This mysterious hall, shrouded in a pure, glowing light, had been dormant in Ling Changqing's consciousness since his birth into this world. It was the core secret that had allowed him to quickly adapt to the laws of this reality and find his footing.
In his past life, Ling Changqing had been what you might call a "small-town exam whiz." While grinding away in the corporate world, he'd also been desperately studying day and night to land a government job, completely burning himself out.
Just when success seemed within his grasp, he was inexplicably whisked away by the mysterious hall to this vast, wondrous, and magical world, where he was reincarnated as just another face in the crowd.
Life at the bottom is brutally hard, no matter the time or place. Before the mysterious hall awakened, Ling Changqing was a member of a distant branch of the Ling Family, and at the age of twelve, he became a Pearl Gatherer in their territory.
Compared to his previous life, where he never had to worry about food or clothing, the life of a Pearl Gatherer was miserable beyond words.
This was especially true in a world filled with powerful Cultivators. For someone at the bottom with no power of their own, the dream of rising up and crossing class barriers was an unimaginably difficult one.
His survival instincts helped Ling Changqing gradually adapt to his new identity. With the mysterious hall having officially awakened half a year ago, a glimmer of hope finally pierced the darkness of his future.
After composing his thoughts, Ling Changqing began to communicate with the mysterious hall. As a pure, glowing light filled his vision, a familiar warmth enveloped his consciousness. It felt as if he were soaking in a Top Grade Spiritual Spring, a sensation of indescribable comfort and bliss.
A message imbued with a profound Dao Rhyme appeared without a sound:
[Master of the Era Star Palace: Ling Changqing]
[Bone Age: 14]
[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation 2nd Layer]
[Destiny: 10+81]
[Blessed Fortune: 10+56]
[Physique: 9]
[Root Bone: 8]
[Comprehension: 10]
[Divine Soul: 12]
[Primary Cultivation Technique: Water Manipulation Technique (2nd Floor) 197/200]
[Spirit Root: Bottom Rank Character, Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Noble: Ling Zifeng]
'...This hall, the Era Star Palace... I wonder what level of supreme treasure or Heavy Artifact it is. To think it can display its master's overall attributes and cultivation strength so clearly in the form of data...'
'Perhaps... as my Cultivation increases through the realms, it will reveal even more of its miraculous powers?'
This wasn't the first time Ling Changqing had communicated with the Era Star Palace. After a long period of trial and error, he was now beginning to understand some of its marvelous functions.
Compared to when he first arrived in this world, Ling Changqing's Physique and Root Bone attributes hadn't changed, but his Divine Soul had steadily risen from 8 to 12. As a result, his Comprehension had also increased from 9 to 10.
Then there was his Spirit Root Level. Ling Changqing possessed all Five Elements—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—but his Spirit Root was only of the "Bottom Rank Character" grade.
Spirit Roots were divided into several grades: Waste, Mortal Grade, Human Grade, Earth Grade, and Celestial Grade. Each grade was further subdivided into upper, middle, and lower tiers.
The higher the Spirit Root Level, the better a Cultivator's innate talent. Breaking through cultivation bottlenecks becomes easier, and as long as one has sufficient resources, their progress will be twice as fast with half the effort.
Rumor had it that certain rare Spirit Roots also existed in this world, but most Cultivators would never have the fortune to see one.
As for the "Water Manipulation Technique," the only Cultivation Technique Ling Changqing had mastered, it had progressed from a bare entry-level to the current 2nd Floor. He was now just one step away from breaking through to the 3rd Floor.
Then there were his Destiny and Blessed Fortune. Both had originally been at 4, but they had now gradually increased to 10, making them the attributes that had changed the most.
The numbers after the plus signs were somewhat erratic; they were a bonus provided by the mysterious hall known as the Era Star Palace and couldn't be considered part of Ling Changqing's own innate talent.
Of course, as long as the Era Star Palace wasn't stolen from him, this would have no negative impact on Ling Changqing.
Finally, there was the "Noble" attribute. This was a special ability of the Era Star Palace. It could subtly influence a specific target chosen by Ling Changqing, making them develop friendly and favorable feelings toward him. As a result, they would look out for him and offer him certain conveniences, so long as it didn't harm their own interests.
Diving for pearls was fraught with danger. If he performed too poorly, he wouldn't be able to make a living. But if he performed too well, he might attract unwanted attention and suspicion.
That was why the hidden "Noble" ability of the Era Star Palace was so important.
Under the invisible influence of this Exotic Treasure, Ling Zifeng's attitude toward Ling Changqing had always been friendly. Or rather, he simply had a favorable impression of the boy and never felt any suspicion toward him.
Of course, the Era Star Palace's ability could currently only affect a single target. Ling Changqing had therefore chosen Ling Zifeng, the man who managed the entire team of Pearl Gatherers, to ensure his own safety as much as possible.
'As for the future... perhaps as my Cultivation Level increases, this special ability will be able to affect more targets?'
'It's a shame... my Cultivation is still too weak! If I want to change my destiny, I have to raise my strength as quickly as possible. Otherwise, sooner or later, I'll die an obscure and meaningless death...'
A moment later, Ling Changqing finished his meditation, slowly opened his eyes, and began to think about his plan to advance his Cultivation.
Cultivation is impossible without resources, and to rapidly increase one's Cultivation, the demand for those resources is immense.
However, Ling Changqing was just a low-level Cultivator with no power or influence. Although he shared the Ling surname, he had no connection to the Ling Family's Direct Lineage, barely qualifying as a member of a distant branch.
His parents had passed away long ago, and the few relatives he was close to were also low-level Cultivators. Their own lives were a miserable struggle, so they were in no position to help him.
That was why, at the age of twelve, he had been forced to join the family's team of Pearl Gatherers. He risked his life diving into the sea, braving the constant danger of drowning, just to scrape together enough resources to survive.
There's a saying: "Only those who endure the harshest bitterness can rise above the rest." But the cruel reality of the world was: "Only those who endure the harshest bitterness are able to endure even more."
As long as you can endure hardship, there will be no end to the hardships you must endure.
People at the bottom can struggle and fight their entire lives, and they will most likely still end up at the bottom! Defying Fate was never meant to be easy.
'Oh, well. It's better to rely on myself than on others. As long as I act with caution and always uphold the essence of the Way of Survival, my day to rise to the top will come sooner or later!'
Ling Changqing mused to himself.
In this vast, wondrous, and magical world, the Path of Cultivation had evolved over countless eons, developing into a massive and comprehensive system.
The Qi Cultivation Realm was divided into nine minor realms and served as the foundational stage of this world's cultivation system. Further up were Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divinity Transformation, and many other incredible Great Realms.
It was said that when a Cultivator's power reached its absolute peak, after surviving immense heavenly tribulations, they could step into the legendary and ethereal Realm of Immortals. From that point on, they would share the lifespan of the heavens and earth and shine as brightly as the sun and moon, attaining eternal life, bliss, and freedom.
Of course, all of this was far too remote for Ling Changqing. Forget reaching Foundation Establishment; just successfully navigating the remaining seven minor realms of the Qi Cultivation Realm was an incredibly daunting task.
Although low-level Cultivators in this world were as numerous as grains of sand on a shore, not even one in a thousand were lucky enough to break through the limits of the Qi Cultivation 9th Layer and reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The current Ling Family was the preeminent Cultivation Family in the surrounding sea, their influence stretching for thousands of miles.
Including the Patriarch, the family only had a total of three Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators presiding over it. There wasn't a single expert at the Golden Core Realm.
The high-ranking Elders of the Ling Family, along with its most outstanding Direct Lineage disciples, were all struggling in the Late Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation. They spent their years painstakingly managing the family's affairs, with no telling when they might gather the enormous amount of resources needed for a Realm Breakthrough.
It was said that aside from the youngest Patriarch, the Ling Family's other two Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators were ancient. They had no hope of reaching Core Formation, and their remaining Lifespans were short.
Once these two Elders in the Foundation Establishment Realm passed away at the end of their Lifespans, if no new Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator emerged from within the family, the Ling Family's top-tier combat strength would be drastically weakened.
At that point, if an enemy were to invade, it would be very difficult to say whether the Ling Family could protect the foundation they had built.
Certain factions holding old grudges against the Ling Family had long been colluding in the shadows. They were sharpening their knives, just waiting for the family's decline to strike while the iron was hot and kick them while they were down.
Reining in his wandering thoughts, Ling Changqing reached into his robes, pulled out a small Jade Bottle, and twisted off the cap.
Inside the Jade Bottle was a single, fingertip-sized Elixir, as white and lustrous as jade. A faint, clean fragrance wafted out, instantly refreshing the mind and lifting the spirits.
This was a Qi Nourishing and Essence Storing Pill, refined by an Alchemist in an Artifact level Pill Furnace using various Early Stage Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Herbs. It could strengthen one's meridians, condition the internal organs, and condense blood and qi to enhance one's Cultivation. It was one of the few Cultivation Resources that low-level Cultivators could barely afford.
On the market, a single Qi Nourishing and Essence Storing Pill cost at least thirty units of Spiritual Sand. With Ling Changqing's meager assets, he had to budget carefully just to afford them.
'In my past life, you couldn't get anywhere without money. In this life, it's the same, but with Spirit Stones...'
Ling Changqing sighed, tipped the Elixir into his mouth, and swallowed. He immediately sat down and began to circulate his energy, guiding the flow of blood and qi through his meridians as he quietly absorbed the pill's medicinal power.
After a full cycle of cultivation, when Ling Changqing opened his eyes again, a faint CRACKLING sound of popping bones echoed from his body. His blood and qi surged, his spirits were high, and his Water Manipulation Technique had finally reached the 3rd Floor.