I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

[Time: 04:30 AM, three days later]

If three days ago Kunlun University was like a secluded paradise with only gentle breezes and bright moonlight, now it has become a precisely operating, high-pressure cooker.

The sky remained dark, with only the countless stars casting a cold, pale glow. The temperature had dropped to minus ten degrees Celsius.

But the square was already full of people.

There was no noisy conversation, no pushing or shoving.

More than two thousand disciples sat cross-legged like silent statues.

The only sound that could be heard in the entire square was breathing.

That was the sound of more than two thousand people deliberately adjusting their frequency in an attempt to resonate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Inhale—(pause for three seconds)—exhale—

At the outermost edge of the square, a former senior executive of a listed company stared palely at his watch. He wasn't cultivating; he was recording data.

"Zhang Li, your breathing rate is off by 0.5 seconds," he whispered to his roommate. "This causes the spiritual energy to linger in the lung meridian for an extra moment, reducing the conversion rate by at least 1%."

The young man named Zhang Li immediately adjusted his breathing, his forehead covered in cold sweat: "Thanks, Lao Wang. If I don't make it into the top 1,000 in this month's assessment, I'll be too ashamed to face my parents."

Since Gu Qing announced the doubling of the spirit stone quota and the establishment of the "Top Ten Rewards for Monthly Exams", a sense of anxiety has completely replaced the original excitement.

Here, no one cares what kind of car you used to drive or what kind of house you used to live in.

If you can't even complete the most basic "Great Circulation" movement, even if you're worth hundreds of billions, you'll only receive pity or even indifference here.

……

Location: Cafeteria, Breakfast Area

The cafeteria opens at six o'clock in the morning.

The atmosphere here is even quieter than in the library.

Everyone was holding a bowl of white rice porridge made with spiritual spring water.

They eat very quickly, but their chewing motions are extremely rhythmic.

"Have you heard?"

In the corner, a boy wearing thick-rimmed glasses chewed on a steamed bun and said in a low voice to his deskmate, "Those guys in the talisman department have gone crazy."

"What's wrong?" my deskmate asked.

"That Zhang Ke from their department created vector models for every single stroke in 'Detailed Explanation of Basic Runes'," the bespectacled man swallowed his food. "It's said that he calculated the optimal angle for injecting spiritual power to be 37.5 degrees. Now everyone in the Rune Department is using their chopsticks to measure angles while eating."

My deskmate sighed, glancing at his trembling right hand. "The sword cultivation department isn't much better. Senior Brother Chu Tian practiced swordsmanship until 3 a.m. last night. He's already practicing sword intent. Those of us still practicing sword techniques are simply useless."

Just then, a person walked in through the cafeteria entrance.

It's Zhao Feng.

He was still wearing that gray-blue Taoist robe, his steps were steady and powerful, and his back was straight, a habit ingrained in his bones from years of military service.

His appearance instantly silenced the previously whispering cafeteria.

Zhao Feng is not only a disciple, but also a "benchmark" in the hearts of many. He does not rely on talent, but on his unwavering perseverance, as firm as a rock.

Zhao Feng ordered a very simple breakfast and found an empty seat to sit down.

Several newly initiated disciples hesitated for a moment, then moved closer.

"Senior Brother Zhao..." a young disciple asked cautiously, "When I meditated last night, I always felt my energy dissipate as soon as it reached the 'Guanyuan' acupoint. Is it because my aptitude is too poor?"

Zhao Feng put down his chopsticks and looked at the young man. His eyes were calm, without mockery, only a gentle warmth that came from weathering life's storms.

"It's not a matter of qualifications. You're just too hasty."

Zhao Feng's voice was deep, "If your mind is not calm, your energy will not be concentrated. The more you think about catching up with others, the more chaotic your energy will become."

"Eating is eating, walking is walking. If you focus on doing every little thing well, your energy will naturally flow smoothly."

The disciples around him nodded thoughtfully.

In this anxious environment, Zhao Feng's presence was like a stabilizing force, calming many people's anxieties.

……

Location: Back Mountain, Waterfall Pool

Although it was the dead of winter, the waterfalls here did not freeze because of the revival of the spiritual veins.

At this moment, Chu Tian was standing shirtless in the deep pool beneath the waterfall.

The icy, bone-chilling water crashed against his body, but he remained motionless.

Around him, faint wisps of air could be seen swirling, deflecting the approaching water droplets.

"Ninety-eight...ninety-nine...one hundred."

Chu Tian silently counted the number of times the sword was swung.

Each sword strike requires drawing upon the spiritual energy within the body, precisely attaching it to the blade.

He was very tired.

As the undisputed "top disciple," he enjoys the most attention but also bears the greatest pressure.

Everyone was watching him, waiting to see when he could truly achieve "sword intent following one's heart".

He cannot afford to lose, nor does he dare to lose.

"Chu Tian".

Footsteps sounded from the shore. It was Zhao Feng.

He was holding two towels and tossed one to Chu Tian.

"You've been training too hard." Zhao Feng looked at Chu Tian's pale face. "The elders said that too much of a good thing can be bad. Your meridians are starting to ache, aren't they?"

Chu Tian took the towel, wiped his face, and gave a wry smile: "Brother Zhao, I'm not like you, with such a calm mind. Whenever I think of that so-called 'void,' or the scene of the dean shattering the drone that day, I feel like I'm too weak."

"We are all weak."

Zhao Feng sat on a rock on the bank, watching the rushing waterfall. "But it is precisely because we are weak that we need to take it one step at a time. If you try to run before you've even taken your first steps, you'll fall."

Chu Tian remained silent for a while, looking at the iron sword in his hand.

"Brother Zhao, do you think... we can really become like those people in mythology?"

Zhao Feng picked up a stone and gently dropped it into the water.

"I don't know if it's possible. But I do know that if we don't practice, we definitely won't be able to."

"In the past, I joined the army to protect my country, and now I cultivate immortality... it's the same thing."

Looking at Zhao Feng's resolute profile, Chu Tian's anxiety inexplicably dissipated.

"That's true. Let's practice then."

……

Gu Qing sat cross-legged on the cloud bed, with a light blue system panel floating in front of him.

He wasn't cultivating; instead, he was examining the data of the entire Kunlun region.

[Current average daily practice time for disciples: 16 hours]

[Overall skill advancement speed: 300% higher than last week]

[Integrity Output: Extremely stable (and of extremely high purity)]

"Indeed, pressure is the best catalyst."

Gu Qing looked at the constantly fluctuating data, but her heart was not greatly stirred.

He doesn't need those pampered young masters and ladies who only know how to enjoy life.

What he needs are warriors and seekers of the Way.

Kunlun is now rapidly undergoing self-selection and evolution through this brutal "involution."

Those who were initially lax have either undergone a painful transformation or have begun to have second thoughts during this week.

[System notification: Some disciples' psychological stress is approaching a critical level.]

[Suggestion: Release pressure appropriately, or provide new goals for guidance.]

Gu Qing tapped her knees lightly with her fingers.

"It's time."

Simple asceticism can easily numb people; they need some real "stimulation."

With a gentle touch, a decree spread throughout Kunlun.

Notice to the entire school:

"The first 'live-fire exercise' will begin in three days."

"Not meditation and drawing talismans. I want to see you fight with the power in your hands."

"The winner of this exercise will receive one 'Marrow Cleansing Pill'."

"And the bottom one hundred people... will have their spirit stone supply suspended for next month and will be responsible for miscellaneous tasks for a month (cleaning the mountain gate and fetching spirit spring water)."

boom!

The atmosphere in the entire Kunlun Mountains changed instantly after this announcement.

If the competition before was a subtle undercurrent, now it's a naked process of survival of the fittest.

Marrow Cleansing Pill! That's a legendary elixir that can improve one's aptitude!

As for menial tasks... for these proud and arrogant disciples, sweeping and fetching water was worse than death. More importantly, once the supply of spirit stones was cut off, they would fall behind step by step and eventually be completely eliminated.

……