The courtyard is a quiet cradle of morning light. Smooth flagstones, warm from the sun, form a circle around the shallow pond, where koi fish drift lazily across the water's mirror-like surface. Bamboo stalks sway in the soft breeze, their rustling whispering like secret prayers. Fallen petals from a nearby cherry tree scatter across the stones, some floating on the pond's surface, trembling with faint ripples.
In the courtyard sat Wang Mei, her legs curved neatly in a lotus position. Her eyes were closed as she breathed in perfect rhythm with the atmosphere.
"Master, you said the first step to cultivating the meridians was to feel QI, right?" Wang Mei asked. Her eyes remained tightly shut, her fingers relaxed carefully on her knees.
"Yes, but you haven't taken a QI meridian pill yet. I advise you to take it and continue with the Yang Enlightened Technique," Lin Changsheng said, handing her two QI meridian pills.
She opened her eyes and quickly took the pills from him, though she was skeptical. The bitter scent of the pill filled her lungs, and she remembered how her father had once warned her about QI deviation and how deadly it could be. Once QI runs wild, it devours the soul first, then explodes the body, leaving nothing but ash. Her hands trembled at the thought.
Her mind was in chaos, but she sincerely had no other choice; what other path could she possibly take? She swallowed the pills as they slowly dissolved in her body.
"Young Master, I'm still not feeling anything. Are you sure this is working properly?"
"Trust me and continue breathing in the rhythm you're doing now; feel the Yang energy of the sun."
Wang Mei calmed her breathing and used the Yang breathing technique again. Suddenly, her pulse became calm. Her breath steadied like a rock. After some time, she could feel faint traces of an unknown energy flowing around her; however, she didn't know if this was QI, as it felt unfamiliar and strange. Deep within her body, a dantian began to form, stagnant QI that had been building for hours roared to life like a trapped beast, igniting traces of hot energy beneath her skin. It slammed against the first meridian barrier in her body, shattering it like fragile glass.
She briefly opened her eyes and spotted Lin Changsheng sleeping.
"Young Master... Young Master," she shouted, but Lin Changsheng remained in a dream state. Desperate, she struck him to wake him up.
Feeling the pain, Lin Changsheng woke abruptly. "What did you do that for?"
"I'm sorry, Young Master, but I think I've just reached the first meridian opening, just like you instructed. I can feel QI."
Wang Mei said this happily. Lin Changsheng's eyes widened in shock. 'Is this what talent is? How is this possible? This is just her first day, yet she's already broken through?'
"Are you really sure?"
"Yes," she replied, nodding her head.
Lin Changsheng laughed mischievously, as if he had just struck a jackpot. 'It's now time to begin my cultivation journey. I won't leave this place until I have infinite lifespan. In fact, that should be my goal from now on: an infinite lifespan. I want to live forever.'
Lin Changsheng suddenly stood up from the resting bench. "You have high talent on this cultivation path; don't waste it with laziness. Continue cultivating and persevere until you reach the peak. Let me ask you something: do you have a goal?"
Wang Mei replied, not in her usual manner but with a calm, emotionless expression. "Yes, I do have a goal, but I don't wish to share it with the Young Master, at least not at this moment."
'She's making me more curious the more I get to know her.'
Suddenly, before Lin Changsheng could finish arranging his thoughts, a system notification chimed.
[Ding!]
[Your disciple has fully broken through the first stage of the Meridian Opening Realm]
[You have gained 10 years of additional lifespan]
'What? The Eyes of Truth was not the only thing I gained from her? Does this mean that more disciples will actually extend my lifespan?'
'But I can't leave this place; how can I gather disciples?'
"Continue cultivating. Make sure that you break through the nine realms of meridian opening. I want to see your goal come to fruition in the future."
Wang Mei nodded and went back inside the courtyard to cultivate. Lin Changsheng sat back down, thinking about what he should do next.
"I think I should read web novels. Hey, system, can I purchase web novels with lifespan?"
[Yes, depending on the chapters, the lifespan cost may differ.]
"I have always heard of 'Top Tier Providence.' My students always said it's one of the best there is. Can I see it?"
[Cost: 10 days of lifespan for full 1,000 chapters.]
"Sure, no problem."
Since he had 10 years of lifespan and the cost was minimal, it was worth it. A book appeared before Lin Changsheng as he began to read.
After hours of reading, the system chimed again with another notification.
[Ding!]
[A talented individual has been detected. Do you wish to see their profile?]
"Okay."
[Gu An is from the Gu Yue clan, but he was cast out due to his lack of talent. However, he possesses a hidden gift for sword cultivation. Unfortunately, his heart is clouded by judgment and feelings of failure.
**Status:** Low self-esteem, intoxicated.
**Would you like to accept him as a disciple? A mission will be generated by the Astral Archive along with a gift.**
"Accept the mission."
Suddenly, there were three knocks at the door.
*Knock. Knock. Knock.*
"Is anyone home?" came a voice from the other side of the door.
Lin Changsheng stood up and walked gently to the door, his hands tied behind his back, resembling an old immortal deity. He opened the door, and there stood Gu An.
**[Ding!]**
**[You have found the target for the mission.]**
Lin Changsheng smiled and asked, "What do you want?"
Gu An looked back at him and took a sip from his wine bottle. At a closer inspection, Gu An was dressed in a mix of black and white clothing, and his handsome face could easily attract the attention of women. A sword was etched diagonally across his back, but he reeked of alcohol.
"How long have you been drinking that?!" Lin Changsheng exclaimed.
Gu An staggered before he could respond. "A-about two days. Why? Is something wrong?"
Lin Changsheng took the bottle from him and stepped inside, but Gu An was not about to let go of his prized possession so easily. He leaped forward to reclaim the bottle, but his drunken state made it difficult. He saw about seven people who resembled Lin Changsheng and didn't know which one to attack.
He drew his sword from his back and shouted, "Hey, you thief! Give me back my bottle, or else..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Mei Wang coated her hands with QI and delivered a fatal blow to his chest, sending him crashing into the stone wall of the courtyard.
*Boom!*
His back hit the wall heavily, and he spat blood. Suddenly, darkness enveloped him.