"Is this the Immortal's Aptitude? Isn't this a bit too outrageous?"
Han Xuanji was excited, but his expression betrayed none of it.
An Immortal Spirit Root!
A Heaven Spirit Root was already the highest aptitude known to the mundane world. Once someone was found to have heaven-grade aptitude, an important figure in the inner sect would probably claim them the very next moment. They might even fight over them.
And having an Immortal Spirit Root meant his aptitude stood above that of nearly everyone in the cultivation world!
"Does just the first reward make becoming an immortal as easy as reaching out and grabbing it?"
Han Xuanji was thrilled.
On the way here, there had been books aboard the flying boat, some of which recorded the history of the Divine Profound Sect. Rumor had it that the Divine Profound Patriarch had possessed an Immortal Spirit Root. His cultivation speed had been unmatched in his era, and he had achieved Immortal Ascension in just a thousand years. He later founded the Divine Profound Sect, leaving a name that would endure for ages.
Han Xuanji's thoughts surged. He still found it a little hard to believe that he possessed the Immortal's Aptitude.
But he could clearly feel how abundant the Spiritual Qi around him was, completely unlike what he had sensed before. Now, with every breath he took, he felt his cultivation advance a little.
If this were a game, "experience +1" would probably keep popping up over his head...
Soon, the oath-taking ceremony ended.
His batch of new disciples would also be assigned to various parts of the sect.
The inner disciples had long since chosen their masters, and the outer disciples could choose where they wanted to go. The remaining menial disciples could only follow their assignments.
Before long.
Han Xuanji received his jade token from a senior brother. After he dripped blood onto it, spiritual light gathered and his presence was imprinted on it. Even though his cultivation was still beneath notice, he could feel a faint connection forming between himself and the token.
He also learned where he had been assigned.
"Spirit Elegance Peak, menial disciple, Han Xuanji."
"Assignment: Seventh Menial Peak."
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, recalling the rumors about Spirit Elegance Peak.
The Divine Profound Sect had thirteen lineages, and Spirit Elegance Peak had once ranked among the top three. Unfortunately, it had grown weaker and declined considerably over the years. It generally placed among the worst performers in every grand competition. It was a vicious cycle, really.
"Disciples of Spirit Elegance Peak, follow me."
"Disciples of Heaven-Reaching Peak, over here!"
"..."
In the crowd, the senior brothers guiding the newcomers shouted.
Before long, Han Xuanji found the senior brother assigned to guide him and followed him aboard a small flying boat.
The senior brother in charge of guiding them was cheerful and began introducing himself:
"My name is Li Shanhai, and I'm also a steward at Menial Peak. From now on, we're all members of Spirit Elegance Peak. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
"Make sure you don't lose your identity jade tokens. If you do, remember to get a replacement at the affairs hall, though replacing one is a lot of trouble."
"These are the things you receive upon joining. There's an introductory Jade Slip inside that will help you learn the sect's rules. Just hold it against your forehead to read it."
Before long, the flying boat landed.
They had arrived halfway up a mountain peak. The Spiritual Qi was abundant, the surroundings were beautiful, and all sorts of courtyards and cave abodes had been built there. It was quite a treasure of a place.
Out in the wider world, mere menial disciples would never be allowed to live somewhere like this.
The treatment at a major sect was quite good. Even menial disciples had everything they needed.
The sect assigned each of them a private courtyard on a sizable plot. It had a bedroom, a latrine, a shower room, a cultivation room, and even a kitchen. It was fully furnished, and the household Spirit Artifacts were all powered by spiritual power.
You might be a menial disciple in the sect, but out in the wider world, you were an esteemed cultivator.
The Divine Profound Sect did not recruit menials merely to do odd jobs. Instead, they learned various skills, such as alchemy, planting, and talisman making... and completed work that only cultivators could do.
After Li Shanhai explained some rules with practiced ease, he told them to make their own way to their courtyards.
After all, they were all cultivators, and cultivation was their main priority. He would not spend too much effort guiding newcomers.
The crowd dispersed. Some people began forming groups of two or three, while others left alone, with no intention of socializing.
Han Xuanji was among the latter. He had no intention of joining a group and left at a brisk pace. After a bit of searching, he soon found his courtyard.
He walked into the courtyard and entered the front hall.
Han Xuanji soon found the cultivation room on the second floor. It was completely quiet inside, with nothing but a meditation cushion that had a slight calming effect.
Han Xuanji sat on the cushion and eagerly began circulating his cultivation method:
"Let's see how fast an Immortal Spirit Root can cultivate."
Those without masters all learned the Divine Profound Qi Refinement Method as their introductory cultivation method. Its basic mnemonic had been taught to them much earlier during the entrance examination, and how quickly they mastered the Qi Refinement method was also a test of comprehension. Although the method was not particularly powerful, it was a proper orthodox cultivation method. It was extremely detailed and well suited to those just starting to cultivate.
His comprehension had been good before, and he had quickly mastered the method to the proficient stage and reached the stage of drawing Qi into his body. However, because of his aptitude and the local cultivation environment, the spiritual power in his body had been weak, and he had not yet met the standard for the Qi Refining Realm.
Now, as soon as he began circulating the method, Han Xuanji could feel invisible Spiritual Qi rushing into his body like a tide, widening his meridians and tempering his Qi and Blood.
"Wonderful!"
Han Xuanji could not help letting out a soft hum.
Before, cultivating had required his complete concentration. Not only had his progress been slow, but it had also been quite tedious. Sitting in cultivation for too long could even do more harm than good.
Now, cultivating felt like surfing on the sea. It was exhilarating.
Crack!
In less than half an hour, Han Xuanji's body shuddered. It was as though invisible shackles inside him had been broken. Spiritual power coursed through his limbs and bones, and he could feel a powerful warm current in his Dantian.
"Have I already reached the Qi Refinement First Layer?"
Han Xuanji opened his eyes, overjoyed.
Cultivation in this world began with Qi Refinement, followed by Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Return, Body Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, and Immortal Ascension. Each major realm was further divided into ten minor layers.
Those in the Qi Refining Realm were already considered true cultivators and could begin learning Law Techniques.
Having experienced the benefits of high aptitude, Han Xuanji was filled with emotion:
"No wonder they say cultivation aptitude is so important. During the earlier assessment, many people only looked at Spirit Root aptitude... As long as your Spirit Root aptitude is good enough, everything else is less important."
It was not that temperament and comprehension were unimportant, but that Spirit Root aptitude brought too many benefits in the early stages.
Without the early stages, how could there be a later stage?
Even someone as relatively calm as Han Xuanji was immensely excited at this moment.
"If I revealed this kind of aptitude, I'm afraid all the experts in the Divine Profound Sect would be fighting to become my master."
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
Still, he felt that since he already had a system, he could become invincible by developing slowly. Why put himself in the spotlight?
After all, just a few days ago he had been a menial with ordinary aptitude, and now he had become a peerless genius. That was bound to attract the attention of those with designs on him.
He was just afraid there might be bad people in the Divine Profound Sect.
He would first see how many more benefits the Sign-In System could bring him.
In any case.
Keep a low profile. He would keep a low profile for now.
After his breakthrough, Han Xuanji did not continue cultivating. Instead, he took out a Jade Slip and pressed it against his forehead. A stream of information entered his mind.
He had been born into a mortal family in this life and did not know much about this world.
Now, this Jade Slip answered some of his questions.
This world was immensely vast. The continent he was on was called the Nine Provinces Continent, and the Divine Profound Sect was located in Eastern Cang Province of the Nine Provinces, within the cultivation dynasty of Great Xia. It was a hegemonic sect within Great Xia.
Countless experts resided within it, and its heavenly talents were as numerous as clouds.
Every peak had deep foundations, and several immortals had appeared throughout the sect's history.
Spirit Elegance Peak, where he had been assigned, ranked near the top in terms of foundations alone. An immortal had once emerged from it as well.
After reading it, Han Xuanji knew he had come to the right place.
Doesn't that mean places containing Dao essence are everywhere...
Han Xuanji thought.
That evening.
Han Xuanji finished cultivating and went to the Menial Peak dining hall.
Before Foundation Establishment, cultivators could not yet achieve Grain Avoidance.
Menial disciples received three free meals a day, but only the basic set. Those who wanted a premium set had to spend Spirit Stones on a membership. Wealthy disciples could also spend Spirit Stones on premium spirit-nourishing food.
These dishes of Spirit Cuisine were made by professional chef cultivators. Eating them could speed up cultivation, and more importantly, replenish Qi and Blood and strengthen the body.
Han Xuanji had just joined the sect and was short on funds, so he could naturally only eat the basic set.
The basic set was not bad, though. It had both meat and vegetables, and it tasted good.
The next day.
Han Xuanji woke up naturally. After eating breakfast in the dining hall, he picked up his disciple jade token.
It was actually an extremely sophisticated Spirit Artifact, capable of doing many things.
For example, it could be used to accept sect missions, chat, and look up publicly available information.
"I wonder who invented this..."
Han Xuanji opened one of the speech-bubble-shaped buttons.
A discussion group popped up. Li Shanhai had created a group chat and added all the Menial Peak disciples.
Some newcomers were chatting eagerly, clearly excited to have just joined the sect.
The older disciples said nothing, silently lurking and cultivating instead.
Completing missions to earn Spirit Stones, buying pills with those Spirit Stones, cultivating... That was their daily routine.
"Other than not having entertainment functions, it's pretty much like a mobile phone..."
Han Xuanji glanced through the group chat. Finding no useful information, he opened the mission interface and picked out a menial task.
As menial disciples, they also received stipends, but they had to complete a certain number of missions each week to receive the basic stipend. Every mission also offered a Spirit Stone reward. Completing about three or four of the simplest missions would earn them one Spirit Stone.
Many menial disciple missions were not difficult. Even a new disciple like him could find suitable tasks, such as sweeping, gathering spirit medicines, processing medicinal ingredients, or helping in the kitchen.
If they mastered a few Law Techniques, they could take on even more missions.
For example, if you cultivated a cloud-and-rain Law Technique and irrigated spirit fields, you would certainly earn more Spirit Stones than you would from odd jobs. It would be more tiring, though. After all, it was not easy for low-realm cultivators to use Law Techniques, and they had to rest for a long time after each use.
After some thought.
Han Xuanji accepted an easy cleaning task at an alchemy workshop on Spirit Elegance Peak.
Spirit Elegance Peak had various lineages, and as alchemy was one of the most popular cultivation professions, it naturally had an alchemy lineage. However, the alchemy workshops had very strict requirements for recruiting disciples and did not take in many over the course of a year.
Even so, plenty of menial disciples still wanted to give it a try.
Han Xuanji left the dining hall and came to an open area on Menial Peak.
This was where spirit boats docked. Menial disciples who had accepted missions could ride the public spirit boats for free to various parts of Spirit Elegance Peak, making things much more convenient for low-cultivation disciples like them.
If they had money, they could even call a crane from Spirit Beast Peak for a private ride, much like a taxi service.
After waiting quietly for a while, Han Xuanji took a spirit boat to the alchemy workshop.
This Dao peak looked much grander than Menial Peak, with countless palaces and pavilions and innumerable lights flickering.
When he arrived at the mission location, Han Xuanji saw many people coming and going. He entered the alchemy workshop, found the senior brother in charge, and soon began work, cleaning an area.
"This place seems to have been here for quite a few years too. System, is there Dao essence here?"
Han Xuanji asked silently.
[Yes.]
"Sign in."
Han Xuanji did not hesitate and immediately decided to sign in.
[Congratulations, host. You have successfully signed in at Spirit Elegance No. 7 Alchemy Workshop and obtained a bottle of Supreme-Grade Qi Condensation Pills.] [Note: You can sign in repeatedly at this location.] [Congratulations, host. You have received a physical reward for the first time. System space unlocked. Rewards can be claimed from the system space at any time.]
"There's no trait reward. It gave me pills directly instead."
Han Xuanji's heart stirred.
As rewards went, it was naturally far inferior to the [Immortal's Aptitude] trait, suggesting that the Dao essence here was probably not very abundant. The advantage was that he could sign in repeatedly.
And for him at his current stage, this reward was quite good.
He had checked the price of Qi Condensation Pills. Even a bottle of Low-Grade Qi Condensation Pills would take a menial disciple months of saving to afford.
The effects of Supreme-Grade Qi Condensation Pills were naturally far superior to those of the low-grade ones. Pills like these were usually used up internally as soon as they were refined and never made it onto the market. After all, what ancestor did not have a few descendants?
Nothing happened that day.
He was just a minor menial, thoroughly inconspicuous. Blending into the crowd, he drew no one's attention.
After finishing work, Han Xuanji returned to his house in the menial courtyard.
He took a refreshing bath, changed his clothes, and went to the bedside, where he took a small white jade bottle out of the system space.
Han Xuanji opened the bottle. Inside were ten round pills of excellent appearance. They were cyan, and a faint medicinal fragrance drifted out.
Qi Condensation Pills were low-level pills suitable for Qi Refinement cultivators. They could increase cultivation, and the higher a pill's grade, the better its effects and the fewer its side effects.
A supreme-grade pill like this was comparable to five low-grade pills and contained almost no pill toxins, so it could be taken repeatedly.
Han Xuanji's eyes lit up as he looked at the perfectly round pills.
His cultivation speed was already fast. With the help of pills, wouldn't it defy the heavens?
Gulp.
Han Xuanji immediately swallowed a pill.
The potent medicinal power instantly formed a great surge of heat that rushed through his limbs and bones.
Han Xuanji instinctively sensed that something was wrong and wondered if he had been a little too hasty.
If anyone else had seen him, they would certainly have stopped him.
Normally, the medicinal power of a supreme-grade pill was formidable. Someone like him who had only just begun cultivating could easily suffer internal injuries from swallowing one directly. The loss would outweigh the gain.
But...
Han Xuanji's current body was extraordinary and could not be judged by normal standards.
The [Immortal's Aptitude] was no joke. Often, the quality of one's aptitude determined everything.
The medicinal power was indeed fierce, rampaging through his meridians like a raging flood or a savage beast.
But the next moment, it was refined into pure spiritual power, and his cultivation grew at a rate visible to the naked eye.
After an unknown amount of time, his surging cultivation seemed to hit a bottleneck and slowly began to settle.
"Qi Refinement Second Layer..."
Han Xuanji opened his eyes, his face full of delight.
He was like a pay-to-win player now, his cultivation shooting upward as if riding a rocket.
Some menial disciples who had joined a sect one or two years ago might only have this level of cultivation.
Still, good as these pills are, I can't just rely on popping them.
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
After all, this was real-life cultivation, not a game.
Taking too many pills would not only leave his cultivation shaky, but also cause pill toxins to build up. Even an Immortal Spirit Root couldn't prevent that; it only meant he had high aptitude. Unless he had a special physique with extremely high drug tolerance, he still had to limit his pill consumption.
I can first ask around about any special places, then look for some with abundant Dao resonance and see if I can obtain any other traits.
Many thoughts went through Han Xuanji's mind.
Some places might be hard to approach, but surely some had to be open?