"Qi Training is really simple…"
"You just have to complete the Foundation Establishment and Cultivation stages."
On the podium, class monitor Tan Weifeng spoke smugly, his tone full of self-satisfaction.
The entire class fell silent. No one dared refute him.
Simple?Perhaps in theory. But for most people, the so-called Foundation Establishment and Cultivation stages were insurmountable barriers.
"Theoretically," Tan Weifeng continued, "as long as one is human, once these two stages are complete, they'll naturally sense Qi and begin refining essence into it."
As he said this, he glanced toward the back row — where Liang Xiao sat — his lips curling into a half-smile.
Instantly, laughter and jeers rippled through the classroom.Some flattered Tan Weifeng. Others sneered in secret.But even those who disliked him didn't dare speak out.
After all, Qi Training Cultivators were superior beings. Even the lowest Cultivator stood above Mortals — and Mortals had no right to defy them.
In the back row, Liang Xiao ignored the ridicule entirely. His head was bent over a piece of scratch paper, filled with dense calculations.
His deskmate, Wu Jun, muttered angrily, "That guy's mocking you again. If not for that incident, you'd have entered Qi Training half a year ago. Now even someone who just started cultivating a few days ago dares to look down on you."
Liang Xiao didn't look up. "Other people's mouths are their own. How they speak is their freedom."
"You're really broad-minded," Wu Jun sighed. "If it were me, I couldn't stand that humiliation."
Even as he spoke, he instinctively shrank his neck and glanced nervously at Tan Weifeng, afraid of being noticed. Only when he saw that Tan wasn't paying attention did he exhale in relief.
Liang Xiao remained calm, his brush moving steadily across the page. He was working on his self-created Special Golden Elixir Method.
Having lived two lives, he had long since grown used to human malice and fickleness. A seventeen-year-old boy's sarcasm meant nothing to him.
He had transmigrated into this world—also called Earth—ten years ago.At that time, he was only seven.
His family was poor: a one-eyed grandfather, a younger brother who had been born blind, and a world filled with monsters and spirits.
Ghosts and evil beings roamed freely; Yao beasts prowled the wilderness.Humanity clung to survival only within cities shielded by powerful Formations.
It was a cruel world — one that left no room for weakness.
So when he learned that this world held mysterious power—Cultivation—Liang Xiao began preparing.
The system here followed the traditional Xianxia path: turning the false into truth.But to enter Qi Training, one had to first complete Foundation Establishment and Cultivation—making the body capable of holding Qi.
Those two mortal stages alone stopped almost everyone.
At seven, Liang Xiao began working tirelessly. He took odd jobs, saved every coin, and lived frugally. He was no stranger to hardship—his previous life had been a struggle too.
After eight long years of effort, half a year ago, he finally succeeded in completing Foundation Establishment.
He was ready to take the next step—to enter Qi Training and become a true Cultivator.
But fate intervened.
That very night, a Demonic Calamity broke out in the Peaceful Neighborhood.Returning from his cultivation session at the Red Flame Cultivation Hall, Liang Xiao ran into an evil spirit head-on.
The encounter nearly cost him his life. His essence and Qi were almost completely drained, and if not for the timely arrival of patrolling Cultivators, he would have died.
He survived—but at a terrible price.
The demonic power had ravaged his body, leaving his Dantian full of holes. It could no longer hold True Qi.
A young man once full of promise… became a cripple overnight.
For a time, despair nearly consumed him. Yet Liang Xiao refused to surrender.
Through persistent experimentation, he discovered that he could still refine essence into Qi—he simply couldn't store it.His Dantian leaked like a broken vessel.
So a thought struck him:If he used the Qi immediately instead of storing it, could he still continue cultivating?
He didn't have access to powerful mentors or deep knowledge of anatomy—but as a transmigrator who'd read countless cultivation novels in his previous life, he knew the stages: Qi Training, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core.
He might not understand what exactly the "Foundation" built, but he knew what a Golden Core was — a perfect sphere of condensed energy.
"What if," he thought, "instead of forming Qi within my Dantian, I wove it into threads—threads that could form a Golden Core outside it?"
It sounded absurd. But how could he know unless he tried?
Even if the result wasn't a true Golden Core—even if it could never advance—as long as it gave him strength equivalent to a Qi Training cultivator, that was enough.
Becoming a Cultivator meant leaving the slums, receiving state housing, and ensuring his family's safety.It meant never again being powerless before evil spirits.
And so, half a year ago, Liang Xiao began developing his Special Golden Elixir Method.
He combined memories from his past life—the Taiji Diagram and Bagua—with the modern Formation theory he'd learned in this one. He theorized a spherical structure, woven from True Qi threads and stabilized by Formation nodes.
A pure Qi sphere might dissipate quickly, but if anchored with Formation runes, it could endure.
He spent months refining the calculations and saving money for the materials he'd need.And now, at last, his theory was complete.
Wu Jun leaned closer, curious. "What are you calculating? Since when did high school include this stuff? I don't understand a single thing."
"It's fine if you don't," Liang Xiao replied with a faint smile. His pen stopped, and satisfaction flickered in his eyes. "I've got it."
Ding-a-ling—
The class bell rang.
Tan Weifeng finally closed his mouth and said, "Everyone, there are only three days left before the college entrance exam. Remember to review well. Class dismissed."
The students, long fed up with his arrogance, bolted for the door, eager to escape.
"Going to the cafeteria?" Wu Jun asked, standing up.
"No," Liang Xiao shook his head, carefully folding the paper with his calculations. "I have something else to do."
He and Wu Jun left the classroom together.
"Always so busy," Wu Jun sighed. Then, with a touch of encouragement, he added, "Still, with your grades, if you get into a military academy, you'll have a stable future. Maybe even an apartment in the Rich Area."
Liang Xiao nodded. With his knowledge from two lifetimes, schoolwork was easy.A military academy could indeed change his life—eventually.
But four years was a long time. Too long.
If he could become a Cultivator… he wouldn't have to wait at all.
Half a year of preparation…Today, it's time to act.
Only by becoming a Cultivator could he truly live like a human being in this world.
For in this world, strength was everything.
Mortals might be protected by law, but Cultivators could trample their dignity with impunity.Without power, one could only endure humiliation in silence.
Just then, Wu Jun's expression darkened. "Tan Weifeng's coming. Class monitor or not, he really has nothing better to do than pick on you."
The enmity between them was well known. Liang Xiao's refusal to run Tan Weifeng's errands—or sell his dubious Medicinal Pills—had long made him a target.
Back when Liang Xiao had potential, Tan had kept his distance.But now that Liang's cultivation had been crippled, Tan felt free to gloat.
"Student Wu Jun must be mistaken," Tan Weifeng said smoothly as he approached. "How could I target a classmate? I'm only expressing sympathy."
He smiled falsely, turning to Liang Xiao. "You're smart and hardworking. If you complete the tasks I assign, maybe my father will offer you a decent part-time job. Much cleaner than sweeping streets or picking up trash. Respectable work, don't you think?"
Liang Xiao's eyes remained calm. "Thank you for your concern, Class Monitor. But though trash may be dirty, it's easily washed away. Stains on one's conscience are not."
Tan Weifeng's smile vanished. Qi rippled faintly around him — the oppressive aura of a first-stage Qi Training cultivator. "Be careful," he said coldly. "Spreading lies can get you into trouble."
"Class monitor," Wu Jun cut in nervously, "the law forbids Cultivators from harming Mortals without reason. Please—this is a school!"
Even now, his voice carried forced politeness. Fear was instinctive when speaking to the powerful.
Tan Weifeng's eyes flickered. After a moment, he snorted."Ungrateful wretch. You deserve to rot in the slums forever."
With that, he turned and strode away.
Liang Xiao inclined his head. "Thanks for stepping in earlier."
"Don't mention it." Wu Jun sighed. "Just… be careful. Offending him isn't worth it."
"You don't understand," Liang Xiao said softly.
Wu Jun didn't press. He patted Liang's shoulder. "Fine, fine. Just don't miss the exam in three days, no matter what."
"I won't," Liang Xiao said.
As they parted ways, he tightened his grip on the folded paper.
His path was set.Tonight, he would begin his experiment.
A new path—his path—was about to open.