Unable to Cultivate, I Can Only Raise Soul Pets Chapter 2

“Caw!”

“Caw caw~”

Precisely at six in the morning, a clamor erupted from beyond the room.

It was the vocalization of a Cuckoo Bird, a soul pet of the flying variety.

The Cuckoo Bird situated outside belonged to Mother Wang, a common soul pet that was simple to rear. Consequently, it was frequently found in households of ordinary citizens.

Meanwhile, Wang Che found himself mentally drained after an entire night of attempting cultivation.

However, with absolutely no discernible results, he could only exit his room, dark circles stark beneath his eyes.

As the calls of the soul pet reached him, his mind involuntarily accessed its fundamental information.

Cuckoo Bird: A flying-type soul pet. Its plumage is uniformly gray. Elongated feathers adorn its head and tail. The distinction lies in the head feathers, which can perceive the passage of time, while the tail feathers sense atmospheric currents, enabling weather prediction.

As if on cue, the Cuckoo Bird, measuring approximately 20 to 30 centimeters, fluttered towards Wang Che’s doorway.

It emitted a cawing sound, a reminder that it was time to rise and partake in a meal.

Then, upon observing Wang Che’s emergence, the Cuckoo Bird glided into the main living area.

“How did your night go?”

Father Wang expressed surprise at Wang Che’s presence. Throughout the entirety of the winter break, his son had never once been observed waking up this early. Wang Che typically retired only after sunrise, slumbering until noon.

“The child is already 18, cease your inquiries,” Mother Wang stated, turning from her breakfast preparations. “Come, eat swiftly. Oh, and Little Che, did you not mention plans to go out with a classmate today?”

He offered a silent nod in response.

It appeared that his parents in this existence were quite unremarkable.

In truth, Wang Che hailed from such an ordinary lineage that he had yet to awaken his martial soul, despite having formed a life contract with his soul pet. In any other world, this would be a truly regrettable predicament. However, it was not uncommon for one’s martial soul to be not fully awakened in this realm.

Even presently, the full extent of martial soul power remained an enigma to numerous nations diligently researching its properties. In any case, a complete understanding had yet to be attained.

At best, the most accomplished experts could only delineate certain patterns derived from historical accounts and research findings.

Although every individual in this world possessed a martial soul, the number capable of awakening theirs was not substantial.

To a certain degree, the likelihood of martial soul awakening was influenced by one's progenitors and ancestral bloodline.

Even so, assurance was not guaranteed.

The reason for this is straightforward: the life contract.

Upon receiving the vitality of a soul beast, the dormant martial soul within a human might undergo transformation due to an enhancement in innate talent. It is then that the awakened martial soul can separate from the human’s bloodline and manifest as a distinct martial soul.

This held particularly true before the awakening phase. Although methods existed to elevate one’s innate talent subsequent to martial soul awakening, the process would still prove exceedingly arduous.

This very aspect underscored the paramount importance of a Contract Soul Master's initial soul pet.

Furthermore, even though the first life contract could be rescinded, doing so would result in the release of the bonded soul pet. Considering all factors, a minimum of three years would elapse before the life contract could be utilized anew. Otherwise, a human’s soul power would lack the requisite fortitude to enter into a second life contract.

Moreover, the termination of a contract could precipitate numerous adverse consequences.

For instance, it could significantly diminish the inherent compatibility between soul beasts and the human, rendering the establishment of subsequent life contracts considerably more challenging.

Consequently, humans typically abstained from withdrawing a life contract post-establishment. It simply presented an imprudent course of action, given that even the most rudimentary and common soul beast could markedly augment its human partner's strength.

Nevertheless, Wang Che harbored no inclination towards such matters.

“What is amiss with being 18?” Father Wang attempted to reason. “Merely 1,000 years ago, 18 marked the attainment of adulthood. Yet today, the average human lifespan hovers around 120 years. At 18, one is akin to a mere 10-year-old. He is so young!”

“Do you wish for a reprimand?” Mother Wang cast a stern glance at Father Wang. “I am addressing present circumstances, and you are discoursing on the past?”

Wang Che remained reticent, feigning ignorance to his parents’ exchange.

At that juncture, the emerald grub emerged from Wang Che’s chamber.

It advanced to his feet, tilting its head slightly. After a brief appraisal of Wang Che, it instinctively retreated a few paces.

“Good heavens! Mother, make haste. Where is breakfast?” Father Wang emitted a couple of coughs while gesturing towards the green caterpillar, endeavoring to divert the conversation.

Mother Wang shot an annoyed look at him before walking to the kitchen again. After a while, she returned with a small bowl of pale white leaves that emitted a milky fragrance.

“Here, here are some white birch milk leaves. They’re your favorite.”

Mother Wang walked to the green caterpillar and put down the bowl of leaves. She then stroked the head of the green caterpillar dotingly with her fingertips. “It’s so cute! Back when Cuckoo Bird had just hatched, it wasn’t as shiny as it is now, and honestly looked quite ugly.”

“Caw! Caw!” Upon hearing this, the Cuckoo Bird perched on the wooden railing let out a dissatisfied cry.

Father Wang, looking at the ten or so white leaves in the bowl, started to open his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again.

He watched as the green caterpillar sniffed around curiously before its dull eyes suddenly lit up.

“Ssss!”

The caterpillar nodded at Mother Wang happily before jumping into the pile of leaves.

“Look, this little guy is quite intelligent,” Mother Wang exclaimed. “Is it trying to thank me? Does it really have such a high level of intelligence? It must be a special soul pet! Don’t you think so, Old Wang?”

“Maybe it was asking whether you wanted to eat together with it,” Father Wang replied sarcastically.

“Are you itching to get beaten today?” Mother Wang glared at him.

Father Wang quickly coughed.

Just as Mother Wang was about to punish him, Wang Che suddenly said, “I’m full.”

With that, he quietly walked back into the room.

“…This won’t do,” Father Wang shook his head while saying. “A soul pet like a green caterpillar… is even worse than your Cuckoo Bird. There’s no use in comforting him.

“Yesterday, he told me with a calm voice that it was okay…” Father Wang sighed. “I knew it wasn’t that simple…

“He looked so dejected just now. After all, a child’s first soul pet is something very important. No one his age would be able to hide their emotions after going through something like that.

“Say, the two of us don’t have any talents at all, and we couldn’t even awaken our martial souls. Seeing that our son’s first soul pet is so weak, I’m afraid that when the time comes, he’ll become exactly like us.”

Father Wang had a worried look on his face. “If he wants to become a Contract Soul Master, he’ll only be able to achieve it in his dreams. Even though he’s so outstanding in school…”

“Let nature take its course.” Mother Wang sighed as well.

She slowly turned around to look at the green caterpillar. “Though this one isn’t all that bad.”

——

Unbeknownst to them, Wang Che hadn’t actually been dejected. It was just that he couldn’t help feeling mentally exhausted after a night of pointless cultivation.

Furthermore, he hadn’t said much at the dining table because he had been lost in his thoughts .

He must have looked very upset to his parents.

Still, Wang Che couldn’t accept the fact that he hadn’t been able to draw Qi into his body after an entire night of cultivation, despite being a former Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivator.

It seemed that there really wasn’t a way to cultivate in this world.

This had to be related to this world’s rules.

There were powerful restrictions set in place between heaven and earth, after all.

More specifically, these entailed the idea that soul power wasn’t the same as spiritual energy, and so cannot simply be applied to just any cultivation technique or method.

Because of this, Wang Che couldn’t draw energy into his body to cultivate.

Initially, he had suspected that it was due to his lack of spiritual aptitude.

However, even without a spiritual root, it still didn’t make sense for him to be completely unable to draw any Qi into his body.

After several failed attempts, Wang Che decided to try the Demonic Path Qi Refinement Technique, an ability that could forcefully absorb heaven and earth’s spiritual Qi into his body.

However, even that didn’t work. It was simply impossible for him to absorb any soul power at all.

By that point, he realized that there were certain rules created by the will of the Heavenly Dao in this world.

It was not going to be so simple.

If Wang Che had the strength of an Immortal Ascension Cultivator, these rules would not apply to him.

Unfortunately, after the last cosmic heavenly tribulation, everything had come crashing down. He was considered fortunate enough to have been reborn with a wisp of his soul left.

In conclusion, he could not cultivate anymore.

After pondering for a while, Wang Che closed his eyes and calmed himself down.

It was fine if he could not cultivate.

Cultivating was merely a way of seeking the Dao.

The Great Dao of the cosmos was brilliant and endless.

None of the great cultivators had managed to reach the Immortal Ascension Realm by being mediocre.

Wang Che quickly regained his composure.

He had already encountered many setbacks before. This was nothing.

“First, I must thoroughly understand this world to grasp its nuances. Since utilizing cultivation techniques to absorb soul power is impossible for me, I shall operate within this world’s established principles. My aim is to devise a method specifically for cultivating soul power, setting aside any thoughts of Immortal Cultivation for the present.”

Wang Che’s eyes snapped open as he reaffirmed his resolve.

He possessed an immense wealth of experience and power. Moreover, he had spent countless millennia traversing the cosmos, observing the myriad civilizations that bloomed across its expanse.

Since he had arrived in this place, adapting to it was the logical course of action.

With this conviction, Wang Che allowed himself a period of rest before attending to his hygiene. Subsequently, he dressed himself and proceeded to examine his reflection.

A young man, approximately 1.8 meters in height, clad in white slacks and a light blue shirt, gazed back at him.

As Wang Che scrutinized his physical form, he noted its lean and well-balanced physique. His hair was neatly short, and his facial features were sharply defined, complemented by a subtle amount of facial hair. His dark eyes held a profound luminescence…

The present iteration of Wang Che was undoubtedly a strikingly handsome youth, possessing an alluring charisma.

Yet, upon encountering his own image, Wang Che began to shake his head, a slight frown creasing his brow as he mused, “Insufficient. In my previous existence, I was renowned as one of the most aesthetically pleasing individuals throughout the cultivation world. This… barely captures one percent of that former allure.

“It’s merely passable.”

Wang Che pushed the door open and stepped out once more.

If his recollection was accurate, he had apparently arranged to meet with some classmates today for leisure activities.