The old man dragged Yun Wanhe deep into the mountains.
Far away from the city.
Far away from civilization.
The last traces of sunlight slowly disappeared behind the distant peaks.
By the time they stopped...
Only the sound of insects and the wind remained.
The old man finally let go of Yun Wanhe’s collar.
"Good."
He looked around the dense forest.
"No distractions."
Yun Wanhe was still breathing heavily.
"Master. I just worked an entire day."
The old man nodded.
"I know."
"I also worked all day."
"What’s your point?"
The old man smiled.
"That means we’re both already warmed up."
Yun Wanhe’s eye twitched.
"Warmed up?"
The old man suddenly threw his broom to the ground.
Boom!
The seemingly ordinary broom landed with enough force to crack the stone beneath it.
Yun Wanhe blinked.
"Master?"
The old man’s relaxed smile disappeared.
His aura slowly rose.
"This isn’t cultivation."
He cracked his neck.
"This... Is survival."
One Hour Later...
"Faster!"
The old man’s voice echoed through the mountains.
Yun Wanhe sprinted uphill with a massive boulder strapped to his back.
Sweat poured down his face.
His breathing had become ragged.
The old man effortlessly ran beside him.
"If you’re still breathing... You can still run!"
"I’ve been running for an hour!"
"Then run another."
Another hour.
Yun Wanhe hung upside down from a cliff.
Only one hand held onto the rock.
The other hand...
Balanced another boulder.
His entire body trembled.
The old man hung upside down beside him.
Completely relaxed.
"If you fall... You climb back up."
"If you complain... I’ll tie another rock to you."
"I heard that sigh."
Another hour.
They stood beneath a freezing mountain waterfall.
Water crashed onto their shoulders like hammers.
The old man calmly circulated Qi.
"Again."
Yun Wanhe gritted his teeth.
He forced the Qi through another circulation.
His meridians burned.
Every completed cycle felt like molten steel.
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
"I’M DOING IT!"
"Louder."
"I’M DOING IT!"
7:30 PM.
The old man pointed toward a steep cliff.
"Race you."
Yun Wanhe stared upward.
"That’s vertical."
"Exactly."
The old man immediately jumped.
He climbed the cliff using only his fingers.
Yun Wanhe sighed.
Then followed.
Halfway up...
Loose rocks gave way beneath his feet.
He almost fell.
The old man laughed.
"Good. That means you’re awake."
8:10 PM.
The two sat cross-legged atop the mountain.
Both were bruised.
Covered in dirt.
Their clothes were soaked.
The old man closed his eyes.
"Enough physical training. Now... Cultivate."
Yun Wanhe nodded.
This...
Was finally familiar.
Both cultivators slowly entered meditation.
The mountain became silent.
The surrounding spiritual energy gradually drifted toward them.
The old man’s cultivation technique resembled a calm ocean.
Steady.
Powerful.
Unwavering.
Yun Wanhe’s...
Was completely different.
Like a whirlpool.
The surrounding Qi rushed toward him with astonishing speed.
The old man opened one eye.
He smiled faintly.
"As expected. Your foundation truly is extraordinary."
Yun Wanhe remained completely focused.
Inside his dantian...
Qi surged like an endless river.
Every circulation became faster.
Smoother.
His previous bottlenecks...
Crumbled one after another.
His past experience as an Immortal Emperor allowed him to guide every strand of Qi with perfect precision.
Hours of accumulated fatigue...
Seemed to vanish.
Instead...
His cultivation rose explosively.
Qi Gathering...
Became...
Qi Circulation Realm.
The old man nodded.
"Good."
But it didn’t stop.
Qi continued pouring inward.
His meridians expanded.
His dantian grew sturdier.
The newly formed circulation became stronger and stronger.
Soon...
The pressure condensed.
Compressed.
Refined.
A tiny core began forming.
The old man looked genuinely surprised.
"Already?"
The tiny core rapidly solidified.
Growing stronger.
Denser.
Its aura climbed continuously.
Early...
Middle...
Late...
Peak.
A powerful pulse exploded outward.
BOOM!
The surrounding leaves rustled violently.
Yun Wanhe slowly opened his eyes.
Golden light flashed across them.
He exhaled.
"Peak Inner Core Realm."
Even he looked surprised.
"I crossed multiple realms in one session..."
The old man chuckled.
"You truly are gifted!"
Of course, his absurd fate had helped...
"It’s not impossible."
Yun Wanhe slowly clenched his fist.
Power surged through every muscle.
A confident smile finally returned.
"At this speed... I’ll become the strongest!"
The old man smiled.
"Don’t celebrate yet."
His own aura suddenly surged.
Unlike Yun Wanhe’s explosive breakthrough...
The old man’s felt ancient.
Like a sleeping mountain awakening.
His spiritual sense expanded outward.
Twenty meters.
Fifty.
One hundred.
Trees.
Animals.
Insects.
Every movement within the surrounding forest became crystal clear.
The old man’s eyes slowly opened.
"Spirit Perception Realm."
He quietly smiled.
"So... I finally broke through too."
The two looked at one another.
Then laughed.
For the first time that day...
Neither was thinking about work.
Or Shen Tian.
Only cultivation.
High above the mountain...
Hidden among the clouds...
A small metallic bird silently watched everything.
Its glowing blue eyes recorded every second.
The drone’s wings made almost no sound as it turned and flew back toward the city.
Inside Shen Tian’s mansion...
Xu Ning projected the live feed into the air.
The recording had just ended.
Shen Tian smiled as he watched Yun Wanhe celebrate his breakthrough.
"There it is."
Xu Ning nodded.
[His cultivation increased exactly as expected.]
Shen Tian leaned back comfortably.
He was in his bed.
"I can finally start targeting him more..."
Shen Tian grinned.
"And I’ll get better rewards."
Xu Ning snapped her fingers.
A transparent notification appeared.
[The Protagonist’s Fate has increased.]
[Yun Wanhe has gained 4,000 Fate Value.]
[Remaining Fate Value: 74,000]
[More high-value opportunities will soon manifest.]
[Successfully intercepting them will yield greater rewards.]
Shen Tian’s smile widened.
"Perfect."
He looked toward the frozen image of Yun Wanhe on the screen.
"I’ll happily collect the rewards."
[Host, you really are treating him like a walking treasure chest.]
Shen Tian simply shrugged.
"I’m just playing my role as the villain."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Besides... It looks like I can finally start taking away his bigger opportunities one by one."
He glanced out the window toward the night sky before letting out a tired yawn.
"But that can wait until tomorrow. Right now... I need some sleep."
Xu Ning gave a small nod.
[Understood, Host.]
She naturally climbed in beside Shen Tian, resting her head against his shoulder as she snuggled into his side.
Although she was originally just a system...
Somewhere along the way, sleeping beside her host had become part of her nightly routine.
Shen Tian chuckled softly.
"Good night, Xu Ning."
[Good night, Host.]
(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)
SEND POWESTONES!!!
ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!

Comments

Loading...