Six Days Later

Six days passed in the blink of an eye.

Han Ming was still immersed in cultivation, but his speed was far beyond anything a normal human could hope to achieve. With over 20,000 Emperor-grade pills obtained from investing in his disciples over the past six days combined with the 2,300 he already had, totaling 22,300 pills and his own heaven-defying comprehension, he had successfully broken through to Half-Emperor Stage 9. However, he had consumed a staggering amount of pills in the process, using roughly 21,000 to experiment and refine the optimal foundational path for each realm.

The pills provided by the system, once carefully refined and purified by Han Ming himself, were used without any side effects. Thanks to the Radiant Emperor Body he possessed, he could automatically cleanse nearly all impurities. Even the drawbacks of consuming a massive number of pills had been entirely eliminated. After all, the system's pills were of the highest grade, and even if any residue remained, his Radiant Body would synthesize and expel it with ease.

At present, he was eligible to take on seven more disciples, according to the system's conditions, but he wasn't interested in that just yet. What he truly desired was further cultivation. Truthfully, he could already ascend to the level of a Great Emperor, but he wasn't in a hurry, for he had yet to discover a method to surpass ordinary Great Emperors in strength.

Today marked the day of the Immortal River Holy Land's New Disciple Tournament. Naturally, Han Ming would be sending all five of his disciples to participate, allowing them to demonstrate their potential and become acquainted with the elders and fellow disciples of the other peaks.

Lei Chen, the first disciple, was a tall and slender young man with jet-black hair like the midnight sky. His sharp, piercing eyes held a cold and calculating glint. With handsome features, defined brows, a well-shaped nose, and lips that always maintained a calm composure, his presence exuded both strength and elegance. His physique was toned and balanced, muscles firm but not overbearing, giving off the sense of both power and agility. He wore a finely tailored white robe embroidered with dragon cloud patterns at the hem and sleeves, enhancing his noble bearing befitting the position of the eldest disciple.

Rong Lixian, the second disciple, was a girl with lustrous golden hair that reached down to her mid-back, usually tied into a high ponytail for ease of movement. Her face was delicately elegant, with slender brows and bright golden eyes that gleamed like pure gold. Her smile radiated confidence, making those around her feel naturally at ease. Her robe was a magnificent gold, embroidered with a golden dragon motif, giving off an aura of majesty and strength.

Su Bainíng, the third disciple, possessed the power of ice. Her soft, white-blue hair flowed gracefully in the wind, and her deep blue eyes were as still as a frozen lake. Her complexion was pale like snow, with a high nose bridge and naturally pink, delicate lips. Though her appearance was divine, akin to a celestial maiden, her demeanor was cold and distant. She rarely smiled, and her quiet personality made her hard to approach except for Hao Yang and others on their peak. She wore a light blue silk robe woven from Ice Silk, with snowflake embroidery on the sleeves.

Hao Yang, the fourth disciple, was a youth who carried the power of flame. His black hair was streaked with red, blending together like flickering fire. His bright crimson eyes burned with energy, and his mischievous grin made him both charming and unpredictable. Outgoing, lively, and full of spirit, his cheerful personality stood in stark contrast to the others. He wore a vibrant red robe adorned with golden flame patterns, reflecting his fiery nature.

Feng Huangjun, the fifth disciple, carried an aura unlike any of the others. His short, neatly cropped black hair and icy, emotionless eyes made him seem untouchable, as though no emotion could pierce the void within him. His facial features were well-proportioned, not overly striking, but captivating in an inexplicable way. His eyes often seemed lifeless, like those of the dead. He wore a simple black robe without any patterns, the only distinct accessory being a purple scarf wrapped loosely around his neck an item he always carried with him.

The cultivation level of all five disciples had now reached the 9th level of the Golden Core Stage, and each of them possessed 82 rainbow-colored golden cores. Over the past six days, Han Ming had not focused much on their cultivation. Instead, most of their time had been devoted to combat training. They were pushed to gain hands-on experience in dealing with enemies, to practice adapting to rapidly changing battle scenarios, to learn how to control their power when at an advantage or disadvantage, and to train their awareness to remain constantly alert and ready for ambushes. However, thanks to the power of the Emperor-grade pills provided by the system, their cultivation had progressed rapidly regardless.

Han Ming smiled faintly as he looked at his five disciples. Not only had they trained their bodies and spiritual energy intensely, but their bond had also grown stronger by the day. After training, Han Ming would personally cook meals for them. He did not merely teach them about cultivation and combat techniques but also imparted knowledge of various special professions. Whether it was alchemy, weapon forging, healing, formation creation, talisman crafting, or other practical disciplines, these would form the foundational curriculum for all those residing on Pure Light Peak from now on.

What was most astonishing was that within just six days, Han Ming had managed to advance all of these special professions to the Saint level. This was due to the system's unique function: whenever he taught a disciple a branch of knowledge, the system would randomly return experience in that profession back to him. Of course, Han Ming didn't simply rely on what was given—he refined the knowledge himself and relearned it thoroughly to ensure everything he passed on was safe and reliable.

Another change brought about by the system was that he could now invest in each disciple up to three times per day. That meant a total of fifteen investments daily, causing both his cultivation and mastery of special professions to skyrocket at an incredible pace.

Han Ming swept his gaze across his status panel, his eyes glinting with satisfaction.

[Name: Han Ming]

[Age: 18]

[Cultivation Level: Half-Emperor, Level 9]

[Special Physiques: Emperor Body of Light (Emperor Level), Emperor Body of the Void (Emperor Level)]

[Special Professions: Alchemist (Saint Level), Painter (Saint Level), Formation Master (Saint Level), Forgemaster (Saint Level), Culinary Master (Saint Level), Musician (Saint Level), Poet (Saint Level) … Appraiser (Saint Level)]

[Martial Techniques: White Radiant Gleam (Emperor Level), Body of Light (Emperor Level), Eternal Radiant Grand Formation (Emperor Level), Hidden Shadow Light Sword Style (Emperor Level), Mirror of Light (Emperor Level), Radiant Explosion (Emperor Level), Power Concealment (Emperor Level), Disguise (Emperor Level), Void Emperor Scripture (Emperor Level), Sword Style of the Void (Emperor Level), Soul-Body of Emptiness (Emperor Level), World-Deceiving Array (Emperor Level) … Will of the Vast Expanse (Emperor Level)]

[Personal Armaments: 2,821 Great Emperor Weapons, 10 Great Emperor Puppets, 95 Emperor-grade Spatial Rings, 21.78 billion Supreme Spirit Stones, 1,312 types of Emperor-grade Pills, 1,000 Emperor-grade Explosive Talismans, 11,251 types of Emperor-grade Materials, 2,975 Emperor-grade Manuals]

[Available Disciple Slots: 5/12]

[Daily Investment Opportunities: 15/36]

[Fortune: None]

The system, watching Han Ming's data unfold, could only shake its head in silent exhaustion. Over the past several days, it had decided to undergo a drastic self-upgrade just to ensure it still had some use to Han Ming, who was developing at an unbelievable pace. At this point, even at the Half-Emperor stage, Han Ming could already battle against peak-stage Great Emperors. His foundation was simply far too monstrous.

In the entire six days, the system had never witnessed anyone so insane that they would destroy their own cultivation over and over again just for the sake of testing and refinement. But no matter how many times Han Ming shattered his own cultivation, it never once harmed his foundation. Thanks to the Emperor-grade pills provided by the system each one meticulously refined by Han Ming the moment he consumed them, his foundation would stabilize and strengthen once more.

The system fell silent for a long while, then muttered internally,

[Isn't it supposed to be the host developing to keep up with the system? Why do I have to keep upgrading myself just to keep up with him? What kind of madness is this? I don't get it at all!!]