What? A Tycoon System? But I'm in the Cultivation World!

Canglan Realm.

Eastern Domain, Qin Province.

In the Golden Sun Mountain Range, a sea of clouds churned like waves, never dispersing throughout the year.

As one of the six major sects in Qin Province, the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect had its buildings constructed along the mountainsides, its halls and pavilions appearing and vanishing amid the sea of clouds.

Though the outer sect disciples' quarters lay at the very edge of the sect, they too had blue stone foundations and spiritual wood beams. Simple Spirit Gathering Formation patterns were engraved into the foundations, drawing in the mountains' Spiritual Qi day and night.

Inside one of the quarters, Lu Yang sat cross-legged with his hands resting on his knees in a seal, his eyes tightly shut.

After circulating his Qi through a full Greater Celestial Circuit, he exhaled a small breath of turbid air that turned into a faint white mist.

He opened his eyes, a hint of bitterness rising in them.

"Still no good. My cultivation is too slow... At this rate, I won't meet the standard this year either."

He got off the bed, walked over to the window, and pushed it open.

Mountain wind swept a veil of clouds and mist into his face, bringing a crisp chill that gave his spirits a slight lift.

On a distant mountainside, several fellow disciples were practicing sword instructions. Sword light flickered through the mist, and the faint sound of blades slicing through the air reached him.

Lu Yang watched for a while, a helpless smile tugging at his lips.

The assessment period lasted five years, and this was the final year.

The Golden Rainbow Sword Sect's rules could be called complicated, but they could also be called simple.

The first five years after joining were the chance the sect gave every disciple.

During those five years, resources were distributed monthly, and there was no need to work. All they had to do was focus on cultivation.

The sect looked at just one thing—whether you were worth continuing to nurture.

No matter what method you used, if you reached Mid-stage Qi Refining within five years, you could officially become an outer sect disciple and continue receiving the sect's support.

Those who failed to break through within five years would be reduced to menial disciples.

Menial.

The word weighed on his heart like a heavy stone.

Menial disciples had all their free resources taken away and had to perform labor for the sect every day.

Growing spiritual rice, chopping spiritual wood, tending the medicinal gardens... Every last task was hard work that took time and effort.

The contribution points earned from all that hard work were pitifully few, and cultivation time was severely squeezed.

Once he went down that road, hoping to break through again in the future would be little more than a fool's dream.

And he was still a considerable distance from the threshold of Mid-stage Qi Refining.

Lu Yang closed the window and sat back down on the edge of the bed, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the golden rainbow sword pattern embroidered on the cuff of his disciple's robes.

The pattern was embroidered in gold thread, with fine, close stitches that felt slightly stiff to the touch.

Four years ago, when he had walked through the sect gates in these clothes, how full of high spirits he had been.

He came from an obscure cultivation Lineage in the Yue Kingdom. For the Lineage to produce a descendant who could join the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect was something generations of his ancestors had never dared imagine.

He still remembered the day of the entrance test. When the testing platform revealed his mid-grade Spirit Root, the elder who had come with him wept on the spot, tears streaming down his aged face.

The old man's lips had trembled for a long while before he managed a complete sentence: "Heaven blesses our Lu Household, heaven blesses our Lu Household!"

Afterward, the Lineage even held an open feast for half a month.

His father told everyone he met that his son was now a Golden Rainbow disciple, standing straighter than he ever had in his life.

When his mother packed his bags, her eyes were red, but she kept smiling, telling him to cultivate diligently once he reached the sect, but not to make things too hard on himself.

Even after four years, he still remembered so clearly how proud she had looked, and how reluctant she had been to part with him.

He hadn't managed to make his parents proud in his previous life, but in this one, he had done it at fifteen.

But who could have imagined...

Lu Yang closed his eyes, the faces of his fellow disciples flashing through his mind one after another.

In the second month after they joined, a girl named Mu Yunxue broke through to Mid-stage Qi Refining.

The sect leader personally took her as a personal disciple, and the news spread throughout Qin Province.

In the tenth month, two more youths broke through. Powerful figures in the sect took a liking to them and brought them straight into the inner sect to cultivate.

Every year after that, more disciples from his intake broke through to Mid-stage Qi Refining.

It was already the fifth year, and a third of the disciples from his intake had entered the outer sect.

Those who remained were all, to varying degrees, rubbing their fists and palms, ready to make one final bid this year.

Lu Yang knew he wasn't a genius.

A single day of meditation for those geniuses was worth ten days or even longer for him.

When they studied a Cultivation Method, a single hint was enough for them to grasp it, while he had to puzzle over the same Mnemonic again and again just to gain a tentative understanding.

Sometimes, in the dead of night, he would stare blankly at a copy of a Cultivation Method. He recognized every character, but together they became a bank of fog.

In four years, he had barely slacked off for a single day.

Yet his cultivation progressed like an old ox pulling a cart, so slowly that it drove him to despair.

"...A menial it is, then."

Lu Yang fell backward onto the bed, the back of his head striking the wooden pillow with a dull thud.

The wooden pillow was rock hard, and the knock left his scalp tingling, but that tangible pain actually made him feel a little better.

He stared blankly at the beam overhead, his gaze somewhat vacant.

"A menial in the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect is still better off than those Rogue Cultivators and small-sect disciples out there. At least... I won't have to live in fear, and I'll have food to eat and a place to stay."

He had seen what life was like for Rogue Cultivators since he was little.

Outside the Lineage's home, Rogue Cultivators often died in the jaws of Demon Beasts, or offended someone they shouldn't have and were casually crushed to death, without even anyone to collect their bodies.

Cultivators from small Lineages weren't much better off; living from morning to night without knowing what tomorrow held was the norm.

At least beneath the great tree that was the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, he could shelter from the wind and rain.

"People have to be content with what they have." He tugged at the corners of his mouth, as if comforting himself. "Maybe I'll have good luck later on..."

Before he could finish, he abruptly sat up.

A translucent blue screen of light had appeared out of thin air before his eyes.

The screen hovered in midair, its edges glowing with a faint golden halo.

Line after line of text appeared on it.

Lu Yang's breathing stopped for an instant, while his heart felt as though something had suddenly clenched around it before it began pounding wildly.

[System fully charged!]

[System successfully activated!]

[Urban Tycoon System loading complete!]

[This system is dedicated to assisting the host in developing morally, intellectually, physically, and aesthetically, becoming a perfect urban tycoon, and living a happy life!]

A system!

Having read web novels for years, how could Lu Yang not know what this was?

His hand clenched involuntarily.

It had been nineteen years since he transmigrated, and he had imagined countless times that he might have a system too, waiting for some opportunity to activate.

He had meditated beneath the moonlight, trying to sense it until dawn, shouted "System" at the air, and even taken a Demon Beast's attack head-on to gamble on awakening it between life and death...

None of it had worked.

As time went on, he had given up hope.

So this damned thing needed charging??

And it took nineteen years to fill up?!

Wait...

The wild joy on Lu Yang's face froze before it had fully bloomed.

He blinked, then blinked again, staring fixedly at the words in the very center of the screen.

...Urban Tycoon System?

What the hell is this thing?!

He wasn't in a modern city!

He was in the cultivation world!

There are no central business districts here, no sports cars, and no stock market. How am I supposed to be an urban tycoon?!

Lu Yang felt as though someone had yanked him down from the clouds and slammed him into the ground, leaving him with a single thought:

Was this system delivered to the wrong place?

Moral, intellectual, physical, and aesthetic development? What use are those in the cultivation world?

Once a cultivator reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, they could shatter a small mountain with a casual gesture. How could an ordinary person's physique compare?

Intelligence went without saying. High-level cultivators could deduce the workings of heaven with a single thought. How could ordinary people's intellect compare?

As for beauty—the cultivation world had no shortage of handsome men and beautiful women, each more attractive than the last after their essence was cleansed and their marrow purged.

Most importantly, there was money!

The hard currency of the cultivation world was Spirit Stones, pills, and Law Treasures, not renminbi!

In the span of a few breaths, Lu Yang's expression went from wild joy to frozen shock, then collapsed, leaving only an indescribably complicated look.

The screen was still changing.

The lines of startup text slowly faded like smoke scattering in the wind, and new content appeared.

[Host: Lu Yang]

[Age: 19]

[Physique: 1.9 (Physical qualities far beyond those of a human!?)]

[Intelligence: 1 (Intelligence comparable to a top scientist's!!)]

[Charisma: 0.9 (Looks and bearing comparable to a superstar's!!)]

[Spirit Root: Mid-grade (0/1000)]

[Skills: "Heavy Sword Instruction" (Level 2: 11/200), "Fire Bullet Technique" (Level 2: 21/200), "Dust Removal Technique" (Level 3: 13/150)]

[Wealth: 3 low-grade Spirit Stones, 1 Qi Condensation Pill.]

[Tycoon's Confidence (Level 1): Gain 1 low-grade Spirit Stone every two hours (Money is the foundation of a tycoon's confidence. Spend 100 low-grade Spirit Stones to level up)]

[Daily tasks:]

[1: Run 3 kilometers. Reward: Physique +0.1 (A tycoon needs not only money, but also a healthy body)]

[2: Read with full concentration for two hours. Reward: Intelligence +0.1 (A wealthy person without a drop of ink in their chest is merely a nouveau riche)]

[3: Rest for eight hours. Reward: Charisma +0.1 (A good rest can effectively improve the host's vitality and spirit and improve their skin!)]

[4: Complete three daily tasks. Reward: General experience +50!]

With every line Lu Yang read, his heart beat faster, until it was nearly leaping out of his chest.

Hiss...

He drew a sharp breath, as if trying to suck all the spiritual mist in the room into his lungs.

The mist was cool and crisp, pouring down his windpipe and making every pore on his body open.

Sorry, I was a little too loud just now.