Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 55: Tumu

After leaving the tower, Wuyi returned to his room, then headed to the stables to give Suti a quick brush. Despite the physical activity, he felt restless and dissatisfied. He knew he should rest, but the urge to do some physical activity was too strong to ignore.

There was something about his interaction with Gao today that bothered him; it was a premonition of something very awful happening. He did not know why, but he felt this time he had done it. All of it was not his fault, but something sooner or later was going to happen that would bring a big change in his life. He had to be prepared.

He descended from the fort and ventured into the town. The afternoon was blustery, a stark contrast to the calm morning. A storm was brewing offshore, yet the wind was unusually warm. The fresh air cleared his head, and the rhythmic motion of walking eased his tense muscles.

As he walked, the Statue of Harmony in his mind activated on its own, offering insights into the emotions and thoughts of those around him. He read each person he passed by.

He stopped at an inn where he saw a simple fool, known as Tumu. Wuyi sat down opposite him while Tumu was eating. "You want to eat something?" Tumu asked.

Wuyi nodded. Tumu ordered some congee and chicken for him. "You are too young to have wine, so have tea," Tumu suggested, and Wuyi nodded again.

Tumu was Wuyi's project. It was an inhumane thing to do, but to test the limits of his cheats, Wuyi needed new subjects, and the simple-minded Tumu was one of the best candidates. Just by looking at him, Wuyi could make Tumu believe that Wuyi was his relative, even though the truth was they had met no more than four times.

After enjoying the meal and tea at the inn, Wuyi returned, bidding Suti goodnight before making his way back to the fort. The dining hall was empty; Gao and his fledglings had already finished their meager meal and dispersed.

Wuyi found solace in the watch room off the kitchen, a place where guardsmen and warriors gathered at all hours. The cook always kept a kettle simmering, and provisions like tea, wine, and salted fish were available. The journey back had made him hungry again. He prepared a simple meal for himself, following Boluo's teachings on moderation.

He ate as if nourishing an injured animal—neither too little nor too much. Perhaps he just wanted to convince himself that he was eating in moderation when he had already eaten his fill at the inn.

As he ate, Wuyi listened to the conversations around him, immersing himself in the general life of the fort for the first time in months. He was astonished by how much he had missed the normal interactions of guards and normal folks of the tower due to his single-minded focus on cultivation. Now that he was a Qi initiate, he could hear things from a distance too.

The guardsmen were discussing pressing issues—demonics wreaking havoc on villages and destroying farms. The area being near the desert, the number of farms was already scarce; with the demonic threat, it was a major problem. The Luyao clan and other subordinate clans were growing desperate.

The guardsmen debated various solutions, including the possibility of the clans combining their efforts. Their discussions were nuanced and politically astute, far beyond what Gao would have given these so-called "simple soldiers" credit for. They also discussed what items the nobles should start storing and which paths were safe for trade and travel. Wuyi listened quietly.

He sighed, realizing these soldiers had more smarts and knowledge than Gao possibly had. Gao would have certainly tried to manipulate him, but Wuyi had seen more of life than Gao could ever imagine, and more worlds than he would ever know. He was secure in his own philosophies and beliefs.

Wuyi Sighed Gao was still in his mind living rent free. What troubled him was what Gao would do now. It was clear Gao hated him more than anything now. But he could not kill him. A petty man like Gao would not give up just like that. The best solution Wuyi could think of was to reach the Qi adept level as soon as possible; then, no matter how much Gao wanted to hurt him, he would not be able to.

After having his hearty meal, Wuyi returned to his chambers.

Sitting down to cultivate, Wuyi made a firm resolution: Now that he had found a path, he would not stop unless he reached the top. He was determined to become not just a cultivator but an immortal, no matter the difficulty. It was his path to safety, his way out, his freedom. And he would be able to keep his promise to the world of his past life that had given him everything.

He was already very close to breaking through to Qi adept; he decided he would speed up the process by taking the help of all his statues. For the upcoming months, he cultivated every day from early morning until night.

In three months, he finally cleared the heart Meridian and broke through. The difference from Qi initiate to Qi adept was not massive, not as significant as from no cultivation to Qi initiate, but he still noticed the difference. Qi initiate was all about cleansing the body and all channels and organs so the flow of Qi was smooth, and the body could start absorbing Qi without hindrance.

Now at Qi adept could feel every channel open, Qi flowing through him without any obstruction, nurturing his organs, vessels, and meridians.

Wuyi was pleased; finally, he was a Qi adept. Once he was done forging his skin and muscles, he could even confront Congming. He would still have to be careful of the strange lady, but that was it. Before leaving for a bath to cleanse the impurities and then leave for the day's training, Wuyi decided to check the sacred chamber one more time.

When he entered, he was surprised to find all the statues absorbing three times the amount of energy than before. It was a pleasant surprise for Wuyi; if this continued, he would never run out of energy. It seemed that the breakthrough might not have a big qualitative change for him, but it was for his statues. The Statue of Knowledge filled him in with all the information he needed.

Basically, with every Major or Minor breakthrough of his, the statues would be enhanced and absorb a larger amount of energy. The effects of the breakthrough would multiply on statues so Wuyi would have more energy in the future.