Chapter 2: The Scale of Mortals

The May sunlight was warm and gentle. A maidservant nearby hummed softly to herself as she tidied the small bed.

Si Chen, his round little bottom bare, had been placed by the window on a soft blanket to bask in the sun...

The feeling was... peculiar.

Having once been a source of light itself, he now had to rely on the gifts of this young star.

He laboriously turned his neck and gazed out through the gauze curtain.

This "junior" was young — brimming with vitality like an eager youngster, nothing like the composed and reserved nature he had once possessed.

Did it... have consciousness? Like he once had?

Si Chen could not be certain. The awareness that had once crossed planetary systems in an instant was now firmly trapped within this infant body no larger than a hand's breadth. Even turning his neck felt clumsy.

"Oh my, the Young Master is so well-behaved — always so quiet when sunbathing."

The young maidservant walked over with a smile and deftly adjusted his position so the sunlight wouldn't shine directly into his eyes.

"Look at that little face, so focused. Who knows — maybe he'll grow up to be a remarkable Cultivator!"

Cultivator?

Si Chen latched onto this unfamiliar word. Was this the power system of this world? For the intelligent beings of this planet, it was perhaps a remarkable achievement.

But for an existence that had witnessed countless civilizations, such "trivial" power held little interest for him — at least for now.

* * *

Spring gave way to autumn.

The parasol tree outside the window shed its leaves five times, and he had grown from a baby who could only lie on his back into a young child.

He gradually accepted the identity of "Si Chen."

But acceptance was one thing; adaptation was another.

Five years of "human observation" and "hands-on practice" had forced him to admit that compared to burning as a star for billions of years, learning how to be a person seemed considerably more challenging.

The greatest problem was that he could not perfectly play the role of a "normal" human child.

Take reading and speaking, for instance — he could write after a single glance, and speak after hearing something just once.

What seemed perfectly natural to him left his elderly tutor so astonished that the old man's beard quivered and his eyes went wide, as though he had witnessed a divine miracle.

"A genius! Madam! The Young Master is an absolute genius!"

Si Chen could not understand why such a basic level of cognition would provoke such a reaction. In his mind, fully parsing the language of an entire civilization was something that took but an instant.

Similar incidents kept occurring. When a maidservant taught him to tie a hair ribbon, he replicated it perfectly after watching once. When his mother demonstrated how to use chopsticks, he managed to pick up a bean with precision on his very first try.

"The Young Master's ability to learn is truly astonishing!"

Every time, it drew gasps of admiration from the adults around him. Si Chen simply accepted the praise with calm composure, as though it were only natural.

What troubled the Si Clan household most, however, was Si Chen's "lack of emotional response."

When he fell, he never cried out — he simply picked himself up in silence.

When he watched a dazzling fireworks display, he merely tilted his head slightly.

Toys and children's games could not hold his interest for long.

He preferred to sit quietly in the courtyard, watching ants carry food, or gazing up at the night sky for half a day at a stretch.

"Is the Young Master... too quiet?" the servants would occasionally whisper behind his back.

Si Chen's hearing was sharp — he could hear them — but he didn't mind. Human opinions were no different from the chirping of insects to him.

At first, the entire clan was delighted by this "child prodigy's" early brilliance.

The Si Clan was a powerful and prestigious family, and having a talented heir was naturally a welcome blessing.

Everyone gradually grew accustomed to this young master's uniqueness — his prematurely composed demeanor, his astonishing capacity for learning, and those eyes that seemed to see through everything.

When the servants gossiped among themselves, they always spoke with a tone of shared pride: "Our Young Master is destined to be a great figure someday."

Si Chen's mother, the gentle Madam Ye Fu, would always softly stroke the top of his head. More than any grand future, she simply wished her child could be ordinary — and happy.

Yet that tranquility was shattered in the year Si Chen turned seven.

By the customs of this world, children of noble families were to begin their path of Cultivation at this age.

This was wisdom accumulated by countless generations — before the age of seven, a child's Spiritual Root and Bone Constitution had not yet fully solidified. Testing too early not only yielded inaccurate results, but could also damage the foundation and hinder future Cultivation.

As a distinguished clan, the Si Clan naturally followed this ancient tradition.

So even though Si Chen had displayed extraordinary learning talent, the clan patiently waited until he turned seven.

On the eve of the test, Si Chen's mother, Ye Fu, gently stroked his hair. "Chenchen, don't be nervous about tomorrow's test. Whatever the result, you are Mother's good child."

Si Chen nodded quietly.

He was indeed not nervous — only curious about how this world's energy system actually worked.

* * *

The next morning, the plaza before the Si Clan Ancestral Hall had already been prepared.

Such an important ceremony was presided over by the clan's elders. Today's examiner was Si Chen's Grand-Uncle, a white-haired elder of great virtue and prestige within the family.

Both sides of the plaza were lined with Si Clan members. After all, Si Chen was the first child of his generation to undergo the talent assessment, and everyone wanted to personally witness the aptitude of the Clan Head's only son.

Si Chen stood quietly in the center of the plaza, dressed in a tailored brocade robe. His father, Si Kai, and his mother, Ye Fu, stood beside the main seat, their gazes filled with anticipation — and a barely perceptible trace of anxiety.

The first test was for the Spiritual Root.

Grand-Uncle produced a smooth, warm Spirit-Sensing Stone and spoke: "Chenchen, place your hand on this and relax your mind."

Si Chen obediently extended his small hand. The Spirit-Sensing Stone was cool to the touch, and he could feel the faint flow of energy contained within it.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Yet after a short while, the Spirit-Sensing Stone showed no reaction whatsoever to Si Chen's contact. Even the faint glow that had been present within it dimmed slightly, as though something were suppressing it.

Several clan elders exchanged glances. Grand-Uncle frowned slightly and produced a new Spirit-Sensing Stone. "Try once more."

Si Chen placed his hand on it again. The result was the same — no reaction at all.

The clan members watching from the sidelines exchanged looks of disbelief, though they quickly masked their expressions. Si Chen's mother quietly tightened her grip on her handkerchief, while his father, Si Kai, kept his expression unchanged.

"This... the Spiritual Root... has not manifested?" Grand-Uncle's voice carried a note of confusion.

A faint stir rippled through the ancestral hall. No one had expected that this precocious eldest grandson would yield such a result.

Grand-Uncle pondered for a moment, then produced a smooth piece of white jade. "Let us also test the Bone Constitution. Some special physiques, even without a Spiritual Root, can find another path to Cultivation."

He looked at Si Chen with a gaze full of hope. "In the past, there have been several great masters who, relying on special physiques, ultimately achieved extraordinary things."

Si Chen obediently extended his hand to touch the jade.

The result was the same. The white jade lay like a sleeping stone, showing no response whatsoever to Si Chen's touch.

"Bone Constitution... Mortal grade..." Grand-Uncle let out a sigh, his tone tinged with regret.

Two consecutive unfavorable results caused the atmosphere in the ancestral hall to grow heavy.

A child with extraordinary learning ability — yet no talent for Cultivation?

The anticipated genius had fallen to the mundane. The contrast left many present feeling deeply unsettled.

"It's all right, Chenchen."

Ye Fu immediately crouched down and embraced her son, softly comforting him. "Being an ordinary person is perfectly fine. Mother only wishes for you to be safe and happy."

Si Kai, though unable to fully conceal his disappointment, maintained the composure befitting a Clan Head. "It is of no consequence. Even if my son cannot Cultivate, he may still manage the family's affairs."

Grand-Uncle nodded. "In that case, let us follow tradition and broaden Chenchen's horizons a little."

It was a family custom — to let the younger generation understand what Cultivation was, even if they could not walk that path themselves.

Si Kai looked toward his two younger brothers standing at the front of the crowd. "Second Brother, Third Brother — come and demonstrate."

Si Chen's Second Uncle, Si Che, practiced magic arts; his Third Uncle, Si Shuo, practiced body tempering. The two exchanged a glance and stepped forward one after the other.

Second Uncle raised his chin at little Si Chen, then raised his hands to form a seal. "Watch carefully, Chenchen."

A mass of crimson flame condensed in his palm, the fire dancing with scorching heat. "This is the most basic Fireball Technique — it requires using the Spiritual Root to channel the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth..."

He flicked his wrist, and the fireball shot out with a roar, striking a stone target in the distance and erupting into roaring flames.

On the other side, Third Uncle Si Shuo stepped forward, a faint golden Astral Qi rising around his body.

"Chenchen, the path of Body Cultivation centers on the Bone Constitution — using the physical body to bear the power of heaven and earth. When fully mastered, one can cleave mountains and redirect rivers..."

He threw a light punch. The fierce force of the blow shattered the stone target on the other side into pieces.

With the demonstration complete, the two stood at ease and looked at Si Chen with a measure of regret. After all, he was the first child of their generation, and the elders had all doted on him dearly.

But Si Chen simply tilted his head slightly, as though pondering something. Then, under the gaze of everyone present, he raised his right hand.

No incantation. No hand seals. Not even the faintest ripple of spiritual power.

Puff.

A fireball — identical in size and form to the one Second Uncle Si Che had just demonstrated — appeared out of thin air above his fair little palm, burning quietly.

Then he gave his wrist a light flick, and the fireball shot out at an even greater speed, striking the exact same spot on the stone target as before and blasting it into charred rubble.

"Wh-what?" Second Uncle Si Che cried out in shock, his eyes going wide as saucers. "How is this possible...?"

Si Chen did not pause. His gaze shifted toward Third Uncle Si Shuo. "Body Cultivation — is it like this?"

Before the words had even faded, a faint golden radiance rose around Si Chen's small frame. He casually stepped forward and threw out his tiny fist.

Boom!

A surge of force, condensed to near-physical solidity, burst through the air. Not only did it shatter the stone target completely, but the shockwave even cracked the courtyard wall more than ten meters behind it, leaving a winding fissure across the surface.

The entire plaza fell dead silent.

The sunlight was still bright. The birdsong was still clear. But the plaza before the Si Clan Ancestral Hall seemed to have been frozen by some invisible spell.

The Spirit-Sensing Stone in Grand-Uncle's hand slipped from his fingers and hit the ground with a clatter.

Si Che and Si Shuo stared at each other, each seeing the same disbelief reflected in the other's eyes.

The clan members stood with their mouths agape. The regret and disappointment from moments ago had been replaced by something far more powerful —

Shock.

Si Chen withdrew his small hand. The golden radiance around him quietly faded. He looked at his own palm, then raised his eyes toward his two uncles, his gaze clear and bright, carrying a trace of pure curiosity:

"Is that right? It doesn't seem all that complicated."

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Edited by Fat Goose