"Hmm... if I recall correctly, there was an orphan who was raised by the sect since he was a baby. The child had no Qi because his meridians were too damaged," said an elegant woman, eyes scanning a line of a thousand disciples training in the courtyard.
Her sharp gaze swept across every face.
"You care about that child? He had no talent whatsoever and disappeared ten years ago. No one paid attention, he was a loner," replied an old man with white hair, dressed in a sword robe.
"Still, he was my responsibility. I can't believe I neglected a single soul in this sect. I... must be unworthy."
"You're too modest, Grand Elder," the sword master replied respectfully.
Meanwhile, a few disciples watched from afar.
"Eh, they look serious. What's going on?" one whispered.
"No idea. That's Grand Elder Xue Canglan and Sword Master Zhou. Probably something big."
"Heh, Sword Master Zhou is old—his face is all wrinkled. But that Grand Elder... I heard she's five hundred years old but still looks stunning. Not losing to girls in their twenties."
"Shhh... don't be loud. Women are sensitive about age."
"Oh yeah? Hahaha—AHHHHH!"
A sharp wave of energy struck. The disciple was flung dozens of meters away.
"I heard that, brat," Xue Canglan said coldly. All the disciples froze.
"Sword Master Zhou, discipline these children. I must meet the Sect Founder. It's urgent." With a gentle movement, she soared into the sky.
"Yes, Grand Elder!" Zhou responded, glaring at the disciples. "What are you waiting for?! Back to training!"
"Yes, Master Zhou!" echoed a thousand voices.
Six years passed.
Atop a flat stone in a silent valley, a young man with long hair sat cross-legged. His eyes opened slowly.
Ding!
[Path of Stillness] has recorded: six years of uninterrupted meditation.
You have gained:
+12,000 Qi
+2,000 Spiritual Defense
+1,000 Spiritual Attack
"Hah... six years and still no passive skill? System, you've got to be kidding me," Shen Liang muttered. His face looked older than his twenty years.
He touched his cheek, feeling the rough stubble.
"I need a bath."
He opened the [Shop]. A list of incredible items appeared.
Skyblade Sword – 200,000,000 Jade Points
Heavenly Demon Manual – 1,000,000,000 Jade Points
Immortal Fairy Sword of Wuxian Continent – 170,000,000 Jade Points
Nine Heaven Warriors Technique – 900,000,000 Jade Points
"Wow, great stuff in the recommended tab... all ridiculously expensive. Maybe later. Let's see the cheap essentials..."
Soap – 1 Jade Point
Towel – 0.9 Jade Point
Clothes – 10 Jade Points
Auto-Cleanse Elixir (1,000 years) – 100 Jade Points
"This elixir looks perfect. But..." Shen Liang glanced at the system corner.
Jade Points: 0
"What?! How do I earn points?!" He tapped the question mark icon.
[Jade Points are only awarded when enemies intend to kill the Host. The stronger the enemy, the greater the reward. Killing ordinary beasts or targets without killing intent = No reward.]
"So they have to want to kill me... Interesting. Let's check the status."
[Name: Shen Liang]
[Lifespan: 20 / 65]
[Race: Mortal]
[Cultivation: None]
[Technique: Path of Stillness]
[Magic: None]
[Mystical Power: None]
[Equipment: None]
[Passive: Click to roll the dice]
"No cultivation stage? But I've got thousands of Qi and spiritual stats..."
Ding! All spiritual points have been transferred into Host's body. Qi must be used to upgrade cultivation manually.
"Alright. First, I need water to bathe."
Meanwhile, a group of Eternal Heaven Sect disciples quietly snuck into the Forbidden Valley.
"Senior Li Feng, we're skipping training and entering a forbidden zone... Is this safe?"
"Relax. There's a thousand-year immortal elixir here. I heard it from the elders themselves!"
"If you're lying, you'll regret it..."
"Just follow me! This place is quiet, no wild beasts. Treasure awaits!"
But as they ventured deeper, dark shadows appeared from the trees.
"Kekeke... Sect brats, huh? Eternal Heaven disciples—rich, arrogant little heirs. Let's see what you've got in those bags. Get 'em!"
" Senior Li Feng, ten for you! I'll handle the rest!" shouted Yu Chen.
"Got it!"
The two top disciples jumped into action while the others froze in fear.
Not far from there, Shen Liang was bathing in the river. Still clothed.
"Aaaaah... nothing beats a morning soak."
Suddenly—SPLASH! A man in black fell beside him.
"An assassin...? Badly wounded."
Shen Liang dragged him to shore. But the moment he touched him, the man attacked!
"Damn it!"
Shen Liang blocked and struck back at the man's head.
Ding! Congratulations! Host earned 100 Jade Points!
"HA! Finally! Time to buy that thousand-year anti-bath elixir!"
He bought it instantly. In seconds, his face and skin returned to being clean, young, and handsome.
"Time to hunt..."
He vanished in an instant, moving like a shadow across the valley.
Soon, Shen Liang darted into the dense forest, his steps light as wind, leaving no trace behind. After years of absolute stillness, he had mastered control over every inch of his body.
In the distance, the clashing of weapons echoed. Screams and the ring of steel danced between the trees.
"There it is... the scent of killing intent," he whispered, smiling faintly but darkly.
From atop a tree, he spotted black-clad assassins surrounding two disciples. One of them, Yu Chen, was barely hanging on, his breath ragged but his eyes sharp. Li Feng was wounded, blood dripping from his arm.
"I could let them die... but if one of them gets killed, I lose their Jade Points."
Shen Liang stepped forward, appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the battlefield. The attackers froze. A chill surrounded them, even though Shen Liang released no power.
"Who are you?!" one bandit shouted.
Shen Liang didn't answer. He simply looked at them, and something primal inside them screamed in terror.
"I'm just passing by. But you all... want to kill me, don't you?" He smiled.
Ding!
14 individuals detected with killing intent toward Host.
Estimated reward: 1,400 Jade Points (low-level enemies).
"Perfect. I need the points."
In a flash, Shen Liang vanished. Screams erupted. Bodies flew into the air, heads slamming into trees or the ground, knocked unconscious.
Yu Chen and Li Feng were stunned.
"W-Was that... teleportation?"
"He didn't even use a sword?"
When it ended, Shen Liang stood atop a rock, gazing down. Yu Chen met his eyes—terror rose inside him, though the man before him looked completely ordinary.
"If you're smart, don't return by this path. This valley... is not for normal disciples."
With that, Shen Liang vanished again like mist swept by wind.
Moments later, he sat cross-legged atop a cliff, reopening his system.
Jade Points: 1,500
"Nice. I can get new clothes, then start upgrading my cultivation."
He opened the cultivation tab.
Upgrade from Mortal to Qi Gathering Realm: 1,000 Qi
Next stage requires: 2,000 Qi + 3 days of focused stillness.
"Let's do it."
Ding!
Congratulations! You've ascended to Qi Gathering Realm.
Your body has become a spiritual vessel. Qi now flows freely through your meridians.
Shen Liang felt warmth swirl through his body. Unlike others who struggled through bottlenecks, his body welcomed the change like water filling an empty cup.
"System... why does it feel so easy?"
[Host endured six years of silence. All internal blockages have dissolved. You can now absorb and circulate qi freely.]
"Hmm. Good. But I need a deeper place."
He looked eastward—toward dark mountains that even sect elders avoided.
"A perfect place to farm points and cultivation."
With a single leap, Shen Liang vanished into the mountain's shadows—like darkness swallowing light.