The question shimmered before Luo Feng's eyes.
[Claim Physique][Convert to karma points]
A wave of excitement coursed through him, if only for a moment.
A saint physique.
He did not need to understand the deeper mechanics of the so-called "1,000 points question" to grasp its significance. It meant something far deeper. It meant possessing the ability to outclass his peers. It meant cultivating like an entirely different beast, with the distinct advantages of a superior physical body and a vastly improved cultivation rate.
To most, an offer like this would have been impossible to refuse.
The temptation was crystal clear.
And then he forced himself to calm down.
He could feel the excitement threatening to spill over. He closed his eyes and took a slow breath, suppressing the impulse and allowing the surge to fade.
Once his thoughts settled, he began evaluating the situation rationally.
His cultivation path had never been ordinary. The source of his strength did not come from average talent or effort. It was tied intimately to the bound cultivators around him—their growth, their breakthroughs, their fortune.
Everything ultimately returned to him in some form and pushed him forward.
If that was truly the case, then he did not necessarily need a saint physique.
By conventional standards, his personal talent could only be described as mediocre. Yet as long as his bound partners surpassed him, he would continue to grow—perhaps even faster than most—because he was not relying on himself.
Furthermore, there were risks.
No one knew the consequences of possessing such a physique.
Huang Lei was still a mystery. Did awakening it cause pain? Did it attract unwanted attention? Did it bring danger?
Luo Feng despised uncertainty.
There were other factors to consider. If Huang Lei possessed a saint physique, his cultivation speed would skyrocket. If Luo Feng's assumption was correct, the feedback he received would become even more substantial.
There was more than enough reason to wait.
He chose not to make a selection.
Life in the courtyard continued unchanged. Luo Feng neither cultivated nor trained. He simply existed, observed, studied, and waited.
Eventually, however, the difference became too obvious to ignore.
Luo Feng felt it the moment he woke.
The familiar gradual rhythm of accumulation was gone. In its place was a spike.
A torrent of power surged through his muscles—an entirely different magnitude. Warmth rose from deep within his body and spread outward, centering itself before flooding his entire being. His heart thudded heavily in his chest. This was something else entirely.
There was no need to hesitate.
In one motion, Luo Feng sat upright in the lotus position. His back straight, legs crossed, breathing steady.
His mind stilled.
The qi within him stabilized to a degree he had never imagined possible. Strength and energy filled every inch of him without a single hollow gap. He could feel it in every fiber of his being.
Minutes passed.
The pressure that had been building for days finally released. Warmth intensified. Energy circulated and gradually formed a steady current.
He opened his eyes.
Qi was refining.
His facial muscles tensed involuntarily as a grin formed.
This was not explosive joy. Not triumph. Not the thrill of defeating an opponent.
It was the quiet satisfaction of crossing a boundary that had once seemed insurmountable.
In the past, Luo Feng had nearly abandoned hope. Continuing cultivation had felt pointless. Remaining stuck at the lowest stage of Qi Refinement had seemed inevitable—two more years of effort, at minimum.
Two years.
An eternity.
Most direct descendants of the Luo family entered Qi Refinement within six months, a year at most. Being two years behind had made catching up seem delusional.
He understood why his predecessor had resigned himself.
But now, without effort, without training, without time, he had reached the same level.
And he knew this was only the beginning.
Before he could reflect further, he heard footsteps approaching the courtyard.
A maid entered with a tray of food. Her expression was blank. If the previous maid had carried faint contempt, this one carried it openly.
She placed the tray down and turned to leave without speaking.
Luo Feng broke the silence.
"Have you seen anything interesting happen lately?"
She stopped, surprise flickering across her face. After a moment of hesitation, she began listing various trivial events from the estate—things that seemed significant to her.
Luo Feng listened patiently before asking another question.
"What about the Huang family?"
That question clearly struck a chord.
After a short pause, she began speaking again—this time with far more engagement. She recounted rumors and developments, some credible, others exaggerated beyond belief.
Luo Feng found it difficult to believe that Huang Lei had truly awakened a saint physique.
Surviving such an ordeal alone was proof of extraordinary resilience.
He took a slow breath.
The moment Huang Lei awakened his saint physique, events were bound to escalate.
The earlier decision could no longer be postponed.
Waiting carried its own risks.
This time, Luo Feng made his choice.
He summoned the system and selected the option to convert the physique into karma.
Almost instantly, a notification appeared.
[You have received 1000 karma points]
His total rose to 1010.
So this was the value of a saint physique.
Without hesitation, he spent 100 karma points on the acceleration function.
Curiosity outweighed caution.
The system accepted the input.
The panel returned to its previous state. Nothing appeared to change.
Luo Feng frowned.
There was no surge of energy. No dramatic shift. No sensation at all.
After a moment, he relaxed.
The description had been clear: the acceleration would last twenty-four hours. Effects were unlikely to be immediate.
He would see the results tomorrow.
For now, waiting was his only option.
Luo Feng dismissed the panel and looked toward the courtyard.
The sun dipped below the horizon.
Meanwhile, Huang Lei was stepping into a future far greater than even the Huang family could have imagined.