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2.32% The Struggling Cultivator / Chapter 1: Chapter 1 Senior Brother's Parting Words
The Struggling Cultivator The Struggling Cultivator original

The Struggling Cultivator

作者: CloudHopper

© WebNovel

章節 1: Chapter 1 Senior Brother's Parting Words

"Finally I've made it."

"This is my first step on the road of cultivation!"

"Remember my name Xiao Hua, once I ascend to the Peak you can say you knew me in my youth."

"Heh you think you're special?"

"Haha, you're all buffoons, my father is in the Qi Gathering Realm, you bumpkins think you can beat me?"

At the gate of the Demonic Cliff Sect, numerous youngsters around 12 years of age were bubbling with excitement. Today would be the day they entered the most prestigious Sect in the Flood Dragon Kingdom. They had passed test after test to get to this point and naturally they couldn't be happier now that their dreams were coming true.

Eventually the acceptance ceremony was held, and the over a hundred new disciples entered the Sect and were provided a residence along with a small book detailing the rules and life within the Sect.

Days soon passed, and after settling down the youngsters had grown accustomed to life within the Demonic Cliff Sect. It was hard, but also quite pleasant at times. Despite the Sect's name the Demonic Cliff Sect wasn't all that "Demonic", rather its name came from the Cliff it was situated upon.

Soon a year went by. Although the youngsters weren't all that old just yet, they weren't the youngest now either as a new batch of disciples were accepted about a week prior. Life wasn't all that interesting or enjoyable to these disciples, but simply mundane.

"Have you heard, Senior Brother Zhang was challenged at Sea Glass City."

"Senior Brother Zhang!? Does the challenger have a screw loose?"

"That's what I thought at first, but apparently the challenger is from outside the Kingdom. They're probably unaware of his power."

Currently discussions such as this one were taking place throughout the Demonic Cliff Sect and Sea Glass City itself. After all Senior Brother Zhang, also known as Zhang Wuji, was one of if not the top figure within the younger generation.

Naturally any and all battles Zhang Wuji partook in would be watched by many eyes, and this was no exception. This was especially true for this fight, after all who would want to see the local champion get defeated by a foreign opponent.

---

Today was the day of the fight. The normally busy streets of Sea Glass City were even busier than usual as people rushed in droves to witness the fight.

"ZHANG WUJI!"

"ZHANG WUJI!"

"ZHANG WUJI!"

The people chanted vigorously filling the arena with their excitement.

At one end of the platform stood a boy about 15 years of age. He had black eyes, long black hair, and similarly dressed in large black robes. In fact the robes seemed to be a bit too big, almost as if the boy stole the robes of an older brother. This was the challenger. No one knew his name, but no one underestimated his power.

A few days ago the boy had cause a big ruckus within the City, but no one knew who he was or where he came from. This led to the conclusion that the boy came from outside the Kingdom, after all why wouldn't they know of such a young yet powerful person, only Zhang Wuji could compare to him in their eyes.

Standing opposite the boy, was a taller and more mature youth. This was of course Zhang Wuji. Clad in grey robes, his medium length black hair was tied into a small bun, while his brown eyes were locked onto his opponent. At his waist hung a sheathed sword with a golden hilt.

Zhang Wuji raised his hand, and in an instant the crowd quieted down. "Are you ready?" He asked the boy opposite him. To this the boy simply nodded. Seeing this, a man standing underneath the platform struck a gong.

"GONG!"

---

The atmosphere of the Demonic Cliff Sect was tense. Zhang Wuji was sat atop a boulder, overlooking the a number of the disciples. His hair was disheveled and his eyes seemed hollow, almost empty.

Scanning the crowd in front of him, Zhang Wuji couldn't help but let out a sigh. "I pity you." He then stood up shakily, the aura he gave off was that of a completely broken spirit.

Zhang Wuji had been unmatched, undefeated, and peerless. Keyword being "had". Yesterday he lost, and it wasn't a close loss either. To make matters worse his opponent was even younger than him.

Standing before them, a smile slowly crept onto Zhang Wuji's face before he began laughing hysterically.

"What's this all worth? Why did I put so much effort into cultivating, I am simply a big fish in a small pond. Even a 15 year old beat me, I've never lost to anyone my age, much less someone younger than me. One fist... all in one fist." Zhang Wuji could barely stop himself from breaking down there and then.

"....But I am also happy I lost, it woke me up. Cultivation, is pointless. We continue day after day, striving harder and harder, but guess what? There's always someone better. And its not just 1 or 2, or even 10 people, but 100s and 1000s. As you all know I lost, but you know what makes it even worse? That boy, he told me one thing after defeating me. He's not a Core Disciple of his Sect, not even an Inner Disciple, but an OUTER DISCIPLE!" He roared.

Hearing this the disciples' faces paled. They knew what it meant to be an Outer Disciple but be so terrifyingly strong. It meant that, that boy was not all that special, it meant that he was average or even subpar, but even he was leagues above their Senior Brother, the strongest genius in the Flood Dragon Kingdom.

What did that make all of them, trash? Worse than trash? What was the point of cultivating if there was such a large disparity? Was there a point in participating in cultivation in that case? So what if they could be above regular people, was it worth their time to strive endlessly and train tirelessly.

"So today I am here to make my final declaration as your Senior Brother. My road of cultivation ends here, and I hope you all will follow suit, lest you realise you wasted away your years for nothing." With that Zhang Wuji jumped off the boulder before heading out of the Sect, this was the end of his cultivation.

Simultaneously the disciples were processing his words. They were all undeniably worse than Zhang Wuji, if even he saw it as pointless why should they struggle on. Naturally they didn't all begin quitting there and then, but to say their mentality hadn't shifted would also be untrue.

Of course, while Zhang Wuji's speech had been seen as very depressing to most disciples, there was one boy, in a small corner of the crowd who had a different point of view.

'A big fish in a small pond. In that case what about the sea or the ocean. Looking at it this way cultivation would be pointless for everyone apart from a select few. In that case why cultivate? Lifespan? Why would one want to be mediocre forever. Zhang Wuji's perspective is simply wrong. Cultivating to surpass others, to dominate others, to live longer, they're all valid reasons, but the true reason to cultivate is to surpass oneself....yes this is it!' A boy concluded.

And thus his struggle began, not against the Heavens or any Heaven Defying Geniuses, but a struggle against himself. To push himself as far as he could.


創作者的想法
CloudHopper CloudHopper

If you'd like to see more of what can be expected do read my review on the novel. I'd like to clarify some things from the beginning but didn't feel like adding them to the synopsis.

Apart from that comment if you want, I enjoy looking at the comments it helps me see what works well, and maybe even formulate some ideas from your guys' perspectives.

next chapter

章節 2: Chapter 2 Curiosity Killed The Cat

"THUD!"

"THUD!"

"THUD!"

Countless disciples were trudging forward tirelessly around the Demonic Cliff Sect's training grounds. Here disciples in the Body Tempering Realm would run laps around the training grounds while carrying heavy weights.

It was currently the time for the 2nd year disciples to train. These disciples had joined the Sect around a year ago, and could be considered to have barely begun their cultivation journey.

The vast majority of them had by now reached the 3rd Stage of the Body Tempering Realm, while certain geniuses among them had reached the 4th Stage. This was quite the impressive feat, after all even a Stage's difference could turn into a vast gap down the line.

As usual the disciples ran around the training grounds, although there was a difference in their demeanor compared to usual.

Some ran half heartedly, while others seemed to tremble with each step, not due to the difficulty of the training, but rather due to mental anguish. Others seemed to be completely normal, but if one looked closely they'd notice a certain contemplative look in their eyes.

There was one exception though. Compared to the other disciples this boy was completely average, be it in looks, stature or cultivation. His black head of hair and black eyes were the norm in the crowd, but what made him stand out was his determination.

While the other disciples walked, he ran. One could argue this was counter productive, as he'd tire out faster, but that didn't stop him. He ran and continued to run, but no one could understand why.

After yesterday 99% of the disciples from the youngest junior to even some of the oldest seniors began to doubt the path they had chosen, making him quite the anomaly.

But this didn't concern the boy, if others had doubt did that mean he must doubt himself as well? Just because of one senior brother's failure suddenly the whole Sect was confused. This didn't make sense to him.

'As long as I run for one step more than the last time, then I'd have made progress.' He thought to himself, completely focused on training.

The training regimen was pretty basic for disciples of their level. They were simply required to run 10 laps around the training grounds while carrying a weight equivalent to their current Stage in cultivation.

For example 1st Stage disciples would carry 1 tonne of weights, 2nd Stage 2 tonnes, 3rd Stage 3 tonnes, etcetera. Like this disciples could follow a simple and effective routine to progress in the Body Tempering Realm and make an easy first few breakthroughs.

So to put it in perspective, the boy was now running 10 laps around a kilometer long pathway while carrying a 3 tonne weight on his back.

Time passed slowly but surely, and 3 hours later most disciples had concluded their training for the day, but the boy was still running. Well "running", by now he had tired himself out so much that his run had devolved into more of a fast walk.

'Just one more lap.' Each step he took was harder than the last but that didn't stop him. And eventually, almost 20 minutes later he completed the lap.

"Haa, haa, haa." He exhaled heavily before putting the weight down to take a quick rest. After a short five minutes the boy picked up the weight once again before heading to the storage facility.

Placing the weight inside the boy then turned around and left, he had to go back home and rest otherwise he may inadvertently impede his own cultivation if he over trained himself.

While walking down the path towards his residence the boy seemed to be lost in thought. 'I already overdid it a bit today but I doubt its enough..... I might have to use that.' He pondered as he neared the residential area.

"ARGH!"

A bloodcurdling scream sounded out causing the boy's ears to perk up. 'They must be bullying Chen Zemin again, well its none of my business anyway.' The boy shook his head before continuing forward, but his eyes couldn't help but move towards the source of the sound.

Giving into his curiosity, the boy moved quietly into the nearby shrubbery and soon came upon a group of boys beating up a downed boy on the ground.

"Hmph! This is what you get for being an arrogant prick!"

"Exactly, who do you think you are!? Even Senior Brother Zhang has quit yet you think you'll reach the peak of cultivation?"

"You're just a bastard."

They insulted him one after the other. If one didn't know any better they might assume that this Chen Zemin had slaughtered their families and they were exacting their hatred upon him, but naturally it wasn't so.

Chen Zemin was simply the trash of their batch. While most disciples had already reached the 3rd Stage he had barely reached the 2nd Stage. Not only that but he was extremely arrogant when they had first entered the Sect, boasting non-stop about how he'd one day reach the summit of cultivation.

Alas that was not what fate had in store for him. Instead his life was diminished to that of a bullying target and an easy one at that.

The boy sat there watching this scene for about 5 minutes until the group of boys took out a weird blue strand of grass and was about to feed it to Chen Zemin. Seeing this the boy looked at Chen Zemin with pity before turning around and walking away.

"SNAP!"

Before he could get very far away he accidentally stepped on a branch causing the group of bullies to look in his direction. "Who's there?" One of them asked wearily.

Hearing this the boy quickly came to a decision, deciding to turn around and step out. He couldn't run away as he was too tired, and if he got caught it'd look suspicious, so it was better for him to simply reveal himself.

"Huh? Mo Xiaowen? What are you doing watching us?" One of the bullies asked. Seeing Mo Xiaowen the group had calmed down somewhat. He was middle of the pack and around their level so he wouldn't cause any trouble.

On the other hand Chen Zemin gazed at Mo Xiaowen with hope. 'Finally someone has some compassion.' He thought, ultimately no one liked to be beaten unless they were a masochist, and that Chen Zemin was not.

"Ah I just got lost, you guys can continue doing what you're doing." Mo Xiaowen smiled while rubbing the back of his head. He needed to get out of here and fast.

"Hmm, sure but I am curious. What the fuck was that today? Why all the extra effort?" This was a question everyone had on their mind, after all it was hard not to notice Mo Xiaowen during today's training.

Mo Xiaowen was quite surprised when he heard this. While he knew someone might ask him a question or two he hadn't put much thought into a reply. At first he thought about making up some random reason before scraping the idea, sometimes being honest was the best method.

"I want to surpass myself." He replied succinctly.

Hearing this the group of bullies were quite confused, but they didn't put much thought into it. At the end of the day they were simple minded beings so they didn't care much for Mo Xiaowen's reply.

"Whatever just piss off and don't stick your nose into other people's business next time!" One of them snarled before continuing to beat up Chen Zemin. Mo Xiaowen then sighed in relief before leaving the group and heading to his residence.

On the other hand Chen Zemin laid there getting beat up, his eyes full of fury. 'THERE'S NO JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD!' He roared inwardly, before another foot crashed into his nose.


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