Four days had passed since I first laid my hand on the Flowing River Sword Art. The mornings and nights blurred together with nothing but repetition, sweat, and the dull ache of muscles that refused to rest. Each stance I practiced had felt stiff at first, like a man forcing himself to swim against a raging tide.
But now, after four full days of relentless practice, something had finally changed.
When I slid into the opening stance again, the sword in my hand no longer felt like an iron bar. It flowed, swayed, and bent like water around obstacles. I could almost hear the rush of a river in my ears as my movements connected together.
"System," I whispered, steadying my breath.
A glowing panel shimmered before me, its cold blue letters etching themselves into the air.
--- The Celestial System ---
[[Name: Xuan Yuan (Lucas Silva)
Age: 17
Cultivation Level: 1st Stage of Qi Gathering – (65%)
Skills:- Flowing River Sword Art – Beginner Mastery(●○○○○)
Abilities: Lunar Slash (click to view details)
Quests: CLICK HERE]]
My chest rose and fell sharply as I stared at the highlighted dot. One out of five. Beginner mastery.
"Finally…" I muttered. Four days had carried me to the first dot.
For geniuses, this was nothing—they would need only two or three days to reach the same level. I was neither slow nor fast, not a prodigy but not hopeless either. A man walking in the current, not riding the flood.
The panel shifted, revealing another set of progress.
---
[Cultivation Progress]
Stage: Qi Gathering – First Stage
Proficiency: 45%(+20%)
---
A week ago, when I had first started training, I had barely crawled past forty-five percent. In four days alone, twenty percent had been added, pushing me to sixty-five.
I clenched my fist. "At this rate, the first stage won't take too long…"
The thought was interrupted by a heavy voice echoing through the training courtyard.
"Young Master. Pick up your sword and let's spar again."
I turned. Luo Cheng was already standing again, tall and broad like a mountain in motion. His frame blocked the rising sun, his arms bare, muscles tight with anticipation.
"You want to spar again?" I said, forcing a smile.
He grinned. "A man improves only when his bones are tested in combat. Come. Let's see what your river can do against stone."
The wooden practice blade in my hand felt suddenly light as I faced him. I lowered into a stance, the Flowing River Sword Art ready at my fingertips.
"Then show me how much more I can improve in a fight against you."
"As you wish," Said Luo Cheng.
The ground thundered as Luo Cheng charged. His broadsword swung like a hammer toward my chest.
Clang!
I intercepted it mid-strike on the edge of my sword, but the force shook my arms to the bone. My legs staggered back, heels scraping against the courtyard floor. Instead of resisting, I let the momentum guide me, rotating a complete 360° like water slipping past a rock, then at the end of the complete body rotation, my blade flicked upward, aiming for his shoulder.
But Luo Cheng was faster than I expected. His other hand snapped up, palm slamming into the flat of my blade. The shock sent me flying sideways.
"Better," he rumbled. "Four days ago, you would've fallen flat on your back." Yes, what he said was true because I had stopped using the Lunar Slash as it was not good to burn 50% of my reserves in a single slash, as then I wouldn't be able to train and spar due to which I was weaker in a fight against him who had done multiple spars before meeting me and was one stage above me.
I steadied myself, sweat already dripping from my brow. "Don't… underestimate me."
We clashed again. His fists and sword, solid and merciless, struck like boulders rolling down a mountain. He practiced a palm and sword technique and used both of them in the spar against me. Not that I complained as it was beneficial for me to observe and grow more by watching and sparring against different fighting weapons and techniques. My sword danced around his broadsword's edge at his every strike smoothly like a river flowing past, redirecting his force, twisting, bending, but never shattering. The Flowing River Sword Art was alive in my body now, not perfect, but it was starting to show its benefits with prolonged practice.
What unsettled me was how Luo Cheng fought. Every punch, every step, was sharper than the last. He learned with each exchange, adjusting to my movements. It was as if battle itself were his teacher, and his talent bloomed in the middle of combat.
Clang. Smash. Crack.
Our spar carried across the courtyard, heavy and unrelenting. For four full minutes, we exchanged blows—my flowing blade against his iron fists—until at last we broke apart, panting.
His grin widened, sweat rolling down his temple. "Good, your technique is better than yesterday, but I adapted in battle a little faster than your improvement."
I gritted my teeth, staring at him. He was right. Luo Cheng wasn't just strong—he was battle-adaptive. The longer he fought, the more dangerous he became. That's when the world again showed me that I am not a clićhe main character who can get the world to its knees in 3 days after transmigration. Well, my system hasn't given me another Quest, so what is in store for the future can maybe help me. After thinking of my Status, then only did I heave a relief silently in my mind as the system will always try to make me stronger so that I can bear the legacy of the Monkey King.
Before I could reply to Cheng's words, I unconsciously muttered a little "I miss my home world...
Luo Cheng tilted his head. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," I replied quickly, raising my sword once more. But before we could resume, a sudden silence washed over the courtyard.
It wasn't silence of absence—it was silence heavy with meaning. As though the world itself held its breath.
The system panel shimmered again.
---
[New Quest Generated]
Quest: Xiantian Sect Recruitment
Objective: During the recruitment trial occurring in 83 days, gain acceptance as the personal disciple of an elder.
Rewards: Unlock one of the Legendary Treasures of Sun Wukong. (grade - unknown)
---
My breath caught.
A legendary treasure of Sun Wukong?
The very name sent a shiver down my spine. The Monkey King—myth, rebel, trickster, god-slayer. For the system to offer one of his treasures meant it was something earth-shattering. Something no ordinary cultivator could even dream of possessing.
I could almost see it, hidden away, sealed by fate until the trial decided my worth.
Eighty-three days. That was all the time I had remaining in my hands to progress as far as I could.
I exhaled slowly, lowering my sword. Luo Cheng was watching me curiously, but I could barely register his expression.
My mind was already far beyond this courtyard—toward the vast world outside. Toward the two sects of the Northern region - Xiantian and Longfeng Sect, and the five clans of the northern region, namely the Xuan Clan, Guo Clan, Qin Clan, Mo Clan, and lastly the Wei Clan.
They all were the main clans of Stardust City which was in the center of northern region and was surrounded by the Cloud Gate City from the north, Golden Lotus City from the east and the Crimson Peak from the north-west to the south, The Xiantian Sect lies beyond the Crimson peak in the north-west direction and the Longfeng Sect was also located in this northern region and was in the south-east direction.
This whole northern region, combined with the central, western, eastern, and southern regions, makes up the current Tang dynasty, and its Imperial city lies in the central region, which was so vast that it stretched for hundreds of kilometers in each direction.
Just like the Tang dynasty, similar 6 other dynasties make up the Han Empire, whose capital lies in one of these 6 dynasties, and this whole Han Empire was in the southern part of the Xia Continent.
My head started throbbing just by imagining the size of this world so I quickly shook my head and focused on the current Quest given by the system. "To become an elder's disciple… to claim Wukong's treasure… I have no choice but to train rigorously."
Sometimes I also thought that whether I was truly good enough to become the strongest in this world without sacrificing anything, but then I also thought that the only way that I may be able to return to my original world would be to become the strongest and if I could become as powerful as Sun Wukong then maybe I could cross realms and dimensions to reach my planet...but what about the time dilation, till the time I reached there, what would I do if everyone I know is no longer alive...no, if that would be the case then I would reverse the time or do anything to meet my only family, my best friend, my best friend's wife who was like my sister and my niece, for them... I won't hesitate even if I were tasked to destroy the universe. But for that, I need to grow first, so let's focus on my first real mission after arriving in this world, to become a Xiantian Sect Elder's disciple.
For that, I would need to get the attention of them during the test and the only way to do that would be by the help of the system as it gives a fixed progress every day and doesn't increase the difficulty in the later stages of same level - for example- when I was at 30% progress it still gave me 5% increment each day and when I was at 60% progress, it still gave the same increment which means, it wouldn't become harder to cultivate for me in the later parts of each stage of each realm, this was the only cheat I could find other than the quest rewards from my system for now.
I thought of the artifact again — how powerful it could be, and how every greedy eye in the sect would turn like vultures the moment its existence was known. Better to think how to hide it before it catches some greedy assho*e's eye. I chuckled low, part amusement, part caution. "No point planning the perfect hiding place until I receive the artifact," I muttered to myself. Outside, Luo Cheng lingered by the gate, rubbing his knuckles where my blade had grazed him. "Don't get soft on me," he grunted, though a grin betrayed him. I waved him off; he shrugged and stomped down the path, swallowed by the dusk.
When the courtyard gate closed with a soft click, the day's heat gave way to a cool hush. I collapsed onto the narrow bed, the wooden slats creaking under me, staring at the ceiling as thoughts twisted around trainings, the eighty-three days until recruitment, Wukong's treasure, and the schemes to come. Exhaustion tugged at my body, but a quiet resolve settled in my chest. Slowly, sleep claimed me, deep and untroubled, as the courtyard lights blinked one by one.