Finally Able to Cultivate

Chen Chang'an felt that there must be some special connection between this object and himself.

Chen Zhengyuan, on the other hand, never expected that the heirloom left by their ancestors would stir such excitement in Chen Chang'an.

"Ancestor, this is called a 'Fetal Pearl'?"

Fetal Pearl?

How come I’ve never heard of it?

Chen Chang'an glanced at Da Huang, whose eyes also held a trace of confusion—apparently, even it hadn’t heard of such a thing.

"What is a Fetal Pearl?"

"Oh, the name was given by our ancestors. Since this pearl appeared alongside you when you were born, they named it the Fetal Pearl."

What?

So, back then, my mother didn’t just give birth to me—she also birthed a pearl?

What does that even mean? That my sibling from the same womb is a pearl?

"Originally, the ancestors planned to give you the Fetal Pearl once you were older, but you were taken away by a powerful figure and never returned.

Alas, over the years, the Chen Family has weathered many storms. Of the nine Fetal Pearls, only this one remains."

Only one left out of nine?

Does that mean I have eight brothers scattered out there somewhere?

"Do you know where they are?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"No idea. Too much time has passed. The only one I know of is currently in the hands of the Great Zhou Kingdom’s royal family.

Back then, they used underhanded means to seize it from the Chen Family.

As for why they wanted it, I don’t know the details."

The descendants of the Chen Family only knew that this object was left for Chen Chang'an by their ancestors, but they had no clue what purpose the Fetal Pearl served.

To them, it looked beautiful but seemed utterly useless to cultivators.

"Alright, I understand. You may go now.

Oh, and prepare some good food—lots of it. Da Huang has quite the appetite."

"Yes, I’ll arrange it immediately."

After Chen Zhengyuan left, Da Huang gave Chen Chang'an an approving look. Good, you know how to treat me right.

"Da Huang, I feel like there’s a special bond between this thing and me.

I’m going back to my room to study it properly."

Da Huang nodded. Based on its understanding of Chen Chang'an, it was rare for him to wear such a serious expression.

Once back in his room, Chen Chang'an placed the Fetal Pearl on his palm and examined it closely.

What exactly is your connection to me?

Just as he was lost in thought, the Fetal Pearl suddenly transformed into a streak of white light and shot straight into his forehead.

It happened so fast that Chen Chang'an didn’t even have time to react.

"Holy—is my brother trying to possess me?

Wait… no!"

After entering his forehead, the Fetal Pearl dissolved into a surge of energy that coursed through Chen Chang'an’s entire body.

The sensation was so pleasurable that he nearly moaned—but he held it back.

"Spiritual energy?

I… I can sense and absorb spiritual energy now?"

After circulating through his body, the energy finally settled at his brow before vanishing entirely.

At the same time, Chen Chang'an’s body became capable of sensing and absorbing spiritual energy—something he had been unable to do for years.

No matter how many rare treasures Mu Yunyao had fed him, none had ever made a difference.

Yet now, a single Fetal Pearl had resolved his physical limitation?

"Holy hell, was my inability to cultivate all because of… these nine Fetal Pearls?

So my talent for cultivation was just left behind in the womb?

My master was right—I really am a freak!"

Chen Chang'an couldn’t help but laugh at himself. The world was vast, but someone like him was truly one in a million.

"Alright, let’s see if I can really cultivate now."

For years, Chen Chang'an had acted carefree about his inability to cultivate, but deep down, it had always bothered him.

Mu Yunyao’s lifetime of knowledge was stored in his mind—cultivation itself had never been the issue. The problem was his inability to absorb spiritual energy.

"Hmm… an Emperor-grade technique, Supreme Overlord Body Art? Nah, my physique isn’t suited for that.

Nine Revolutions Heavenly Profound Art? Powerful, sure, but having to restart cultivation nine times is too much hassle.

Which technique looks the coolest?"

With so many options, Chen Chang'an found himself momentarily indecisive.

"Ah, screw it—I’ll go with swordsmanship. After all, I’m a sharp-tongued guy anyway.

Heh heh!"

Peerless Sword Emperor Art—this was another technique Mu Yunyao had imparted to him.

Mastering it was no easy feat. It demanded not just talent but exceptional comprehension.

Without sufficient insight, one could never grasp its profound mysteries.

"Alright…"

Chen Chang'an took a deep breath. His excitement mirrored that of a novice stepping into the world of cultivation for the first time.

After ten thousand years of waiting, the day had finally come!

As he activated the technique, spiritual energy surged toward him like tidal waves!

"Huh?

What the—

Is this kid really cultivating now?"

Outside, Da Huang sensed the drastic shift in spiritual energy and stared in astonishment.

This troublemaker was already a menace without cultivation. If he gains power now…

As Chen Chang'an continued, every cultivator in Swallow Return City was left dumbfounded.

"What’s going on?"

"No idea, but the spiritual energy… it’s vanishing!"

"The Chen Family—it’s all converging toward their estate!"

"What? The Chen Family? Did their patriarch break through to the True Qi Realm’s peak?"

"Impossible, right?"

Members of the Xu and Ning Families exchanged bewildered glances, utterly clueless about the situation.

They could only speculate whether the Chen Family’s head had stumbled upon some great opportunity, boosting his strength dramatically.

Meanwhile, the Chen Family members were ecstatic. They could sense that the spiritual energy was gathering precisely where their ancestor resided.

"As expected of our ancestor—truly formidable!"

"Indeed! With his return, our Chen Family will rise again!"

"What realm do you think he’s in? Divine Transformation Realm?"

"Divine Transformation? That’s an insult! He’s at least in the Void Comprehension Realm!"

"Void Comprehension? Gods above—that’s enough to make him a supreme expert in any major faction!"

"Well, he is our ancestor."

"Exactly! The Chen Family’s ancestor is undoubtedly a peerless powerhouse."

While the Chen Family rejoiced, the other two great families of Swallow Return City grew increasingly uneasy.

The situation with the vanishing spiritual energy was becoming more and more alarming.

"Damn, he’s drained the spiritual energy for hundreds of miles around—and he’s not stopping!"

"With ten thousand years of pent-up potential, is this kid aiming to break through to the Transcendent Realm in one go?"

To Da Huang, the sheer volume and speed of spiritual energy absorption were absurd for someone just starting cultivation.

The spiritual energy within a radius of several hundred miles was completely drained, and the absorption showed no signs of stopping. Just how much energy Chen Chang'an would ultimately devour remained unknown.

The sheer volume of spiritual energy being consumed was utterly terrifying!

As time passed, even Da Huang began to gape in astonishment, the meat in his mouth seemingly losing all flavor.

Beiyuan Prefecture!

This kid had actually sucked dry all the spiritual energy of the entire Beiyuan Prefecture?

"Is he trying to break through to the Divine Ability Realm in one go or what?"

Even Chen Chang'an hadn’t anticipated that his first attempt at cultivation would send shockwaves through the entire Beiyuan Prefecture!