Gatekeeping Disciple

"It's already five in the evening!"

"Close the gates!"

"..."

Chen Changqing raised his head to the sky and watched the sun slowly set beyond the mountains. This meant it was time for him to get off work today—no, it should be time to close the gates.

He walked over, shut the main gates, and headed toward his residence.

His residence was not far from here. After all, he was the Gatekeeping Disciple of the Shushan Outer Court, responsible for closing the gates on time every day. Naturally, he could not live too far away.

Thinking of his identity, Chen Changqing smiled helplessly.

It had been nearly five years since he came to this world.

Five years ago, Chen Changqing had been exploring Shennongjia when he accidentally fell off a cliff. When he woke up, he discovered that he had transmigrated.

This was a vast xianxia world where immortals, demons, ghosts, monsters, and Buddhas coexisted.

He had been rather lucky. When he first arrived in this world, a passing Shushan elder happened to save him, then brought him into Shushan.

Shushan Holy Land.

It was also a Holy Land-level existence in this world.

After entering Mount Shu Sect, Chen Changqing began his path of cultivation. However, because his talent and innate bones were poor, it took him a full year to break through to the Qi Nourishing Realm.

It was also because of his poor talent that he had been assigned as a 'Gatekeeping' Disciple.

The title of 'Gatekeeping Disciple' held an exalted status in all major sects.

It represented the final disciple accepted under a master.

However,

Chen Changqing's title of Gatekeeping Disciple truly meant nothing more than a disciple who 'closed the gates.'

Before long, Chen Changqing arrived at his residence.

"Senior Brother Chen, you're back from closing the gates." From afar, Chen Changqing saw a gray-clothed youth walking toward him.

This person was Ran Hua, who lived here with him.

Chen Changqing was responsible for closing the gates, while Ran Hua was responsible for opening them.

"Senior Brother Chen, these are the cultivation resources distributed by the Resource Hall this month. The person delivering the resources came earlier and saw that you hadn't returned yet, so he asked me to pass them on to you."

Ran Hua took a small pouch from his waist and handed it to Chen Changqing. Chen Changqing accepted the pouch, and a trace of joy flashed through his eyes.

It was payday again.

This was the benefit of joining a major sect.

Shushan was one of the cultivation Holy Lands.

Any disciple who entered the sect would receive a certain amount of cultivation resources. Naturally, the higher one's cultivation, the more resources one would receive.

An Outer Disciple like Chen Changqing could receive one Low-grade Spirit Stone each month.

Spirit Stones were the universal currency of this world.

They could be used to aid cultivation or to purchase other items.

"By the way, Senior Brother Chen, the Outer Disciple Competition will be held in a year. Are you going to participate this time?"

"The Outer Sect Competition!"

Naturally, Chen Changqing knew about it. As the saying went, wherever there were people, there were jianghu.

Shushan was naturally no exception.

Although they were all Outer Sect disciples of Shushan, there was naturally a gulf as vast as heaven and earth between their statuses.

The Outer Sect Competition was an opportunity for a fish to leap over the Dragon Gate.

If one were to stand out during the competition, one would naturally catch the eye of an Outer Sect elder and be accepted as his disciple, or be recommended to the Shushan Inner Sect for cultivation.

The Inner Sect!

Only then could one be considered a true Shushan Disciple.

Chen Changqing shook his head. With his strength, participating in the Outer Sect Competition would be like looking for shit in a latrine!

One had to know that the weakest disciples able to participate in the Outer Sect Competition were at the Qi Refining Realm, while he was only at the Qi Nourishing Realm. Two realms stood between them.

Qi Nourishing, Body Refining, Qi Refining.

These were the first three realms. Only by stepping into Qi Refining could one qualify as a cultivator.

Without saying anything else, Chen Changqing entered his room. The entire room was clean and tidy, containing only a meditation cushion and a bed.

He sat down cross-legged.

He took out the Spirit Stone from the pouch.

A surge of spiritual qi immediately filled the entire room.

Chen Changqing circulated his cultivation technique and began absorbing the spiritual qi emitted by the Spirit Stone. Yet before he could begin absorbing it, a voice rang out in his mind first.

"Ding!"

"Energy absorption complete."

"Cultivation Assistance System activating."

As the voice in his mind faded, the Spirit Stone before Chen Changqing directly turned into powder and vanished.

"..."

"What?"

Hearing the voice in his mind, Chen Changqing was stunned at first, then wildly overjoyed.

Holy shit!

A Gold Finger!

As a bookworm who had read all sorts of novels,

how could he not understand what that voice meant?

When he first came to this world, Chen Changqing had naturally fantasized about whether he possessed a Gold Finger. Yet no matter how he tried, he never succeeded.

So it turned out that the absorbed energy had not been enough. No wonder Chen Changqing had always felt something was off whenever he absorbed Spirit Stones in the past. Ordinary Outer Sect disciples could enter the Qi Nourishing Realm within at most a year, yet he had spent a full three years before succeeding.

So it was not that his talent was too poor. It was because this system had absorbed most of the spiritual qi.

"Ding!"

"Cultivation Assistance System activated."

The voice in his mind rang out again, and then a panel appeared before Chen Changqing's eyes.

Name: Chen Changqing

Age: Eighteen

Identity: Gatekeeping Disciple of the Shushan Outer Sect

Cultivation: Qi Nourishing Realm

Technique: Basic Body Nourishing Technique

Divine Abilities: None

Treasures: None

Looking at the panel before him, it was a little too shabby. It was completely a triple-none.

"System, what is your function?"

Chen Changqing asked.

As soon as his words fell,

the panel before him disappeared, replaced by a golden little figure sitting cross-legged.

What was this?

Chen Changqing was puzzled.

'Would you like to activate AFK Cultivation?'

A simple prompt appeared.

'Activate.'

Chen Changqing answered subconsciously.

'AFK Cultivation activated.'

'AFK for one second.'

'One minute.'

'Ten minutes.'

Just like that.

Chen Changqing watched the Little Golden Figure for a full ten minutes, yet he did not discover the slightest change in himself.

"Forget it. I should get some sleep first and take another look tomorrow." Chen Changqing no longer dwelled on it. There would be plenty of time in the future to study this system.

Just like that, the night quickly passed.

The next day.

Noon.

Chen Changqing woke from his sleep.

'Ding!'

'AFK cultivation for sixteen hours. Would you like to claim the AFK results?'

The moment Chen Changqing sat up, the system prompt sounded.

'Claim!'

Chen Changqing answered, wondering whether there would be a reward.

With his answer, a ray of light appeared on the Little Golden Figure and entered his body.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, the essence and qi throughout his body rapidly grew stronger.

Mid Qi Nourishing.

In only a short while,

Chen Changqing discovered that his cultivation had broken through.

Feeling the power filling his body, his expression was greatly stirred. He now understood the terrifying usefulness of his system.

While others slept, he cultivated.

While others ate, he cultivated.

It was cultivation for twenty-four hours straight, without the slightest pause.

And he did not even need to cultivate himself. This system was truly incredible.