Time flew, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
At a cultivation cave abode on Spirit Elegance Peak.
The Spiritual Qi inside was abundant, and it was equipped with an advanced Spirit Gathering Formation. It was suitable for cultivators to enter seclusion for short periods. The daily rate was rather high, and generally, only outer disciples could afford long-term seclusion there.
Han Xuanji, naturally, was not short of money.
Selling a few of the rewards he had obtained from signing in would be enough to fund decades of seclusion.
Inside the cave abode.
Han Xuanji sat cross-legged and placed a Profound Attainment Pill in his mouth. He wrapped it in spiritual power and sent it into his stomach. A vast surge of medicinal power burst forth, only to be refined moments later.
After quite a while.
Han Xuanji opened his eyes. His cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul Seventh Layer.
The Profound Attainment Pill was commonly used by Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Its ingredients included a Nascent Soul Demon Beast core, and it required an alchemy master to refine. Han Xuanji, however, took several almost every day.
"Not bad. At this rate, it won't take too long to reach Spirit Transformation."
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
His swordsmanship had not fallen behind either. He had reached the major accomplishment stage of sword intent and was not far from perfecting it.
Though his days were peaceful, the turmoil in the outside world seemed never to cease.
"I hear that heaven-grade talent in the inner sect has already reached Golden Core."
"Sigh, inner disciples naturally have a cultivation environment countless times better than ours. Some of their cultivation mystic realms are practically heavenly paradises, and they have loads of pills to take. Even a pig could reach Golden Core like that."
"Oh, come on. If you had that kind of aptitude, you'd get the same treatment. If you had an Immortal's Aptitude, the whole sect would treat you like a treasure."
"I hear a lot of Devil Cultivators have infiltrated the outer sect area. The Devil Extermination Hall disciples are searching for their hideouts, and anyone with a lead can get a hefty reward."
"Forget it. Go looking if you're not afraid of dying. I hear there are Golden Core Devil Cultivators among them."
"Yeah, don't go courting death. Better to think about getting a Foundation Establishment Pill at the menial competition instead."
Though Han Xuanji worked hard at his cultivation, he occasionally relaxed and checked the many group chats in his jade token.
It was a way to keep up with the outside world and avoid falling completely behind the times.
Looking through them now, he found that those geniuses seemed to be progressing far more slowly than he was.
Han Xuanji remained perfectly calm and did not let it go to his head.
No matter how great one's talent was, without cultivation to support it, it was like a tower in the sky.
Many of history's heaven's chosen had streaked across the sky like meteors, only to vanish in an instant.
He had no desire to leave his name in the annals of history. He simply wanted to live carefree and attain immortality.
One day.
After signing in at Pill Cauldron Peak, Han Xuanji was on his way back to his cultivation cave abode when he passed Menial Peak.
Along the way, many people greeted Han Xuanji as senior brother, and some female cultivators smiled at him when they saw him.
Han Xuanji was used to such looks. As he grew older, his features had matured, and his profound cultivation gave him an extraordinary bearing, with an air of unworldly grace that easily won others' favor.
But he had no interest in romance.
He wasn't even invincible yet. How could he spare a thought for such things?
He had mercilessly rejected the confessions of quite a few junior sisters.
Han Xuanji had become famous as a result, much to his chagrin.
He had diligently concealed his abilities every day for so long, only to become famous for this.
But there was nothing he could do. He could hide his cultivation, but not his charm.
Outside the menial courtyard.
A pale-faced man in gray robes knelt on one knee, his head bowed and a hand pressed to his chest, unable to speak.
The menial disciples were talking among themselves.
"This Lu Fan is really courting death..."
"He dared to offend Senior Brother Xie. He doesn't know whether to live or die."
"Does he really think he's still who he used to be?"
Hearing the disciples' words, Han Xuanji shook his head.
Conflicts like this were not unusual in the Divine Profound Sect.
It might have been a reputable orthodox sect, but wherever there were people, there was a jianghu.
Han Xuanji had seen plenty of "sect bullying." Generally, older disciples picked on new disciples with low cultivation, and "borrowing" Spirit Stones was their usual tactic.
People had once come to borrow Spirit Stones from Han Xuanji too, but they had all met miserable ends.
As a result, Han Xuanji did have something of a reputation in the menial courtyard. New disciples only saw him as a handsome, gentle senior brother, but in the eyes of some older disciples, he was someone not to be offended.
As for Lu Fan, Han Xuanji knew a little about his circumstances.
This one had his buffs stacked to the max.
Originally an orphan, he had been taken as a disciple by an outer elder of Spirit Elegance Peak because of his outstanding talent. Things had gone smoothly for him, and he had been made an outer disciple as an exception. Then an accident during an expedition had destroyed all his meridians and stripped him of his cultivation.
His master had poured his heart and soul into saving him. Though he had managed to save Lu Fan's life, Lu Fan could no longer cultivate.
Later, his master died fighting demonic cultivators, leaving Lu Fan in an extremely awkward position. In the end, he could only become a menial disciple.
Lu Fan had once been one of heaven's chosen, and in his youthful arrogance, he had offended many people. Even though those people could no longer be bothered to target him, some disciples beneath them naturally took it upon themselves to act on their presumed wishes.
As a result, his life had not been easy over the years.
Some people even deliberately made things difficult for the former genius to satisfy their own dark impulses.
This time, someone had insulted Lu Fan's deceased master. The offender was a veteran menial disciple on the verge of Foundation Establishment, who had once tried to curry favor with Lu Fan.
Lu Fan had struck first and nearly been beaten to death.
After some thought, Han Xuanji used a communication Jade Slip to notify Li Shanhai. If someone actually died, the repercussions would be too severe.
After all, he himself had come from this Menial Peak, and he had met Lu Fan once before.
Spring passed and autumn came. Three years flew by in the blink of an eye.
Three years ago, after he had secretly helped Lu Fan.
Lu Fan later learned from Li Shanhai that Han Xuanji was the one responsible.
Lu Fan was not an ungrateful man. The two had gotten along quite well these past few years and often kept in touch through Jade Slips.
Notably, Lu Fan had begun cultivating again a year ago and had progressed at an astonishing speed.
In just one year, he had caught up to the progress Han Xuanji had made in more than ten years of cultivation, though only on the surface.
Even so, that was remarkably fast. After all, Han Xuanji was ostensibly at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.
But Han Xuanji did not envy his speed in the slightest.
Lu Fan really did risk his life, often taking combat missions with generous rewards. In the space of a year, quite a few Devil Cultivators and Demon Beasts had died at his hands.
Through Lu Fan, Han Xuanji had gained another perspective on how difficult cultivation was for ordinary menial disciples. They had to watch out for their safety at all times while training outside the sect; the slightest carelessness could invite an attack from demonic cultivators. Those cultivators were extremely treacherous, and ambushes and poisonings were everyday occurrences.
Whenever he heard such news, Han Xuanji knew he was right to keep a low profile.
During that time, Lu Fan also invited him to explore mystic realms. Though Lu Fan was very confident, Han Xuanji politely declined.
What a joke.
In the time it took to explore a mystic realm, who knew how many more treasures he could get by signing in?
Lu Fan did not press him. After an expedition, though, he would share his experiences.
Han Xuanji was curious as well.
But after hearing them, he had only one thought.
Good thing he hadn't gone running around.
Out there, one had to pit both wits and strength against others, guarding not only against demons and devils but also other cultivators. Sometimes, after beating the young, the old would come. It was a real pain...
Unlike him, diligently cultivating in the sect.
And sure enough.
His cultivation had now reached the Nascent Soul Ninth Layer, and his entry into Spirit Transformation was just around the corner.
One day.
Han Xuanji arrived at the Scripture Pavilion on Spirit Elegance Peak.
System, sign in.
Han Xuanji did not give it much thought as he recited the words silently.
[Congratulations to the host for signing in at the Scripture Pavilion. You have obtained the Cultivation Method "Limitless Thunder Method."]
"A Thunder Method?"
Delight showed on Han Xuanji's face.
Over the past decade or so, he had not signed in at the Scripture Pavilion often. After all, biting off more than one could chew was pointless. There were Cultivation Methods he had learned and barely used afterward; a bottle of top-grade pills was more useful than signing in for a useless heaven-grade Cultivation Method.
This Thunder Method, however, was rare. It was the first one he had seen.
After all, thunder-path cultivators were uncommon. Most cultivators practiced five-element Cultivation Methods that matched their Spirit Roots.
In an instant.
A vast inheritance concerning the "Limitless Thunder Method" flooded Han Xuanji's mind.
A moment later, Han Xuanji opened his eyes and nodded slowly.
The "Limitless Thunder Method" was a heaven-grade, lightning-attribute Cultivation Method. At advanced levels, it could summon a Dharma image of the Thunder God, allowing the cultivator to take the form of a thousand-zhang Thunder God and shatter mountains and split seas with every gesture.
Most importantly, mastering it not only strengthened resistance to lightning but even allowed one to absorb the power of lightning tribulations to temper the physical body and increase strength and speed.
Heavenly tribulations were an obstacle cultivators could not avoid, and the tribulations faced by heaven's chosen were often even stronger.
Han Xuanji possessed an all-attribute Immortal Spirit Root, so he could naturally cultivate a Thunder Method.
It would also make Tribulation Transcendence easier when the time came.
I could give it a try.
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
He returned to the menial courtyard. Li Shanhai apparently had something to announce that afternoon and had summoned all the disciples in the courtyard.
Lu Fan was among the crowd, and his cultivation was by no means low. He had already reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, and his whole bearing was completely different.
Han Xuanji secretly probed him with his divine sense but found nothing unusual.
The only thing he could tell was that Lu Fan had probably cultivated a powerful Body Refining Cultivation Method. His Qi and Blood were strong, and his combat strength was likely among the best in his realm.
Just then, Han Xuanji faintly heard some disciples quietly discussing a "competition."
"Good, Xuanji, you're here. I think you'd be quite suited to it."
Li Shanhai smiled.
"Suited to what?"
Han Xuanji was a little confused.
Li Shanhai explained with a smile:
"Our Menial Peak will be holding an internal menial competition soon. Each menial courtyard will select three disciples to compete. The top ten will each receive a Foundation Establishment Pill, and first place will also receive a Foundation Establishment Realm flying sword. I think you'd be a good choice. You could be one of the three."
"Senior Brother Li, please don't put me on the spot. With my paltry skills, I'd only embarrass you."
Han Xuanji laughed. You want a mighty Nascent Soul expert to go beat up Qi Refinement rookies?
Wouldn't that be like a King-ranked player beating up Iron players?
That would be a bit inhuman!
Still, he knew Li Shanhai meant well. As the menial courtyard's steward, Li Shanhai could be said to have watched Han Xuanji grow up and was both a teacher and a friend to him.
Li Shanhai also knew that Han Xuanji had worked tirelessly and cultivated diligently over the years, so he wanted to give him an opportunity.
It seems I still haven't kept a low enough profile.
Han Xuanji sighed inwardly.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had not pretended that his cultivation was very low. Instead, he had progressed at a decent pace. On the surface, he was already at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, putting him firmly among the faster cultivators in his batch of menial disciples.
In Li Shanhai's eyes, he was close to Foundation Establishment, so securing a Foundation Establishment Pill in advance was important too.
At this moment, the way the other disciples looked at Han Xuanji had also changed considerably.
After all, it was a good opportunity. There were ten menial courtyards on Menial Peak, and with luck, someone who avoided the strong opponents might make it into the top ten.
"Are you serious?"
Li Shanhai was a little angry.
Han Xuanji nodded. "Of course I mean it."
"I think this opportunity could go to one of the other senior or junior brothers."
"You, honestly..."
Li Shanhai sighed, though he was not truly angry about it.
Han Xuanji had been like this for a long time. He was free of worldly desires, kept his feet on the ground, and cultivated diligently, which was exactly in keeping with Spirit Elegance Peak's principle of rigorous cultivation.
Compared with Han Xuanji, many of Spirit Elegance Peak's disciples seemed rather restless. They were either thinking about going down the mountain to slay demons and exterminate devils to make a name for themselves, or venturing into mystic realms to obtain a mighty expert's inheritance and ascend to the heavens in a single bound.
In his decades of weathering wind and rain, Li Shanhai had seen plenty of people who failed to understand their own strength. They thought slaying demons and exterminating devils was easy, only to lose their lives on their very first trip outside.
Han Xuanji, on the other hand, had remained steady year after year for a decade, never slacking off. He even went to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall every day to take missions and earn Spirit Stones.
He was truly a model for Spirit Elegance Peak.
Besides, Han Xuanji's cultivation was progressing at a decent pace.
At this rate, reaching Foundation Establishment would be no problem at all.
"All right, then."
Li Shanhai thought no more of it, assuming only that Han Xuanji was not skilled at fighting with cultivation techniques.
"Then is there anyone you'd recommend?"
Li Shanhai asked.
"I think Lu Fan would be a good choice."
Han Xuanji gave a casual reply.
"Lu Fan?"
Li Shanhai pondered for a moment and made up his mind.
A few years ago, Lu Fan had somehow encountered a fortuitous opportunity and resumed cultivating. His progress had been astonishing, and he was now approaching the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He had even attracted the attention of some people in the inner sect. The elders had examined Lu Fan, however, and found nothing unusual. They had assumed it was a personal stroke of fortune and had not pursued the matter further.
Lu Fan had once been an outer-sect prodigy, and now that he had returned to cultivation, it would be good to have him take part.
"By the way, if any of you go out these days, be careful."
Li Shanhai changed the subject and spoke gravely.
"Has something serious happened?"
someone asked curiously.
"Devil Dao spies find their way into every crack. Quite a few disciples have fallen victim to them lately, and there have even been inner disciples among them,"
Li Shanhai said solemnly.
Hearing this,
the disciples stirred, a chill of fear running through them.
"But there's no need to worry too much. This is nothing unusual, and the sect naturally has people who will wipe out these Devil Cultivators,"
Li Shanhai added reassuringly.
At that moment, a disciple asked curiously:
"Senior Brother Li, why do those Devil Dao spies always like coming to the Divine Profound Sect?"
Li Shanhai hesitated for a moment, but had no intention of keeping it from them and told them what he knew.
In fact, it was no secret. The older disciples basically all knew this piece of history.
"A thousand years ago, a peerless prodigy appeared in the Devil Dao. In just a thousand years of cultivation, he swept across the world and became known as the Heavenly Night Devil Venerable. He even fought his way into our Divine Profound Sect, and many of our experts were no match for him. Fortunately, a founding patriarch intervened and drove off this foremost figure of the Devil Dao.
"The Heavenly Night Devil Venerable was also badly injured, and then internal strife broke out in the Heavenly Devil Cult. The Devil Venerable vanished without a trace.
"Later, a rumor came from who knows where, claiming that the Heavenly Night Devil Venerable's inheritance was hidden in the Divine Profound Sect. That brought countless Devil Dao spies to our Divine Profound Sect."
Li Shanhai sighed when he reached this point.
The founding patriarch had actually been a peerless expert of Spirit Elegance Peak, but he had little lifespan left. After intervening that time, his oil had run dry and his lamp had gone out.
"Steward Li, did the Devil Venerable's inheritance really end up in our Divine Profound Sect?"
a disciple suddenly asked.
"How would I know?"
Li Shanhai rolled his eyes at the disciple and said irritably:
"Whether that devil is alive or dead is anyone's guess. Ghosts know where he died, and he might not even be dead."
Han Xuanji could not help asking as well:
"What cultivation realm was this Devil Venerable in?"
Li Shanhai pondered for a while before speaking.
"How would people like us know the realm of a cultivator like that? He was probably a Body Integration Realm mighty figure at the very least."
"Body Integration Realm?"
Han Xuanji was startled.
Generally speaking, once someone reached that realm, they would not die unless they courted death.
Clearly, this Devil Venerable had courted death.
It was also a warning to Han Xuanji. Even a Body Integration Realm big shot had gotten himself killed by being reckless. What right did someone in the Nascent Soul Realm like him have to be reckless? Even if he reached the Body Integration Realm, he could not let it go to his head!
The Dao of keeping a low profile was the path of cultivation he needed to follow.
"If you encounter anyone suspicious, you must report it to the sect promptly. Understood?"
At this point, Li Shanhai looked sternly at the disciples.
"Understood, Steward."
The disciples answered at once.
Having said his piece, Li Shanhai left.
The crowd dispersed, and Han Xuanji was about to return to his room.
Lu Fan came over and cupped his fists.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Junior Brother Han. If you run into trouble in the future, tell me anytime."
Han Xuanji blinked and said:
"I believe you'll win right out of the gate, Senior Brother Lu."
"Haha, I'll take your good wishes, Junior Brother."
Lu Fan laughed heartily, full of high spirits.
"He really does feel like some kind of Child of Luck."
Han Xuanji was thoughtful.
He could tell that Lu Fan's foundation was exceptionally solid. It did not look as though he had advanced so quickly by cultivating some evil art or Devil Cultivation Method. If he did not die in the future, he would definitely make a name for himself.
Still, catching up to Han Xuanji would probably be very difficult.
After all, he had a cheat.
Seven days later,
the servant disciples' competition ended.
As expected, Lu Fan took first place and even gave Han Xuanji one of the Foundation Establishment Pills.
On this day,
Han Xuanji encountered a bottleneck while cultivating the Limitless Thunder Method.
It is a Thunder Method, after all. No matter how talented I am, without the power of lightning, I won't be able to master it completely.
Han Xuanji pondered.
There were lightning cultivators in the sect too, so there ought to be a place like that, right?
Taking out a communication Jade Slip, he decided to ask the well-informed Lu Fan.
Before long,
Lu Fan replied.
"There's a place in the sect called Thunder Spirit Valley. It's open to sect disciples free of charge."
"But don't go too deep. The power of lightning isn't something people like us can easily control."
Although Lu Fan did not know what Han Xuanji wanted it for, he still gave him a considerate warning.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Xie."
Han Xuanji immediately thanked him.
It had to be said, this was one of the benefits of a major sect.
Many special cultivation grounds were actually open for free, although they were also quite dangerous. If something went wrong during cultivation, the sect would bear no responsibility.
Without thinking much more about it, Han Xuanji set off for Thunder Spirit Valley.
Before long,
he arrived at Thunder Spirit Valley, where quite a few people were already present.
Thunder Spirit Roots were rare, but the Divine Profound Sect had so many disciples that it also had quite a few lightning cultivators.
Some of the people here were also using the lightning to refine their Law Treasures.
Fortunately, Thunder Spirit Valley was vast enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. Everyone could claim a large area without disturbing one another.
According to the information he had, the deeper one went into the valley, the denser the Thunder Spiritual Qi became, and the stronger the power of lightning grew.
For a Nascent Soul Cultivator like him, going deep into Thunder Spirit Valley was only natural.
Han Xuanji moved and soon reached the depths of Thunder Spirit Valley.
The Thunder Spiritual Qi here was exceptionally active, and bolts of lightning struck from time to time. It was extremely terrifying.
Apart from him, only one cultivator was cultivating nearby.
What terrifying lightning. If an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator came here, they would probably have trouble withstanding it.
Han Xuanji was surprised, but a look of delight soon appeared on his face.
This intensity was just right for him.
Meanwhile,
a bolt of lightning struck.
Han Xuanji neither dodged nor evaded. He directly circulated the Limitless Thunder Method and took it head-on.
The cultivator nearby also opened his eyes. Seeing this, he could not help drawing a sharp breath:
"So this is how lightning cultivators cultivate?"
After thinking it over, the cultivator silently moved farther away from Han Xuanji, afraid of being caught in the aftermath.
Not everyone could withstand heavenly lightning head-on.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
Han Xuanji thought that his sign-in attempts had refreshed and that he needed to return.
But on second thought, Thunder Spirit Valley also seemed like a place with Dao resonance.
System, can I sign in here?
[Yes.]
The system replied quickly.
Han Xuanji did not hesitate. He silently said to himself:
System, sign in.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully signed in at Thunder Spirit Valley and obtained the trait "Myriad Tribulations Thunder Body."] [This place's Dao resonance has been exhausted. No further sign-ins are possible here.] [Myriad Tribulations Thunder Body]: [A rare lightning-attribute spirit body. Your cultivation speed for lightning-type Cultivation Methods increases, and you have high resistance to lightning-attribute attacks.]
"Myriad Tribulations Thunder Body... not bad. It's just a pity I could only sign in once."
Han Xuanji.
Although it was not an exceptionally overpowered physique, it was still quite good.
A cultivator with this physique would have a success rate at least thirty percent higher than an ordinary cultivator's when facing a heavenly tribulation.
Its usefulness would be even greater in the later stages of cultivation.
With resources to nurture them and decent aptitude, reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm would not be difficult.
Even in the Divine Profound Sect, someone with that aptitude would start out as an inner disciple, and some elders with Thunder Spirit Roots would be happy to take such a disciple.
For Han Xuanji, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
Without hesitation, Han Xuanji claimed the reward and fused with the Myriad Tribulations Thunder Body.
"It doesn't seem like anything..."
All at once, Han Xuanji felt himself absorbing the surrounding Thunder Spiritual Qi more quickly.
And for some reason,
heavenly lightning began striking him more frequently.
The cultivator beside him watched with his heart pounding.
Only when Han Xuanji left Thunder Spirit Valley on the third day did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"I knew it. How could anyone keep drawing down heavenly lightning to cultivate?"
But what he had not expected was that,
before long,
Han Xuanji returned.
"?"
Seemingly noticing the cultivator's gaze, Han Xuanji politely nodded to him.
"..."
The cultivator nodded back, and the two continued cultivating. This time, however, he kept even farther away from Han Xuanji.