7: Chapter 7 contains six key terms, arming you to the teeth!

[You look at those six entry slots on the panel, feeling incredibly refreshed.]

[It's just like playing a game; before, you were a pauper with only three pieces of novice cloth armor. Now that you've reached the level, you've instantly upgraded your gear, unlocking a full set of Divine-Grade equipment slots!]

[Although you don't have any Divine-Grade gear yet, the future looks promising!]

[You begin to take stock of the "family property" you've accumulated over these seventy-plus years.]

[The list of unequipped entries is so long you can't see the end of it at a glance.]

[[Large Appetite (White)], [Loves Eating Spinach (White)], [Empty Headed (White)], [Old but Vigorous (White)], [A Walk After Meals (White)], [Little Expert at Farming (White)], [Loves Sleeping In (White)], [The Angler Never Returns Empty-Handed (White)], [Square Dance Mastery (White)], [Must Retract Moves in Chess (White)], [Loves Bragging While Drinking (White)], [Snoring Like Thunder (White)], [Crows Mouth (White)], [Insomnia (White)], [Poor Sense of Direction (White)], [Bragging is Tax-Free (White)], [Age Spots (White)], [Optimistic (White)], [Perseverance (White)], [Good Memory (White)]...]

[In total, sixty-four entries.]

[Two green, sixty-two white.]

[It could be called a museum of white trash entries.]

[Looking at these "old friends" who have accompanied you for most of your life, you can't help but be filled with emotion.]

[Although most of them are useless, and some are even bizarre, it was exactly these small "thank you for your patronage" moments that gave you a glimmer of hope during the long and desperate wait.]

[Now, it's time for some of them to play their part.]

[Your current three equipped entries are:]

[[Life Simulator (Prismatic)]: The core of cores, absolutely cannot be touched.]

[[Five Elements Complete (Waste) (Green)]: The Foundation of your cultivation, also cannot be touched.]

[[Effort Will Be Rewarded (Green)]: The guarantee of your future rapid progress, even more so cannot be touched.]

[These three entries take up three slots.]

[You still have three empty entry slots.]

[You begin to carefully search for useful things in your "trash heap."]

[Quickly, you find your first target.]

[[Photographic Memory (Green)].]

[Oh, wait, you didn't pull that one. Looking closely, you see that what you pulled was a low-tier white version.]

[[Good Memory (White)]: Your memory is somewhat better than the average person's.]

"Better than nothing, I suppose."

[With a thought, you equip [Good Memory (White)] into the fourth entry slot.]

[Instantly, you feel your mind clear up significantly. The memories of the past seventy-plus years, once blurred, have become vivid once again.]

[While it's not at the abnormal level of a Photographic Memory, it's definitely sufficient for memorizing Cultivation Techniques, Pill Formulas, array diagrams, and the like.]

[Next, you look for the second target.]

[You turn your gaze toward the entry that you both love and hate.]

[[Crows Mouth (White)]: There is a tiny probability that the bad things you occasionally say will come true.]

"This thing can't be equipped normally; it's too dangerous. But as a trump card to screw someone over at a critical moment, it could have miraculous effects."

[You decide not to equip it for now and instead look for something more practical.]

[[Greased Soles (White)]: A little bit faster when running away.]

[You shake your head.]

[You are already a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator now. Although only at the First Layer of Qi Refining, your physical fitness far exceeds that of a Mortal. Randomly casting even the lowest-level 'Light Body Technique' is much faster than [Greased Soles].]

[This entry is already outdated for this version.]

[You continue scrolling down.]

[[Full of Energy (White)]?]

[This one's good. Although you are a Cultivator now and your dharmic power can nourish your Physical Body, cultivation itself is an extremely mentally taxing task. With [Full of Energy], you can Cultivate for longer periods with higher efficiency.]

[Decided, the fifth entry is this! You equip [Full of Energy (White)].]

[A familiar sense of comfort spreads through your body. You feel as if your ninety-year-old body has become ten years younger, filled with vigor.]

[Only one entry slot remains.]

[Looking at the remaining pile of life-oriented entries, you fall into a dilemma of choice.]

[Should you choose [Little Expert at Farming] and change careers to a spirit farmer later? Or choose [The Angler Never Returns Empty-Handed] to catch some spirit fish in the back mountains to improve your meals? Or [Storyteller (Entry-level)] to make a living storytelling at the market below the mountain after you retire?]

[You ponder for a long time. Finally, your gaze falls on an entry that seems the most useless.]

[[Affable and Amiable (White)]: Your facial features will make people feel you are very kind, making it difficult to arouse their vigilance or hostility.]

[You touch your weather-beaten old face and grin.]

"This is the one!"

[You are now a ninety-year-old 'minor Cultivator' at the First Layer of Qi Refining. You have no talent and no background. In this world of cultivation where the strong prey on the weak, you are practically a little lamb that has just left the novice village and plunged headlong into a max-level map.]

[What you need most right now is not combat power, but the ability to disguise yourself and protect yourself.]

[[Affable and Amiable], this entry is practically a 'protective coloration' tailor-made for you!]

[You equip [Affable and Amiable (White)] into the sixth entry slot.]

[You feel your facial muscles relax. Your expression, which had become somewhat stern due to years of cultivation, instantly softens. The sharp light in your eyes is completely retracted, replaced by a gentle and kind wisdom that has seen through the ways of the world.]

[You walk to the water vat and take a look at your reflection by the moonlight.]

[The old man in the water has white hair but a youthful complexion, looking like a transcendent immortal. A smile like a spring breeze hangs on his face.]

[Anyone who sees him would only think this is an ordinary old man living in seclusion and enjoying his twilight years; they would never associate him with a Cultivator who has just stepped onto the immortal path.]

"Perfect!"

[You nod with satisfaction.]

[With this, your first set of 'combat' entry configurations is officially formed.]

[[Life Simulator (Prismatic)] (Core)]

[[Five Elements Spirit Root (Green)] (Foundation)]

[[Effort Will Be Rewarded (Green)] (Engine)]

[[Good Memory (White)] (Auxiliary - Learning)]

[[Full of Energy (White)] (Auxiliary - Stamina)]

[[Affable and Amiable (White)] (Auxiliary - Disguise)]

[This configuration highlights one word—'Low-key'!]

[There isn't a single combat entry; they are all for development and survival.]

[You are very clear about your current position. Before you truly possess the power to protect yourself, you must be even more low-profile and inconspicuous than before.]

[The commotion caused by your Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Stage was not small, and the entire Laborer Courtyard was alarmed.]

[You hear noisy footsteps and exclamations coming from outside.]

"Heavens! How did Grandpa Tang's house collapse?"

"That Spiritual Qi fluctuation just now... was it Grandpa Tang? Did... did he guide Qi into his body?"

"Guiding Qi into the body at ninety years old? How is that possible!"

[Quickly, a middle-aged Cultivator wearing steward's robes, leading several Outer Sect Disciples, pushed through the crowd and arrived before your ruins.]

[The newcomer is the current Chief Steward of the Laborer Courtyard, surnamed Li, with a cultivation of the third layer of Qi Refining.]

[When he sees you sitting cross-legged in the ruins, unharmed and even looking somewhat like a transcendent immortal, his pupils shrink suddenly.]

[He can clearly feel that faint yet incredibly pure dharmic power fluctuation on you.]

[It really is the First Layer of Qi Refining! And the Foundation... seems exceptionally solid?]

[Steward Li's heart is filled with stormy waves.]

[A ninety-year-old Mortal could actually guide Qi into his body? This is simply unheard-of news!]

[He suppresses the shock in his heart, squeezes out a formulaic smile, and slightly cups his hands toward you.]

"Tang... Senior. May I ask what happened here?"

[He originally wanted to call you "Grandpa Tang," but as the words reached his lips, he changed it to "Senior."]

[In the cultivation world, the one who achieves first is the Senior. Although you are old, your cultivation has just begun. However, this feat of entering the Dao at ninety is truly too terrifying, making him not dare to underestimate you in the slightest. Calling you "Senior" was an expression of basic respect.]

[You slowly open your eyes, and with the boost from the [Affable and Amiable] entry, a kind and slightly embarrassed smile appears on your face.]

"Oh, it's Steward Li. I'm so sorry. I'm old and useless now. I was just having a dream while sleeping tonight, dreaming that I was young again, and I accidentally stretched, and this dilapidated house just collapsed. I've made a fool of myself in front of everyone, a fool of myself."

[You say these words nonchalantly, as if destroying a house is as common as breaking a bowl.]

[The surrounding people are dumbfounded.]

[Stretching and making the house collapse?]

[Was that a stretch, old man, or were you using an ultimate move in the room?!]

[Steward Li's mouth twitches; he naturally doesn't believe your nonsense. But looking at your harmless smile, he doesn't know how to respond for a moment.]

[He feels that this old man before him has an indescribable strangeness about him.]

[Despite only having a cultivation of the First Layer of Qi Refining, it makes him, a third layer of Qi Refining, feel a hint of pressure.]

"Senior must be joking," Steward Li gives a dry laugh. "You... have... successfully guided Qi into your body?"

"Sigh, what 'into the body' or not,—" you wave your hand with an air of "it doesn't matter."

"It's just that after living so long, a bit of Qi inexplicably appeared in my body and started running around uncontrollably. That's how this disaster was caused. Ashamed, I am truly ashamed."

[Hearing these words full of humblebragging, Steward Li's eyelids jump.]

[What do you mean 'a bit of Qi'? What do you mean 'running around on its own'?]

[That's fucking dharmic power! It's something countless Cultivators dream of! How can it sound like appendicitis when it comes out of your mouth?!]

[He takes a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.]

"In any case, for Senior to step onto the immortal path at the high age of ninety, your Perseverance is commendable and truly a model for our generation. According to sect rules, any Utility Disciple who successfully guides Qi into their body can automatically be promoted to an Outer Sect Disciple. I will go and handle the procedures for you now."

"Tomorrow morning, you can go to the Outer Sect Disciple area to collect your new identity token, robes, and Immortal Cave."

[After saying this, he doesn't want to stay with you, this "monster," any longer. He cups his hands and hurries away with his people.]

[You watch their departing backs, the smile on your face slowly disappearing, your eyes becoming deep.]

[Outer Sect Disciple, huh?]

[A new life is about to begin.]

[And you, too, should begin your true cultivation.]

[You find a quiet corner, sit cross-legged, and begin your first cultivation after becoming a Cultivator.]

[When the Qi Guiding Art begins to circulate, you instantly feel the difference.]

[With the boost from [Effort Will Be Rewarded], every time you guide Spiritual Qi, you receive the most direct reward.]

[And after stepping into the First Layer of Qi Refining, your affinity for Spiritual Qi is more than a grade higher than during your Mortal period.]

[What surprises you even more is that you find your [Five Elements Spirit Root] doesn't seem to be as "wasteful" as the legends say.]

[Because the Five Elements are complete, you can simultaneously absorb Spiritual Qi of all attributes between heaven and earth, without needing to worry about identifying and purifying it like Cultivators with single or dual Spiritual Roots.]

[Although the speed of absorbing each type of Spiritual Qi is slow, with five "pipes" taking in water together, the total amount added up is actually quite considerable!]

[Most importantly, the Five Elements Spiritual Qi forms a perfect cycle within your body, generating and overcoming each other in an endless loop.]

[Every bit of dharmic power you refine is exceptionally solid and pure, far beyond what ordinary Cultivators can compare to.]

"How is this a waste Spiritual Root? This is practically a Divine-Grade Spiritual Root tailor-made for [Effort Will Be Rewarded]!"

[You are overjoyed in your heart.]

[The disadvantage of a waste Spiritual Root is slowness, and [Effort Will Be Rewarded] happens to compensate for this, transforming each of your "slow" moments into solid accumulation.]

[And the advantage of the waste Spiritual Root—the Five Elements cycle and solid Foundation—is infinitely magnified by [Effort Will Be Rewarded]!]

[You feel like you're driving a tractor; although the start is slow, the horsepower is sufficient, the chassis is stable, and it can even refuel itself! As long as the road is long enough, reaching the finish line is only a matter of time!]

[You immerse yourself in this pleasure of becoming stronger at high speed (self-perceived), and unknowingly, a night passes.]