Chapter 9 – Beginning to Cultivate

"Okay, okay, I'm grateful, my dear system. Now, which technique should I choose to cultivate?" Zhen asked with a thoughtful expression, considering that he had learned various cultivation techniques through the system and possessed vast knowledge about which ones would be most effective for his development.

"Wait, system, if I'm stronger than Yue, whose realm you suppressed, does that mean I'm stronger than a Golden Core cultivator?" he asked, somewhat confused, since Yue was from a much higher realm compared to him, who had just received his spiritual root, even though his cultivation was compressed by the system.

[THAT'S CORRECT, HOST. WHEN COMPARED TO MUNDANE CULTIVATORS WITH IMPERFECT CULTIVATION, YES, YOU ARE STRONGER. BUT REMEMBER, THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH PERFECT CULTIVATION, SO IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW GOOD THE TECHNIQUE THEY USE IS.]

"I see... it's not good to be overly confident. System, which technique do you recommend?"

[I RECOMMEND THAT YOU USE THE 'DAO CULTIVATION' TECHNIQUE. IT IS THE MOST SUITABLE FOR YOU, ALLOWING YOU TO APPROACH THE PUREST DAO ENERGY AND EVEN CONTROL IT.]

"As I suspected, I can't fully trust this system," Zhen mocked the system, which seemed quite proud of itself.

[HOST, LISTEN TO ME. I WAS CREATED TO GUIDE YOU. IF I SAY THE 'DAO CULTIVATION' TECHNIQUE IS THE BEST, THEN IT IS THE BEST.] the system responded, irritated by his mockery.

"Obviously, I will cultivate the 'Perfect Creation' technique. It's clearly superior and better suited for me at this moment," he declared confidently, while the system, perplexed, thought, "How did I not think of that, but he did? Well, it kind of makes sense... I guess."

"Now that I've decided which technique I'll cultivate, system, open the shop for me!"

**[ONE LEVEL OF CULTIVATION: TEN THOUSAND POINTS

DRAGON EMPEROR'S SWORD (LEGENDARY): SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED POINTS

ANALYSIS (SKILL): ONE THOUSAND POINTS

VISITING CARD (ITEM): FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POINTS

DAO BARRIER MATRIX: TWO THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY POINTS]**

"Wow, there's a lot of new stuff. System, could you explain what each of these things is?" Zhen asked, surprised by the new options in the system.

[IT SEEMS THE HOST IS STILL DUMB... OR MAYBE HE'S GOTTEN WORSE AFTER RECEIVING A SPIRITUAL ROOT?] the system mocked again.

"Urgh... I'm not going to say anything because today is a great day," Zhen grumbled, holding back from exploding at the system.

[VERY WELL, HOST. I WILL EXPLAIN EACH ITEM TO YOU.]

[ONE LEVEL OF CULTIVATION: AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, PURCHASING THIS WILL ALLOW THE HOST TO RAISE HIS CULTIVATION BY ONE LEVEL. KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS ONE LEVEL WITHIN YOUR CURRENT CULTIVATION, NOT AN ENTIRE REALM. AND IN CASE OF TRIBULATIONS, THE SYSTEM WILL GIVE YOU AN EXTRA LEVEL AFTER YOU SURVIVE THEM.]

[DRAGON EMPEROR'S SWORD: A SWORD FORGED FROM THE FANGS OF AN ANCIENT DRAGON, USED BY THE IMMORTAL EMPEROR OF THE UPPER WORLD. IT IS A LEGENDARY-CLASS ITEM.]

Note on item rankings:

In this world, cultivator items are classified into different ranks:

Mortal Rank: Common items for cultivators, usually mass-produced for sects.

Earth Rank: At this rank, items are harder to produce, requiring a certain level of forging skill and excellent control over internal energy. Golden Core cultivators with sufficient skill can forge them.

Heaven Rank: Weapons of this rank are extremely rare in the mortal world, as few can craft them. To produce a Heaven Rank weapon, a cultivator must have excellent refining techniques and extremely high cultivation for the mortal world, as well as the time needed to craft them.

Mythical Rank: These items are only found in the immortal world and are rare even there. Common cultivators can only dream of possessing such items, which are typically found in the ruins of ancient emperors or as legacies passed down through generations—items whose crafting methods have been lost over time.

Legendary Rank: Items of this rank typically spend years in places abundant with spiritual energy, accumulating so much power that they develop their own consciousness. For someone to claim one of these items as their weapon, they must be accepted by the item itself, making it rare both in the mortal and immortal worlds. The number of people who possess such items can be counted on one hand.

[ANALYSIS SKILL: A UNIQUE ABILITY GIVEN BY THE SYSTEM. IT WILL SHOW THE USER THE LEVEL OF A PERSON BASED ON PERFECT CULTIVATION AND CAN ALSO ANALYZE THE ORIGIN OF A PERSON OR OBJECT (IT CAN EVOLVE).]

[VISITING CARD: A CARD THAT ALLOWS THE USER TO TRAVEL TO THE UPPER WORLD, BUT IT HAS A TIME LIMIT OF FOUR HOURS.]

[DAO BARRIER MATRIX: A MATRIX THAT CAN BE PLACED IN A SPECIFIC AREA (CONSUMABLE) AND WILL DEFEND AGAINST ATTACKS EVEN FROM THE DAO REALM.]

The system explained this to Zhen, who listened attentively to every detail. But what intrigued him the most was the Analysis skill; with it, he could determine whom he could fight against or avoid, considering his own cultivation level. Now, what he lacked were points.

"Is there a way for me to earn points faster?" Zhen asked the system.

[THE HOST CAN EARN POINTS BY COMPLETING DAILY TASKS AND MISSIONS GIVEN BY THE SYSTEM. THE ADVANCEMENT OF YOUR DISCIPLES WILL ALSO GENERATE POINTS FOR THE HOST.]

"Hmm... so if they advance, I also earn points."

"Yue, come here!" he shouted, calling her.

"S-Sir!" Yue responded, bowing in greeting. "Why did the master suppress his cultivation to the Refinement Realm?" Yue wondered with a puzzled expression.

"Grab a wooden sword. We're going to have a friendly duel to train."

"Yes, master," Yue replied, confused, thinking, "What made the master suddenly want to duel with me? Does he want to test how much I've learned about the Eternal Sword?" as she headed to the outer courtyard with her wooden sword.

"Very well, come at me with everything you've got," Zhen said confidently.

"Don't worry, master, I won't disappoint you," Yue replied as she assumed her battle stance.

Raising her sword above her head, she prepared according to the Eternal Sword's stance. Clearing her mind and focusing solely on the sword, she infused her energy into the wooden sword, which began to materialize, showing that the first technique of the Eternal Sword was nearly mastered. She leaped toward her master, delivering a strong strike aimed at his neck. Zhen, however, merely raised his sword and effortlessly deflected Yue, making her retreat.

"Wow, cultivation is truly amazing. I can see the entire flow of energy in Yue's sword, allowing me to break her defense easily by finding the weakest point in the energy," Zhen thought, with a satisfied expression on his face. This made Yue think, "The master repelled me effortlessly without even moving... Incredible." She was shocked. Despite knowing her master's power, she had rarely witnessed his true strength, so practicing with him was almost unthinkable. After all, her master wanted to live a mortal's life, and asking to duel with her would be out of the question. Soon, Yue positioned herself for battle again and attacked from the opposite direction, aiming for his neck once more. Zhen deflected her again, then changed his stance, holding the sword with both hands and keeping it below his waist. He then said:

"Yue, pay attention. The first technique of the Eternal Sword represents the sky, starting the attack from above. The second technique represents the earth." Maintaining his stance, he firmly planted his feet, concentrating, and swung the sword horizontally, stopping the attack in front of Yue, who only felt the immense pressure from that technique.

"You've improved your technique a lot, but you're still stuck on trying to imitate me. Focus more on your mistakes and try to find the best way for yourself."

"Yes, master," she replied, with an expression of astonishment and gratitude on her face.