Next morning, after Alvin woke up, he washed up and dressed. Today ,he wasn't wearing his usual ragged clothes but the new ones Grizzle had brought for him. Despite Alvin's steadfast refusal to consider relocating to a new residence, Grizzle still provided new clothes and essentials for the whole family.
After having breakfast, Alvin headed straight to Grizzle's forge. As he entered, he found Grizzle busy arranging various items in the workspace. Catching sight of Alvin, his face lit up with a warm smile. "Not bad, kid. You're right on time,"
Alvin also greeted Grizzle with a smile. "Good morning, Grandpa."
"Save the greetings for later, kid. First, tell me how much you know about cultivation," Grizzle said while arranging forging tools on the table.
"Well... I don't know anything about cultivation," Alvin scratched his head. Grizzle wasn't surprised by Alvin's answer; after all, normal people seldom come into contact with the concept of cultivation.
"As expected. First, read this. It'll give you a rough understanding of cultivation. You don't have to grasp every detail, just get the basics. That'll suffice for now. The rest you'll pick up as you progress to higher stages," Grizzle instructed, tossing a small book toward Alvin.
Alvin caught the book and subconsciously opened it.
"This handwriting is barely readable," Alvin remarked as he inspected the text. Grizzle's mouth twitched upon hearing Alvin's response.
"I'm a blacksmith, not an artist, so my handwriting won't be that great. But it's still readable, right? So stop the useless nonsense and study it," Grizzle retorted.
After some time, when Grizzle saw Alvin still standing there without reading the book, he became angry and shouted, "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Don't tell me you don't even know how to read."
Alvin nodded. "I don't know."
"You don't know how to read?" Grizzle was stunned. He could understand Mia not knowing how to read; after all, she was just a 6-year-old girl. But Alvin was 17 years old. How could a big boy like him not even know how to read?
Seeing the exasperated expression on the old man's face, Alvin said in an annoyed tone, "Old man, I have to work at the market from morning till night since I was 10 years old. Where do you think I'll find time to study?"
Hearing Alvin, realization dawned upon Grizzle as well. Alvin was not like the kids he saw in the capital. Up until now, he had lived a life of poverty where even merely securing daily meals posed a challenge for him. Where would he find time to study?
"Cough..." Grizzle coughed to lighten the situation and said, "In that case, I will tell you the basics of cultivation. Listen clearly, kid."
Alvin nodded.
Grizzle then continued, "There are two types of cultivation paths: spiritual path and body path. As the name implies, in the spiritual path, you have to cultivate spiritual energy, and in the body path, you have to cultivate vital energy. Well, anyone can cultivate the body path, but the spiritual path is a gift. Your soul must have affinity with an element to start on this path. Usually, we can know if you have affinity with any elements after you reach the Initiate Realm. But there are also geniuses like your sister who will exhibit their affinity at an earlier stage."
"How do you reach the Initiate Realm?" Alvin asked curiously.
Grizzle caressed his beard and said with a chuckle, "You have to break free from the constraints of your mortal body."
"Constraints? What's that?" Alvin was getting more and more puzzled.
"Constraints are the restrictions your body has. Actually, cultivation is not possible through a mortal body. You have to develop your mortal body to a higher level to break the restrictions it has. The realm your body is in now is called the mortal realm. You will reach the Initiate Realm after you develop your body completely, and that will be the start of your cultivation journey," Grizzle explained.
"Can you tell me more about different stages in cultivation? and what realm are you in? " Alvin asked curiously.
When he asked Elena about how strong Grizzle was, she only told him that he was very strong. Even after pestering her for a long time, she only smiled at him teasingly and didn't tell him anything more.
"What stage am I in?" Grizzle repeated Alvin's words and said with hearty laughter, "Guess."
Alvin was speechless. "Guess?" he thought. "I don't even know what the hell this cultivation was. How the bloody heck am I supposed to guess?" he grumbled in his mind.
"Just remember, kid, in this lower realm, if I say I am the second strongest, no one will dare to claim the first place," Grizzle declared proudly, puffing out his chest as he observed Alvin's blank expression. "As for cultivation levels, there are a lot of things to be discussed on this topic. We can talk about it in the evening. Now, let's begin our first lesson on blacksmithing."
"Didn't we have a class last time? So, isn't this our second class?" Alvin asked in confusion.
"That was just laying the groundwork. Blacksmithing, like cultivation, encompasses a broad spectrum. There's a distinction between the weapons and artifacts crafted by regular folk and those made by cultivators. Today, I'll delve into that," Grizzle explained, motioning for Alvin to take a seat.
Author's note: "Dear readers, the next few chapters will introduce the power system of our novel. While it might be dull for some, please hang in there. This groundwork is crucial for the plot development that follows."