Book 1 - What Is A Genius - Chapter 55 - Cheng Family's Call For Help

A lamp was suddenly lit in the overcast underground room. The radiance spread around, chasing away the darkness wherever it went.
This was He family’s special flame. Every underground room had one. As long as it was lit, it might not be as resonant as daytime, as long as one possessed the third layer of Internal Energy cultivation, one would be able to see basically every corner and crevice in the room.
He Yiming lowered the lamp’s cover and went to the room’s center.
Yesterday’s that strike seemed to be taking place before his eyes at this moment. This instance, even he didn’t know how he managed to pull together such a frightening strike.
At that moment, his mind only had one thought…To save his grandfather from being swallowed by the gold-crowned python.
This thought completely overshadowed his mind. As if possessed, he integrated three different types of primary Internal Energy techniques together and issued an exceedingly inconceivable strike.
However, this moment, as he tried to imitate that state, he surprisingly discovered that he was completely incapable of doing so.
Although the Internal Energy inside his body was still exceedingly formidable and he could control it as he pleased, he could only employ a single primary technique at a time. Not to mention three distinct primary techniques, he couldn’t even employ two of them simultaneously.
He didn’t know the reason. However, he knew that without being able to operate three distinct techniques simultaneously inside his body, he wouldn’t be able to produce such frightening might again.
He lightly sighed. After trying many times without any results, he had no choice but to give up.
He also knew that being able to use that world-shattering move by chance was in itself extremely lucky. If such a thing could be accomplished this easily, that would have been fishy instead.
Because of this reasoning, although he was not glad, he was not dejected either.
Sitting cross-legged, He Yiming trained his primary techniques once.
Knowing one’s goods was good, but comparing them was was even more important.
After comparing the three primary techniques, He Yiming had to admit that the Blaze technique he obtained from the Xu family was indeed a notch above Primordial Energy and Ripple technique in terms of cultivation speed.
After every instance of cultivating this technique, not only his meridians felt warm and comfy, even the increase in the Internal Energy was somewhat higher.
This technique was indeed worthy of its top-level technique’s reputation.
After contemplating for a while, although he hated to part with the Primordial Energy, he decided that he would primarily cultivate Blaze technique and promote his strength as soon as possible.
The little bell in the room suddenly rang. He Yiming shifted glanced at it while pondering who could have come to visit him.
He left the training room and looked outside. It turned out to be his old man He Quanming.
Promptly welcoming his father inside, he hurriedly found the tea which had been stored for who knows how long, then brewed a cup for his father.
Quanming looked at the half-filled tea cup placed on the table and also the black, murky, and round tea lump inside it which looked like cockroach stool. Eventually, he couldn’t gather the courage to lift the cup and could only disappoint his son.
He lightly coughed as said, “Yiming, today, I felt like checking your progress.”
“My progress?” He Yiming blankly stared, “Father, there was such a rule in the clan?”
He Quanming shook his head and said, “No, It’s just that I am a little curious about your cultivation speed.”
He Yiming immediately understood that this was definitely a calamity brought by yesterday’s blade strike.
“Yiming, tell me honestly, have you already crossed over seventh layer’s peak and attained the eighth layer?” He Quanming’s face was exceedingly earnest as he watched his son without blinking his eyes.
He Yiming hesitated while inwardly saying… I have not only cultivated up to the eighth layer but have even attained the ninth layer.
Of course, he couldn’t speak these words out as they were. He chuckled, then assumed an expression as innocent as he possibly could and nodded, “Father, your, old man’s, vision is indeed sharp. During yesterday’s journey, your son indeed broke through the seventh layer and attained the eighth layer.”
The meaning behind his words was that I originally hadn’t attained the eighth layer, but made the breakthrough under the gold-crowned python’s pressure.
He Quanming’s eyes shined as a pleasantly surprised expression covered his face.
Yesterday, everybody’s thoughts were occupied with the frightening strength of that spirit beast and that exceedingly powerful strike of He Yiming.
Thus, after going their separate ways, none of them, including the Lord Master thought about the fact that since He Yiming could exhibit such frightening strength, his cultivation must have advanced once again.
While He Quanming came due to his own curiosity, but it was also true that he was acting on behalf of everybody while asking this question.
After obtaining the confirmation from his son’s own mouth, he was naturally unable to contain his joy anymore.
Suppressing his overwhelming emotions, he said while extending his hand, “Yiming, let’s try it.”
He Yiming felt helpless. Forcing out a smile, he shook his head. All of his elders were the same. Each one of them had to confirm with their own hands every time a member of the young generation made a breakthrough. This had already become one of the clan’s unwritten rules.
Casually extending his palm, He Yiming welcomed his father’s palm. Both palms touched and Internal Energy from both sides was aroused for an instant before being restrained back.
However, an instant was already enough for He Quanming to feel the formidable strength that the former’s Internal Energy contained.
This was a strength which even he needed to fear.
Eighth layer, it’s truly eighth layer…
He Quanming was eventually unable to hold the joy in his heart, and he broke into hearty laughs.
Looking at his son before his eyes, his heart was full of pride. This was but a fourteen-year-old youngster, who actually attained the eight layer- a realm comparable to him.
He still remembered how depressed He Yiming had been a year and a half ago due to not being able to cross the bottleneck of the fifth layer. However, in a flash, in a mere one and a half years of a time period, the latter already possessed a realm that was comparable to his.
His decades of bitter cultivation had actually been chased down within one and a half year. However, he didn’t feel gloomy or jealous at all.
Because the individual who made this accomplishment was but his, He Quanming’s, own son.
As he thought about this, his smile widened even further. His mind was full of pleasant thoughts while his face full of smiles.
He Yiming speechlessly looked at his father who seemed to have suddenly become possessed. He truly didn’t understand why would the former behave as such.
Without being a father himself, one would never understand a parent’s heartfelt joy on the success of his child.
However, the parents who could obtain such fortune were extremely rare. Most could only birth average children.
Therefore, when He Quanming found out that his son already had accomplishments comparable to his at an age of merely fourteen years, one could imagine the joy he felt.
Suddenly, several figures appeared at the entrance. Unexpectedly all He Yiming’s elders, including He Wude, had come.
He Quanming immediately restrained his smile and nodded towards them, “I have confirmed, He Yiming has attained the eighth layer.”
Everybody’s face showed smiling expressions and also some shock. Although they had already guessed in their minds, hearing the confirmation was an entirely different feeling.
As everybody was feeling all sorts of emotions welling up inside them, a servant suddenly appeared and handed a letter over to the Lord Master.
He Wude opened the letter and immediately seemed surprised. Subsequently, even the smile on his face began to stiffen.
After a few moments, he said in a lowered voice, “This is from Cheng family, saying that the identities of the criminals have been discovered.”
He Yiming’s heartbeat slightly quickened as he promptly asked, “Who were they?”
Originally, official affairs of the clan were not for the third generation to discuss. Even He Yitian would rarely open his mouth. However, this moment, nobody expressed any dissatisfaction on He Yiming’s words. Even the Lord Master had admitted that the former possessed such qualifications.
The fact that he had attained the eighth layer during yesterday’s battle had indeed raised his position in the clan to such heights.
He Wude casually handed over the letter to him and said, “Those people were a group of horse-bandits from outside. After hearing the information about the blood ginseng, they devised a plan on the spot. However, what’s strange is that they unexpectedly made a mistake and lost the blood ginseng. Therefore, they have still not left. As such, one of their men was captured by the Cheng family and tortured to reveal the inside information.”
He Yiming, after reading the letter, passed it to his eldest uncle. However, he knew that these people would have obviously slipped since the blood ginseng was in his possession.
He Wude pondered for a while and said, “Cheng family wish to deal with these people in one, clean swoop. However, among these people, there is a ninth-layer cultivator. Even if Cheng Zhusheng personally acts, he is not certain to restrain that man. Thus, he has asked help from us. How do you see it?”
He Quanyi, “Father, they only asked us for help, then what about Xu family.”
He Wude faintly shook his head and said, “Don’t know. There’s nothing in the letter. But they should be helping as well.”
After seeing the letter, He Quanming said in a lowered tone, “Father, those horse bandits were too unrestrained in the county. In a single night, the casualties in Cheng Residence has surpassed the figure of hundred. Old, women, children; corpses were everywhere. It was too terrible,” He paused for a moment, then continued, “If we allow those bandits to do as they please, perhaps someday, it will be our He family’s turn.”
While saying these words, his vision intentionally or unintentionally shifted over towards the great courtyard of He family.
Everybody immediately understood. If the news of He family killing a spirit beast leaked outside, they couldn’t deny that those bandits would not come knocking on their doorstep.
He Wude’s eyes shined as he said, “Your words are correct. Quanxin, Quanming, take Yiming and Yitian, and use any necessary means to completely suppress these deranged men.”