Chapter 5

In the early morning, a ray of sunlight filtered through the window, casting a golden hue over the entire room. (A genius only needs 3 seconds to remember.)

Outside the window, birds chirped noisily, while inside, Wang Chen sat upright on the bed with his legs crossed, eyes tightly closed, breathing rhythmically.

Faintly, one could see wisps of mist-like white vapor flowing into his body through his nose and mouth.

With each breath, he was absorbing the primordial energy of heaven and earth, assimilating it into his own body.

At this moment, Wang Chen could feel a warm current slowly flowing through every corner of his body, cleansing his meridians repeatedly.

In front of him, a translucent figure hovered in the air, looking at the meditating Wang Chen with a satisfied expression. He was Wang Chen's master, Ling Zhan.

"This boy has boundless potential!" After a long while, Ling Zhan sighed to himself.

Over the past two years, although Wang Chen had not yet condensed true essence, he had indeed laid a solid foundation. A good foundation was crucial for a cultivator! Only those who had reached a certain level could truly appreciate its importance.

Now, Wang Chen's foundation was firmly established. In the future, he would realize how much he had gained over these two years.

Thinking of this, he smiled, took a deep breath, and his eyes brightened. The heavens had not been unkind to him, allowing him to take on such a disciple at this critical moment. When he grew stronger, perhaps he could help Ling Zhan fulfill his uncompleted wishes.

After a moment, he exhaled a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. A flash of sharp light passed through his eyes, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, making him look radiant.

Although the true essence in his body had once again disappeared, knowing his situation, Wang Chen no longer felt disheartened. Seeing hope, he was filled with renewed determination.

"Hmm, not bad. Your cultivation speed is not slow, but relying solely on true essence is too slow. Body cultivation cannot be neglected!" Looking at Wang Chen, Ling Zhan pondered for a moment and then said.

"Body cultivation? After the third stage, it's too slow!" Thinking of body cultivation, Wang Chen frowned slightly and pondered.

His current physical strength far exceeded the third stage of body cultivation, reaching a strength of 500 pounds. There was no doubt about its intensity; even a fourth-stage body cultivator relying on true essence to resist him would not make him flinch.

At this level, enhancing his physical strength was extremely difficult, as his body had reached the bottleneck of the current stage. From this point on, everyone would begin to cultivate true essence, relying on it to strengthen their power.

"Am I just a bystander?" When Wang Chen was at a loss, Ling Zhan's voice came, bold and straightforward, giving Wang Chen a sense of warmth.

"Is there any way?" Hearing this, Wang Chen looked up eagerly, like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline.

"Use external aids! Stimulate your body with external aids to strengthen it. Over these years, you haven't been lazy, and your foundation is solid. Using some external aids won't affect you. Otherwise, it would take you a long time to reach that level, at least three to five years!" After observing, Elder Ling slowly said.

"Really?" Wang Chen asked excitedly.

The efforts of the past few years were finally paying off, and Wang Chen felt a surge of excitement.

Then, thinking of the last sentence, three to five years! Wang Chen broke out in a cold sweat. If it really came to that, he might have given up halfway!

He secretly felt fortunate that if he hadn't met Ling Zhan, he might have truly fallen into decline.

"What do I need?" Hearing that external aids could help shorten the process, Wang Chen quickly asked, looking expectantly at the translucent soul body.

"Ice Dream Grass, Mu Xiang Pill, century-old white medicine, and Spinning Flower... Hmm, they are all common medicines!" Ling Zhan listed over a dozen medicinal names in one breath, making Wang Chen's scalp tingle. These medicines were indeed common, and he had heard of them. Using them to stimulate his body during the body cultivation stage could achieve twice the result with half the effort. However, because of this, their prices had skyrocketed, making them unattainable for most people.

Feeling his empty pocket, he sighed.

At this moment, Wang Chen deeply understood this. He finally realized why, over time, powerful families on the continent became even more powerful, while the lower classes struggled to improve. The main reason was money.

It was already difficult for a golden phoenix to fly out of a mountain nest. With the financial support of powerful families, as long as their children weren't too mediocre, they would hardly be weak. As for the poor, unless they had exceptional talent, they were destined to be buried in the crowd.

...

"Brother Chen!"

In the early morning, as he stepped out of the door, he saw a figure quickly approaching him.

The person was dressed in a gray hemp robe, with slightly dark skin, a slender build, and a sharp, monkey-like face, giving off a somewhat sleazy impression.

This person was Wang Chen's only friend in the Wang family and even in Qingfeng City, Tang Ming. The son of a servant in the Han family, his grandfather and father were both servants in the Han family, and now he was too, making them a servant family for three generations.

Seeing him, a smile appeared on Wang Chen's face. Over the past two years, everyone else had mocked and bullied him. Even the servants in the Han family looked down on him, but Tang Ming treated him as a friend, often comforting and encouraging him, bringing him rare moments of comfort.

"How did you come here? Did you finish your task?" Wang Chen stopped and asked curiously.

"Hehe, the young miss asked me to go out and buy some things, so I came to find you to go together!" Saying this, he shook the heavy money bag in his hand, looking excited with a sly smile.

Going out to buy things was a lucrative task, always bringing in a lot of benefits, and everyone vied for it, including Tang Ming!

The young miss he referred to was the genius of the Han family, the school flower of Qingfeng Academy, Han Yuxuan, who had saved him yesterday.

"Let's go together!" After thinking for a moment, Wang Chen said.

The Han family was a powerful force in Qingfeng City, with a large number of servants and maids. As they walked, they encountered many of them.

Seeing Wang Chen, these people all showed a strange expression. It seemed that the news of the end-of-term test at the academy had spread throughout the Han family, and they all knew about it. At this moment, their eyes were filled with mockery as they looked at Wang Chen.

Feeling these gazes, Wang Chen's face gradually turned cold, his smile disappeared, and he clenched his fists and walked forward.

"Brother Chen, I know everything about you. Not being able to condense true essence is no big deal. Don't mind those people's gazes. Hmph, I think being an ordinary person is quite nice!" Sensing Wang Chen's change, Tang Ming hesitated for a moment and then comforted him, patting his chest with a satisfied look.

For example, he himself, serving as a servant in the Han family, taking care of the young miss, receiving a substantial monthly salary, living freely, and enjoying a comfortable life. He often received rewards from the young miss and was not easily bullied by others, which was enough for him.

This was the mindset of a commoner, a mindset that would only make a person mediocre for life, with no chance of standing out.

"I, Wang Chen, will not give up like this. Rather than being mediocre for life, I would rather go crazy for a day!" Taking a deep breath, Wang Chen said solemnly. A peaceful life was not what he needed; he still had many things to do.

"You... Hey, forget it, do as you see fit. If you need anything in the future, be sure to tell me. The young miss treats me well now, and I can handle some difficulties!" Seeing Wang Chen's stubbornness, Tang Ming sighed and said helplessly.

"Forget it, take care of yourself!" Hearing this, Wang Chen smiled bitterly.

He knew Tang Ming's situation well. He was often bullied by the young masters and misses of the Han family, often with a bruised nose and face. Being able to protect himself was already a good thing.

At the same time, a warm current flowed through Wang Chen's heart. These words made him feel the true meaning of friendship. Thinking of the past, he felt some guilt towards Tang Ming.

Several times, he had fought for justice for him and ended up beaten to a pulp. Wang Chen remembered these incidents clearly.

"Hehe..." Hit where it hurt, Tang Ming trembled and laughed awkwardly.

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