique to an Earth Level technique.
The members of the Secret Arts Pavilion are essentially researchers of martial arts techniques and secret techniques. Being able to work with such a group of people—perhaps his “special type” of martial techniques could shine brightly through collective discussion. Tang Luo was full of longing.
22nd of February
“Brother! I can introspect now!” The little boy, sporting a black eye, excitedly sprinted to Tang Luo’s window.
As someone who advocates for easy work, Tang Luo would lie down rather than sit. So, he was half reclining against his bed head, legs crossed, flipping through a martial art book.
“Finally managed to introspect, didn’t you? That wasn’t easy.” Looking at the little boy, Tang Luo stood up, pulling him into the cultivation room.
“Here.” Tang Luo tossed a Starlet to the little boy and sat down cross-legged. “What is this?” The little boy held up the Starlet with a dumbfounded look on his face.
“Sit. Let me explain this treasure to you.” Tang Luo pointed at the cushion in front of him.
“Do you understand?” Tang Luo asked.
The little boy excitedly lifted the Starlet and said with full enthusiasm, “I understand, Brother! With this, can I quickly catch up to Tang Zhen?”
“Hmm, yes.”
“Wow! This treasure is awesome!” The little boy turned the Starlet in his hands, scrutinizing it with joy filling his heart.
Each line on it seemed so profound. He found it incredible that there was such a wonderful thing in the world that could speed up cultivation. The little boy was filled with astonishment.
Suddenly, the little boy playing with the Starlet stiffened. He placed the Starlet on the tea table and hesitated, “I…L..I…I don’t want it.”
“Hmm?” Tang Luo slightly furrowed his brows, not understanding what the little boy was doing. He asked, “Why don’t you want it?”
“I…I…I…” The little boy hung his head, twisting his hands. He kept stealing glances at the Starlet placed to one side, unable to speak.
Looking at his shy behavior, Tang Luo, not understanding the reason, decided to trigger a real response. “Do you still want to be beaten into a pig’s head by Tang Zhen?”
Whenever Tang Zhen was mentioned, the little boy would become extremely sensitive and impulsive, saying only the truth.
“No, no… I can do it on my own. Yes, I can cultivate on my own, and surely defeat her.” The little boy held his head high, speaking determinedly.
“You’re far from her level. I bet it will take you at least five more years of beatings.”
Tang Luo was not trying to scare the little boy. Although the two of them were the same age, and although Tang Zhen only had ordinary aptitude, she had been foundation building one year earlier than Tang Xing. The gap of one year was not something one could simply catch up on overnight.
To catch up and defeat Tang Zhen, high cultivation alone would not suffice. One also needed excellent martial techniques. While others practiced hard every day without stopping to wait for him, it would take him five years catch up. And this was only because the little boy had an aptitude of 1.2, twenty percent stronger than his counterpart. This gave him an opportunity to catch up. If it were someone else, this one year gap would mean a lifetime of beatings.
The words describing his painful existence for the next five years made the little boy feel even more pained. His eyes welled up, and he started crying. He found his future unfathomably bleak.
“Wah, wah, wah… Another five years, I’m so pitiful… wah…” Lying down in front of Tang Luo, the little boy pounded the ground with one hand while covering his bruised eye socket with the other, crying out loud..