The days passed quickly.
I kept working, finishing my daily tasks with discipline. Alongside that, I maintained my exercise routine without fail.
And just like that—six days flew by. My mission was complete.
I received my pay and found that I now had enough saved to live comfortably for a month without working.
But I still wanted more.
---
So, I turned toward the mission desk—the place where odd jobs were posted.
I started accepting small missions—low risk, decent reward. Jobs like:
Catching runaway cats
Feeding and grooming animals
Helping the elderly with basic tasks
Nothing heroic. But I put in good effort, and they paid well enough.
---
Time flew once again.
And before I realized it—two whole months had passed since I came to this world.
I now had savings enough to last four or five months.
With that cushion beneath me, I took a break from mission work.
I needed time to think.
---
I left the city and wandered into the nearby forest.
I sat down beneath a tree, the wind cool against my face, and thought about my progress.
I could now do 100 pushups, 100 pullups, and other basic exercises with ease.
My body had improved greatly.
But I still hadn't broken through to the Body Refining Realm.
> "What am I missing?"
"Why can't I cultivate?"
I started to suspect that brute strength alone wasn't enough.
Maybe… I needed knowledge. Or guidance.
Maybe I needed to connect with real cultivators and understand their ways.
---
But then, my mind wandered elsewhere—to something entirely mundane... yet potentially powerful.
It was summer. And the city was hot.
Water, though stored in containers, stayed warm throughout the day. There was no cooling system, no electricity. But back on Earth, we had something much simpler:
> Clay pots.
Earthen pots that naturally cooled water in hot weather.
Simple. Efficient. Forgotten here.
The idea hit me like lightning.
---
I decided to start a business around clay pots.
But first, I needed funds.
I went to the same person who had offered me my first job—the businessman whose wife I had cared for. She had since recovered and was doing well.
I shared my idea with him. Naturally, he didn't believe it at first.
Clay that cools water? Without any magic or cultivation?
To him, it sounded like groundbreaking nonsense.
But thankfully, he was a visionary.
He found the idea intriguing. While unsure about the science, he agreed to invest.
However, the amount he initially offered wasn't enough.
I explained that I wasn't looking to start small—I wanted to scale big from the start.
He nodded and said, "Come back after two days. I'll be ready with the full amount."
---
Relieved, I left his home and headed back to the inn.
Though things were going well, one thought continued to haunt me:
> "Why can't I enter the Body Refining Realm?"
That question echoed in my head over and over.
And then… everything changed.
---
Just as I lay on the inn's bed, thinking, a blue screen suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Bright white letters flickered across the glowing surface:
> "Congratulations, user.
The system has activated and will now assist you on your journey through the cultivation world."