However, on the path to pursuing immortality and reaching the peak, personal aptitude and opportunity are the most important factors. Opportunity is something no one can control, but aptitude can be compensated for with other means.

As for the aptitude of this physical body, Henry Bolton was well aware. Although Edward Foster was an inner disciple of Windwalker Sect, his aptitude was not much better than those of the outer disciples, and he was far inferior to the true inner disciples.

Edward Foster's aptitude was just average. The reason he was able to enter the inner sect of Windwalker was because he had pulled some strings, which was no different from what happens on Earth where Henry Bolton came from.

The inner sect of a cultivation sect is like the rocket class or experimental class in a university on Earth—only those with good aptitude can enter the inner sect by their own strength. However, if someone has a family connection with an elder in the sect, there is also a chance to get in. This is the so-called backdoor in the world of cultivation.

One of Edward Foster's ancestors once had a karmic connection with a founder of Windwalker Sect. That founder promised to grant a spot for a cultivator to a descendant of Edward Foster's family, provided that the descendant had the potential for cultivation.

So-called cultivation potential refers to the quality of the spiritual root within the human body. In fact, everyone in the world of cultivation possesses a spiritual root.

After all, humans are the spirit of all things, which means that every human is born with a spiritual root—an advantage that other demon beasts do not have. Although demon beasts are born with powerful bodies, very few possess spiritual roots. Therefore, cultivation is a hundred times harder for demon beasts than for humans.

Of course, just because everyone has a spiritual root does not mean everyone can embark on the path of cultivation.

According to the classification in the cultivation world, spiritual roots are generally divided into three grades: inferior spiritual roots, ordinary spiritual roots, innate spiritual roots, and the legendary top-grade spiritual roots.

Those with inferior spiritual roots are almost impossible to set foot on the path of cultivation and are also called waste spiritual roots. Such people make up more than ninety percent of the mortal world and generally live out their lives in mediocrity. In theory, it is still possible for someone with an inferior spiritual root to cultivate, but theory is just theory—there is an insurmountable gap with reality. Throughout history, almost no one with an inferior spiritual root has managed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

Ordinary spiritual roots are much better than inferior ones, barely meeting the minimum standard for cultivation. Those with ordinary spiritual roots make up the largest population in the cultivation world. However, because ordinary spiritual roots are too mediocre, the path of cultivation is extremely arduous. In the thousands of years of cultivation history, very few with ordinary spiritual roots have succeeded in forming a core. In the mortal world, those with ordinary spiritual roots make up about five percent of the population, meaning that on average, one in twenty people has an ordinary spiritual root.

Innate spiritual roots are very suitable for cultivation and offer unparalleled advantages in the process, making it much easier to harmonize with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth than those with inferior or ordinary spiritual roots. Often, a month of cultivation for someone with an innate spiritual root is equivalent to a year or two of effort for someone with an ordinary spiritual root. Those with innate spiritual roots make up about one in ten thousand of the vast mortal population. However, given the billions of people in the mortal world, every sect will have at least a few with innate spiritual roots. Without a doubt, those with innate spiritual roots can easily enter the inner sect of any sect.

This is the huge gap in the cultivation process—some people are born with advantages that others cannot match, destined for greater potential and a longer journey.

The physical body of Henry Bolton was that of an ordinary spiritual root, just barely meeting the minimum standard for cultivation.

Originally, with Edward Foster's level of aptitude, it would have been very difficult to enter the inner sect, even though Windwalker was just a small sect.

But because of the support from that founder of Windwalker, he was exceptionally allowed to enter the inner sect and was even rewarded by his master with a low-grade spiritual artifact.

In addition, because that founder, who was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, had no hope of forming a core and only had a dozen years left to live, he took special care of Edward Foster, granting him quite a few spiritual pills. Otherwise, with Edward Foster's ordinary aptitude, it would have been very difficult for him to advance from the Qi Induction stage to the Qi Refining stage before the age of twenty.

However, relying on Edward Foster's ordinary aptitude, without any opportunities, it is likely he would never reach the Foundation Establishment stage in his lifetime.

The Foundation Establishment stage is the first major hurdle on the arduous path of cultivation. Only by reaching Foundation Establishment can one be considered to have truly stepped onto the path of cultivation. Once in the Foundation Establishment stage, a person's lifespan will increase by more than a hundred years.

Therefore, before the Foundation Establishment stage, there is not much difference between cultivators and ordinary people, except that they can perform some spells.

The Foundation Establishment stage is a significant gap, making it unattainable for countless low-level cultivators.

Henry Bolton wanted to use this body to embark on the path of cultivation, but it was impossible to succeed through conventional means. However, the Perverse Technique happened to provide him with an opportunity, because its cultivation requirements for aptitude were not strict—the only condition was a massive amount of "external objects." As long as he kept refining "external objects," he could naturally reach the peak.

However, Henry Bolton still decided to set aside the Perverse Technique for now, as its cultivation requirements were too harsh and required too many rare items. The only thing on Henry Bolton that qualified as an "external object" was a single low-grade spiritual artifact, and he could not afford to refine it—he still needed it to save his life.