Theodor couldn't give up on his future as a cultivator. No matter what, it would be a tragedy if he was reincarnated only to remain a normal human. That was not something he could agree with.
To his delight, when he was crawling around after his first birthday, he accidentally crushed an ant!
His happiness did not stem from cruelness or murderousness, but from the window that popped right in front of his eyes.
[Achievement: Ant Crusher]
[You have killed an ant for the first time, you gain one year of cultivation.]
There was no apparent change in his situation, but it marked the day Theodor embarked on his journey as a certified entomologist, a person who researches insects. Well, 'research' might be a strong word. Theodor mainly hunted them down, killing every insect he could find if he never killed it before.
[Achievement: Send the Butterfly Back to its Cocoon]
[You have killed a butterfly for the first time, you gain one year of cultivation.]
By the time he turned ten, Theodor had killed 177 different types of bugs, earning him that number in years of cultivation, yet nothing changed despite the accumulation of 208 years of cultivation.
"Theo," Veronica called him. She originally tried to name him herself, but he pronounced his name as soon as his vocal cords allowed it and never answered to any other name, forcing her to accept his previous name.
"Sect Leader," he clasped his fist in respect. No matter what, this woman was almost a mother to him.
She had raised him unconditionally all those years without asking for anything in return, even spending her precious time teaching him arithmetic and other basic skills she thought were necessary for a growing kid to learn.
For the topics he knew from his previous world, he pretended to grasp from the first moment to avoid wasting her time without raising too much suspicion, giving himself the name of a genius scholar.
"You turned ten today, I believe there's something we should talk about…" she said hesitantly.
'Here it comes, I need to go out and make a life for myself eventually, she must be preparing me for the future…' Theodor sighed internally. It would be inappropriate for him to freeload on the sect when he becomes an adult, but he really didn't want to leave his home.
"Our sect is meant for cultivation," Veronica opened when she saw he was listening quietly, "You have many talents and there are many dreams you can chase outside, but there's nothing we can offer you aside from cultivation…" she explained softly. It was important to her to break the news without traumatizing the kid or making him doubt himself.
Cultivation was only one side of the world. The mortal world was no less colorful, and she truly believed he had a bright future in it given his quick mind and comprehension.
"Do I have to leave the sect?" Theodor asked dejectedly. Part of the reason he had been hunting bugs relentlessly all this time was his unwillingness to go away.
"Not now, of course, you are still a child. I only say it so you can start thinking about what you want to do when you grow up. Our Jade Lotus Sect will forever be your home, and we will always wait for your visits," Veronica smiled at him and stroked his hair, trying to pacify the kid. She knew it must be devastating news for him, but she couldn't let him stay to live a meaningless life within the sect.
Theodor knew his sect's low position in the world by now. When he first learned about it, he swore to take it to the top with the power of his system. 'I don't believe I can't find my place even in a small sect in some corner…' he thought desperately. He had a system! He was a living cheat!
"What if I want to be a cultivator no matter what?" He bit his lower lip as he gave her the most pitiful look he could muster. Roaming the world freely while cultivating the body, soul, and mind, was the dream of every nerd exposed to the Eastern Fantasy genre in his previous world. Immortality was within reach, backing off wasn't an option.
"That…" Veronica's emotions were no less complicated. She developed a deep connection with this boy since the day she picked him up off the market. Parting was as painful for her as it was for him. "There's an option, but the results will be subpar and you will never achieve greatness…"
"Tell me!" It was the first time he had heard of this option! Such hope could not be abandoned! Once he was one foot in the cultivation world, perhaps the system could carry him for the rest of the way.
Veronica sighed, feeling she was too soft on him and worse, on herself. "You can meditate to develop talent for cultivation. You need to sit still for hours and clear your mind from any thought or emotion. If you can keep up this state for long enough, you will eventually develop a weak talent."
'That doesn't sound too bad,' Theo pondered. 'My days are quite empty anyway, so I should be able to pull that off, right?'
Since it sounded feasible, he wanted more details, "How long would it take?"
"A year," Veronica replied, "But that's just for the weakest talent."
In this world, talents could be rated. The worst talent was unranked, also known as tenth by default, since the next talent was considered ninth grade. The lower the number, the better the grade, until you finally reach the legendary first-grade talent.
Given the fact that they were in such a remote place, geniuses were considered blessed by the heavens if they had a seventh-grade talent, and their potential could be considered immense enough to send them to bigger cities and look for new opportunities.
"A year? That's easy!" Theo sighed in relief, his face brightening instantly. The Sect Leader's grim face made him worry he'd need to meditate for a decade before seeing any results.
"It's not as easy as it sounds…" The woman shook her head, guessing the kid's thoughts, "While I said a year, I was referring to a year of pure meditation, and only the time that your mind was clear without obstructions counts into that year."
That was enough to explain the crux of the problem. Theo could meditate for a few hours every day if he pushed himself, but that would be extremely boring and static. The worst thing yet was how thankless this effort would be, giving him only the worst possible aptitude.
"I see, I will do my best," Theo nodded seriously. If it was anyone else, the effort wouldn't be worth the prize. But he was different for he had a system. Something told him everything would be different once he developed cultivation talent, and even without proof, it was a ray of hope for him. The young boy was willing to bet the next few years of his life on it.
Once he put his mind to it, Theo started working hard. He would often lose concentration and let his mind wander, which would waste many hours of his time, but he nevertheless persisted. Every day, he would put aside a few hours for meditation.
The new sect, Jade Lotus Sect, did not remain still all those years. Veronica's kind nature pulled the residents to her, making them trust her. Maria's bubbly disposition and ill custom of mixing around the population to share gossip also helped them be accepted soon after their appearance.
Thus, only two years after their arrival, Veronica and Maria accepted the first disciple into their sect. She was a young girl, only twelve years old at the time, the daughter of the city mayor. Once the mayor was willing to put his precious daughter in the sect's hands, the general population followed suit.
The Jade Lotus Sect would organize selections once a year, and they accepted the most hardworking girls into their ranks through competitions of endurance and persistence. Veronica's dream was to give an opportunity to the local girls to grow, not to babysit lazy kids who wanted rewards without trying.
By Theodor's tenth birthday, there were nearly two dozen disciples in the sect, all females as previously decided on by the sect leader and her vice. The low number attested to how rare cultivation talent was in this part of the world. The sect only accepted those of ninth-grade talent or better.
The girls found it weird that there was a young boy in the female-only sect at first, but now everyone knew that he was Veronica's adoptive child, and he was sweet and considerate. The girls were more than happy to play with him whenever they wanted a break.
[Achievement: He's Funny!]
[You made a girl laugh for the first time, you gain 1 years of cultivation.]
[Achievement: Friendzoned]
[You made your first female friend, you gain 5 years of cultivation.]
[Achievement: Pulling the Hair is a Confession of Love]
[You pulled a woman's hair for the first time, you gain 3 years of cultivation.]