OP Sign-in System
[Host identified]
[Gathering statistics]
[…]
[Calculating…]
[Randomizing function initiated]
[…]
[Sign-in System invoked]
[Notes: Sign-in at different locations to gain benefits]
Chen Li stared at the blue panel in a daze.
16 years after his reincarnation into a Xianxia world, and living in the outer sect for 4 years, he had no expectations of a cheat appearing out of nowhere!
First light of the morning shone through the window, but Chen Li still couldn't take his eyes off the blue panel.
[Warning: Sign-in Pending]
[Time until next Sign-in: 23:58:35]
[Sign-in Streak: 0]
[Name: Chen Li]
[Age: 16]
[Sex: Male]
[Race: Human]
[Inventory:]
----------------------------
[ - ]
Once he was convinced that this wasn't a dream, Chen Li used his inner voice. 'System?... System?' Thinking that perhaps the System couldn't hear his thoughts, Chen Li tried speaking instead. "Uhh… System? Can you hear me? Hey… System?..."
Unfortunately, there was no response!
'Am I going insane?' Chen Li gave this idea some thought.
He had no talent. Rather, he super-duper had no talent! The fact that he was able to enter the outer sect had never ceased to amaze Chen Li! After 6 years of cultivation, his cultivation was only at the 2nd stage of the Qi Condensation realm! The other kids in his batch of disciples had long surpassed him in every way!
At such a breathtaking level of talentlessness, he was destined to die as a Qi Condensation disciple!
'Yes, I've been feeling under the weather lately. Most disciples ignore me completely because I have no backing. Missions are getting harder, and cultivation time is getting shorter. I even got friend zoned by two girls that I didn't even know… It makes sense to for my sanity to be eroded to the point of hallucinating a cheat!'
Chen Li calmly nodded at his conjecture. 'Oh well. Sign-in!'
[Checking Location…]
[Dao Heritage Level: Extremely Weak]
[Awarding 10000x Heavenly Nascent Soul Formation Pill]
[Sign-in Streak: 1]
"…"
Chen Li read through the reward once again.
Then he read it again!
'… Are you pulling my leg?'
Nascent Soul pills? Ten thousand of them?!
First of all. Chen Li couldn't even use a single one! If he ate one right now, there was no doubt he would explode! If he didn't, his dantian would explode! There was no question, the pills themselves were highly explosive in nature!
Second, Chen Li couldn't even sell them! Which Qi Condensation disciple would have access to Nascent Soul pills? Clearly, anyone trying to sell them would be branded as a thief!
Sell them anonymously? By using the classic "I'm representing my master, which is me *wink*" tactic?
Such a thing was not possible! Pills were lifelines of cultivators! Not only no one would buy pills from a random cultivator, but they would report them to the authorities instead! Pills were highly regulated substances within the Twilight Thunder Sect!
Third, Nascent Soul Formation Pills? As in the pill that allowed one to break through from Core Formation to Nascent Soul realm?
A Foundation Formation pill, a pill that allowed Qi Condensation disciples to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, was priced at 50000 spirit stones! A diligent outer sect disciple could only save 10 spirit stones a year if they never used their cultivation resources!
Breakthrough pills were incredibly special in this world! They were rarer than 10000-year-old ginsengs!
How could Chen Li find an excuse to sell a breakthrough pill? How could he even dream of selling a single Nascent Soul breakthrough pill?!
Then there was the fact that Chen Li had never seen a Core Formation cultivator, let alone a Nascent Soul powerhouse! Qi Condensation was the 1st major realm of cultivation. Nascent Soul was the 4th! How could he even catch a glimpse of those monsters?!
Chen Li looked at his inventory with a sigh.
[Inventory:]
----------------------------
[Heavenly Nascent Soul Formation Pill] [10000x]
'I'm pretty sure even a speck of that sh*t would make me explode. If they were real, of course…'
Chen Li sighed again. "Let's get this over with. System, give me 1 of those."
A green jade box immediately appeared on Chen Li's hands. Cool, and smooth to touch, the box received a doubtful look. Chen Li's suspicious gaze did not falter as he put the box on the ground.
'Sh*t, that looks real enough…'
It was one thing to see intangible blue panels, and a whole other to hold something in his hands and feel its weight!
The inventory screen showed that he had 9999 of these pills left. Clearly, the box only contained 1.
'Alright, let's think about this. Just peeking at it shouldn't hurt, right? There's no way I'm going to even try swallowing a teeny tiny speck of it! No way!'
Chen Li inspected the box some more before gathering his courage.
After spending 5 years in this world, sudden appearance of a cheat, was just too unnatural!
This was a world where dying with resentment could turn one's soul into a vengeful ghost. A world where strong unsavory emotions could leave an aura behind, and eventually cause mortals to lose their sanity. A world where killing intent itself could kill!
Superstition was everywhere, and knowing that some of it was real was even worse! Chen Li couldn't help but think of the famous heart demons that everyone in the sect loved to talk about. Was this a heart demon of sorts?
Whatever the case, Chen Li knew that he had to open the box!
"Ok, here goes nothing. Let's go… nice and slow."
Chen Li slowly started to lift the lid. The effect was immediate, white fog gushed out at once! Since he was prepared for something to go wrong, Chen Li immediately stopped and closed the box out of reflex!
But he was already too late!
A feeling of weakness immediately assaulted Chen Li! He collapsed on the floor and felt a burning sensation in his lungs. Pain hit him like a truck! This wasn't an exaggeration either, because he knew how painful it was to get hit by a truck!
As his limbs started convulsing, Chen Li spat out a mouthful of blood! If he wasn't in so much pain, he would've marveled at such a cliché Xianxia development!
Pain didn't lessen for what felt like a forever. As soon as Chen Li was able to somewhat control his limbs again, he crawled away from the box.
He had lifted the lid by a millimeter! A millimeter! What was going on? Why was he feeling like he was about to die?
Chen Li used every strand of will he had left to enter the lotus position. Cultivation couldn't heal wounds, not at his level at least, but it would at least give him an idea of his current status. As soon as he started the cycle, the damage became immediately apparent.
His meridians were swollen, perhaps damaged even, but Chen Li couldn't tell for certain. His dantian was full to the brim as well! Maybe one more whiff of that pill fog would be enough to cause a rapture!
A Qi Condensation disciple was still flesh and blood! A person like Chen Li, who never received any sort of cleansing pills, was even more fragile!
Chen Li had only wanted to check his condition originally. But now that he became aware of his predicament, and unintentionally stirred the strands of Qi inside his dantian, he entered the state of breakthrough!
If he tried to empty his dantian now, the spiritual energy would have to travel through his swollen meridians. At his current state, this was a fast pass to becoming crippled for life!
Under constant pain and stress, Chen Li didn't have enough time and the mind to properly consider his options. He was injured, but not dying (probably)! So, he decided to breakthrough!
After an excruciating minute, Chen Li entered the ranks of the prestigious 3rd stage of Qi Condensation realm disciples! This was so sudden and so smooth that he doubted his senses. Since when breakthroughs were this easy?
However, no matter how he looked, his cultivation was at the 3rd stage!
Leaving the cultivation base aside, being a 3rd stage disciple had certain benefits within the sect. Now, he had to take an external mission every 3 weeks, instead of 2 weeks! His monthly pill allowance would be doubled, and he could enter the sect archives twice a year.
All of that came from a millimeter high slit!
Chen Li fearfully glanced at the box, still in the same spot as before.
All manner of Xianxia fluff came to his mind. In hindsight, perhaps what happened made sense. Somehow!
In novels, a Nascent Soul master could make a disciple cough up blood with a casual snort! It made sense for Nascent Soul things to be dangerous for Qi Condensation disciples! And this was a breakthrough pill! Probably of ridiculous purity and grade as well! It had the word "Heavenly" on it after all!
It was obvious that he would've died if it was a 2 millimeter gap instead of 1!
The box! It was too dangerous to be left alone!
Chen Li gritted his teeth and carefully crawled back to the jade box. Walking was out of the question; he simply didn't have the capability!
Inch by inch, Chen Li crawled closer.
What if the System wouldn't take the box back into the inventory? The thought was simply too terrifying! What was Chen Li supposed to do then? Bury the box deeply as if it was nuclear waste and hope for the best?
The box was finally within his reach. His hand slowly moved, afraid that he would somehow topple it! Once his finger touched the smooth exterior, the box disappeared!
After taking a moment to confirm that the infernal box did indeed disappear, Chen Li breathed a sigh of relief. He took a look at the inventory and breathed yet another, longer sigh of relief.
[Inventory:]
----------------------------
[Heavenly Nascent Soul Formation Pill] [9999x]
[Heavenly Nascent Soul Formation Pill (99.99999%)] [1x]
'F*ck, it really went away! Thank god… Thank god…'
Chen Li motionlessly laid on the ground for a while to collect his thoughts.
'Sh*t, I don't have a recovery pill. Last week's allocation and the mission reward is gone already. On top of that, I need to go to work tomorrow…'
All outer sect disciples were equal, but some of them were more equal than others. Chen Li in particular belonged to a group that performed menial tasks in addition to regularly going outside for missions. He was halfway between a "true" outer sect disciple and a servant disciple.
Could he call in sick? Not without some backing, and Chen Li had none!
Chen Li entered the lotus position once again to check his vitals. Even if he wasn't an experienced cultivator, he could try!
'Alright, it doesn't look that bad. Maybe I exaggerated because the pain is just too distracting…'
He stood up while gritting his teeth. In the past, he had read that expression many times in hundreds of web novels. Only now, did he understand what it meant!
'I can walk. Yeah. Tomorrow I'll ask for some light work, they should be able to do that at least, right?'
With deep breaths, he prepared to take his first step.
'The journey of a thousand mile begins with one step. Yeah, first one should be the hardest. One… Two… Thre-'
Chen Li stumbled, and the entire world darkened at once.
* * *
* boom *
"Argh…"
* boom *
* boom *
Flashing lights was the first thing Chen Li saw.
"F***cking hell…"
* boom *
"Sh*t… I fell asleep on the floor?" A confused Chen Li looked around in a daze. He really was on the floor!
* Boom *
His memory returned once he tried to make sense of the situation. "F*ck!"
[Warning: Sign-in Pending]
[Time until next Sign-in: 14:13:47]
[Sign-in Streak: 1]
* boom *
* Boom *
* Boom *
* Boom *
"… What the hell is that sound? Which f*cker is practicing martial arts in their abode?!"
As if they heard him, the sounds disappeared at once! Which made Chen Li focus on something else.
'The f*ck is this smell?'
Chen Li's face dropped upon discovering his skin was covered with a transparent mucus like substance! And it was everywhere! Even his face had a layer of it! Chen Li barely held himself from dry heaving as a thought appeared in his mind!
'F*ck, don't tell me this is related to the Nascent Soul pill…'
Chen Li forgot about the stench and immediately crossed his legs! His 3rd stage dantian looked normal, and his meridians felt unobstructed. Qi strands traveled within his body much more smoothly!
Could it be that the whiff from the Nascent Soul caused an effect similar to the marrow cleansing pills? Chen Li opened his eyes and evaluated this possibility!
'… Resistance did decrease, but my meridians still look swollen, and it hurts to cultivate. My entire body is still sore and aching…'
Chen Li was somewhat familiar with muscle pain after years of menial work. His current condition was clearly more serious. Though unlike before, he was at least able to move freely!
'F*ck, I was supposed to work today!' While panic immediately appeared, Chen Li also noticed something odd. 'It's already afternoon, why didn't anyone come here to check on me?'
Not that he was some sort of important figure of course! The disciplinary hall would never miss a chance to use/abuse their authority at the first chance they get. The fact that he wasn't dragged away by now was highly suspicious!
* BOOM *
Chen Li jumped from the sudden pressure increase. "Whoa!"
* BOOM!!! *
* BOOM!!! *
* BOOM!!! *
* BOOM!!! *
This couldn't be someone practicing! Chen Li realized there was something wrong.
A thundering voice echoed from outside. "Today! Will be the last day of the Twilight Thunder Sect!!"
Chen Li's blood immediately ran cold. For a long moment, he couldn't think of anything. It was as if time had stopped!
* BOOM!!! *
* Crash! *
* BOOM *
Even the fighting sounds couldn't easily break Chen Li's stupor. But they did help, and awakened a never-before-seen panic within Chen Li.
What could he do as an outer disciple? With his brand-new 3rd stage cultivation?
Even running was an impossibility! The sounds were simply too close! Perhaps he would even die from the aftershocks of the experts!
* BOOM *
"S-S-Sign-in!!!" Chen Li's mouth moved on its own. Even he had to take a second to realize what he just shouted.
[Checking Location…]
[Dao Heritage Level: Extremely Weak]
[Awarding 100000x Heavenly Divinity Restoration Essence Pills]
[Sign-in Streak: 2]
'…' Chen Li speechlessly looked at the System prompt.
What did he expect? The first reward nearly killed him; this would surely succeed where the other one failed!
* BOOM *
* BOOM *
[Inventory:]
----------------------------
[Heavenly Nascent Soul Formation Pill] [99999x]
[Heavenly Nascent Soul Formation Pill (99.9999%)] [1x]
[Heavenly Divinity Essence Restoration Pill] [100000x]
'What the hell is a Divinity Essence Restoration pill?' Chen Li listlessly tried to close the display, but another panel appeared on top.
[Heavenly Divinity Essence Restoration Pill]
[Quality: Extremely High]
[Efficacy: 100%]
[Cultivation Level: Divinity Formation]
[Effect: Restores a Divinity Formation realm cultivator's spiritual energy by 95%]
[Notes: Restoration amount is calculated by using the standard cultivation index]
'… What the hell is a Divinity Formation realm?!'
This wasn't a realm that Chen Li had ever heard before. The highest one he knew was the mythical Spirit Origin realm, which was the next major realm after the legendary Nascent Soul realm.
* BOOM!! *
Chen Li fearfully looked outside the window. The fight of the experts seemed to be getting closer again. Whether he had a chance or not, he still had to try!
He took one last look at his abode. Good or bad, he had spent the last 3 years in this shack!
After one final sigh, Chen Li opened the door and started running.
'Sh*t, their fight even turned the air dry! Wait, even the spiritual energy is thinner?'
Chen Li couldn't dwell on a minor detail at a moment like this, so he did not take his own stray thoughts seriously.
Outer sect had 9 exists. 2 led to the inner sect, 6 led to outside through the sect gates. And the last one… Well, it couldn't be considered a proper exit!
3 years ago, Chen Li had designated it as the plan B; to be used only in a case of emergency only! Who could've thought his half joking thoughts would turn out to be true?
Though this was an immortal sect, outer sect disciples still had to eat. And while the sect was well off, it wasn't well off enough to install and maintain sanitary formations all around the servant disciple's abodes. Hence why there was a simple sewer system underneath the outer sect.
It also served as training/punishment for wide variety of disciples.
* BOOM!! *
* BOOM!! *
*** BOOM!!!! ***
The last shockwave was so intense that it almost knocked Chen Li off his feet! Thankfully, he realized the sewer entrance was just up ahead! Perhaps being an untalented disciple had its advantaged!
But unfortunately, just as he was about to turn the last corner, voices came from direction of the sewers.
"Hahaha, look what we have here, a rat, heading for where he belongs!"
"Hahaha…"
"Hahahaha…"
Suddenly, multiple auras with at least 5th stage cultivations appeared. Just the pressure alone made Chen Li's body writhe in pain. These people weren't to be messed with; Chen Li understood at a fundamental level!
Three people revealed themselves with disdainful smiles. Slowly, and deliberately, they sized him up, as if they were enjoying every moment!
Chen Li's mind worked nonstop. He couldn't recognize their faces, nor their black robes. Was this an inside job, or a full-scale surprise attack from an unknown sect? Why were they near the sewers? Where were the other disciples? There were too many unknowns, and not enough time!
'F*ck it, this is my only chance!'
Chen Li suddenly raised his hands up! "Seniors! I will give you the Foundation Pill! Please let me go!" He shouted.
His sudden movement couldn't even make them flinch in the slightest. Their confidence and pride in their strength was obvious.
And this was a good thing!
Chen Li withdrew one Heavenly Divinity Essence Restoration Pill from the System inventory. An exquisite jade box appeared on his hands, which caused three disciples to narrow their eyes.
To them, a 3rd stage disciple's movements was easy to see, but the sudden appearance of a box wasn't within their considerations! Especially when the box itself didn't come from a storage bag!
Chen Li slowly lowered the box the ground and carefully placed it. "I guarantee you; you will not be disappointed! I-I stole this from an elder!!!" He said with panic. His panic was real, and he didn't see any reason not to display it.
Then, he turned back and took off!
The three disciples of the enemy were arrogant, and appeared to possess some cruelty since they seemed to be enjoying others' misery. That's what Chen Li was betting his life on!
As he ran, no sword strikes, no other techniques came after him. It was obvious that the exquisite looks of the box attracted their attention, and they "temporarily" let him go!
The three disciples looked at the running Chen Li with disdain. One of them picked up the box with a smile and presented it to their leader. They tacitly agreed that killing the disciple so soon wouldn't be as exciting!
'Could it really be a Foundation Formation pill?' The leader thought as he inspected the box with intricate design, but he didn't change his expression. Outside, he was merely glancing at it with mild disdain, as if he couldn't even be bothered with opening it, but since he had the opportunity, he might as well!
The leader took the box with sharp movements. Confidence was key in leading; that was something the group leader had learned from his father. A leader had to be decisive, swift, and merciless! Always!
Therefore, the group leader paid special attention to his actions and mannerisms! This also benefitted his sword arts, which was an unexcepted development! The discovery made his resolve even stronger!
While staring at the box, the leader opened it with one sharp motion. Because that was just who he was!
Chen Li, who was still running, felt an instant surge from behind! Waves of spiritual energy knocked him away!
Once again, the world became dark.
* * *
Two figures fighting in the air suddenly gasped!
"A divine treasure?!" One of them muttered incredulously. Did this declining sect really had some accumulation after all?
The leader of the Twilight Thunder sect was also surprised, and initially thought it was an artifact from the enemy. But little did he expect to see genuine surprise on his opponent's face.
The two stared at each other. Both of them instantly understood.
This really was a divine treasure! Perhaps a newly descended one! The spiritual energy emitted by it was simply too pure and too dense! There wasn't another treasure in the entire continent that could match this energy!
"Looks like my Blood Devouring sect is blessed by the heavens!" The man laughed.
The sect leader was already barely holding on. It was obvious that he couldn't make a move for the treasure. The outcome of the battle was certain. "Forgive me, senior brother…" The sect leader whispered.
"Forgive?" A thundering voice suddenly came from everywhere. "Junior brother, there is nothing to forgive, you've done your best. You may rest, and be assured that everything will be fine."
The sect leader wiped of the blood from his lips and smiled. "This useless junior disciple greets senior brother." He bowed as he spoke.
A man, dressed in pure white clothes appeared between the sect master and his enemy. "En. Preserve your strength." He said in a dignified manner. The man in white opened his hand and an exquisite box appeared out of nowhere, along with a huge amount of pressure!
The man in white uttered a single word. "Curious…" Then closed the box. The pressure from the pure spiritual energy disappeared, only its residual energy remained in the environment.
By now, the elder that was leading the assault understood what had happened! This was a peerless expert! Not only he couldn't see through this person's cultivation, but the divine treasure was subdued within seconds! The Twilight Thunder Sect clearly had a backer! The elder cursed at his subordinates for making such a huge error! "Esteemed senio-" Before he could complete a single sentence, he was destroyed, in body and soul!
Seeing the might of his senior brother, the sect leader sighed and slowly spoke. "Senior brother, I have one thing to ask." The man in white nodded. His junior brother was expending what remained of his life essence just to be able to utter his last words! "Please, the disciples… They…"
"I will take care of them."
The sect leader smiled contently. His time was up. As he gave one last bow to his senior brother, his body turned into ash, and his soul was swept away by the wind.
The man in white closed his eyes and reminisced about the past. When he reopened them, every single enemy of the Twilight Thunder Sect had turned to dust!
With his cultivation level, such a feat wasn't worth mentioning. However, no matter how powerful he was, he couldn't be everywhere at the same time!
A look of determination appeared in the man's eyes. "I am Zhang Wuji of the Violet Serenity sect." The man in white's voice boomed across the mountains. "Today, I will take the disciples that remained loyal to the Twilight Thunder Sect. All karma between them and the mortal world is now settled!"
An unprecedented amount of energy concentrated on Zhang Wuji's fingertip. The space around him started to shake, as this was nearing the limits of the world itself! He pointed towards the horizon.
"Blood Devouring sect." Zhang Wuji whispered.
A streak of energy shot from his index finger and divided itself into countless threads as it traveled, hitting anyone and everyone related to the Blood Devouring sect, regardless of who they were!
It only took a few seconds, and the Blood Devouring sect was no more. Nothing could escape Zhang Wuji's Karma Severing Sword. Nothing could hide from it!
Zhang Wuji looked the sect and the battlefield without emotion. Only a few hundred disciples survived the onslaught. Most of them were just regular ones from the outer sect.
Inner and core disciples were few hundred kilometers away, fleeing with dozens of elders. Zhang Wuji saw the confused looks on their faces after hearing his declaration. However, he paid them no attention. These people fled their sect. It didn't matter if this was the choice of his junior brother. They weren't part of the Twilight Thunder Sect anymore!
Zhang Wuji used his dharmic powers to stabilize the condition of the disciples. When they get back, he could give them healing pills to restore their lost limbs.
"Curious…" From the dead bodies, the shattered grand array, and the amount of damage within the sect, Zhang Wuji could piece together what happened. However, he couldn't understand where the divine pill came from! "Most curious…"
It was almost as if someone deliberately left the jade box within the outer sect. Zhang Wuji appeared at the location where he saw the pill. Three enemy disciples had melted, presumably due to the energy pressure difference from opening the jade box.
Some distance away was a disciple of the Twilight Thunder Sect. Zhang Wuji's expression softened after realizing that this disciple was injured from a forceful breakthrough.
'Why does he have such a thick aura of soul nurturing pill around him?' Zhang Wuji wondered. His divine sense soon found a shack, also seeped in with soul nurturing energies. Clearly the shack had the aura of the said disciple.
Could he have consumed an unknown pill at the final moments of the siege? Zhang Wuji thought this made sense. From the purity of the energy, he assumed that the pill was a family heirloom of sorts. Perhaps they mistook a Spirit Origin pill for a breakthrough pill. Zhang Wuji had witnessed far stranger things in his life. This much was nothing.
With a flick of his wrist, all remaining survivors entered his sleeve. For good measure, he pinched his fingers to deduce where the divine pill came from. After a few attempts, he sighed upon realizing he couldn't ascertain its origins.
Then he thought about the disciple he found nearby. Although Zhang Wuji doubted that the disciple had anything to do with the divine pill, he still pinched his fingers to calculate.
'An orphan. With ordinary providence, ordinary talent and aptitude. Barely accepted into the sect… No wonder he has so little karma.' Zhang Wuji shook his head.