Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record
After paying a high "price" and briefly using the Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record, Yang Shen gained a preliminary understanding of this "Family Heirloom’s" function.
It was undoubtedly the cornerstone of the family’s development.
First, he could now inspect the Spiritual Root, or "Cultivation Talent," of any family member.
It could even reveal their "Hidden Talent."
A Hidden Talent wasn’t the same as a Life Chart; it was more akin to an aptitude for "what one is suited to do."
The "Life Chart Inspection" function was part of the system, but Yang Shen had only been able to see his own "Spiritual Root." He couldn’t see his aunt’s, his two younger sisters’, or those of his two new temporary little brothers.
Let alone a "Hidden Talent."
Additionally, the "Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record" was like a "treasure version" of a family tree. It not only listed the names of current members but, by consuming Spiritual Power, could also trace back to his deceased Uncle, Yang Shen’s parents, and even a dozen or so generations further—even for people Yang Shen had never met, some of whom had been dead for over a hundred years.
It could find them, dead or alive! Yang Shen had thought he was the last of the Yang Family, but the "Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record" had actually located numerous "collateral branches" scattered far and wide!
Although these individuals were not recorded by the system as members of the "Jianghuai Yang Family," the record could pinpoint their locations from a thousand miles away. The possibility of recruiting them into the family in the future couldn’t be ruled out.
This even included people who were recognized as family members but were not blood relatives.
For example, the Spiritual Record showed information on Lei Lv and Lei Yi, their parents, their grandfather, their so-called "Third Grandpa" from the village, and even their mother who had run away.
This was the origin of the two words "Ancestral Lineage."
It was just that the further back he looked, the more Spiritual Power it consumed.
This ability was already powerful when applied to the Yang bloodline, but the members of a family weren’t just blood descendants. It could also investigate special cases like Lei Lv and Lei Yi, and in the future, even the family’s "in-laws," "employees," and "retainers"...
It could doxx eighteen generations of your ancestors in an instant.
This went beyond the concept of a "family tree"; it was a "divination treasure."
Of course, this information wasn’t that important to Yang Shen right now. After all, this was a "pay-per-view" item, and there was no annual VIP membership or anything. He couldn’t bear to waste time on it.
At the moment, his own family was what mattered most.
"Yang Mo: Jianghuai Yang Family, First-Generation Female, Collateral Line."
"Spiritual Root Aptitude: Earth and Wood Dual Spiritual Roots."
"Hidden Talent: Array"
...
"Yang Man: Jianghuai Yang Family, First-Generation Female, Collateral Line."
"Spiritual Root Aptitude: Earth and Wood Dual Spiritual Roots."
"Hidden Talent: Array"
Yang Shen looked at the information displayed in the Spiritual Record, feeling both happy and regretful.
Both of his younger sisters had Spiritual Roots, but unfortunately... they were only Dual Spiritual Roots, not Four Spiritual Roots like his.
’Their Cultivation aptitude probably won’t amount to much.’
And their "Hidden Talent" indicated that pursuing the path of "Array" might be more suitable for them in the future.
’Well... it’s not like I have one either.’ He had only heard that it was one of the "Hundred Skills of Cultivation."
His aunt, Tao Ying, was also listed.
"Tao Ying: Jianghuai Yang Family, Previous-Generation In-law, Collateral Line."
"Spiritual Root Aptitude: None"
"Hidden Talent: Raising Children Well"
Apparently, the Spiritual Record used Yang Shen as the baseline "first generation," which made his aunt the "previous generation," a slightly convoluted description.
Yang Shen felt it was a pity that his aunt had no Spiritual Root, but she did have a talent for Martial Arts. She had reached the Marrow Refining stage back in her day. Perhaps once the family developed, she could continue to advance on her Martial Arts path.
As for his two freshly minted "little brothers"...
"Lei Lv: Jianghuai Yang Family, Male of a Different Surname."
"Spiritual Root: Metal"
"Hidden Talent: Sword Technique, Escape Technique"
"Lei Yi: Jianghuai Yang Family, Male of a Different Surname."
"Spiritual Root: Fire"
"Hidden Talent: Swordsmanship, Escape Technique"
’Heh, just a single attribute.’
’Not even as good as Yang Mo and Yang Man.’
’Barely able to cultivate.’
As for himself, besides the excellent Four Spiritual Roots he could already see, the Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record also displayed Yang Shen’s "Hidden Talent":
Fist Skill, Spear Skill.
This "spear" (qiang), he wasn’t sure if it referred to a firearm or the polearm.
On Cyan Blue, both were very popular. It was convenient for a Martial Artist to have a gun. Across the ocean, the "Magna United States" even had a popular martial art called "Magna Iaido." Of course, in terms of potential, the polearm-type spear still had a higher ceiling.
Besides, Fist Technique and Spear Technique were strongly related, sharing a common essence.
Finally, out of curiosity, Yang Shen took a look at his Uncle’s information.
A single Water Spiritual Root... Hidden Talent was Swordsmanship.
But it was meaningless now... His uncle had never used a sword, only fishing nets and a fish spear.
Then there was Uncle Yiming, who had a Water, Fire, and Metal triple Spiritual Root, with a Hidden Talent for construction.
’So there was a reason why the four little ones all had Spiritual Roots...’
That was all the information Yang Shen managed to see in the limited time he had.
Yang Shen took a deep breath.
With this, the initial foundation for the Jianghuai Yang Family was set.
The future was boundless.
But it was also fraught with difficulties.
The first step... was to solve their money problem...
Yang Shen took out his phone and sent a message to Xu Bamboo: "Zhuzi, does the gym where you have your private training sessions need any sparring partners for part-time work?"
This was the only "relatively fast" way to make money he could think of... After all, there weren’t many ways a high school student could earn cash.
The rest were basically all written in the Yanhua Country’s criminal code.
Before, he wouldn’t have even dared to consider it, but now that he had comprehended Fist Intent, maybe a gym would take an interest in him for it...?
Even if it was just out of curiosity, someone might want to talk to him. Sparring was tough and came with the risk of injury, but the pay was much faster than working at a boba tea shop, and it wouldn’t take up too much of his time.
He didn’t expect Xu Bamboo to reply immediately; he would have been asleep long ago at this hour. The young man just wanted to send the message to ease his anxiety.
Then, he could better compose himself and calmly settle his mind for Cultivation.
’Cultivation favors stillness over movement... It’s quite a test of one’s temperament. You have to be able to endure loneliness...’
The dead of night was the perfect time for it.
————
As planned, Yang Shen stayed up all night cultivating, right until the sun began to rise. Then, he stood up and performed his Rising Sun Fist Training while staring directly at the sun, continuing until it had risen completely and he could no longer look at it.
Although he had lost 1 point of his Qi and Blood Value last night from using the "Ancestral Lineage Spiritual Record," he "earned" quite a bit from cultivating every day, so he could afford the loss.
He was starting to see that while Cultivation offered many miraculous methods, they all probably required "payment."
Having spent some and accumulated some more last night, his Qi and Blood Value had reached 97 points.
Although it wasn’t fully consolidated yet, and he still had some "floating assets" to digest, crossing the 100-point mark tomorrow and getting his ticket into the Bone Training stage was a certainty.
He once thought he’d only have a chance to reach the Bone Training realm before the college entrance exams... and even that was just what he’d told himself, while actually being terribly uncertain.
He never expected that in just over a week, he would be standing firmly on a new threshold.
Yang Shen clenched his fists and thought, ’The progress in Martial Arts is plain to see, but Cultivation doesn’t seem to be as fast...’
According to the "Guiding Technique," one needed to be at the second level of Qi Cultivation to have a faint Qi Sensitivity, and the third level to possess the legendary "Qi Sea."
Only with "Qi Sensitivity" could one use functions beyond "Nurturing the body," instead of just being like a gas tank that only lets out gas.
And only with a "Qi Sea" would he have a reserve of "Spiritual Power," rather than having it all absorbed by his body as it was now. When he could draw on Spiritual Power from that "source," he probably wouldn’t lose Qi and Blood Value anymore.
Of course, if his Qi Sea ran dry and he was forced to activate his Essence Blood, he would still lose it.
’Xu Bamboo is at the early stage of Marrow Refining, which is only equivalent to the second level of Qi Cultivation. Liu Yuankui is Innate, and that’s just the third level of Qi Cultivation. I’m still far behind...’
But he felt that he should be stronger than someone who only cultivated or only practiced Martial Arts.
Any fool knew that two hands were better than one in a fight.
’The constitution of a typical first-level Qi Cultivation practitioner should be far inferior to mine...’
Yang Shen glanced at the sun again and, on a whim, gave it a wave. "Alright, I’m out. See you tomorrow~"
Just then, on the neighboring rooftop, a pigeon Cage was opened, and countless pigeons took flight with cooing calls, circling the residential complex.
It was as if the sun was responding to him.
Yang Shen tidied up and turned to head downstairs and back home.
It was probably going to be lively this morning. His aunt had to make breakfast for six people, and he needed to go help in the kitchen.
On his way, however, his phone vibrated lightly. Yang Shen opened it and saw a reply from Xu Bamboo.
’He’s up pretty early.’
Xu Bamboo: "Sparring partner? If you’re looking for part-time work, being a sparring partner doesn’t pay much. On the surface, it’s about 300 an hour, but the gym takes a 50% cut. For gig work like yours, they might take even more. The jobs are sporadic, one here and there. When you do the math, it’s not much higher than working at a boba shop, and if you get injured, you end up losing money."
This message was a rude awakening, leaving Yang Shen completely stunned.
Yang Shen quickly replied: "It’s that shady? But... I still want to give it a try. I’m short on cash lately."
Xu Bamboo: "Are you sure it’s just ’lately’?"
Yang Shen: ...
That jab struck a major artery. Xu Bamboo didn’t continue teasing, though, and quickly sent another message.
"I have an idea, though... I might be able to snag a good gig for you! Making money will be secondary. When you go, just eat as much as you can and stuff yourself! There’s a lot of ’High Source food’."
"What kind of gig? Picking up scraps from a high-end restaurant’s kitchen?"
’A living garbage disposal?’
’Huang Gang could do that job, but not me, Yang Shen...’
"I’ll ask right now. Wait for my message!"
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