Volume One, Chapter Two: You Must Strive to Cultivate!

Lying in bed, Su Haoming felt an indescribable joy. At this moment, the system panel showed that Liu Ruoxi’s feelings toward him had shifted from aversion to favor.

According to the system’s description, Su Haoming already knew all the levels of affection, which were: aversion, indifference, favor, liking, true love, and unwavering loyalty.

There were six levels in total. Starting from indifference, each level granted special rewards.

For example, now that Liu Ruoxi’s affection had risen from indifference to favor, Su Haoming had successfully received the system’s reward.

[Primordial Chaos Divine Art]

[One of the supreme cultivation methods from the ancient primordial era, after training it allows one to nurture the Primordial Chaos Purple Qi within the body for combat. This purple qi can counteract elemental spells.]

The Primordial Chaos Divine Art had eight tiers, with only one tier trainable per cultivation level, corresponding perfectly to the eight levels of cultivation in this world.

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Transformation, Void Refining, Fusion, and Great Perfection.

Currently, Su Haoming could only train the first tier, Qi Refining. Even so, he was quite satisfied.

Using the system’s daily lottery immediately, Su Haoming obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill.

“Tsk, I can’t use what the system gave me just yet, but that’s not a big deal. Foundation Establishment Pills sell for a good price on the market. I’ll go out during the day and see if I can trade it for something useful for now,” Su Haoming thought to himself before falling into a deep sleep.

While Su Haoming drifted into dreams, Liu Ruoxi was consuming the millennium-old Lingzhi mushroom in her hands.

It proved that anything produced by the system was indeed top quality. The medicinal potency of this millennium-old Lingzhi was intact, still at its peak.

Liu Ruoxi was shocked to realize this. Most medicinal herbs lose much of their potency without proper preservation.

Even with proper protection, about ten percent of the potency is lost. Yet Su Haoming managed to preserve it completely, clearly having invested great effort and care into this Lingzhi.

And now he had given it to her just like that—such generosity was truly overwhelming.

As she focused inward, sensing her own meridians steadily recovering, a thought gradually took root in Liu Ruoxi’s heart.

Even if she regained her cultivation talent, she would not annul their marriage. Since he had shown sincerity toward her, she could not let him down. As long as she lived, she would always protect Su Haoming.

...

At dawn, sunlight streamed into the bridal chamber where Liu Ruoxi lived. Her meridians had fully recovered thanks to the millennium-old Lingzhi.

The only regret was that her cultivation had not been restored; she still needed to start training from scratch.

With her meridians just restored, Liu Ruoxi dared not rush. She stepped out of the bridal chamber, gazing at the clear sky. For a moment, the entire world seemed more beautiful.

The heavy cloud that had once clouded her heart had mostly dissipated. Indeed, in the cultivation world, strength and talent could solve most troubles.

Instinctively, Liu Ruoxi glanced toward a nearby side room—Su Haoming’s quarters. The door was firmly shut; he was probably still asleep and hadn’t come out yet.

“Su Haoming has a five-attribute waste spiritual root. His cultivation is only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and he’s nearly thirty. If he can’t reach Foundation Establishment by forty, given his aptitude, it’s basically impossible for him to break through. No, I absolutely can’t stand by and watch,” she resolved.

With determination, Liu Ruoxi headed toward Su Haoming’s room.

Su Haoming, sleeping soundly on his bed, was suddenly awakened by a loud knock. Liu Ruoxi stood at the door, casting him a stern look.

“Get up and train! Don’t blame me for being harsh!”

“It’s not like that! It’s only early morning!” Su Haoming scratched his head, bewildered. Training was pointless with his speed; it was a complete waste of time. He’d rather lie down.

Besides, his Primordial Chaos Divine Art increased in tiers based on level—once he reached the entry-level, he could just wait for passive rewards to boost his cultivation.

He could completely relax and slack off. Why get up to train?

“As cultivators, we should strive toward the Great Dao. To give up just because of low aptitude—do you think that’s fair to yourself?”

Liu Ruoxi knew Su Haoming’s weak character and tried to pressure him into training. Yet she didn’t realize how committed he was to slacking off.

“I’m perfectly fair to myself, because my Great Dao is to slack off and muddle through life.”

“You! Fine! Do whatever you want; I don’t care anymore!”

Liu Ruoxi stormed off in anger, leaving Su Haoming alone. Watching her leave, he could only think: This woman must be crazy.

Who said everyone had to work hard? He could just slack off and passively increase his cultivation. The small amount gained from training wasn’t nearly as worthwhile as the pleasure he got from listening to music at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

If effort mattered, how could he have only reached the sixth level of Qi Refining after so many years?

Su Haoming sighed, lay back down, and went back to sleep, too lazy even to get up and close the door.

Liu Ruoxi was furious at his behavior but understood that he had given up because of his poor aptitude.

“Sigh...” she sighed inwardly. She also reflected that if she hadn’t had the help of the millennium-old Lingzhi, she might have succumbed to despair like Su Haoming.

Thinking of this, her affection for him grew a little more.

...

The Fengling Sect was located within the Fengling Mountain Range. Su Haoming lived on the outskirts, on territory belonging to the Su family, close to Fengling City, an affiliated cultivation city of the Fengling Sect. The city wasn’t far from the mountains.

After waking at noon, Su Haoming used his flying treasure—a large green leaf—to fly into Fengling City, intending to sell the Foundation Establishment Pill he held.

Because the sect strictly controlled Foundation Establishment Pills, few made it to the market. In theory, finding a buyer shouldn’t be difficult.

But Su Haoming usually frequented places like the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion and had never paid attention to the cultivation circles inside the city. Now, trying to find a buyer was a bit uncertain.

Upon entering Fengling City, he instinctively went to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion. Standing before its ornate entrance, he hesitated briefly, then...

“Young Master Su, you’ve arrived. Which fairy of the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion would you like to see today?” a ninth-level Qi Refining hostess asked with a smile.

Su Haoming thought for a moment before replying, “Nie Xueyi.”

“Young Master Su, you must be joking. Mistress Nie only receives Foundation Establishment cultivators. Have you forgotten?” the woman said.

Nie Xueyi was the steward sent by the Hehuan Sect to manage the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion in Fengling City. Usually, she only entertained Foundation Establishment cultivators. Su Haoming, at sixth level Qi Refining, had no qualifications.

“I’m here to discuss matters with her. Just tell her directly,” Su Haoming said.

“Um...” the woman hesitated.

Su Haoming sighed, then took a token from his storage ring and handed it to her.

“Give this to her. She’ll definitely see me then.”