Lin Changkong stood at the courtyard gate, gazing in the direction where Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao had disappeared, motionless for a long time.
The wind rustled through the bamboo forest, creating a soft whisper.
His gaze was deep and complex.
Just moments ago, as he bid farewell to the two, a strange feeling surged in his heart.
It was an indescribable intuition, as if these two siblings he had grown up with were hiding something extraordinary.
With a thought, he summoned the system in his mind.
"System, scan Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao."
A golden panel silently appeared, and two lines of information slowly emerged.
Lin Changkong focused his eyes, his pupils suddenly contracting.
[Name: Luo Qinghan]
[Constitution: Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart (Unawakened)]
[Status: A soul body resides within, dormant]
[Note: The Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart is a legendary Innate Dao Heart in the Cultivation World, rarely encountered in millennia.
Upon awakening, it grants nine heaven-defying abilities: perception, insight, foresight, mind-reading, Dao comprehension, empathy, heavenly Dao operation, destiny control, and infinite creation power.
When all nine apertures are opened, one can attain the supreme.]
Lin Changkong was stunned.
Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart?
The legendary Innate Dao Heart?
Nine heaven-defying abilities?
He continued reading, his gaze falling on the small line—"A soul body resides within, dormant."
An old grandmother?
Countless web novel tropes flashed through Lin Changkong's mind.
Isn't this the standard protagonist setup?
Possessing unparalleled talent, with an old grandfather or grandmother residing within, paving the way to defy fate.
He took a deep breath and looked at the next line.
[Name: Qin Hao]
[Constitution: Chaos Immortal Bone (Already Removed)]
[Status: A peculiar charred divine wood resides within (Consciousness Awakened)]
[Note: The Chaos Immortal Bone can attest to the supreme Innate Immortal Bone, artificially removed in childhood.
The origin of the divine wood within is unknown, suspected to be a fragment of an ancient divine artifact, and has developed self-awareness.]
This time, Lin Changkong was truly dumbfounded.
Chaos Immortal Bone?
A testament to supreme existence?
Artificially removed?
A scene instantly appeared in his mind—a baby still in swaddling clothes, having his Immortal Bone forcibly taken away.
What kind of pain was that? What kind of cruelty?
And even with the Immortal Bone removed, Qin Hao's detected Spirit Root was still a Top-grade Spirit Root.
This... this was simply terrifying.
And that charred divine wood, its consciousness already awakened.
Another old grandfather.
Lin Changkong stood in the wind, speechless for a long time.
After a while, he suddenly laughed.
"This..."
He shook his head, his tone full of incredulity.
"Who would have thought, who would have thought, that these two siblings I grew up with would turn out to be such extraordinary beings."
Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart, Chaos Immortal Bone.
Each more heaven-defying than the last.
He suddenly recalled the journey they had taken.
From the village to the Azure Cloud Sect, the road was long and fraught with danger. He had encountered demonic beasts, mountain bandits, harsh weather, and complex terrain.
Several times, he thought he wouldn't make it, but in the end, he always managed to turn danger into safety and get through unscathed.
He had thought it was just good luck.
But now it seemed.
"It seems our safe arrival at the Azure Cloud Sect wasn't just due to good luck."
Lin Changkong murmured softly to himself.
Those seemingly perilous moments, those instances of surviving against the odds, were probably not luck, but the hidden intervention of the two great beings residing within Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao.
He remembered once when they were chased by a demonic beast, and just as it seemed they would be caught, the beast suddenly turned tail and fled as if frightened by something.
At the time, he thought the beast had simply changed its mind, but now...
And another time, they got lost in the mountains and couldn't find their way out, only to discover the next morning that they had unknowingly found the right path.
Too many coincidences.
Too much luck.
If these were not coincidences, but someone secretly protecting them...
Lin Changkong's lips curled into a slight smile.
"In that case, I owe them a debt of gratitude."
He chuckled, without jealousy or resentment, only an indescribable sense of comfort and gratitude.
These two little ones, to have such fortune, it was their blessing.
And for him, to travel with them, to be remembered by them, was also his blessing.
He looked toward the distant mountains, his gaze gradually firming.
"In that case, if I achieve success in my cultivation in the future, I will surely protect you both."
Although his system could only advance one level per year, making his early progress much slower than others.
With talents like Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao, they could reach Foundation Establishment in a year or two, and step into the Purple Palace in three to five years.
But he, advancing one level per year, would take at least ten years to reach Foundation Establishment, and twenty years to reach the Purple Palace.
It seemed much slower.
But from his readings over the past few days, Lin Changkong understood that the path of cultivation became increasingly difficult as one progressed.
After the Purple Palace, the pace of cultivation would slow down. From the Purple Palace to the Golden Elixir could take decades or even longer.
And from the Golden Elixir to the Elemental Infant was as hard as ascending to the heavens, requiring not only arduous cultivation but also opportunity, insight, and fortune, all indispensable.
Those geniuses who advanced rapidly in the early stages often encountered bottlenecks after reaching the Golden Elixir stage, stuck for decades or even a century without progress.
But as for him?
Advancing one level per year, with no bottlenecks, steadily and surely.
If one year wasn't enough, then ten years; if ten years wasn't enough, then a hundred years.
As long as he had enough time, he would eventually catch up and even surpass them.
And once he surpassed them, those geniuses would need decades or centuries to advance further, while he would continue to advance one level per year, steadily moving forward.
This was his greatest confidence.
Lin Changkong withdrew his gaze and turned back into the courtyard.
The path of cultivation was clearly defined.
He had read in books about the division of cultivation levels in this world:
Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Purple Palace, Golden Elixir, Elemental Infant, Divine Transformation...
As for whether there were higher levels beyond Divine Transformation, the books were vague, only vaguely mentioning "rumors of Divine Transformation beings in ancient times," but no one knew the specifics.
Perhaps the levels were too high, beyond the scope of ordinary records.
Perhaps on this continent, Divine Transformation was the pinnacle.
Each major level was further divided into nine smaller layers.
From Qi Refining 1st Layer to 9th Layer, Foundation Establishment 1st Layer to 9th Layer, and so on.
Each step forward was a refinement and transcendence of oneself.
Only upon reaching the ninth layer could one attempt to break through to the next major level.
The grade of Spirit Roots was divided into Mortal Grade, Low-grade, Mid-grade, High-grade, and Top-grade.
Mid-grade was faster, High-grade even faster, and Top-grade, like Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao, could reach Foundation Establishment in one or two years.
As for him, with a Mortal-grade Spirit Root, without the system, he would likely never hope to reach Foundation Establishment in his lifetime.
But with the system, everything was different.
Lin Changkong silently calculated his path.
One level per year, steady and sure.
Ten years to Foundation Establishment, twenty years to the Purple Palace, thirty years to the Golden Elixir, forty years to the Elemental Infant, fifty years to Divine Transformation.
Fifty years.
In fifty years, he would be only sixty-five.
In the Cultivation World, what did a sixty-five-year-old Divine Transformation mean?
Lin Changkong didn't dare to imagine, nor did he want to think too much.
He only needed to know that as long as he lived well and cultivated diligently, one day, he would stand at the pinnacle of this world.
For geniuses like Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao with Top-grade Spirit Roots, their cultivation speed was astonishing.
The Qi Refining Stage was just an entry point for them, taking one or two years to complete all nine layers and smoothly reach Foundation Establishment.
After Foundation Establishment, their speed remained swift, reaching the Purple Palace in three to five years.
But from the Purple Palace onward, their speed would noticeably slow.
Each layer of the Purple Palace required deeper accumulation.
It was no longer just about absorbing Spiritual Qi but also required comprehension of the world and refinement of oneself.
From the Purple Palace to the Golden Elixir often took over a decade.
And breaking through to the Golden Elixir was a major hurdle.
The Golden Elixir meant condensing a true Golden Elixir within, concentrating one's Dao, insights, and all cultivation into a single point.
This step required opportunity, fortune, deep accumulation, and that elusive moment of insight.
Some were stuck at the peak of the Purple Palace for decades without progress, while others had a sudden epiphany and directly formed their Golden Elixir.
The grade of Spirit Roots determined the starting point and speed of cultivation.
Mortal-grade Spirit Roots were almost hopeless on the path to immortality, barely able to cultivate, but progressing extremely slowly.
Low-grade Spirit Roots barely crossed the threshold.
With effort, they could normally reach Foundation Establishment in ten years.
But after Foundation Establishment, each step was extremely difficult, and many spent their entire lives stuck at Foundation Establishment.
Mid-grade Spirit Roots had decent talent, reaching Foundation Establishment in about five years, with hopes for the Purple Palace.
High-grade Spirit Roots had outstanding talent, reaching Foundation Establishment in two to three years, with hopes for the Purple Palace within ten years.
Top-grade Spirit Roots were the darlings of heaven, like Luo Qinghan and Qin Hao, reaching Foundation Establishment in one or two years, the Purple Palace in three to five years, with potential for the Golden Elixir and hopes for the Elemental Infant.
Lin Changkong closed the book, feeling a sense of calm.
His Spirit Root was Mortal-grade, and without the system, he would never touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment in his lifetime.
But now, he advanced one level per year, with no bottlenecks.
In the early stages, he was indeed slower than Luo Qinghan and the others; when they reached Foundation Establishment, he was still at the third or fourth layer of Qi Refining.
When they reached the Purple Palace, he was just about to reach Foundation Establishment.
But from the Purple Palace onward, the situation would reverse.
They would need over a decade to go from the Purple Palace to the Golden Elixir, while he would only need nine years.
Nine years for the nine layers of the Purple Palace, ten years for the Golden Elixir.
And after the Golden Elixir, their speed would slow even more.
It could take over a decade or even decades to advance one layer.
But he would continue advancing one level per year, steadily moving forward.
The further he went, the greater his advantage.
So, Lin Changkong's current situation was already quite favorable for him.
Being slower in the early stages didn't matter.
He wasn't in a hurry to venture out.
Stay safe, develop, and wait for the later stages.