Chapter 19: Who'd Have Thought He Was Actually a Real Person

The miniature ascenders couldn't quite figure out what Su Ning's current state of existence actually was.

It was simply beyond their comprehension.

Even though Su Ning had only reached the first level of Qi Refining.

Even though the very first step of their own cultivation had also been the first level of Qi Refining.

They still couldn't wrap their heads around it.

Su Ning was left momentarily speechless.

These tiny people who had been guiding his cultivation didn't even understand what state he was currently in.

Then what would his path look like going forward?

He hadn't the faintest clue.

Fortunately, Su Ning had a laid-back disposition. He shook his head and cast aside all the unnecessary worries.

If you don't overthink things, you won't have troubles. Without troubles, there's no mental drain — and without mental drain, there's no suffering.

Whatever the future held, it hadn't arrived yet. The past was history. Living well today was the only thing truly worth doing.

Besides, now that he'd grown stronger, he felt pretty great.

The effects of his ALS had long since ceased to exist.

It was just a bit far from the city.

Otherwise, Su Ning would have liked to go get a check-up and see whether that so-called cancer was still there.

"Maybe I can find time to go at some point? My cultivation has already reached the first level of Qi Refining, so I can afford to relax a little. As for money — I've already earned over two hundred thousand, more than enough for food, clothing, and shelter." Su Ning stroked his chin in thought.

"Exalted Immortal, it may be because you are cultivating an immortal art. Cultivating an immortal art with an immortal's constitution would naturally produce different results." Li Qingxuan pondered for a long while before offering this possibility.

The Cultivation Technique they had given Su Ning was one the nine of them had created together — something none of them had ever personally cultivated.

Still, it stood to reason that the technique's grade would be no low thing.

"That's probably it." Su Ning said.

Cultivating in this world was surely different from the world of the little people.

If the power gains were the same, nine Saints ascending here would have long since leveled this world flat — how could they possibly be this weak?

Just the first level of Qi Refining.

And yet Su Ning felt as though his body had evolved.

Yes — evolved.

Vision, taste, smell, hearing, touch…

And his perception, agility…

All of it had taken a further leap forward.

His skin, bones, meridians, blood and qi… had all been sublimated.

Su Ning even had the feeling that he had somehow broken free of his original species, evolving in the direction of a superhuman.

He could hear crickets chirping a hundred meters away and pinpoint their exact location. He could spot a cricket's tiny body at a glance amid a tangle of wild grass…

And that was merely from the first level of Qi Refining.

What if he went even higher?

Su Ning grew more and more eager!

He stretched and moved his body around.

His mind was clear, his energy vigorous.

His strength felt boundless.

"My agility and explosive power right now should be on par with the world's top-tier fighters, shouldn't they?"

He was referring to the peak of instantaneous burst power.

The ability to dodge and react with lightning speed.

If he were to actually box, he had no real combat experience and might not necessarily win.

But if his opponent took even a single punch from him, even a maxed-out Tyson would probably be in serious trouble.

Before reaching the first level of Qi Refining, Su Ning had been able to casually flip a fully loaded tricycle weighing around five hundred pounds.

Now, at the first level of Qi Refining.

Su Ning felt that a casual punch from him would carry at least fifteen hundred pounds of force — and at full power, two thousand pounds wasn't out of the question.

That kind of striking force was beyond ordinary human imagination.

One careless blow could easily kill a person.

Of course… Su Ning believed that cultivation was something that tempered the heart and nurtured the spirit…

Getting into fights and killing at the drop of a hat — how was that any different from being a gangster?

Combat power was merely a measure of his strength; he had no intention of going out on a killing spree.

With his Breakthrough complete, Su Ning was in high spirits.

Ding — "File sent to Manager Wang!"

Ding — "File sent successfully!"

Back in his room, Su Ning had nothing better to do, so he sent the files straight to Manager Wang.

On the other end of WeChat, Manager Wang had been waiting with bated breath.

He had finally gotten a message from Su Ning.

"Oh wow… Brother Ning is so punctual — said two days and it's two days, even finished early!" Manager Wang was beside himself with excitement.

"Thank you so much — you must have worn yourself out these past two days. You've worked hard, truly!" Manager Wang was overflowing with gratitude.

"Mission accomplished!" Su Ning typed back a few words.

As if every extra character would cost him another ounce of energy.

"You're a real one, buddy. When you have time, I'll buy you drinks — I owe you a proper thank-you." Manager Wang was in great spirits.

The anxiety that had plagued him for the past two days had finally lifted today.

Task complete.

This project was in the bag.

A company on the verge of going public…

The future was bright.

"We're square now — goods delivered, payment received. Go ahead and get back to work, Manager Wang. I'm a bit tired from these past two days, so I'm going to rest." Su Ning said.

"Of course, of course, of course — go rest up, buddy. Don't wear yourself out. Reach out if you need anything." Manager Wang said "of course" three times in a row.

Su Ning didn't actually want to rest — he simply didn't feel like talking to him anymore.

He closed WeChat.

Glanced at the sky.

It was still early — only around three or four in the afternoon.

Too early for dinner.

Normally he'd be sitting in meditation and cultivating at this hour.

But today he'd achieved a Breakthrough, so he'd treat it as a day off — time to unwind.

He headed outside.

Over to the little tree to watch the ascenders go about their lives.

Some were cultivating, some were chatting, some were studying the bones of those who had come before them, seemingly gleaning insights into Dao Laws.

Each doing their own thing.

All nine of them were slowly adapting to life here.

They were growing stronger too — but the pace of that growth… was truly painful to look at.

Perhaps in the eyes of the miniature ascenders, they were progressing quickly. But in Su Ning's eyes… there was genuinely almost no change at all.

Seeing them settled and content, Su Ning felt at ease.

He looked up at the sky.

The sky was clear and bright, not a cloud in sight.

He looked at the mountains.

The green hills were gradually turning golden.

He looked at the water.

A stream flowed down from the mountain.

Winding its way through the wild fields and countryside.

A beautiful, picturesque scene.

"I've been back in the village for so long and still haven't taken a proper stroll around. Nothing's pressing, and the day is still young… I might as well go have a look." Every mountain and tree before him, every path and field, carried the beautiful memories of Su Ning's childhood.

His mood was light and cheerful.

He was genuinely looking forward to it.

Perhaps it was because life was full of hope — all along the way, Su Ning's mood remained pleasant.

Only sometimes, when a particular view caught his eye and brought to mind the friends of his youth, he couldn't help but feel a pang of wistfulness: I wished to buy osmanthus wine and share it with you — but it was never quite the same as wandering free in our younger days.

The friends he'd grown up with in the village had all gone off to work in the city. Very few ever came back… usually just a few days during the Spring Festival, or not at all.

He himself had once been one of them.

For various reasons, he had returned.

"The dreams we had as boys… they no longer exist." Su Ning sighed.

In the distance, he spotted a large boulder.

The memory came back to him vividly.

It surfaced in his mind.

"That boulder… back in the day, my friends and I used to climb all over it… I remember that kid Chen Kai — he fell off the top and just lay there flat on his back at the base of the rock. We all thought he was done for, lying there just like the person lying there right now looks exactly the same…" Su Ning's eyes flickered, as if he'd been transported back to childhood, to those amusing days of the past.

But very quickly he realized something was off.

"Hm? Wait… what do you mean 'just like the person lying there right now'…" Su Ning looked more carefully, and sure enough, there really was someone lying there, half-dead.

Uncle Chen? Lying there? Not moving at all!

At this hour, in this weather… he definitely wasn't taking an afternoon nap.

Su Ning sprinted over in one go.

His speed was extraordinary — like a cheetah cutting through the mountain forest.

He drew close and looked carefully.

Well then… he'd thought the man might have fainted, and who'd have thought — he actually had fainted. (Redundancy +1)