I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1670 - 109: Wu Qingqiu

Chapter 1670: Chapter 109: Wu Qingqiu

What constitutes martial arts aptitude? Array masters seek understanding, body refiners require robust bones, Zen practitioners talk about the root of wisdom, or the most common claim, bloodline.

In Tang Luo’s view, so-called aptitude simply consists of two parts: one is innate, such as the speed at which the body absorbs Spiritual Energy; whether there is a latent bloodline carrying innate qi.

The acquired aspect is self-discipline and focus, and most importantly, imagination.

Or to put it another way, in Tang Luo’s opinion, the most crucial aspect of martial arts talent is imagination.

For instance, before the emergence of the Demon Race, the Human Race did not know what Spiritual Power was, let alone what cultivation realms were. The ancient humans only knew of strengthening their bodies.

So how did cultivation begin? It started when the Human Race realized that even weak creatures like the Fox Demon and bats could grow stronger than humans through breath control and cultivation.

The Human Race began to worship these mild-tempered members of the Demon Race as totems, such as the deer, crane, ape, and ghost.

Of course, some humans worshipped gentleness, while others revered power, and there were those who venerated fierce great demons as ancestral totems.

Whether they were peaceful spirit beasts or vicious fiends, in ancient times, both were beings the Human Race looked up to.

In the eyes of demons, the Human Race was like cattle and rodents without spiritual intelligence, mere ingredients on their menu.

These species with extraordinary strength and long lifespans naturally could not know the terrifying nature of what lay hidden in human bloodlines.

From the moment they began to worship demons, humans started to imitate them, copying the spirit beasts’ movements and breathing techniques.

Some people died, but others gained strength through imitation.

Whether there is indeed an inexplicable connection within the same species, once the first person broke through, countless cultivators emerged among the Human Race.

Some called themselves Ancient Qi Refiners, others called themselves Totem Warriors, some declared themselves Sorcerers, and others claimed to be divine envoys sent by the heavens to the mortal world.

No matter how superficial their understanding or how naive their development of Spiritual Energy was at that time, it is undeniable that they were pioneers of the Human Race cultivators.

In an era with no path laid before them, what the Human Race competed in was their own innate talents, but now, predecessors and sages have considered everything, both what could and could not be anticipated.

Therefore, scions of great houses no longer need to bring their brains to cultivation, as the wisdom of overcoming barriers has been passed down to later generations through oral and written teachings by predecessors. One simply follows the established practices in cultivation.

Thus, in these families, there are no true geniuses, only those who progress step by step because real geniuses never emerge through the teachings of others.

No one can teach a genius, for a genius always forges their own path.

The best guidance for a genius is to develop their own imagination, provide resources, and eliminate the repetition of effort, so as not to waste time.

Imagining oneself as a divine beast and manifesting it is Tang Luo’s method for selecting geniuses.

Having assigned the task, the principal stood behind the podium, watching quietly as the five hundred students went from quiet to noisy. When they realized Tang Luo didn’t mind, some even left their seats to join others and brainstorm together.

Some pondered alone, some formed small groups to discuss, some debated until red in the face, all sorts of life’s variances revealed before this simple test.

During this commotion, a child raised their hand high, their little face full of confusion.

Tang Luo beckoned the child to come closer and speak.

"Principal..."

The child who approached, fingers twined in front of them with head tilted up, asked hesitantly, "Are we only allowed to imagine ourselves as these five divine beasts? Can we... can we think of something else?"

Tang Luo crouched down to bring his eyes level with the child, speaking with a pleasant expression: "What do you wish to become?"

"Is it okay to imagine a Spirit Turtle?"

"What’s the difference between a Spirit Turtle and Xuanwu?"

"There’s a difference!"

The young boy eagerly denied, "It must be different."

"Hmm, so do you want to turn yourself into a spiritual turtle?"

"Yes!"

The young boy’s face lit up with joy as he nodded.

"What’s your name?"

"I am called Wu Qingqiu," the disciple replied.

"Shall we begin now?"

"Is that possible?"

"Of course, it’s possible."

Tang Luo nodded, then stood up and backed away, giving the young boy enough space.

The conical-shaped classroom was designed to focus all the disciples’ attention on the front podium.

As Wu Qingqiu stepped onto the stage, more and more people stopped their discussions. As an increasing number of students from the academy turned their attention to the stage, the classroom gradually became less noisy.

Of course, there were still those who didn’t care about the situation on stage and continued their discussions, among them were several young masters from the Yancang Wu family.

Others might not recognize Wu Qingqiu, but they did. Born to a concubine and assigned to Spirit Beast Lake, his daily tasks were simple chores like chopping ingredients and feeding fish.

If not for the scarcity of disciples around the age of six or seven in the clan, they would never bring a disciple of such birth to Red Cloud Mountain.

They had hoped to have a servant to attend to them after enrolling in the academy, but they did not expect that Wu Qingqiu would be the first to take the stage and make a fool of himself, much to the dissatisfaction of the legitimate Wu Junchen and others.

"Has he gone dumb from feeding turtles!"

Wu Taotao said discontentedly: "If he messes this up, how are others going to look at us!"

Youth from noble families tend to mature early, mainly because there is not a single easy-going lady among all the mothers and aunts in the backyards, and these young people, influenced daily, could not have pure intentions. Seeing Wu Qingqiu going onto the stage, their first thought was that he was going to disgrace them on Red Cloud Mountain.

After all, what qualifications does a child who has been feeding fish since childhood and can scarcely recognize characters have to be the first to perform on stage?

For a moment, the young masters of the Wu family looked towards the stage with somewhat malicious eyes.

Luckily, Wu Qingqiu had his back to the steps; otherwise, seeing the disdainful looks from his clan brothers would definitely make him tremble in fear.

Actually, from the beginning, the young boy did not want to come to Red Cloud Mountain, nor did he have any extravagant hopes of attaching himself to the nobility of the sacred place.

If he could choose, he would rather stay in the small cabin by Spirit Beast Lake, looking after the old turtle and the foolish fish every day.

Thinking of his companions in Spirit Beast Lake, Wu Qingqiu couldn’t help but feel even more sorrowful.

Inspired by a stroke of fortune, he unconsciously began to mimic the old turtle’s demeanor as it came ashore.

His figure quickly hunched over, his clear eyes swiftly clouded, limbs retracted, and the whole person slowly, slowly collapsed to the ground, and then... there was no then.

Watching Wu Qingqiu lying motionless on the ground, the crowd burst into laughter. They had thought that the first one on stage would have something special about him, but is this it?

The disciples of the Wu family wished they could burrow into a crack in the ground, yet Wu Qingqiu seemed as if he had not heard any of it, still lying prone on the ground.

After the laughter subsided, the students continued their discussions, while Tang Luo appeared to be quite surprised.

The surprise was not from Wu Qingqiu’s imitation of a turtle lying on the ground but from being amazed at the young boy’s talent.

Just by feeding spiritual turtles, he could find a method of entering a meditative state that was uniquely his own. This damn kid is a genius in practicing meditation techniques!