The days began to take on a pleasant rhythm. My [Auto-Cultivate] function was my faithful,
invisible workhorse, tirelessly chipping away at the next breakthrough. [Whispering Cloud
Primer: 89% to Next Insight.] The progress was addicting to watch.
My afternoons were now dedicated to my new hobby: collecting skills.
The outer disciple library became my personal playground. I would pick a manual at random—
"Gale Palm," "Iron Skin Technique," "Six Senses Awareness"—and use my [Observe] skill to
dissect it. The system would instantly highlight the flawed instructions and provide the corrected
pathways. I didn't have the System Points to [Auto-Learn] them all, but with the corrected
methods, I could practice the foundational movements and concepts manually.
I wasn't powerful, but I was becoming… well-rounded. My [Placid Deer Steps] were now
smooth and instinctual. I could channel a wisp of Qi to my palm in the pattern for "Gale Palm,"
though it wouldn't ruffle a feather yet. It was like assembling a toolkit, one perfectly crafted,
albeit small, tool at a time.
My newfound "productivity" did not go unnoticed by Xiao Lian. I made a point of visiting the
kitchens during her quieter shifts, often with a wildflower I'd found or a interestingly shaped
stone.
"It's for your kindness," I'd say. "A token of thanks."
She'd always blush, tuck the flower behind her ear, and sneak an extra ladle of spirit beast broth
into my bowl. We'd talk. I'd tell her stories from my "homeland"—carefully sanitized tales of
office politics that I reframed as clan intrigues, which she found fascinating and bizarre. She, in
turn, would tell me about her family, simple farmers who had scraped together everything to
send her to the sect, hoping she would become a powerful cultivator and lift them from poverty.
The pressure on her shoulders was immense. It made my own facade of laziness feel a little
selfish.
"Don't you ever worry?" she asked me one afternoon, her voice barely a whisper as we sat on
the low wall near the kitchens. "About the evaluation? I see Zhang and Li training until they
collapse. They say anyone below the fourth level of Qi Gathering will be assigned to manual labor
for a year."
I took a bite of a spirit fruit she'd given me. "Worrying is like trying to solve an algebra equation
by chewing bubblegum. You can do it, but it'll give you a headache and you'll look silly."
She stared at me, utterly bewildered. "What… what is algebra?"
"Exactly," I said mysteriously. "Some things are just not worth the effort. Besides, you're at the
peak of the third level. You'll break through to the fourth before the evaluation. I can feel it."
Her eyes widened. "How could you know that? I haven't told anyone!"
I just tapped the side of my nose. The [Observe] skill showed her cultivation as [Qi Gathering
Stage, Level 3 (Peak)] , her spiritual energy swirling right at the brink of a bottleneck. A little
nudge was all she needed.
Later that day, I made a decision. I found a quiet spot and focused on my inventory. I still had the
three [Minor Qi Restoration Pills] and five [Low-Grade Spirit Stones] from the beginner's
pack. The pills were useful, but the spirit stones were raw, unrefined energy. Perfect for what I
had in mind.
I took one of the spirit stones. It hummed in my hand, a compact little battery of power. Using a
sliver of my own Qi, I carefully etched a tiny, simple formation onto its surface—a "Gathering
Formation" that the [Observe] skill had corrected from a flawed manual. It was crude, but it
would work.
The next time I saw Xiao Lian, I pressed the modified spirit stone into her hand.
"Here. For good luck during your meditation tonight."
She looked at it, then at me, her expression a mixture of confusion and gratitude. "A spirit stone?
Lin Yun, you can't! These are too valuable for you to—"
"I insist," I said, closing her fingers around it. "Consider it an investment. When you're a mighty
inner disciple, you can remember the lazy outer disciple who believed in you."
She protested, but I refused to take it back. That night, as I lay in my cot, I saw a faint pulse of
light from the direction of the female dormitories and felt a small, stable surge of energy. My [
Observe] skill, even at a distance, registered the change.
[ Target: Xiao Lian. Cultivation: Qi Gathering Stage, Level 4 (Solid). ]
A smile touched my lips. Good.
The following morning, the atmosphere in the outer disciple compound shifted. The air was thick
with tension and the scent of nervous sweat. Disciples practiced with a frantic, desperate energy.
Instructors walked around with stern faces, clipboards in hand.
The Monthly Evaluation had arrived.
Zhang spotted me leaning against a pillar, watching the chaos. He swaggered over, his chest
puffed out.
"Ready for your last day as a disciple, Lin Yun?" he sneered. "I just broke through to the fifth
level. I might even catch the eye of an Elder today. Meanwhile, you're still wallowing at the
bottom. It's almost pathetic."
I gave him a lazy, unconcerned smile. "Congratulations. You've worked very hard. It must be
exhausting."
His smirk faltered, confused by my lack of fear or anger.
Just then, a clear, resonant bell chime echoed across the grounds, silencing everyone.
The Head Elder for outer disciple affairs, a stern-looking man with a long grey beard, stepped
onto the central platform. His voice boomed, amplified by Qi.
"Disciples! The evaluation begins now! We will test your cultivation base, your technique
comprehension, and your combat prowess. Your future in the Whispering Cloud Sect rests on
your performance today. Let the first group step forward!"
My name was in the first group. Alongside Zhang and Li.
Zhang shot me a final, vindictive glare. "This is where you fall, trash."
I just stretched, cricked my neck, and ambled towards the testing platform.
[ Whispering Cloud Primer: 100% to Next Insight. ]
[ Breakthrough to Qi Gathering Stage, Level 3 available. Initiate? Y/N ]
I selected [Y].
A calm, controlled wave of power flowed through me, washing away the last remnants of my
fatigue and strengthening my body further. It wasn't a violent rupture, but a smooth, seamless
upgrade. No one around me even noticed.
Name: Lin Yun
Cultivation: Qi Gathering Stage, Level 3 (Solid)
I looked at the testing crystal and the stern-faced Elders. The storm had arrived. And I was
perfectly prepared to be the calmest, most unassuming leaf in the hurricane.