Chapter Summaries

Chen Changqing, a low-ranked Mount Shu disciple who closes the gates, discovered a Cultivation Assistance System that had been absorbing his Spirit Stone energy. After activating idle cultivation, he claimed sixteen hours of progress and broke through to the Qi Nourishing Middle Stage.

• Chen Changqing closed Mount Shu’s gates and returned to his quarters, where Ran Hua handed him his monthly Spirit Stone.
• Ran Hua asked whether Chen Changqing would enter the Outer Sect Grand Competition, but Chen Changqing declined because he was far below the qualifying cultivation level.
• Chen Changqing used the Spirit Stone to cultivate, triggering the Cultivation Assistance System, which absorbed the stone and activated.
• Chen Changqing activated idle cultivation and went to sleep for the night.
• The next day, Chen Changqing claimed sixteen hours of idle cultivation and advanced to the Qi Nourishing Middle Stage.

After three days of AFK cultivation, Chen Changqing advanced to Late Qi Nourishing and went to Mount Shu’s Technique Hall to claim a Body Refining method. He chose the Primordial Posture Technique, drawn to its red-ink annotations.

• Chen Changqing claimed seventy-eight hours of AFK results and broke through from Qi Nourishing Middle Stage to Late Qi Nourishing.
• Chen Changqing decided to visit the Technique Hall to claim a Body Refining cultivation method.
• Chen Changqing presented his Identity Token to the Elder of the Pavilion, who verified his cultivation and let him enter the first floor for one hour.
• Chen Changqing reviewed the available methods and chose the Primordial Posture Technique.

After discovering that his AFK system could cultivate techniques, Chen Changqing used it to master the Primordial Posture Technique and break through to Early Body Refining. A month later, he had practiced the technique 300 times and believed Middle Body Refining was within reach.

• Chen Changqing took over mountain gate duty from Ran Hua and began studying the Primordial Posture Technique.
• The system offered to cultivate the Primordial Posture Technique AFK, and Chen Changqing watched the Little Golden Man perform its postures and breathing exercises.
• After five hours of AFK cultivation, Chen Changqing claimed the results, gained strength exceeding three hundred jin, and broke through to Early Body Refining.
• Chen Changqing repeated his routine of guarding the gate and cultivating the technique AFK for a month.
• The system reported that Chen Changqing had practiced the technique 300 times in ten days, and he expected to soon reach Middle Body Refining.

Chen Changqing claimed his AFK rewards and advanced to Middle Body Refining, gaining more than a thousand jin of strength in both arms. After reporting his progress to Elder Liu Mu, he went to relieve Ran Hua at the mountain gate, where Ran Hua was shocked by his rapid breakthrough.

• Chen Changqing claimed his AFK rewards, broke through to Middle Body Refining, and instructed the system to keep cultivating.
• Chen Changqing visited Elder Liu Mu to report his breakthrough, and Liu Mu confirmed his stable foundation and abundant Qi and Blood.
• Chen Changqing left the elder's residence and headed to the mountain gate to take over Ran Hua's watch.
• Ran Hua sensed Chen Changqing's stronger aura and was astonished that he had advanced to Middle Body Refining in only a month.

Chen Changqing used idle cultivation to reach the Ultimate Realm of Body Refining, doubling the strength of an ordinary Late Body Refining cultivator. He then spent his saved Spirit Stones to break through to the Qi Refining Realm, ending with his success.

• Ran Hua noticed Chen Changqing's quick breakthrough but left after deciding he was still only at Middle Body Refining.
• After ten days of idle cultivation, Chen Changqing reached Late Body Refining and chose to pursue the Ultimate Realm before advancing further.
• Chen Changqing received two Lower-grade Spirit Stones and saved them for his eventual breakthrough to the Qi Refining Realm.
• After another month of idle cultivation, Chen Changqing reached the Ultimate Realm of Body Refining with four thousand jin of force.
• Chen Changqing used his saved Lower-grade Spirit Stones to condense ten strands of Essence Qi and successfully entered the Qi Refining Realm.

Chen Changqing broke through to the Early Qi Refining Realm and went to Elder Liu Mu to update his cultivation information. Liu Mu recognized his unusual strength and firm foundation, gave him Lower-grade Spirit Stones, and let him keep guarding the mountain gate so he could cultivate in peace.

• Chen Changqing discovered that his ten strands of essence Qi let him strike with ten thousand jin of force each and resolved to choose a Qi Refining cultivation method.
• Chen Changqing visited Elder Liu Mu and announced that he had broken through to the Qi Refining Realm.
• Liu Mu confirmed Chen Changqing's realm and exceptional foundation, then reconsidered his earlier judgment of the young disciple's talent.
• Liu Mu offered to release Chen Changqing from mountain-gate duty, but Chen Changqing asked to keep the post so he could cultivate undisturbed.
• Liu Mu gave Chen Changqing a Storage Bag containing dozens of Lower-grade Spirit Stones, and Chen Changqing wondered why the elder had rewarded him so generously.

Chen Changqing went to the Technique Hall after reaching the Qi Refining Realm to choose a cultivation method and two combat techniques. He selected the Sword Control Technique and Thunder Fist, then found a dusty Jade Slip labeled “Nine-Turn Qi Refining Art.”

• Chen Changqing met Ran Hua on the way to the Technique Hall, and Ran Hua was shocked to learn he had reached the Qi Refining Realm.
• Situ Yun confirmed Chen Changqing's cultivation and let him enter the Technique Hall to choose one cultivation method and two combat techniques.
• Situ Yun suspected Chen Changqing had used a pill to force his breakthrough and dismissed his rapid progress.
• Chen Changqing chose the Sword Control Technique and Thunder Fist as his combat techniques.
• Chen Changqing rejected the common Shushan Qi Refining Art and found a dusty Jade Slip bearing the name “Nine-Turn Qi Refining Art.”

Chen Changqing chose the demanding Nine Turns Qi Refining Art and had his three selected manuals copied despite Situ Yun's warning about its cost and difficulty. At the mountain gate, he discovered the AFK Cultivation System could train his new methods automatically and set all three to cultivate.

• Chen Changqing studied the Nine Turns Qi Refining Art and chose it as his Qi Refining Cultivation Method because he believed his AFK Cultivation System could overcome its difficulty.
• Situ Yun warned Chen Changqing that the Nine Turns Qi Refining Art demanded immense resources, but Chen Changqing remained resolute and received copies of his three chosen manuals.
• Chen Changqing returned to the mountain gate and told Ran Hua there were no shortcuts to cultivation after Ran Hua asked for a way to break through quickly.
• The system detected the Sword Control Technique, Thunder Fist, and Nine Turns Qi Refining Art and asked Chen Changqing whether to cultivate them AFK.
• Chen Changqing ordered the system to auto-cultivate all three methods, and their progress bars began increasing.

Chen Changqing discovered that his system could cultivate three methods at once while he slept, then collected a month of results and advanced to the Third Stage of Qi Refining. After his ordinary sword shattered when he tried the Sword Control Technique, he tested Thunder Fist and destroyed a massive boulder with one punch.

• Three Little Golden Men appeared, each AFK cultivating the Sword Control Technique, Thunder Fist, or Nine-Turn Qi Refining Art.
• Chen Changqing went to sleep instead of cultivating, while Ran Hua watched and mistakenly wondered if he could cultivate in his sleep.
• After 30 days, Chen Changqing claimed the results and advanced from the First Stage to the Third Stage of Qi Refining, gaining nine thousand streams of Essence Qi.
• Chen Changqing tried the Sword Control Technique, but his iron sword shattered because it could not withstand Spiritual Qi; he realized he needed a Law Artifact.
• Chen Changqing used Thunder Fist on a massive boulder and shattered it with one punch.

After a month of AFK cultivation, Chen Changqing reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining and perfected Sword Control Technique and Thunder Fist. Elder Liu Mu summoned him to join five powerful Outer Sect disciples, including Liu Ruyan, who waited to learn why they had been called.

• Chen Changqing collected thirty days of AFK gains, perfected Sword Control Technique and Thunder Fist, and advanced to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.
• An Outer Sect disciple arrived and was stunned by Chen Changqing's cultivation before telling him that Elder Liu Mu had summoned him.
• Chen Changqing went to Liu Mu's courtyard, where Liu Ruyan and four other powerful Outer Sect disciples were waiting.
• When one disciple asked why Liu Mu had summoned them, Liu Mu said they should wait for one more disciple to arrive.

Elder Liu Mu summoned Chen Changqing and the Seven Courtyards’ outstanding disciples to deal with demons and monsters in Green Creek Village. Impressed by Chen Changqing’s rapid cultivation, Liu Mu gave him the Superior-Grade Law Artifact Shadow-Bearing Sword, and the group set off for the village.

• Chen Changqing arrived, and Liu Ruyan and the other disciples were surprised that a Qi Refining Fifth Layer disciple was the one Liu Mu had been waiting for.
• Liu Mu realized Chen Changqing had risen to Qi Refining Fifth Layer in just over two months and suspected he was an extraordinary cultivation prodigy.
• Liu Mu explained that demons and monsters had caused heavy casualties in Green Creek Village and that the Seven Courtyards would go there to handle the threat.
• Liu Mu gave Chen Changqing his Superior-Grade Law Artifact, the Shadow-Bearing Sword, leaving Liu Ruyan and the others astonished and envious.
• Liu Mu mounted his sword and led the disciples toward Green Creek Village, while Liu Ruyan wondered what made Chen Changqing special.

Chen Changqing rode his newly gifted Shadow-Bearing Sword with surprising ease as Elder Liu Mu led the disciples to Green Creek Village. They discovered the villagers slaughtered for their Essence Blood and confronted Demon Sect cultivators, leaving Chen Changqing poised to enter his first real battle.

• Chen Changqing used his practiced Sword Control Technique to fly on the Shadow-Bearing Sword and caught up with Elder Liu Mu and the disciples.
• Liu Ruyan learned Chen Changqing usually guarded the mountain gate, while the other disciples resented his superior artifact.
• Elder Liu Mu led the group to Green Creek Village, where they found corpses drained of Essence Blood beneath a heavy aura of resentment.
• Chen Changqing spotted Demon Sect cultivators collecting blood with Blood Refining Gourds, and the cultivators attacked the Mount Shu Sect group.
• Liu Mu, Liu Ruyan, and the other disciples fought back, while Chen Changqing prepared to test his sword in his first real battle.

Chen Changqing joined the battle in Green Creek Village, where Demon Sect reinforcements had ambushed Liu Mu and the others. After discovering that killing enemies earned AFK Points, he ruthlessly cut down several Devil Cultivators while Liu Mu clashed with a Golden Core opponent.

• Dozens of Demon Sect fighters emerged from black mist and charged Liu Mu, Liu Ruyan, and their allies.
• Chen Changqing defeated an eighth-layer Qi Refining Devil Cultivator with his Shadow-Bearing Sword and Thunder Fist, then received an AFK Point for the kill.
• After Liu Ruyan warned him to stay focused, Chen Changqing learned AFK Points could shorten his AFK time and attacked the other Devil Cultivators with renewed zeal.
• Chen Changqing killed several more Devil Cultivators, startling Liu Ruyan and the others and driving their enemies back in fear.
• Liu Mu summoned Nine Heavens Divine Thunder against a Golden Core Devil Cultivator, whose blood-and-Baleful-Intent palm met the lightning in a clash that shook the earth.

Elder Liu Mu defeated a Golden Core Devil Cultivator while Chen Changqing killed the attacking Devil Cultivators and interrogated the last survivor. The survivor revealed that the Demon Sect had come seeking the legacy treasures of the Purple Mansion True Person.

• Elder Liu Mu used the Heavenly Wood Divine Sword to cleave the Golden Core Devil Cultivator’s Blood Demon True Form in two.
• Dozens of Devil Cultivators arrived, and Chen Changqing told Liu Ruyan and the other disciples to watch the Golden Core battle while he dealt with them.
• Chen Changqing killed the Devil Cultivators with his Shadow-Bearing Sword and Thunder Fist, gaining increasing AFK Points as they fell.
• Chen Changqing captured the last Devil Cultivator and learned that the Demon Sect had come to collect Blood Qi and search for the Purple Mansion True Person’s legacy treasures.

Chen Changqing discovered the hidden entrance to a Purple Mansion cultivator’s Secret Realm beneath the Blood Pool and found a mysterious black token inside. After he returned, Elder Liu Mu had defeated the Golden Core Devil Cultivator and was preparing to search for Chen Changqing.

• Chen Changqing forced a Devil Cultivator to lead him to the Blood Pool, then killed him after he revealed the Secret Realm’s location.
• The Blood Pool’s formation attacked Chen Changqing with a blood sword, and he realized the Demon Sect had gathered villagers’ Blood Qi to break into the Secret Realm.
• Chen Changqing added his own blood to the pool, breaking the formation and opening a passage beneath it.
• Chen Changqing entered the Secret Realm, found a mysterious black token on a floating Stone Platform, and took it.
• Elder Liu Mu defeated the Golden Core Devil Cultivator, learned Chen Changqing was missing, and set out to search for him as a figure approached from the Blood Pool.

Chen Changqing returned to Mount Shu Sect after defeating the Devil Cultivators, then examined a mysterious token and learned that he would enter the Outer Courtyard Grand Competition. He spent 1,000 AFK Points to increase his AFK cultivation speed to 3x.

• Chen Changqing returned to Liu Mu and the disciples, explained that he had escaped a phantom formation, and defended Liu Ruyan and the others from Liu Mu's criticism.
• The group flew back to Mount Shu Sect, where Liu Ruyan grew curious about Chen Changqing's strength and the other disciples resented Liu Mu's favoritism.
• After returning to his Half-Mountain Cabin, Chen Changqing examined the Purple Mansion token but could not activate it.
• Liu Ruyan visited Chen Changqing, asked whether he would join the Outer Courtyard Grand Competition, and gave him a Rejuvenation Pill.
• Chen Changqing asked the system how to use AFK Points and spent 1,000 to raise his AFK efficiency to 3x, leaving 24 points.

Chen Changqing used AFK Points to triple his auto-cultivation speed, which lasted for 91 days while he kept a low profile at Mount Shu Sect. With the Outer Sect Grand Competition approaching, the boost ended and the system offered him the results of his cultivation.

• Chen Changqing spent 1,000 AFK Points to triple his auto-cultivation speed and wondered whether there were other ways to earn points.
• For several months, Chen Changqing continued guarding the mountain gate and delayed claiming his AFK results while the boost remained active.
• Chen Changqing speculated that his delayed results might raise him to Foundation Establishment, then went to sleep without cultivating much himself.
• Ran Hua woke Chen Changqing to announce that he had broken through to the Qi Refining stage and told him the elders would choose Outer Sect Grand Competition participants in ten days.
• Chen Changqing considered claiming his results before the competition, and the system announced that the 91-day boost had ended after 3,200 practices of the Nine Turns Qi Refining Art.

Chen Changqing extracted months of triple-speed AFK cultivation and broke through from the Qi Refining Fifth Layer to the Ninth Layer, then continued cultivating as the Outer Sect Grand Competition approached. Ten days later, the Seven Courtyards gathered to select competitors, and a sword-riding figure arrived under a crushing wave of Sword Qi.

• Chen Changqing extracted his AFK cultivation results, raising his cultivation through the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Layers to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer with twenty-seven thousand strands of Essence Qi.
• Chen Changqing resolved to take first place in the Outer Courtyard Grand Competition and told the system to continue AFK cultivation.
• Ten days later, the assembly bell summoned the Seven Courtyards disciples, and Chen Changqing met Ran Hua on their way to the Cultivation Grounds.
• Chen Changqing and Ran Hua joined the gathered disciples, who noticed the arrival of Senior Brother Zhao and his companions and then Liu Ruyan, a Half-Step Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• A man rode a sword into the grounds, and his overwhelming Sword Qi pressure nearly made the gathered disciples lose their footing.

Chen Changqing learned that Qingyang, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was the Seven Courtyards’ leading disciple before Elder Liu Mu announced the ten representatives for Mount Shu Sect’s Outer Sect Grand Competition. Chen Changqing was named for the final spot, and the disciples reacted with confusion and scorn.

• Qingyang arrived at the cultivation grounds, where the Seven Courtyards’ disciples greeted him as their number one and Ran Hua explained his reputation to Chen Changqing.
• Elder Liu Mu arrived with two Core Formation stewards and announced that the Outer Sect Grand Competition would begin in three days.
• Liu Mu read out nine prominent disciples selected to represent the Seven Courtyards, then named Chen Changqing for the final spot.
• The disciples questioned Chen Changqing’s selection and criticized his appearance and qualifications as he became the focus of the crowd.

Chen Changqing was chosen to represent the Seven Courtyards in the Outer Sect Grand Competition, drawing outrage because the disciples knew him only as a mountain gatekeeper. After Zhang Hu challenged him for the spot, Chen Changqing agreed to spar with him.

• Chen Changqing recalled Liu Mu’s support and stayed calm as the other selected disciples reacted to his appointment.
• Liu Ruyan wondered why she could no longer see through Chen Changqing’s cultivation, while Zhao Wuji and the disciples who had gone to Green Creek Village praised his combat strength.
• A disciple recognized Chen Changqing as a gatekeeping disciple, prompting the Seven Courtyards disciples to question his qualifications.
• Zhao Wuji defended Chen Changqing, and Qingyang grew curious about why Liu Mu favored him.
• Zhang Hu challenged Chen Changqing for his competition spot, and Liu Mu asked Chen Changqing whether he would accept.
• Chen Changqing agreed to spar with Zhang Hu.