Spiritual Path

'Status'

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[Host Status — Chaotic System]

Name: Sion.

Age: 18.

Race: Human, Snow Spirit (Partial)

Physical: Spiritual Ice Physique (Adapted)

Titles: Blessed by Snow, ******* ****.

Class: None.

Cultivation: None.

Talents: Adaptive Core (Unique), Universal Will (Unique).

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[Weapons]

[Skills]

[Techniques]

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[System Functions]

— Status Panel.

— Missions. (+)

— Inventory. (Locked)

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"Well, everything is the same except for the new function. Let me see."

'System, explain to me exactly how the missions work.'

'Ding!'

[Missions will appear randomly to help the host achieve the set goal]

[Only one goal is allowed at a time. The host can change goals upon completion.]

[Current Objective: Become the strongest.]

[Current Mission: Help Mei Li awaken her eye talent.]

[Rewards will be given depending on the host's performance]

…

Sion looked at the objective the system had set in silence.

"Wasn't that decided a little too easily? Besides, when am I going to complete this goal? Being the strongest is completely vague. I don't even know if this is the only planet, or if where I am is even a planet."

Sion waited, but the system said nothing more.

'And help Mei Li? I'd really like to help, but I have no idea how to do that…'

"I guess there's nothing I can do about it. So, become the strongest, huh? All right, I'll do it, even if it takes a long time," Sion said with a smile, looking at the sky through the window.

"It's already dark. I have to find a place to sleep."

Sion then left the restaurant's elegant VIP room. When he reached the stairs, the guard bowed slightly to him again. Sion went down two floors and left the restaurant.

After walking down the main street for a while, he found a small inn. It was one of the few in town; after all, there were hardly any strangers around here.

Upon entering the place, he saw a bald man cleaning his counter with a white cloth. 

He asked about the price and then paid for a night's stay.

Sion chose the best room and paid a silver coin.

The room was simple, with a large bed and a small sofa with a square table.

There was also a bathroom included in the room. It was simple, but Sion was satisfied.

He opened the windows and let the cold wind enter the room and hit his face. He felt more comfortable that way. Although the Universal Will made the weakness of his race disappear, Sion still felt a little uncomfortable in the heat.

He then took a quick shower. In the bathroom, there was a large bucket of water, which was extremely cold, but for Sion, it was perfect. He put on the same clothes after his shower and sat down on the bed.

"Then it's time."

Sion picked up the book Mei Li had given him.

The thing he wanted most now was to understand the cultivation of this world.

'Fundamentals of the Spiritual Path'

So for the next few hours, Sion focused completely on the book, reading and absorbing all the knowledge without missing a single detail.

Time passed while Sion was absorbed in reading without realizing it.

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Hours earlier at the city ruler's mansion. Deacon Fei was waiting at the gate.

The six hours he had given the disciples had passed.

Without having to wait long, the Ji brothers appeared. They were practically identical, the only major difference being their heights. Ji Yao was almost two meters tall, while Ji Ling was only one meter fifty.

The two looked at Deacon Fei with strange looks.

"Mei Li isn't here yet? She's always the first to arrive and is never late," the older brother said.

"She really hasn't arrived yet… did you see where she went?" Deacon Fei asked.

"No, we split up as soon as we left the mansion. Deacon Fei, could something have happened to her? I'll go look for her now," Ji Ling said, looking overly concerned.

"Calm down, young man, there aren't many people in this place who could do anything to her. She may have found something interesting to do and lost track of time. Let's wait a few more minutes. If Mei Li doesn't show up, I'll go look for her myself."

Then, fifteen minutes later, the three saw Mei Li running toward them from a distance. In a few seconds, she was in front of them.

Ji Ling, who had been worried, calmed down and spoke to Mei Li.

"Welcome back. You're late. Did something happen?"

"No, I was just having fun and forgot the time." Mei Li said with a smile that made Ji Ling drool mentally.

Deacon Fei then spoke.

"Hm, now that everyone is here, let's go inside. I've received more details about our mission."

Quickly, the three entered the mansion and sat around a round table. The difference was that now another man had joined them. A middle-aged man with one of his arms missing. The expression on his face was kind.

Deacon Fei began to speak.

"This is Old Wei, an external elder of the sect. He was once one of the strongest of the internal elders, but after losing his arm and his strength declined, he lost his position. But don't underestimate his strength." After Deacon Fei introduced Elder Wei, the three disciples stood up and bowed slightly.

"I've seen Elder Wei," the three said together. The three were inner disciples, and their positions in the sect were not far from that of an outer elder, but they were still respectful after sensing the strength of the elder in front of them.

"Haha, don't worry too much, young ones, this old man is already falling apart and doesn't deserve such respect. Sit down."

Unable to say anything, the three felt a wind blow lightly against their bodies, causing them to sit down in their chairs without being able to refuse.

'He's strong, he's probably at the end of the Qi Liberation Realm…' Mei Li thought.

Mei Li's respect for the elder grew after hearing that his position had also been demoted. She felt that their situations were similar and identified with him.

"So, you've been walking around the city. Did you find anything suspicious?" Deacon Fei asked.

The Ji brothers quickly replied no, and then it was Mei Li's turn.

She thought of Sion but decided not to say anything and also replied no.

Then Elder Wei decided it was time.

"Well, I'll start explaining the situation from the beginning, listen carefully…

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It was already dawn. Sion had read almost the entire book. He had spent the night awake without realizing it and only stopped momentarily when he saw the sunlight appear through the window.

But he went back to reading until he finished the entire book.

Sion easily memorized every word in the book. After finishing reading, Sion could remember every word, every page. Sion had the entire book in his mind. If he wanted to, he could write it all down.

The first few pages of the book contained only sentences about cultivation, saying that the Spiritual Path was only for those with talent and a strong will.

Then, Sion learned that cultivation in this world was divided into nine great realms, but the book only explained a little about them up to the Spiritual Lord Realm, which Sion discovered to be the fifth great realm of cultivation.

The nine great realms are called the Body Tempering Realm, Qi Accumulation Realm, Qi Release Realm, True Qi Realm, Spirit Lord Realm, Spirit King Realm, Spirit Emperor Realm, and finally the Spirit Saint Realm.

To begin cultivation, four things were necessary; if all were not present, it was impossible. First of all, a spiritual root was necessary.

Spiritual roots are nothing more than paths through which the Qi of heaven and earth passes. They are divided into three known grades: low, medium, and high-grade spiritual roots.

There are countless types of spiritual roots, suitable for different types of paths. But most people were born with their roots oriented towards a certain element.

Next, it is necessary to feel the Qi in the environment. There are those with spiritual roots who are unable to do this, thus becoming useless. Sion understood from reading that feeling the Qi around him was extremely difficult, sometimes taking years to feel just a little for those with little aptitude.

But Sion didn't worry about that, after all, since he woke up in this world, he could feel the Qi in the environment, mainly because his Adaptive Core was constantly absorbing the Qi from the environment.

Third, it was necessary to have a body strong enough to withstand the Qi of heaven and earth. And for that reason, the first great kingdom focused only on the body.

And finally, a cultivation technique was necessary. Apart from absolute geniuses who could cultivate by creating their own path, others needed a way to absorb Qi without killing themselves, and that way was called a cultivation technique.

After reading about cultivation and understanding the basics, he read other information in the book.

One's aptitude for cultivation did not depend solely on spiritual roots and perception.

There were also those who were born with something different. They were considered rare geniuses everywhere. These were those born with a special spiritual talent, bloodline, or physique.

The last pages of the book had a brief summary of the three.

Spiritual talents, rare people are born with different body parts or special abilities. There were a few examples that caught Sion's attention.

One of them was Innate Divine Strength. People who were born absurdly strong from birth. Their bones were like metal and their muscles like stone. These people were extremely suited to following the path of body cultivation.

Sion realized what Mei Li had told him, her eyes were a type of spiritual talent.

Then there were bloodlines and physiques.

These two were even rarer than spiritual talents.

Bloodlines are an ancient inheritance from powerful cultivators or ancient races. Their blood was passed down from generation to generation, but the chance of awakening one's bloodline was practically zero. But if someone's bloodline awakened, if that person was a fish, they would instantly turn into a dragon. Even the weakest and most impure bloodlines still gave tremendous advantages to those who possessed them.

And finally, special physiques.

Blessed by the heavens, special physiques can only be obtained at birth. Every special physique has innate abilities and aptitudes far above normal. Even the lowest-level physiques will become a core disciple in any low- to mid-level force.

At that moment, Sion was truly surprised.

After all, after reading about physiques, he found something he already knew.

His Ice Spirit Physique was described in the book as an example.

It was described as a physique capable of absorbing ice Qi five times faster than an ordinary person, a surreal resistance to cold. Bones and muscles reinforced by ice Qi, making them stronger and more resistant than those of the same level.

They can control the innate ice Qi in their bodies even before cultivating. The control and power of innate ice Qi only increase as cultivation increases. And depending on the bearer, different unique abilities of the physique appeared.

Sion, after assimilating the new information, sighed as he closed his eyes and then opened them with a refreshed smile.

"So, that's how it is, really, this world is much more complex and interesting than I could have ever imagined."