Book 1 - What Is A Genius - Chapter 31 - Jealousy

“Yiming, thank you.”
After walking out of the courtyard alongside He Yiming, He Yitian suddenly stopped walking and solemnly said.
He Yiming astoundedly turned his head and puzzledly looked towards the former before asking:
“Eldest brother, why are thanking me?”
“During the Skill Competition, fortunately, you didn’t use this Xiantian battle skill. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been me just admitting defeat.”
He Yitian said with a bitter smile.
Indeed. After experiencing the might of [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], He Yitian didn’t have a shred of doubt. He was clear that if he had been in place of his third uncle, he certainly wouldn’t have been able to come out in one piece.
He Yiming rolled his eyes and said with a straightforward smile, “Eldest brother, you must be joking. We are brothers, and exchanging pointers between brothers is in no way some life and death battle. Of course, I wouldn’t use Xiantian battle skill”, Pausing for a bit, He Yiming then suddenly asked, “Eldest brother, you know what are Xiantian battle skills?”
He Yitian hesitated a bit before saying:
“Once grandfather unintentionally revealed that Xiantian battle skills are considered as the techniques of Xiantian cultivators. Such sort of techniques claim extremely high aptitude and are not something ordinary people could successfully cultivate.”
He Yiming’s both eyes shined as he hurriedly asked:
“How are Xiantian cultivators different from us?”
Faintly shaking his head, He Yitian said:
“Sixth brother, grandfather said that before reaching the adulthood, it would be better to not know.”
“Why?” He Yiming puzzledly asked.
“Because before adulthood, stabilizing the mind is not easy. But then again, before adulthood, when one’s mind is at its purest, is also the most optimal time,” He Yitian paused before continuing, “Grandfather once said that some big influential families absolutely don’t allow their children to cultivate battle skills before the age of twenty, so that they could have the best achievements in the Internal Energy cultivation. Although our family is not that strict, grandfather doesn’t wish us to know too much, and thus, end up affecting our state of mind.”
He Yiming immediately understood and nodded his head. He’d directly experienced this matter. Back in the day, him being stuck at the bottleneck of the fifth layer had a lot to do with other’s expectations on him, weighing down on him like a mountain. It had started to restrain him, making it impossible for him to break through.
In the same way, if everyone was informed that in case they attained the sixth layer after the age of fifteen, they would not have much achievement in the Internal Energy cultivation, he could absolutely guarantee that not a single one in the third generation could attain the sixth layer smoothly.
With a sincere smile, He Yitian said, “Yiming, before your mind completely stabilizes, don’t aim too high,” he deeply sighed before continuing, “Xiantian cultivators are truly too distant from us.”
He Yiming was slightly moved as he said:
“Eldest brother, I am also clear. Xiantian cultivators are even above grandfather in terms of Internal Energy, isn’t that so?”
He Yitian faintly started before saying with a bitter smile:
“That’s right. Indeed, after knowing the existence of such individuals, it’s not hard to guess.”
He slightly pursed his lips as if thinking something before eventually saying:
“Sixth brother, grandfather has very high expectations of both of us. He hopes that we will be able to step into the Xiantian realm. However, as far as I know, I basically have no chance of doing so. Our He family’s future hopes rely on you alone.”
He Yiming promptly waved his hand and said:
“What are saying, eldest brother? Who can be certain about the future? If you truly didn’t have any chance, grandfather and the eldest uncle would have given up long ago. You need to get yourself together.”
He pondered a short while with head down before smilingly nodding. However, on the inside, he was still depressed as before.
The brothers parted their ways, and He Yitian returned back to his courtyard. The first thing he did was to train his fist techniques a few times. However, his mind was becoming increasingly restless, and he was unable to find that previous, Mount Tai like calm and steady feeling.
He knew that this was the change his envious heart had brought upon him.
For his sixth brother, who had emerged as a new force, his heart had indescribably birthed an intense, hard-to-describe envy.
At this moment, he somewhat understood why would his fifth brother, Yizhang, be hostile to his sixth brother in such a way.
His sixth brother had attained the fifth layer before the former. He didn’t understand it when he’d not gone through such an experience, but now he knew. So it turned out that human heart could actually birth envy so easily, and even more so due to the accomplishments of people close to you.
He sighed deeply, clearly knowing that his state of mind had somehow become twisted. He was also aware that such a state of mind was as deadly as poison for him. If he couldn’t rectify it, he shouldn’t be thinking of making any breakthrough in the Internal Energy cultivation.
However being aware is one thing and truly accomplishing is another. He restlessly walked in the training room, incapable of pacifying his thoughts.
Suddenly the bell in the training room rang up, startling him. He immediately left the training room and opened the main door, only to see his father, He Quanxin, standing outside.
He promptly welcomed his father in and said:
“Father, why have you come?”
He Quanxin faintly smiled as he looked at his son with a gaze that possessed worldly wisdom and ability to see through. Under his gaze, He Yitian actually felt as if his thoughts were out in front. He lowered his head while feeling apprehensive inside.
He Quanxin suddenly asked:
“Yitian, are you depressed because Yiming has surpassed you?”
“No, I’m not.” He immediately shook his head. However, even he himself was not convinced of his words.
He Quanxin sighed and said:
“Yitian, how do you feel my relationship with your third uncle and second uncle is?”
He Yitian thought for a bit and said, “Extremely good.”
“Correct, it’s indeed extremely good,” The smile on the face of He Quanxin completely vanished before he calmly said, “However, when we were young, we also had arguments and even treated each other as strangers.”
He Yitian astonishedly opened his mouth, wishing to speak. He had faintly guessed something but couldn’t be certain.
He Quanxin nodded and said:
“That’s right, you guessed right. Back in the day, your father’s cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, far away from their reach. Therefore, they were envious of your father, and it almost separated us.”
He Yitian astoundedly asked:
“Then what happened afterward?”
“Afterward… your second and third uncles figured out. They acknowledged their eldest brother and took the responsibilities of the trifling matters in the estate and the business in the city, allowing me to wholeheartedly cultivate. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to reach my current realm.”
He Yitian’s face was a shade of red and green. He understood the intent behind his father’s words. However, even though he had the notion, how could he instantly change? He once again lowered his head in silence.
With his intelligence, he was aware that his father’s toned down words concealed a sort of helpless and sad feeling.
Acknowledging…. how could such a matter be easy?
Since he was in the same position as his second and third uncle were back then, he understood how difficult it was to acknowledge.
He Quanxin’s gaze softened as he said:
“Your grandfather, all alone, arrived in the Tang Cang county and laid down such a strong foundation for the family. Even to this day, Xu family and Cheng family are stalking us from the sidelines. They both are big influential families, the roots of which goes way past several hundreds of years and foundation immeasurably and unimaginably deep. Our He family must be united if we want to survive. We cannot have internal strifes because of selfish motives.”
He Yitian respectfully said :
“I understand, father.”
“No, you don’t understand,” He Quanxin solemnly said, “When the war break breaks out outside, if He family’s younger generation can’t twist together to form a rope, what awaits us will be nothing but destruction.”
He Yitian’s body slightly trembled before he abruptly raised his head and said:
“Father….”
He Quanxin waved his hand and continued, “If He family truly collapses, you think Xu family and Cheng family would be lenient?”
He Yitian’s face twitched a few times as his fists clenched.
He Quanxin turned around, his voice turning extremely soft yet carrying a strange force:
“Yitian, as the eldest member of the third generation, you should be extremely clear on what you need to do. Back in the day, the few words that your grandfather said to your second and third uncle, I pass them onto you today. If there is He family estate, we can have all the power, pleasures, glory at the flip of the hand. If there is no He family estate….how will eggs grow under a broken nest.
Watching his father’s swiftly retreating figure, He Yitian silently pondered for a while. His state of mind intensely fluctuated, as if he’d once again returned back to today’s Skill Competition.
After witnessing his sixth brother’s advancement speed and [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], he suddenly had a heavy, powerless feeling. Especially, within the third generation, he was a crane among a group of chickens. However, once this feeling of superiority was taken away from him, his self-confidence suffered a devastating blow.
However, at this moment, a different notion had appeared in his mind. If his sixth brother could truly breakthrough into the XIantian realm in future, would there still be a power that could contend He family?
These words were not blurted out merely on a spur. After a long time, he let out a long sigh. Although he couldn’t transform his way of thinking in a short term, he’d started to work towards it.
Similarly, he also understood that once he’d figured it out, it would also prove highly beneficial to his future cultivation.
Looking towards his sixth brother’s residence, He Yitian bitterly smiled. This was perhaps a physiological barrier he must overcome.