"The legendary Nine Transformations of the True Spirit!?" Lin Cheng couldn't help but rejoice. 💙☹ ☯🐺
The Nine Transformations of the True Spirit was a perfect-level cultivation art. Each transformation had nine stages, and each transformation corresponded to a major realm. It began at the Innate Realm. Every step granted a divine ability, and once mastered, all nine divine abilities could be fused into one. The result could endure countless tribulations and remain immortal forever.
As Lin Cheng watched, a vast expanse of purple clouds formed above his head. A trace of golden light glimmered within them, lending them an even more exalted air.
At a certain moment, as if drawn by some force,
the purple clouds above Lin Cheng suddenly turned into an energy storm. They gathered into a dense, almost solid purple radiance that poured down in a torrent,
all of it sinking into the Baihui acupoint atop Lin Cheng's head.
In an instant, Lin Cheng's entire body seemed as if it had been carved from jade. Purple and gold light alternately shimmered across him, creating a rather wondrous sight.
In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, the strange phenomenon vanished. Lin Cheng's entire bearing had changed. His eyes were deep, his presence transcendent, as if an immortal had descended to the mortal world. An indescribable aura radiated from him.
"Truly worthy of a perfect-level cultivation art!"
"Anything produced by the system is bound to be top quality!"
Lin Cheng glanced up and saw that the entire Library Pavilion was completely undamaged. An invisible force had firmly contained the earlier phenomenon within, so it hadn't drawn the slightest attention from the outside world.
Overjoyed, Lin Cheng carefully sensed the changes in himself.
A moment later, his brow furrowed.
He was utterly perplexed.
Why was he still an ordinary person, without the slightest cultivation?
Closing his eyes, Lin Cheng realized that after successfully cultivating the first transformation of the Nine Transformations of the True Spirit, he seemed able to look within himself. He immediately understood that this was the divine ability that came with mastering the first transformation: the Eye of Truth-Breaking, which could see through all things.
Looking within himself was naturally no challenge.
His meridians were broad, tough, and elastic. They could probably rival those of an ordinary Innate expert.
He had also gained a peerless divine ability that even Innate experts would envy. Its effects could even rival a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator's spiritual sense, and its uses were boundless.
But he didn't have even the slightest trace of inner force or true qi.
"Could it be that all the immense energy in those purple clouds was used to improve my constitution and help me master the Nine Transformations of the True Spirit?"
After thinking it through, Lin Cheng understood what had happened.
Even the system had rated the Nine Transformations of the True Spirit as a flawless, perfect-level cultivation art.
If it were that easy to cultivate, wouldn't that turn everything upside down?
"It doesn't matter. My realm is already there, and my soul has condensed. The only thing limiting my cultivation is inner force. As long as I can sign in and obtain more treasures, restoring my cultivation will only take a little time."
The first step in cultivation was to train one's inner force, with the stages numbered from first to ninth grade.
Every three grades formed a tier, and only after the ninth grade did one reach the legendary Innate Realm.
According to the original host's memories, Jingyun Sect was known as one of the ten great sects of the Southern Region because it had an Innate Realm Grand Elder presiding over it!
Once one entered the Innate Realm, one's lifespan reached two hundred years.
One could draw upon the power of heaven and earth to a certain extent, and Innate true qi could split mountains and sever rivers. It was far beyond the realm of inner force.
It was a realm ordinary geniuses spent their entire lives pursuing, yet Lin Cheng had reached it in mere moments.
All he lacked now was true qi.
By Lin Cheng's own estimate, it would take him no more than five years to become a true Innate Realm cultivator.
Less than five years to reach the Innate Realm, a realm Jianghu cultivators dreamed of attaining? It was simply unheard of.
With pills and treasures to help him, that time would be cut down several times over.
Lin Cheng couldn't help sighing.
"Cultivation really is easy."
"I thought it'd be much harder."
He could only say that because no one else was in the Library Pavilion. If those Innate ancestors heard him, they'd probably beat him to death!
I relied on my supreme talent and still spent decades in bitter cultivation before barely reaching the Innate Realm I'd dreamed of.
And now some brat who doesn't even know how to cultivate has surpassed me while playing around.
It's enough to make your blood boil!
Cultivation was easy?
If it really were, Jingyun Sect wouldn't have only one Innate expert holding down the fort!
Take Jingyun Sect's Innate expert, for instance.
He was already over a hundred years old, his condition steadily declining and his lifespan nearly spent.
These days, he spent most of his time in seclusion, cultivating bitterly. He paid no heed to sect affairs and was practically half-dead.
And even that was enough to make countless sects and clans across the Southern Region wary of Jingyun Sect, afraid to provoke it lightly.
That showed just how much of a deterrent a single Innate expert could be.
Lin Cheng was simply enjoying an undeserved advantage and then acting smug about it.
Not everyone was as lucky as he was, with a system to help him and cultivation as easy as drinking water.
With a book, the story went on; without one, it was short.
In the blink of an eye, two years passed.
During the two years since Lin Cheng had arrived in this world, he had practically lived in the Library Pavilion, signing in every day without missing a single one.
Pills, cultivation arts, martial techniques, divine weapons.
All sorts of treasures that would make even Innate experts green with envy were tossed casually into Lin Cheng's system storage, like garbage. For now, he was only interested in treasures that could replenish his true qi.
Thanks to his accumulated sign-in rewards over this period,
a huge pile of pills, each one a treasure to ordinary people, had finally filled Lin Cheng's true qi to capacity three days ago. He had become a bona fide Innate Realm cultivator.
Sixteen years old and already in the Innate Realm!
He might not be called an unrivaled prodigy,
but at the very least, within Jingyun Sect, he could be called unprecedented and unmatched by any who came after.
Now that he was stronger, cleaning the Library Pavilion had become much easier. With a wave of his hand, he could summon the power of heaven and earth and form a domain that covered the entire pavilion.
The domain was spread out, so its power wasn't great.
It wasn't useful for fighting, but it was more than enough to sweep away dust.
After casually cleaning the Library Pavilion, Lin Cheng rocked in his reclining chair, popped a handful of pills into his mouth, took a swig of spirit wine, and leisurely read his book.
At the same time, he learned about the world's curious happenings and broadened his horizons.
Suddenly, at a certain moment,
someone entered the Library Pavilion.
Lin Cheng's pervasive spiritual sense immediately detected them.
But he didn't pay much attention.
Over the past two years, the Library Pavilion had been rather quiet,
but every day, quite a few Jingyun Sect disciples still came looking for books. A few more people would liven the place up, and Lin Cheng was glad to see it.
When he was in a good mood, he would even casually give them a little something, making those disciples ecstatic.
More and more people were gaining fortuitous opportunities.
As a result, a legend about the Library Pavilion had begun circulating within Jingyun Sect, albeit on a small scale.
The Treasure Pavilion!
Rumor had it that the Library Pavilion was where the mysterious Grand Elder of Jingyun Sect, an Innate Realm ancestor, cultivated in seclusion. From time to time, when he spotted a disciple with the right fate, he would grant them an opportunity.
Long-lost martial techniques and cultivation arts.
High-quality pills.
One incredibly lucky soul had even been awarded a low-grade spirit artifact by the Grand Elder!
The matter had caused quite a stir throughout Jingyun Sect at the time.
Everyone knew that low-grade spirit artifacts possessed unfathomable might. Apart from the Grand Elder, who never left seclusion, only the sect master possessed one in all of Jingyun Sect.
It was easy to imagine the value of a low-grade spirit artifact. Even elders of high standing would covet one.
The disciple who'd obtained the spirit artifact immediately became the apple of many elders' eyes.
He was even taken as a personal disciple and showered with countless pills and treasures. From then on, he soared to prominence.
Because of this, quite a few elders were even willing to lower themselves and visit the Library Pavilion, hoping for a chance to find an opportunity of their own. Alas, they returned empty-handed.
Gradually, the excitement surrounding the matter faded.
Some remembered it, while others forgot.
And after Lin Cheng had gone into seclusion to break through to the Innate Realm and hadn't "shown his divine presence" for several months,
many people gradually lost interest.
Though some refused to give up and came to the Library Pavilion every day to try their luck, most chose to forget about it and focus on cultivating in earnest.
Meng Tangtang had been an outer sect disciple for nearly two months.
Ever since she was little, she had suffered from a strange illness. Whenever it flared up, it was as if her whole body had been plunged into a freezing pool, only to fall into a volcano the next instant.
Every time, she danced with death.
Her parents had worried themselves sick over it.
Just a few months ago, several of the best physicians in the Southern Region had given their verdict.
She had at most three years left to live.
She couldn't accept it.
Her constitution was extremely frail, and she desperately hoped she might one day be able to cultivate. She didn't ask for much; a healthy body would be enough.
With her aptitude, she shouldn't have been admitted to Jingyun Sect.
However, she came from a small family that was affiliated with Jingyun Sect. With her parents' love and the money they spent greasing palms, an exception had been made for her, and she was accepted as an outer sect disciple.
They had even secured her a good post, making her an errand disciple at the supply office.
Unfortunately, her aptitude was truly terrible.
After two full months of cultivation, everyone else who'd joined alongside her had sensed qi and begun condensing inner force, officially setting foot on the path of cultivation.
Only she remained an ordinary person, standing still at the starting line.
This left Meng Tangtang terribly depressed.
She didn't want to worry her parents, and she couldn't find anyone to help her, so she could only come to the Library Pavilion alone and try her luck.
"Is anyone here?"
Meng Tangtang cautiously poked her head inside. She had been running, and her body was unwell, so her little face was flushed. With her short, ear-length hair, she looked adorable.
"Is no one here...?"
She waited a while, but no one answered.
Meng Tangtang grew a little bolder and muttered to herself, "They say the Library Pavilion is deserted. Looks like there really isn't anyone here..."
"Then what should I do to get the Grand Elder's attention?"
She was stumped.
Just then, Lin Cheng was standing not far away, book in hand, watching the girl with curiosity.
With his strength, it was easy enough to twist the power of heaven and earth so that no one could see him.
"Another treasure hunter?" Lin Cheng listened to the girl muttering to herself for a while and understood. Then he frowned. "No, something's off. That little girl clearly seems like an ordinary person, so why do I sense a faint threat from her?"
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