Half an hour passed in a blur of turning pages.
"Hoo!"
Jiang Chen let out a long breath, his gaze turning razor-sharp as if two swords were about to leave their scabbards. A vortex formed on its own accord within his body, drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from all around and guiding it straight into his Dantian.
This was... drawing qi into the body!
Commonly known as gathering qi. Only by drawing spiritual energy into the body could it be transformed into spiritual power, thereby formally stepping onto the path of cultivation!
Normally, someone with average spiritual roots would need at least ten days to half a month to successfully generate a sense of qi and draw it into the body.
Even with modest talent, it would take at least a week.
Even those blessed with superior spiritual roots, hailed as prodigies by the Xianyun Sword Sect, required three to five days to pull it off.
Yet he had achieved this state in a mere half an hour, and while practicing nothing more than the most basic Sword Dao True Interpretation!
"No, it's not over yet. Not only is the qi entering my body... but this spiritual energy I've absorbed is actually transforming into spiritual power?!"
Jiang Chen was shocked. He never imagined that the effects of Sword Heart Clear and Bright would be so astonishing.
It had directly dragged him out of the ranks of the "mediocre" and put him on par with top-tier geniuses—perhaps even surpassing them in exaggeration.
"I have... officially stepped into the Qi Refining 1st Layer!"
Jiang Chen took a deep breath, feeling the spiritual power accumulating within him. His mind was profoundly shaken; he had crossed into this tier in a mere half an hour.
If they gave him a few hundred or a thousand years, wouldn't he dominate through the ages?
However, although there weren't many people in the Sword Pavilion, and most of them were absorbed in refining their Dao hearts, cultivating here for too long would inevitably draw too much attention.
After a moment of thought, he decided to leave this place.
Besides, he had already cleaned the place from top to bottom today, leaving it spotless and pristine. Once he went to submit his task, the rest of the day would be his to arrange.
...
And so, after submitting his task, Jiang Chen returned to his dwelling.
It was a dilapidated thatched cottage at the foot of Menial Peak in the outer region of the Xianyun Sword Sect, built by his predecessor's own hands.
This, too, was the sorrow of a menial disciple.
Without strength, one could only live in such an environment. Only after becoming an outer disciple of the Sword Sect could one build a personal immortal cave or a small courtyard; otherwise, unauthorized construction was strictly forbidden.
"Oh? Little brother Jiang Chen is back! Don't you want to come over to this concubine's place to relax and unwind? We can negotiate a good price~"
Before he even reached the thatched cottage, a voice called out softly from not far away. The woman possessed a fiery figure and fair, delicate skin, carrying the graceful air of an immortal maiden, though it was tainted with a slight air of worldly dust. Her voice carried a subtle allure that made one's heart flutter involuntarily.
Jiang Chen paid her no mind, turning a deaf ear and walking right past.
According to his predecessor's memories, this female cultivator had joined the Xianyun Sword Sect a few years earlier. She was also a menial disciple, and was now a cultivator at the Qi Refining 2nd Layer.
It was just a pity that the stipend for menial disciples was limited, and the spirit stones they could claim each month were pitifully few.
Thus, some took up side businesses to earn spirit stones a bit faster.
For the sake of cultivation, after all, there was no shame in it.
Jiang Chen had no intention of discriminating against others based on their profession.
Yet he only had a few spirit stones to his name, and having just stepped into the Qi Refining 1st Layer, his physique couldn't handle such extravagance. Naturally, he could only keep his distance.
"Come to think of it, there seem to be some male prostitutes as well, though most of them are kept by higher-level cultivators in the sect. In the end, after suffering the setbacks of their menial years and failing to endure the torment, some people finally... surrendered."
Jiang Chen let out a long sigh.
Fortunately, his predecessor's mental fortitude had been even worse, causing him to vomit blood and die on the spot; otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to face himself.
Be aware that most of these people hadn't surrendered to powerful female cultivators, but rather to... fellows with a penchant for cut-sleeves.
Back inside the thatched hut, Jiang Chen did not hesitate. He continued to practice the Sword Dao True Interpretation, preparing to elevate his strength as much as possible.
After all, the sign-in system could only be used once a day, and the quality of the reward depended on the amount of lingering Dao Rhyme, carrying a certain degree of randomness.
He had no idea when he might acquire a superior cultivation method next.
For now, practicing and boosting his strength as much as possible was always the right move.
After all, this was the Immortal Cultivation World, and one of its most powerful sects at that. The cruelty of competition and the law of the jungle far exceeded imagination.
Even among menial disciples, there were hierarchies, schemes, and conflicts. Good Samaritans were few and far between; if they didn't try to rob you of your monthly allowance, that alone made them decent people.
As for wanting the sect to step in and manage things?
That was even more impossible.
You were merely a menial; why should they care about you? If you had to blame anyone, blame yourself for being too weak to even protect your own stipend.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, as long as no lives were lost, the sect simply wouldn't care.
"I must raise my strength as quickly as possible to avoid being robbed or coerced by others. Once I keep a low profile for just a little while, I won't have to fear any of this among the menial crowd."
Jiang Chen thought to himself.
He firmly believed that given some time to sign in and cultivate, he would be able to call the wind and summon the rain among the menial disciples, and by then, he wouldn't need to walk on eggshells anymore.
For now, however, a bit of low-profile caution was still required.
He had no desire to be coerced by anyone. Should he run into some male cultivator whose mind had twisted during his years as a menial, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.
The reason he worried about such things was naturally because similar incidents had occurred in the past.
And so, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged in the room, began practicing the Sword Dao True Interpretation, and took out the "Rank 1 Qi and Blood Pill" he had obtained from his first day's sign-in.
There were ten such pills in total, and they possessed a very distinct effect on Qi Refining cultivators.
He took out one, swallowed it into his stomach, and then retrieved the menial stipend he had collected not long ago—a few spirit stones.
Jiang Chen began to cultivate the Sword Dao True Interpretation. Instantly, an endless stream of spiritual energy surged toward him, growing faster and faster.
His talent in the Sword Dao had reached a terrifying degree.
At his Dantian, a vortex seemed to form, continuously sucking in spiritual energy and rapidly converting it into "Sword Essence".
Sword Essence was a form of spiritual power unique to sword cultivators, far stronger and deadlier than ordinary spiritual power.
And this was the hallmark of the Xianyun Sword Sect...
...
As night drew near, Jiang Chen slowly reined in his cultivation. The few spirit stones before him had turned to fine dust, and the Rank 1 Qi and Blood Pills were nearly half depleted.
Yet the harvest was immense.
He had directly bypassed the Qi Refining 2nd Layer and stepped into the Qi Refining 3rd Layer!
Such a rate of progress was nothing short of terrifying, entirely worthy of being described as advancing a thousand miles in a single day.
Many menial disciples who had come to the Xianyun Sword Sect five or ten years ago had only barely reached this realm.
And how long had it taken him?
A mere single day!
Probably only those top-tier prodigies, aided by supreme cultivation techniques, could possibly achieve such a feat!