Before he could fully revel in the feeling of newfound strength, a loud, arrogant voice shattered the peace from outside his small courtyard.
"Wei Lian, you trash! Get out here!"
Wei Lian's eyes narrowed. The voice belonged to a servant named Wong, a man who derived great pleasure from tormenting the clan's resident failure. Slowly, Wei Lian pushed himself off the bed, feeling the solid, responsive power in his legs. He was no longer a fragile, broken boy.
He opened the door to see two figures. One was a junior servant, smirking in anticipation. The other, Servant Wong, stood with a puffed-out chest and a sneer plastered on his fleshy face. A faint aura of Qi, identical in strength to Wei Lian's own, radiated from him. Servant Wong was at the second level of Body Forging.
"The steward requires the western courtyard to be swept of fallen leaves," Wong said, his voice dripping with condescension. He looked Wei Lian up and down. "A fitting task for someone who's been stuck at the first level for four years. Now hurry up."
Wei Lian met his gaze, his expression unreadable. "I'm busy."
Wong's sneer faltered, replaced by disbelief, then rage. "Busy? Who do you think you are to refuse a task? Still dreaming of cultivation? A disgrace like you will do as you're told! It seems I need to beat some obedience into you!"
With a roar, Wong lunged forward, his fist swinging in a crude arc aimed at Wei Lian's head. He put all the power of his second-level Body Forging into the punch, expecting to send the useless young master flying, just as he had done many times before.
This is what Wong expected. But Wei Lian was no longer just the old Wei Lian. He was also William, with an adult's calm in a crisis, and he now possessed a body perfectly in tune with itself. For years, with his cultivation stalled, the only thing the original Wei Lian could do was practice the clan's basic martial forms. Day after day, he threw a thousand punches, a thousand kicks, turning his body into a weapon through sheer, monotonous repetition. His cultivation was trash, but his grasp of the Wei Clan Fist Art had reached the stage of Great Accomplishment.
To Wei Lian, Wong's telegraphed haymaker moved in slow motion, full of openings.
With a minimal side-step that seemed more like a casual lean, Wei Lian let the clumsy punch sail past his ear. Wong's momentum carried him forward, off-balance. Wei Lian flowed with the motion, his hand shooting out not as a fist, but as a rigid palm. He struck Wong squarely in the solar plexus.
WHUFF!
The air exploded from Servant Wong's lungs. His eyes bulged in shock and pain. Before he could even begin to fall, Wei Lian's other hand chopped down on the back of his knee. The joint buckled instantly. Wong crashed to the ground, gasping for air like a fish on land.
It was over in a second.
The other servant stared, his jaw hanging open in utter disbelief.
Wei Lian stood over the wheezing, pathetic form of Servant Wong. The physical power between them was identical, but the difference in skill was a chasm as wide as the heavens. He looked down, his face a mask of cold indifference.
"You were saying something about a broom?"
The other servant, who had been smirking just moments before, went pale. His jaw hung slack as he stared first at the wheezing, crumpled form of Servant Wong, then at the impossibly calm Wei Lian. The "trash" young master hadn't just won; he had dismantled a cultivator of the same level with contemptuous ease.
Terror seized the servant's heart. He dropped to his knees, frantically grabbing a fallen branch and starting to sweep at the leaves on the ground with desperate, jerky motions.
"Yes, Young Master! I'll sweep! I'll sweep!" he yelped, his voice trembling. "Wong was a fool, Young Master! Please forgive him! Look! I'm sweeping!"
Wei Lian watched the pathetic display for a moment, his face an unreadable mask. "Hold on," he said, his voice quiet but carrying an authority that made the servant instantly freeze, branch held mid-sweep.
Wei Lian's cold gaze shifted from the terrified servant to the groaning Wong, then back again. "You. And him. Hand over all of your pills and spirit stones."
Hope died in the servant's eyes, replaced by pure, unadulterated fear. Robbery was a serious offense in the clan, but defying this newly terrifying young master seemed like a much worse alternative.
"Yes, Young Master!" the servant stammered. He quickly fumbled inside his worn clothes and produced a small, grimy pouch containing two dull-gray Qi Gathering Pills and a few copper coins. He offered them with both hands, his head bowed low.
Wei Lian gestured with his chin towards Wong. "His, too."
The servant scrambled over to Wong, who could only glare weakly as his former lackey unceremoniously frisked him. Wong's pouch was slightly heavier, yielding three more low-grade Qi Gathering Pills and a single, fist-sized, dull-looking rock—a low-grade spirit stone.
The servant brought the entire meager haul to Wei Lian, holding it out as if it were a tribute to a king.
Wei Lian took the pouches, not even bothering to glance at their contents. He tucked them into his own robes and looked down at the two servants.
"Now get out of my sight," he said, his voice flat. "And take him with you."
With a flurry of desperate "Yes, Young Master!" and "Thank you, Young Master!", the second servant hoisted the groaning Wong over his shoulder and stumbled away as fast as he could, leaving the courtyard in blessed silence.
Wei Lian turned, walked back into his sparse room, and shut the door. He was no longer just the useless trash of the Wei clan. He was a cultivator on the second level of Body Forging, with a perfect spirit root, and for the first time in this life, he had capital. It wasn't much, but with the Sage of Hundredfold Gains system, it was a start.
Clutching the small pouches, Wei Lian didn't linger on his victory. His mind was already on his next move. The system was triggered by sincere gifting. He had a debt to repay, and now, he had the means.
He left his desolate courtyard and navigated the familiar servant pathways of the Wei clan estate. He found Xiao Mei where he expected to: in the laundry yard, scrubbing clothes on a large stone board. Her small frame was tense with effort, and her face was flushed from the steam and exertion.
He approached quietly. "Xiao Mei."
She jumped, spinning around with a startled gasp. Seeing him, her eyes widened first in surprise, then in fear. "Y-Young Master Wei! Is something wrong?" she whispered, glancing around nervously.
Wei Lian simply held out the two grimy pouches he'd taken. "These are for you."
Xiao Mei stared at the pouches, then back at his face, confused. "Young Master, I... I don't understand."
He opened the pouches and poured the contents into his palm: five dull-gray Qi Gathering Pills, a single, low-grade spirit stone, and a handful of copper coins.
Her eyes went wide with shock. A single spirit stone was worth more than a servant like her would see in a year. "No! I can't take this!" she blurted out, taking a step back. "Young Master, this is a fortune! Where did you get this?"
"Don't ask," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. He stepped forward and gently took her red, chapped hand, placing the pills, the spirit stone, and the coins into her palm. "You showed me kindness when no one else would. This is my thanks. Use them for your cultivation. Don't let your own spirit stagnate because you helped me."
His intent was crystal clear in his mind. This is for you. A true reward for your kindness. Improve yourself. Have a better life.
He closed her fingers around the treasure. As she stared at her hand, utterly dumbfounded, the familiar blue screen bloomed in his vision.
[Sincere gifting intent detected.]
[Target: Servant, Xiao Mei.]
[Items: 5x Low-Grade Qi Gathering Pills (Impure), 1x Low-Grade Spirit Stone, Assorted Copper Coins.]
[Calculating rewards based on item category...]
The screen pulsed, organizing the rewards into three distinct sections.
[Reward Category: Currency (from Copper Coins)]
[Please select ONE option:]
► 100 Silver Taels
► 1 Gold Tael
Wei Lian's mind moved quickly. A gold tael was valuable, but for operating in the mortal sections of a city—buying food, clothes, or information—it was inconveniently large and would attract unwanted attention. One hundred silver taels, however, was perfect pocket change for practical exchanges. The silver.
[Selected: 100 Silver Taels]
The screen updated.
[Reward Category: Spirit Stones (from Low-Grade Spirit Stone)]
[Please select ONE option:]
► 100x Low-Grade Spirit Stones
► 1x Medium-Grade Spirit Stone
His fused memories provided immediate context. A single low-grade spirit stone was a form of currency among cultivators, scarily valuable and worth more than a hundred gold taels to mortals. A medium-grade one was exponentially more precious. To flash such a thing would be to invite disaster. However, 100 low-grade stones represented a massive reserve of both cultivation fuel and flexible currency for the world of cultivators. It was a far more practical asset. The hundred low-grade stones.
[Selected: 100x Low-Grade Spirit Stones]
Finally, the most important category appeared.
[Reward Category: Pills (from Qi Gathering Pills)]
[Please select ONE option:]
► 500x Medium-Grade Qi Gathering Pills (Pure)
► 5x Qi Accumulation Pills (Pure)
Wei Lian focused, his memories providing the crucial information. Qi Accumulation Pills were not for a future realm; they were simply an extremely potent, upgraded version of Qi Gathering Pills. A single one contained a ferociously compressed amount of pure spiritual energy, equivalent to dozens, if not a hundred, medium-grade pills.
The choice was quality versus quantity. 500 pills was a steady supply, a gentle stream to fill his meridians over months of cultivation. But with his new Perfect Five-Element Spirit Root, his cultivation efficiency was monstrous. He didn't need a gentle stream. He needed a battering ram. He needed a powerful flood to smash through the barriers of the Body Forging realm one by one.
Five hundred light taps, or five decisive, earth-shattering blows? The path to power was clear. The Qi Accumulation Pills.
[Selected: 5x Qi Accumulation Pills (Pure)]
[All selections confirmed. Dispensing rewards.]
[Rewards transferred to System Storage.]
Instead of objects magically appearing in his hand, a new sensation occurred. A corner of his mind seemed to open up, revealing a quiet, dark space. Within this mental void, he could clearly perceive a heavy silk pouch brimming with silver, a neat stack of one hundred faintly glowing spirit stones, and a small, elegant jade bottle containing five tranquil blue pills. It was a portable, invisible vault, a secret treasury only he could access.
"Young Master?" Xiao Mei's timid voice pulled him from his reverie. "Are... are you alright?"
Wei Lian blinked, a slow, satisfied smile touching his lips. He looked at the naive, kind-hearted girl before him. "I'm better than ever, Xiao Mei. Thank you."
With a final nod, he turned and walked away, leaving her clutching her own small fortune, completely unaware that her simple act of kindness had just armed him with the resources to begin his true climb.
Back in the quiet solitude of his sparse courtyard, Wei Lian sat cross-legged on the dusty ground. The world outside, with its mockery and contempt, faded away. There was only his goal, burning like a star in his mind.
With a thought, he retrieved the elegant jade bottle from his system storage. It materialized in his hand, cool to the touch. Uncorking it, a faint, incredibly pure spiritual aroma washed over him, a scent more intoxicating than any wine.
"Years of stagnation," he whispered, a grim smile on his face. "Time to catch up with my peers!"
He tipped a single, tranquil blue pill into his palm. Without hesitation, he tossed it into his mouth and swallowed.
The pill dissolved instantly, not into powder, but into a torrent of the purest spiritual energy he had ever felt. It was not a gentle stream, but a raging river that slammed into his meridians. His Perfect Five-Element Spirit Root roared to life, eagerly devouring the flood of power and refining it with terrifying efficiency.
CRACK!
A sound like a breaking shackle echoed within his body. The bottleneck to the third level of Body Forging, a wall that had seemed insurmountable for years, was obliterated in an instant. The power didn't stop. It surged onward, strengthening his bones, tempering his muscles, and washing through every cell.
BOOM!
Before he could even process his first breakthrough, the energy slammed into the next barrier. The fourth level of Body Forging was shattered with even less resistance. His body shuddered as new strength poured into him.
He could feel the pill's energy was nearly spent. Greed and ambition flared in his eyes. He was not satisfied.
He took out a second pill. His body was still humming, his meridians wide open from the first onslaught. He swallowed the second pill.
The effect was instantaneous and even more violent. The second torrent of energy joined the first, creating a veritable tsunami within him.
CRACK! BOOM!
The fifth and sixth levels of Body Forging fell in quick succession, the barriers crumbling like dry earth before a flash flood. Steam began to rise from his skin as his body was rapidly reforged. A thin layer of black, foul-smelling grime was forced from his pores, the physical manifestation of impurities being violently expelled. His senses sharpened, and he could feel the very air around him with a new clarity.
He was now at a level that even the more talented youths of the clan would take years to reach. But Wei Lian was just getting started. He had been trash for too long. He craved more.
He looked at the three remaining pills. A sane person would stop, consolidating their foundation. But his foundation was perfect, his spirit root insatiable. He threw all three pills into his mouth at once.
If the first pill was a river and the second a tsunami, this was a cataclysm. A volcano of pure energy erupted in his dantian. The power was so immense it threatened to tear him apart, but his perfect spirit root acted as a flawless regulator, channeling the apocalyptic flood.
A symphony of cracking and popping echoed from his frame as bone, sinew, and muscle were tempered and forged anew at an impossible rate.
Seventh Level!
Eighth Level!
The energy roared, pushing him higher, faster. He slammed against the final barrier of the realm, the gate to the peak. With a final, deafening internal roar, the last of the energy punched through.
Ninth Level of Body Forging! The peak!
Silence.
The torrent of energy subsided, having been completely absorbed. Wei Lian sat motionless, his entire body coated in a thick layer of black filth. He slowly opened his eyes, which now shone with an intense, sharp light. He clenched his fist. The feeling was not of wild, uncontrollable energy, but of solid, unyielding power, a strength that was completely and utterly his own. He was a weapon, honed to a razor's edge.
He had gone from the second level to the absolute peak of the Body Forging realm in under an hour.
A low, guttural laugh escaped his lips, growing in volume until it was a full-throated, triumphant roar that echoed through the desolate corner of the Wei estate.
He was no longer trash