The moment I realized I had traveled through time, I noticed something was off. My village… it was different.
I stepped outside and froze. A young man sat cross-legged in the middle of the street, faint traces of Qi swirling around him.
A Qi Refining cultivator.
My eyes widened. That's impossible! My village only had one cultivator before… and that was me.
"Could this be because of my time travel? Did something change… or is this the work of the Heavens?" I muttered under my breath.
No matter the cause, one fact was certain—this world wasn't the same one I remembered.
I returned to my hut, my thoughts in chaos. To calm myself, I began body refining exercises. Back then, this was the foundation of cultivation. Until one's body was tempered, gathering Qi was impossible.
Sweat dripped down my skin as I practiced. My muscles burned, my meridians pulsed with effort. And then I remembered something important:
"Tomorrow… is my eighteenth birthday. The day my cultivation journey officially begins."
I recalled the pain of learning that I had false spiritual roots. I had sat in silence for an entire day, weighing whether to abandon cultivation altogether. In the end, I had chosen to cultivate anyway, vowing to walk a path no matter how steep.
The night grew darker. My body refining went smoothly, and before I knew it, it was almost midnight.
That was when it happened.
A soft chime echoed in my ears. A blue floating window appeared out of nowhere, glowing faintly in the dark room.
> [System Initialized]
Greetings, Player. I am a System created by Heaven itself.
I exist to guide those with cultivation potential once they reach the age of eighteen.
I staggered back, startled. "A system?"
The window flickered again.
> [Notice]
Even though you lack talent, do not worry.
Heaven treats everyone fairly. Those without gifted roots will receive the System's voice.
My jaw dropped. "This never happened in my past life…"
Suddenly, a soft, feminine voice rang inside my mind.
> [System Voice Active]
Master, can you hear me?
I nearly jumped. "You… you can speak directly into my mind?"
> [Yes]
That is one of my abilities.
Would Master like to begin cultivation now?
I frowned. "I can't cultivate yet. My body isn't prepared. You don't even know such a basic thing, yet you claim you can guide me?"
> [Correction]
Master's body is already capable of cultivation.
That is why I said so.
"…What?" My face darkened. "I'm still in the Body Refining Realm. How can I cultivate already?"
The system's voice paused, as if confused.
> [Error Detected]
'Body Refining Realm'? What is Master talking about?
There is no such stage. Who told Master that?
The words struck me like thunder.
"No… Body Refining Realm?" My heart pounded. "How can someone cultivate without preparing their body first? This makes no sense…"
I quickly realized something terrifying. The world has changed. The very rules of cultivation are different now.
Taking a shaky breath, I asked, "Then how does one gather Qi in this world?"
> [Explanation]
It is simple. A cultivation manual allows one to absorb Qi directly.
Every person receives a Basic Qi Gathering Manual with a cultivation speed of 1 Qi per second.
A new floating window appeared before me:
> [New Item Unlocked]
Qi Gathering Manual
– Speed: 1 Qi per second
I stared, dumbfounded.
"One Qi per second? Just like that? Without gathering… refining… and absorbing?"
In my old world, cultivation required painstaking steps. You gathered Qi from heaven and earth, refined the impurities out, then absorbed what little remained into your dantian. With false spiritual roots, I had wasted centuries struggling just to refine properly.
And now? One click, and Qi just flows in?
"This… this would have saved me hundreds, no, thousands of years," I whispered, my fists trembling.
"Where's my Qi Gathering Manual? I can't see it anywhere."
> [System Notice]
Cultivation manuals are stored in Master's Inventory.
Would Master like to view it?
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
A new window appeared, glowing faintly:
> [Inventory]
Cultivation Manuals: (02)
– Qi Gathering Manual
– Aetheria Bloom
I blinked in surprise. "Two manuals?"
I tapped the first one.
> [Qi Gathering Manual]
Level: 1
Grade: Mortal
Effect: +1 Qi per second
Basic. Too basic.
I quickly tapped on the second.
When the details appeared, my breath caught in my throat.
> [Aetheria Bloom]
Level: 1
C. Grade: Mortal
A. Grade: Supreme
Effect: +15 Qi per second
Extra Effect: Killing a cultivator of the same realm increases absorption speed by +1%
I nearly dropped to the floor.
"This… isn't this the very same Supreme Grade Manual I found in my past life after six hundred years of wandering the world?" My voice shook.
But then another detail gnawed at me. "C. Grade? A. Grade? What does that mean?"
> [System Explanation]
C. Grade = Current Grade (the grade you can currently handle).
A. Grade = Actual Grade (the true grade of the item).
When an item's true power is too high, its strength is suppressed so it does not harm the user.
That is why your Supreme Manual currently shows as Mortal Grade.
"I see…" I muttered, heart racing. "This… this is incredible. Not only do I have my supreme manual from the start, but I can grow stronger just by defeating other cultivators…"
Excitement surged through me. For the first time in my two lifetimes, the heavens had given me a real chance.
But I quickly hid my thoughts and asked calmly, "System, how do I use cultivation manuals?"
[Instruction]
Please open your Character Status and create a character, Master.
A new window appeared before my eyes:
[Character Creation Available]
I took a deep breath, staring at the glowing words.
"A new life… a new path… this time, I'll walk to immortality."
I reached out and pressed my finger against the floating screen.