Chapter 1: Sunflower
"Gu Mo, you have three days left. If you still can't draw Qi into your body, you'll lose your chance to become even a menial disciple of Qinglu Sect."
A voice pierced through Gu Mo's daze.
The sudden voice left Gu Mo bewildered. Draw Qi? Qinglu Sect? He had only pulled an all-nighter at work. How was he suddenly hearing things?
Shaking his still-groggy head, Gu Mo finally saw the speaker clearly: an ordinary-looking middle-aged man in a blue robe, exuding an inexplicable sense of pressure.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Gu Mo spacing out, the blue-robed man let out a cold snort and turned to leave without another word.
What's going on?
Staring at the departing figure, Gu Mo's face was full of question marks. But soon, his confusion turned into shock. He realized he was no longer in his familiar rented apartment. More importantly, he had become a sixteen or seventeen-year-old teenager.
Waking up in a strange place could be explained as being kidnapped. But becoming a teenager? That could only mean one thing—he had transmigrated.
Since transmigration seemed the most likely explanation, Gu Mo's immediate questions were: Who have I become? Where am I? And what am I supposed to do?
Closing his eyes, he searched his mind but found it completely blank—no memories from the original body's owner. Unwilling to give up, he concentrated harder. Suddenly, his consciousness blurred, and he found himself in a strange space. The area was surrounded by dense, impenetrable black fog, except for a small space just large enough for Gu Mo to stretch out his arms.
Curious, Gu Mo reached out to touch the black fog. Instantly, a chilling cold and overwhelming fear surged through him, forcing him to pull back his hand quickly.
Not daring to probe the fog further, Gu Mo focused on the fog-free area. There was nothing around him, so he lowered his gaze to the floor—smooth and made of an unknown material. On it lay an object about the size of a pigeon egg.
Picking it up, Gu Mo examined it. Judging by its appearance and texture, he guessed it was a seed from some unknown plant. But what kind of plant, he couldn't tell.
Unable to figure out where the seed came from, Gu Mo set it aside and continued inspecting the small space. But apart from the seed, there was nothing else to find.
Leave.
As soon as the thought of leaving crossed his mind, Gu Mo felt himself exit the black fog space. Strangely, the seed he had been holding came out with him. Although only his consciousness could enter that dark space, objects from within could be brought out. He wondered if things from the outside could be taken in as well.
Thinking this, Gu Mo looked around, grabbed a random item, and focused his mind. In the next instant, he was back in the black fog space, still holding the object. His heart leapt with excitement.
Things from the outside can be brought in too? Regardless of whatever secrets this black fog space held, its storage ability alone was incredibly powerful.
After experimenting with the space's storage capabilities a few more times, Gu Mo's attention returned to the seed. Even a fool could tell that a mysterious seed found in such a strange space wouldn't be ordinary.
As he examined the seed in his hand, a faint light screen suddenly appeared. Gu Mo was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized it must be some kind of information about the seed.
Name: Sunflower
Grade: Tier 1, Low Quality
Effect: Condenses Sun Essence
Planting Conditions: Tier 1 Spiritual Field
A sunflower that can condense Sun Essence… but what exactly is Sun Essence? Gu Mo wondered, staring at the light screen.
The sunflower also required a spiritual field to grow. Combined with terms like "drawing Qi into the body" and "Qinglu Sect," Gu Mo began to suspect he had transmigrated into a cultivation world.
Thinking of that blue-robed man, Gu Mo recalled him saying he had only three days left to draw Qi into his body, or he'd be expelled. He didn't know what would happen if he got expelled, but it clearly wouldn't be good. The problem was—he had no idea how to draw Qi into his body.
Without the original owner's memories, Gu Mo was at a serious information disadvantage. Luckily, the original owner wasn't a typical person. Who writes a diary these days? But finding the diary hidden in a secret compartment by the bed filled Gu Mo with joy.
The diary detailed a lot of information about the original owner—so much that Gu Mo couldn't help but marvel. This guy was definitely not normal. If anyone else saw this diary, the embarrassment alone would be enough to ruin him socially.
But for Gu Mo, the diary was invaluable. It helped him fully understand the original owner's life and current situation. As Gu Mo had suspected, he had indeed transmigrated into a cultivation world. The original owner, who shared the same name, had been recruited by Qinglu Sect after being found to have inferior spiritual roots.
He was being trained to become a menial disciple—essentially manual labor for the sect, handling tasks like managing spiritual fields, feeding spirit beasts, refining spirit mines, and sorting spiritual herbs.
Such tasks were beyond the capabilities of ordinary people but not worth the precious cultivation time of the sect's elite. Thus, those with the lowest grade spiritual roots, like Gu Mo, made perfect menial disciples.
Even though inferior spiritual roots were the worst kind, they still counted as spiritual roots, meaning cultivation was possible. As long as one could cultivate, they could use spiritual energy to perform tasks beyond the reach of ordinary humans.
While being a menial disciple was hard labor, for ordinary people, entering Qinglu Sect and stepping onto the cultivation path was a massive leap ahead of 99% of the population. Just drawing Qi into the body granted immunity to all illnesses, and reaching the Qi Refining stage meant a lifespan of over a hundred years.
However, despite being in Qinglu Sect for nearly three months, the original owner had failed to draw Qi into his body. Given his inferior spiritual roots, this wasn't surprising. Qinglu Sect knew these disciples had poor talent, but to help them cultivate quickly and contribute to the sect, each menial disciple was given a Qi Induction Pill and three low-grade spirit stones upon entry. With these resources, even those with the worst spiritual roots should manage to draw Qi within three months.
Yet the original owner seemed naturally unsuited for cultivation. No matter how hard he tried, even after consuming the Qi Induction Pill, he couldn't succeed. Hearing that others were completing the process only made him more anxious. Then, he caught wind of a rumor.
It was said that in a forest near the menial disciples' area, a senior inner disciple had accidentally left behind a powerful cultivation manual that could help one grow stronger quickly.
Upon hearing this, the original owner immediately went searching and, by sheer luck, found a cultivation method.
Gu Mo frowned as he read the diary. This seems fishy. Rummaging through the cabinet where the diary had been hidden, he found the manual.
Divine Soul Refining Technique
The name sounded impressive, but as Gu Mo flipped through it, he discovered it described how to refine one's soul by devouring the souls of the living. Though Gu Mo was new to cultivation, even he could tell this wasn't a righteous technique.
From the diary, Qinglu Sect didn't seem like an evil sect. If a disciple were caught practicing such a malicious technique, they'd be dead for sure.
At this point, Gu Mo was certain someone had set up the original owner. But why target a mere menial disciple who hadn't even drawn Qi into his body? The diary mentioned no grudges or enemies.
The entries ended right after the original owner obtained the Divine Soul Refining Technique. Clearly, he had tried to cultivate it, but something had gone wrong, shattering his soul—and making way for Gu Mo's transmigration.
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