There was an unspoken rule within the imperial Gu Yan family.
Pursuing the Dao was the greatest objective. Even if wealth knocked on your door, cultivation must always come first.
Hui Cao was in the bathing area once again, this time calmly washing her hair while holding the soap and glancing at the toilet beside her.
Her mind focused for a few seconds on the image of the stone tablets, thinking inwardly.
—Immortal, but it says it is affected by spirit attacks. What exactly is spirit? Is it the same as spiritual energy, or does it differ in some way?—
She turned off the shower, and the system provided a wool towel to dry her body.
After she was almost completely dry, she put on the cowgirl clothes she had been given earlier, continuing to think.
—Looking at those Wendigos… how strong would they be if they attacked a small sect? A cultivator would probably finish them in a single blow filled with spiritual energy… but if those cattle reflect the same Yin and Yang, and a primordial serpent is just livestock here, then just how high is the power level of those things?—
She shook her hair under the sun while gazing at the forests she had arrived at only a few days ago.
—Just how strong could that man outside become?—
She recalled the deaths of Core Formation cultivators, killed by what he had called a basic weapon.
She continued walking until she reached the cabin's porch and began fiddling with the radio.
After a few seconds, she managed to turn it on, and the voice inside spoke once more.
—Strange how everyone goes crazy when the cold weather arrives. But don't worry—your winter shopping madness is covered. The exhibition center will be open on December eighteenth. A bargain—everything half price—thanks to Jack and Teresa, living fine like royalty—
Billy Joel said cheerfully.
—Well, that's today's news. Now we continue with a classic: Someone's Gotta Give, by Bing Crosby. Enjoy—
The radio crackled briefly before the song began.
Hui Cao listened to the music pouring out of the radio, her mind drifting to the many concerts she had attended with her mother, where the notes themselves seemed to stir the spiritual energy in the air.
But in this isolated world, music felt like a calm luxury—its rhythm going no further than enjoyment and mortality—yet that faint sense of vitality was still unmistakable.
Leaving the radio on, she asked the system.
—How do these statistics affect me out there in the real world? I understand my strength has increased thanks to the points I've gained, but what do perception and luck actually influence?—
she asked calmly while stretching.
"Responding to the guest. Statistics are the foundation of your body. According to my limited knowledge of the outside world, one can use a Martial Technique to apply amplified force to an attack. For example, the subject known as Wang Mao had a strength of 5 according to analysis, but his attack output reached 50. A tenfold amplification through technique. Guest, I suggest you do not underestimate what you have gained."
—Only five tons seems low for Wang Mao's strength—
She focused on her memories of the shadow assassins.
"The measurement is based on the laws governing the interior of the barrier."
The system replied calmly.
Hui Cao rubbed her head tiredly.
—Five tons out here would be an incredible boost. I suppose that's how it works here… but my dragon fire hasn't depleted my spiritual reserves, even though I've used it multiple times. Either someone placed a seal on my cultivation, or my control over spiritual energy is better than expected—
She thought as a small, faint flame escaped her lips.
Her golden irises glowed slightly as she spoke.
—Statistics—
Level: Guest cannot level up at this time.
Strength: 3
Speed: 7
Agility: 7
Luck: 11
Perception: 17
Intelligence: 170
Spirit: 2900, 2889, 2879 (continuously decreasing due to guest usage; recommended not to use)
She immediately extinguished the flame, watching the stat stabilize and become static once more.
—I lost 100 points in just one day, without even using my innate technique. This really is a problem—
She remembered the 3002 Spirit points the blue screen had
previously shown and sighed heavily.
Hui Cao stared for a few more seconds before the screen vanished on its own, then asked:
—Where is the Spirit Training Field?—
She said, grabbing her hat and putting it back on.
She followed the arrows calmly, thinking.
—Will I have to return to the empire
someday? No… I must not return. Gu Yan Long will die by my hands—
She clenched her fists and continued walking.
Upon arriving at the new location, she found a chest directly in front of the training field.
Four pillars rose around it, seemingly made of lapis lazuli, each topped with a small glass sphere. At the center was a flat, circular patch of green grass.
Hui Cao approached the chest and looked inside.
At the bottom lay a staff adorned with multiple different feathers. Beside it was a small purple stone emitting a faint glow.
Next, she took out a small necklace made entirely of braided golden thread, each bead separating a fang from an animal she couldn't recognize.
Lastly, there was a pale-colored lace ornament with three red stones shining intensely.
Hui Cao took a moment to equip everything.
As spirit energy flowed into her Spirit Sea, she noticed it was gentler and calmer than the energies of the Xian Dao world.
Yet its raw force caused a faint tremor within her.
She took a breath to stabilize her cultivation and removed the Spirit Training Field guide from her spatial ring, opening it wide.
Rare Spirit Training Field Guide
Welcome to the Spirit Training Field Guide.
I, your humble host, will explain the steps.
First, there are three attack combinations during the first ten minutes.
Hui Cao turned the page and saw an illustration of The Man Without a Name, with three ethereal sparrows attacking from above—left in the first image, front in the second, and right in the last.
To identify where these little attacks come from, use the direction of the wind where their sounds originate. It's quite easy—simply moving your head will be enough to dodge them.
These enemies are responsible for draining your Spirit in this sixty-minute endurance trial. Don't bother using spirit techniques on them—you'll regret it in the later stages. Avoid them at all costs; they drain a lot of Spirit in a single hit.
Now then, I'll put an arrow here so you can turn to the next page.
Hui Cao chuckled softly and calmly turned the page.
Six wolves attacked from all directions. Several X marks showed movement paths in different areas.
These wolves are spiritual, like everything in this field. You must endure their attacks for thirty minutes. The staff in your hand will be useful here. Use Spirit Energy—hit them from a distance. As long as they remain far, they can't pounce. Strike when one gets too close.
This is not instant death if you fail, but each bite drains twenty percent of your Spirit—and worse, it reduces your recovery rate. Pay attention here. Next page, kid.
Hui Cao turned the page, finally revealing the beast from the cover.
A small, blue ethereal fox—barely twenty centimeters long—leaped at the illustrated man with every strike.
The fox you see here is a damn son of a—well. It has three lovely abilities: four illusionary copies, position swapping with any of them, and best of all, it pierces your skull in one hit—allowing you to survive and do everything all over again.
The bastard can even speak directly to your soul, confusing you at multiple points.
From what I know, cultivators have some form of enhanced vision against this sort of thing, so keeping it active the entire time would be ideal.
The staff is useless here—don't bother using it. Twenty minutes of endurance against this thing, so adapt.
Alright, ciao kid. Good luck.
Hui Cao gave the guide one last glance before walking into the grassy circle at the center and hearing the system's voice.
"Rare Spirit Training Field. Survive sixty minutes against sacred animal attacks. Difficulty will increase over time—the closer you are to the end of the timer, the stronger the attacks will become. Reward: +50 maximum Spirit. Chance to gain adaptability to Spirit Energy and Qi Energy shock. If Spirit is depleted, the guest must wait for recovery using items provided by the host. Say 'start' to begin."
Hui Cao glanced around briefly and then said:
—Start—
A barrier began rising from the outside as howls echoed through the air, and a massive timer appeared overhead.
The glass spheres began floating, as if clouds themselves were gathering inside them, forming shapes.
The first sphere glowed brightly, showing the figure of three sparrows the size of a small hand.
In an instant, they manifested from the air in ethereal blue and attacked from the left toward Hui Cao's head.
She simply sat down on the grass and calmly dodged as they passed overhead.
The birds turned smoothly, rising into the sky before diving again in a curved descent.
Hui Cao turned her head as the sparrows crashed into the ground and vanished.
For a cultivator, sensing spiritual energy comes even before opening the Spirit Sea.
These creatures—divine beasts like the sparrows—were incredibly dense masses of spiritual energy moving as one.
Their speed exceeded what any mortal could endure, but for a cultivator, it was merely a basic training attack.
Each minute, the attack angles changed, though never straying from the three original directions.
Though their speed increased, Hui Cao dodged easily by predicting their trajectories. She used the time to remain calm, glancing up at the suspended timer.
When ten minutes passed, the birds hovered before her briefly, as if in approval, then disappeared. The glass sphere exploded into countless fragments that dissipated into the air.
Another sphere lit up, now displaying the figures of six wolves forming among the clouds.
Hui Cao tightened her grip on the feathered staff as the ethereal wolves materialized around her, their eyes glowing faint gray.
She frowned, noticing their movements were irregular—their legs appearing and disappearing with each breath.
Because of her concentration, she failed to notice one wolf that had crept dangerously close. Its eyes flared brightly, blinding her for an instant.
She felt teeth sink into her flesh and swung the staff, smashing the beast's skull and driving it back.
There was no blood where the bite landed, but Hui Cao immediately sensed her Spirit Sea shrink drastically.
Reflexively activating her Divine Vision, her eyes shone once more with golden pupils.
She saw that the wolves were actually small spheres of spiritual energy—their bodies merely illusions projected outward.
Real yet illusory, the spheres rotated slightly with every movement.
Hui Cao memorized their positions, deactivated her Divine Vision, and waited calmly as they approached again.
Now experienced, her senses focused on the centers of their bodies.
When she saw one wolf advance farther than the others, she moved.
In an instant, she struck its core with full force, sending it backward. As the blow grazed the sphere's center, the wolf's body dissipated, leaving only a mace-like mass of energy behind.
Hui Cao observed briefly before refocusing on the others.
Another wolf lunged. This time, the staff struck cleanly, erasing it as well and leaving another energy mass.
The remaining four wolves approached more cautiously, their attacks controlled.
Time passed until the first wolf reformed.
Hui Cao noticed each wolf took ten minutes to recover after a core strike. She went on the offensive, her staff striking with increasing precision.
When the stage ended, the wolves looked at Hui Cao before retreating—sadness evident in their movements.
The sphere exploded, and suddenly a small fox's voice echoed.
—Little girl… far from home, you are—
It spoke directly into her soul.
Hui Cao startled as memories and sensations of loneliness flooded her. Activating Divine Vision, she immediately attacked the fox—only for it to vanish.
—Good strike. Let's see how long you last—
It laughed sinisterly as it split apart.