Shen Liqian came from a modern world, so a system message wrapped in a notification didn't surprise him.
What surprised him was that he had actually received something.
Since it was a system, he believed it was a gift tied to his reincarnation and past life.
But none of that mattered now.
He slowly extended his hand toward the Spiritual Cat and stroked its back.
"Thank you…" Shen Liqian whispered, stroking the cat.
Relief loosened his chest.
"So happy to stroke my fur? I know I'm a top-tier cat!" the Spiritual Cat asked.
Her voice was feminine and proud.
Shen Liqian smiled.
Gratitude warmed his face.
"That too, but I'm just thankful you appeared when I needed you most.
"I swear on my name, Shen Liqian, not to waste the potential of the Clan Cultivation System and to fulfill its purpose.
"I am in your care!"
The Spiritual Cat was naturally proud, but even she was struck by Shen Liqian's gratefulness and oath.
Her whiskers twitched, and she arched her head back.
"Oh! You're a diligent one!
"I will put your diligence to the test right meow!"
A new system window appeared in front of Shen Liqian.
His eyes widened, and he drew a sharp breath.
[Shen Liqian]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation: First Stage of Qi Attunement]
[Cultivation Method: Sword Claw Cultivation Manual (Mortal)]
[Spiritual Roots: 1]
The Spiritual Cat explained.
"That's as far as the System can read your stats!
"Not surprising, since you are at the bottom of the cultivation realms.
"With a single Spiritual Root, you are no better than a commoner!
"But we can change it as soon as you become the Clan Chief!"
Shen Liqian nodded.
So I really have only a single Spiritual Root.
He wasn't surprised, given his slow cultivation and the lack of any "feeling" for a second Spiritual Root in eighteen years.
But it can be changed after I become the Clan Chief.
"My Father is the current Chief of the Shen Clan.
"But he has been crippled, and the position is threatened by my uncle.
"Uncle is a traitor that I must defeat to protect my parents!
"His cultivation is at the Ninth Stage of Qi Attunement, but I am willing to put my life on the line to defeat him."
The Spiritual Cat leaped out of Shen Liqian's lap and strolled around him.
"A single strike from the Ninth Stage of Qi Attunement is more than enough to kill you.
"Understand?"
Shen Liqian nodded.
"I don't want to be a burden to my parents.
"If I didn't have you, I'd do my best to stay alive so I wouldn't burden them.
"But now that I have you, I'd rather die trying to overcome the predicament than lay low and do nothing while my parents suffer!"
The Spiritual Cat mewled.
[You have received the first main quest—Become the Shen Clan's Chief.]
[Objective: Defeat your uncle in front of the Shen Clan and become the Shen Clan's Chief.]
[Reward: Spirit Lotus (Emperor)]
Shen Liqian stared so intensely at the system screens that it seemed his eyes would soon burst.
This is real.
The Spiritual Cat mewled.
"Do I have to explain what it means to have the main quest?"
"It means this is my current main goal and that I will have to go through checkpoints similar to cultivation stages before I try my luck."
"You catch on fast!"
"But I don't know about Spirit Lotus and what Emperor in brackets means."
The Spiritual Cat sat down and slipped into super-teacher mode.
"Spirit Lotus is a heavenly treasure that, upon consumption, blesses cultivators with additional Spiritual Roots.
"It also helps cultivators shape their roots.
"'Emperor' in brackets means its grade.
"For treasures to reach Emperor grade, they must be cultivated for at least one thousand years!"
Shen Liqian swallowed hard.
He was born in a secluded clan far from any powerful clan or city, but even he could understand the meaning of an Emperor‑grade Spirit Lotus and its effects.
Anyone in our clan would become a demon for this treasure!
They lived such harsh lives that a treasure that boosted roots and helped more members become hunters would make everyone seem like a demon cultivator.
Shen Liqian swore to quickly consume this treasure upon completing his quest.
The issue was that he was still a mere cultivator with a single Spiritual Root.
How could he grow in strength?
The Spiritual Cat answered his pleas.
"You'll have to fix your Cultivation Method.
"It's flawed, possibly because your ancestors only found part of it in the ruins.
"It doesn't teach you the key part of Qi Attunement!"
Those words amazed Shen Liqian.
Wasn't the purpose of Qi Attunement to connect all roots to the Dantian and then break through to the next realm?
What more could there be to this realm?
The Spiritual Cat mewled.
"You have to shape your roots.
"In your case, your Spiritual Root is like a thin thread barely connected to your Dantian.
"It's weak!
"But you can give your root a clear purpose, which will, in turn, significantly boost your body and cultivation.
"You're a sword cultivator, aren't you?
"Turn your Spiritual Root into a sword and pierce your Dantian with it!
"I will fix a part of your Cultivation Method so that you can shape your Spiritual Root.
"But are you sure you want to walk this path?
"It will hurt you as if your Dantian were being crippled!"
Hearing that this method would make him suffer the same pain his father had, Shen Liqian decisively nodded, his eyes clear.
He couldn't let his parents bear the entire burden!
"I couldn't ask for more.
"I will turn my single Spiritual Root into a sword and lodge it deep in my Dantian!
"And after I become the Chief of the Shen Clan, I will lodge all eight Spiritual Roots as well!"
The Spiritual Cat arched her head back loftily.
"Just nine Spiritual Roots?
"That's a path for commoners!
"You will develop twelve Spiritual Roots, shape them into swords, and connect all of them to your Dantian!"
[You have received a new quest—Shape your Spiritual Root into a sword.]
[Objective: Sever your cultivation and start cultivating anew, shaping your Spiritual Root by following the revised method of the Sword Claw Cultivation Manual.]
[Reward: Spirit Seal Sword (Spirit)]
Severing his cultivation meant that he would be able to start anew but would lose all his eighteen years' progress.
Since Shen Liqian hadn't progressed much and had received an elevated Cultivation Method, he didn't feel any remorse or doubt before severing his cultivation.
He feared how much pain he would feel on this path, though.
His father had told him he would never wish a broken Dantian on his worst enemies, and Shen Liqian would do it twelve times if things went right.
I am the only son of the Shen Clan's Chief and the future Chief of this clan.
I can't let fear intimidate me!
I must swallow it and turn it into fuel to cultivate faster!
In a decisive motion, Shen Liqian severed his only root from his Dantian, erasing it from his body.
Pain pulsed in his abdomen.
Shen Liqian gritted his teeth and drew slow, steady breaths.
He then emptied his Dantian of Qi.
Now he was like a typical commoner from Earth, and even someone at the First Stage of Qi Attunement in the clan would be able to overpower him easily.
He clenched his hand, feeling his grip weaken.
Picking up his sword now would only shame it, so he turned to his new friend and mentor.
"I'm in your care, Zhiyin."
"Zhiyin?"
The Spiritual Cat tilted her head.
Shen Liqian smiled.
"Yes.
"I don't want to call you by a title.
"It's disrespectful.
"I should have named you at the start, but I was too happy to receive the Gift."
Zhiyin looked into Shen Liqian's eyes, then slowly nodded.
Even she couldn't act proud in the face of such genuine kindness.
"I'll help you make up eighteen years in a week, Shen Liqian!
"Close your eyes and focus.
"I will imprint the revised method into your Sea of Consciousness!"
Shen Liqian shut his eyes and focused.
He drew one slow breath to quiet the shake in his hands.
For the first time in his life, he felt as if he saw a starry sea and sky in himself, and then his vision blackened, and his mind filled with the revised Cultivation Method.
I will reshape myself into a Sword that will lead my clan.