Chapter 18 Conversation

Chapter 18: Conversation

Feeling the gap between them narrow, Lin Xing was pretty happy. This was exactly the result he had wanted.

No matter what, Lin Xing preferred to treat people as equals. Because of the class system, such equal treatment might only be possible among nobles. However, even among nobles, absolute equality did not exist. Major nobles looked down on minor ones just the same, and nouveau riche nobles were similarly scorned by some.

Seeing Lin Xing's genuine happiness, Lin Feng and the other three were secretly delighted as well. Having such a young master was the best they could hope for. After all, they had heard that some noble young masters were really twisted, would never even look at a commoner, as if looking at them would dirty their eyes.

Perhaps some noble young masters might glance at commoners, or even bring people home to keep, like Young Master Lin Xing. However, they were not genuinely kind like Lin Xing—they had ulterior motives.

Although Lin Xing also had his own agenda in bringing them home—to build up his own power—he didn't mean any harm. In contrast, some noble young masters kept people merely for their own amusement, treating them as playthings, sometimes even valuing them less than magical beasts.

Those taken in by such noble young masters would get a beating or even be killed at the slightest displeasure of their masters. Killing a commoner meant nothing in the eyes of a noble—it was entirely based on their whims. Moreover, those people were their own property.

Lin Yun, even more overjoyed, wrapped an arm around Lin Xing's shoulder and said, "Young Master, let's go inside to chat."

Lin Xing nodded. "Alright, let's go in and have a good talk."

He then called Lin Feng and the others to follow him into the hall.

Once inside, Lin Xing removed his arm from Lin Yun's shoulder, took a seat, and said, "Tell me, how do you feel now? Besides having endless energy, what else is different from before? Lin Feng, you go first."

"Young Master, ever since you helped with the Meridian Cleansing..." Lin Feng hesitated, unsure how to describe the new term.

"Meridian Cleansing," Lin Xing reminded him.

"Yes, that's it. After the Meridian Cleansing, I feel much healthier and lighter. Before, even a short run would leave me drenched in sweat and exhausted. Now, running doesn't seem to take any effort at all. I don't tire as easily, and I hardly sweat. It feels like I'm a completely different person from before, especially inside my body." Lin Feng grew more excited as he spoke, getting more and more animated. "It's like there's a little snake slithering around inside me. It feels strange but also very comfortable. And that little snake seems to be growing, though not noticeably. I can still feel it getting bigger."

Lin Xing nodded. That so-called little snake was likely the Zhen Qi he had been cultivating. He hadn't expected them to sense the Zhen Qi inside their bodies in just a few days. It seemed he had chosen the right people—their potential was really great.

"And how big is that little snake slithering inside you?" Lin Xing asked.

Lin Feng scratched the back of his head. "About... about as thin as a strand of hair. Very, very small."

Lin Yun and Lin Lei both nodded in agreement. "Ours are about the same size. It feels strange, and it's like we can see it, even though we obviously can't."

Lin Dian, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "That's not right."

"What's not right?" everyone asked in unison.

"You said the Zhen Qi inside you is as thin as a strand of hair? Are you sure?" Lin Dian asked Lin Feng and the others.

"Yes, mine is definitely that small. Why, is yours different?" they asked curiously.

"That's strange. Mine is much bigger than yours—at least as thick as two strands of hair. Could mine be different? Am I some kind of once-in-a-generation genius?" Lin Dian boasted.

They were beginning to understand that it was Zhen Qi. The more Zhen Qi one had, the stronger they would be, and they knew that was a good thing, so there was no need to worry.

Hearing this, Lin Xing was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected Lin Dian's mutated Zhen Qi to be so powerful, already surpassing Lin Feng and the others from the start. It was hard to say how things would develop in the future.

He said happily, "Lin Dian, your situation is a bit special. Well, you could say you're a bit stronger than Lin Feng and the others."

Seeing Lin Dian grow even more boastful, Lin Xing decided to temper his enthusiasm. "However, don't get too excited. You're just off to a better start than them. If you don't work hard, they could still surpass you. And as for you..." He turned to Lin Feng and the others. "Don't let this bother you. Lin Dian has a slight advantage because of the mutated Zhen Qi in his body. Although you're a bit behind him now, remember this..."

Lin Xing spoke solemnly. "Cultivation is like sailing against the current—if you don't advance, you'll fall behind. As long as you all cultivate diligently, your achievements in the future will not be inferior to any prodigy's. Moreover, I've already helped you with Meridian Cleansing and given you martial arts techniques best suited for your cultivation. However! If you don't take your cultivation seriously and rely solely on your higher starting point, your progress will stagnate, and you might even regress. If that happens, you'll become nothing but trash!"

Lin Feng and the others fell silent, their earlier excitement completely gone.

Seeing them calm down, Lin Xing didn't want to crush their confidence entirely. It was enough for them to understand this principle—there was no need to make them feel worthless.

"Don't be like this. Your starting point is higher than others', and after the Meridian Cleansing, your physiques are excellent. You don't need to bury yourselves in cultivation every day. Just spend a little time each day on it, and I guarantee your achievements will surpass those of ordinary people. Of course, the harder you work, the greater your achievements will be. But I don't advocate burying yourselves in cultivation all day. You should still enjoy life. We're young, and we should still have fun."

As he spoke, Lin Xing grew less and less serious. Lin Feng and the other three were fired up by his words, each silently vowing, "We will cultivate diligently from now on."