Chapter 27: Elder

Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon

Zhou Wen was slightly alarmed. He had heard of Sun Strafe Art. It was a Primordial Energy Art that reached the Epic stage and was in no way inferior to the Invincible Connate Divine Art when it came to fame. However, in comparison, the Sun Strafe Art was far more precious.

After all, the Invincible Connate Divine Art’s cultivation requirements were excessively harsh. In contrast, the Sun Strafe Art didn’t have that many requirements. As long as one was willing to work hard at it, even the most mediocre person could attain certain levels of achievement.

Furthermore, Sun Strafe Art was an extremely potent offensive Primordial Energy Art. It was far more popular than the Invincible Connate Divine Art that only strengthened one’s Constitution.

However, based on what Zhou Wen knew, the Sun Strafe Art was an exclusive Primordial Energy Art of some bigwig in the League. Apart from this bigwig’s descendants, no one else had the chance of obtaining it.

How did Dad get the Sun Strafe Art? It’s most likely obtained thanks to the An family, right? Zhou Wen had a guess in mind.

He didn’t reject the Sun Strafe Art because of this guess. Since Zhou Lingfeng had given it to him, he must have paid the corresponding price even if it was thanks to the An family. Zhou Wen naturally didn’t have any reason to reject it and couldn’t ignore Zhou Lingfeng’s well-meant intentions.

After all, the number of things that Zhou Lingfeng had given him since he was young—apart from his living allowance—was limited to a handful.

He actually remembers that he has a son. Zhou Wen didn’t immediately look at the Sun Strafe Art. Switching off his computer, he pulled out the USB disk and prepared to get some food.

Cultivating a Primordial Energy Art wasn’t something that could be done in a day. Even though he had a 9-valued Primordial Energy as a foundation, making it faster for him to cultivate other Primordial Energy Arts, it still wasn’t something that could be mastered in a month or two. There wasn’t any rush.

Opening the fridge, he found nothing inside. Looking at the cardboard boxes in the corner of the living room, there wasn’t a single packet of instant noodles left.

Zhou Wen hesitated for a moment and gave up the thought of getting a delivery. He washed his face, changed his clothes, and prepared to head out to get something to eat. He could also buy some food to stock up on the way.

At almost nine in the evening, there weren’t many pedestrians on the street.

Zhou Wen had heard from his grandfather when he was young that before the dimensional storms happened, even a small city like Guide City was lit up for the entire night. However, such scenes were very rare these days.

The dim street lamps left Zhou Wen a little uncomfortable. His anemia was also getting worse.

He had lost too much blood recently. Thankfully, he was young and sufficiently strong. If he were an elderly man, the amount of blood he expended was definitely something his body’s self-replenishment wouldn’t be able to keep up with. Things would have deteriorated much earlier.

“I’ll head to the supermarket to buy some brown sugar and make it into a syrup for drinking. Let’s hope this old wives’ tale can help in replenishing my blood,” Zhou Wen muttered to himself.

He also knew, deep down, that it wasn’t going to be of much use. Even if he visited the doctor, it was unlikely to resolve the problem.

The only way to resolve the excessive loss of blood was to prevent his blood-colored avatar from dying frequently in-game. As long as it didn’t die, he wouldn’t need to waste his blood.

Cough! As Zhou Wen was walking, he heard a man cough in front of him. Looking up, he saw an elderly man walking over with a hunched back. He had his head bowed, holding one hand to his mouth as he coughed from time to time.

Zhou Wen didn’t think too much of it as he continued proceeding forward. But to his surprise, the elderly man collapsed to the ground when he was less than three meters away from him.

“Uncle, are you alright?” Zhou Wen walked over to check on the elder.

The elder seemed weak as he sat on the ground without getting up. He said feebly, “I’m fine. Old age is getting at me. I’ll be fine after resting for a while.”

“Let me help you to the side.” Zhou Wen saw that there was a bus stop nearby which had benches for commuters to sit on.

With the elder nodding, Zhou Wen reached out, held him by the arm and helped him to the bench.

He observed the elder from the side and guessed that he was in his seventies to eighties. His hair was gray and his face was covered in wrinkles. However, from his thin face and facial features, this elder had probably been a handsome man in his prime.

Zhou Wen felt some pity for him. An elder at this age was truly from the most tragic generation.

When the dimensional storms descended upon the world, it created pandemonium. That decade or two was the most chaotic and darkest period of human history.

And the source of this chaos wasn’t the terrifying dimensional creatures, but humanity itself.

Most dimensional creatures were unable to leave the dimensional zones; therefore excluding those zones, humans in the other zones weren’t in too much danger.

However, when humans realized that they could have superpowers with the help of dimensional crystals, those who obtained these powers revealed the darkest side of humanity.

In this dark era, many vile and ambitious people who struck fear into people were produced. The number of deaths that arose among humanity’s infighting could be said to be awash with rivers of blood.

At the elder’s age, he was a person who had survived the dark era but he was also beyond his prime for cultivation during the same period. Back then, there weren’t any systematic education or resources available. Most men his age had never cultivated. And even if they did, their achievements were extremely limited.

To be lucky enough to not die in that dark and chaotic era and live to this day wasn’t something worth being happy about either.

Humans nowadays who cultivated from a young age not only had a strong immune system that made them less prone to falling sick, but the speed at which they aged was reduced. They also experienced an extension of their lifespan, something incomparable for the elder from that era.

Now, most people in their forties and fifties looked no different from the twenties or thirties of yesteryear.

Even if one grew old in the future, they wouldn’t be so frail like this elder in front of him.

“Uncle, if you’re fine, I’ll be taking my leave.” Seeing how the elder’s condition had improved, Zhou Wen planned on leaving.

“Lad, it’s a lucky coincidence that we meet other. Why don’t you have a chat with me?” the elder looked at Zhou Wen with his turbid eyes as he spoke with his feeble voice.

“I’m not good at chatting.” Zhou Wen wasn’t declining the elder’s request. He really wasn’t good at chatting.

“It’s fine. Let me ask you a few questions.” The elder smiled, only to break into a coughing fit a moment later.

“Go ahead,” Zhou Wen said and stood in front of the bench.

He usually only gamed and seldom communicated with people. Therefore, it didn’t seem like a bad thing to have someone willing to chat with him.

Of course, this was under the premise that the elder didn’t ask questions that stumped Zhou Wen.

“Do you like women with big or small breasts?” The elder’s question left Zhou Wen taken aback.