Data-Driven Cultivation: I Defy Heaven and Overthrow Interstellar Domestication

Three days in the cultivation world is so short it's almost an illusion.

When ordinary cultivators meditate in seclusion, the time is fleeting, and they don't even have time to capture the trajectory of the spiritual energy flow.

But this brief period felt like an eternity to the outer disciples of the Qingyun Sect.

The sparring match in the training grounds three days ago has already swept through the entire outer sect like wildfire.

Xie Yanchen, a useless person with mixed spiritual roots, had been in obscurity for three years. Then, he suddenly rose to prominence, breaking through the second and third levels of Qi Refining. Moreover, with his exquisite and unpredictable movements, he forced Qin Tieshan, a martial arts instructor at the fourth level of Qi Refining, to a draw.

The news spread extremely quickly, reaching every stone house and thatched hut in the outer sect by evening. After nightfall, even the inner sect, with its strict discipline and many eminent figures, had people specifically inquiring about the details.

Rumors become more and more absurd and outrageous as they spread.

Some say Xie Yanchen survived the fall and encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator who had been sitting in meditation for a thousand years at the bottom of the Broken Soul Cliff, thus inheriting the supreme lineage; others assert with certainty that he accidentally consumed the peerless Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, undergoing a complete transformation; still others speculate that the current Xie Yanchen has already changed his inner self, being a reborn soul possessed by a reclusive old monster, and that his three years of inaction were all deliberate dormancy.

Immediately, the entire outer sect was abuzz with discussion, a mix of emotions including envy, jealousy, suspicion, and hostility.

Xie Yanchen remained completely oblivious to all the noise from the outside world.

For three whole days, he stayed indoors, guarding the secluded stone house and cutting off all external disturbances. Apart from a few moments each day to eat, regulate his breathing, and meditate to nourish his spirit, he devoted all his remaining time to consolidating his rapidly increasing cultivation and refining his internal techniques.

  

The dimensional terminal in his mind floated silently, displaying on the screen the tens of thousands of basic cultivation techniques and secret outer sect manuals that he had previously infiltrated the cultivation technique pavilion and scanned in their entirety.

Unlike ordinary cultivators who memorize and recite from textbooks, Xie Yanchen uses terminal data modeling to dissect the operational logic and spiritual energy path of each cultivation technique, accurately marking every flaw and constraint that has been passed down for thousands of years and no one has noticed. He then combines this with his own mixed spiritual root and four-element attributes to deduce the optimal optimization solution one by one.

He had already completely dismantled the simple spirit-gathering device he used in the mountain valley last time.

The self-modified spirit-gathering device exhibited abnormal fluctuations in spiritual energy, and its material and form were completely different from the existing magical artifacts of the Qingyun Sect. If it were brought back to the residence rashly, it would easily leave flaws and expose one's greatest secret.

Without the blessing of a spirit-gathering array or the aid of elixirs, there was only a cold and silent room.

However, the optimized breathing technique has long since transcended the limitations of the Qingyun Sect's basic techniques.

The improved breathing technique can maximize the extraction of the scarce spiritual energy in the surrounding environment, with a conversion efficiency several times that of the original technique. The spiritual energy enters the body gently and condenses without any impurities or loss, flowing along the optimal meridian trajectory planned by the terminal, slowly nourishing the dantian and spiritual sea.

After three days of arduous cultivation, his newly acquired Qi Refining Level 3 cultivation was thoroughly solidified and stabilized.

The spiritual energy within his dantian was no longer volatile and restless, but had become mellow, refined, and solid. Compared to the beginning of his breakthrough, his spiritual energy reserves were more than a full circle thicker. His meridians were also thoroughly expanded and nourished by the spiritual energy, making them far more resilient than those of other cultivators of the same level.

Before dawn, the chilly morning mist enveloped the entire outer gate of Qingyun.

The rapid and orderly tolling of the bell suddenly resounded through the mountains, layer upon layer, piercing through the morning mist and echoing in every outer gate post.

The monthly outer sect examination of the Qingyun Sect has officially begun.

This monthly assessment is the foundation for all outer disciples' livelihood, and it is held without fail every month.

The assessment ranking directly affects all cultivation resources for the following month: low-grade spirit stones, body-tempering pills, access to the cultivation technique pavilion, and usage time in the exclusive cultivation room, all allocated according to the ranking tiers.

The Qingyun Sect's resource rules are cruel and straightforward, a law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak, with clear distinctions between different groups.

Those at the top have abundant resources, smooth cultivation, and advance step by step; those at the bottom have scarce spirit stones and run out of pills, making it difficult to even continue normal cultivation, and can only struggle at the bottom.

As dawn broke, the clouds and mist parted, casting dappled light.

Xie Yanchen pushed open the mottled and dilapidated stone door, and the dazzling sunlight rushed in, causing him to subconsciously squint his eyes slightly.

The gravel path outside the gate was already teeming with people. Dense groups of gray and brown-haired figures gathered in twos and threes, hurrying towards the spirit-measuring platform halfway up the mountain. The noise and commotion were deafening, like a pot of boiling water churning endlessly.

Disciples passing by would subconsciously turn their heads to glance in the direction of the stone house, their eyes landing on Xie Yanchen, and then they would lower their voices and whisper among themselves.

Inquiry, curiosity, disdain, fear, schadenfreude... all sorts of gazes fell upon him, heavy and carrying undisguised malice.

Everyone remembered that Zhou Chong, an inner disciple, had already declared that he would publicly cripple Xie Yanchen on the stage of this month's assessment, thus avenging his defeat at the bottom of the cliff.

In the eyes of most disciples, the outcome was already predetermined.

For someone with mixed spiritual roots who has just broken through to the third level of Qi Refining and has always been regarded as a waste, facing off against an elite inner sect member at the fourth level of Qi Refining with a solid foundation and stable cultivation is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock and courting death.

Xie Yanchen remained calm, completely ignoring all the stares and discussions around him, and steadily walked towards the spirit-testing platform with the flow of people.

The Spirit Testing Platform is located at the junction of the inner and outer sects. It is a giant blue stone platform, a hundred feet square. The entire boulder is a single piece, and after thousands of years of wind and rain erosion and spiritual energy infusion, it is extremely sturdy.

In the very center of the platform stands a two-person-high, translucent, white spirit-measuring stone, its body warm and clear, constantly surrounded by a faint spiritual light.

Legend has it that this stone was personally crafted and erected by the founding patriarch of the Qingyun Sect. For thousands of years, it has accurately tested the spiritual root attributes and true cultivation levels of countless disciples without ever making a mistake. It is the sect's most impartial benchmark for cultivation.

A neat viewing platform had already been set up around the area.

The main seat in the due north direction is the exclusive seat for the elders of the outer sect, solemn and dignified; the seats are divided into sections on the east and west sides, with the inner sect disciples in blue robes on the left and the outer sect disciples in gray and brown robes on the right, the colors of their robes clearly distinguishing their status.

Inner disciples are upright and arrogant, exuding an air of superiority; outer disciples are mostly reserved and humble, with a yearning and envy for higher realms and higher status hidden in their eyes.

The barriers between social classes were on full display at this moment.

The moment Xie Yanchen stepped into the outer waiting area, the surrounding noise suddenly stopped and was abruptly reduced to a low level.

Dozens of eyes focused on him, fixing their gazes firmly on his slender, gray figure.

Some were curious about his true strength, some scrutinized the source of his confidence, some were simply watching the show, and many more were waiting to see him suffer a miserable end, having his cultivation crippled by Zhou Chong and leaving in a sorry state.

He walked calmly to the most secluded corner of the waiting area and stood there alone, his posture upright and his breathing steady, showing no sign of panic or unease.

My gaze swept across the inner waiting area, and I immediately spotted several familiar figures.

Zhou Chong, who had vowed to deal with him, did not appear, suggesting that his injuries sustained at the bottom of the cliff had not yet fully healed.

However, the inner disciple at the fifth level of Qi Refining who had gone to the martial arts arena to deliver a message three days earlier was present.

At this moment, he was surrounded by four or five inner sect peers in the center. His eyebrows were arrogant, his expression haughty, and a faint sarcasm hung at the corner of his mouth. His gaze swept over the outer sect area with deep-rooted contempt.

The inner disciples beside him were all at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining, with refined aura and solid foundations, making them outstanding among their peers in the inner sect.

The second morning bell tolled loudly, its deep and resonant sound officially announcing the start of the monthly assessment.

The assessment rules follow the sect's ancient system and are divided into two core parts: cultivation level testing and arena combat.

The first step was a cultivation test. All disciples stepped forward in turn and poured their spiritual power into the spirit testing stone. The spirit stone would emit corresponding colored light based on the purity and strength of the spiritual power and the attribute of the spiritual root, accurately recording each disciple's cultivation progress as the core basis for subsequent resource allocation.

Then came the highly anticipated arena battle.

The system automatically generates a match-up table based on the ranking of cultivation tests. Disciples compete in pairs, with the winners advancing and the losers being eliminated. Through layers of competition, the top ten outer disciples are finally determined.

The top ten disciples can obtain generous extra resources, while the monthly champion receives the most top-tier rewards: double the monthly spirit stone quota, unlock access to borrow high-level cultivation techniques on the second floor of the cultivation technique pavilion for one month, and have exclusive access to a private spirit gathering cultivation room for the entire month.

The person in charge of this assessment was Han Tiesong, the outer sect law enforcement elder.

This person has a cold and stern face, with firm eyebrows and eyes. He rarely smiles and has a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation level. He is in charge of the outer sect, is impartial and fair in rewarding and punishing, and has a very high reputation in the outer sect. His word is law.

He held a translucent white jade slip, stood beside the spirit-testing stone, and read out the names of his disciples one by one in a cold and rigid voice.

One by one, the outer disciples stepped forward to take the test.

Early stage of Qi Refining Level 2, peak of Qi Refining Level 2, Qi Refining Level 3, and a few barely breaking through to Qi Refining Level 4... As each person's spiritual power is poured in, the spirit testing stone lights up with varying shades and uniform colors.

Han Tiesong remained expressionless as he meticulously recorded everything, his demeanor completely calm.

He already knew the overall strength level of the outer disciples. The assessments were the same every year, so he was neither surprised nor delighted, and had long been accustomed to it.

Until a plain name was slowly uttered from his mouth.

Xie Yanchen.

The three words fell in a flash.

The noisy spirit-testing platform fell silent instantly.

A deathly silence descended upon the entire hall; you could hear a pin drop.

Outer disciples, inner disciples, and elders who had been resting with their eyes closed on the viewing platform all turned their gazes to the gray figure that slowly walked out from the corner at the same time.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xie Yanchen walked steadily and unhurriedly onto the spirit-testing platform and stood before the gleaming white boulder.

He raised his right hand and gently pressed his palm against the cool stone surface.

A slightly cool, tingling sensation spread along the meridians in his palm. Immediately afterward, a gentle suction force emanated from inside the spirit-testing stone, steadily pulling and drawing spiritual energy from his dantian.

Xie Yanchen remained calm and composed, neither resisting nor deliberately urging the flow of energy, allowing the rich spiritual power within his body to flow smoothly through his meridians and slowly enter the spirit stone.

At first, everything was normal.

A faint, shimmering white light emerged from the depths of the stone, just like the tests conducted on all the disciples before it—utterly unremarkable.

But in the next instant, something unexpected happened!

hum-

A deep, resonant vibration reverberated from the core of the spirit stone, penetrating the entire platform and clearly reaching everyone's ears.

The originally monotonous white light suddenly exploded, and four brilliant spiritual lights of gold, red, brown and blue gushed out from the stone core at the same time, corresponding to the four spiritual roots of metal, wood, fire and earth. The four beams of light intertwined and overlapped, transforming into a huge, dazzling light screen that enveloped the entire spirit testing stone!

The hundred-foot-long bluestone platform trembled slightly, and a subtle, tangible vibration emanated from the stone slabs beneath one's feet.

The spirit-testing stone, which had remained stable for a thousand years without ever showing any signs of movement, suddenly began to tremble violently at this moment, with all the patterns on its surface lighting up, as if a spirit that had been dormant for a thousand years had suddenly awakened!

Four colors shine together, and the spiritual stone resonates!

Everyone in the room had their pupils shrink and their breaths stopped for a moment.

The jade slip recording in Han Tiesong's hand trembled slightly, almost slipping from his grasp and falling to the ground.

He suddenly looked up, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the shocking scene before him, his eyes filled with disbelief and his pupils contracting violently.

Four colors shine together!

The cultivator with mixed spiritual roots activated the spirit-testing stone, causing all four colors to shine simultaneously!

He had cultivated Taoism for over sixty years and had been in charge of the outer sect assessments for decades. He had never personally witnessed such a strange phenomenon, only seeing scattered records of it in the ancient and fragmented books of the sect.

Ancient texts say that when a mixed spiritual root shines with four colors, it means that the four elements of spiritual power in a cultivator's body have reached the ultimate balance. This perfect balance of spiritual power is far rarer than that of ordinary single-spiritual-root geniuses!

What shocked him even more was the strange phenomenon of the spirit stone trembling.

This spirit stone has stood for a thousand years, testing countless geniuses and ordinary people, remaining steadfast as a rock.

Only when the purity of spiritual energy approaches the origin of heaven and earth and far exceeds the threshold of the same level can it trigger the resonance and trembling of the spirit stone!

"How is this possible..."

Han Tiesong's Adam's apple bobbed as he murmured softly, his voice so low that only he could hear it, a tidal wave surging within him.

A mixed spiritual root at the third level of Qi Refining could possess such pure spiritual power, causing a thousand-year-old spirit stone to resonate.

On the viewing platform, all the outer sect elders who had been sitting and resting suddenly stood up, their eyes fixed on the figures on the platform, their expressions solemn.

The waiting area inside the gate was completely silent.

The inner disciples, who had previously been arrogant and waiting to see the joke, froze instantly with their mocking and sarcastic expressions, their faces stiffening, their eyes filled with utter astonishment and horror.

The crowd outside the gate erupted in chaos, their barely suppressed shouts echoing throughout the entire mountain range.

"It really is four colors shining brightly at the same time! I'm not seeing things, am I!"

"The spirit-testing stone is shaking! An unprecedented phenomenon in a thousand years!"

"The third level of Qi Refining causing a spirit stone to resonate? This is completely illogical!"

"If anyone dares to call Xie Yanchen a useless person with mixed spiritual roots again, I'll be the first to disagree!"

The clamor of discussion rose and fell like surging waves, lingering for a long time.

Xie Yanchen's expression remained unchanged as he slowly withdrew his right hand.

The dazzling four-colored spiritual light slowly faded, the trembling spirit stone returned to calm, and everything seemed to return to normal. However, the state of mind of everyone present had already been turned upside down.

In my mind, the mechanical prompt from the dimensional terminal sounded smoothly, accurately reporting the data:

Test complete. The optimized Balanced Breathing Technique's spiritual energy purity exceeded the conventional threshold for testing spirit stones, triggering data overflow in the device and producing a spirit stone resonance phenomenon. This is not due to spiritual root mutation or talent awakening; the pure spiritual energy quality completely surpasses conventional testing standards.

It turned out to be just a data overload.

The so-called millennium-old phenomenon and unparalleled talent are nothing more than low-end testing equipment, unable to withstand his extremely optimized and pure spiritual power.

Xie Yanchen understood, but remained calm and turned to slowly walk down from the spirit-testing platform, returning to his corner to stand.

The surrounding outer disciples instinctively stepped back, and no one dared to crowd or get close.

The previous contempt, hostility, and schadenfreude have all turned into deep fear and curiosity. An invisible aura surrounds him, and no one dares to underestimate him in the slightest.

He ignored all the gazes around him, his eyes landing lightly on Han Tiesong on the viewing platform.

He clearly saw Han Tiesong stare at him intently for a long time, calming his turbulent emotions, and then bowing his head to inscribe a record on the jade slip.

The moment the inscription was finished, the iron-faced elder raised his hand and took out a fine transmission talisman. He leaned down and whispered a few words, then activated his spiritual power with his fingertips and crushed the talisman.

With a flash of light, the communication talisman transformed into a streak of light and sped towards the depths of the inner sect and the summit of the sect's mountain.

The sect's higher-ups have already been alarmed.

A faint, cold glint flashed in Xie Yanchen's eyes.

After three years of concealing his talents and biding his time, he is now appropriately revealing his abilities, which will inevitably draw him into more disputes.

Yeah.

He was already tired of lying low and being bullied. Rather than passively being oppressed, he decided to rise up, establish himself with strength, and break through the impasse with power.