Seven Extremes Sect.

Immortal Seed Valley.

A new batch of immortal seedlings had been transported from various Ascension Cities and gathered here for a three-month initiation training before being distributed to different peaks within the sect.

The top fifty would become inner sect disciples, the top two hundred would become outer sect disciples, while the rest would become miscellaneous workers.

Thousands of fourteen or fifteen-year-old youths gathered in a square, their murmuring voices continuously reaching Su Yuan's ears.

Su Yuan looked around blankly at the variously dressed youths—some in luxurious attire, others in tattered clothes—their temperaments vastly different.

"Who am I? Where am I? What should I do?"

Su Yuan posed these three existential questions before a flood of memories surged into his mind, making his head throb painfully.

After a while, Su Yuan was utterly shocked—he had actually transmigrated into a cultivation world!

Intense excitement rose in his heart. In his previous life, he had longed for immortality and yearned for the dazzling, powerful immortal arts. But he also understood that the cultivation world was extremely dangerous!

From his memories, he knew they had encountered two disasters on the way to Seven Extremes Sect—one beast attack and one cultivator ambush. Rumor had it some immortal seedlings had died before even reaching the sect, proving how perilous this world was!

While Su Yuan was still sorting through his memories...

The entire square suddenly fell silent.

Su Yuan blinked and looked up.

An old Daoist had appeared, riding a sword through the air. With an immortal demeanor, flowing white hair and billowing robes, he looked every bit the transcendent expert.

Su Yuan's eyes burned with fervor—this was actual flight!

The old Daoist landed on the platform, stroking his beard as he smiled faintly. "I am the Valley Master of Immortal Seed Valley. Today, I will activate the Qi Guidance Array to help you embark on your cultivation journey! Sit down immediately and prepare for meditation!"

So direct?

Seeing all the youths finding meditation cushions to sit on, Su Yuan quickly sat on the nearest one.

Just as he wondered how to guide qi...

The old Daoist produced a horsetail whisk and waved it, scattering thousands of spiritual lights toward the crowd.

A single point of light entered Su Yuan's brow, implanting a complete method for qi guidance and entering the Qi Refining stage directly into his mind—he memorized it instantly.

This display left Su Yuan utterly amazed—this was true immortal cultivation!

"Qi Guidance Array—activate!"

The elder formed hand seals, causing colorful lights to rise around the square, enveloping the entire area.

Transparent colored pillars of light descended, each perfectly enclosing an immortal seedling. Su Yuan immediately noticed the surroundings becoming silent—no wind, no birds—and his mind cleared noticeably.

"Spirit Guidance Incense—ignite!"

With another wave of his hand, twelve long incense sticks appeared in the elder's grasp, lighting spontaneously.

A flick of his sleeve sent the twelve incense sticks embedding precisely into twelve pillars around the square, their fragrance soon permeating the area.

Su Yuan watched in awe.

When he refocused, many youths had already closed their eyes to meditate, attempting qi guidance.

"I should start too!"

Su Yuan hurriedly closed his eyes and followed the qi guidance method in his mind. At first, he couldn't calm himself, but as the Spirit Guidance Incense's aroma reached him, he gradually entered a meditative state.

In the darkness, he tried sensing heaven and earth spiritual energy. Vaguely, he saw tiny red, green, and pale golden dots.

After several mental calls, the dots moved slightly before stopping, seemingly reluctant to approach Su Yuan.

Before he could successfully attract them, the darkness vanished—he had awakened.

Su Yuan opened his eyes in confusion to find the Spirit Guidance Incense completely burned out!

Looking forward, he saw over a dozen youths standing behind the elder, watching the remaining seated crowd with interest.

Those standing must have succeeded in qi guidance!

"Rest briefly before the second round of meditation!" Valley Master Lan announced calmly before closing his eyes.

Su Yuan used this time to recall his earlier experience.

He had sensed the spiritual energy—now he needed to absorb it!

"My approach was wrong earlier. I should focus on one type. Red is fire attribute, pale gold is metal, green is wood. Which should I choose?"

After brief consideration, he settled on wood attribute.

From his past life's reading, fire attribute qi was too volatile, metal too sharp and stubborn—wood was perfect, being lively yet stable, with greater affinity for life.

Soon, the elder spoke: "Begin the second round!"

Another twelve incense sticks were placed on the pillars.

Su Yuan immediately closed his eyes to meditate.

Soon, he returned to that dark space, seeing the colorful dots again.

Focusing entirely on the green dots, Su Yuan mentally called to them.

Slowly, the green dots drifted toward him.

Remaining calm, Su Yuan maintained his focus.

Finally, several green dots touched him.

A cool sensation flowed from his brow down his meridians, settling in his lower dantian before warming—Su Yuan rejoiced!

"Success?"

Suddenly, the darkness disappeared again.

Opening his eyes, he found the elder smiling at him.

Su Yuan quickly bowed. "Su Yuan pays respects to Valley Master!"

The elder nodded approvingly. "Not bad. You're the 299th to succeed. Given your spiritual roots, you were relatively fast—decent comprehension. Stand with the others."

"Yes!" Su Yuan bowed again before joining the others.

Nearly three hundred youths stood in six rows behind the elder.

The first fifty in the front row wore expressions of obvious pride and confidence.

The second row appeared happy but somewhat anxious, their eyes frequently darting to the first row.

The third row seemed much more relaxed.

The fourth row showed some joy but remained tense.

The fifth and sixth rows displayed clear anxiety and unease.

Su Yuan understood—after three months, the top fifty would become inner sect disciples, the top two hundred outer sect. While just beginning, this initial ranking reflecting talent and comprehension might closely match the final results!

Standing at the sixth row's second-to-last position, Su Yuan wore a troubled expression. Glancing at those still meditating, he sighed inwardly—he'd taken a shortcut; his actual cultivation talent ranking might be worse.

Becoming a miscellaneous worker seemed inevitable—endless chores with few benefits!

Those in the fifth row might still fight for top two hundred, but his sixth-row position practically guaranteed outer sect exclusion.

What could he do?

[Ding. Fame Value +1]

Su Yuan's eyes widened at the fleeting text notification.

Fame Value?

Checking that neither the Valley Master nor nearby disciples had noticed, he cautiously investigated, soon finding a system panel in his mind:

[Name]: Su Yuan

[Region]: Green Vine Continent

[Level]: Unknown (1/100)

[Realm]: Qi Refining Stage - First Layer (0/100)

[Trait 1]: To Be Selected

[Trait 2]: Locked

Su Yuan was baffled—did this system level up through fame?

"Fame is dangerous in the cultivation world—the more famous, the quicker you die without sufficient strength!" he thought.

"System? Any explanation?"

No response came—apparently it wasn't intelligent.

Touching Trait 1, three options appeared:

[Trait Selection - Choose One]

[Late Bloomer]: Your destiny is to bloom late. The closer to your lifespan limit, the faster your cultivation speed and greater your breakthrough chances.

[Work Hard, Rest Hard]: You excel at balancing work and rest. The longer you rest, the better your cultivation results.

[Sword Prodigy]: You possess exceptional sword talent, learning sword techniques faster with improved comprehension.

"Three choices?"

Su Yuan pondered deeply. The first was excellent—what challenged cultivators most wasn't speed but breakthrough bottlenecks! Late Bloomer addressed this perfectly—if he survived to old age, breakthroughs would come easily.

But in this world, how many lived to old age? Maybe one or two in ten?

This trait was strong but too late-game.

The third was also good—sword cultivators ranked among the most powerful, excelling in attack and speed.

But sword cultivators seemed fragile and short-lived to him.

Moreover, this trait wouldn't help early when foundational cultivation mattered most.

His immediate need was avoiding miscellaneous work—he'd been an overworked drone in his past life and refused to repeat that!

Thus, he chose the second: [Work Hard, Rest Hard]

[Work Hard, Rest Hard]: You excel at balancing work and rest. The longer you rest, the better your cultivation results.

Perfect—beneficial early, helpful for techniques later, possibly aiding breakthroughs, and allowing... "laziness" (crossed out). The ideal early choice.

Selecting it made the other options vanish as [Work Hard, Rest Hard] appeared on his panel.