Volume One, Chapter 18: Gifted Beyond Compare?

Jiang Mu’s face darkened as he instinctively looked up at Jiang Yuexuan, utterly baffled as to why his third sister would entrust him to such an irresponsible brat. Yet Jiang Yuexuan seemed oblivious, merely nodding at the child before reminding Jiang Mu to heed this senior’s words, then departing with Su Li.

“Third sister, I...” Jiang Mu wanted to protest, but Jiang Yuexuan had already disappeared.

The brat’s voice sounded behind him. “Hey, kid, stop calling out. She won’t care about you!”

Swallowing hard, Jiang Mu forced himself to turn back.

“Se...senior, you...” Before he could finish, a sudden blur caught his eye, and he instinctively reached out.

The next moment, a pile of dirty clothes was dumped into his arms by the brat.

“Take these and wash them. There’s a river over there. Remember, make sure they’re clean!” The boy added sternly, as if worried Jiang Mu might not obey.

“Don’t even think about running off or cutting corners, or I’ll go tell the sect leader!” Taking a deep breath, Jiang Mu nodded obediently.

He didn’t suspect the brat was lying; after all, the stench was unmistakable.

Cradling the heavy bundle, Jiang Mu followed the direction the boy had pointed, making his way behind the attic. Along the way, he couldn’t help but brood.

Though he trusted his third sister wouldn’t casually assign him to an unreliable person, this child was undeniably strange. Instead of guiding him, he was being made to do menial chores. Could there be some deeper meaning behind this?

Jiang Mu could only comfort himself with such thoughts.

Sighing, he resigned himself to reality, hoping this brat had some plan and wasn’t just using him as a laborer.

Crossing two small hills, Jiang Mu finally spotted a narrow river. He found a flat stone by the bank and sat down heavily.

Washing clothes was nothing difficult for him; in fact, he didn’t mind it, having done such chores back at the Lin family.

Thinking of the Lin family, his mind drifted to Lin Xiu, whom he had brought back. He wondered how she was faring and whether her spoiled noble temperament had softened within the sect.

He pulled out a garment from the pile and soaked it in the river water. But when he tried to pull it out, he found the soaked cloth was nearly ten times heavier than before.

Startled, Jiang Mu blinked and gripped harder, barely managing to drag the garment onto the stone.

Instead of immediately washing it, he carefully examined the cloth.

He scrutinized it for a long while, even scooping some river water to compare, but found no clue, his brow furrowed in puzzlement.

Could it be that his perception was off?

Shaking his head, Jiang Mu gave up worrying. He casually grabbed a wooden stick from the pile — it was tossed along with the clothes by the brat earlier.

Holding the stick in one hand and the garment in the other, Jiang Mu struck the clothes with the stick.

To his surprise, the stick seemed to stick to the fabric, requiring great effort to pull it free. He was utterly dumbfounded.

Indeed, that brat had other intentions for making him wash clothes!

Jiang Mu’s heart leapt with joy. On Blue Star, he had seen many such tricks — all tests of one’s endurance. Yet he wasn’t sure exactly what skill washing clothes was meant to hone.

As he labored, he pondered the purpose.

Unexpectedly, his dantian twitched, and a flow of spiritual energy coursed through his meridians into his arm.

Suddenly, Jiang Mu paused, realization dawning.

Spiritual energy!

With its infusion, the wooden stick felt significantly lighter, and the sticky resistance on the clothes eased.

Foundation Establishment Stage — this was clearly meant to help him lay a solid foundation and master the use of spiritual energy!

Understanding the child’s intention, Jiang Mu didn’t waste this opportunity. He practiced channeling his spiritual energy as he worked, humming a cheerful tune.

Meanwhile, the child outside the attic, seemingly oblivious to the scene, suddenly frowned as if noticing something intriguing.

Clicking his tongue, the boy muttered, “Huh? So quickly comprehended. This kid’s aptitude is indeed impressive, worthy of awakening a saint-level talent!”

Had Jiang Mu known the boy’s evaluation, he might have laughed heartily. Saint-level talent? Hardly — just someone who’d read too many cliché cultivation novels in a past life!

With growing ease in wielding the stick, Jiang Mu’s control over his spiritual energy improved, and he gradually grasped the boy’s intent.

Since he had skipped the Qi Refinement stage in his initial cultivation, his understanding of spiritual energy was insufficient. Diving straight into foundation establishment would leave his base unstable. This method deepened his perception, compensating for that shortcoming.

Sure enough, Jiang Mu finished washing all the clothes without further difficulty.

Returning to the attic with the clean clothes, the brat was nowhere to be seen.

Jiang Mu hesitated, about to call out, when the child’s voice floated down.

“No need to look for me. I’m upstairs having tea. Just hang the clothes to dry and come up.”

Jiang Mu smiled wryly. After all that had happened, he no longer rejected the brat. Since the boy wouldn’t harm him, he complied.

After hanging the clothes, Jiang Mu stepped into the attic.

The moment he entered, the door slammed shut behind him. Then the boy’s voice echoed.

“This building has five floors. The first contains records of Northern Domain’s anecdotes over centuries and foundational cultivation knowledge. The second holds records on the continent’s various beast species. The third features different cultivators’ insights and methods across martial stages. The fourth chronicles the deeds of strong figures over the past century. The fifth concerns legends about the saint realm.”

“There are no passages or doors between floors. Only after you’ve memorized all the scrolls on your current floor can you progress to the next. Only when you reach the top floor may you leave this building.”

“Any questions?”

The boy’s tone was unusually steady.

Jiang Mu glanced around. Just this floor held hundreds of scrolls, each two fingers thick. Such a demand would overwhelm most.

How long would it take just to read through them all?

For an ordinary person, perhaps a lifetime.

Yet upon hearing this, Jiang Mu remained calm, even smiling faintly.

A trap?

He was all too familiar with this!

Surely some artifact here slowed time’s flow. This design merely tested patience and broadened experience!

Confident as if he’d seen through the world itself, Jiang Mu sat down and picked up a scroll, reading without haste.

One month...

Two months...

Half a year...

One year...

Ten years!

Jiang Mu remained composed, immersed in the sea of books.

The child observing quietly outside the attic finally couldn’t contain himself and sighed.

This one truly was gifted beyond compare!