The Legendary Janitor

Chapter 58: A Selfless Sage

"It's not worth mentioning."

Fu Hao Xin let out a sigh of relief. Senior Mu seemed like he was easygoing for the most part, and he had been willing to listen to him mope the day before so he shouldn't be too harsh on him for being a bit slack.

But now that he knew that Senior Mu was mighty… He couldn't help but second guess himself in front of him.

Thinking through Fu Hao Xin's explanation, Di Tou couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

How come… It didn't seem like what he was saying matched up with what he was experiencing?

He couldn't have a defective cheat could he?

Thinking a little deeper, it seemed like things matched up at least a little bit. Xiao Fu had mentioned four different attributes earlier, being Strength, Speed, Mental Strength, and Spiritual sense. Strength and Spiritual sense were straightforward enough, he had the same attributes.

As for speed and mental strength, they should correspond to dexterity and intelligence respectively, although Di Tou wasn't quite sure why they had different names.

What was more important, however, was to figure out what type of cultivation technique he had. It shouldn't be too bad as something attached to a Divine Mandate right..?

What was more important was, could he cultivate normally? Or could he only grow using the Mandate? Di Tou felt like he was progressing fairly fast, but he wasn't that sure, as he wasn't sure how close to being through the Body Tempering stage he was, or what a normal time was.

"How much time did you spend in each stage?"

Fu Hao Xin felt excited. This was it! Senior Mu was taking interest in him. In his mind Fu Hao Xin could already see a glorious future where Senior Mu took him under his wing, and he became an unrivaled cultivator, obtained endless riches, and became so strong that all the asshats that had been bothering him could only stare at his shadow in envy.

"Answering Senior Mu, I started the path of cultivation rather late, only starting at the age of 10. I passed through Body Tempering in about four years, and Qi Refinement in three years. I entered Foundation at the beginning of this year at the age of 17."

Rubbing the back of his head, Fu Hao Xin couldn't help but continue a bit despondently, "I can be considered rather fast in my pace of cultivating in these two stages, but most people start laying a foundation for Body Tempering starting from the age of 6 and can start cultivating by the time they're 8. Those with an exceptionally strong background get nurtured since they were in the womb and can start Body Tempering the moment they become 6."

"To be honest, I should have been able to reach Foundation realm by the time I was 14, taking only six years, but because I started late and didn't have the foundation of natural treasures I needed an extra year to cement my Body Tempering realm, so I ended up only reaching Foundation realm at the age of 17, becoming a slightly above average student at best."

With a somewhat dark expression, Fu Hao Xin continued, "As for those idiots in my class, they had the advantage of resources and time and only then managed to barley eek into the Foundation realm just before they became 17."

Realizing he was getting off topic again, Fu Hao Xin reeled himself in.

Looking at Di Tou with blazing eyes, Fu Hao Xin said, "Senior Mu, my talent really isn't bad, right? If you could take me in I promise I won't disappoint you!"

Di Tou: … Brother, I'd love to take you in, but are you sure you want someone who hasn't even finished Body Tempering yet as your teacher? I don't want to be accused of ruining an unpolished gem.

"About this…" Di Tou felt troubled, it wasn't that he didn't want to help Xiao Fu, he really seemed like a stand-up youth and Di Tou really did want to help him but… He wasn't a high level cultivator, ah?

Hearing Di Tou's somewhat evasive answer, Fu Hao Xin's heart dropped. Indeed, it seemed like in the end the fact that he was somewhat talented couldn't make up for his late start. At the end of the day, no matter how much potential he had had, at the moment he could only be considered an average youth.

Lowering his head to hide his face, Fu Hao Xin was trying his best to restrain his tears. In the end, it seemed like he wouldn't be able to escape his fate. Forget it.

Di Tou: F*ck, where did this lost puppy come from? Don't give me those eyes!

Seeing that Fu Hao Xin's heart was breaking again, Di Tou quickly said something to prevent Fu Hao Xin from spiraling again.

"Ah, Xiao Fu, it's not that I'm unwilling to teach you, it's just that our paths are somewhat incompatible…" Then spouting some nonsense he had once read from a novel, "There are ten thousand paths to the Dao, each one is unique but they all have the same destination. Between you and I, our paths are different, but that doesn't mean that we can't learn from each other."

Taking a breath, Di Tou continued, "How about this, I'll help sponsor you for now, and if you're willing you can share with me any difficulties you're having and I'll keep an eye out for solutions. Due to my… unique path I probably can't help you very directly on your specific cultivation, but if you ever just feel a need to talk or discuss I should be able to lend an ear at the very least."

Fu Hao Xin blinked.

Fu Hao Xin's mind was blown. Did… Did Senior Mu just place the two of them on the same status? Truly, Senior Mu was a man beyond the stars and the moon, a sage who had reached enlightenment. He had clearly reached beyond the mortal need for status and reputation.

A selfless sage, a selfless sage indeed.