Three days had passed since I first stepped into the beginner stage of the Flowing River Sword Art. My body still carried the stiffness of someone forcing his muscles into a rhythm they had never known before, but at least the movements were no longer foreign. Each strike of the blade was accompanied by the faint whisper of wind, and each stance etched itself deeper into my bones.
Even so, the path of cultivation was not something that could be conquered by sword swings alone.
My qi cultivation had already reached eighty percent progress in the first stage. The system's guidance had allowed me to rise at a speed that, compared to my old self, bordered on monstrous as I was now at 80% progress in 1st stage of Qi Gathering. Yet the truth of my trash spirit root had never been clearer to me than on that one particular day.
That morning, I decided to cultivate without relying on any shortcuts, without leaning on the hidden hand that had become my silent guardian—the system.
I sat cross-legged in my courtyard, the dull ache of four hours of relentless meditation gnawing at me. My breaths slowed, my mind calmed, my focus sharpened. Threads of spiritual energy entered my body and circulated sluggishly through my meridians. I expected to feel some change, some growth, however small.
But when the chime of the system should have rung… There was nothing.
Not even a single percent of progress.
The system's silence was louder than thunder.
Ding!
[No progress detected]
I clenched my fists. My spirit root truly was trash. If not for the system, I would have remained stagnant for the rest of my life, unable to advance even like an average disciple, let alone match the monsters of cultivation who dominated the world. That moment carved the truth into my bones—this was why I had been labeled as trash by the clan. Without the system, that word would have defined my existence.
---
Four more days slipped by, marked by sweat, blood, and the clanging of my training sword against wooden posts. The sun hung low in the sky, painting the courtyard in shades of crimson and gold, when I finally placed the sword back on its rack.
A crisp notification sounded in my ears.
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host. You have broken through to the Second Stage of Qi Gathering Realm.]
My heart pounded. A breakthrough.
In the early realms of cultivation, a mere step forward often passed unnoticed. Unlike the surges of qi that erupted in higher realms, breaking through in Qi Gathering left little sign to outsiders unless the observer was leagues above—perhaps a cultivator in Foundation Establishment or higher. Still, unease coiled in my chest. What if someone had been watching? What if that black-robed man who lingered around me caught wind of my inhuman speed?
Unbeknownst to me at that time, the man wasn't just any bodyguard. He was the second elder of the clan, my father's right-hand man. His presence these past days had not been due to concern over my well-being but suspicion—he had feared that I was possessed by a demonic cultivator after my sudden behavior change. For three days he had watched me, silent and sharp-eyed. But once convinced I was still myself, merely a little different, he had withdrawn to attend to clan matters.
At that moment, as the sunset bled across the sky, I exhaled in relief. My secret was safe… for now.
---
Later that night, as I dismissed Luo Cheng, who had once again served as my sparring partner, the system chimed.
Ding!
[Breakthrough reward unlocked: One-Time Use Power-Up Card.
Effect: Elevates Host's power level by three minor realms (usage time: 5 minutes)
Note: Will not advance Host beyond the Qi Gathering Realm.]
My eyes widened. A power-up card? I studied the description carefully. If I were at the eighth stage of Qi Gathering, this card could push me directly to the peak of the ninth stage. It would not grant me the strength of Qi Condensation, but within my realm, it was a trump card worth its weight in gold.
A one-time use treasure—meant for moments when life was balancing on a knife's edge.
My lips curved into a faint smile. "A card to save for the future… perhaps for the sect recruitment day."
I shook my head, amusement flickering across my face. The arsenal of secrets I carried grew larger with each passing day, and though this card was small compared to others, it could very well tip the balance when it mattered most, when my life would be at stake by someone stronger than me by some minor realms.
With that thought, I retired to my bed, drifting into sleep as the moon climbed into the heavens.
---
Six more days passed in the blink of an eye.
Even within the second stage of Qi Gathering, my progress remained terrifying. With the system's assistance, my cultivation rose by 5% each day, like a river surging unstoppably toward the sea.
It was during these days that I noticed something peculiar. My thirty-day repeatable quest had changed. After I had received the Xiantian Sect quest, the repeatable timer extended from thirty days to an astonishing eighty-three days.
The system was pushing me. Forcing me to grow stronger, faster, sharper. It wanted me to reach heights I had once believed impossible.
Now, six days after my breakthrough, my cultivation had already climbed to 30% into the second stage. On the surface, I suppressed my aura, letting only the strength of a mid-to-late first-stage cultivator show. But in truth, my foundations were already nearing the mid-second stage.
Luo Cheng, unaware of the truth, was left reeling. Each time we sparred, he was forced to acknowledge the monstrous speed at which I advanced.
"How is this possible…?" I heard him mutter one evening, his eyes wide as he struggled to keep up with my blade.
To him, my growth placed me at the level of the clan's mid-level geniuses. And truthfully, he wasn't wrong. Tell me, how many cultivators could rise from the first breath of Qi Gathering to nearly the late first stage in a mere twenty days?
"Even the prodigies of the top sects, those blessed with divine physiques and heavenly spirit roots, would only just cross the threshold of the first realm in twenty days',
Compared to them, I would probably break through after five days, so a total of five days later than top-level prodigies, making me a mid-level prodigy.
Perhaps he was not a top-level genius, not a monster born from heaven's will. But maybe he was no trash either. Twenty days, and he stood only a step behind them. At this pace, in another five days, he would break through to the second stage.
Only five days slower than the very best of the clan.
If his talent was so high, why then had he been branded a failure?
The answer may lie in his past. At seventeen years of age, his realm had been pitifully low. Cultivators could not begin their path until they turned sixteen, when their bodies matured enough to endure the strain of qi circulation. Those with special physiques could defy this rule, cultivating from childhood—but such gifts were rarer than finding a needle in a haystack.
So, maybe his talent is blooming late? Or maybe he was hiding something from the clan that he didn't want to show them?" Thought Luo Cheng. Well, not that I care, if he is on my side, then the more cards he has to surprise our enemies, the merrier it would be for us.
Luo Cheng once again went spiraling into his thoughts as he walked out of Yuan's courtyard, where they sparred every day, as he thought..."But now, the world would soon see that Yuan, once branded trash, carried the potential to stand alongside one of the brightest stars of each clan, and maybe that would be the day when his status would be uplifted in the eyes of everyone in the clan. And the talk about him bullying the maids, I haven't seen him doing anything of that sort, so it means maybe it was a rumor, or has he stopped doing that? Well, either way, if he doesn't do anything crossing my line which I see as indecent, I will always be standing by his side."