The next morning, Li Qingchen trained as usual.
Between practice sessions, he swept the palace floors — his "path of cultivation," as he liked to call it.
Two days passed. He'd only received one system reward.
Five kidney-tonifying pills.
Li Qingchen held his forehead. For the first time, he doubted the system's sense of humour.
This kind of pill was clearly for ordinary people. Cultivators, whose bodies brimmed with qi and blood, had no use for it. Even if they wanted to take it, this sort of low-grade elixir wouldn't do a thing.
He sighed. "Forget it… something's better than nothing."
Then he gripped his small broom and resumed sweeping, each stroke echoing softly against the empty corridor.
The Li family, meanwhile, was in an uproar. The name Li Qingchen was on every disciple's lips. To most, his claim to the title of Divine Child was already decided.
Even among the clan's prodigies, none could compare.
At only five years old, he had broken through to the peak of the True Origin Realm — something no one had done for hundreds of thousands of years.
The others were at least twelve or fifteen. Their strongest was barely at the Seventh Layer of the Divine Ability Realm.
Across the estate, in another secluded palace nestled in the grotto-heaven lands, Li Xuantiān sat cross-legged in cultivation. Aura rippled faintly from his body — unstable, on the verge of a breakthrough.
Outside the door, Li Che waited, pacing anxiously. He had been there for days, his face drawn tight with worry.
He had always followed Li Xuantiān, believing him destined to be the Li family's Divine Child.
But now, with Li Qingchen's fame rising like wildfire, that certainty wavered.
"Why hasn't Lord Xuantiān come out yet…" he muttered, pacing faster.
Just as he was about to rush in, the palace doors opened.
A young man in green stepped out, black hair flowing, eyes sharp as blades. He carried an air of cold pride, and Li Che bowed at once.
"Speak," Li Xuantiān said.
"Lord, Li Qingchen has reached the peak of the True Origin Realm… he even defeated a True Origin Seventh Layer expert. I fear—"
Li Xuantiān's gaze flashed. "So, he's made it that far."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Then it's time to remind him — the title of Divine Child isn't something a child can grasp so easily."
He stood, his aura surging. "Take me to him."
Li Che's eyes lit up. "Yes, my lord!"
Word spread fast. Disciples whispered as the two passed.
"Isn't that Lord Xuantiān? Where's he going in such a rush?"
"Toward Li Qingchen's palace!"
"No way—he's going to challenge him?"
By the time they arrived, half the Li estate had followed. The atmosphere crackled with curiosity and rivalry.
Inside, Li Qingchen lay on the floor, broom in hand, frowning at five ridiculous pills.
"The system's trolling me again…" he muttered.
Just then, a loud voice echoed from outside.
"Li Qingchen! My master wishes to exchange pointers!"
The shout made him flinch. He sat up, scowling.
"I'm busy sweeping the floor. Go bother someone else."
Outside, disciples gasped. Sweeping the floor?
Even Xuantiān's brows twitched.
No prodigy in the history of the Li family had ever said such a thing.
The fan clubs arrived in full force — the Qingchen Society and Profound Heaven Alliance — and before long, the courtyard turned into a shouting match.
"Your Lord Qingchen is a coward!"
"Ha! He's too powerful to bother with you!"
"Your prodigy's just a kid!"
"And your genius is only in his teens and still can't compare!"
The insults flew faster than spiritual energy.
Inside the hall, Li Qingchen leaned on his broom, watching dust swirl in the morning light.
He whispered under his breath — part joke, part truth:
"Even dust has patience — it just waits for the wind to prove its worth."
Zhou Cong would've called that deep. The broom, however, stayed unimpressed.
Outside, Li Xuantiān finally shouted, "Li Qingchen! Come out and fight me if you dare!"
Li Qingchen sighed. "Don't love me, it's fruitless. Unless you're here to replenish your kidneys, don't call me again."
The courtyard erupted in laughter.
Even the female disciples blushed, scandalised by the words of a five-year-old.
Li Xuantiān's fists trembled. His teeth clenched. The great prodigy of the Li family, mocked by a child.
He exhaled slowly, rage flickering like fire behind calm eyes.
"Replenish… the kidneys!" he roared.
The laughter returned tenfold.
And under the bright morning sun, Li Qingchen swept on, calm and indifferent — the faint smile of a man who knew fighting was far less rewarding than sweeping the floor.