"Listen well, boy… while it might be true that your talent is on the lesser side of the scale compared to other great geniuses, that doesn't mean you don't stand a chance against those with greater potential!! The only difference between you and them is the path taken, sure, they will be walking on a paved road with a great view all around, and you will need to create your own path, but you will reach the same destination as them if you push through… talent is just the beginning of everything after all."
Recalling something he had heard from one of the first people he got to know during his time as a cultivator, Argus smiles, wondering just what sort of expression that person will show once he found out that the kid that he passed such great amount of knowledge on due to their affinity for both being of mediocre talent, is actually someone born with a gift that even the greatest supreme beings in the heavens will be jealous of.
'Thanks to you, Qing old man, I have the most suitable method to improve my meridians right now…'
It wasn't for any particular reason at all that his mind reminisced about such a specific memory from his earliest day of being a cultivator, as this person, who had told him such a fact, the first guide that he had in that world, is also one of the greatest minds in existence.
'Pure Heaven True Circulation Art…'
If there's anything that he can find fault with about this old man's generous personality, it was the extreme fixation on pasting his name one way or another to each and every single one of his creations.
Armaments? There's his name, Qing Tian, one even in his worst of his forged creations.
Artifacts? While some of them might not directly contain his name, the references to his name are still there, more obvious than not.
Worst case of all was his techniques, no matter if it is combat techniques or cultivation arts, all of them are directly branded by his name, with no exceptions among them.
'If you don't like it, then improve the hell out of my techniques so you can have the right to change its name!'
Those were the words this old teacher often told Argus every time he was being taught yet another technique that had such a name, names that made practicing such great techniques an oddly uncomfortable feeling.
'Well, not that I need to care about any of that at all now…'
Having moved past this problem now though, the young man smiles as he starts cultivation in its earnest, the air around him starting to move in a subtle, circling manner as if it is currently dancing around him, the smile remaining on his face as he felt the familiar sensation of a peculiar, yet refreshing sensation being a mixture of warmth and cool rushing towards his body, starting from his lungs then reaching the heart, remaining there for a little while longer before it surges all throughout his entire body through his blood.
If the creator of the Pure Heaven True Circulation Art is to observe the pathways that this comfortable mixture of warmth and coolness moves through, he will definitely be baffled, as it is far different, far removed from the original technique, so much that despite being the origin of this new art, it was as if they weren't of the same mold at all.
For one, the old teacher's Pure Heaven True Circulation Art is one that is meant to compliment the weak talent of a person who has yet to start his long journey of cultivation, hence the reason why such grand technique is often characterized as one that is gentle and easy to practice having a relatively low entry level requirement yet still setting such solid foundations so long as one can practice diligently.
As for the art that Argus is practicing, however, the circulation of that peculiar sensation around his body is anything but gentle, as forceful momentum makes him wince in pain every now and then, his face gritting from both suffering and excitement as he knows full well that experiencing such pain is a great sign of his body being pushed to its absolute limit.
Continuing to endure through the trials of pain as he remains rooted in his spot, he recalls the fact that it wasn't all this extreme back when he started cultivation back then, making him realize just how far he had brought the technique that was bestowed upon him by that fateful encounter with that old man, his first teacher, in that world.
And while it might be the case that Argus, through his long journey as a cultivator, improves this mystical cultivation art time and time again just so he can turn it into his own, it wasn't all his work that such changes are happening right now, as the other greatest reason for such change starts revealing itself.
"Meridians, if one were to identify them with anything, are an organ, or rather, an organ system, just like anything else existing naturally within the human body. If anything, it is a sensory, control, and processing organ altogether, one that improves the body's power altogether once polished, that's why it is so important to push it to its limit before you take the next step!"
Not forgetting the emphasis that his first teacher put on the importance of the meridians, Argus closes his eyes and observes the changes within his body as he felt something coming to life, as if another heart is beating right within him, pumping through his body strength and power his current body never had before, increasing not only his physical abilities, but his sensory abilities as well.
'It's going well…'
He thought to himself as he continues the circulation of his cultivation art, his hands trembling from the excitement as he felt like he still has a chance to make up for his biggest regret in the past, his inability to reach the required ability to enter the center of every person of his age's world, the academy that his father was previously talking about.
'If I continue at this rate, a couple of days should be enough for me to gather enough strength for the examinations next month…'
Observing the unbelievable state of rapid progress happening within his body, Argus thought to himself with a smile, knowing full well that even that, is a humble estimation as progress will only get smoother as he gets more used to the process of refining his meridian, hence he decided to put even more work into making sure that surpassing his own prediction will come true.
'There won't be any 'False Dragon' in this life…'
The young man muttered to himself in determination as he allows his mind to enter a deep state of focus, the matters of the outside no longer disturbing him as he continues being pulled into the depth of cultivation, the little breeze around him growing in size and magnitude little by little the longer his cultivation takes, almost as if in excitement, the air around him continues to dance in a cheerful manner as it watches him improve.