Disciple Who Enters Through the Gate

"The hour of the rooster has arrived!"

"Close the gates!"

"..."

Chen Changqing looked up at the sky, watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon. This meant his shift was over for the day—or rather, it was time to close the gates.

He walked over, shut the heavy doors, and headed toward his living quarters.

His residence was not far from this spot; after all, as a "gate-closing" disciple of the Mount Shu outer sect, he had to be punctual, so he couldn't live too far away.

Thinking of his status, Chen Changqing offered a helpless smile.

He had been in this world for nearly five years now.

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

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

He was lucky enough to be saved by a passing Mount Shu elder when he first arrived, who then brought him into the sect.

Mount Shu was a holy land.

It was a top-tier existence in this world.

After entering the Mount Shu sect, Chen Changqing began his path of cultivation, but due to his poor talent and root bones, it took him a full year just to break through to the Qi-Nurturing Realm.

Because of his poor talent, he was assigned to be a "gate-closing" disciple.

In every major sect, the title of "closing-gate disciple" usually held a prestigious status.

It signified the very last disciple to be taken under a master's wing.

However, Chen Changqing's title of "gate-closing disciple" was literally just a disciple who closed the gates.

Before long, Chen Changqing arrived at his living quarters.

"Senior Brother Chen, you're back from closing the gates." From a distance, Chen Changqing saw a youth dressed in gray walking toward him.

This was Ran Hua, who lived here with him.

He 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 for this month. The person in charge of distribution came by earlier, and when they saw you weren't back yet, they asked me to pass them to you."

Ran Hua took a small pouch from his waist and handed it to Chen Changqing. Chen Changqing took the pouch, a flicker of joy in his eyes.

It was payday again.

This was the benefit of joining a major sect.

Mount Shu was one of the holy lands of cultivation.

Every disciple who entered the sect received a certain amount of cultivation resources, though naturally, the higher the cultivation level, the more resources one received.

An outer sect disciple like Chen Changqing could receive one low-grade spirit stone per month.

Spirit stones were the universal currency of this world.

They could be used to assist in cultivation or to purchase other items.

"Oh, right, Senior Brother Chen, the outer sect tournament is in a year. Are you going to participate this time?"

"The Outer Sect Grand Competition!"

Chen Changqing was naturally aware of it. As the saying went, wherever there are people, there is a world of conflict.

Mount Shu was no exception.

Although they were all outer sect disciples of Mount Shu, their statuses were worlds apart.

The Outer Sect Grand Competition was a chance for a carp to leap over the dragon's gate.

If one could stand out in the competition, they would naturally be valued by the outer sect elders and taken under their wing, or recommended to enter the Mount Shu inner sect for training.

The inner sect!

That was where the true Mount Shu disciples resided.

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

One had to know that the lowest-level disciple capable of participating in the Grand Competition was at the Qi-Refining Realm, while he was merely at the Qi-Nurturing Realm. There were two whole realms between them.

Qi-Nurturing, Body-Tempering, Qi-Refining.

This was the first stage; only by stepping into the Qi-Refining Realm could one truly be considered a cultivator.

Without saying anything more, Chen Changqing walked into his room. The room was clean and sparse, containing only a meditation cushion and a bed.

He sat cross-legged.

He took out the spirit stone from the pouch.

A surge of spiritual energy instantly filled the room.

Chen Changqing circulated his cultivation technique, preparing to absorb the spiritual energy radiating from the spirit stone, but before he could even begin, a voice rang out in his mind.

"Ding!"

"Energy absorption complete."

"Cultivation Assistance System initializing."

As the voice in his mind faded, Chen Changqing watched as the spirit stone before him crumbled into fine powder and vanished.

"..."

"What?"

Upon hearing the voice in his head, Chen Changqing was first shocked, then overcome with ecstasy.

Holy crap!

A golden finger!

As a bookworm well-versed in all sorts of novels, how could he not understand what this voice signified?

When he first arrived in this world, Chen Changqing had naturally fantasized about having a golden finger, but no matter how he tried, he never succeeded.

So it was because the absorbed energy hadn't been enough; no wonder Chen Changqing had always felt something was off when absorbing spirit stones in the past. One had to know that an average outer sect disciple could step into the Qi Nourishing Realm within a year at most, yet it had taken him three full years to succeed.

It turned out his talent wasn't poor; it was just that this system had been siphoning off the majority of the spiritual energy.

"Ding!"

"Cultivation Assistance System activated."

The voice sounded in his mind once more, and a panel appeared before Chen Changqing's eyes.

Name: Chen Changqing

Age: Eighteen

Identity: Mount Shu Outer Sect Closed-Door Disciple

Cultivation: Qi Nourishing Realm

Technique: Basic Body Nourishing Technique

Divine Abilities: None

Treasures: None

Looking at the panel that had appeared, it was a bit too pathetic—it was completely "three-nothings."

"System, what are your functions?"

Chen Changqing asked.

As his voice fell, the panel before him vanished, replaced by a small golden figure sitting cross-legged.

What is this?

Chen Changqing wondered.

"Enable AFK cultivation?"

A simple, straightforward prompt appeared.

"Enable."

Chen Changqing answered instinctively.

"AFK cultivation enabled."

"AFK for one second."

"One minute."

"Ten minutes."

Just like that, Chen Changqing watched the little golden figure for ten full minutes, yet he didn't notice the slightest change in himself.

"Forget it, I'll just get some sleep and check again when I wake up tomorrow." Chen Changqing stopped dwelling on it; he would have plenty of time to study this system later anyway.

And so, the night passed quickly.

The next day.

Noon.

Chen Changqing woke from his slumber.

"Ding!"

"AFK for sixteen hours. Claim AFK results?"

Chen Changqing had just sat up when the system's notification chime rang out.

"Claim!"

Chen Changqing replied, not knowing what kind of reward he would receive.

Following his response, he saw a beam of light emerge from the small golden figure and enter his body.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, the essence and energy throughout his entire body surged and expanded rapidly.

Mid-stage Qi Refining.

In just a short moment, Chen Changqing realized his cultivation had broken through.

Feeling the power flooding his body, his expression turned quite exhilarated; he finally understood the formidable utility of his system.

While others slept, he was cultivating.

While others ate, he was cultivating.

It was truly twenty-four hours of uninterrupted cultivation without a single moment of rest.

And the best part was that he didn't even have to do the work himself; this system was truly incredible.