Chapter 128 - 127: A Generation of Comparing the Worse (3/3, thanks to the food-grade salted fish alliance leader)

Chapter 128: Chapter 127: A Generation of Comparing the Worse (3/3, thanks to the food-grade salted fish alliance leader)An Jing noticed the subtle expression on Nian Quan’s face and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Please don’t mind, I have no ill intentions... It’s like this, this issue is actually common knowledge in the city, so if you don’t know it... you must definitely be from the Wilderness." He lowered his head, staring at the table, and whispered in a more complicated tone, "Because getting a Spirit Root certification costs money." "...Could it be that it’s not tested at birth? I see that you also know you have a Heavenly Spiritual Root." An Jing was somewhat puzzled, while Nian Quan patiently explained, "Yes, indeed, I do know, the identification itself is free, but the identification ’certificate’ is not—if I want to receive subsidies, or go to a higher institute, I must obtain two certificates from the central hospital and the general administration office." "One to certify that my Spirit Root is healthy, that I haven’t suffered from any serious illnesses in the past decade, and there have been no accidents that might have reduced the grade of my Spirit Root, confirming that I’m still a promising cultivation seedling of Xuanye City." "The other certifies that ’I am still a Heavenly Spiritual Root’ now, which serves to validate the previous certificate with legal effect. This one is most important, without it, no academy or company will give me any extra points for my Heavenly Spiritual Root." ——This is too absurd! Hearing this, An Jing still found it hard to believe, "Certification? Heavenly Spiritual Root?" "At this moment, you must be joking, right?" "No... You’ve misunderstood." Seeing An Jing’s reaction, Nian Quan sighed, more convinced that the other was a Wilderness genius with little worldly experience, "This is actually easy to understand, the rules inside the city are different from outside." The youth looked somewhat despondent as he glanced at the palm lines in his hand, then shook his head, saying, "In the Wilderness, a tribe is sparsely populated and lacks resources; the emergence of a genius is rare and even someone not of the same blood is very important." "The tribes of the Wilderness need a genius to lead them to survive the onslaught of Monstrous Evil, Strange Beasts, and Human Demon raiders, so as long as someone has talent, they need no proof; they are simply considered geniuses, they are treasures." "But in Xuanye City..." He began to laugh, self-mockingly, "There are far too many talented people; what’s a Heavenly Spiritual Root worth?" "Having talent means you’ll be valued? That a person of high stature will notice you? Take you as a direct disciple? Then ascend to the summit of life at once? How could that possibly be?"> Chucking softly, Nian Quan, with the serenity of still water, calmly narrated, recounting words that had perhaps lingered in his heart countless times before, "Why would those True Persons of high cultivation take me as their disciple, entrusting me with the Daoist Secret Skills and True Transmission Mysteries that they’ve cultivated for hundreds of years?" "Am I their son, or a relative? The descendant of a benefactor or superior, or someone with a noble bloodline descended from ancient times?" "Why should they let me embark on the Dao, become a great cultivator and compete with their own offspring, become their enemy, or someone they have to treat as an equal?" "Just because I have a Heavenly Spiritual Root? Impossible. In the prominent families and clans, there might not be many Heavenly Spiritual Roots, but children slightly inferior to Heavenly Spiritual Roots, various geniuses with Exotic Spiritual Roots, have never been in short supply." "Yes, a Heavenly Spiritual Root requires fewer resources, but precisely because their own children are not Heavenly Spiritual Roots, and resources are finite, they will invest more in cultivating the talents within their own families." "Mother always felt it was because she didn’t have enough money to afford the certificate to prove my talent, which prevented me from being guaranteed entry to Jiuxuan First Middle School. But in reality, doesn’t every student and teacher know that First Middle School only accepts Clan Descendants of the Immortal Clan, at worst children from Poor Scholar Families whose ancestors have reached the Purple Mansion before?" "I, a Heavenly Spiritual Root from the Lower City District, can’t even get enough Spirit Qi for my daily cultivation, let alone various pills and Spiritual Artifacts to help me, and the only family Cultivation Technique passed down is a mere Pupil Skill; how could I study alongside them?" As he spoke, Nian Quan’s voice remained calm, but one could detect a deeply hidden despair, "A Heavenly Spiritual Root, exceptional talent, is that really such a big deal? Because I’m smart and sharp, because I can deduce Art of Magic principles and handle Dao Skills with ease, does that mean I’ll get resources? It’s laughable." "The world is so vast, when has there ever been a shortage of geniuses? What’s scarce are opportunities and resources, and those things are never enough to go around; they never reach people like me." "Mom... really... doesn’t have to work so hard." "I know she takes risks just to save up money for me... But really, it’s not necessary to work so hard. It’s useless... I just want us to be safe and sound..." Nian Quan didn’t cry; he just covered his eyes with his arms, choking up for a moment. The youth who had seen through everything from the very beginning understood that these were probably the words he had wanted to say to his mother all along. But because of his mother’s expectant gaze, that face full of hope, he couldn’t bear to shatter her dreams, so he kept it all suppressed in his heart. Yet before this suppression could be relieved, that hope became the death knell for his mother. Nian Quan even hated... hated himself for being the Heavenly Spiritual Root that would give his mother hope and lead her to take desperate risks. "So that’s how it is." An Jing seemed to understand somewhat. The Tianyuan Realm was once a prosperous world of cultivation, with all kinds of cultivation traditions and Daoist Secret Skills already very complete, never lacking. It even achieved the unimaginable ’universal cultivation,’ where everyone could cultivate the Dao. Even those without a Spiritual Root, unable to engage in Qi Refinement, let alone achieve Foundation Establishment, could still train their Essence Qi, strengthen the body, and easily live more than a hundred years. This was the state for the vast majority of people in the Tianyuan Realm, and they could also be considered cultivators. However, after the world calamities, the world catastrophe crumbled, Demonic Qi invaded, and various resources were scarce. But the number of Spiritual Root Seeds was not any fewer. Compared to seeking more geniuses to strengthen their own Sects and clans, it was better to first take care of their own Spiritual Root descendants, to stabilize their family’s status in this post-calamity world. This is not a world that competes for ’who is better.’ This is an era that has already entered a state of ’comparing who is worse.’ "Truly disgusting." An Jing and the Sword Spirit said at the same time, a person and a sword in extreme resonance. "No, no, no, this is actually normal." Nian Quan, thinking that An Jing was indignantly protesting on his behalf, quickly raised his hand, wanting to pour tea for An Jing: "Talking deeply on shallow acquaintance, I was presumptuous... Forget what I said." Meanwhile, the Sword Spirit was communicating with An Jing. ""Leaving a karma?" An Jing felt puzzled and thought, "What does that mean? To lend this Heavenly Spiritual Root a hand? I don’t mind, his mother and he himself indeed have some karma with me, and they even gave me some money, but my Spirit Stones are not enough... Not to mention, giving him money could harm him, I could only leave behind some talismans for self-defense." "It’s not Spirit Stones he lacks, nor is it Spirit Stones he needs." The Sword Spirit shook its head: "You are the Sword Bearer; resources of course take priority for you—this young man’s thoughts are indeed correct. In an era of scarce resources, people will allocate resources based on their closeness and distance, just like I prioritize your growth above all else." "The state of affairs in the Tianyuan Realm is certainly disheartening, but it is in accordance with the laws of heaven—those who are not of the same clan and blood, in this chaotic age, who can trust that an outsider genius won’t consume all the resources and then move on to someone else’s side?" "I’m just thinking, An Jing." With an unprecedentedly serious tone, the Sword Spirit ’Subdue Demons and Exorcise Evil’ said, "Your Heavenly Mandate of the Seven Fiend, predestined to turn the world upside down, to bring chaos to all... can it be used in this regard?"