I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The inner hall of the third peak of Xuan Yuan Sect is paved with green jade, and nine ever-burning glass lamps hang high in the dome, their light flowing like living water.

Qin Yuan stood outside the palace gate, took a deep breath, and then stepped inside.

He wore a faded gray servant's robe with frayed cuffs, making him stand out from the disciples in the hall who wore blue robes with flowing cloud patterns.

For ten years, he carried black iron ore in the Seventh Mining Area, his spine bent and straightened again, finally accumulating enough merit to become an inner disciple.

Behind the steward's platform in the hall sat a young man in his early twenties, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. His blue robe sleeves were embroidered with three silver lines—the mark of an elite inner disciple.

Qin Yuan recognized him: Liu Feng, an inner disciple of the Third Peak's Enforcement Elder, with a Foundation Establishment Level 3 cultivation.

"Disciple Qin Yuan, having completed ten years of miscellaneous service, has come to complete the procedures for transferring into the inner sect." Qin Yuan's voice was steady as he held the ebony seal in both hands, the blood and sweat of ten years condensed in this small wooden plaque.

Liu Feng didn't answer. He leaned back in his chair, slowly wiping the scabbard of a short sword in his hand, the silver threads gleaming coldly under the lamplight.

Three breaths of silence.

Qin Yuan did not move his hand, but his back was ramrod straight.

"Tsk." Liu Feng finally raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Qin Yuan as if he were looking at a roadside stone.

He extended two fingers, picked up the ebony seal, and a faint spiritual energy emanated from his fingertips.

pat.

The seal landed on the jade floor of the main hall with a crisp sound, rolled three times, and stopped at Qin Yuan's feet. A white mark appeared on the edge of the wooden plaque.

Several inner disciples who were handling affairs in the hall stopped what they were doing and looked over. Someone chuckled softly.

Qin Yuan's fingers curled slightly, then unfolded again. He bent down to pick up the seal, brushed away non-existent dust, and looked up directly at Liu Feng: "Senior brother, what does this mean?"

"What do you mean?" Liu Feng smiled, and the short sword clattered back into its sheath. "Qin Yuan, right? I checked your records. You entered the sect at sixteen, did menial work for ten years, reached the third level of Qi Refining, and have mixed spiritual roots of the five elements, the lowest aptitude."

He stood up, looking down at them: "Do you know what the minimum standard is for the Third Peak to accept inner disciples? Single spiritual root, and Qi Refining Level 6 before the age of twenty."

And you? You're twenty-six years old and still stuck at the third level of Qi Refining. The merits on that seal—you earned them by accumulating black iron ore for ten years, didn't you?"

"According to sect rules, a disciple who has performed menial tasks for ten years without any faults may apply to transfer to the outer sect," Qin Yuan said, enunciating each word clearly. "If their contributions are outstanding, they may be admitted to the inner sect after passing an assessment. I discovered three new mineral veins in the seventh mining area, and it is recorded in the merit book."

"Rules?" Liu Feng leaned forward, his hands resting on the table, his voice low but sharp as an icicle. "Rules are for qualified people. What do you think the inner sect is? A garbage dump?"

He straightened up, flicked his sleeve, and said, "The Third Peak has no shortage of porters carrying ore. Take your worthless badge and go back to the outer gate, or continue mining—that's where you belong."

Qin Yuan's fingernails dug into his palm. For ten years, the mine tunnels had been dark, and the dripping water from the rock walls had echoed in his ears for over three thousand days and nights. Those promises—that after ten years, even those lacking talent could enter the inner sect based on their merits—were nothing but empty words written on paper.

"Senior brother," his voice was hoarse, "I'm acting according to the sect's rules—"

"Rules are rules, but people are flexible," Liu Feng interrupted him, his smile filled with undisguised contempt. "Got it? You're not worthy. Now, get out."

As the last word fell, a surge of spiritual energy flowed from Liu Feng's sleeve.

Qin Yuan felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer in the chest. He was sent flying backward, crashing through the palace door and rolling seven or eight steps on the bluestone steps before coming to a stop.

A sweet taste rose in his throat, and blood spurted from the corner of his mouth. A Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator had no chance to resist against a Foundation Establishment Level 3 cultivator.

Laughter could be heard from inside the hall.

"Senior Brother Liu is still too soft-hearted. This kind of wasteful person who squanders spirit rice should have his cultivation destroyed and be thrown down the mountain."

"It takes ten years to reach the third level of Qi Refining. Even my spirit dog cultivates much faster."

Qin Yuan propped himself up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He took one last look at Liu Feng's back in the main hall; the man had already sat back down in his chair and was wiping his sword sheath again, as if he had just casually brushed away a speck of dust.

There were no angry roars, no futile arguments. Qin Yuan picked up the ebony seal that had rolled away again, gripped it tightly, and turned to walk down the stone steps of the third peak.

Step by step.

The sharp edges of the wooden plaque in my palm dug into my flesh.

One day...

...

The outer disciples' residences were located on the westernmost side of the Xuan Yuan Sect, a cluster of low wooden houses crammed into a mountain valley.

Qin Yuan's house was at the very end, with drafty walls and three holes in the paper windows, which were haphazardly plugged with tarpaulin brought from the mining area.

Pushing open the door, a musty smell mixed with the smell of dust hit me.

A hard wooden bed, a crippled wooden table, and a spare servant's gray robe hanging on the wall.

This is all my possessions.

Qin Yuan sat on the bed and meditated cross-legged. Liu Feng's attack was not at full strength; it was more like a humiliating drive away. But even a trace of spiritual power from a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator was enough to damage the meridians of a Qi Refining stage cultivator.

The spiritual energy struggled to circulate within the body, causing a subtle stinging sensation wherever it passed.

Half an hour later, he exhaled a breath of turbid air, his injuries were barely suppressed, but his face was still pale.

As darkness fell outside the window, the setting sun cast a blood-red glow on the western hills.

As Qin Yuan watched the last rays of sunlight, a fire slowly ignited in his chest, burning so intensely that his bones felt hot.

When he first transmigrated and joined the sect at the age of sixteen, he also harbored a dream of cultivating immortality, believing that diligence could make up for his shortcomings.

However, the reality is that the speed at which a mixed spiritual root absorbs spiritual energy is only one-fifth that of a single spiritual root. After ten years of hard work, he broke through to the third level of Qi Refining three years ago, but has made no further progress.

Foundation Establishment? A lifespan of three hundred years, wielding a sword in the azure sky, and the initial manifestation of supernatural powers? Those are all stepping stones prepared for geniuses.

For someone with his aptitude, the sixth level of Qi Refining was already the ceiling. He would spend his entire life doing odd jobs in the outer sect, and perhaps after the age of forty he could become a low-level steward, managing the new disciples who were doing menial tasks—that was the entire future he could foresee.

"Why should I?" he asked in a low voice, questioning the empty room and the drafty wind.

no answer.

Only the fire deep within one's heart burns ever brighter, transforming into a desolate fury, and then, after that fury has burned out, reveals the cold helplessness beneath.

He closed his eyes.

Just then—

[A strong sense of defiance and will to survive has been detected in the host.]

[Conditions met, system binding in progress...]

A mechanical voice devoid of any emotion suddenly rang out from the depths of my mind.

Qin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

The interior remained unchanged: broken windows, an old table, and drafty walls.

But a semi-transparent light screen appeared out of nowhere, pale blue, with fine data flowing along its edges.

[The "Ten Years of Cultivation Gain in One Day" system has been bound.]

[Host: Qin Yuan]

Age: 26

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 3 (Damaged)]

[Spiritual Root: Mixed Five Elements Spiritual Root (Lowest Grade)]

[System Rules: This system automatically adds the host's cultivation level equivalent to ten years of arduous training daily, ignoring bottlenecks, aptitude limitations, and inner demons/tribulations. Note: Cultivation level growth requires the host to actively circulate the cultivation technique for guidance and transformation.]

[Currently available cultivation points: 0 years (refreshes daily at midnight)]

Qin Yuan stared at the lines of writing, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

Hallucination? Inner demons? Or did spending too much time in the mine finally drive him mad?

He bit his tongue hard, the metallic taste filling his mouth. The pain was still sharp, the light screen hadn't dissipated.

Not a dream.

"One day...ten years?" His voice trembled. "Ignoring bottlenecks? Ignoring aptitude?"

The light screen flickered, and new words appeared:

[Correct understanding. The system will generate daily cultivation accumulation equivalent to ten years of arduous training based on the rules of the host's world. The host must actively circulate their cultivation technique to convert this accumulation into actual realm advancement. There are no side effects.]

Qin Yuan's fingers began to tremble.

Ten years. He struggled desperately for ten years in the dark and dreary mine tunnels before finally reaching the third level of Qi Refining.

And this system, in just one day, gave him the accumulation of ten years of hard work!

if it is real……

If it's true!

He jumped out of bed, circled the small room twice, and then forced himself to sit back down.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and when you open them again, the wild light in your eyes is forcibly suppressed into a calm, cold pool.

Try it.

I have to try it.

He sat cross-legged again, palms facing upwards, and began practicing the "Qi-Inducing Technique," a required skill for outer disciples of the Xuan Yuan Sect. This was the most basic, crude, and inefficient technique, but it was also the only thing he knew.

The spiritual energy slowly gathered and flowed along the meridians, but the speed was as sluggish as ever—the mixed spiritual root of the five elements was like a leaky bucket; it could absorb 100% of the spiritual energy but only retain 20%.

But the next moment, something unexpected happened.

Without warning, a torrent of intense heat surged forth from the lower abdomen, specifically the dantian! It wasn't spiritual energy absorbed from the outside world, but rather something that arose out of thin air—pure, powerful, and rushing into the meridians like a river bursting its banks!

Qin Yuan trembled violently, almost falling out of his meditation. He gritted his teeth and desperately circulated the Qi-guiding technique, guiding the torrent of energy along the path of the cultivation method.

boom--!

It sounded as if I could hear the walls breaking.

Qi Refining Level 4, broken through!

The torrent continued its relentless flow. Meridians expanded, spiritual energy surged, and previously obscure acupoints were instantly opened.

Qi Refining Level 5, broken through!

Not enough. That power was still surging, seemingly without end. Qin Yuan's body began to heat up, and fine dirt seeped from his skin—this was the cleansing and purification brought about by the surge in his cultivation.

Qi Refining Level 6!

Unstoppable momentum!