Chapitre 4: Aptitude Determines Treatment
The letter arrived just as Chen Guan was about to make a decision that could influence his future. If his guess was correct, their greatest use was to help him avoid disaster.
Sitting cross-legged, meditating while thinking, the day passed in the blink of an eye.
By dusk, after hundreds of attempts, one boy finally stood up, excited.
"I did it! I felt the Dou Qi energy! I did it!"
The boy was so overwhelmed that he startled everyone around him. If not for the man watching in front of them, the boy would have danced with joy.
The man, however, did not scold him but instead showed a satisfied smile, his previous sternness gone.
"What's your name?"
"Zhao Gang."
"Very good. Step forward, memorize the cultivation method route. I am Yan Hongtao, captain of the third squad of the Royal Guard, a six-star Dou Grandmaster. If you have any questions over the next few days, feel free to ask me."
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing their conversation, the other children all looked on with envy.
This was the first time Yan Hongtao had asked for anyone's name. Without outstanding talent, one's name wasn't even worth remembering.
Chen Guan sat quietly in the crowd, undisturbed. He waited for almost another hour, until nightfall, then, imitating Zhao Gang, stood up excitedly to report that he had sensed Dou Qi energy.
"Good. What's your name?"
"Chen Guan."
After a brief inquiry, Chen Guan stepped forward to stand next to Zhao Gang.
As it turned out, geniuses were rare in a remote place like the Jia Ma Empire. Besides Chen Guan and Zhao Gang, no one else had succeeded that day.
Despite this outcome, Yan Hongtao was still quite satisfied. Two young talents, if properly trained, had great potential to break through to the Dou Spirit level in the future, becoming pillars of the Jia Ma Empire.
"Alright, that's it for today. After dinner, someone will arrange your accommodations. Rest well and continue tomorrow."
Looking at the disappointed, envious faces of the other children, Chen Guan remained calm, while Zhao Gang stood straight with immense pride.
After a hearty meal, a soldier arranged sleeping quarters. Unlike the others, who shared rooms with seven or eight kids, Chen Guan and Zhao Gang received special treatment and were each assigned a private room.
Aptitude determines treatment. This world is brutally realistic!
With a sigh, Chen Guan was about to begin his cultivation after washing up when Zhao Gang suddenly knocked on his door.
"You're Chen Guan, right? I'm Zhao Gang, the first to sense Dou Qi today. You remember, right? If you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask me. I'll definitely progress more quickly than you and will be of assistance to you."
Zhao Gang rambled on, his face showing a barely concealed pride.
With his first exposure to Dou Qi, Zhao Gang had already labeled himself the top genius among this batch of children in his heart. Those who couldn't even sense Dou Qi weren't worth his time. Only Chen Guan was barely worthy, though still not quite on his level.
Childish vanity—simple and laughable.
Chen Guan casually brushed him off and sent him on his way. He had no interest in competing with children. Such rivalry was too immature for him. Their minds weren't on the same level, making it hard to connect.
Back in bed, Chen Guan took out the cultivation manual, The Spirit Transformation Art, he had received earlier that day. His eyes burned with desire, but he reluctantly set it aside. For him, advancing to the Dou Practitioner level as soon as possible was the real key!
Putting away the manual, Chen Guan began cultivating following Yan Hongtao's instructions, absorbing Dou Qi from the world into his body.
Though the process was tedious and dull, Chen Guan firmly believed in the principle of "you reap what you sow."
His curiosity about this new power and his desire to grow stronger provided him with immense motivation, allowing him to persist through the night.
Strangely, after a sleepless night, Chen Guan didn't feel particularly tired. It seemed the benefits of cultivation were already starting to show.
Or perhaps, it was just a psychological effect.
The next day was much the same. A group of children sat in the square trying to sense Dou Qi energy, while Yan Hongtao gave Chen Guan and Zhao Gang private lessons on how to absorb energy and other important details, including a reminder not to overly focus on their cultivation methods.
Perhaps due to the motivation provided by these two, four more children successfully sensed Dou Qi that day, joining the special training.
On the third day, six more succeeded.
On the fourth day, eight more.
On the fifth day, two.
On the sixth day, eleven.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Chen Guan had arrived at this "secret base." Of the nearly fifty children in his batch, only seven still hadn't sensed any Dou Qi.
Chen Guan keenly noticed that Yan Hongtao looked at these seven with a hint of pity. They would likely face only one fate—being trained as expendable soldiers.
Chen Guan sighed again. In this world, talent was truly everything!
Then he quickly pushed the thought aside.
Even he had to be cautious just to survive—how could he possibly worry about others?
Over the past month, Chen Guan had diligently cultivated without wasting a single moment, sleeping only two hours a night. The results were impressive.
Now, he had reached the first level of Dou Disciple!
He learned this seven days ago when Yan Hongtao asked him and Zhao Gang to carry the testing stone tablet that would be used in their Dou Qi test six months later. Chen Guan had secretly tested himself and discovered his progress.
From nothing to the first level of Dou Disciple in less than a month—this was an extremely fast pace.
After all, he was still in the foundational stage. It was commonly understood that only after reaching the Dou Practitioner level could one use pills and natural treasures, greatly accelerating progress.
Besides his increased strength, Chen Guan had made other improvements, such as being able to carry on normal conversations, though his speech was still slightly slow.
Zhao Gang's visits, aimed at showing off his superiority, had noticeably decreased. He had likely sensed that Chen Guan didn't show him the same respect that other children did, which made him a little resentful.
Chen Guan was quite pleased with this—nothing could be better. The fewer people who bothered him, the more time he could devote to cultivation.
Time flew by, and in what seemed like an instant, half a year had passed.
The assessment Yan Hongtao had mentioned was finally here!
(End of Chapter)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone