A Snail's Wisdom 2 Man In A Tree

The tree branch swayed as the young man balancing on it stood on his toes and stretched his head as far as he could. He was standing barefoot because he did not want to ruin his shoes. He had taken them off and hidden them near the roots before climbing up the tree.

His feet were dirty, and his hands were scratched, but he paid them no mind as he slowly made his way closer to the wall.

Despite his tremendous effort, he was barely able to peer over the wall in front of him that stood forty chi tall. He would have climbed higher, but the branches above him were too thin and flimsy to hold his weight.

On the other side of the wall, he observed a teacher lecturing a few students.

Although his hearing was a cut above most, he was still too far to hear the words being spoken. He could only rely on his lip-reading abilities to understand the lecture.

"To cultivate is to advance oneself to a higher pain of existence."

'He probably said 'plane of existence'. Pretty sure cultivation has nothing to do with masochism,' deduced the young man.

"By taking in Qi from one's surroundings and cycling it through your body over the course of your life, you can evolve and row your body and soul to the next stage towards Immortality."

'That was probably "grow your body." There aren't any nearby lakes or rowboats.'

What he was spectating was the Flowing River Sect's 'Introduction to Cultivation' lecture.

Sects such as this one were considered schools for cultivation. They brought people together and helped each other on their respective journeys to Immortality.

It was common knowledge that the Flowing River Sect held lectures in the mornings outside. Unfortunately, the sect was surrounded by large walls, preventing outsiders from observing the happenings inside. The young man stood on the only tree tall enough to surpa.s.s these walls. Actually, he had climbed this very tree every single morning for the past three years to peek at the lectures.

Out of routine, he stretched his hand out while maintaining his balance and grabbed a crimson-colored fruit from a nearby branch.

Back then, his original reason for climbing the tree was for sustenance, but after watching one lecture after another, he had become enraptured with them to the extent that he would be uncomfortable and fidgety if he were to skip a day of attendance. Additionally, the tree never seemed to run out of fruits, so he could always get a free meal up here.

After taking another bite of the scrumptious red fruit, he focused back on the lecture only to see that it had ended. The students cleared out a s.p.a.ce in the center, and their teacher walked into the middle of it. He was facing the students, putting his back towards the young man.

The young man was not bothered by this. He had seen this specific part of the lecture multiple times before, and although the words might vary, the principles had been consistent.

The teacher's hands then repeatedly made circular motions in front of him as his shoulders moved up and down, indicating that he was breathing in and out. The young man and students began emulating him. They were practicing circulating the world's Qi through their bodies.

Supposedly, one should breathe in the Qi along with the air as one did this, but the young man had failed to feel the Qi flow through his body every time he tried to do so.

Each time, the breathing exercise had been used as the first test for the Flowing River Sect's entrance examination, and each time, the young man had failed to feel the Qi. He had not only failed once or twice, but nineteen times.

The exams were held over the course of a week each year, with all seven days accepting examinees. One can try the exam once a day regardless of their previous failures.

Thus, failing to circulate any Qi nineteen times meant that he had failed the exam that many times!

The young man was determined though. Today would be his twentieth attempt; he could feel that today would be the day he broke that streak!

He continued breathing in and out when he noticed a small dot in his peripheral vision. Puzzled, his eyes focused on that dot that was becoming larger over time.

When he realized what it was, he immediately ducked his head, causing the branch he stood on to sway violently. The stone whizzed past his hair and he heard a loud yell directed at him.

"KENJA!"