The Gate-Closing Disciple

"The hour of the Rooster has arrived!"

"Close the gates!"

Chen Changqing raised his head and looked at the sky, watching the sun slowly sink below 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 great gates, and headed toward his residence.

His residence was not far from here. After all, he was the gate-closing disciple of Mount Shu's Outer Courtyard. Since he had to close the gates on time every day, he naturally could not live too far away.

Thinking of his status, 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. By the time 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 arrived in this world, a passing Mount Shu elder happened to save him and then brought him into Mount Shu.

The Shu Mountain Sacred Land.

It was also a sacred-land-level existence in this world.

After entering the 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 was assigned to become a "gate-closing" disciple.

The title "gate-closing disciple" held an exalted position in all major sects.

It represented the last disciple to enter a master's lineage.

However,

Chen Changqing's title of gate-closing disciple really 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 a distance, Chen Changqing saw a gray-robed 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 issued by the Resource Hall this month. The person delivering them 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 it, a flicker of joy flashing through his eyes.

It was payday again.

This was the benefit of joining a major sect.

Mount Shu was one of the sacred lands of cultivation.

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

Even an outer sect disciple like Chen Changqing could receive one low-grade spirit stone each month.

Spirit stones were the universal currency of this world.

They could help people cultivate, and they could also be used to buy other items.

"Oh, right, Senior Brother Chen. The Outer Sect Grand Competition will be held in a year. Are you going to participate this time?"

"The Outer Sect Grand Competition!"

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

Mount Shu was naturally no exception.

Though they were all outer sect disciples of Mount Shu, their statuses were as far apart as heaven and earth.

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

If one managed to stand out during the competition, one would naturally be valued by an outer sect elder and taken in as a disciple, or recommended to enter Mount Shu's Inner Sect for cultivation.

The Inner Sect!

Only then could one be considered a true disciple of Mount Shu.

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

One had to know that the weakest disciples who could participate in the Outer Sect Grand Competition were at the Qi Refining realm, while he was merely at the Qi Nourishing realm. There were two entire realms between them.

Qi Nourishing, Body Refining, Qi Refining.

These were the first major realm. Only by stepping into Qi Refining could one qualify to become a cultivator.

Saying nothing more, Chen Changqing entered his room. The entire room was spotless, 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 energy immediately filled the entire room.

Chen Changqing circulated his cultivation method and began absorbing the spiritual energy emanating from 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 is activating."

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

"What?"

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

Holy shit!

A cheat!

As a bookworm who had devoured all kinds 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 cheat. Yet no matter how he tried, he never succeeded.

So it turned out that he had not absorbed enough energy. No wonder Chen Changqing had always felt that something was off whenever he absorbed spirit stones. Ordinary outer sect disciples could enter the Qi Nourishing realm within a year at most, yet it had taken him a full three years to succeed.

So it was not that his talent was too poor—it was that this system had absorbed most of the spiritual energy.

"Ding!"

"Cultivation Assistance System activated."

The voice in his mind sounded again, and then a panel appeared before Chen Changqing.

Name: Chen Changqing

Age: Eighteen

Identity: Mount Shu Outer Sect Gate-Closing Disciple

Cultivation: Qi Nourishing Realm

Cultivation Method: Basic Body Nourishing Technique

Divine Abilities: None

Treasures: None

Looking at the panel before him, Chen Changqing found it rather shabby. It was completely a triple-nothing setup.

"System, what is your function?"

Chen Changqing asked.

As soon as the words left his mouth,

the panel before him vanished. In its place appeared a small golden figure sitting cross-legged.

What was this?

Chen Changqing was puzzled.

"Do you wish to activate idle cultivation?"

A simple prompt sounded.

"Activate it."

Chen Changqing answered instinctively.

"Idle cultivation activated."

"Idling for one second."

"One minute."

"Ten minutes."

Just like that.

Chen Changqing stared at the Little Golden Man for a full ten minutes, yet he did not notice the slightest change in himself.

"Forget it. I'd better sleep first and check again tomorrow." Chen Changqing stopped dwelling on it. In any case, he would have plenty of time to study the system later.

Just like that, the night quickly passed.

The next day.

Noon.

Chen Changqing woke from his sleep.

"Ding!"

"You have idled for sixteen hours. Do you wish to claim the idle cultivation results?"

Chen Changqing had only just sat up when the system prompt sounded.

"Claim!"

Chen Changqing answered, wondering what reward he would receive.

Following his answer, a ray of light appeared on the Little Golden Man's body and entered his own body.

At a visible rate, the vital essence throughout his body rapidly grew stronger.

Qi Nourishing Realm, middle stage.

In just a short while,

Chen Changqing discovered that his cultivation had broken through.

Feeling the power surging through his body, his expression was full of excitement. He now understood the tremendous use of his system.

While others slept, he cultivated.

While others ate, he cultivated.

It was cultivation twenty-four hours a day without the slightest pause.

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