The Measure of a Mortal

The May sunshine was warm. Nearby, a maid hummed softly as she tidied the little bed.

Si Chen lay by the window on a soft blanket, his round little bottom bare, basking in the sun...

This feeling... was peculiar.

He had once been a source of light himself, yet now he had to depend on the gifts of this young star.

He turned his neck with difficulty and looked out through the gauze curtain.

This "junior" was very young, bursting with energy like a brash lad, nothing like the steady restraint he had once possessed.

Did it... have consciousness? Like I once did?

Si Chen could not be certain. The consciousness that had once crossed planetary systems in an instant was now firmly trapped within this tiny infant body. Even turning his neck felt clumsy.

"Oh, young master, you're such a good boy. You're always so quiet when you bask in the Sun."

The young maid came over with a smile and deftly adjusted his prone position to keep the sunlight out of his eyes.

"Look at that little face, so absorbed! Perhaps you'll become a formidable cultivator someday!"

A cultivator?

Si Chen picked up on the unfamiliar term. Was this the power system of this world? For the intelligent beings on this planet, perhaps it counted as an impressive achievement.

But to a being who had witnessed countless civilizations, such "trifling" power held little interest for the moment.

Spring passed, and autumn came.

The parasol tree outside the window shed its leaves five times, and he grew from a baby who could only lie down into a young child.

He gradually accepted his identity as "Si Chen."

But acceptance was one thing; adapting was another.

Five years of "observing humans" and "hands-on practice" forced him to admit that, compared with being a star that burned for billions of years,

learning how to be a person seemed far more challenging.

The greatest problem was that he could not perfectly play the part of a "normal" human child.

Take reading and speaking, for example: one glance, and he could write a character; one hearing, and he could say a word.

To him, these things were perfectly natural. Yet they left his elderly tutor so astonished that his beard bristled and his eyes bulged, as though he had beheld a heavenly being.

"A genius! Madam! The young master is an absolute genius!"

Si Chen did not understand why this degree of comprehension provoked such a reaction. After all, in his mind, an entire civilization's language could be fully deciphered in an instant.

Similar incidents kept happening. When a maid taught him to tie a hair ribbon, he reproduced it perfectly after watching once. When his mother showed him how to use chopsticks, he picked up a bean with precision on his first attempt.

"The young master's ability to learn is truly astonishing!"

Every time, the adults marveled, while Si Chen calmly accepted their praise, as though that was simply how things ought to be.

What gave everyone in the Si Household the greatest headache, however, was Si Chen's "lack of emotional reactions."

When he fell, he never cried or shouted, but silently climbed back to his feet.

When he watched a dazzling fireworks display, he merely tilted his head a little.

Children's toys and games held even less lasting interest for him.

He preferred to sit quietly in the courtyard, observing ants carrying food or gazing up at the stars, staying there for half a day at a time.

"Is the young master... a little too quiet?" the servants occasionally whispered behind his back.

Si Chen had excellent hearing. He heard them, but did not care. To him, human opinions were no different from the chirping of insects.

At first, everyone in the Lineage rejoiced at this "child prodigy's" precocious intelligence.

The Si Household was wealthy and influential; a genius heir was naturally another flower added to their brocade.

Everyone gradually grew accustomed to the young master's unusual nature: his premature composure, his astonishing ability to learn, and those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.

When the servants discussed him in private, their voices always carried a shared pride. "Our young master will surely become an extraordinary figure someday."

Si Chen's mother, that gentle lady, always stroked the crown of his head tenderly. Rather than a grand future, she would have preferred her child to be a little more ordinary, a little happier.

However, that peace was shattered when Si Chen turned seven.

According to this world's customs, children of aristocratic clans began their cultivation journey at this age.

This was a lesson distilled by countless predecessors: before the age of seven, a child's spiritual roots and root bone had not fully settled. Testing too early would not only produce inaccurate results, but might also damage their foundation and affect their future cultivation.

As a great aristocratic clan, the Si Household naturally followed the ancient traditions.

Thus, even though Si Chen had displayed an astonishing gift for learning, the Lineage had patiently waited until he turned seven.

On the night before the test, Si Chen's mother, Ye Fu, gently stroked his hair. "Chenchen, there's no need to be nervous about tomorrow's test. Whatever the result, you'll always be Mother's good boy."

Si Chen nodded quietly.

He truly was not nervous, merely curious about how this world's energy system actually worked.

Early the next morning, the square before the Si Household's ancestral hall had already been prepared.

Important ceremonies like this were presided over by the Lineage elders. Today's test was overseen by Si Chen's Third Uncle, an old man with white hair and beard who commanded great respect within the Lineage.

Members of the Si Household filled both sides of the square. After all, Si Chen was the first child of his generation to undergo an aptitude test, and everyone wanted to witness the talents of the family head's only son firsthand.

Dressed in a brocade robe tailored to fit him, Si Chen stood quietly in the center of the square. His father, Si Kai, and mother, Ye Fu, stood beside the seat of honor, their eyes holding anticipation and a trace of barely perceptible anxiety.

First came the spiritual root test.

Third Uncle took out a lustrous Spirit-Testing Stone and said, "Chen'er, place your hand on this and relax your mind."

Si Chen obediently reached out his little hand. The Spirit-Testing Stone felt pleasantly cool beneath his touch, and he could sense the faint energy flowing within it.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Yet after a short while, the Spirit-Testing Stone showed no change from Si Chen's touch. Even the glow originally within it dimmed slightly, as though something had suppressed it.

Several elders exchanged glances. Third Uncle frowned slightly and took out another Spirit-Testing Stone. "Try again."

Si Chen placed his hand on it once more. The result was the same: no reaction whatsoever.

The family members watching from the sidelines exchanged incredulous looks, but quickly concealed them. Si Chen's mother tightened her grip on her handkerchief, while his father, Si Kai, kept his expression unchanged.

"His... spiritual roots... have not manifested?" Third Uncle's voice held confusion.

A faint stir ran through the ancestral hall. No one had expected such a result from this precocious eldest grandson.

Third Uncle pondered for a moment, then took out a piece of lustrous white jade. "Let us test his root bone as well. Certain special constitutions can forge another path to cultivation even without spiritual roots."

He looked at Si Chen with hope in his eyes. "There were several mighty figures in the past who relied on their special constitutions and ultimately achieved extraordinary things."

Si Chen obediently reached out and touched the jade.

The result was exactly the same. The white jade was like a slumbering, unyielding stone, offering no response to Si Chen's touch.

"Root bone... ordinary grade..." Third Uncle sighed, regret in his voice.

Two disappointing results in succession cast a heavy pall over the ancestral hall.

A child with exceptional learning abilities actually had no aptitude for cultivation?

The genius they had anticipated had fallen into the mortal dust. The gulf between expectation and reality left many present uncomfortable.

"It's all right, Chenchen."

Ye Fu immediately crouched down and embraced her son, comforting him softly. "Being an ordinary person is good too. Mother only wants you to be safe and happy."

Though Si Kai could scarcely hide his disappointment, he maintained the composure of a family head. "No matter. Even if my son cannot cultivate, he can still manage the family estate."

Third Uncle nodded. "In that case, let us follow tradition and broaden Chen'er's horizons."

This was a Lineage tradition: showing the children what cultivation was, even if they could not embark on that path themselves.

Si Kai looked toward his two younger brothers at the front of the crowd. "Second Brother, Third Brother, give him a demonstration."

Si Chen's Second Uncle, Si Che, practiced spell cultivation, while his Third Uncle, Si Shuo, cultivated his body. The two exchanged a glance and stepped into the square one after the other.

Second Uncle lifted his chin toward little Si Chen, then raised his hand and formed a seal. "Watch closely, Chen'er."

A ball of crimson flame gathered in his palm, its dancing tongues radiating scorching heat. "This is the most basic Fireball Technique. It requires spiritual roots to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth..."

With a slight flick of his wrist, the fireball hurtled out and struck a distant stone target precisely, setting it ablaze.

Beside him, Third Uncle Si Shuo stepped forward, pale golden gang qi rising around his body.

"Chen'er, the path of body cultivation depends above all on root bone. The flesh bears the power of heaven and earth. At its pinnacle, it too can split mountains and sever rivers..."

He threw a light punch, and the fierce wind of his fist smashed another stone target to pieces.

Their demonstration finished, the two withdrew their stances and stood still, looking at Si Chen with some regret. After all, he was the first child of this younger generation, and all his elders doted on him.

Si Chen merely tilted his head, seemingly considering something. Then, under everyone's gaze, he raised his right hand.

There was no incantation, no hand seal, not even a ripple of spiritual power.

Poof.

A fireball exactly the same size and shape as the one Second Uncle Si Che had just demonstrated appeared out of thin air above his soft little palm, burning quietly.

Then he flicked his wrist lightly. The fireball shot out even faster and struck the exact same spot on the stone target from before, blasting it completely into charred rubble.

"Wh-what?" Second Uncle Si Che cried involuntarily, his eyes wide as saucers. "How is this possible...?"

Si Chen did not pause. His gaze turned toward Third Uncle Si Shuo. "Is this how body cultivation works?"

Before his words had faded, a pale golden glow rose around Si Chen's small body. He casually took a step forward and swung his little fist.

Boom!

A wave of air, condensed until it seemed solid, tore through the air. Not only did it smash the stone target to pieces, but its aftershock even shook a web of winding cracks into the courtyard wall more than ten meters behind it.

Dead silence fell over the square.

The sunshine remained bright and the birdsong crisp, yet the square before the ancestral hall seemed to have been struck by an immobilization spell.

The Spirit-Testing Stone in Third Uncle's hand fell to the ground with a clack.

Si Che and Si Shuo stared at each other, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.

The family members gaped, their earlier regret and disappointment replaced by a far stronger emotion.

Horror.

Si Chen withdrew his little hand, and the white light around him quietly faded. He looked at his palm, then raised his eyes toward his two uncles, his gaze clear and holding a trace of pure curiosity.

"Is that right? It doesn't seem very complicated."