Liu Ming sat at the long wooden table, sunlight warming his back through the window. He lifted a spoonful of thick vegetable porridge to his mouth.
As he The smell of warm oats and damp earth filled Havenwood Refuge's dining hall.
swallowed, he felt it – the quiet hum of energy flowing from the food. His Heavenly Refined Body was working, pulling Qi from every bite, turning a simple breakfast into fuel for his cultivation growth.
After eating, he decided to return to the group of orphans who were training under a middle-aged man with long gray hair and a beard not too long.
He had come to Havenwood Refuge no longer than 2 months ago, and before his arrival, orphans had been cultivating for the 1st stage.
Liu Ming didn't know that breaking through to the 1st realm of Self-Tempering took at least 1 month; he had done it in an instant.
That was when he realized the true meaning of God-level talent.
When the long-haired and small-bearded man arrived, Liu Ming tried to sense his cultivation base.
He asked the system about the man's cultivation base.
The system replied:
[You can buy the cultivation base Detection skill from the store]
[This will cost you 10,000 system coins]
'I don't have enough coins to buy it,' he sighed, and didn't give much thought to the matter.
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Next Day | 6:00 AM
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He entered the large hall where everyone was sleeping and shouted:
"WAKE UP, EVERYONE! COME TO THE TRAINING GROUND BY THE COUNT OF 10! FAILURE MEANS PUNISHMENT!"
His voice was loud enough to reach everyone's ears, waking each orphan.
In panic, everyone woke up.
'Wh-what happened?'
"1!" the man said.
"What's that voice?"
"2!"
Liu Ming, disturbed from deep cultivation, stood.
He sensed powerful Qi waves. 'What is this?' he thought, confused.
The voice boomed again: "3!"
It emitted Qi waves once more.
When the man said "4!", Liu Ming decided to run toward the training ground.
Seeing him run, most of the children followed.
"5!"
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"8!"
"9!"
When "10!" rang out, the majority had reached the ground. Liu Ming remembered this man and tried to sense his cultivation base.
He couldn't sense it.
'I can't sense his cultivation base—that means he must be very powerful,' he thought.
Since Liu Ming couldn't sense it, the man must be powerful enough to detect others' cultivation. Thus, Liu Ming decided to show only his 1st-stage Self-Tempering Realm to avoid suspicion
.
The man spoke loudly though less thunderously than before:
"Hello, everyone!
My name is Borin, and I have been sent by the capital to train you for next year's competition.
We only have 10 months to prepare. We begin now."
Without wasting time, he started training them.
He made the children run continuously for 3 hours.
"Huff... huff..." Liu Ming panted as did others.
Though at the 5th stage of Self-Tempering Realm, he'd never done physical work.
That explained why it was a hellish experience for him.
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A Month Later
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Borin began teaching them swordsmanship. Amid this hellish experience.
Liu Ming reached the 6th Peak stage of Self-Tempering Realm.
'I might need fewer than 2 days to reach the next stage,' he thought.
"Huff... huff..." He panted while practicing.
He had discovered that he didn't need meditation to cultivate, so he cultivated while appearing to practice swordsmanship.
He cultivated throughout the day and night.
At night, during cultivation, he didn't need sleep. When he opened his eyes afterward, he felt refreshed.
Most children were at the peak of the 1st stage; however, a girl named Feiyan was an exception—she had reached the 2nd stage.
Liu Ming slowly revealed his own 2nd Peak stage.
He and Feiyan were called geniuses.
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1 Day Later
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[Congratulations on reaching the 7th stage of Self-Tempering Realm!]
[Reward: 2,000 system coins]
In an excited whisper, Liu Ming said: "Status."
─────[ STATUS ]─────
System Coins: 6,560
Character: Liu Ming
Age: 6 years
Cultivation Base: Self-Tempering Realm (7th Stage)
Body: Heavenly Refined Body
Bloodline: Primordial Bloodline
Talent: God-Level
Spiritual Root: 7-Elements Root (Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, Metal, Yin, Yang)
Cultivation Method: Five Divine Paths Yin-Yang Cultivation Method
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15 Days Later
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They began learning the basic "Wind Strike" technique—a single downward chop that every sword beginner learns. Liu Ming watched Borin demonstrate it ten times.
"Practice this technique," Borin said before leaving.
Liu Ming's expression turned to horror when he realized he'd mastered it in under 10 minutes.
He asked the system how long others would take.
The system replied:
[To perfect this technique, they will require at least 2 months.]
Hearing this, he couldn't help but smile.
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6 Hours Later
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Borin returned and corrected the mistakes the others were making.
To his surprise, Liu Ming and Feiyan made no errors.
After an hour, he let them rest.
Suddenly, Feiyan approached Liu Ming and stared silently at him.
"Hello," Liu Ming said.
No reply.
"Hello?" he repeated.
Silence.
"Do you need something?"
She remained quiet.
He ignored her.
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5 Days Later
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Borin left for urgent business, instructing them to practice Wind Strike until his return.
Liu Ming sat under an oak tree, thinking:
'Now that I've mastered this technique, should I request another from the system?'
As he prepared to ask—
Movement near the willow tree caught his eye.
Feiyan stood half-hidden in shade, watching him with unnervingly still eyes.
He'd noticed her before—shadow-quiet and observant. He'd felt her presence days earlier while cultivating.
Currently at the 3rd Stage remarkable for Havenwood, she continued to watch.
He looked away, pretending not to notice.
'System, I need sword techniques: common, unremarkable, but effective for masking my power.'
[USER REQUEST: SWORD TECHNIQUES. PARAMETERS: COMMON, LOW VISIBILITY, EFFECTIVE FOR REALM.]
[SEARCHING DATABASE...]
[SUGGESTION 1: Twin Wind Illusion Strike]
[Grade: Low Mortal]
[Description: Channels Qi subtly to create one illusory sword thrust. Causes momentary visual confusion in opponents ≤ Self-Tempering Realm.]
[Cost: 150 Coins]
[WARNING: Inefficient for user. God-Level Talent/Heavenly Refined Body can master Saint-Grade techniques.]
[Insufficient coins. Finding optimal technique within budget.]
[...]
[RECOMMENDED: Flame Edge (High Grade). Cost: 5,000 Coins. True combat efficacy.]
[Purchase? Y/N]
'A High-Grade technique? I'll need this for difficult situations,' he decided.
'Buy both it and Twin Wind Illusion Strike.'
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED:]
[Twin Wind Illusion Strike: 150 Coins]
[Flame Edge: 5,000 Coins]
[Total: 5,150 Coins]
[Remaining: 1,510 Coins]
[Knowledge Integration Commencing...]
Warmth flooded Liu Ming's mind as stances and Qi pathways etched themselves into his consciousness.
'System, suggest one more common technique.'
[SUGGESTION: Triple Wind Strike]
[Grade: High Mortal]
[Description: Optimized Wind Strike variant. Three rapid slashes (3.8x speed/power). Minimal Qi signature. Resembles mastery of base form.]
[Cost: 300 Coins]
[Note: 3-4x more effective than standard Wind Strike.]
[Purchase? Y/N]
'Yes, buy it.'
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED:]
[Triple Wind Strike: 300 Coins]
[Remaining: 1,210 Coins]
Knowledge flowed into his mind without harm.
─────[ STATUS ]─────
System Coins: 1,210
Techniques: Twin Wind Illusion Strike, Triple Wind Strike, Flame Edge