Li Mingfu ignored the thin strand of Qi that had just entered his body.
Instead, he focused entirely on the strange Ding that echoed in his mind.
His eyes widened slightly.
No way…
His heart began beating faster.
This might be it.
My golden finger.
Trying to keep his excitement under control, Li Mingfu whispered.
"System… Status."
A translucent panel appeared in his mind.
Name: Li Mingfu
Age: 5
Cultivation: Qi Refinement stage 1
Cultivation Technique: Basic Qi Technique
Martial Art Technique: None
Talent: Heaven-Defying Luck
Li Mingfu blinked.
"…That's it?"
He stared at the screen again.
Nothing changed.
No hidden tabs.
No rewards.
No beginner gift packs.
Just a simple status window.
He waited.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Nothing.
Li Mingfu's mouth twitched.
"Seriously?"
He had read enough novels to know how this was supposed to work.
People usually get ridiculous cheats.
A divine sword that could kill anything in one hit.
An ancient cultivation technique that allowed them to reach immortality in three years.
Or a system that helped them cultivate ten times faster.
But him?
Just a status screen.
Li Mingfu sighed deeply.
"I feel cheated."
Then his eyes drifted to the last line.
Talent: Heaven-Defying Luck
He paused.
"…Oh?"
His expression slowly changed.
Maybe that was the cheat.
He scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"So I'm lucky?"
Li Mingfu leaned back slightly.
"Hmmm… honestly, that's not bad."
Luck was one of those things that sounded weak but could be incredibly powerful.
After all, if someone was lucky enough.
They might randomly find treasures.
Avoid deadly situations.
Or stumble upon ancient inheritances.
"Alright."
Li Mingfu nodded to himself.
"Let's see how lucky I really am."
He stopped thinking about the system and focused on the Qi inside his body.
The strand of Qi moved slowly through his meridians like a small stream.
It felt strangely comfortable.
Almost like warm water flowing through invisible channels in his body.
Li Mingfu carefully guided the Qi according to the instructions in the manual.
While circulating it, he reviewed the cultivation information again.
According to the basic manual:
Time needed to draw Qi:
Top-grade spiritual root: a few days
High-grade spiritual root: about one week
Medium-grade spiritual root: about two weeks
Low-grade spiritual root: one month or longer
Then came the next stage.
Qi Refinement advancement speed:
Top grade
1–2 months to reach stage 2
Around 10 years to reach stage 9 (Perfection)
High grade
2–3 months to reach stage 2
Around 15 years to reach stage 9 (Perfection)
Medium grade
5–6 months to reach stage 2
Over 20 years to reach stage 9 (Perfection)
Low grade
Over 6 months to reach stage 2
No clear estimate for reaching stage 9 (Perfection)
Li Mingfu nodded.
"Sounds about right for a cultivation world."
It meant talent mattered a lot.
Luckily, he had high-grade spiritual roots.
Which meant he was already ahead of most people.
After cultivating for another few days, Li Mingfu decided to take a break.
He stepped outside and walked into the courtyard.
Many children had gathered there in small groups.
Some were chatting.
Some were asking questions.
Others simply looked bored.
Li Mingfu quietly listened to their conversations.
Apparently, all five top-grade talents had already drawn in Qi.
Several Inner Sect Elders and Peak Elders had been arguing over who would take them as disciples.
Li Mingfu raised an eyebrow.
"Wow… VIP treatment."
Many of the high-grade disciples had also successfully drawn Qi.
But the rest of the children were struggling.
Unable to cultivate, they wandered around nervously asking others for advice.
While listening to the gossip, Li Mingfu also learned more about the sect hierarchy.
According to the manual:
Sect Elders
Outer Sect Elders
Inner Sect Elders
Peak Elders
Sect Master
Sect Guardians
The manual did not say how many existed.
For disciples, the structure was different.
Servants
Basically slaves.
They handled cleaning, cooking, and other labor.
Outer Disciples
They performed jobs and missions to earn contribution points.
Inner Disciples
They received more support from the sect and regular contributions.
They also completed missions for additional rewards.
Core Disciples
The elites.
Heavily invested in by the sect.
They received resources and a high status.
Everyone respected them.
After learning nothing new, Li Mingfu returned to his room.
He reread the manuals several times to make sure he didn't miss anything.
As the days passed, he occasionally tried calling the system again.
"System?"
Nothing.
"System shop?"
Silence.
"Lottery?"
Still nothing.
After a week of experimenting, Li Mingfu gave up.
"Fine."
"If all I get is Heaven-Defying Luck, I'll take it."
For the rest of the month, he focused entirely on cultivation.
Slowly refining Qi.
Strengthening his meridians.
One month later.
Outer Sect Elder Mo Shou appeared again.
All five hundred or so children gathered in the courtyard.
The elder tested everyone again.
As expected:
All top-grade, high-grade, and medium-grade talents had successfully drawn Qi.
Among the low-grade group, only about half succeeded.
The rest were taken away.
They would become servants.
Li Mingfu counted roughly.
Around four hundred children had passed.
About one hundred were removed.
Elder Mo Shou then led the successful disciples to a tall pavilion.
He stopped at the entrance.
"You have thirty minutes."
"You may select one cultivation manual from the first floor only."
"Top-grade talents enter first."
"Then high grades."
"Then medium and low."
"Ten people at a time."
Li Mingfu stood calmly in line.
He belonged to the second group.
So he waited.
When the first group exited, their expressions varied wildly.
Some looked excited.
Others looked disappointed.
Li Mingfu narrowed his eyes.
Maybe not every cultivation manual is good.
Soon, it was his group's turn.
They entered the pavilion and were led to a certain area.
Inside were countless shelves filled with manuals.
The smell of old paper filled the room.
Li Mingfu began browsing.
There were many different types.
Cultivation manuals.
Body cultivation manuals.
Sword cultivation manuals.
Spear cultivation manuals.
Even some demonic cultivation manuals.
But one thing stood out.
Every manual could only be cultivated by the Foundation Establishment.
Li Mingfu nodded.
"That makes sense."
The sect wouldn't give advanced manuals to new disciples.
Still…There were too many choices.
Li Mingfu scratched his head.
"How am I supposed to pick?"
He thought for a moment.
Then suddenly smiled.
"Oh, right."
"I have Heaven-Defying Luck."
He pulled out a small mortal coin.
Heads on one side.
Tails on the other.
"Alright."
He held up a manual.
"Heads means this is the right one."
"Tails means pick another."
Flip.
Tails.
"Next."
Flip.
Tails.
"Next."
Flip.
Tails again.
Several disciples nearby stared at him strangely.
Even a few elders noticed.
Eventually, an Outer Sect Elder walked over with an annoyed expression.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Li Mingfu smiled innocently.
"I'm picking a cultivation manual."
"There are too many choices, so I decided to leave it to luck."
The elder's eye twitched slightly.
"Hurry up."
"You're running out of time."
Li Mingfu nodded cheerfully.
"Don't worry. I'll find one."
The elder snorted and walked away.
Li Mingfu continued flipping a coin.
Time was slowly running out.
Ten minutes left.
Five minutes left.
Two minutes.
Li Mingfu remained calm.
Then, with one minute remaining.
The coin flipped into the air.
It landed in his palm.
Heads.
Li Mingfu stopped.
He finally looked at the manual he was holding.
The book looked old and worn.
The edges were tattered.
He muttered quietly.
"Looks like no one likes this one."
"There's probably something wrong with it."
"But hey… the coin chose it."
He walked to the counter.
The elder there glanced at the manual and raised an eyebrow.
"You're sure you want this?"
Li Mingfu nodded.
"Yes."
The elder sighed.
"There are many puppet cultivation manuals here."
"But this one is extremely complicated."
"Progress is slow."
"I'll give you five minutes to choose another."
Li Mingfu shook his head.
"No."
"Destiny told me to pick this one."
"If it doesn't work, I'll just earn contribution points and change it later."
The elder shrugged.
"Fine."
"Your loss."
Li Mingfu bowed politely and left.
Outside, many disciples had already started reading their manuals.
Li Mingfu sat down and opened his.
Only then did he read the title.
Thousand Thread Qi Weaving Art
After reading it carefully, Li Mingfu finally understood.
"So that's why…"
Most cultivation techniques guided Qi like a flowing river through the meridians.
But this technique was different.
It splits Qi into hundreds and eventually thousands of microscopic threads.
These threads were then woven through the meridians like puppet strings.
The advantages were incredible.
Every thread could be individually controlled.
Zero wasted Qi.
Perfect efficiency.
It improved multitasking.
Qi threads could run multiple techniques simultaneously.
A cultivator could even control two weapons independently.
The threads could detect airflow, vibrations, and micro movements.
Perfect for improving perception.
But the disadvantages were just as severe.
Each cultivation stage required ten threads.
Stage 1 needed 10 threads.
Stage 2 needed 20 threads.
Stage 3 needed 30 threads.
And so on.
Qi absorption was also slower than normal.
While others reached Qi Refinement stage 3, he might still be stuck at stage 1.
To make it worse.
Each thread required intense concentration.
If the threads tangled or collided, it could cause:
Meridian damage.
Organ injury.
Or even Qi deviation.
The technique also lacked explosive power.
In direct combat, it was weak.
A warning was written clearly.
Those who cultivate this technique should avoid direct confrontation.
Li Mingfu finished reading.
Then closed the book.
"…Interesting."
He smiled slightly.
He had simply trusted his Heaven-Defying Luck.
If it turned out badly.
He would just earn contributions and change techniques later.
But deep down inside.
Li Mingfu had a feeling.
Heaven-Defying Luck would not lie to him.