Canglan Realm, Qingxiao Continent, Tianqi Sect.
Liu Yi's expression was blank as he slowly walked toward the Sect's Spiritual Qi Conversion Formation.
The banners hanging high along the path shimmered with golden light under the sun, particularly eye-catching.
"Others rely on talent for Foundation Establishment, I rely on overtime to achieve Immortal Ascension!"
"Others slack off, I work overtime; others lie flat, I Cultivate! The comeback is in the next moment!"
"Work hard, earn Spirit Stones through overtime, and achieve Superior Immortal in one Breakthrough!"
At the Formation entrance, Lin Xiuyuan glimpsed Liu Yi's figure and immediately pointed him out in a low voice to the newly admitted Jiang Neng:
"See that? That's Liu Yi, the famous Overtime Maniac of the Outer Sect. Three days ago, he worked overtime until he collapsed from exhaustion."
"Outer Sect Disciples must operate the Formation for six hours every day. He works an extra four hours of overtime daily and has persisted for over a hundred years, just for one extra spirit fragmentation stone a month."
Admiration flashed in Jiang Neng's eyes: "Such diligence! The spirit fragmentation stones he has accumulated must be considerable, and his Cultivation base must be close to Foundation Establishment, right?"
"Foundation Establishment? Dream on!" Lin Xiuyuan was full of disdain. "He's trash with a Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root, and he's 145 years old, yet he's only Cultivated to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining."
"The Lifespan of a Qi Refining Cultivator is only about 150 years. At this rate, he has no hope of Foundation Establishment."
"If an Outer Sect Disciple fails to Break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm by age 146, they will be kicked out. They won't have many years left to live after leaving Tianqi Sect."
Hearing this, Jiang Neng also looked disdainful: "His Aptitude is too poor. If I had used the spirit fragmentation stones he saved over the years, I might have Broken through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining by now."
"Exactly! If they were given to me, I probably would have achieved Foundation Establishment already."
Liu Yi stepped into the Formation and sat down cross-legged in his designated position.
His gaze swept the surroundings, seeing that the other Outer Sect Disciples looked excited, as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
The Spiritual Qi Conversion Formation contained hidden special Restrictions capable of continuously releasing Spiritual Waves that boosted morale and forcibly cleared negative emotions, allowing everyone to remain functional under excessive workload.
The reason he was able to Awaken his past life memories was precisely because this set of Restrictions was completely ineffective against him.
Since participating in the Ascension Ceremony and entering the Tianqi Sect at age 18.
127 years of high-intensity overtime operating the Formation, the accumulated resentment and exhaustion completely crushed his mental defenses, prompting him to Awaken his past life memories.
In his previous life, he died suddenly from working overtime, thus Transmigrating and Reincarnating into this world as Liu Yi.
The Liu Yi of this world was even more outrageous; unable to clear his negative emotions, he persisted in working overtime for 127 years, earning him the title of Innate Laborer Saint Body.
However, this left the him who had Awakened his memories with what could be called a Hell Mode start.
With the Aptitude of a Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root, he only had one year to Break through from the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Otherwise, after being expelled from the Tianqi Sect, the sparse Spiritual Qi in the Mortal Realm would make it even harder to Break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
With only a few years of Lifespan remaining, he was essentially sentenced to death.
In his past life's understanding, a Cultivator should be someone who absorbs Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, appearing carefree and transcendent.
But in this world, Spiritual Qi is sparse, Spirit Gathering Formations are ineffective, and Cultivators must go to work like common laborers, forcibly operating the Spiritual Qi Conversion Formation for six hours every day without any compensation.
Only by working an extra four hours of overtime every day for a continuous month could one exchange for a single spirit fragmentation stone.
These spirit fragmentation stones contained pitifully sparse Spiritual Qi; they were merely defective products made by sealing a bit of external Spiritual Qi using special methods after Spirit Stones had exhausted their own Spiritual Qi.
Too dark! Too much of a scam!
Capitalists from his previous life would have to toast them first.
Something is wrong with this world!
This world is improper!
This world is too crazy!
The more Liu Yi thought about it, the more absurd he found it. Everything in this world, from the people to the rules and regulations, exuded a sense of madness.
What legitimate Cultivation World relies on human power to drive a Formation to produce Spiritual Qi?
Recalling his memories before age 18, the Mortal Realm was even more suffocatingly cruel.
Jianghu Schools and powerful Families monopolized resources, leaving ordinary citizens without even a place to live, forcing them to struggle desperately for survival.
The saying, "Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born to be so?" was extinct here.
Because of the suppression by transcendent powers, it was incredibly difficult for ordinary citizens to rebel.
This damned world simply didn't leave a path for normal people to live.
Fortunately, the Transmigrated Liu Yi also had a Golden Finger.
Otherwise, he would have considered suicide, hoping to restart the game.
In Liu Yi's Sea of Consciousness, his Soul was enveloped by a layer of silvery-white Fetal Membrane, faintly revealing the mysteries of time and space.
This was a special space formed by the Fusion of his Soul and the Power of Space-Time during his Transmigration, which he named the "space-time realm."
Unfortunately, he still couldn't completely control the space-time realm, only 1%.
Even so, this small degree of control benefited him greatly.
Not only did his memory improve by leaps and bounds, reaching the level of photographic recall, but his Deduction Ability was also enhanced fivefold.
Furthermore, the space-time realm inherently possessed the Mind-Bending Influence Resistance Ability.
It was precisely because of this that the Restriction in the Formation meant to clear negative emotions was completely ineffective against Liu Yi.
The negative emotions accumulated from 127 years of continuous high-intensity overtime had no outlet, ultimately leading to the mental collapse of the original body and the Awakening of his past life memories.
Unlike common System Golden Fingers, the space-time realm would not cause his Cultivation base to surge overnight, nor could it directly grant him Immortal Ascension or divinity.
But it genuinely existed within his Sea of Consciousness, a product of the Fusion of his Soul and the Power of Space-Time during his Transmigration, not some mysterious gift from an unknown source.
Thinking of this, a slight smile appeared at the corner of Liu Yi's mouth.
He decided to use his powerful Deduction Ability to create a Cultivation Technique to improve the efficiency of Spiritual Qi absorption and refinement.
Although creating his own Cultivation Technique carried immense risk, a slight mistake could lead to Qi Deviation, resulting in death and the dispersal of the Dao.
But time was pressing, and he couldn't find anyone to test the technique, so he had to step up himself.
If you don't go crazy, you won't survive.
Compared to waiting for death after being expelled by the Sect, any danger was worth the risk.
Having arrived in this world of the transcendent, Liu Yi also harbored the ambition of achieving Immortal Ascension and divinity.
He also wanted to completely overturn the rules of this world and drag those high-and-mighty Cultivators and exploiters down from their altars.
But he knew these thoughts were too distant; successfully achieving Foundation Establishment and gaining Lifespan within this year was the key priority.
Steadying his mind, Liu Yi placed his hand on the circular Spiritual Orb in front of him, injecting Spiritual Power to activate the Formation.
While maintaining the operation of the Formation, he simultaneously circulated his Cultivation Technique to absorb and refine Spiritual Qi.
However, the speed at which the Five Elements Qi Refining Art absorbed and refined Spiritual Qi was astonishingly slow; every trace of Spiritual Qi took a long time to convert into Spiritual Power.
This slow Cultivation efficiency only strengthened Liu Yi's determination to create his own Cultivation Technique.
Because if he didn't fight desperately, he would truly die.
Six hours later, Liu Yi decisively stopped inputting Spiritual Power, turned around, and left.
Two lifetimes of overtime experience had already filled him with utter disgust. Rather than earning a few more spirit fragmentation stones, he preferred to hurry to the Scripture Pavilion to read books and accumulate knowledge for creating his own Cultivation Technique.
His predecessor only knew how to bury his head in hard Cultivation; all he mastered was the Five Elements Qi Refining Art and scattered bits of Cultivation knowledge, which were utterly insufficient to support his need to create a new Cultivation Technique.
People around him cast surprised glances, but Liu Yi's expression remained normal. He walked out of the Formation and headed straight for the Outer Sect Disciple Cafeteria.
Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators cannot yet Abstain from Eating Grain, so they must eat to replenish the energy required by their bodies.
Although there were Grain Abstinence Pills that could substitute, as a pauper, he couldn't even afford the cheapest one.
Liu Yi had just sat down at the table with his lunch box when he saw the round-bodied Qian Duoduo saunter over and plop down opposite him.
Qian Duoduo stared intently at him, "After dinner, meet me in the small woods."
Liu Yi's hand, holding the chopsticks, paused, and he softly replied, "Mhm."