Chapter 445 (2)
The man was already seventy or eighty years old, with one foot in the grave, yet he still wanted to join in the excitent and learn cultivation. This was pure nonsense!
It was only because Ah Qing had a good temper; otherwise, if it had been another immortal teacher, they might have driven him away long ago!
Lu Qing didn’t mind at all. Smiling, he looked at Zhao Daye and said, “Grandpa Zhao, please go ahead.”
“Hehe, sorry to trouble you, Ah Qing.”
Grandpa Zhao chuckled without a hint of embarrassnt and walked up to the Gathering Spirit Monunt.
As before, the monunt emitted a white glow, enveloping Grandpa Zhao.
Everyone assud that after waiting for a mont, the light would remain unchanged, and Grandpa Zhao would have to abandon his wish.
Unexpectedly, the white glow changed within just seven or eight breaths of ti.
In a short span, the light turned red, deepening rapidly in hue.
When the transformation stopped, the glow around him had turned a deep crimson, faintly mixed with an almost imperceptible trace of gold.
This sight left the villagers dumbfounded.
Even Lu Qing couldn’t help but look at him differently.
“Huh? This old man actually has so cultivation aptitude?”
Even the spirit within the Li Huo Cauldron, Yan, let out an astonished exclamation.
“People really can’t be judged by appearances. I never imagined Grandpa Zhao could have the potential to reach the Foundation Establishnt Realm. It’s just... a bit of a pity,” Lu Qing thought to himself with a sigh.
The monunt was his creation, so he naturally understood the significance of its light colors.
The light emitted by the monunt had three levels: red, gold, and purple. These colors, to a certain extent, reflected the test subject’s cultivation potential.
A red glow indicated an aptitude with an upper limit at the Qi Refinent Realm, equivalent to the Precelestial Realm in martial cultivation.
A gold glow signified potential to reach the Foundation Establishnt Realm.
As for the rare purple glow, it marked true prodigies, individuals with the potential to achieve the Golden Core Realm.
However, the monunt could only asure initial aptitude, not one’s ultimate achievents.
After all, the path of cultivation was rife with unknown possibilities. Even those with ordinary talent might defy the odds with extraordinary fortune and opportunities.
Yet, Lu Qing couldn’t help but feel so regret for Grandpa Zhao. After all, his age was indeed a significant limitation.
“Ah Qing, this red light Grandpa Zhao triggered—does it an he has cultivation aptitude?”
Breaking the stunned silence, Grandpa Zhang finally asked aloud.
Imdiately, all eyes turned to Lu Qing, especially Grandpa Zhao, who gazed at him with hopeful anticipation.
Under everyone’s gaze, Lu Qing nodded gently. “Of course. And Grandpa Zhao’s talent is quite good.
As he said earlier, if he cultivates to a high level, he might really be able to fly.”
These words stunned everyone.
Grandpa Zhao’s eyes welled up with tears.
Muttering to himself, he said, “Ah’e, you see? You didn’t marry the wrong man...”
Grandpa Zhang, still shocked, felt a pang of sadness at these words.
He recalled how, in their youth, Grandpa Zhao often talked about dreams of flying in the sky.
He claid to be a reincarnated immortal who had simply forgotten his divine powers, promising that one day, he would set out to find immortals and recover his abilities.
Back then, these statents brought him nothing but ridicule from the village.
Only one person had never mocked him. In fact, she often sought him out to chat and listen to his stories.
That girl was nad Ah’e.
Grandpa Zhang had frequently seen them by the river.
Ah’e would sit on a large green rock, swinging her legs while intently listening to Grandpa Zhao passionately narrate his dreams of immortality.
Later, she defied her family’s objections and married him.
Decades had since passed. Ah’e was gone, and they had grown old.
Watching the deep red glow around his old friend, Grandpa Zhang’s eyes grew moist as well.
He felt both comforted and sorrowful.
Comforted that his friend had finally found recognition, yet sorrowful for Ah’e, who had fought for her love but couldn’t live to witness this mont.
...
“Alright,” Lu Qing said, putting away the monunt with a wave.
“The test is over. Not bad for our village—we have four people with cultivation aptitude.”
The villagers’ reactions were mixed—so were happy, others disappointed or envious.
Seeing this, Lu Qing smiled and said, “Those of you who didn’t have the aptitude for cultivation, don’t be discouraged.
The monunt asures aptitude for the Path of Cultivation, but there’s also the Martial Path.
I’ve asked the Wei family to send a few martial arts instructors to establish a training hall here.
If you’re interested, you can practice martial arts.
When mastered, the Martial Path can be just as powerful as the Immortal Path.”
These words reignited hope in the crowd.
Wang Da’an exclaid, “Ah Qing, do you an we can learn martial arts?”
“Of course,” Lu Qing replied. “The Martial Path is open to all, regardless of aptitude.
But it’s tough. You’ll need perseverance.”
“Hah! What’s hardship? Could it be harder than farming under the scorching sun and pouring rain every day?” Wang Da’an retorted.
“Exactly!” others echoed, their determination rekindled.
Lu Qing nodded silently. Although unsure how many would persist, he knew this was a good start for Jiuli Village.
“As for you, Grandpa Zhao...” Lu Qing turned to him and the other three villagers with aptitude.
“I won’t have much ti to teach you personally, but I’ve arranged for soone—”
Before he could finish, Grandpa Zhao waved him off.
“Ah Qing, no need. As Grandpa Zhang said, I’m too old for this.”
“You don’t want to cultivate?” Lu Qing asked in surprise.
“No, no,” Grandpa Zhao chuckled. “I ca only to see if my youthful dreams were true.
Now that I know, I have no regrets.
As for cultivation, I’m too old and too tired.”
“But Grandpa Zhao, with your talent, you could extend your life—” Lu Qing began.
Grandpa Zhao interrupted, shaking his head. “Ah’e is gone. What’s the point of living so long? Focus on the young ones.”
With that, he left for ho.
As he approached his courtyard, he seed to glimpse a woman standing there, smiling at him, as if she were waiting.
Her smile was as radiant as the day she had listened to him by the river.
...
The next day, Lu Qing received news: Grandpa Zhao had passed away peacefully in his sleep.
He lay with a serene expression, holding a handkerchief—a gift from his wife, Ah’e, during their youth.
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