Into the Wide World

Sheng Zhen sat on the ground and opposite him sat Village chief. His mother was standing behind, looking forlorn.

"So you think you are ready?"

"Yes"

"Are you at the peak of Foundation Establishment?"

"Yes"

"But you are at peak of Foundation Establishment for a year now and still have not broken through. What if your talent had exhausted and this the highest you can reach?"

Sheng Zhen rolled his eyes, 'Talent exhausted, there are no such things. Only lack of determination.' And Chief knew of Sheng clan's terrifying affinity for cultivation, there was no way such a minor bottleneck would stop him.

"Cheif, I was consolidating my foundation", Sheng Zhen lied smoothly. He had established the best foundation he could months before he even told Chief but the reason he was holding back at the bottleneck was different.

"But then why you need to leave? You can keep doing what you were doing here."

"I am cultivating Celestial Manual, a cultivation art without any elemental attribute. In the future, I may need to cultivate martial skills with elemental attributes. If I enter the False Core realm like this, using elemental martial skills would be very difficult for me."

Chief looked confused by all the cultivation jargon and turned to his mother who nodded.

Despite being at the Ninth realm of Qi Gathering, the Chief was not too familiar with cultivation. On the contrary, it was his mother who was an expert in matters related to cultivation. In the past years, Sheng Zhen found her mother's position in the clan was similar to a loremaster. She has unrestricted access to Sheng Clan Archives. Excluding him, there is probably no one in the entire city-state who knew the intricacies of cultivation better than her.

"Zhen'er, to do that you would need a Five-elements pill. How are you going to get it, a grade three pill? In the entire state, there are probably only a handful of alchemists who could refine it."

"I have spirits stones in the ring, they should be enough."

She frowned but nodded nevertheless. To appease her, he continued, "And it is not like I am leaving forever."

She sighed in acceptance, "When will you leave?"

"I am thinking tomorrow would be good, Uncle Zihao is leaving for Ifre. He offered to show me the ropes in the city. Please don't stop me this time."

"I won't stop you, but promise me, Zhen...promise me you will stay safe. The cultivation world is dangerous, don't die before your time, live a long, happy life."

Sheng Zhen nodded solemnly, "I will"

.

.

The night passed and the next day came, and Sheng Zhen was ready to leave.

"All ready Zhen'er?", his mother walked, passing him another morsel. When his status as a cultivator became known to the village, he was free to help them without having to hide his strength. He dug a water canal from the nearby creek, cleared forest to make space for more farmland, bought some livestock from nearby villages among other things. Now the village was thriving, like it did before the attack.

"All ready", Sheng Zhen flashed a grin.

Just then a little girl about six years old entered like a whirlwind, skidding to a halt near Zhen.

"Eh, Brother Zhen still eating, papa is ready to go"

"Oh, how is Meng'er doing today?", he asked teasingly.

She pouted, shaking is head, "Brother will not trick me again. Eat fast and not distract me."

Sheng Zhen laughed, affectionately ruffling her hair.

Meng was the daughter of Uncle Zihao and the first girl born in the village after the attack. Not just that, she is both with Immortal Bone of Wisdom, making her extremely intelligent for a child and giving her a unique charm. Needless to say, everyone in the village spoils her with affection.

"Ok, ok, I am coming", Sheng Zhen laughed.

Soon he was standing at the edge of the village, on a path leading to Ifre. Beside him stood Zihao along with his horsecart. Sacks of grains were stacked on the cart along with a small bundle of herbs, ready to be sold in the city. Since the village has started to prosper, extra produce is being sold to neighboring villages in exchange for livestock. But last year, Uncle Zihao was able to strike a deal with a Peach Blossom Fairy restaurant, earning the village a decent amount of money every moon.

"And what are these herbs for?", Sheng Zhen pointed at bundles of herbs. He recognized them, evergreen sickle grass, a common weed in farms but an essential ingredient in Qi supplementing pills, one of the most basic pills in alchemy.

"Oh, I learned last month Alchemist Hall paid a silver coin for one bundle of these weeds. I thought I might try my luck.", Uncle Zihao answered with a shrewd gleam in his eyes. Sheng Zhen chuckled nervously.

"Ready to go, Uncle?"

"All set!", Yihao petted the horse, a magnificent breed far stronger than normal horses despite not being a demon beast. Sheng Zhen still has no idea how Uncle Zihao was able to buy one with their capital.

A few of the villagers were gathered to see off Sheng Zhen, including his mother and Meng'er. A solemn air filled the gathering.

But he is just leaving for the city, not dying. He even promised to return soon.

"Ok bye, we are going." and jumped in the front seat of the cart, and pulled at the reins. The horse neighed before setting in a dash.

Beside him, Zihao laughed along. Villagers shook their heads at his antics and he almost hears his mother facepalming.

'Well, I am going to get an earful when I return but at least no one is crying', Sheng Zhen smiled, waving back at the rapidly receding form of villagers and his mother.

But little did I know, it was going to be a long time before I returned home.