I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 290 - 281: A Ferocious and Stubborn Pig

Shan Lin spoke in a mild tone. He wanted to get to know Wang Meng better. The disciples outside might not have understood, but he knew exactly what it meant to endure for so long in the Soul Refining Array.

Wang Meng smiled. "Mentor Shan Lin, I’m from the mortal world and entered the Holy Hall with a Natural Life Mark Second Layer. To be honest, I feel pretty lucky myself. I’m not even sure how I managed to muddle my way here."

Shan Lin smiled. ’He’s quite level-headed about himself.’ "What did you think of the test just now?"

"I’m not sure. The Soul Refining Array at the end was interesting, though."

"Heh," Shan Lin chuckled. "The first test was for your Five Elements Physique. The greater the resistance you felt, the deeper and more stable your foundation is. The second test measured the strength of your Heart Spirit—in other words, your willpower. In Cultivation, you’ll encounter all kinds of Heart Demons. The ones who ultimately succeed aren’t necessarily those with the best aptitude, but they are always the ones who are strong-willed."

"When I was testing for the Holy Hall, Elder Xu Huang asked me what my talent was. I told him my talent was persistence."

Shan Lin burst out laughing. "The Holy Hall’s tests certainly are interesting. Don’t tell me that Xu Huang let you join just because of those words?"

Wang Meng nodded.

Shan Lin was taken aback. He could see that Wang Meng was being sincere, and there was no reason to lie about it anyway. "Interesting... The Holy Hall is ranked 186th in the Star Alliance, which isn’t particularly high, but there isn’t that much of a difference in standard among the top 200 sects. To accept someone with only a Life Mark Second Layer... it seems the Holy Hall really is unconventional."

To Shan Lin, the idea of someone starting at the Natural Life Mark Second Layer was simply unbelievable.

He found it even harder to imagine how a kid like that had made his way, step by step, to the Great Yuan Realm.

"Wang Meng, you performed very well today. I personally believe you have a great deal of potential. If you’re willing, I can recommend you to a few of the stronger factions. You’ve been at the Cultivation Academy for over a year now; I’m sure you understand the importance of joining one."

Shan Lin was willing to lend a hand; this Wang Meng was worth the effort.

"Thank you, Mentor. I just want to focus on my Cultivation. I’m not interested in joining any factions."

"Oh? Interesting." Shan Lin was a bit surprised. This was the first time he had ever seen someone refuse to join a faction.

In fact, it was on his recommendation that Ma Tian’Er and the others had been able to join their factions. Otherwise, as newcomers, no matter how talented they were, they wouldn’t have been able to get directly into one of the three major factions. Of course, whether they could secure their positions depended on their own strength. So far, it seemed those four hadn’t let him down.

Shan Lin didn’t press the issue. ’He’ll understand the importance of factions after he learns things the hard way,’ he thought. ’Even mentors can’t contend with the power of the factions. Once he figures it out, he’ll come looking for me.’

"If you run into any problems with your Cultivation, feel free to come find me. Perhaps the Holy Hall just got lucky with you; that persistence of yours is a formidable talent in the Great Yuan Realm. Later on, there will be live combat assignments arranged for the elites of your class, which will be very helpful to both you and your respective sects."

At the mention of the Holy Hall, Wang Meng stood up. "Mentor, if there’s anything that can help the sect, please be sure to call on me!"

"Mm. Go on. Here’s a piece of advice: fight often. Only the battle-hardened survive in the end."

Wang Meng bowed deeply. ’Shan Lin is giving me real guidance.’

Watching Wang Meng’s retreating figure, a smile touched the corners of Shan Lin’s lips. ’How should I put this... The kid’s a bit naive. Once you make it to the Great Yuan Realm, how many people still put their sect first?’

’Maybe it’s just youth. We’ll see what he’s like after he’s been through a few things.’

Shan Lin was very satisfied. The class he was mentoring already had five rather outstanding students. As long as even one of them made it in the end, it would all be worth it.

Leaving the Soul Tutor Tower, Wang Meng’s Star Ring began to flash incessantly...

His Star Ring hadn’t been this active since he arrived at the Cultivation Academy. It was blinking nonstop, many of the messages from people he didn’t even know.

Wang Meng couldn’t be bothered to deal with it. He ambled back to his room, where Fan Hong was already waiting for him.

"Holy crap, Wang Meng, you’re famous! You’ve hit the big time! Damn, how am I so good at spotting talent!"

Fan Hong said with a grin.

"Famous for what?"

"Famous for what? You think just anyone gets called away by a mentor? And your test—did you know you got the highest score in our entire class? My god! I ranked forty-eighth, barely scraping into the top fifty. Hanging out with the number-one slacker all the time... man, the pressure is immense."

Fan Hong threw an arm around Wang Meng’s shoulders, laughing heartily.

"It doesn’t really mean anything, does it? Is it that big of a deal?"

"If it were Ma Tian’Er, Yanm Yuyue, Du Ziyu, or Gong Yunluo, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But for you, it’s a huge deal."

Fan Hong studied Wang Meng seriously. "...I just don’t see the air of a master about you at all. Now look at me. I look like a master no matter how you slice it."

Wang Meng was speechless. His friend had been way too hyper lately.

"Fine, you’re the master. I still have a few spells to work on."

"I was even going to take you out to celebrate! You know, Spirit Stones... I used to be short on them, but now I have more than I know what to do with."

Wang Meng broke out in a cold sweat. The guy was a natural-born spendthrift; the moment he got his hands on some Spirit Stones, he was already thinking about how to blow them all.

Fan Hong was just talking, of course. While Wang Meng got busy with his spells, Fan Hong didn’t stay idle either.

Thanks to his dazzling and mysterious performance, Wang Meng’s fame skyrocketed among the students of the Azure Dragon Year. Of course, there were plenty of skeptics. After all, powerful cultivators usually made their strength known, whereas Wang Meng had been silent for an entire year with no noteworthy achievements to his name.

Dayuan Calendar, the Year of the Soaring Azure Dragon. The year Wang Meng arrived at the Cultivation Academy.

Atop the Star Tower, thousands of meters in the air, a woman gazed silently at the night sky. The myriad stars seemed to connect, forming the image of a Giant Dragon. A year ago, the dragon had been slumbering, but now, it seemed to have opened its eyes.

Those two stars were exceptionally bright.

Things were different now that he was famous. Invitations constantly popped up on Wang Meng’s Star Ring. These people probably didn’t even know if he was actually strong, but Wang Meng had no time to bother with any of it.

He was busy sparring with Moo Shan and Wangtian. Just as Shan Lin had said, combat was the only shortcut to a Cultivator’s growth, but not just any battle would do. A powerful opponent was the key.

But what powerful Cultivator would be willing to let a weaker one use them for practice?

When a strong person spars with a weak one, it’s always the weaker one who benefits. And the Godhood had given Wang Meng the perfect sparring partner.

It was powerful, perfect, and would never mislead him. All Wang Meng had to do was learn from his failures and figure out the right approach. If he couldn’t even manage that, he’d be no better than a pig.

Wang Meng was clearly not a pig. And even if he were, he would be a ferocious, stubborn one.

Are people happier, or are pigs?

Within his Sea of Heart, Wang Meng fought relentlessly. He didn’t just practice the techniques of a Sword Cultivator, but also began to dabble in the skills of Talisman Cultivators, Bow Cultivators, and even Body Cultivators.

Others didn’t have this luxury, but Wang Meng did. Regardless of whether he would use these skills himself, by understanding the characteristics of their techniques, he would know exactly what to expect when an opponent used them against him.

And whenever Wang Meng tried a technique, the Godhood would unfailingly find a weakness in it. Could there be a better teacher than that?

(I caught a cold as soon as I arrived in Lijiang. Everyone else is bursting with energy—they all remembered to pack fall clothes. I had a fever last night, and to top it off, Potato-bro woke up from a nightmare and started telling ghost stories in the middle of the night. Man, it was scary enough to give you a heart attack. I broke out in a cold sweat, but this Skeleton is still hanging in there. The scare actually seemed to help my fever go down a bit.

Since it’s the start of the month, I’m asking for monthly votes. Even one would be great. Thank you!) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)