Stepping out of the teleportation array, Long Wei appeared in Lotus City.
The place was bustling—streets packed with merchants, cultivators, and nobles. Stalls overflowed with herbs, spirit beast hides, talismans, and glittering weapons. From afar, tall auction houses towered like monuments of wealth.
Lotus City was also home to the Blossom Sect, one of the most renowned female-only sects in the Southern Continent. With countless beauties and powerful cultivators under its banner, many called it a paradise of untouchable flowers.
But Long Wei's gaze wasn't drawn to the sect nor the auction houses. His mind replayed memories from his previous life.
Back then, a refiner family purchased a strange stone during one of Lotus City's auctions. Its origin was said to be from a forgotten mine, but its properties defied understanding. Harder than steel, resistant to fire, immune to blades—nothing could damage it.
The family assumed it might be a rare refining material, but after endless failed attempts, it remained intact. They carried it with them during their travels, refusing to discard it.
Then fate struck.
On their journey to a gathering, their caravan was ambushed by a Peak-Origin Spirit Beast—a predator equivalent to the seventh stage of Golden Core. Knowing they couldn't hope to fight, they abandoned their goods and fled.
Cornered, they stumbled into a cave steeped in extreme yin energy. The air froze around them, each breath white as snow.
It was then the mysterious stone began to tremble.
Crack!
Veins of icy light split across its surface before it shattered, releasing a chilling radiance. Symbols etched themselves in the air, resonating with the yin-filled cave. The runes aligned, pointing toward a buried inheritance of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
That single moment would change history. In Long Wei's past life, the family's daughter obtained the inheritance and soared all the way to the Heavenly Deity Realm.
In this life, however… none of it had happened yet.
Long Wei's eyes sharpened.
"Destiny gifts some by coincidence. I won't try to snatch what isn't mine… but befriending the family before the secret is revealed—now that is worth it."
He rented a modest inn room for a month. It wasn't fancy, but Long Wei didn't care. He immediately refined two more Appearance Altering Pills, disguising himself again.
In the weeks that followed, he wandered different cities under false faces, leaving carnage behind.
Notifications
[Killed an unknown cultivator]
–D. Fame +90
[Killed an unknown cultivator]
–D. Fame +110
[Killed an unknown cultivator]
–D. Fame +70
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Thousand Phantom Blades – Mastery Increased]
[Shadow Step – Mastery Increased]
Skills Updated
[Thousand Phantom Blades]
• Grade: Mortal – Peak
• Mastery: 3 (450/1000)
• Effect: Summons countless swords to strike enemies (Limit: 1700)
• Extra: Mastery increases 35% faster when summoning more than 50 swords.
• Usage: Each sword consumes 200 Qi
[Shadow Step]
• Grade: Mortal – Mid
• Mastery: 3 (300/700)
• Effect: Increases speed by 50% for 10 seconds.
• Usage: 100 Qi per activation
[Darkhorn Edge]
• Effect: –5 HP damage per hit
• Extra: +2% to all stats when equipped
The killings shook the cultivation world. Rumors spread like wildfire.
Wanted posters covered city walls:
[Wanted!]
Name: Long Wei
Crime: Massacre of countless cultivators.
Issued by: Zhou Clan, 5 Elemental Sect, 3 Spirit Sects.
Reward for information: 100,000 spirit stones
Reward for head: 5,000,000 spirit stones
Long Wei chuckled darkly at one of the posters.
"From a nameless rogue to a continental criminal… not bad."
[Stats]
• Strength: 312
• Agility: 318
• Endurance: 309
• Perception: 316
• Vitality: 311
• Intelligence: 315
• Spirit Power: 320
Bonus: +2% to all stats from [Darkhorn Edge]
Cultivation Speed: 15 → +99% (Current: 29.85 ≈ 30)
Cultivation Realm: Qi Condensation – Stage 6
One evening, after killing his 89th cultivator, a new notification appeared.
[Cultivation Manual Limit reached!]
• You've killed 100 Qi Condensation cultivators.
• To increase cultivation speed further, you must breakthrough into Foundation Establishment.
"What?!" Long Wei's eyes widened. But after a breath, he calmed.
"It makes sense… otherwise this cultivation manual would be too broken. Limits are only natural."
He considered restarting his cultivation, as some experts did to build a firmer foundation. But then he shook his head.
"Lifespan doesn't reset. Restarting would be a waste—I'd never reach Heavenly Deity before my years ran out."
Resolute, he returned to his inn, refined a batch of Qi Gathering Pills, and pushed his cultivation forward.
[Qi Limit reached! Breakthrough into next stage to progress further!]
Days passed. With two smooth breakthroughs, Long Wei reached the Peak of Qi Condensation.
But the final step was met with resistance.
[Attempting breakthrough into Foundation Establishment…]
…
[Attempt Stopped by a Mysterious Force!]
[Attempting breakthrough again…]
…
[Attempt Stopped by a Mysterious Force!]
[System Analyzing…]
[Problem detected within the Cultivation Manual!]
Long Wei's expression darkened.
"A problem… in the manual itself?"
The system's voice echoed once more.
[Searching for a solution…]
.....
Author note: the base stats were 100, each breakthrough gave 25 stats.
Should i Keep the stats or remove them or ignore them? I want to make it system based but don't want everything to depend on it.
For now I will try to change stats and other stuff, but if guys don't like it i will change it.