William exhaled slowly as he felt the Qi locked in his body stir slightly. Even though he currently had a serene expression, beads of sweat were running down his face due to the effort he was putting into circulating the Qi throughout his body.

He hadn’t succeeded yet, despite multiple tries, but it felt like he was a hairbreadth away from unlocking his Qi. He frowned slightly when he felt his Qi fighting against his command as it tried to settle back into his Dantian. This would be the limit of what he could do.

William took a deep breath and stopped his efforts, feeling the meager amount of Qi he was controlling flee back toward his navel before hiding inside his Dantian. He opened his eyes and let out a puff of air in frustration.

[Time Remaining: 1d 4h 59m 13s]

He was missing something, but he had no idea what it was. And rereading the manual certainly didn’t help him much since that had been done five times already.

Still, it was the only reference William had, so he once again picked up the cultivation manual and prepared to go through it again, and maybe find something that he missed. Luckily, it was a relatively short read. Even if he mouthed each word, it would take a maximum of an hour to finish the entire thing.

Which was what he decided to do. Almost an entire day had already passed, and he still hadn’t learned to do something so simple.

That line of thinking was still laughable to William, even though it was true. It surprised him how quickly he simply accepted that he could easily feel the Qi gathered in his Dantian, which he didn’t know existed a day ago, by following the steps in the cultivation manual. Of course, that surprise only lasted for the first hour, after which he was frustrated when his Qi refused to move through his meridians.

William slowly read the words written in the manual out loud, not moving to the next page until he was sure that everything on the previous page was understood and memorized. It was what he should have done initially, but he scoffed at how simple it seemed and rushed through it.

… And he had done it four more times after that in a rush to try and circulate his Qi.

It was better late than never. By the time William had reached the last page, he felt that if it was still unsuccessful on the next try, attempting to find the answers in the manual wouldn’t be of any help.

William placed the worn booklet to the side and closed his eyes before trying to focus his attention inward. His breaths slowed as he felt a wisp of Qi come into his grasp. A small smile formed on his lips when he felt almost no resistance. He was able to guide it through his meridians throughout his body, steadily lighting them up one by one.

After the strand of Qi returned to the Dantian after successfully circulating his body, William sucked in a sharp breath. His body felt like it was floating with how light it suddenly seemed. As dumb as it sounded, the best way he could describe it was how it felt after taking a hit from his first blunt in college.

[Time Remaining: 24h 15m 34s]

[COMPLETED | Learn a Cultivation Technique: +1000 XP]

[Level Up! | 5 Stat Points Added]

[Base Attribute Unlocked | Spirit]

[Cultivation Upgraded | Qi Gathering Realm (1st Level)]

The high William felt about unlocking his Qi was suppressed by the euphoria that rose in him from seeing the alerts. He pulled up his status screen for the first time in a while.

Name: Wei Liang (William Davis)

Age: 13

Level: 11

Experience: 866/1375

Cultivation: Qi Gathering (1st Level)

Health: 1000/1000

Spirit: 1

Strength: 20 (16)

Stamina: 10 (8)

Agility: 20 (16)

Luck: 12 (10)

Points: 15

William’s focus was drawn to the new attribute, wondering if he should immediately dump his unused points into it. With him being a cultivator, having only one point in Spirit was an insult. He pulled up the Cultivation submenu to see if anything else had changed.

Cultivation: Qi Gathering (1st Level)

Max Level: 19

Max Attribute: 30

Impurity: Stage 1 (80%)

Days Remaining

Upgrade Requirements (2):

. Spirit: 20

. Eligible for Level 20

With a new max of thirty points, William did some quick math to see if he could get every attribute to thirty before the second level of the Qi Gathering realm without external help.

He couldn’t.

He would be short by over thirty points, ensuring that pills and spirit plants needed to be consumed in a way that wasn’t detrimental. Thankfully, it wasn’t the biggest of concerns, especially since William could plan for it right from the start.

What was comforting was that upgrading to the second level of Qi Gathering would be straightforward. There would be no need to learn techniques or consume a random mystical pill. Just level up and have adequate points in the Spirit attribute.

“Very good. Less than a day to learn the technique. And you have reached the Qi Gathering realm.”

William flinched at the unexpected voice and opened his eyes to see Elder Yu standing above him. He quickly pushed himself off the floor and stood up before bowing deeply. “Thank you, Elder Yu!”

Elder Yu waved her hand to force William to straighten himself, something he had come to expect by now, “Congratulations are in order, Wei Liang. Welcome to the Jade Healing Sect.”

[COMPLETED | Join the Jade Healing Sect: 500 XP]

[HIDDEN BONUS | Learn ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Cultivation’ within 24 Hours: 250 XP]

[Level Up! | 5 Stat Points Added]

“Thank you, Elder Yu,” William repeated as he ignored the alerts, for now, not wanting to make the Elder in charge of him displeased by his distraction.

“New disciples are normally assigned groups to acclimate to their new surroundings, but you are a unique case. Elder Huang has requested that you be stationed in Xuanjing City. If you agree, I will approve his request.”

William was confused about why his permission was needed when he was just a lowly Outer Court disciple. Still, he couldn’t deny that he was tempted to decline Elder Huang’s request. Especially since Elder Yu didn’t seem to care one way or another about what he picked, though with her unemotional expression, that might be his optimism talking.

“Would I still be able to visit the Outer Court if I’m in Xuanjing City?” William asked with concern, not wanting to lose access to the library or the wealth of knowledge with so many cultivators available here.

“In addition to the monthly allowance of five Qi Stones from the Sect, Elder Huang has agreed to add five Qi Stones to pay for your travel. It will allow you to visit the Sect one time a month. The cost of any extra visits will have to be funded by yourself.”

William hesitated momentarily before saying, “Could I have more time before making a decision, Elder Yu?”

“Very well,” Elder Yu nodded, “The rush of unlocking your Qi will keep you awake. Tell Little Yin what you wish to do.”

William could barely register what she said when he found himself removed from the private room and in the middle of the gardens outside the building he had entered the day before.

“Congratulations, Junior Brother Liang,” Lan Yin said from behind.

He turned to see something that he thought was impossible.

Lan Yin smiling without seeming sarcastic or barely hiding anger underneath.

“Uh, thank you?” William said unsurely, remembering that Cao Rui was split in half the last time he had seen Lan Yin smile.

“You can call me Senior Sister Yin,” Lan Yin’s smile grew even brighter, “Elder Yu informed me that you have decided to become a Sentinel. That means you truly are my junior.”

“You’re a Sentinel too?” William blinked in confusion, wondering why she was the Overseer of the Garden if so.

“I am,” Lan Yin confirmed, before glancing at his ill-fitting clothes, “Let’s get you the Sect robes and make this official.”

William perked up as he followed her. Though he was uncomfortably aware that the man who had given him these clothes was killed by Lan Yin.