Martial God Book 1 - What Is A Genius - Chapter 12 - Father's Return

After properly collecting the notes, He Yiming left the training room. He was extremely pleased with the results of today’s training, in fact, he was so pleased that he was feeling a bit apprehensive.
He opened the door of his compound. The sun was already a bit inclined towards the west. He patted his stomach as he felt extremely hungry. Too much time had passed while he was cultivating the battle skills.
As he thought about getting something from the manor’s kitchen to eat, he suddenly saw a familiar figure entering his yard.
He Yiming blinked his eyes, and his face immediately revealed a pleasantly surprised expression as he shouted:
“Dad, you have returned?”
This middle-aged man with a circular face, thick and short mustache, high-pitched nose, eyes that can’t be considered big, dense hair, and a fair white complexion, was the individual who managed the business of He family in the county town.
At this moment, He Quanming’s eyes were glittering with a joyous splendor. After he’d received the letter, he set aside all the current matters and immediately rushed back to home at the fastest possible speed.
Again a member of clan’s third generation had advanced to the sixth layer, furthermore, that member was his own son, He Yiming, who was barely thirteen years old. Being one of the core members of the clan, he was extremely clear on what did this represent. This represented that future of his child was nothing short of extraordinary.
“Yiming, come.”
The first thing He Quanming did after entering the yard was to extend his palm. He Yiming faintly shook his head. He truly couldn’t understand why each of these elders must check for themselves before they would be convinced. As he recalled, his second brother or third brother didn’t get to enjoy such treatment at all.
He helplessly extended his own palm and pressed against his father’s big palm. The Internal Energy of both sides erupted out at the same time. Of course, under the control of both sides, this Internal Energy remained concentrated and didn’t scatter away, and was immediately restrained after a light contact.
Eventually, the smiling expression on He Quanming’s face completely unfolded, and his eyes revealed a prideful expression as he looked at He Yiming.
Suddenly, He Yiming felt slightly apprehensive. He knew that his breakthrough was not completely a result of his own efforts, so, would this kind of good fortune continue to shine on him in future?
“Yiming, you are indeed good.” After a long time, He Quanming restrained his smiling expression and said in a solemn voice:
“However, you cannot be complacent. Continue on striving, and try to attain the seventh layer before the age of twenty like your eldest brother.”
“Yes, daddy.” He Yiming cautiously said: “Your child will definitely work hard.”
He Quanming said in a satisfied voice:
“I am coming from your eldest uncle’s place. He said you have selected two martial skills.”
He Yiming faintly nodded and stealthily looked at his father’s expression. Only after he saw that his father’s expression wasn’t that of rebuke at all did he breathe easy.
However, He Quanming’s words suddenly took a turn:
“Yiming, I know that you all really look forward to martial skills, however, I wish you to only learn a single battle skill.”
” A single class?” He Yiming astonishedly asked.
“Yes. Going by your age, you have a promising future ahead you. This is a good time to advance by leaps and bounds in the Internal Energy cultivation. Martial skills are just a side story. As long as your Internal Energy is profound, you can cultivate strong martial skills at any time.” He Quanming’s voice was heavy as he said:
“You can cultivate up to the sixth layer at the age of thirteen; you must not waste such a talent and opportunity.”
“That’s right.” A voice came from behind He Quanming. He Yiming raised his head and saw that his third uncle, He Quanyin, had already come inside his yard. The latter continued:
“Yiming, cultivating battle skills is no easy feat. Being proficient in even a single battle skills requires a great deal of time and effort. For current you, its gain will fall short of losses.” He paused for an instant, before supplementing:
“To tell you the truth, those people who wholeheartedly devote themselves in cultivating battle skills are the ones who don’t have much confidence in their talent of Internal Energy cultivation, thus, they give their all in the cultivation of battle skills. Your grandfather, eldest uncle, and eldest brother, all of them spends most of their time on Internal Energy cultivation. This is the correct path for us cultivators.”
He Quanming, who was hearing at the side, repeatedly nodded his head. However, both the brothers had faint expressions of envy and admiration in their eyes.
Indescribably, He Yiming faintly realized that these expressions of his father and second uncle were in the light of his eldest uncle’s talent. After all, his eldest uncle was the only individual from the clan’s second and third generation who’d attained the ninth layer in Internal Energy.
In his mind, He Yiming asked:
‘Does cultivating a battle skill to the peak truly requires a lot of time? I seem to have cultivated two differently attributed battle skills to the apex of the sixth layer within half a day?’
He Quanyi paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke: “Second brother you still don’t seem convinced. You can try on your own.”
“I just found this hard to believe.” He Quanming bitterly smiled. He just never expected that his small son would give him such a huge surprise.
He Quanyi resolutely said:
“Second brother, congratulations to you anyhow. Yiming’s future accomplishments will not be any less than Yitian; he will be our clan’s future pillar.”
The two brothers continued to talk and heartily laugh. Their laughter was free and unrestrained.
After a bit of hesitation, He Yiming suddenly asked:
“Father, third uncle, if one wishes to cultivate a battle skill to its apex, how much time would be required in the end?”
Both the brothers exchanged a glance, while being slightly concerned and thinking:
‘As expected, this child, He Yiming, is more interested in battle skills than Internal Energy.”
However, this was not just He Yiming’s problem. Almost every youngster of his age had a similar attitude.
He Quanming slightly sighed and said:
“He Yiming, battle skills are like Internal Energy and rely primarily on the fact whether or nor cultivator’s physique suits the battle skill’s cultivation technique. So the results of cultivation will somewhat vary from person to person. To cultivate a martial skill to the apex of one step, one would require a year if fast, ten years if slow; it might even take several tens of years.”
He Yiming faintly opened his mouth and said with an expression of not knowing whether to laugh or cry:
“One year is required to cultivate a martial skill to the peak?”
He Quanming glared at him for a moment, before solemnly speaking:
“Yiming, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Cultivating a battle skill up to the peak of one’s current level within a year is already an amazing speed. Your third brother’s water-type Internal Energy as well as physique is extremely compatible with the cultivation technique of Silk Palm, only then was he able to cultivate Silk Palm up to the apex of the sixth level within a year. In the family, he is the fastest individual in terms of cultivating battle skills.”
He Quanyi suddenly stepped forward and said, standing right in front of He Yiming:
“Yiming, your third brother attained the sixth layer after fifteen years. His potential is more or less about your father and me. That’s the reason we allow him to put all of his energy into the cultivation of martial skills. However, you are different. You still have a huge room for improvement. Therefore, I hope you will treat the Internal Energy cultivation as your main objective; battle skills are secondary, you understand?”
He Yiming immediately straightened his chest and said in a loud voice:
“Yes, third uncle. I understand.”
Though his voice was loud and clear, in his heart, he was thinking, if his dad and uncle were to found that, within a single day, he’d cultivated metal-type Rolling Boulder Fist and water-type Silk Palm to the peak of the sixth layer, what would they think?
Even though He Yiming’s guts were not less, at this critical juncture, he kept his mouth sealed like a jar. He’d no intentions of leaking anything.
He shifted his vision and changed the topic:
“Dad you are here, what about mother?”
He Quanming faintly smiled as he said:
“We can’t have no one at the shop in the county town. Since I am here, your mother would obviously be left behind there. Why? You miss her?”
He Yiming heavily nodded and said:
“Yes, I miss her.”
He Quanming stepped forward and lightly stroked his hair a few times as he said:
“Don’t worry. After a month or two, me and your mother, both, will return and spend a few days with you all. However, in the meantime, you all must work hard. Don’t disappoint me and your mother.”
He Yiming patted his small and immature chest and said:
“Dad, you can rest easy, I will not let any of you lose face.”
He Quanming heartily laughed and said:
“I believe you, little genius.”
He Quanyi turned and said:
“Second brother, because of the family matters, you and second sister-in-law are constantly moving back and forth. It even delays your cultivation. How about you return back to the manor for a while, and let me handle the shop in the city.”
He Quanming waved his hand and said:
“Third brother, you and eldest brother are not cut out for business. If the shop is handed over to you two, I’m afraid we won’t even be left with our original assets.”
He Quanyi’s face was slightly red. However, his complexion was rather was dark, thus, it couldn’t be seen easily.
He Quanming lightly patted on his shoulder and said:
“Third brother. Our roots lie here. As long as you manage this place properly, and let eldest brother cultivate without having to worry about family troubles, we will never fall in the county. Furthermore, if eldest brother is able to breakthrough to the tenth layer, then with two tenth-level Internal Energy masters as eldest brother and father, our He family would be second to none in the county town. If that happens, then even Xu family and lord Cheng’s family won’t dare to have coveting thoughts about our family.”
After hesitating for a long time, He Quanyi lightly nodded and said:
“I understand. However, before eldest brother’s breakthrough, we will have to trouble you, second brother, for all the external matters.”
He Quanming, with his grandeur reaching the clouds, extended both his hands and lightly waved. A light sound like a thunderclap was suddenly produced in the air.
“Third brother, be at ease. In any case, I am also a cultivator of the eighth layer, not a pushover.”
Two brothers exchanged a glance and began to laugh heartily. Their laughter was full of an unspeakable grandeur.
As He Yiming watched them, unknowingly, a warmth surged in his heart and instantly spread across his entire body, seeming as if he wanted to join them.
Without knowing it himself, he’d already decided to increase his cultivation as soon as he could and assist his father and the rest.