'The reason it can nurture so many diverse Meng was because it can be substituted for almost any food for Meng below rank four!'
Of course, Tian Yi was neither an heir of the three factions nor was he a direct family member.
Instead, it was the rich experience of his past life building a clan and a sect, managing it's affairs daily with all his heart that allows him to see everything clearly transparently with just a glance.
His vast experience allowed him to view the clan's arrangements from a higher vantage and analyze it with a broader perspective.
Though not 'proficient' in Formation Dao, his knowledge of formation was vast as the Heaven compared to what the current Shen clan could produce. He could already deduce what kind of protective formation and it's function was from the size and positions from these pillars alone.
'Sigh, although I have vast knowledge, my restrictions are greater. At my current stage, I haven't even started cultivating. A cut at the throat could easily take my life.'
Just then, Tian Yi heard a loud sound of a man shouting.
"Attention!"
The youths turned their heads at once to the source of the voice.
It was a tall, lean, middle aged man. His head was full of gray hairs tied back with a white jade crown.
His face was full of wrinkles, an undeniable evidence that age is catching up to him, but those in the know have different opinions: they were the results of deep stress from the past years!
He wore a long, dark brown robe embroidered with golden threads that depicts clouds at the sleeves, whirlpool at the back. A standard elder robe with customized colors and accessories.
Everyone present recognized him at a glance, it was undoubtedly the current clan head, Shen Minjie!
Shen Minjie scanned the gathered youths with an authoritative gaze.
The youths looked at him nervously, some even trembling slightly, but none turned away from his gaze.
Shen Minjie smiled slightly, 'this generation looks promising.'
"Today is the awakening ceremony, your life's turning point, your great opportunity, the day you start cultivation and transcend the ordinary. Now, as per our customs, you shall knowtow three times in respect, once for your parents, once for heaven and earth, and once for your ancestor." Shen Minjie said sternly.
"Yes, sir!" The over hundred youths said in unison as they performed the ceremonial knowtow.
The clan leader nodded then stepped back slightly to stand with the other clan elders at the back, observing.
Shen Ai turned her head a little to take a look but couldn't find her parents amongst the elders.
She whispered to Tian Yi, "Tian Tian, did you see mom and dad? Why aren't they here?"
"..."
Tian Yi only shook his head and remained silent.
Shen Ai sigh but didn't pursue it further.
The academy elder then stepped forward with a gentle smile, he said:
"Alright, listen carefully, step forward once I call your name. Those who are called must walk from here to the heart of this grass field over there. You must concentrate and endure no matter what, the longer you endure, the better it is, do you understand?"
"Yes sir!" The youths screamed loudly.
The academy elder smiled and stroked his beard in satisfaction.
"Shen Mu." The academy elder held the name list and called out.
Shen Mu walked forward, gave a bow to the academy elder and began walking amidst the grass field. The grass was tall and dense, reaching Shen Mu's waist. Shen Mu couldn't even see his feet as he kept walking. Truthfully, Shen Mu was very nervous about this awakening ceremony test. He was just a poor boy from humble beginnings, his daily jobs were helping his parents raise cows and do chores. This test would change his life forever, it would determine his potential, his aptitude, and a large part of his achievements in life. It was great fortune to be born with Shen surname.
But he quickly suppressed the nervousness and anxiety inside him as he felt the familiar touch of grass. He thought of when he was younger, of how he fled for his life and ran like never before after he encountered a tiger in his routine of feeding cows on the field.
Compared to that perilous situation where he almost died, this awakening ceremony seems a little gentler.
Soon, he reached the center of the grass field as the academy elder signaled him to stop.
"Begin!" The academy elder shouted.
A moment later after the word fell, Shen Mu felt a slight weight pulling him down. It's not like he was carrying heavy weights on his hands and back, or like the weight from tying sandbags on himself. Instead it felt like his hands, feet, arms, back, his whole body itself that got heavier.
And the problem is, the weight kept increasing.
At first it was bearable, the weight comparable to carrying forty kilograms of sandbag.
But it kept increasing. From forty to eighty, from eighty to hundred sixty. When the weight went past two hundred, Shen Mu's legs were shaking as if he would collapse any moment.
But he summoned all his strength and held on, trying to endure with all his might.
When the weight increased to two hundred and ninety, he was soaked in sweat and couldn't hold on anymore he fell to one knee and was about to faint. Just then, he felt a refreshing, cooling sensation all over his body.
It's like the morning breeze, a fresh air after a day of hard work.
His body regained strength and his spirit was invigorated as the weight suddenly became lighter. He slowly stood up with confidence amidst the intense gaze of many youths.
When he looked around for the source of this strength, he found that the grass field around him was shining bright in blue light.
In that moment, the vitality from the grasses seemed to stimulate something inside him, something he didn't know he had but could feel it naturally like his arms and feets.
It was a small point of light located three cun below his naval, deep within the abdomen.
This was the source of his newfound strength, the Blue Light Grass merely helped him uncover it.
However, his situation did not last long as the lightened weight increased once again.
He was forced to kneel on all four from the pressure, and finally collapsed at the four hundred twenty five kilograms mark.
When the elders saw him collapsed and spent, they nodded then signaled for him to come back.
Shen Mu finally had time to catch his breath, he managed to stand up shakily while feeling quite relief inwardly, his face was full of smile.
"Shen Mu, grade three, twenty five percent Core Essence." The academy elder declared.
Shen Mu gave a deep bow in the direction of the elders. Shen Tongxi closed his eyes, smiled, and nodded approvingly at the spirited youth, satisfied with his attitude.
Being the elder responsible for supervising the entire academy with many elders under him, Shen Tongxi is naturally capable.
Months before this awakening ceremony, he had investigated every youth and secretly observed them for some time. He was clear of their backgrounds and had a preliminary understanding of their characters.
His opinion of this young boy who farms like those 'mortals' couldn't help but rose for three parts. In his experience, there are many youths who became increasingly arrogant after their awakening ceremony and got a high grade talent.
Shen Mu's talent could not be considered high, but it's not too low either.
'Afterall, there are five grades of talent in total, ranging from first to fifth.' Tian Yi thought to himself while observing Shen Mu silently from amongst the crowd.
Meng Cultivators' talents directly determine how much Core Essence they have. The more Core Essence one has, the longer one can use a Meng, the stronger their effects.
The academy elder signaled for Shen Mu to go come back and stand next to the other youths with quite the distance between them. Clearly, he was dividing the group of people who have gone through the awakening process and those who have not for simplicity's sake.
Shen Mu stood alone, deep in thought.
Now that he had the time, Shen Mu finally began to inspect himself carefully. He found out that in the space below his naval, that point of light was surrounded by a spherical light membrane. The point of light finally took shape, becoming a tiny ball flooding at the center of the light membrane. The ball itself was gray in color, looking ethereal.
It was the Core of life, the foundation of every Meng cultivator.