Chapter 3: The Path Of Cultivation

Words : 2918 Updated : May 22nd, 2025

For Liam, the most important thing right now was to start cultivating again. There are eight cultivation realms: Energy Refining, Innate, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, Void Return, Unity, and Tribulation Crossing. His mentor, Verdant, had lived for 840,000 years, but had only reached the Unity realm. This realm meant a lifespan of up to a million years. People at this level were at the very top of all the races in the universe. In his previous life, Liam had surpassed Verdant, reaching the Tribulation Crossing realm in just five hundred years and earning the title Immortal Venerable. But for Liam, the Tribulation Crossing realm was far off now. "When I returned to Earth in my past life, all the spiritual energy was dried up. It was no place for cultivators to live. Compared to the sacred training grounds of the True Martial Immortal Sect or the Nether World that Mr. Verdant created, even the most ordinary inhabited planet was way more prosperous than Earth." As Liam used his cultivation techniques to sense the spiritual energy around him, he thought to himself. The last time he returned to Earth was over a hundred years later, and he had reached the Divine Transformation realm. It took him a ton of effort to cross countless light-years and make it back home. By then, Earth had totally changed. There weren't even any countries left. The nations had all joined together to form the Earth Federation, started colonizing Mars, and stepped into the interstellar age. Liam spent twenty years on Earth then, and never sensed a single other cultivator. "The spiritual energy now is a bit better than a hundred years later, but it's still almost gone," he thought, shaking his head. "Even if there are any cultivators, they'd be lucky to reach the Innate realm." "I'm probably the only cultivator left on Earth," he thought. Liam could do whatever he wanted on Earth with a bit of cultivation. As long as he reached the Innate realm, he'd have enough power to protect his family and not worry about modern weapons. Since he was once a Tribulation Crossing expert, even on the barren Earth, reaching the Innate realm should only take a few years. "I notice the spiritual energy is denser in some places than others. If I can find a spot where it gathers, my cultivation will advance much faster." "If I could get my hands on some rare spiritual herbs or treasures, I could probably break through to the Innate realm in three years." Thinking of this, Liam laughed at himself. "Who am I kidding? With how scarce the spiritual energy is on Earth, forget about rare treasures, even old medicinal herbs have probably all been taken." As he was thinking, the car got close to Leila's house. Liam rented an apartment in Lakeside Community, a middle-class neighborhood in Cadell City, on the edge of Zenos District, right by Cloudridge Hills, facing Lake Yanvale. Leila lived in a small villa community in Cloudridge Hills, just a few minutes' drive away. They drove along the lakeside road until they reached the foot of Cloude Mountain. Liam opened his eyes and saw the sign for the villa community: Longvista Park. In his past life, Longvista Park was considered a high-end neighborhood in Cadell City, and a small villa went for one million. This was before housing prices in the city center shot up to over ten thousand a square meter. Apartments like those in the Laskeside Community only cost four hundred thousand back then. Noticing his gaze in the rearview mirror, Leila said, "Besides Lake Yanvale, Cloude Mountain is probably the most famous place in Cadell City. Longvista Park isn't even the best. It's just at the foot of the mountain, only 7,000 dollars a square meter. The real fancy houses are halfway up Cloude Mountain. People say that you're surrounded by clouds when you open your door in the mornings. That's why it's called Cloude Mountain." Leila's eyes showed a bit of envy. "Those villas are worth at least ten million. Cadell City's richest family built the villas and are home to big shots and business tycoons from the south. Even if I sold my whole company, I probably couldn't afford one," Leila sighed. "The richest family in Cadell City, the Snowdens?" Liam's eyes flickered. "Mrs. Leila, I think your place is already amazing. My family only owns a hundred-square-meter apartment in Seapolis, which the government gave us." Liam paused and said, "Mrs. Leila, once I make some money, I'll buy you a few villas up there, so you can wake up to a sea of clouds every morning." To a cultivator, a villa was nothing. Once he reached the Innate realm, he could pick any mansion, though he probably wouldn't even care about them. He could build his immortal residence in the clouds, watch the sunrise every morning, and see the stars and moon at night. What mansion could top that? Leila grinned. "Okay, I'll remember your promise! You should get your mom to stay here, too. No need to stress over the real estate company. It's tough for your mom and sister to be in a big city like Shanton. I'll take a villa. She can have one too, which is perfect for retirement. We can go shopping together, get spa treatments, and not worry about work constantly." Hearing this, Catherine couldn't help but frown a little. Those luxury villas halfway up Cloude Mountain cost millions. Even the richest kids at her school wouldn't dare to brag like that. Only Cadell City's wealthiest person had that kind of nerve. "Looks like he's just another guy who likes to show off," she thought, slightly disappointed. She'd hoped Liam might be different, but he was just like all the other boys. Just then, the car pulled up in front of a two-story Western-style villa with a garden. Leila's house was decorated in a simple, elegant style, with fancy porcelain vases, expensive gold-threaded sandalwood furniture, and orchids everywhere. When they walked into the living room, they saw a middle-aged man with glasses who looked very scholarly and was focused entirely on the local news on TV. This was Catherine's dad, George Juggins, the deputy director of the Cadell City government office. He wasn't that high up, but being close to the city's power center meant he had some real influence. When Liam came in, George nodded at him from the couch. "Liam, have a seat. Catherine, make some tea for your dad and our guest. I'll go heat a couple of dishes," Leila said, leading Liam inside and telling her daughter, then heading for the kitchen. Catherine nodded and took out a fancy teapot set. Liam was surprised at how smooth and graceful her tea-making was. A tea expert had taught her. He hadn't paid attention to this in his past life. George stayed focused on the TV and only turned to Liam after the news ended. "How's your dad? The last time I saw him was at a city government meeting about half a year ago." "My dad's doing great. He mentioned you just the other day, Mr. Juggins," Liam replied, nodding politely. Liam's father was a deputy county chief in Seapolis, about the same rank as George, but being at the center of Cadell City's government was a whole different story. George nodded. "Your dad is impressive. That report he wrote on county economic development and environmental policy got a lot of praise from the mayor. He said your dad has a global outlook, and that protecting the environment is the way forward for the economy." Liam just smiled. Honestly, he didn't know about economic development. No wonder he'd caused the Splendor Group to go bankrupt in his past life. Noticing that Liam didn't understand economics, George frowned a little, then changed the topic. "Leila said your mom's real estate company in Shanton is doing well. A lot of experts think the housing market is about to boom in the next year or two. Your mom picked the right field." Liam said modestly, "My mom's company is just a small operation. Mrs. Leila's design company has a bright future." George shook his head. "You're giving Leila too much credit. Her company only has a dozen people, and they make a few hundred thousand a year at best. That's nothing compared to your mom's big company." Liam laughed, "I'm really not exaggerating. My mom's company isn't big. It's just a small business." "Oh?" George frowned even more. What Liam said differed from what he'd heard. Liam didn't look like a liar. Maybe the rumors George heard were not accurate. After all, how could Anya and Jorja, who didn't know anyone, start a huge real estate company in Shanton in just a few years? People always exaggerate. Thinking that, George's smile faded. "How are your grades?" Not realizing George took his modesty seriously, Liam said, "I'm in the top 500 in Seapolis." "Mrs. Leila said Catherine is in the top fifty at her school. I should learn from her," he added. Seapolis was the worst in economy and education out of all ten districts in Cadell City. Being ranked five hundred meant Liam probably couldn't even enter a regular university, much less a top one. When George heard that Liam was only ranked 500th, his frown deepened, and his smile disappeared. "Since your mom sent you here to study, you must focus on your education. Family can only help you so much. After that, it's up to you. A good education is your ticket to success, no matter what you do." Liam wasn't bothered by George's attitude. He nodded and said, "You're right, Mr. Juggins." Liam didn't care about school. As a cultivator, getting top scores would be easy if he tried. After talking briefly, George realized Liam knew little about many things and felt even more disappointed. He remembered meeting Joshua, the deputy mayor's kid. With his takes on economics and politics, Joshua was smart, tall, good-looking, and mature. Compared to him, Liam didn't measure up. "I should let my wife know. This kid just isn't right for Catherine," George thought. Leila had mentioned her matchmaking plans before, but after meeting Liam, George was disappointed. With how picky Catherine was, there was no way she'd be interested in Liam.

Chapter 3: The Path Of Cultivation

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