The old steward quietly watched Di Tian. "So..." "Have you made your choice?" Di Tian looked at the dusty jade slip in his hand. Heavenly Thunder Physique. "I'll choose this one." The old steward frowned slightly. "You've got courage." "Or perhaps you're simply ignorant." Di Tian smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment." The old man chuckled before accepting Di Tian's disciple token. Three hundred contribution points disappeared instantly. "The technique is yours." "But remember..." "Difficulty is not the same as strength." "Many disciples think a difficult technique must be better." "They're wrong." "The Heavenly Thunder Physique is still only a Low Mortal Rank body cultivation technique." "It simply extracts every bit of potential from the human body." "If you don't possess enough perseverance..." "You'll never reach its true power." Di Tian bowed respectfully. "Thank you for the advice, Elder." --- Returning to Courtyard Thirty-Seven, he found the courtyard empty once again. His roommates were still training. He entered his room. Locked the door. Sat cross-legged on the bed. Then pressed the jade slip against his forehead. Immediately... A torrent of information flooded his mind. His muscles twitched involuntarily. His bones seemed to ache. Even his blood circulated faster. The inheritance described a brutal cultivation process. Every cycle of cultivation tempered a different part of the body. Muscles. Bones. Skin. Blood. Meridians. Internal organs. Again. And again. Like being struck by countless bolts of heavenly thunder. After several minutes... Di Tian slowly exhaled. "So that's why no one wants to cultivate it..." Just then— 【Low Mortal Rank Body Cultivation Technique Detected.】【Heavenly Thunder Physique recorded successfully.】【Assign to Technique Slot Four?】 A translucent screen appeared. --- Technique Slots Slot One: Basic Qi Gathering Art Slot Two: Mountain Splitting Palm Slot Three: Cloud Step Slot Four: Empty Slot Five: Empty --- "Assign." 【Assigned Successfully.】【Beginning Automatic Cultivation.】 Inside his consciousness... A fourth shadow appeared. Unlike the others... It continuously tempered its own body. Spiritual qi flowed through muscles before entering the bones. Then into the blood. Then throughout every organ. The process repeated endlessly. Di Tian quietly observed. Several minutes later... He noticed something. "...It's much slower." The system answered immediately. 【Correct.】【Technique Difficulty: High.】【Estimated Mastery Time: Eight Months.】 "So harder techniques take longer to cultivate?" 【Affirmative.】 "The stronger the technique..." "The longer it takes?" 【Affirmative.】 A new screen appeared. --- Estimated Time to Reach Perfection Basic Qi Gathering Art - Low Mortal Rank - Difficulty: Low - Time Required: 3 Months Mountain Splitting Palm - Low Mortal Rank - Difficulty: Low - Time Required: 3 Months Cloud Step - Low Mortal Rank - Difficulty: Low - Time Required: 3 Months Heavenly Thunder Physique - Low Mortal Rank - Difficulty: High - Time Required: 8 Months --- Di Tian nodded. That made sense. The system cultivated continuously... But it still obeyed the laws of cultivation. A more profound technique naturally required more time to comprehend. He thought for a moment before asking, "What happens after I master it?" The system responded. --- Heavenly Thunder Physique Rank: Low Mortal Rank Beginner - Slight increase in physical strength and endurance. Small Success - Physical strength comparable to a Third Stage Qi Gathering cultivator. Great Success - Physical strength comparable to a Sixth Stage Qi Gathering cultivator. Perfection - Physical strength comparable to a Ninth Stage Qi Gathering cultivator. - Flesh and bones become as hard as refined steel. - Greatly enhanced recovery. - Strong resistance to physical attacks. - Meridians become more durable, allowing greater bursts of qi. --- Di Tian's eyes lit up. "So if I perfect this technique..." "My body alone will rival a Ninth Stage Qi Gathering cultivator?" 【Correct.】 He couldn't help but smile. That was worth one of his precious five slots. Another thought crossed his mind. "What about cultivation realms?" The system answered immediately. 【The higher the cultivation realm, the greater the amount of spiritual qi required for each breakthrough.】 A diagram appeared. First Stage → Second Stage - 1 unit of qi. Second Stage → Third Stage - 2 units. Third Stage → Fourth Stage - 4 units. Fourth Stage → Fifth Stage - 8 units. Fifth Stage → Sixth Stage - 16 units. "The required spiritual qi continues increasing with every stage." "The same principle applies to every major realm." Di Tian finally understood. "No wonder cultivators spend decades breaking through." His Heaven-grade Spirit Root allowed him to absorb qi twenty-three times faster than a Five-Element Spirit Root. His system cultivated every second of the day. Yet even then... His progress had slowed compared to the beginning. The mountain of cultivation only became steeper. He looked inward. His dantian was nearly full. The barrier separating the Fifth and Sixth Stages had begun to crack. Soon... Very soon... He would step into the Sixth Stage of Qi Gathering. Outside, the evening bell echoed through the Outer Sect. His roommates gradually returned from another exhausting day of training. Lin Hai dropped onto a chair. "I finally reached Small Success in Mountain Splitting Palm." Zhao Ming sighed. "My Cloud Step still isn't improving." Sun Wei smiled bitterly. "I've been trying to temper my body with ordinary exercises." Di Tian poured himself a cup of tea. "What a coincidence." "I started body cultivation today." The three looked at him. Lin Hai laughed. "Then prepare to suffer." "I heard body cultivation is absolute torture." Di Tian calmly took a sip of tea. "...I'll do my best." Only he knew... He would never feel a single moment of that pain. As night fell over the Azure Cloud Sect... Four shadow figures cultivated tirelessly within his consciousness. One refined qi. One practiced palm strikes. One perfected footwork. One endlessly tempered his body. And with every passing second... Di Tian quietly grew stronger.

Chapter 10: The Fourth Slot