“Is this what it means to have the Aptitude of an Immortal? This is too exaggerated.”
Han Xuanji was inwardly excited, but his expression revealed nothing.
A Heavenly Spiritual Root!
One must understand that a Heavenly Spiritual Root was already considered the highest talent in the mundane world. After being detected with Heaven-Grade Aptitude, it was estimated that he would be internally selected by a prominent figure from the Inner Sect in the next second, or even fought over.
And possessing a Heavenly Spiritual Root meant that his talent already surpassed almost everyone in the Cultivation world!
“Just the first reward makes Immortal Ascension within reach?”
Han Xuanji was incomparably excited.
On the way here, there were some books on the flying boat, which recorded some of Shenxuan Sect's history. It was rumored that Shenxuan Ancestral Master possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and his Cultivation speed was unparalleled in his era. He only took a thousand years to achieve Immortal Ascension, and later founded the Shenxuan Sect, leaving a Legacy for eternity.
Han Xuanji’s thoughts surged. He still found it a bit unbelievable that he possessed the Aptitude of an Immortal.
But he could clearly feel that the surrounding Spiritual Qi was incredibly abundant, completely different from what he felt before. Now, with every breath he took, he felt his Cultivation advance a bit.
If he were in a game, his head would probably keep showing “Experience +1”...
Soon, the oath-taking ceremony ended.
This batch of newly admitted Disciples would be assigned to various parts of the Sect.
Inner Sect Disciples had already chosen their Master, Outer Sect Disciples could choose their destination freely, while the remaining Utility Disciples could only follow arrangements.
Not long after.
Han Xuanji received his Jade Slip from a Senior Brother. After dripping blood into it and gathering Spiritual Light, his aura was imprinted on it. Even though his Cultivation was still insignificant, he could feel a connection established between himself and the Jade Slip.
And he also learned his assignment.
“Lingxiu Peak, Utility Disciple, Han Xuanji.”
“Assignment: Seventh Utility Peak.”
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, recalling the rumors about Lingxiu Peak.
Shenxuan Sect had thirteen Legacies, and Lingxiu Peak used to be ranked among the top three. Unfortunately, it had gradually declined over the years, falling into disrepair. In almost every major competition, it consistently ranked among the worst performers, creating a vicious cycle.
“Disciples of Lingxiu Peak, follow me.”
“Disciples of Tongtian Peak, over here!”
“...”
Among the crowd, the Senior Brothers guiding the new recruits shouted.
After a short while, Han Xuanji also found his welcoming Senior Brother and followed him onto a small flying boat.
On the flying boat, the Senior Brother responsible for welcoming them had a cheerful disposition and began to introduce:
“My name is Li Shanhai, and I am also an overseer of the Utility Peak. From now on, everyone here is a part of Lingxiu Peak. If you have any questions, you can ask me.”
“Make sure you don’t lose your identity Jade Slips. If you do, remember to go to the Affairs Hall to get a replacement, but replacing it is very troublesome.”
“These are your initiation items. Inside, there’s an introductory Jade Slip that will help you understand the Sect rules. You can read it by placing it on your forehead.”
...
Before long, the flying boat landed.
They arrived at a mountainside, where Spiritual Qi was abundant, and the environment was beautiful. Various courtyards and Immortal Caves had been built, making it a treasure trove.
Outside, it would be impossible for mere Utility Disciples to reside here.
It could only be said that the treatment in large Sects was quite good; even Utility Disciples had everything they needed.
The Sect would assign them an independent courtyard, which was quite spacious, with a bedroom, latrine, shower room, Cultivation room, and even a kitchen. Furniture was also readily available, all powered by Spiritual Energy as living Spiritual Artifacts.
Within the Sect, you might be a Utility Disciple, but outside, you were a noble Cultivator.
Shenxuan Sect recruited Utility Disciples not to have them do chores, but to learn various skills, such as Alchemy, planting, talisman-making... completing tasks that only Cultivators could accomplish.
After Li Shanhai skillfully explained some rules, he let them go to their respective courtyards.
After all, they were all Cultivators, and the focus was still on Cultivation. They wouldn't spend too much effort guiding new recruits.
The crowd dispersed. Some people started forming groups of two or three, while others left alone, with no intention of socializing.
Han Xuanji was the latter. He had no intention of forming groups and quickly left. After some effort, he soon found his own courtyard.
He walked into the courtyard and entered the front hall.
Soon, Han Xuanji found the Cultivation room on the second floor. The Cultivation room was incredibly quiet, with only a single cushion that had a slight calming effect.
Han Xuanji sat on the cushion and impatiently began to circulate his Cultivation Technique:
“Let’s test the Cultivation speed of a Heavenly Spiritual Root.”
Those without a Master learned the basic Cultivation Technique, the “Shenxuan Qi Condensation Method.” Although this Cultivation Technique wasn't particularly powerful, it was a proper Righteous Path Cultivation Technique, incredibly detailed, and very suitable for those new to Cultivation.
Previously, his Comprehension Ability was good, and he quickly mastered the Cultivation Technique to a proficient stage, entering the stage of drawing Qi into his body. However, due to his Aptitude and the local Cultivation environment, the Spiritual Energy in his body was weak and had not yet reached the standard for the Qi Condensation Realm.
At this moment, as soon as he circulated the Cultivation Technique, Han Xuanji could feel invisible Spiritual Qi surging into his body like a tide, widening his Meridians and refining his Qi and blood.
“Ah, so good!”
Han Xuanji couldn't help but let out a soft hum.
Originally, his Cultivation required his full concentration, not only progressing slowly but also being quite tedious. If he sat in meditation for too long, it would even be harmful rather than beneficial.
But now, his Cultivation felt like surfing on the ocean, incredibly exhilarating.
Crack!
In less than half an hour, Han Xuanji’s body trembled, as if an invisible shackles within his body had been broken. Spiritual Energy permeated his limbs and bones, and he could feel a powerful warm current within his Dantian.
“Have I reached the first level of Qi Condensation?”
Han Xuanji opened his eyes, overjoyed.
In this world, Cultivation begins with Qi Condensation, followed by Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Refinement, Body Integration, Undergoing Tribulation, and Immortal Ascension. Each major Realm is further divided into ten minor levels.
And the Qi Condensation Realm was already considered a true Cultivator, capable of learning Spells.
Han Xuanji experienced the benefits of high Aptitude and couldn’t help but sigh:
“No wonder they say Cultivation Aptitude is extremely important. In previous assessments, many people only looked at Spiritual Root Aptitude... As long as the Spiritual Root Aptitude is good enough, everything else isn't that important.”
It wasn't that Heart-Nature and Comprehension Ability weren't crucial, but the benefits brought by Spiritual Root Aptitude in the early stages were too great.
Without the early stages, how could there be later stages?
Even though Han Xuanji had a relatively calm personality, at this moment, he was incomparably excited.
“If I expose this talent, the powerhouses of the entire Shenxuan Sect would probably be fighting to become my Master.”
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
However, he still felt that since he had the System, he could become invincible by slowly developing, so why put himself in the open?
After all, just a few days ago, he was a Utility Disciple with average Aptitude, and now he had become a peerless Genius. It was inevitable that he would attract the prying eyes of those with ulterior motives.
He was just afraid that there might be bad people within the Shenxuan Sect.
First, let's see how many more benefits the Sign-in System can bring him.
In short.
Lie low, just lie low for now.
After his Breakthrough, Han Xuanji did not continue to Cultivate. Instead, he took out a Jade Slip and placed it against his forehead. A stream of information flowed into his mind.
He was born into a Mortal family in this life and didn't know much about this world.
Now, this Jade Slip served to answer his questions.
This world was vast, and the continent he was on was called Kyushu Continent. The Shenxuan Sect was located in Eastern Cangzhou of Kyushu, within the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty, and was the hegemon-level Sect within the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty.
Within it were countless powerhouses and Prodigies like clouds.
Each peak had profound Legacy, and the Sect's history even saw the emergence of several Immortals.
Among them, Lingxiu Peak, where he was located, was also ranked among the top in terms of Legacy, having also produced Immortals in the past.
...
After reading it, Han Xuanji only knew that he had come to the right place.
“Isn’t this a place filled with Dao everywhere?”
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
Evening.
Han Xuanji finished his Cultivation and came to the Utility Peak's cafeteria.
Before Foundation Establishment, one could not yet achieve Bigu (abstinence from grains).
Utility Disciples received three free meals a day, but only a basic set meal. If they wanted to enjoy an Advanced set meal, they needed to spend Spirit Stones to become a member. Wealthy Disciples could also spend Spirit Stones to purchase Advanced Spirit-replenishing food.
These Spirit Foods were prepared by professional chef Cultivators. After eating them, they could also accelerate Cultivation speed, and more importantly, they could replenish Qi and blood and benefit the Physical Body.
Han Xuanji had just joined the Sect and was short on money, so he naturally could only eat the basic set meal.
The basic set meal was actually not bad, with both meat and vegetables, and the taste was also good.
The next day.
Han Xuanji woke up naturally, ate breakfast in the cafeteria, and then picked up his Disciple Jade Slip.
In reality, this item was an extremely sophisticated Spiritual Artifact, capable of doing many things.
For example, accepting Sect missions, chatting, and accessing some public information.
“I wonder who invented it...”
Han Xuanji opened one of the bubble-shaped buttons.
A chat group popped up. Li Shanhai had created a group chat and added all the Disciples from Utility Peak.
At this moment, some new recruits were excitedly discussing, clearly thrilled to have just entered the Sect.
The older Disciples, however, remained silent, merely lurking and Cultivating.
Doing missions to earn Spirit Stones, using Spirit Stones to buy Medicinal Pills, Cultivating... this was their daily routine.
“Aside from lacking entertainment functions, it’s pretty much like a mobile phone...”
Han Xuanji scanned the group chat, and finding no useful information, he then opened the mission interface to select Utility missions.
As Utility Disciples, they also received a stipend, but they needed to complete a certain number of missions each week to receive the basic stipend. Each mission also had Spirit Stone rewards; approximately every three or four of the simplest missions would earn them one Spirit Stone.
Many Utility Disciple missions were actually not difficult; even for a newly admitted Disciple like him, there were suitable missions, such as sweeping, picking Spirit Medicine, processing medicinal ingredients, assisting in the kitchen, and so on.
If one mastered a few Spells, they could accept even more missions.
For example, if you Cultivated the Cloud and Rain Spell to irrigate Spirit Fields, the Spirit Stones earned would definitely be more than those from miscellaneous tasks, but it would also be more tiring. After all, it's not easy for low-Realm Cultivators to cast Spells; they often need to rest for a long time after casting one.
After some thought.
Han Xuanji accepted an easy cleaning mission. The location was an Alchemy workshop on Lingxiu Peak.
Lingxiu Peak had various Legacies, and Alchemy, as the most popular profession among various Cultivation skills, naturally had a Legacy on Lingxiu Peak. However, the conditions for recruiting Disciples to the Alchemy workshop were very strict, and they wouldn't recruit too many people throughout the year.
Even so, there were still plenty of Utility Disciples who wanted to try.
Han Xuanji left the cafeteria and arrived at an open space on Utility Peak.
This was where the Spirit Boats docked. Utility Disciples who accepted missions could ride the public Spirit Boat to various parts of Lingxiu Peak for free, greatly facilitating those Disciples with low Cultivation.
If one had money, they could even call for a special ride from the Spirit Beast Peak's Immortal cranes, equivalent to a taxi service.
After waiting for some time, Han Xuanji took the Spirit Boat to the location of the Alchemy workshop.
This Dao Peak looked much grander than Utility Peak, with countless palaces and pavilions, and countless flashes of Spiritual Light.
Upon arriving at the mission location, Han Xuanji could see many people coming and going. He entered the Alchemy workshop, found the Senior Brother in charge, and quickly began his work, cleaning an area.
“This place seems to have some history. System, is there any Dao here?”
Han Xuanji silently asked in his mind.
“Yes.”
“Sign in.”
Han Xuanji didn't hesitate and immediately decided to sign in.
“Congratulations to the host for successfully signing in at Lingxiu No. 7 Alchemy Workshop, obtaining one bottle of Top-Grade Qi Condensation Pill.”
“Note: This location can be repeatedly signed in.”
“Congratulations to the host for receiving a physical reward for the first time, opening the System Space. Rewards can be claimed from the System Space at any time.”
“There’s no reward description, but a direct reward of Medicinal Pills.”
Han Xuanji’s heart stirred.
In terms of rewards, compared to the “Aptitude of an Immortal” entry, it was naturally far inferior, indicating that the Dao here should not be high. However, the advantage was that it could be repeatedly signed in.
And for him at this stage, this reward was actually quite good.
He had seen the price of Qi Condensation Pills. Even a bottle of Low Grade Qi Condensation Pills would take a Utility Disciple several months to save up for.
And the effect of Top-Grade Qi Condensation Pills was naturally far superior to Low Grade ones. Such Medicinal Pills were generally consumed internally once refined and would not be sold publicly, after all, which Old Ancestor didn't have some juniors under him?
That day, nothing untoward happened.
He was a small, inconspicuous Utility Disciple, blending into the crowd, unnoticed by anyone.
After finishing work, Han Xuanji returned to his room in the Utility Courtyard.
He took a refreshing shower, changed his clothes, and came to his bed. From the System Space, he took out a small white jade bottle.
Han Xuanji opened the bottle, which contained ten perfectly round, exquisite Medicinal Pills of a greenish color, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.
Qi Condensation Pills were Low Grade Medicinal Pills suitable for Qi Condensation Cultivators, capable of increasing Cultivation. The higher the grade of the Medicinal Pill, the better its effect and the fewer its side effects.
Such Top-Grade Medicinal Pills could be compared to five Low Grade Medicinal Pills, and they had almost no Pill Poison, allowing for continuous multiple dosages.
Han Xuanji's eyes lit up as he looked at the round Medicinal Pills.
His Cultivation speed was already very fast, so with the aid of Medicinal Pills, wouldn't it be Heaven-Defying?
With a gulp.
Han Xuanji immediately swallowed a Medicinal Pill.
A powerful medicinal force instantly formed a large warm current, rushing through his limbs and bones.
Han Xuanji instinctively felt a sense of unease, wondering if he had been a bit too rash.
If an outsider saw this, they would definitely stop Han Xuanji's actions.
Normally, the medicinal power of a Top-Grade Medicinal Pill is potent. For someone who has just started Cultivating like him, directly consuming it could easily lead to internal injuries due to the strong medicinal power, resulting in more harm than good.
However...
Han Xuanji's current Physical Body was extraordinary and absolutely could not be assessed under normal circumstances.
“Aptitude of an Immortal” was no joke. In many cases, the superiority or inferiority of talent determined everything.
Even though this medicinal power was fierce, it surged wildly through his Meridians like a raging flood.
But the next second, they were refined into pure Spiritual Energy, and his Cultivation grew at a visible speed.
After an unknown period of time, the rapidly increasing Cultivation seemed to hit a Bottleneck and began to slowly calm down.
“Qi Condensation second level...”
Han Xuanji opened his eyes, his expression full of joy.
He felt like a pay-to-win player now; his Cultivation felt like it was on a rocket, soaring upwards.
One should know that some Utility Disciples who had joined the Sect for one or two years might only have this level of Cultivation.
“However, while these Medicinal Pills are good, I shouldn’t be too greedy.”
Han Xuanji silently calculated how much he should use each day.
After all, this was real Cultivation, not playing a game.
Taking too many Medicinal Pills would not only make his Cultivation unstable but also produce Pill Poison. Even a Heavenly Spiritual Root could not avoid this, unless one had a special Physique with extremely high drug resistance.
“I can first inquire if there are any special places.”
Han Xuanji thought a lot.
Some places might be difficult to approach, but surely some places were open, right?
