Supreme Mystery Sanctuary.

The sky was lofty and distant, adorned with splendid clouds and mists.

Extremely dense spiritual energy gathered into wisps of mist, enveloping the vast expanse of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary.

Majestic mountains stood tall, pavilions and towers rose in clusters, and countless rare and exotic beasts galloped and soared, presenting a magnificent scene of an immortal realm.

Qi Yuan trod upon misty clouds, flying swiftly. He soon passed through the sect’s protective formation and headed toward an exceptionally imposing mountain peak.

That peak was noticeably taller than the surrounding mountains, serene and elegant, with rich spiritual energy. It was precisely Jade Flower Peak, the exclusive cave abode of the Holy Scion.

Jade Flower Peak covered a vast area, with layers of restrictions and various formations set up specifically to assist cultivation.

To maintain these formations required a massive expenditure of spirit stones at all times. The daily resources consumed would be enough to completely bankrupt a well-off Golden Core cultivator. This was the privileged treatment afforded to the Holy Scion of a superpower.

In addition, there were dedicated steward elders and a group of Servant Disciples responsible for managing the affairs of Jade Flower Peak for Qi Yuan.

In short, within the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary, Qi Yuan’s sole mission was to devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivation and grow as quickly as possible.

“The Holy Scion has returned!”

“Greetings, Holy Scion!”

Two sanctuary disciples guarding the entrance to the cave abode immediately stepped forward upon seeing Qi Yuan, offering respectful salutes without the slightest negligence.

“At ease.”

Qi Yuan gave a slight nod and instructed, “You may withdraw for now. Go inform Steward Liang that unless there is something particularly urgent, he should not disturb me.”

“Yes.”

After the two left, Qi Yuan passed through the cave abode’s entrance and went straight into a cultivation chamber. He sat down cross-legged and opened the system interface.

He had previously completed two tasks, earning a total of 150 Reversal Points. These few points couldn’t be exchanged for anything valuable in the system mall, but they could be used to experiment with the newly unlocked Epiphany function.

“Open Epiphany function.”

With a thought from Qi Yuan, a list of techniques immediately appeared in his mind:

Jade Record of Supreme Mystery

Cloud Soaring Sword Scripture

Luo Tian Spirit Refining Art

Taiyi Star-Seizing Hand

These were the four techniques and supernatural abilities he was currently cultivating, each one a top-tier inheritance of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary.

After pondering for a moment, he calmed his mind and silently thought:

“Epiphany on ‘Jade Record of Supreme Mystery’.”

The Jade Record of Supreme Mystery was his main cultivation technique at present, considered the foundation of his path. Naturally, it took priority for improvement.

As soon as the thought settled, Qi Yuan immediately fell into a mysterious and profound state of epiphany. The scene before his eyes became hazy and blurred, as waves of great Dao principles surged toward him like tides.

Several problems that he usually couldn’t figure out were all resolved effortlessly in this state. It felt like sudden enlightenment, as if everything became clear.

This experience was incredibly wonderful, making him feel comfortable all over and utterly intoxicated.

Just as Qi Yuan was immersed in it, he suddenly shuddered all over and quickly awoke from the epiphany state.

Although the feeling of having this epiphany cut short halfway left him somewhat displeased, what he felt more was shock and awe.

150 Reversal Points could only sustain this epiphany state for less than half a breath’s time, yet its effect was terrifyingly potent. It had actually forcefully helped him break through that most crucial barrier before advancing to Nascent Soul.

Due to his overly rapid progress previously, his own Dao foundation had become somewhat unstable, and his comprehension of the great Dao of heaven and earth was slightly insufficient. To perfectly condense his Nascent Soul would require long-term tempering.

Unexpectedly, this mere half-breath epiphany state had benefited him immensely, saving him at least a year of arduous cultivation.

Coupled with the earlier enhancement of his spiritual root aptitude, Qi Yuan now had confidence in attempting to break through to Nascent Soul in a short time.

The Jade Record of Supreme Mystery was an arcane technique that pointed directly to the great Dao of True Immortality. It belonged to the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary’s secret canon passed down through generations; unless personally taught by the Sect Leader, others were not permitted to learn it lightly.

Before ascending to immortality, cultivators had to pass through nine major realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Void Refinement, Dao Integration, Tribulation Crossing, and Great Ascension.

A Nascent Soul cultivator could mobilize the power of heaven and earth, possessed a lifespan exceeding a thousand years, and could be addressed as “True Lord.”

Even within the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary, Nascent Soul cultivators constituted the core combat strength and were qualified to serve as stewards or elders overseeing various peaks within the inner sect.

As the Holy Scion, Qi Yuan not only had to break through to Nascent Soul but also had to condense an extremely high-quality Nascent Soul; otherwise, it would be considered a failure!

Therefore, he had been extremely cautious about condensing his Nascent Soul before, fearing any mistakes. Now that he had the system, it could be considered an unexpected aid.

Thinking this, he gathered his thoughts and silently looked at the task panel:

…The peerless grace and icy-cold words of Saintess Exquisite linger in your mind. You decide to pull yourself together. Since you have this system on you, as long as you properly complete reversal tasks, sooner or later you can make her see you in a new light.

Task Objective: Please break through to Qi Refining Layer Two within one month and pass Falling Cloud Valley’s assessment to become a Servant Disciple.

Task Difficulty: Three Stars (Average)

Task Reward: 100 Reversal Points; 5 Top-Grade Revitalizing Pills; 1 Low-Grade Magical Artifact; free activation of 300 cubic meters personal system space (cannot currently be used for storing living creatures).

Looking at these lines of shining text, Qi Yuan’s expression stiffened somewhat. He now strongly suspected that if he continued doing these damnable tasks, someday he might just get so angry he’d have a cerebral hemorrhage.

Breaking through to Qi Refining Layer Two was one thing, but what on earth was this about being a Servant Disciple at Falling Cloud Valley?

He hadn’t even heard of Falling Cloud Valley as a sect; presumably, it was some minor force hidden away in a remote corner.

Minor sect Servant Disciple… the standard starting point for trash-tier protagonists.

What made it even more outrageous was that his current identity was Holy Scion of the Supreme Mystery Sanctuary! Would joining some so-called Falling Cloud Valley as a Servant Disciple count as betraying his sect?

Good heavens!!!

He didn’t even dare imagine if such news got out; it would probably explode in popularity, instantly landing squarely on the front page headlines of the cultivation world—

Shocking! Holy Scion of Supreme Mystery Sanctuary Betrays Sect, Willingly Mingles Among Weak Minor Sect As Servant Disciple! The Heartwarming Reason Behind It All!

Just thinking about such a scene made Qi Yuan shudder involuntarily, and he quickly firmed his resolve.

No matter what happened during this task process, he absolutely must not reveal his identity; otherwise, the consequences would be simply unimaginable.

Fortunately, this time the system gave a one-month buffer period, allowing him to return first and arrange affairs within the sanctuary properly…

Just as these thoughts swirled in his mind, a respectful voice suddenly came from outside the door.

“Holy Scion, the Sect Leader summons you to the main hall.”

Master summoning?

Hearing this, Qi Yuan was first startled, then hurriedly rose, rushing toward the direction of Supreme Mystery Peak.

Moments later.

Within the dignified, majestic white jade main hall.

“Disciple pays respects to Master.”

Upon entering, Qi Yuan immediately bowed, offering a solemn salute toward the Daoist-robed elder seated at the head of the hall.

The elder wore a lotus crown, his features lean and thin. No trace of mana fluctuations emanated from him; he seemed just an ordinary mortal old man rather than a Dao Integration realm cultivator who had lived for several thousand years.

This person was precisely Qi Yuan’s Master in this lifetime—Supreme Mystery Sanctuary Sect Leader, Daoist Hengzhen.

Currently, Daoist Hengzhen’s brows were slightly furrowed; he seemed to be pondering something.

Seeing the other party hadn’t responded, Qi Yuan inexplicably felt a trace of unease and anxiety.

The system’s existence could be said to be his current greatest secret, while Daoist Hengzhen, as a Dao Integration realm mighty figure, couldn’t be guaranteed not to detect abnormalities. If exposed, it would be disastrous.

Fortunately, Qi Yuan’s worries seemed unnecessary. Daoist Hengzhen quickly returned to his senses and slowly raised a hand.

“Rise.”

“Hmm?”

Then, Daoist Hengzhen, as if discovering something, looked at Qi Yuan with slight surprise, taking a couple of extra glances.

“I haven’t seen you for a few days, but your progress is actually so fast. Originally, Master thought you would need at least two more years to form your Nascent Soul. Now it looks like you won’t need long to break through.”

Qi Yuan, hearing this, smiled modestly.

“Disciple recently gained some insight and refined a bit. It was just luck.”

Daoist Hengzhen nodded, satisfied. “You, child, are quite promising. Far better than that unreliable senior brother of yours.”

Hearing his Master’s sharp critique of a certain someone, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, inwardly thinking:

If you knew what your disciple did yesterday, probably hereafter the title of 【Unreliable】 would no longer be Senior Brother’s exclusive right…

Although inwardly sighing, on the surface he remained impassive and said, “Senior Brother is immensely talented and cultivates diligently. Disciple is dull and dares not compare.”

“Hah, where did you learn such smooth talk?”

Hearing these words, Daoist Hengzhen couldn’t help but laugh and scold him. Then his expression turned serious as he opened his mouth to admonish him.

“Since you ascended to the Holy Scion position, every word and action represents the entire Supreme Mystery Sanctuary. You should act prudently, with dignified conduct according to the rules. You absolutely must not tarnish the sanctuary’s reputation.”

“Master’s teachings are correct.”

Qi Yuan hurriedly and solemnly responded, only inwardly feeling rather guilty.