Profound Pill Sect, Vermilion Bird Peak.
"Junior Brother Han, the Sect's regulations are clear. Your residence on Little Spirit Void Peak expires in ten days. I suggest you make preparations now. If you haven't completed a Sect Mission and earned enough Points by then, you'll be expelled from the Sect."
"Furthermore, remember that Points cannot be privately transferred. They must be earned through official Sect Missions. And don't even think about fabricating missions. If discovered, the consequences could be severe—from having your spiritual root severed and being expelled from the Sect to risking your very life."
"Sigh... let me offer you a lifeline. I heard that Uncle Master Luo Qi on Little Raging Fire Peak needs alchemists to test new pills. The mission was just posted today, and the Points offered are generous enough to fulfill your quota."
"However... the risks are unpredictable. As an alchemist yourself, you understand the dangers involved. Consider this carefully. This is the best solution I could find within my authority to help you."
"Alright, go then."
Han Yi stumbled out of the Management Hall, his mind reeling. A blast of cold wind shook him to the core, jolting him back to his senses.
He turned to gaze back at the Management Hall, a sprawling complex bustling with activity.
Then, he turned forward and froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Before him stretched a boundless sea of clouds, where spirit cranes frolicked amidst the ethereal expanse. Occasionally, cultivators soared through the mist on sword-shaped streaks of light, creating a scene of otherworldly splendor.
Han Yi pinched his thigh hard, a sharp pain radiating through his leg, making him wince.
"This isn't a dream."
"I've transmigrated. The memories in my head aren't just the outline of that fantasy novel I was writing—they're real?"
"Hiss!"
Before Han Yi could dwell further on this revelation, a voice called out from behind.
"Han Yi, you're out already? How did it go? What did Senior Brother Guan say?"
Han Yi turned to find a dark-skinned youth in the same gray robe standing behind him, his teeth gleaming like white jade against his complexion.
A name surfaced in his mind:
Zheng Hai.
"What are you waiting for? Say something! Yes or no? Senior Brother Guan always looked out for us; he should be able to bend the rules a little," Zheng Hai, the dark-faced youth, urged anxiously.
Han Yi steadied his mind. By now, he had mostly digested the memories flooding his mind. Connecting them with the events in the Management Hall, he finally understood what was happening.
He shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his expression.
"Senior Brother Guan said it's Sect policy. No exceptions allowed."
"But he did suggest another way."
"What way?" Zheng Hai's eyes lit up, his face brightening with hope. "I knew Senior Brother Guan would find a solution!"
"Uncle Master Luo Qi at Little Raging Fire Peak needs Inner Sect disciples to test new pills. The Sect Mission Points offered are generous enough to meet my needs."
Zheng Hai froze, then his expression darkened.
"Absolutely not! That's too dangerous."
"I heard only two out of ten survive pill testing unscathed. The rest suffer terrible fates."
Han Yi frowned, then relaxed his expression.
He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Never mind. I'll find another way myself."
The Profound Pill Sect, nestled within the Profound Pill Mountain Range, was a prominent sect in Shu Prefecture of the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom.
The sect's sprawling grounds encompassed not only its main peak, Profound Pill Peak, but also nine Inner Peaks, including Vermilion Bird Peak, where Han Yi had previously traveled. Beyond these lay over a hundred Outer Peaks.
Little Spirit Void Peak was one such Outer Peak.
As Han Yi entered his courtyard on Little Spirit Void Peak, a sense of peace washed over him, and he unconsciously exhaled in relief. This was the most familiar place in his memories, and this feeling of relaxation was rooted in his body's instincts.
He sat cross-legged in his secluded cultivation chamber, beginning to sort through his thoughts.
There was no doubt about it: he had transmigrated.
Yet this reality was riddled with mysteries and perplexing details.
He only remembered falling into a deep slumber, then awakening within the Management Hall of Vermilion Bird Peak.
Fortunately, the fusion of memories had occurred immediately upon his arrival, leaving him disoriented and slow to react. Otherwise, a slip of the tongue could have drawn unwanted attention, leading to certain disaster. After all, this was the Cultivation World, where extracting the truth was child's play, not to mention techniques like soul-searching.
The reason Han Yi was heading to Vermilion Bird Peak today was that his courtyard lease was expiring. More precisely, his Sect residency rights were about to be revoked in ten days due to insufficient Points.
The Profound Pill Sect boasted a hundred thousand Outer Sect Disciples and over a thousand Inner Sect Disciples.
The primary distinction between Outer and Inner Sect Disciples lay in their Cultivation Realm.
Those in the low to mid stages of Qi Refining were considered Outer Sect Disciples. Only those who reached the late stage of Qi Refining—Qi Refining Seventh Layer or higher—qualified as Inner Sect Disciples. These privileged individuals resided on the Nine Inner Peaks, enjoying the benefits of their superior Spirit Veins.
Outer Sect Disciples, on the other hand, lived on the Outer Peaks, where the Spirit Veins were typically only First or Second-Tier, far inferior to the Third and Fourth-Tier Spirit Veins found on the Inner Peaks.
Moreover, Sect regulations mandated that Outer Sect Disciples independently earn one hundred Sect Mission Points annually to maintain their residency rights.
These Points, however, were not forfeited to the Sect. They remained the disciple's property and could be used to purchase Magic Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and other resources within the Sect.
The purpose of this hundred-point requirement was simply to ensure that Outer Sect Disciples actively contributed to Sect affairs rather than merely occupying space without contributing.
After all, even a First or Second-Tier Spirit Vein was still a Spirit Vein. In other parts of Shu Prefecture, it could sustain several low-level cultivation families.
Han Yi, with his deadline fast approaching and his Points still far short of the minimum requirement, had sought out Senior Brother Guan Di, hoping for some leniency.
But inexplicably, his predecessor's soul had dissipated within the Management Hall, allowing Han Yi to transmigrate into his body.
Outside the hall stood Zheng Hai, a close friend from memory, with whom he had joined the Profound Pill Sect. Their relationship had always been strong.
Unlike Han Yi's predicament, Zheng Hai faced no such trouble. His Pill Refinement skills far surpassed Han Yi's, allowing him to easily exceed the Sect's minimum Points requirement.
However, since Points were non-transferable, even if Zheng Hai had surplus Points, they would be useless to Han Yi.
[ Current Status: Great Qian Immortal Kingdom, Shu Prefecture, Profound Pill Sect, Little Spirit Void Peak, Outer Sect Disciple. ]
[ Current Predicament: Insufficient Points, facing eviction from residence. ]
According to the Sect's regulations, once an Outer Sect Disciple fails to meet the minimum Points requirement and their residence is reclaimed, they face two options:
First, they can retain their Outer Sect Disciple status and be assigned to work in one of the Sect's external enterprises down the mountain. For the next ten years, they can apply for an annual assessment, which will be more challenging than a 100-Point Sect Mission. If they fail to pass these assessments within ten years, they will automatically lose their Outer Sect Disciple status, severing all ties with the Sect.
Second, they can voluntarily relinquish their Outer Sect Disciple status and find their own means of livelihood after leaving the mountain.
In my memory, most Senior Brothers who failed to earn enough Points would reluctantly choose the first option. However, after three to five years of wasted time and facing reality, they would eventually request to switch to the second option.
For them, passing the assessment and returning to the Sect proved too arduous.
And for me, it would be no different.
Difficult, difficult, difficult.
Therefore, I must exert every effort to remain on the mountain.
My only current skill is Pill Refinement.
Moreover, I'm just a novice Alchemist. Even if I give it my all, completing a 100-Point Pill Refinement Sect Mission within ten days would be nearly impossible.
Is my only option really to test the pill with my own body?
No, I'm not that foolish. The risk is too high—I could die without even knowing how. I don't want to end up crippled the moment I transmigrate.
Even if they reclaim my residence, there's still a chance.
As long as I'm alive, there's always hope.
Han Yi mentally reviewed his situation and the challenges he faced.
In his previous life as an engineer, he excelled at dissecting problems and finding optimal solutions.
There are always more solutions than problems.
Enough. Too many tangled threads. I'll sleep on it.
Whenever he couldn't find a solution, clearing his mind, shifting his focus, and then revisiting the issue always yielded new perspectives. This had been his habitual way of thinking in his past life.
Beneath Little Spirit Void Peak lay a Second-Tier Spirit Vein, its potent spiritual energy nurturing the courtyard above into an eternal spring. The comfortable environment left Han Yi feeling refreshed and at ease.
He stood up and turned toward his bedroom, but paused. A slight frown creased his brow as he reached out and swiped at the empty air before him, grasping nothing.
"What's this...?"
A fiery red line slowly advanced from left to right across his field of vision.
Yet when he reached out to touch it, his hand met only empty air.
In less than three breaths, the crimson line stretched to the far right, as if reaching its end. It flickered three times and vanished without a trace.
Just as Han Yi began to think it had all been a hallucination,
Swish!
A translucent panel materialized before his eyes:
[Name: Han Yi ]
[Lifespan: 21/87 ]
[Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining, Second Layer (14/100) ]
[Cultivation Art: Fire Pill Profound Art (Entry Level, 23/100) ]
[Skills:]
[ - Alchemy Technique (Novice, 82/100) ]
[ - Spirit Void Finger (Novice, 29/100) ]