“Only ‘Novice’?”

Wang Ba stared at the Lifespan cost listed on the panel, baffled. He couldn’t understand why the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture had instantly boosted him to the First Layer, while the Ren Water Four-Defense Art stopped at mere entry-level mastery.

However, Wang Ba possessed a singular virtue: he never wasted time obsessing over things he couldn’t change.

He didn’t hesitate.

[Current Main Body Lifespan: -27 Years]

In the next second, a flood of enlightenment regarding the Ren Water Four-Defense Art washed over his mind, clarifying concepts that had been impenetrable just moments ago.

His body reacted instinctively, spontaneously mobilizing to draw upon the surrounding energy.

Soon, a scene that delighted Wang Ba unfolded.

Strands of wandering, multi-colored Spiritual Qi drifted toward him, guided by the invisible pull of his awakened Spiritual Roots. They seeped slowly into his body—permeating his skin, flesh, and bones—triggering minute transformations as they passed.

The four-colored Qi flowed through his meridians and surged into his Dantian. There, the strands began to spin, weaving together into a fine, rotating nebula.

Faster. Faster.

Finally, just as a tiny vortex began to condense within his Dantian—

It collapsed.

Poof.

“What the hell?”

Wang Ba jolted awake from his trance.

He looked around and realized with horror that the ambient Spiritual Qi in the room—save for the metal-element Qi he couldn’t use—had been completely sucked dry.

The environmental Qi was so thin that he had created a vacuum. Fresh Qi from the outside couldn’t flow in fast enough to replenish what he had consumed, causing the condensation process in his Dantian to fail due to fuel starvation.

“No wonder Lin Yu was so desperate to leech off someone else’s Spirit Vein.”

The realization hit him like a brick.

He used to think the air here was relatively fresh. Now, through the lens of a cultivator, he saw it for what it was: a barren wasteland. It was so destitute it couldn’t even support a single Four-Spirit-Root novice trying to break through.

He pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and pulled out a Low Grade Spirit Stone.

He gripped the stone in his palm and circulated the technique again.

It worked.

Drawn by his Spiritual Roots, a rich flood of pure energy surged from the stone, piercing through his palm and rushing into his Dantian. Unlike the chaotic environmental Qi, the energy within the stone was neutral and pure, skipping the need for filtration.

But Wang Ba quickly discovered the harsh reality of having garbage aptitude.

His absorption rate was abysmal.

The Spirit Stone released energy faster than his roots could catch it. A significant portion of the precious Qi simply leaked out of his pores and dissipated into the air before it ever reached his Dantian. Of the portion that made it inside, more was lost during the refining process.

In the end, less than half of the energy from the stone actually settled in his Dantian.

Of that remaining half, the Water-element Qi took the lion’s share. His Water Spiritual Root was clearly superior, absorbing and converting energy far more efficiently than the other three elements.

Replenished by the stone, the energy in his Dantian began to spin once more.

A vortex formed. It stabilized. It grew.

And finally, at the center of that spinning nebula…

A single, tiny wisp of pale white, gaseous Spiritual Power was born!

Simultaneously, the Spirit Stone in his hand crumbled into useless grey dust.

Wang Ba felt no heartache over the lost money. Instead, he sat there, staring blankly at the flickering candle flame on the table, lost in a daze.

After a long time, he slowly exhaled.

The breath seemed to carry the weight of an entire year of hardship, torment, and suppression.

“Finally… Qi Refining.”

…

Just like the condensation of his Spiritual Roots, his breakthrough to Qi Refining was a silent, unheralded affair.

Technically, Wang Ba had now entered the First Layer of Qi Refining. He had successfully stepped into the ranks of true cultivators.

But he didn’t relax.

He noticed immediately that the Ren Water Four-Defense Art entry had vanished from his System Panel, just as the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture had before it.

This confirmed his suspicion: he could buy entry, but he couldn’t buy levels.

He couldn’t burn lifespan to instantly Breakthrough his cultivation base. He had to grind for it.

He had expected this. His Yin Spirit power had been accumulated bite by bite, eating Spirit Poultry and visualizing the deity. Spiritual Power would be no different. The System was a catalyst to get him on the track, not a substitute for the journey itself.

Wang Ba was satisfied.

Just having this opportunity placed him above the vast majority of mortals.

The panel still displayed the Physique Strengthening Scripture (Layer 11), with a terrifying cost of 9,216 years. He abandoned any thought of upgrading that in the short term. While physical cultivation offered the highest returns, he didn’t have the time or the lifespan to spare.

His priority remained unchanged: Wait for the right moment to escape.

And while waiting, he would make himself stronger.

Wang Ba didn’t sleep that night. He spent every hour draining Spirit Stones.

By the time the horizon turned a pale, milky white, he had consumed his eighth Spirit Stone. In exchange, the gaseous Spiritual Power in his Dantian had grown to ten wisps.

He couldn’t help but sigh.

“Cultivating with Spirit Stones is a luxury I can’t sustain. I have to find a way to access a Spirit Vein.”

“I also forgot to cultivate my Yin Spirit last night.”

The excitement of finally becoming a cultivator, combined with the intense focus required to master the Ren Water technique, had made him completely forget his nightly routine.

With morning approaching, he didn’t have time for visualization. Instead, he got up and called Alpha-Seven out for training.

This time, things were different.

When Wang Ba channeled his meager Spiritual Power into his eyes, the world sharpened. For the first time, he could—barely—track Alpha-Seven’s movements.

It was still a struggle. If Alpha-Seven moved at full speed, he still lost sight of it.

He experimented further, channeling Spiritual Power into other parts of his body.

By the time he had exhausted all ten wisps of his hard-earned Spiritual Power, he had a rough estimate of his strength.

Without using his Yin Spirit abilities (the domain hack), his raw combat power was likely just a notch above Chu Erniu’s.

They were both at the First Layer of Qi Refining with pathetic amounts of Spiritual Power. However, Wang Ba had the Physique Strengthening Scripture as a foundation. Once they both ran out of Qi and it turned into a brawl, Wang Ba was confident he could beat Chu Erniu into the dirt.

However, Wang Ba was a man who knew himself. He was cautious by nature and inexperienced in combat. The thought of actually fighting someone terrified him.

So, following the dictates of his cowardly heart, he promptly shoved Alpha-Seven into the Spirit Beast Bag and tied it securely to his waist.

He didn’t store any other chickens. In a life-or-death panic, he didn’t want to accidentally summon a regular hen instead of his ace. That would be a fatal embarrassment.

He busied himself with chores around Manor Ding Eighty-Seven for a while.

Soon, Old Hou arrived on his donkey cart to deliver the feed. They chatted casually, Wang Ba acting as if nothing had changed.

But as Old Hou turned to leave, he paused. He looked back, a strange smile on his face.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”

“Steward Yu wanted me to pass on a message: For the next few days… don’t wander around.”