The System Helps You Skip Life

After untying the four brocade pouches from the compressed bundle, they were no longer hidden-space storage artifacts, merely ordinary fabric. But their patterns were exquisite, the materials extraordinary, and each was embroidered with the names of the four masters and disciples of the Gujian Sect—clearly a "token of appreciation" tailored for each person!

"To Fellow Daoist Wu Mingjin..."

Wu Ming took his own pouch first, finding it light in hand... Upon untying it, he saw it was indeed something light—a single crimson feather.

Gu Bai's eyes showed surprise as he explained, "That is the Liu Family's Guest Token... Only the direct heir may obtain one, to gift to their most trusted close friend."

"Damn... What is this, some otherworldly roseonly?!" Wu Ming instantly felt the crimson feather was a bit too hot to handle, his disdain palpable.

Gu Bai chuckled, "One who holds the crimson feather is regarded as an outer-court elder of the Liu Family, their status no less than those two ceremonial attendants just now. Within the Liu Family's territory, you may enjoy many conveniences—a practical gift indeed."

Wu Ming clicked his tongue, then properly tucked the crimson feather away.

Meanwhile, Zheng Lingxi, unable to contain her curiosity, hopped over to her own pouch, carefully admiring the patterns and characters on it before reading aloud in a soft voice.

"To Fellow Daoist Zheng Lingxi, with kind regards."

Then she untied the cord, her eyes lighting up as she let out an incredulous, joyful cry. A refreshing fragrance of grass and wood also wafted from the pouch.

Gu Bai immediately turned his gaze over, and upon seeing the contents, exclaimed in astonishment, "Spirit-Gathering Grass?"

The so-called Spirit-Gathering Grass seemed unremarkable, yet it could connect to the deep earth, continuously gathering the spiritual energy of the land veins as it grew. Even in barren borderlands lacking in earth veins, it could nurture spiritual vitality—its value was considerable.

Though only a single seed was in the pouch, if planted on Yan Mountain and carefully cultivated, once the spirit grass matured, it could at least create a spirit field out of nothing.

And Zheng Lingxi, naturally drawn to nature and fond of cultivation, was overjoyed, as if she had found a treasure. She danced lightly on the spot, unable to contain her delight.

By now, the sincerity of Third Young Master Liu and Zhang Miao was beyond doubt. To hit the mark so precisely, they had clearly spent not only money but also considerable thought.

Thus, with curiosity, Wu Ming looked toward the pouch inscribed with "To the Sect Leader True Person, Humbly Opened."

What could they tailor for the master?

Gu Bai was also curious. He curled a finger and untied the cord... Inside the pouch, ten short, crimson-gold-wrapped sticks were neatly bundled with silver thread.

The old man's expression shifted instantly. His pupils contracted sharply, his eyes reddened, and the weary, weathered look vanished. His stooped frame straightened as he leaned forward... like a tiger emerging from its den.

At the same time, Wu Ming quietly rose and approached Zheng Lingxi, who was still softly singing and dancing. He took her gently swaying hand and, under her surprised and delighted gaze, began to dance gracefully with her... while perfectly blocking her entire line of sight.

Gu Bai was stunned, then understood, and nodded with heartfelt gratitude. With a sweep of his Daoist robe sleeve, he gathered the bundle of gold-threaded little red sticks into his sleeve... From then on, this forbidden item would be known to no one else!

Soon after, Wu Ming and Zheng Lingxi finished their spirited dance and sat down. The three masters and disciples tacitly forgot about the pouch just opened. Gu Bai coughed and smiled, "There's still Ying'er's pouch. We'll wait for her to return and open it herself... This Third Young Master Liu and Miss Zhang truly put in great effort. I wonder what thoughtful gift they've prepared for Ying'er?"

Wu Ming said, "Height-increasing shoes?"

"..." Gu Bai's body stiffened, utterly unwilling to respond, pretending not to have heard.

Afterward, over half a pot of leftover tea, Gu Bai began instructing his two disciples in cultivation. First, he taught Wu Ming the basic oral formula and practice method of the Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art, then imparted several key techniques for planting Spirit-Gathering Grass to Zheng Lingxi.

By three in the afternoon, the old man's voice grew hoarse. Seeing his master's excitement fade into weariness, Wu Ming pulled Zheng Lingxi along to clean up the cups and dishes, then took their leave.

Though reluctant, the old man could only bid them farewell with resignation.

This Nascent Soul Cultivator with a damaged Dao foundation would naturally exhale a highly toxic residual qi during breathing. Thus, when with his disciples, he had to seal his own circulation, barely breathing like a hibernating tortoise.

And after recent bouts of overexertion, he simply couldn't hold on any longer.

"But... it's still not enough."

Within the Lonely Abode, a melancholy murmur.

--

The next few days passed without incident.

Sect Leader Gu Bai officially entered seclusion to regulate his breathing and heal his injuries; Zheng Lingxi busied herself with tending her newly planted spirit grass, digging channels and drawing formations, working day and night, effectively in seclusion as well.

As for Wu Ming, he experienced his first-ever seclusion.

After returning from the Sect Leader Temple to Xianyun Abode, he first followed his usual rhythm of running scripts.

Morning Qi Refining, afternoon body tempering, evening reading—just as before.

By the fourth day, Wu Ming had naturally integrated the basic formula of the Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art into his daily routine. On the fifth day, at four in the morning, he suddenly felt a faint stirring of Mystic Spirit Qi within him. His blood and mana were like winter turning to spring—a time of renewal and rebirth.

This was the moment!

So, Wu Ming took a crystal-clear red pill from a porcelain bottle, gently placed it in his mouth, held it against his tongue, and wrapped it with Spring Encounter Mana to keep it steady.

The pill condensed the spiritual energy of a Golden Core True Person's hundred days of breathing. If he truly swallowed it, the esteemed Wu Ming would instantly turn into Wu Ming paste.

The Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art was not a particularly stable technique, only popular in southwestern Yuzhou—and for good reason.

But as long as he followed the correct method to advance his cultivation, this tightrope-walking practice was the most suitable for Wu Ming at this moment.

Following the oral formula the master had earnestly taught that day, Wu Ming carefully used his divine sense to control the Mystic Spirit Qi, and with the Mystic Spirit Qi, he set up his circulation cycle. He made his mana flow from the inside out, then from the outside in, each cycle gently brushing past the Red Cloud Essence-Condensing Pill, skimming off an imperceptible wisp of medicinal power.

The medicinal power flowed along his meridians, rising into the Spirit Court, sinking into the Dantian... In an instant, within his inner vision, Wu Ming felt as if he were facing a towering mountain. Its mere existence exuded immense pressure. If the mountain crumbled and rocks tumbled down, the mayfly at its base would be crushed without a place to die.

A top-grade Golden Core pill was that terrifyingly vast to a youth who had only been in Qi Refining for a little over a month.

But standing at the foot of the mountain, Wu Ming silently wielded his still-immature hoe, digging at the mountain rock bit by bit. He felt neither panic nor awe, as if he were simply doing something as natural as breathing.

The cycle turned, spiritual breath unceasing... After who knows how long, a spark of insight leaped in Wu Ming's heart, making him unconsciously open his eyes.

Outside the window, a gentle ray of morning light happened to pierce his eyes, like spring snow melting. A warm, revitalizing sensation spread from top to bottom, flowing gently through his body.

It was an incredibly abundant surge of Spring Encounter Mana—pure, rich, and agile. Compared to before the Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation, its intensity had nearly doubled. He was now a genuine Qi Refining third-layer cultivator!

Earlier, Gu Bai had used the Fire Inheritance Book Ash to forcibly elevate Wu Ming's Qi Refining technique to nearly the third tier, but could not grant Wu Ming the mana needed to sustain that tier. Thus, during the Four Symbols of Dharma Combat, Wu Ming had to rely on cleverness to prevail.

But at this very moment, Wu Ming was a genuine third-tier Qi Refiner. If he were to duel Zhang Miao again, he would only need to basic attack to win...

Normally, with his Spirit Root aptitude, even with the aid of a Dharma sword, such progress would be a pipe dream. Yet now, thanks to a single Red Cloud Essence-Condensing Pill and the Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art, that dream had startlingly become reality.

Among these, the Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art was undoubtedly the more exquisite.

Not only did it nearly perfectly bypass the shortcomings of Wu Ming's Spirit Root aptitude, but it also intricately coupled with the Three Pure Ones Orthodox Method's Spring Encounter Book in countless subtle ways. After this round of cultivation, Wu Ming's mana had not only solidified at the third tier of Qi Refining, but his Inner Landscape Mysterious Spirit Qi had also grown significantly stronger with the pill's power, boosting his mana regeneration efficiency to a new level.

From then on, even without external aid, relying solely on his Inner Landscape's self-generation, he could fully replenish his mana within two days... Strictly speaking, the rate of improvement surpassed even the mana itself.

As he was immersed in this realization, Wu Ming suddenly felt a gentle push on his back... He spat out the pill in his mouth, stored it away, then twisted around to see a pair of small, black-bean-like eyes and a wet, long snout.

It was Second Senior Sister Zheng Lingxi's sidekick, Little Wild Boar.

Wu Ming couldn't help but smile: "Senior Sister is far too kind, sending me takeout even while I'm in seclusion..."

"Pfft-huh!?" Little Wild Boar was startled by this and turned to flee... but Wu Ming pinched a finger seal, and several vines sprouted from the cracks between the floor tiles, entangling its legs.

At the third tier of Qi Refining, many simple Wood-element techniques could now be performed with ease.

"Just kidding. You were sent by Senior Sister to guard me, weren't you?"

Little Wild Boar nodded hesitantly, then couldn't help but yawn.

"Oh, so it was full-time surveillance. That must have been tough on you." Wu Ming smiled and patted the boar's head, then muttered to himself, "Speaking of which, how long was I immersed this time..."

With that, Wu Ming looked toward the Chen Hour Flower by the window, where three perfectly round dewdrops lay quietly on the flower's soil.

Three days had passed!

It was unexpected, yet reasonable. For a novice Qi Refiner to refine a top-grade pill of the Golden Core tier was an utterly overburdening cultivation task. Even if it was only the first hurdle, it was fraught with peril.

According to Gu Bai, even the local talents of Yuzhou usually used pills of the same tier for their first hurdle. The rare few with exceptional talent who refined higher-tier pills often needed multiple sessions of deep meditation to succeed.

Yet Wu Ming, inspired by a flash of insight, had borrowed from the Super Saiyan training method, spending a few days integrating the Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art into his daily routine. Thus, he entered deep meditation in one go, fully refined the pill's power, and filled his mana—a pace even Gu Bai hadn't anticipated.

But this unexpected smoothness also brought an unexpected duration. This multi-day seclusion naturally came with one side effect...

Just as he was worrying, a crisp, pleasant voice rang out in his mind.

[Completed Spirit-Melting Qi-Transformation Art cultivation guide. Reward: 200 Spirit Crystals.]

[Completed third-tier Qi Refining cultivation guide. Reward: 200 Spirit Crystals.]

[Completed three-day seclusion cultivation log. Reward: 150 Spirit Crystals.]

The first two were ordinary gains, but the third made Wu Ming's eyes light up.

A seclusion log, 150 crystals? Could it be that this system automatically settles my daily rewards even while I'm in seclusion?!

What a considerate and user-friendly design for reducing the grind! Now I can truly skip through life without worry!