In pain, yet savoring joy.

"I'm really a cultivator now?"
Chen Fengyun sat at the edge of his bed, staring blankly ahead; his gaze seemed both fixed on the wall and as though piercing through time to some unknown place.
"Am I dreaming, or have I truly become a cultivator?"
An eighteen-year-old boy, a high school student, suddenly encountering such a bizarre event—Chen Fengyun found it hard to believe at first. Yet, as he sensed the faint spiritual energy flowing gently through his meridians, he couldn't deny that it was real.
It was during the winter break of his last year of high school. After returning home, Chen Fengyun wanted to download a game to pass the time. He deliberated and finally chose the latest mobile game, "I Have a System for Cultivation." However, while downloading, his domestically made phone suddenly malfunctioned and shocked him.
When he regained his senses, Chen Fengyun was hit by a splitting headache, followed by a cultivation technique and a system panel appearing in his mind:
Spiritual Root: Mortal Grade, Level Ten
Spirit: Mortal Grade, Level One
Cultivation: Qi Refining, Level One
Cultivation Technique: Heaven and Earth Qi Nourishing Method (Mortal Grade, Level Three)
Skills: None
Artifacts: None
Attribute Points: None
Having read numerous cultivation novels, Chen Fengyun was well aware of the categories on the panel: spiritual roots, spirit, cultivation, techniques, skills, artifacts—all attributes of a true cultivator.
However, he was puzzled by the last item: attribute points. He had no idea what they were for. Still, the panel showed he had already reached the first level of Qi Refining and had cultivated the Heaven and Earth Qi Nourishing Method, even if it was only a mortal-grade technique. But it was, after all, a genuine cultivation technique.

Throughout Huaxia's legends, there had always been tales of Qi Refiners, cultivators, Daoists, and immortals. Yet no one in reality had ever seen them. Some believed this was the Age of the End of Dharma, where the world's spiritual energy had dissipated, causing such arts to be lost to time.
Chen Fengyun felt uneasy. If the world truly lacked spiritual energy, how could he cultivate? Had he, by some accident, become a cultivator only to be forever unable to progress?
"Strange, why do Spiritual Root, Spirit, Cultivation, and Technique all have a plus sign after them?" Chen Fengyun suddenly noticed this oddity—all the plus signs were gray, their functions unknown for now.
Still, their very presence suggested these attributes could be improved. Even though he didn't yet know how, where there was possibility, there was hope for further cultivation.
This thought gradually excited Chen Fengyun. He had never imagined becoming a cultivator. If he told anyone, he would surely sound extraordinary, though he doubted anyone would believe him.
"I absolutely cannot let anyone know I'm a cultivator. I have no real strength yet. If someone finds out, I might be taken away by the authorities or some underground group as a lab rat."
The mere thought of being dissected for research sent chills down his spine. Chen Fengyun resolved that, until he gained true power, he would never reveal his secret to anyone—not even his parents or friends. Otherwise, the consequences could be dire.
For several days, Chen Fengyun didn't leave home. He worked on his winter break homework while exploring the world of cultivation. Other than confirming that some of his meridians had opened and that spiritual energy was indeed circulating faintly within, he found no way to cultivate further, nor could he sense any spiritual energy from the world itself.
"It really is the Age of the End of Dharma. There's no spiritual energy left in the world. How am I supposed to cultivate?" Chen Fengyun pondered anxiously but found no answer.
He searched the internet for some time and discovered a wide range of opinions. Some believed that cultivators still existed, hiding in remote mountains where traces of spiritual energy remained.
Others held that today's supernatural beings, Qigong masters, and ancient martial artists were descendants of cultivators, but with the world's energy depleted, their achievements were limited.
Another view suggested that Earth was once a planet of cultivation in ancient times, but for unknown reasons, spiritual energy gradually vanished, causing cultivators to disappear. Nevertheless, some ancient inheritances might still exist in certain corners of the world.
There were also those who firmly believed that one day, Earth would recover, spiritual energy would return, and the old cultivator sects would re-emerge, restoring Earth to its former glory.
These perspectives brought Chen Fengyun no practical benefit, but they broadened his horizons. Since he was now a cultivator, he believed that some traces of ancient cultivation must still exist on Earth.
"Perhaps, once my cultivation improves, I can pretend to be a Qigong master or a martial artist. After all, such people do exist, which would make my abilities less suspicious."

On the contrary, Chen Fengyun found a way to conceal his identity in the future. Although some might still question him, he could at least display some abilities in public.
"Madman, you promised to come help me with my winter homework tomorrow—haven't forgotten, have you?"
On the afternoon of the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Fengyun received a call from his classmate and sworn friend, Gao Xiaohua. Only then did he remember the promise he had made at the beginning of the holiday, almost forgotten now.
"Fatty, do you take me for that kind of person? When have I ever gone back on my word?"
Gao Xiaohua came from a very wealthy family but wasn't a spoiled rich kid, mainly because of his size—he weighed over 180 pounds and had no friends in class except for Chen Fengyun, who became his close companion.
"Good, come over early tomorrow morning. My parents are leaving at dawn, and I'll show you my dad's collection," Gao Xiaohua whispered over the phone.
"Really? That's great!" Chen Fengyun knew that Gao Xiaohua's father was the CEO of a major company in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, worth hundreds of millions, and a passionate collector whose home was filled with hundreds of valuable artifacts.
Chen Fengyun had often heard Gao Xiaohua boast about his father's collection—bronze swords, ancient Buddha statues, works by legendary painters, jade pillows from antiquity, Tang dynasty coins, and more. He had even seen photos and was fascinated by the collection.
The next morning after breakfast, Chen Fengyun sped off on his bicycle to the Gao family's villa. In the past, cycling for half an hour would have left him exhausted, but today he felt perfectly fine.
"It seems cultivation has enhanced my physical condition. Even at just the first level of Qi Refining, my stamina has doubled," Chen Fengyun had also noticed this improvement during recent activities.
"Madman, come on in! I'll let you tour my dad's collection first. If you see something you like, take a small piece home. But remember, the items my dad values most are off-limits. If you take one or two of the others, he'll never notice."
"Fatty, let's not. I'm just here to look. If I take anything, that wouldn't be right—if your dad finds out, you'll get a beating, and I wouldn't be able to explain myself. How could I ever come to your house again?"