Li Zhen stood up and began collecting the miscellaneous items scattered around the cave. The tea set with a kettle sat beside the fire pit, which radiated comforting heat without producing any smoke. He appreciated the lack of smoke; it would make this cave much more tolerable.
His gaze moved over to the mat, the refinement scroll, and the glowing circle that pulsated in rhythm with his cultivation practice. This circle, he knew, was the source of his mounting debt, a constant reminder of the price he was paying for his ambition.
Sage’s Daily Scroll of Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal Insights.
Target: None
Relief washed over him as the target changed back to none. He wanted to check the refinement scroll again, as it gave him the highest thrill, but he reined his mind. First, he needed to understand his ability better. That took precedence over everything else. He needed to be systematic.
He placed the empty cup before him and fixed his stare on it. It felt strange, almost silly, but the golden words materialized promptly, sparing him from feeling like a fool.
There was a moment of suspense, a brief second, where he questioned if this would work. When the golden words appeared, he felt a rush of excitement.
Target: Valid
One by one, he checked the other items. The fire pit, the kettle, the tea leaves, the mat—his skill could target each one. This ability was more literal than he had initially thought.
Maybe the Heavenly and Earthy Insights really refered to all things. Even the blue glowing circle below him, the very thing feeding his debt, was a potential valid target. That realization opened new possibilities.
He made a mental note to target the circle the next day. It could hold secrets he had yet to uncover.
Next, he picked up the refinement scroll, holding his breath. This scroll was a lifeline for him to advance with proper foundation. If the scroll was no longer valid, he would lose a critical source of insight.
Target: Valid
Relief washed over him again as the golden words appeared, confirming its validity. He had feared that his first reading might have exhausted its insights, but that was not the case.
Now came the ultimate test—targeting himself. If his ability could reveal insights about his own body, it would be invaluable.
He crossed his fingers, feeling a flutter of nerves in his stomach, and lowered his head to focus on his body. He sat cross-legged, wearing the simple disciple uniform of brown pants and a beige shirt. A robe was also folded near the entrance that he had left.
Information cascaded through his consciousness as the golden words materialized before him. His breath hitched as the information poured in, his thoughts racing to process the influx.
Li Zhen
Spiritual Root: Mid-Grade Spiritual Root.
Cultivation: 2nd Realm of Qi Condensation.
Refinement Technique: Hundred Stars Refinement ( Modified )
He is a nominal disciple of the Abyssal Harmony Sect, striving to break through to the ninth realm of Qi Condensation to get the chance to become a Quasi Outer Disciple before reaching nineteen.
Due to a qi deviation three days earlier, his cultivation had regressed to the Seventh Realm. During an enlightenment session while contemplating the Opening Heaven Scripture, the faint seven stars were consumed, causing him to fall to the Mortal Realm.
However, his understanding of the Opening Heaven Scripture significantly increased his cultivation speed, allowing him to return to the 2nd Realm of Qi Condensation by combining his newfound insights with the Hundred Stars Refinement technique.
A deep sigh escaped his lips as the content of the golden light disintegrated after he completed reading it. It was intriguing and overwhelming to access such detailed information about himself and his abilities.
Looking at the detailed report about his current situation, he was surprised to note that there were no details about his transmigration. Either the golden words were not powerful enough to pry into his secrets, or the world accepted him as Li Zhen.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The thought brought a mix of relief and anxiety. If his secret remained hidden, he had an advantage, but it also meant he was alone in this world, with no way to know his true origins or how he was brought here.
His fall in the cultivation realm had been a shock. He hadn't even noticed the changes in his body during that time. He had felt so powerful earlier. Did that cheap enlightenment stiff him on his realms?
No, impossible. He could feel the answer circulating within him; he instinctively could tell that the quality of the energy produced by the Hundred Stars Refinement was better than what he had before.
The two stars in his acupoints shone brightly, unlike the faint stars mentioned by the golden words. Of course, it wouldn’t be a 1:1 exchange when he switched from one to another.
Then there was another worrying thought. If the refinement scroll had once led to a loss of his cultivation, could it happen again? Was he building on a proper foundation or setting himself up for another fall? He needed to be cautious in its future usage. For a moment, he felt he would not be able to push toward Ninth Realm of Qi Condensation, but pushed the worries to the back of his mind.
Next, he noticed that the text was flavored with only mentions about cultivation. Maybe it was due to him focusing solely on it, or perhaps the golden words showed what was most relevant to his immediate needs. More usage would be required to test the limits of his power.
Initially, his mind was blown by the appearance of the golden words. After all, with a heaven defying ability, even a pig could fly, but soon his elation gave way to a tinge of disappointment.
The golden words had a counter of a day. Even his first usage of his ability had unknowingly caused his realm to fall. That was a scary thought. What if he was not in a cave with qi? Would he suddenly be weakened during a mission or facing an enemy?
His dream of becoming a heaven-defying, handsome immortal cultivator vanished just like that. Alas, it was not meant to be. He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. It was a dramatic thought, a bit of theatrics to lighten his mood.
In truth, he was indeed disappointed that he did not have an unlimited chance, but he also did not mind it too much. He had always known that reality rarely matched the fantasies spun in novels.
After all, the abilities he read about were basically omnipotent miracles, ones that would easily make even immortals jealous. So why would he ever be lucky enough to receive such a thing free of cost?
One thing Zhen had learned in his life was that free things cost the most. Now, in this new world, he learned that the things you paid for even cost you more. The sheer idea of possessing such power without any strings attached seemed too good to be true. He knew better than to believe in free miracles. Even though there were some worries.
At least, looking on the bright side, Zhen reminded himself that he was still alive, and in the grand scheme of things, that was already a tremendous blessing. So, he did not dwell on it too much.
Especially since the status uplifted his mood. He remembered the glowing words, each line bringing some sense to his chaotic understanding of the world.
The first piece of information that caught his attention was his spiritual roots. Everyone is born with spiritual roots, but mortals have atrophied spiritual roots. And it takes a lot of resources to make them healthy. Even then, you could get the lowest potential of a cultivator. The disparity between mortals and cultivators was stark. The resources needed to nurture spiritual roots were immense, often beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Low-grade, middle-grade, and high-grade. How fast one absorbed and processed qi depended on the quality of the spiritual roots. This hierarchy of spiritual roots determined the ease and speed of cultivation, a crucial factor in a cultivator's journey.
He possessed Middle Grade Spiritual Roots, which could be considered a reasonably good aptitude. In the context of the entire sect, he could be regarded as a middle-to-upper-tier talent. While not the best, they provided a solid starting point.
At least he wouldn't be repeating the main cliche fully. His cultivation was consumed; for a time, he was a mortal. But his spirit roots were not crippled. And he had to reach the same realm before he became a snack for his enemies.
While he was consoling himself, the light from before emitted in front of the circle. The familiar glow filled the cave, drawing his attention.
Brother Li Zhen,
Congratulations on deciding to continue using the cave to break through your ranks.
We were deeply moved by your dedication and wanted to contribute to Brother Li Zhen's cultivation, so we have decided to increase the percentage of starlight qi in your cave.
Reading the first part of the letter, Li Zhen felt quite emotional. The address had changed from Disciple to Brother. The cultivation world was not the same as he expected. There are many who are willing to help a fellow disciple. He continued reading the letter quite happily. It was heartening to think that his peers recognized his efforts and were willing to support him. Perhaps this world wasn't as cold and ruthless as he had feared.
As your brothers and sisters are working extra hard to gather starlight qi for Brother Li Zhen, we would like our brother to take care of us.
Additional Qi Cost: 3x
You could also end your cultivation early or stop us fellow brothers and sisters from supplying additional starlight qi. We could easily accommodate Brother Li Zhen, but there might be a dip in your starlight qi percentage as we reshuffle the disciples.
Total Dues: 257
Nominal Area Qi Gathering Cave
Senior Brother Feng Ling
He nearly felt like he was going to cough up blood when he read the final words. This cultivation world was even more shameless than he had thought. There are well wishes and helping hands, and then there was the threat of low-quality qi. The initial warmth he felt was swiftly replaced by a cold realization. His peers' support came at a hefty price, a stark reminder that nothing in this world came free.