The Programmer Cultivator

After speaking, Elder Huang seemed to recall something. He clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the distant horizon, his expression weathered and lonely. A gentle breeze stirred, making his hair and Daoist Robe flutter. The Book of All Living Beings bobbed gently in the air beside him.

The man, the book, and the tower resembled a scroll painting weathered by the ages, exuding an endless aura of antiquity. The sight left the onlookers slightly dazed.

After a long moment, Elder Huang returned to his senses. He looked at Qin Shizhong and said, “Let’s go. Time to see your Karma Technique!”

With that, Elder Huang waved his hand. The group’s vision shifted, and they once again found themselves in the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower, inside Qin Shizhong’s Cultivation Room.

The group, including Qin Shizhong’s own phantom, all stared at his physical body, which sat cross-legged with its eyes closed in the Cultivation Room.

Elder Huang beckoned to Qin Shizhong’s body and said, “Wake up.”

As he spoke, Qin Shizhong’s illusory figure vanished. His seated body then opened its eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he saw only the illusory Elder Huang. But he knew that an invisible group of his peers was watching him. Feeling slightly apprehensive, he bowed and asked, “Elder Huang, what do you need of me?”

In response, Elder Huang’s aura surged wildly. However, because his form was illusory, only the other phantoms and Qin Shizhong—due to his special connection—could feel it. The other disciples at the cliff’s edge felt nothing at all.

When Elder Huang’s aura reached its peak, his oceanic Spiritual Power surged toward the Rune in his hand.

In the blink of an eye, the Rune began to flash with Spiritual Light. Just a moment later, as if overloaded with power, it shattered.

The instant the Rune shattered, the entire Cultivation Room transformed, resembling a starry sky filled with countless points of light. A closer look revealed that every point of light was a single Rune.

Gazing at the scene, which resembled the depths of a starry sky, everyone was stunned for a moment. Then, all the points of light converged on Qin Shizhong like a tidal wave.

His body flickered once, and then nothing. It was as if everything before had been an illusion, leaving the onlookers baffled.

Qin Shizhong, however, was completely frozen. A strange panel had appeared before his eyes.

Cultivation Technique: Transformation Technique (Tier Three)

Cultivation: Tai Chi Lv1 (0.3/350,000)

Consumption: 1/Year (Qi Fortune, this rate applies during a promotional period)

Energy: 7.8 Qi Fortune

Prompt 1: For every year the Heaven and Earth Seal operates, it will consume one unit of Qi Fortune. Qi Fortune, Merit, and Karma can all be used as fuel. Qi Fortune is the base resource; the other energies are slightly more valuable, but their conversion rates are variable.

Prompt 2: To acquire Qi Fortune, increase your overall personal influence until you become the protagonist of an era.

When the panel appeared, a rush of information flooded Qin Shizhong’s mind, telling him what this was and what it could do. Thanks to the influence of Outer Realm culture, he understood it all almost effortlessly.

He was immediately overcome with ecstasy. He finally understood why Cultivators who possessed the Heaven and Earth Seal could almost all become supreme Great Cultivators, as long as they didn’t fall along the way.

Elder Huang looked at the panel and nodded slightly. ‘Although this is a very basic test version, it looks pretty good.’

Originally, the Subprogram only displayed two lines of information: Cultivation Technique and Cultivation. The “Consumption” and “Energy” sections were additions that Zhang Deming had specially included, at the cost of one point of Merit.

‘Well, it was the initial pricing model, I suppose. After all, I didn’t create all this just to train someone up, simply to scheme for the pittance of Qi Fortune that would come when they advanced and underwent Destiny Alteration.’

‘Of course, Destiny Alteration was the main prize for now. The annual fee was just a little backdoor I’d left open. It might become my primary source of income someday, or it might prove unworkable and be removed entirely.’

‘In any case, it was still in the early testing phase, so I had set a very low consumption rate—just enough to establish the principle.’

The observers were stunned at first, seeing no discernible change in Qin Shizhong. But his subsequent expression of pure ecstasy made it clear he must have received an immense benefit, one they simply couldn’t see.

······

Once everything was done, Elder Huang waved his hand. The group’s vision shifted, and they found themselves back on Xuanhua Island.

Elder Huang swept his gaze over the group, all of whom wore varied expressions. “Joining the Alliance is a tremendous stroke of fortune for you all,” he said. “But if you wish to become world-renowned Great Cultivators, you must still rely on your own hard work.”

“Every mission from the Alliance is an opportunity. Regardless of its apparent importance, each one holds a deeper meaning. I hope you will all remember that.”

“Your individual Talents are not particularly stunning, so the Alliance is your best ladder to the heavens. If you fail to even grasp this ladder, then there is likely little hope for you in this life.”

“Of course, if your goal is merely to become some Junior Cultivator at the Tai Chi or Duality realm, you can pretend I never said a thing. With an ambition that low, you can just coast along in the Alliance.”

Elder Huang paused, then said, “Today’s business with the rewards and functions is concluded. I won’t ramble on any longer. All of you, cherish this opportunity.”

With that, Elder Huang dismissed them. As each person’s consciousness returned to their body, they were all left in a daze.

······

On White Rock Peak, the Main Peak of the Inner Sect Affairs Department, Tong Hou, who hadn’t been in the Inner Sect for long, remained in a daze for a good while after his consciousness returned. He then turned and entered his Cultivation Room.

Unlike the other disciples’ Cultivation Rooms, his was not only spartan but also resembled an ancestral hall.

The Cultivation Room wasn’t very large to begin with, and it also housed an altar table and two memorial tablets that took up considerable space. As a result, the meditation cushion served a dual purpose.

It was used for both meditation and as a kneeling mat for offering incense. This layout made the already small Cultivation Room feel somewhat gloomy and eerie.