Chapter 6

"What do you mean?"

"Son, you possess a very rare Ancient Body. Throughout the entire universe, there are few physiques as suited to cultivation as yours."

"And what's that to me?" Ye Chen asked flatly.

"Aren't you curious? Don't you want to become stronger?"

"Not particularly," Ye Chen answered without hesitation.

The old man blinked. "…Why not?"

"Because being a cultivator means sitting still with my eyes closed for weeks, maybe years. That sounds incredibly boring. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way." Ye Chen gave a polite bow and began walking toward his village.

The old man stood there, speechless. In all his years of wandering the cosmos, he had never once encountered someone who turned down the path of cultivation without a second thought. Every person out there would sacrifice their fortune — even their freedom — just for a chance to enter the path of a cultivator. And here was this boy, walking away as if it were nothing.

The old man shook his head and quickly caught up to him.

"Son, are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Completely sure. I don't want to spend my life locked away training."

"Son… I forgot to mention something important. The owner of an Ancient Body — if left untreated — will suffer from an excess of Yang energy. And if that imbalance is never corrected…" He paused for effect. "It will tear your body apart from the inside."

Ye Chen stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"The Yang energy building within you will eventually explode outward. You'll be destroyed."

"What?!" Ye Chen spun around. "Then how do I stop it?"

"Hehe. Nothing in this world comes free. Accept me as your master and I'll tell you everything you need to know."