Feng Chen sat cross-legged in his cave, staring at the mountain of treasures surrounding him. It was almost too much to process.
Two growth-type weapons... the Abyssal Devourer Blade and the Demon's Vile, both brimming with potential. His Celestial Starfall Robe, which still pulsed with a heavenly aura even in its sealed state. Then there were the countless pills, arrays, and elixirs. It was overwhelming, yet exhilarating.
His fingers brushed against the hilts of his two weapons as he pondered their potential.
"These two," he muttered with a sly grin.
"They're powerful now, but they're like little pups compared to what they could become." The Abyssal Devourer Blade and the Demon's Vile seemed to hum in response, almost as if they were aware of his thoughts.
Feng Chen chuckled,
"These two act like rivals, always competing for my attention. But they're still just overpowered children with big attitudes." He smiled and leaned back against the cave wall.
"I need to upgrade their grades first, then I can really start pushing their growth. Only after they reach a graded weapon status will I start fusing those enhancement stones into them. That's when the real fun begins."
As he continued to contemplate his next steps, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Cultivation. That was the true key to unlocking everything... his weapons, his power, his place in the world.
He had come so far since being exiled from the Feng Clan, but he knew that without pushing his cultivation further, he could easily get stuck in this rapidly depleting world.
"The Qi of this world," Feng Chen mumbled, closing his eyes.
"It's been fading, slowly, ever since that war. I need to be fast with my cultivation or I'll end up like the others... stuck in the same realm for centuries." His brow furrowed.
"I remember reading about this in the Feng Clan's library… they all struggle because of the weakened Qi in this world. Those who were born after the war are stuck, and those who survived it haven't progressed for a millennia."
His thoughts turned to his father... one of the strongest cultivators, yet even he was stuck in the same realm. It was one of the reasons the great clans had formed alliances... out of desperation, not power.
"Even Father…" Feng Chen thought, a strange mixture of satisfaction and pity in his heart.
"He's stuck like the rest of them. All that power, and he still can't break through."
Leaning back against the cave wall, Feng Chen gazed up at the ceiling, his mind turning back to the knowledge he had gained from the Feng Clan's archives. He had once spent hours reading through ancient scrolls, dreaming of cultivating one day.
The irony wasn't lost on him... back then, he had been useless, unable to cultivate, and now, he was surging through the ranks faster than anyone could have imagined.
"All of that knowledge," Feng Chen said with a small smile.
"Maybe it's time to see what the system knows. I'm sure it has more knowledge than I do, especially with this strange new cultivation path I've started."
With that thought in mind, Feng Chen straightened up and called out,
"System, show me the cultivation realms. I want to see where I stand and where I'm heading."
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System Notification:-
Displaying Cultivation Realms...
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A blue, semi-transparent window popped up before him, filled with rows of cultivation realms. Feng Chen's eyes scanned over the familiar realms at the top, but as he read further down, he froze.
His eyes narrowed, and his brows knitted together in confusion. There were realms listed here that he had never seen before, and some realms that should have been there… were missing.
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Cultivation Realms:-
1. Body Refining Realm – Strengthening the physical body for Qi absorption.
2. Qi Condensation Realm – Accumulating and refining Qi.
3. Foundation Realm – Building a stable base for future breakthroughs.
4. Core Formation Realm – Forming a powerful golden core that serves as the center of Qi.
5. Qi Consciousness Realm – Unlocking the sea of Qi and expanding spiritual awareness.
6. Forging Soul Realm – Strengthening the soul to eventually materialize it.
7. Nascent Soul Realm – The soul begins to take on a tangible form.
8. Soul Formation Realm – The soul surpasses the boundaries of the body, becoming a force of its own.
9. Soul Tribulation Realm – The soul endures tribulations to transcend mortal limitations.
10. Grand Tribulation Realm – The body undergoes its own tribulations, shedding mortal limitations.
11. Body Integration Realm – Strengthening the body for future cultivation and merging with the soul.
12. Void Amalgamation Realm – Merging the self with the void, expanding cosmic understanding.
13. Soul Ascension Realm – The soul and body ascend beyond mortal limitations.
14. Dao Integration Realm – The cultivator's chosen Dao integrates into the soul and body.
15. Mahayana Realm – Achieving true ascension and merging with the cosmic laws.
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System Notification:-
Additional realms will unlock upon reaching the Mahayana Realm or via external discovery.
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Feng Chen blinked, then blinked again. He rubbed his eyes for good measure, but the screen remained unchanged.
"Wait… what is this?" he asked, leaning closer to the screen.
"This… this isn't right! Why is this so different from everything I've read about?"
He scanned the realms again, feeling a pit forming in his stomach.
"Where are the standard realms I know? And what's with all this focus on the soul?" He groaned loudly, shaking his head.
"This cultivation system looks like some cosmic prank! It doesn't match anything from the cultivation worlds I know, either from this life or from the mangas I used to read."
For a moment, he considered the possibility that the system was glitching.
"System," Feng Chen said, his voice laced with suspicion,
"are you malfunctioning? Explain why the cultivation realms look like this."
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System Notification:-
... Processing...
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The system hesitated, and then it happened... glitches. The words on the screen flickered, distorting and garbling themselves into unintelligible symbols. It was as if the system was being blocked from giving him a straight answer, and Feng Chen could feel his frustration growing by the second.
"What the hell?" Feng Chen muttered, glaring at the screen.
"Why does this keep happening?! Is it because my foundation is unique? Is my cultivation too complex, or too powerful, for the system to handle?"
He paused for a moment, running a hand through his long white hair as he tried to make sense of it.
"Maybe… maybe the powers of Yin and Yang are just too special. That has to be it, right?" He nodded to himself, feeling slightly more assured.
"Yeah, that must be the case. I'm just too damn special for the normal cultivation paths to apply to me." He grinned.
"Or so I'll tell myself."
Deciding to let it go for now, Feng Chen returned his focus to his next step.
"Right… the inventory," he said aloud, stretching his arms and legs.
"I haven't gone through everything yet. Time to make sure I'm not sitting on a bunch of untapped potential."
With a thought, he summoned the system once again.
"System, show me my inventory. Let's see what treasures I've got in there."
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System Notification:-
Displaying Inventory...
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A long list appeared in front of him, filled with items both old and new. Feng Chen's eyes gleamed as he scrolled through the contents, realizing just how much he had accumulated over the years. It was like staring at a personal treasure trove.
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Inventory:-
- 50 High-Grade Cultivation Pills
- 10 Mystical Arrays (Protection, Qi Enhancement, Attack)
- 5 Spirit Armors (Various Grades)
- 3 Divine Cultivation Techniques
- Heavenly Rejuvenation Elixir
- 10 Weapon Enhancement Stones
- Foundtion Realm Beast Cores (x100)
- 5 Immortal Grade Spirit Herbs
- Celestial Starfall Robe (Heavenly Grade)
- Abyssal Devourer Blade (Growth-Type)
- Demon's Vile (Growth-Type)
- Iron Bark Armor (Chest Piece, Retired)
- Spirit Hunter Robe (Retired)
- Qi Restoration Pills (x20)
- Basic Alchemy Kit
- Small Herbal Collection (Rare Herbs)
- Array of Basic Weaponry (Low-Grade)
- Mystery Box (Unopened)
- Advanced Qi Manipulation Technique
- Swift Strike Technique Scroll
- Reinforced Bones Pill (x2)
- Improved Lightfoot Talisman (x2)
- Thunderstrike Talisman (Enhanced)
- Essence of Speed Elixir
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