Hengsheng arrived at his chamber, locked the door, and hung a sign that read, "Do Not Disturb." He knew full well that what he did earlier with Lan Ju wouldn’t go unnoticed. The elders would undoubtedly punish him for using his servant in a fight, but he didn’t care. What punishment could they impose that would truly harm him? Cut off his resources? Fine—he didn’t need them that much anyway. Ban him from the Library? No problem—he had already copied all the books into his mind space. For Hengsheng, it was worth it. If he had been beaten by those arrogant brats, reclaiming his status as the Big Brother would have been an uphill battle.
With the matter dismissed from his mind, Hengsheng shifted his focus back to his cultivation. Yesterday, he hadn’t thoroughly inspected his system because he needed to rest after the grueling three-year cultivation session. That session had been a taxing experience, even for his new realm. Spending three years, a whole 1% of his 300-year lifespan, in one session was a painful thought—it truly stung.
Hengsheng reflected on the updates he had made to his system. Initially, he had planned to create an energy devourer system that would allow him to gain power simply by absorbing energy and spending it. However, the knowledge he gathered from the Library made him realize that this world is not that simple, and he eventually discarded that idea. While tempting, such a method would leave him weak in the higher realms of cultivation. It lacked the development of willpower and comprehension of Dao, both of which were integral to true strength in this world.
In this realm, power wasn’t just about raw energy; it was about understanding and aligning with the spiritual laws of the world—Dao. These laws couldn’t be bought or gained instantly; they had to be realized through personal experience and cultivation.
To adapt, Hengsheng adjusted his system to focus more on cultivation rather than shortcuts. He introduced the Control, Processing, and Assistance features to help him process and learn techniques more efficiently. It wasn’t about giving him instant mastery but accelerating his understanding and comprehension. With this, he would still need to put in the effort to learn, but the system would refine the process and make it vastly faster.
Hengsheng sat cross-legged on his cultivation mat, closing his eyes to steady his mind. He took a deep breath, calming his thoughts and aligning his focus. Once ready, he activated his system to assist in the process. With its guidance, he began to circulate his spiritual qi using the [Vast Meridian Refinement Art].
Inside his blue Spirit Core, spiritual qi started to flow outward, following the pathways outlined by the technique. The qi moved through his spirit veins, circulating steadily but with deliberate precision. Soon, the energy reached its first target—a blocked spirit meridian. Hengsheng could feel the resistance, knowing it wouldn’t open instantly unless he risked damaging his body.
Instead, the spiritual qi passed through the meridian and began to erode the blockage slowly. He realized he would need to repeat this process at least ten times before the meridian could fully open. The technique demanded patience, precision, and discipline.
As the spiritual qi completed its journey through his spirit veins and returned to his Spirit Core, Hengsheng noticed the subtle transformation—his qi had become more refined and condensed. This marked the completion of one Qi refinement cycle. The entire process had taken 30 minutes, a speed that impressed even Hengsheng.
He marveled at how efficient the system’s assistance was in ensuring a perfect cycle without mistakes. Without it, he estimated the same process would have taken him two hours or more.
But Hengsheng wasn’t content to stop after one cycle. His goal for the day was to open at least one spirit meridian.
Five hours later, as he finished his final cycle, Hengsheng’s body emitted a faint white mist that gradually turned red before black impurities leaked out from his skin. This was the residue from the opening of his first meridian. Hengsheng opened his eyes, immediately noticing the uncomfortable smell. He quickly cleaned himself and examined his progress.
Physically, he didn’t notice any significant changes, but there was a subtle improvement. His strength had increased—perhaps by 1% if his senses weren’t mistaken. More importantly, his qi reserve had expanded significantly, increasing by 10%.
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The technique’s claim of vast meridian capacity was true. His newly opened meridian allowed him to store an impressive amount of spiritual qi—up to 10% of a mortal-grade Spirit Core’s capacity. And this was just the first meridian out of 512.
Even with the efficiency of the Vast Meridian Refinement Art, it would take Hengsheng at least 2,000 days to open all 512 meridian nodes. And that estimate didn’t even account for the additional time required to refine his spiritual qi to the necessary quality and quantity for establishing a Spiritual Foundation.
Despite the daunting timeline, Hengsheng believed it was worth every moment. For someone like him—who would inevitably consume far more spiritual qi than ordinary cultivators as his cultivation realm advanced—this method perfectly complemented his unique advantage. A vast reservoir of qi would be the key for him to dominate the path of cultivation, he thought with determination.
Hengsheng smiled, satisfied with the result. One down, 511 to go but not now.
[Ding!]
[Status]
Name: Lan Hengsheng
Race: Human
Age: 18
Spirit Core: System Neutral Spirit Core {Mortal}
Cultivation Realm: Early Stage Qi Gathering {0.15%}
Qi Cultivation Method: Vast Meridian Refinement Art
[Attributes]:
* Physique: 34.4
* Spiritual Qi: 22.5
* Mind: 37.1
* Spirit Body: 35.1
Special Traits: Mind Space, Super Spirit Body, Vast Meridian {1/512}
Qi Technique: —
Auxiliary Systems Capacity {78/100%}:
* Ultimate Fighting System {34%}
* Recycle System {44%}
[System Points]: {0/1000 Points}
[Absorb]
[Upgrade]
Hengsheng glanced at his status window briefly after completing his first goal, feeling a sense of accomplishment. However, there was no time to waste basking in satisfaction—his next objective loomed large. He needed to create a Qi technique tailored uniquely to himself.
While the Lan Clan’s Qi techniques in the library were undoubtedly impressive—many of them powerful and rare within their realm—Hengsheng knew they weren’t enough for him. The Lan Clan was a high-ranking cultivation force, but it wasn’t among the true top-tier powers. For someone with his ambitions, relying on common techniques wasn’t an option. He also preferred to have something uniquely his, crafted specifically for his needs.
Resolute, Hengsheng closed his eyes and entered his mind space. The endless expanse of white now had a defining feature: the Blue Orb System Core, floating at the center, glowing faintly like an anchor stabilizing this surreal realm.
"Blue," Hengsheng commanded, "gather all Qi techniques suitable for Qi Gathering cultivators, analyze and combine them, and generate a new and superior technique for me."
[Ding!]
[Processing… {594/395,399}]
Moments later:
[Ding!]
[Analysis complete.]
[Generated: 14,299 new Qi techniques.]
In an instant, thousands of scripture-like texts materialized in front of him, floating in neat rows. Hengsheng was taken aback by the sheer number of results—it was far more than he had anticipated. He couldn’t help but think back to when he generated Qi cultivation techniques, realizing that this was on a whole different level.
Perhaps I should contribute some of these techniques to the clan library, he mused. The elders might soften their stance toward me if I do...
Shaking off the thought, Hengsheng refocused on the task at hand. He began poring over the newly generated Qi techniques, reading through them one by one with great focus. After inspecting over 1,000 techniques, certain patterns became clear.
Most of the techniques were sword-based, which wasn’t surprising given the dominance of sword cultivation on the Golden Pillar Continent. However, all of them were of Earth-grade quality—a level considered excellent for early and mid-tier cultivators. Hengsheng recalled the classifications.
Mortal-grade: Martial skills for mortals that use blood qi. Largely irrelevant for true cultivators.
Earth-grade: Techniques that utilize spiritual qi and are ideal for early and mid-tier cultivation realms.
Heaven-grade: Techniques that incorporate not just the cultivator's spiritual qi but also the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. These are suited for advanced cultivators, requiring powerful mind and soul power to command qi in large quantities from the surroundings.
Divine-grade: Techniques that align with the Dao itself. Such techniques are rare and unattainable for cultivators at his current stage.
Understanding this hierarchy, Hengsheng resumes his search. His focus remained on finding the technique that would perfectly suit him and the best combination of unique styles to reach his image goals. He continued flipping through the scriptures, his determination unwavering.