Xu Qingxian sat in silence, pondering the divine light that had descended from the heavens. He tried to discern its meaning, to determine whether it had anything to do with him.
But after a while, he shook his head. Since he could not figure it out and had no evidence linking it to himself, there was no need to dwell on it further.
He turned his attention back to Lin Fan, who was still narrating the recent events that had taken place in the royal capital. Xu Qingxian listened carefully, catching every word.
Eventually, he put down his chopsticks and smiled faintly.
"Thank you for the hearty meal."
Lin Fan noticed Xu Qingxian's unusual expression and mannerisms. It was a stark contrast to his earlier behavior, and it confirmed Lin Fan's growing suspicion about something.
Recalling something important, Xu Qingxian asked in a light tone, "Any luck with obtaining the techniques I requested?"
Lin Fan paused briefly before replying. "Young master, I already informed the young mistress about it. She is on her way back and should have acquired quite a number of useful techniques for you."
Xu Qingxian gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and then waved Lin Fan away.
The servant bowed respectfully, gathered the empty dishes, and exited the room without another word.
Left alone, Xu Qingxian turned inward and began examining his body. Having recently stepped into the Qi Condensation Realm, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Now, as long as he followed the Qi Nourishing Technique diligently, he would be able to ascend the ranks quickly. With his countless dantians and densely packed meridians, he was already many times stronger than others at the same stage of cultivation.
"As expected of someone with cheats," Xu Qingxian murmured to himself, feeling a sense of pride rise in his chest. "Although the beginning was a bit rocky, now that everything is falling into place, it's finally time to soar."
The night was quiet, and since he was not feeling particularly tired—likely due to his strengthened physique as a cultivator—he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate. Gentle streams of Qi flowed into his body as he concentrated on nourishing his meridians, urging them to grow stronger and become more efficient.
The process was not fast, but it was steady. As more Qi poured in, his meridians absorbed it and directed the energy to the fractured fragments of his dantian. Slowly but surely, several new dantians began to form and stabilize, one after another.
The moon hung in the sky as time passed quietly. When morning finally came, Xu Qingxian opened his eyes from deep meditation. His gaze was focused, though his eyes were slightly bloodshot.
He yawned softly. "Seems like my body isn't yet strong enough to endure a night without sleep."
Despite that, he could not help but smile when he checked his progress. His meridians had multiplied, growing more than twice their previous number, and now he possessed twelve dantians. A satisfied grin stretched across his face before he finally allowed himself to lie down and drift off into a brief sleep.
It did not last long.
He was awakened by Lin Fan's return, who brought exciting news—ten fresh attribute points had been delivered to him. That brought his total attribute points to twenty-nine.
After getting the summary from Lin Fan, Xu Qingxian decided to check the group chat to see if anything new had happened during the night.
The notification bar flashed with a bold red mark.
[Transmigration Group Chat – 99+ new messages]
Xu Qingxian blinked in surprise. "So many?" he muttered, quickly tapping the screen to open the app.
Crouching Down and Begging for Mercy: We have to make sure our plan goes smoothly and the group mission gets completed. Everyone, please share your current cultivation level.
Lazy Feather: I should be at the Origin Realm. Not too strong, but not too weak either.
One Inch Stick: What is the Origin Realm?
Lazy Feather: I don't know the cultivation structure of this world too well since I'm too lazy to care. I've broken through three realms since I arrived here, though. I forgot the names, but I believe the third one is called Origin Realm.
Crouching Down and Begging for Mercy: So strong. You must be really hardworking to have achieved that in just three days.
One Inch Stick: The more hard working he is, the less his strength.
Jade Beauty: Huhu, so powerful. During the group mission, you'll protect this delicate lady, won't you?
Lazy Feather: As long as you're a beauty, you are welcome to fall into these safe and comforting arms of mine.
Big Fatty: Flirting in the group is not allowed. It can cause your system points to be deducted.
Lazy Feather: Oh, I didn't know that…
One Inch Stick: That's news to me too.
Crouching Down and Begging for Mercy: Let's try to stay on topic, everyone. Please share your cultivation levels so we can prepare. Others from our transmigration batch should also speak up. There's no need to stay silent.
Winter Immortal: Trying to trick the newbies again? Shameless Fatty…
Big Fatty: Hehe, I didn't expect you to be online. I would have gotten away with it. You always ruin my plans. If I can't have beauties, why should these kids get them?
The Fatty sounded genuinely aggrieved. Reading that, Xu Qingxian's lips twitched slightly. He made a mental note to be wary of that particular character in the future. Staying too close might only invite unnecessary trouble.
After the deception was revealed, a wave of playful curses flooded the chat before the others returned to the main topic.
One Inch Stick: Since arriving in this world, all I've done is cultivate. I believe I've grown very strong, but because I've been trapped inside a beast horde, I don't know my exact level.
Crouching Down and Begging for Mercy: I've reached the twelfth layer of Body Tempering.
Big Fatty: Oh? A body cultivation world? Hehe, you're doomed to lose your one inch stick.
One Inch Stick: Hey! That's my name!
Lazy Feather: He's not wrong though. I read about body cultivators turning into bald monks and even eunuchs.
Crouching Down and Begging for Mercy: Wait… is that true?
Jade Beauty: I'm currently at the Golden Core Realm. Previously, I was at a far higher level, but due to being sealed in a coffin for a long time, my strength was suppressed. I'm slowly recovering.
Big Fatty: Hehe…
Winter Immortal: For once, the Fatty speaks the truth. However, the group chat system should offer a way to prevent that from happening.
Crouching Down and Begging for Mercy: That's troubling. My world is overrun by demons. It's hard to survive without enough power. I live in a medium-sized village without parents. I'm asking for advice from the big bosses.
Xu Qingxian was no longer paying attention to the incoming messages. His gaze had frozen on the statement from Jade Beauty.
She had reached the Golden Core Realm?
In that moment, the knowledge inherited from his predecessor surfaced within his mind.
The cultivation realms in the Profound World were as follows: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Monarch, and others beyond that.
Xu Qingxian's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Golden Core Realm was far beyond where he currently stood.
"This is a headache," he murmured, rubbing his temples. "Even if I'm invincible in the Qi Condensation Realm, it's nearly impossible to defeat someone at the Golden Core level."
Countless thoughts swirled through his mind.
But before long, a smile bloomed across his face.
"A challenge, huh?" he whispered to himself.
He still had twenty-six days before the group mission began. Who knew how many attribute points he would gather by then?
His techniques and cultivation would only grow stronger, becoming more refined and deadly. And when that happened, who was this so-called demoness that he could not cut down with a single sword strike?
With that thought, Xu Qingxian quietly exited the group chat and tapped on the check-in tab.
To his surprise, the reward arrived immediately.
However, it was not a spirit stone as he had expected.