How Moral, Intellectual, Physical, and Aesthetic Development Were Connected

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the carved wooden window, casting scattered flecks of light across the room's bluestone floor.

Lu Yang sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes fixed on the translucent panel before him.

Physique, intelligence, charm... He had not paid much attention to those three attributes.

After all, once a person stepped onto the path of immortal cultivation, Spiritual Qi washed over the body day and night. Immortal cultivators were naturally far superior to mortals in physique, mental acuity, looks, and bearing alike.

As a Qi Refinement cultivator, he naturally could not be too lacking in those respects.

Two things were what truly made his breath quicken and his heart burn.

Tycoon's Confidence, and that daily task!

One low-grade Spirit Stone every two hours...

There were twelve two-hour periods in a day, which meant twelve low-grade Spirit Stones.

What about a month?

360!

His breathing grew heated.

During the entrance assessment, the monthly resources the sect gave its outer disciples came to no more than ten low-grade Spirit Stones, even counting every last one.

And that was the treatment a major sect like the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect offered. Disciples of the smaller sects out there, let alone Rogue Cultivators, would not even dare dream of it!

And these were free for the taking!

This was not money he had to risk life and limb on missions to earn!

The Tycoon System was giving him a full thirty-six times what the sect did!

Thirty-six times!

Lu Yang's chest heaved several times.

Even disciples from well-off families, with their Lineages supplying them with a steady stream of resources, might not receive that many Spirit Stones in a month.

As for him, Lu Yang, a scion of a small Aristocratic Clan in the Yue Kingdom, he had never enjoyed such treatment.

But now, everything was different.

With those Spirit Stones, he could buy all sorts of cultivation pills.

Qi Condensation Pills, Qi Nourishing Pills, Spirit Gathering Powder... From now on, he could buy them in bulk!

His cultivation speed was about to make a qualitative leap.

And what made Lu Yang's heart tremble most was... this thing could be upgraded!

Level one, 360 low-grade Spirit Stones a month.

What about level two?

And beyond that?

His throat felt dry, as though a fire had spread from his chest to every limb and bone in his body.

He forced himself to calm down and continued looking down the panel, stopping at the Universal Experience field.

Universal Experience could improve skills.

It could even... improve his Spirit Root!!

Spirit Root.

Those two words struck Lu Yang's heart like a heavy hammer.

Why had he cultivated so hard for over four years, only to remain stuck at Early Qi Refinement to this day?

Why could those geniuses surge forward in just a few short months, leaving him far behind?

Ultimately, it was because his Spirit Root was not of high enough quality.

A mid-grade Spirit Root might earn someone the label of "outstanding talent" in a small place.

But somewhere like the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, where geniuses gathered, mid-grade put him at the bottom.

Every intake of new disciples had its share of high-grade and even top-grade Spirit Roots!

A figure involuntarily surfaced in Lu Yang's mind.

Mu Yunxue.

The girl who had broken through to Mid-stage Qi Refining in her second month after joining had a transcendent-grade Spirit Root!

When she broke through, even the sect leader had come in person, and the entire disciple residential area had been bustling with excitement.

Lu Yang had stood in the crowd then, watching the white-robed girl surrounded by people from afar, his heart full of envy.

That was the gap Spirit Root quality made, cruel enough to drive one to despair.

Crueler still, Spirit Roots were innate, and ways to improve them afterward were exceedingly rare. Each was precious enough to make mighty cultivators fight tooth and nail over it, utterly beyond the reach of a minor Qi Refinement cultivator like him.

But now, Universal Experience could do it!

If his Spirit Root improved to high-grade, top-grade, transcendent-grade, or even the legendary Spirit Physique...

Lu Yang slowly pressed his lips together. It was as though sparks had fallen onto dry kindling in his eyes, setting a blazing fire alight in an instant.

He had originally thought the Urban Tycoon System was completely out of place in the immortal cultivation world and not much use.

Now, it seemed its uses were enormous!

He wasted no more time, sprang to his feet, and pushed open the door.

A fresh mountain breeze carrying the fragrance of plants and trees brushed against his face. Several spiritual peaks loomed in and out of sight through the distant mist, while glimmers of sword light could faintly be seen darting among the clouds.

A few dead leaves lay on the bluestone path through the disciple residences, rustling and spinning as the wind swept them up.

Lu Yang took a deep breath of the slightly cool air and set off running along the winding mountain path.

Time to do the daily task!

He had not run far when a group of disciples came walking down the path ahead.

They had just returned from buying cultivation pills at the market, and they all froze when they saw Lu Yang running.

A square-faced disciple blinked and nudged his companion with an elbow. "Who's that? What's he doing?"

"R-running...?" The tall, thin disciple beside him looked utterly bewildered, as though he had seen something unbelievable. "Someone's out running at a time like this? Has he got nothing better to do?"

Someone in the group recognized Lu Yang and lowered his voice. "I think his name is Lu Yang. If I remember right, he had a mid-grade Spirit Root at the entrance test. There are only a few months left before the assessment ends. If he doesn't focus on cultivating, isn't he afraid he'll be sent off to do menial work?"

"A mid-grade Spirit Root..." another person said thoughtfully. "If his comprehension isn't good enough either, and he can't grasp the essence of the sect's Cultivation Method, his cultivation speed won't be able to keep up at all. I'd guess he's given up on breaking through and decided to abandon himself to despair."

"Could be." The square-faced disciple who had spoken first shook his head and looked away. "Forget it. What's it to us? We barely have enough time ourselves. Let's hurry back and cultivate!"

The others came to their senses as well and quickened their pace as they left.

Lu Yang finished the three-kilometer mountain run in only a short while.

When he stopped, his breathing was still steady, and he had not even broken a light sweat.

An exercise task meant for ordinary people in the city did not even count as a warm-up for an Early Qi Refinement cultivator.

He was about to turn back when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Lu Yang? Why are you running here?"

Lu Yang turned and saw a frail-looking youth standing not far away, a hint of surprise on his face.

The mountain wind stirred the youth's robes, making him look like a bamboo pole bent by the wind.

It was Wang Lin, from the Wang Household of the Yue Kingdom.

Although the two had not known each other back home, they were both scions of immortal cultivation Aristocratic Clans from the Yue Kingdom, so they had naturally grown a little closer after joining the sect.

Lu Yang smiled, his expression untroubled. "I was getting a little tired from cultivating, so I came out for some air and to stretch my limbs."

Wang Lin nodded, then seemed to remember something important. He stepped closer and asked, "How has your cultivation been going lately? Have you reached a bottleneck?"

Lu Yang shook his head. "Not yet."

Wang Lin let out a long breath, and a barely perceptible look of relief flashed across his face.

Then he lowered his voice, his brows lifting slightly. "My family just had someone bring me a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills. With these pills, I should be able to break through before the assessment ends."

As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily flicked toward Lu Yang's face, as though waiting for some kind of reaction.

Lu Yang's expression remained unchanged. He simply nodded and said sincerely, "Congratulations."

A trace of disappointment flickered in Wang Lin's eyes.

He had thought he would see an envious look on Lu Yang's face.

After all, he knew the Lu Household's financial situation and doubted they could afford that many Qi Nourishing Pills.

With no resources, a mid-grade Spirit Root, and little time left, Lu Yang's path ahead was already almost predictable.

In all likelihood, he would have to do menial work.

A menial disciple and a disciple about to be formally admitted would only see their paths in life grow farther and farther apart.

Wang Lin put away the little bit of warmth he had shown earlier, smacked his lips, and let his smile fade somewhat. "I'll go cultivate, then. You should work harder too."

With that, he turned and headed for his residence.

Lu Yang watched Wang Lin walk away, feeling no ripple of emotion. He even felt a little like laughing.

A bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills?

With his current income, he could buy more than two bottles every month.

He returned to his simple room and shut the wooden door behind him, its hinges giving a low creak.

Sitting down cross-legged, Lu Yang took a deep breath and clicked to submit the task.

[Physique: 1.9 → 2]

A warm current welled up without warning from deep within his body, flowing and spreading through his muscles, bones, and internal organs.

He could clearly feel his strength growing.

It was not an extravagant increase, but it was by no means small, either. It was as though he had spent several days tempering his body.

Lu Yang froze for an instant, then a light of wild delight burst into his eyes.

This was... physical strength?!

Raising his physique attribute had directly strengthened his body!

Everyone in the immortal cultivation world knew how difficult the path of body cultivation was.

Not only did it consume a vast quantity of resources, but the process was like being cast into purgatory—bones and sinews were broken and reassembled, while flesh was repeatedly boiled in medicinal liquid. That pain was not something ordinary people could bear.

Who knew how many cultivators who had resolved to follow the path of body cultivation had given up halfway because they could not endure it?

And him?

All he had to do was run three kilometers a day, and he could steadily improve his physical strength, without any pain or risk!

If those body cultivators found out, their eyes would probably turn green with envy.

Something suddenly occurred to Lu Yang, and his gaze snapped to another attribute on the panel.

Intelligence.

His breathing quickened, and his heart pounded like a drum in his chest.

Could it be... that intelligence was related to comprehension?

Comprehension!

That was the key to whether a cultivator could grasp profound Cultivation Methods, master intricate Law Techniques, and learn various arts!

Given the same Cultivation Method, someone with high comprehension could advance a thousand miles in a day, while someone with low comprehension might study until their hair turned white without ever glimpsing the way in.

One could even say that, in some respects, comprehension was more important than a Spirit Root.

If raising intelligence really could improve comprehension...

Lu Yang dared not think any further. He was afraid he would get so excited he could not sit still.

Then what about charm?

His gaze fell on the final attribute. He scratched his head, somewhat at a loss.

Immortal cultivators were nourished by Spiritual Qi day and night. All of them had smooth skin and slender figures, so their charm did not seem likely to be too low.

He really could not guess what effect raising charm would have.

But on second thought, physique had given him physical strength, and intelligence might have to do with comprehension. The effect of charm probably would not be too shabby either.

These basic attributes of moral, intellectual, physical, and aesthetic development were much stronger than he had imagined!

Lu Yang marveled inwardly, then suddenly paused.

He looked over the panel from top to bottom and side to side several times, then rubbed his eyes to make sure he had not missed anything.

Where was morality?

Why was there no "morality"?

So you don't need morality to cultivate immortality, huh?

Forget it.

He soon put the thought out of his mind.

One less was one less. What he already had was enough to turn his path of immortal cultivation upside down.

Lu Yang took a book out of his Storage Bag.

Its pages were yellowed, its corners slightly curled, and three large characters were written on the cover in bold, powerful strokes: "Heavy Sword Instruction."

It was one of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect's introductory Cultivation Methods, high-grade yellow rank.

Out in the world, a copy of a Cultivation Method like this would be enough to draw a group of Foundation Establishment Rogue Cultivators into a fight to the death over it.

But in the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect, this was what the lowest-ranking disciples learned.

Lu Yang opened the book, and a faint scent of ink mixed with the musty smell of aged paper drifted into his nose.

He composed himself and immersed himself in the words on the page.

The reading task began.