Lin Feng woke to the gentle sound of birdsong and the soft trickle of the spiritual spring. Morning light filtered through the paper windows of the small house he'd cleaned up the night before.
[Good morning, Host! Day 1 of Seclusion Complete!]
[Reward: 10 Seclusion Points earned]
[Bonus: First Day Reward - Basic Alchemy Knowledge]
[Bonus: First Day Reward - Spiritual Tea Seeds x50]
Lin Feng sat up, stretching. Knowledge of alchemy flooded his mind—how to identify herbs, prepare them, control pill furnace temperatures. It was only basic knowledge, but for someone who'd never studied alchemy before, it was incredible.
A small pouch appeared on his bedside table, filled with tea seeds that hummed with gentle spiritual energy.
"Not bad, System. Not bad at all," Lin Feng grinned. "If I can grow spiritual tea, at least my seclusion won't be boring."
He spent the morning setting up the Nine Heavens Concealment Array around Tranquil Peak. According to the knowledge in his mind, this formation was extraordinary—it would hide the peak from spiritual sense, redirect any visitors who came too close, and even mask the spiritual energy fluctuations from his cultivation.
"Perfect," Lin Feng said, placing the last formation flag. "Now no one will disturb me."
What he didn't know was that the Nine Heavens Concealment Array was a legendary formation that even immortals would struggle to create. The formation flags he'd casually placed were made from materials that could buy entire kingdoms.
In the Azure Sky Sect's main peak, the Grand Elder suddenly frowned.
"Strange... I could have sworn there was a small peak to the east, but I can't seem to remember what was there."
His fellow elders nodded in confusion. They too felt like they'd forgotten something, but couldn't quite place what it was.
Unaware of the confusion he'd caused, Lin Feng returned to his courtyard and planted the spiritual tea seeds near the spring. Within minutes—though it should have taken months—tiny sprouts emerged from the soil.
"Excellent! The spiritual energy here might be thin, but this spring must be special. The seeds are already sprouting!"
[Host's perception: Spiritual spring is slightly above average.]
[Reality: Spiritual spring is a Chaos-Grade Divine Spring, one of only three in existence. Each drop contains enough spiritual energy to advance a mortal to Foundation Establishment.]
[System Recommendation: Continue believing the spring is ordinary. This will help Host maintain a cautious mindset.]
Lin Feng then turned his attention to the Eternal Breath Scripture. He sat in the courtyard, cross-legged, and began to practice according to the technique's instructions.
The moment he started, spiritual energy from heaven and earth surged toward Tranquil Peak like a tsunami. In the courtyard's time-accelerated field, one hour outside was ten hours inside. Lin Feng's cultivation began to advance at a terrifying speed.
But from his perspective, everything felt normal. "Hmm, the spiritual energy is quite thin here, just as I thought. Good thing the technique is efficient, or this would take forever."
[Host's perception: Cultivation speed is slightly above average for the technique.]
[Reality: Host's cultivation speed is 10,000 times that of an ordinary genius. In one day of external time, Host has cultivated for 240 hours. Breakthrough to the fourth level of Qi Refining imminent.]
By evening, Lin Feng felt a slight warmth in his dantian.
"Oh? I think I'm close to breaking through. That's good—at this rate, I might reach the fourth level of Qi Refining in a week or two. Very satisfactory!"
He was actually at the peak of the fourth level already, on the verge of entering the fifth.
[Daily Mission Complete: Cultivate for at least 4 hours]
[Reward: 5 Seclusion Points]
[Daily Mission Complete: Tend to spiritual plants]
[Reward: 5 Seclusion Points]
[Total Seclusion Points: 20]
[Shop Now Available! Would Host like to browse?]
"There's a shop?" Lin Feng's eyes lit up. "Show me!"
A menu appeared in his vision:
[Seclusion Point Shop]
Basic Qi Refining Pill (10 points)Sword Technique Manual - Iron Cutting Sword (50 points)Spirit Beast Egg - Common Grade (100 points)Random Heaven-Grade Treasure (500 points)One Day of Protection from System (1,000 points)
"These prices... they seem reasonable," Lin Feng mused. "Though that protection option is expensive. The world outside must be really dangerous if I need 1,000 points just for one day of protection. I'd better save my points and stay in seclusion!"
[Correct decision, Host! The outside world is extremely dangerous. Continue accumulating points and cultivating safely!]
What Lin Feng didn't know was that the "Basic Qi Refining Pill" in the shop was actually a Heaven-Defying Transformation Pill that could let someone skip an entire major realm. The "Common Grade" spirit beast egg contained a primordial divine creature. And the "protection" wasn't because he needed it—it was because the System wanted an excuse to give him defensive treasures.
But such details were unimportant to Lin Feng. He was simply happy to have a safe place to cultivate, a system to guide him, and time to grow stronger at his own pace.
As night fell on Tranquil Peak, Lin Feng brewed tea from the spiritual spring water and sat on his porch, gazing at the stars.
"This is the life," he sighed contentedly. "No danger, no competition, just peaceful cultivation. In a hundred years, I'll emerge as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and then... well, maybe I'll stay in seclusion a bit longer, just to be safe."
In the mortal world below the sect, earthquakes began occurring spontaneously as the spiritual energy of the region shifted toward a single point. Cultivators across the continent felt their hearts tremble with an inexplicable sense of reverence.
High in the heavens, immortals who had lived for millions of years opened their eyes in shock.
"A Chaos Spring has appeared in the mortal realm? And that formation... who is the master on that peak?"
But thanks to the Nine Heavens Concealment Array, none could pinpoint the exact location. They could only sense that somewhere in the Eastern Continent, a terrifying power had begun to awaken.
Lin Feng, completely oblivious, finished his tea and went to bed, ready to continue his "ordinary" cultivation journey the next day.