Hengsheng placed his palm in front of him, and the next moment, Qi patterns quickly materialized into fifteen cm. Qi palms. They shot forward at a rapid pace, striking the chest of the wooden dummy. Crash! The Qi palms shattered like fragile glass, leaving only a small, shallow palm mark on the dummy. Hengsheng's eyebrow twitched. In the real world, his "World Shatter Palm" was pitifully weak. Due to his low cultivation level and lack of mastery over the technique, it was barely more effective than throwing rocks at an enemy.
Frustrated but determined, Hengsheng considered returning to his chamber to undergo at least 10 cycles of cultivation to strengthen his cultivation base. His current power was far from the overwhelming might he envisioned during his mind-space simulations. Still, he continued testing his other techniques. Unlike the mind space where activating a skill was effortless, here in the real world, he had programmed his system to guide and assist him rather than take full control. This was part of his effort to grow as a cultivator rather than relying entirely on shortcuts.
Hengsheng activated the Qi Surge Cannon Technique. He carefully guided his spiritual Qi along the pathways described in the technique. Slowly, the energy within his spirit core formed a Qi pattern, moving through his veins to his arm. Finally, the Qi pattern emerged above his palm, coalescing into a sphere of spiritual Qi. The entire process took about 5 seconds—longer than he would have liked, but understandable given his low cultivation level and relatively weak Qi.
Even with just 10 units of refined Qi, it was already a miracle that he could perform an earth-grade technique at all. For most cultivators at his level, moving Qi outside the body, let alone shaping it into a technique, would be impossible.
After finishing the tests, Hengsheng returned to his chamber, his thoughts swirling with both disappointment and determination. The gap between his imagined strength and reality was disheartening, but he had no intention of staying this weak. He needed to cultivate quickly to close that gap. However, he now realized that his earlier assumption—that he wouldn’t need resources because of his system—was overly optimistic. While it was true that his system could help him process spiritual Qi, the process was too slow. If he continued at this pace, it might take him 10 years to advance to the next realm.
To accelerate his progress, he needed resources—natural treasures, Qi-Gathering pills, or anything that could help him gather and refine spiritual Qi faster. But first, he had to resolve the issue of his recent "crime." Hengsheng smirked at his plan: to offer the clan some of the techniques he had created. He had already selected 10 sword pseudo-heaven-grade techniques, which were exceptionally rare. Even the Lan clan only had 50 such techniques in their archives. Adding 10 more would be a significant contribution, likely enough to placate the elders and smooth over his misdeeds.
However, there was one problem: he didn’t have enough time to write all 10 books before reporting to the designated gathering area the next morning.
Hengsheng couldn’t resist the need to cheat this time. "Lan Ju!"
"Yes, young master," Lan Ju replied promptly, opening the door and bowing with her usual politeness.
"Get me paper and ink. A lot of them. I’m going to make scriptures."
Lan Ju looked momentarily confused by the unusual request but nodded. "Yes, young master. But before I go, I must inform you that an elder from the law enforcement branch has requested to meet with you. I told them you were in seclusion cultivating, so they agreed to come again tomorrow morning."
Hengsheng smirked and replied, "You did well. I’ll handle that matter myself tomorrow. Now, go get the materials quickly."
Lan Ju quickly left the chamber to fulfill his request. Alone again, Hengsheng closed his eyes and entered his mind space. His goal was clear: create a tool to speed up the scripture-writing process.
[Installing: Scripture Maker System...]
The Scripture Maker System was a simple yet specialized tool designed to act as his extra hand for writing books. It required only 15% of his Auxiliary Systems Capacity, there is still plenty of space left. Hengsheng was pleased with the balance—it wouldn’t interfere with his existing systems. Auxiliary Systems Capacity was a feature of the main system that provided space to install additional subsystems as needed. Since Hengsheng’s body wasn’t vast enough to support countless systems simultaneously, this capacity served as a limitation so that his body would not be overloaded cause there were too many systems. However, as his cultivation progressed and his strength grew, the capacity would naturally expand, allowing for more systems to be integrated over time.
Once installed, Hengsheng returned to the real world. As he waited for Lan Ju to bring the materials, he tested the new system.
"Activate Scripture Maker," he commanded.
Moments later, ten translucent Qi hands materialized beside him. He felt a slight drain on his Qi reserves, but thanks to his system’s auto Qi absorption, the impact was negligible. Testing their precision, Hengsheng directed the hands to mimic detailed writing motions. They obeyed flawlessly, moving with incredible accuracy and efficiency.
"Perfect," he murmured, nodding in satisfaction. With the Scripture Maker active, the hands could work passively without constant input from him. That meant he could focus on cultivation while the system did the tedious task of writing.
Shortly after, Lan Ju returned with a stack of paper, ink, and brushes. She placed them on the table and stepped back, watching curiously.
"Good timing," Hengsheng said with a smirk. Without delay, he commanded the Qi hands to begin. They picked up the brushes, dipped them into the ink, and started writing at an astonishing speed. Hengsheng didn’t even need to oversee the process directly—the Scripture Maker followed his mental commands perfectly.
Seeing her young master effortlessly manage ten writing tools at once, Lan Ju’s eyes widened in surprise. "Young master, you truly possess extraordinary methods," she murmured with a surprise expression.
Hengsheng ignored her and sent a gesture to her then she stepped back and left his chamber turning his attention to his cultivation. Sitting cross-legged on his mat, he closed his eyes and began refining spiritual Qi with the Vast Meridian Refinement Art. The soft rustling of brushes against paper became the backdrop to his meditation as he immersed himself in cultivation
The faint glow of his blue Spirit Core illuminating the inside of his body. Spiritual Qi flowed steadily through his meridians, and each completed cycle left him feeling slightly stronger. He had activated the system to assist him in refining his Qi and steadily eroding the blockage in his second meridian.
His mind drifted between deep focus and idle thought. Three years of effort has finally paid off, he mused.
Hours passed as Hengsheng remained motionless, his breathing slow and steady. Outside his chamber, the world stirred quietly. The faint sound of leaves rustling in the breeze, the occasional footstep of a passing servant—all these small details faded into the background as Hengsheng continued to cultivate.
Suddenly, the distant sound of raised voices broke through the stillness. It was faint at first but grew louder and closer with each passing moment. Hengsheng’s eyelids twitched as the noise pulled him from his focus. His Spirit Core dimmed slightly as he slowed his Qi circulation.
He heard Lan Ju’s firm voice, muffled by the door.
“You cannot enter, respected elders. The young master is in seclusion for cultivation.”
A sharp reply followed.
“This is the Lan clan’s business. He is under investigation for breaking clan rules. Step aside!”
The unmistakable clang of metal, the heavy footsteps of law enforcement officers, and the rising commotion outside his chamber made Hengsheng furrow his brows. He exhaled deeply, his serene mood now fully disrupted.
A loud knock thundered against the door.
“Lan Hengsheng, this is the law enforcement unit of the Lan clan. Open this door at once!”
Inside, Hengsheng slowly opened his eyes, his calm gaze flickering with mild irritation. He stretched his arms briefly, brushing off the stiffness from his prolonged cultivation session.