“Uncle, this is my classmate, Zhou Wen.” Wang Lu pointed at Zhou Wen and introduced him before pointing at the middle-aged man. “This is my uncle. You can call him Uncle too.”
“Uncle,” Zhou Wen greeted, but he felt somewhat puzzled. He didn’t know why Wang Lu had brought him along to meet her family member.
“Sit down,” Wang Lu’s uncle said indifferently without any intention of communicating with Zhou Wen.
Wang Lu sat opposite him and tugged at Zhou Wen, gesturing to him to sit beside her. The two of them looked at the middle-aged man across the table.
“Little Lu, you should have had enough fun, right? It’s time to go back and cultivate seriously. Don’t keep your parents worried,” said Wang Guotao as he stared at Wang Lu.
“Uncle, things are progressing well with my cultivation at Sunset College. Sunset College is one of the top ten colleges in the League. The tutors and teaching resources here are all very good...” Before Wang Lu could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Wang Guotao.
“I’m more familiar with Sunset College’s standards than you are. The teaching standards there are indeed excellent compared to ordinary schools, but it’s still a school that’s targeted at the masses at the end of the day. It’s impossible for it to teach according to your characteristics and abilities, much less teach you the secret techniques of our Wang family,” said Wang Guotao.
“I don’t necessarily have to learn the family’s secret techniques. I think the status quo is pretty good,” Wang Lu said as she bit her lip.
“Do you really think that learning from things catered to the masses is good? If that’s the case, the disappointment won’t be limited to your parents, Even I’m disappointed,” said Wang Guotao.
“Uncle, I wish to continue studying in school. You dote on me the most, help me,” pleaded Wang Lu.
“I can let it pass on any other matter, but not this. You’ve already wasted half a year. If you don’t return and focus on your cultivation, how can you keep up with the progress of your siblings? You’ll have to take charge of the Wang family in the future. If your strength can’t suppress those of the same generation, how will the masses submit to you in the future?” Wang Guotao said.
“It’s not like I’m planning on taking charge of the Wang family.” Wang Lu muttered softly.
“What did you say?” Although her voice was soft, Wang Guotao still heard her. His expression turned cold.
“Nothing. I’m saying that cultivation is the same in college. One’s cultivation progress will not be slower than at home,” Wang Lu said as she pointed at Zhou Wen and said, “Zhou Wen is my schoolmate. He’s also studying in school. He’s much stronger than my siblings.”
“He’s a member of the An family, so the college naturally takes great care of him.” Wang Guotao clearly knew about Zhou Wen and continued, “Besides, saying that he’s stronger than your siblings? I don’t think so.”
When Wang Lu heard this, she immediately felt delighted. She knew that Wang Guotao was acting as she had imagined. He couldn’t bear humiliation, especially when the Wang family was insulted.
“If you don’t believe me, you can test him. If he is indeed stronger than my siblings who cultivate at home, how about letting me remain on campus and cultivate?” Wang Lu took the opportunity to say.
“Since you brought him here, I’m afraid you won’t give up if I say no.” As Wang Guotao spoke, he looked at Zhou Wen. “What are you best at?”
“I’m not particularly good at anything,” Zhou Wen answered.
Wang Lu hurriedly added, “Uncle, Zhou Wen means that he is proficient in everything. You can test him as you please.”
Is that what I mean? Zhou Wen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he couldn’t say it out loud in front of Wang Guotao.
“Your grandfather has been cultivating an entire lifetime, and even he doesn’t dare say that he’s proficient in everything. Do you think those words are suitable for a student?” said Wang Guotao sternly.
With that said, he ignored Wang Lu’s reaction and looked at Zhou Wen. “Since you aren’t good at anything, I’ll test you on the Wang family’s usual cultivation problem.”
Zhou Wen looked at Wang Lu who gave him a pleading look. Her hands were clasped under the table, moving it like she was praying to a god.
“Uncle, please speak.” Zhou Wen thought for a moment. He had no choice but to help her since he owed her a favor.
Wang Guotao poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Zhou Wen. He said indifferently, “The most important thing about cultivation is the foundation. It’s like building. If the foundation hasn’t been built, there’s no way you can build a skyscraper. Even if it’s built forcefully, it will quickly collapse. Now, I’ll test your foundation.”
Zhou Wen looked at Wang Guotao in puzzlement, unsure how he could test him with a cup of tea.
Wang Guotao remained unperturbed. He poured himself a cup of tea and placed it on the table in front of him.
The table was made of rosewood. It was about ten centimeters thick and was rather sturdy. With a casual press, Wang Guotao made the teacup sink into the table. The cup’s mouth became parallel to the table, as if it was embedded in it. The cup wasn’t damaged, and not a single drop of tea inside spilled.
“Uncle, aren’t you making things difficult for him? Zhou Wen has never cultivated our family’s Heart Destroying Palm. Besides, which of my siblings can even achieve a level like yours?” Wang Lu immediately objected.
“If you can’t do it, it means that the teachers of the academy are lacking. So, it’s best you go back home and cultivate,” said Wang Guotao calmly.
Wang Lu opened her mouth to protest, but she didn’t know how to rebut Wang Guotao.
“I’ll give it a try,” Zhou Wen said as he looked at the teacup in front of him.
“It’s a good thing that young people are willing to try. I won’t make things difficult for you either. As long as you can sink a third of the teacup into the table without shattering the teacup, I’ll count it as a pass,” Wang Guotao said.
Zhou Wen nodded and reached out to smack the teacup.
“Wait,” Wang Lu called out to Zhou Wen nervously and looked at him pleadingly. “Be careful. Don’t shatter the teacup. Just get it in if you can.”
Wang Lu thought that if the teacup were to shatter, there was no way to protest. As long as the teacup didn’t shatter, or even if a third of the cup didn’t sink in, she could still bargain with Wang Guotao.
Zhou Wen actually didn’t quite understand why Wang Lu insisted on studying on campus when her family had such good conditions. Wasn’t she rejecting what was near at hand and seeking what was far away?
However, it wasn’t his place to interfere with Wang Lu’s matters. He just needed to return the favor.
“Don’t worry,” Zhou Wen said to Wang Lu before reaching out to smack the teacup in front of him.
Wang Lu fell into despair when she heard a cracking sound.
The table was completely fine as the teacup was smashed to pieces by Zhou Wen. Wang Lu felt the room spinning, wishing she could plant her head to the ground. She thought, Did I have a screw loose in my head? Why did I think of bringing Zhou Wen here?
“Young man, there are many things in this world that can’t be resolved simply with great strength,” Wang Guotao said before ignoring Zhou Wen. He looked at Wang Lu and said, “Little Lu, return to campus and pack up. I’ll send someone to fetch you home tomorrow.”