Chapter 1: Wang Ping

Zhao State's cultivation world, Azure Moon Sect, Green Bamboo Peak.

The scorching sun hung high, the sky was deep blue, gentle breezes blew, stirring layers of emerald-green waves.

In an inconspicuous courtyard in the mountains, Wang Ping calmly finished today's cultivation.

Having transmigrated to this world for three years, he cultivated diligently every day, yet now he has only managed to cultivate forty strands of spiritual power.

He is still sixty-eight strands short of the one hundred and eight strands needed for the peak of early Qi Refining.

The path of immortality is arduous; for someone like him with low-grade spiritual roots, without a great opportunity it is hard to reach the Great Perfection of Qi Refining in this lifetime.

Thinking of the agreement he made with his family, Wang Ping rarely sighed.

If he cannot enter middle Qi Refining within five years, he must return to his family to marry and have children, to expand the family line.

Relying on his low-grade fire-wood dual spiritual roots, perhaps the next generation could produce a mutated medium-grade spiritual root.

Initially he was full of confidence, but after three years of cultivation he finally understood how difficult the path of immortality is.

Without excellent aptitude, an ideal cultivation site, or large quantities of elixirs and spirit stones to aid his practice, relying solely on arduous daily meditation, a low-grade spiritual root can refine only a single strand of spiritual power per month.

At that rate, condensing one hundred and eight strands of spiritual power would take at least ten years.

He managed to condense forty strands of spiritual power in three years because the place he resides is equivalent to a first-grade spirit vein, which enhances cultivation speed.

Otherwise, as a rogue cultivator with such poor aptitude, he would essentially have no hope on the immortal path.

Wang Ping straightened his gray clothes, got off the bed; this was a first-grade robe issued by the Azure Moon Sect when he first joined, possessing automatic cleansing and resistance to low-grade spells.

Over these three years, Wang Ping also learned much about the cultivation world, knowing that his location is the foremost sect of the Zhao State within the Hundred Kingdoms Alliance, the Azure Moon Sect.

The Azure Moon Sect has over ten thousand Qi Refining disciples and more than a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Above them are Golden Core true persons who suppress the entire Zhao State cultivation world.

Meanwhile, his Wang Clan is merely one of one hundred and sixty Foundation Establishment forces, possessing over a hundred Qi Refining cultivators and one Foundation Establishment great cultivator.

In the cultivation world, to establish a clan or faction, spirit veins and spirit fields are indispensable.

His Wang Clan possesses only a second-grade spirit vein, which normally supplies the Foundation Establishment elder for cultivation; only disciples of outstanding talent may enter the spirit vein cave dwelling to cultivate.

Like these low‑talent juniors, they have no qualification to use the spirit vein cave dwelling.

Thus he joined the Azure Moon Sect; even if he cannot cultivate in the spirit vein cave dwelling, merely being within the area covered by a third‑grade spirit vein is equivalent to cultivating on a first‑grade spirit vein.

Yet people always seek more; being on a first‑grade spirit vein naturally makes them desire something better.

Every spirit vein has multiple places where heaven and earth spiritual energy gathers; these spots are often turned into cave dwellings, graded as Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, etc.

The Azure Moon Sect divided its entire sect into three zones according to the coverage of the spirit vein.

The innermost zone is where Golden Core true persons cultivate daily; further out is the area equivalent to a second‑grade spirit vein, where only those who have achieved Foundation Establishment may cultivate.

The outermost zone naturally corresponds to a first‑grade spirit vein's outer‑sect area, the largest zone; the sect, according to the spiritual power density variation in the first‑grade area, divided it into three grades—Jia, Yi, Bing—totaling three thousand cave dwellings.

A first‑grade spirit vein could not naturally produce that many cave dwellings, but after all this place lies atop a third‑grade spirit vein.

Three thousand cave dwellings may seem many, yet the Azure Moon Sect alone has over ten thousand Qi Refining disciples, far from enough to go around.

Therefore the sect established a Genius List and a Merit List.

Those who rank in the top hundred of the Genius List may freely enjoy first‑class cultivation cave dwellings.

The rest may exchange Merit for access.

Of the three thousand cultivation cave dwellings, two hundred are first‑class, eight hundred second‑class, and two thousand third‑class.

There are no fourth‑class dwellings, because being atop a third‑grade spirit vein means even cultivating in the wilds is equivalent to a fourth‑class cave dwelling of a first‑grade spirit vein.

This is the foundation of the Zhao State's foremost sect; countless outsiders wish to enter but cannot.

Had it not been for the Reverse Fire Curse incident, for which the Azure Moon Sect owed him, Wang Ping would never have been able to enter the Zhao State's foremost sect given his aptitude.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Wang Ping's eyes; that quota had almost been snatched away.

As Wang Ping pondered, a green light streaked from the sky; upon closer look it was a transmission jade slip.

This is the common method of contact in the cultivation world; he is now accustomed to it, though when he first saw such a transmission method he was genuinely startled.

He placed the jade slip on his brow and gently probed it with his mental power.

Soon, Wang Ping's face darkened with anger and he said, 'Bullying people too much!'

No wonder he was furious; the cave dwelling originally allotted to him had been postponed again.

This month it has already happened three times.

Wang Ping clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, his face flushed with rage; having lived two lives, he naturally understood the foul play involved.

In fact, this phenomenon is common in the outer sect.

Not every descendant of Foundation Establishment great cultivators possesses medium‑grade or better spiritual roots; some, like him, have low‑grade roots, and they are not few.

According to Wang Ping's knowledge, there are over a thousand low‑grade spiritual root cultivators in the outer‑sect area.

The Azure Moon Sect, as a great sect, basically recruits only medium‑grade or better spiritual roots; those low‑grade roots gain entry through connections or special dispensation.

Within the sect, such disciples are the least favored.

Not only are various cultivation resources withheld, but even the opportunity to cultivate in a cave dwelling obtained by exchanging Merit is often repeatedly delayed.

Moreover, no one speaks up for them; low‑grade spiritual root cultivators lack blessed lands, elixirs, and spirit‑stone assistance, making it nearly impossible for them to reach the Great Perfection.

Wang Ping currently cannot obtain spirit stones; even if he could, he could not absorb them, because to draw spiritual energy from spirit stones one must reach middle Qi Refining, with internal spiritual power breaking through one hundred and eight strands.

Only then can he resist the inner suction of the spirit stone and draw its energy out.

As for elixirs, needless to say, those that enhance cultivation are extraordinarily precious; the elixirs distributed by the sect are basically monopolized by the top hundred of the Genius List.

Even if such disciples happen to obtain an elixir, they must obediently hand it over; otherwise they may one day vanish without a trace.

Thus, what Wang Ping can hope for is the qualification to cultivate in a cave dwelling; possessing a wood spiritual root, he practices the Azure Wood Longevity Technique.

This technique is a basic one; its cultivation speed is steady, it has little offensive power, but it greatly aids the cultivation of spiritual medicines and herbs.

Over these three years, relying on the Azure Wood Longevity Technique, the medicinal herbs he has been allotted to plant have grown well.

Soon he had accumulated enough Merit to qualify for cave‑dwelling cultivation.

Now it is his third time having accumulated enough merit; he had already submitted it a month ago, but hatefully it keeps being delayed.

Wang Ping walked to the courtyard and sat down; the place he was in was beautiful, with large expanses of spirit bamboo, the scenery pleasant.

Sitting in the courtyard, as the wind blew, he inhaled the fresh air mixed with the scent of spirit bamboo, and Wang Ping's anger gradually subsided.

Perhaps only relying on that would work, Wang Ping thought to himself, his expression full of anticipation.

In his mind there was a silver energy grid; ever since he crossed over into this world, it has been continuously accumulating energy.

For the past three years, Wang Ping has had to look at it three or four times a day, anticipating the energy grid filling up, to see if it could bring him any change.

Now, the energy grid about a foot long is almost full; perhaps in these few days the energy will be fully filled.

Wang Ping was full of anticipation about this; he believed that his ability to cross over into this world must have a reason.

Then the energy grid appearing in his mind might be related to this.

In his previous life he had read so many time-travel novels, naturally knowing this might be his own golden finger.