The jade token glimmered faintly in Wan Long's palm. Its carved surface bore the sigil of the Alchemy Hall's highest authority — the Elders' Private Chambers Access Token. Few in the entire sect were ever permitted to set foot inside those rooms.
He had received it just moments ago from an inner sect disciple, who had handed it over with the solemn explanation:
"Since Senior Brother Chen's… accident, the elders' rooms have been unattended. You'll handle the cleaning until someone new is assigned."
Wan Long bowed respectfully, concealing the flicker of thrill in his eyes.
The elders' private rooms…
Just imagining the kind of failed pills and discarded materials inside made his blood race. To anyone else, it was just a cleaning chore. But to him, armed with the system, it was a fortune waiting to be recycled.
He slipped the token into his sleeve, grabbed the ring of keys left behind by the late Chen, and walked quietly toward the sealed section of the Alchemy Hall.
The corridor beyond the gate was eerily silent, lined with twenty-four closed doors, each marked with intricate seals of rank and authority. The faint scent of medicinal smoke and spirit herbs lingered in the air — evidence of countless experiments that had taken place here.
Wan Long took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming. "System, let's see what treasures these rooms hide."
He inserted the first key, the heavy door creaking open to reveal a chamber filled with clutter — tables scattered with broken cauldrons, charred herbs, cracked jade bottles, and the lingering energy of failed alchemy attempts.
Without wasting a second, he muttered softly, "System—recycle."
A hum filled the room.
Then a suction force erupted silently, invisible yet overwhelming. The debris lifted from the floor, pills and herbs dissolving into motes of light as they vanished into the vortex. Within seconds, the entire room shone spotless — cleaner than it had likely ever been.
The familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[Recycling complete.]
[Obtained: Spiritual Energy +...]
Wan Long's lips curled into a quiet smile. He didn't even check the numbers yet. There were twenty-four rooms in total — no need to rush.
He moved from one to the next, methodical and efficient. Each time, the soft hum of recycling filled the air, followed by silence and purity. He worked with practiced ease, neither hurried nor sluggish — just enough to appear as though he were cleaning by hand if someone happened to pass by.
By the time he reached the twelfth room, the sun was already high overhead, light spilling through the narrow skylights of the corridor. He paused briefly, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow, pretending to rearrange a few shelves and cabinets for show.
To anyone watching, he looked like a diligent, humble cleaner doing his duty.
But inside, his heart was pounding with exhilaration.
Twelve rooms cleaned…
That was half. Any more and it might arouse suspicion.
He carefully locked the last door behind him, making sure everything appeared untouched, and tucked the token safely back into his sleeve.
Then, with calm steps and a neutral expression, he exited the private section of the Alchemy Hall — just another servant finishing his daily work.
Only when he was far enough from prying eyes did his façade melt into a grin. His pulse quickened, anticipation burning in his chest.
Let's see what the system has given me this time…
Wan Long slipped quietly into his hut, closing the door behind him with a muted click. His heart was still pounding, his palms faintly damp with excitement. He had spent the entire morning "cleaning" the private rooms of the alchemy elders—though in truth, the system had done all the work.
Now, finally alone, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"System," he whispered eagerly, "display today's rewards."
The familiar blue panel appeared before him, glowing faintly in the dim light.
22,000 Days of Spiritual Energy
20 × High-Grade Tier 3 Core Foundation Pills
80 × High-Grade Tier 3 Rejuvenation Pills
10 × High-Grade Tier 3 Realm Breaking Pills
100 × High-Grade Tier 2 Qi Nourishment Pills
10 × Tier 2 Herb: Frost Lotus
3 × Tier 3 Herb: Blood Flower
1 × First-Tier Codex of Alchemy (Skill Book)
+187,000 Recycle Points
For several seconds, Wan Long could only stare, blinking rapidly as the numbers sank in.
"Twenty-two thousand days…" he muttered under his breath, his mind automatically converting it. "That's… sixty years of cultivation energy!"
Sixty years—just from cleaning half the rooms!
His body trembled slightly as the full weight of it hit him. What would the remaining twelve rooms yield? The thought made his pulse quicken.
But the numbers were only part of the story. The items themselves were beyond anything he could have ever dreamed of possessing.
He reached into the system inventory, materializing a single Core Foundation Pill between his fingers. It gleamed faintly, the surface smooth like jade, radiating a pure medicinal fragrance.
High-Grade Tier 3 Core Foundation Pills—they were the cornerstone of all cultivation advancement. One of these could strengthen the foundation of a cultivator's core, stabilizing meridians and reinforcing dantian channels. With twenty of them, he could polish his foundation to perfection, paving the way for a future breakthrough.
Then his eyes fell on the next entry—80 High-Grade Tier 3 Rejuvenation Pills.
These were powerful healing pills capable of mending serious injuries and restoring stamina almost instantly. Each carried a minor regeneration effect, able to repair torn muscles, fractured bones, and damaged meridians in moments. In battle or during dangerous cultivation sessions, these could mean the difference between life and death.
Wan Long's lips curved upward. "With these… even if I make mistakes, I can recover immediately. I could train without fear."
Next came the ten shining Realm Breaking Pills—each one a treasure worth more than gold.
"High-grade Tier 3…" he murmured. "These… these are used for Core Foundation to Golden Core breakthroughs."
He knew well what that meant. The higher one's cultivation, the more difficult—and dangerous—the breakthroughs became. Even a minor mistake during the transition to Golden Core could cripple a cultivator or destroy their dantian entirely.
But these pills offered a sixty percent success rate. Sixty percent! Even elders in the sect would covet such treasures. For him, they were like stepping stones to a future he had once thought impossible.
He swallowed hard, barely containing his excitement.
Then there were the Qi Nourishment Pills—a hundred of them. Though of lower tier compared to the others, they were invaluable for daily cultivation. Each one refined and nourished the body, improving absorption speed and strengthening internal energy flow. Used consistently, they could speed up training tenfold.
But what truly surprised him were the herbs.
10 × Tier 2 Frost Lotus — A rare cooling herb that calmed turbulent qi and purified impurities in spiritual veins.
3 × Tier 3 Blood Flowers — An extremely potent vitality herb, often used in life-restoring pills or body-tempering elixirs.
He chuckled softly. "Even failed alchemy experiments in the elders' rooms left behind treasures like these…"
And then his eyes finally landed on the last item.
The First-Tier Codex of Alchemy.
His breath caught. A skill book capable of instantly making him a Tier 1 Alchemist. That wasn't merely valuable—it was life-changing.
In the Cloud Origin Sect, alchemists were revered. Even a Tier 1 Alchemist could earn more than an ordinary outer disciple, and a Tier 2 Alchemist could command the respect of inner disciples. If he learned this, he would no longer be just a cleaning servant—he'd step onto the path of influence and recognition.
Lastly, his gaze shifted to the glowing line at the bottom:
+187,000 Recycle Points
His heart thudded in his chest. Those points were the essence of the system itself—the currency of transformation. They could be used to evolve his root, purchase techniques, and strengthen himself in ways cultivation alone could not.
For a long while, Wan Long just stood there, staring at the panel as realization sank in.
He took a deep breath, his expression steadying. His eyes, however, gleamed with a fierce light.
"This is only half the rooms…" he whispered. "Just half."
Tomorrow, he would return for the rest.
....
He sat cross-legged on his bed, his heart finally calming after the thrill of counting his gains. The faint hum of spiritual energy in the air made his hut feel alive, as though the world itself was resonating with his fortune.
"System," he murmured, "open status."
A soft chime echoed in his mind as the translucent blue panel unfolded before him.
[Status Panel]
Name: Wan Long
Age: 17
Cultivation Realm: Body Tempering – 9th Level
Spiritual Root: Chaos Mortal Root
Spiritual Energy: 29,200 days (≈ 65 years)
Recycle Points: 216,000
Cultivation Technique: Moon Breathing Technique (Mid-Grade Purple Tier)
Cultivation Skills: None
Inventory: ......
Wan Long exhaled slowly. Even seeing it with his own eyes, the numbers felt unreal.
He stared at the glowing entries for several seconds before his gaze hardened. "Resources are meant to be used, not hoarded."
He remembered countless cultivation novels he had read in his past life—characters who gathered treasures, waiting for the 'right time,' only to die with regrets or have their opportunities stolen. He was not going to be one of them.
He summoned the First-Tier Codex of Alchemy from his inventory, and the faint golden book materialized in his hand. The cover shimmered with intricate runes that pulsed with soft light, exuding the faint scent of herbs and fire essence.
Without hesitation, he willed the book to activate.
[Ding!]
Using Item: First-Tier Alchemy Codex…
Integrating knowledge directly into host's soul…
Enhancing soul perception and mental strength…
Congratulations! Host has acquired skill: [Alchemy – Tier 1 (Basic)]
The moment the system's voice faded, a torrent of information flooded his mind. Dozens of pill recipes, temperature control sequences, cauldron resonance principles, and delicate ingredient harmonizations spun in his consciousness like a storm.
He gritted his teeth, feeling his head ache for several seconds—then it passed.
A wave of clarity washed over him. His mind felt sharper, steadier. It was as if a curtain had been lifted, allowing him to see the intricate balance between herbs, qi, and fire.
He could feel the subtle rhythm of alchemy—the breathing of the cauldron, the pulse of spiritual flames.
"So this… is soul strength," he whispered, eyes gleaming.
For alchemists, spiritual and soul power determined success. The stronger one's mental sea, the more stable the control, and the higher the success rate when refining pills. With this newfound clarity, he was confident he could refine basic Tier 1 pills instantly.
But more importantly, this skill changed everything for him.
He leaned back slightly, thinking.
The reason he hadn't broken through to Qi Refinement yet wasn't lack of resources—he had more than enough to advance. No, his concern was visibility. A servant disciple suddenly appearing at the Qi Refinement stage—or worse, above it—would be instantly questioned.
The sect was strict about hierarchy. Servants weren't supposed to have strong cultivation unless promoted to outer disciples. His current 800 contribution points were already suspicious enough; any higher and elders might start asking where he got them.
He needed legitimacy.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Becoming an alchemist solves everything."
With the Tier 1 Alchemist Qualification, he could directly become an official disciple without waiting for the next entrance examination. Alchemists were considered vital assets of the sect—authority often trumped rank. Even outer disciples and some inner disciples treated them with respect.
Once he had that badge, no one would question his sudden rise or access to resources.
He could cultivate freely, earn contribution points openly, and continue using the system without fear of discovery.
Wan Long clenched his fist, determination flickering in his eyes.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, "I'll go to the Alchemy Hall and get tested. I won't wait three months for the sect entrance exams."
He looked at the faint shimmer of the codex's residual glow fading from his hands and smiled faintly. "With this knowledge… passing the Tier 1 assessment will be trivial."
He exhaled deeply and straightened his back. Everything was aligning—his cultivation, his identity, and his path forward.