Defying Heaven: Cultivation Against Fate

Chen Fengyun shook his head repeatedly, saying he was only interested in the Gao family’s collection; he had no intention of coveting their possessions. Although his parents had ordinary jobs, they managed to support the family without difficulty, so he had never been particularly enthusiastic about money.

“I knew you weren’t that kind of person, Madman. Wasn’t this just a test for you?” Gao Xiaohua joked.

The Gao family’s collection numbered just over a hundred pieces, all displayed in a specially reinforced room. Shelves lined the walls, with a row of wooden racks in the center. Surveillance cameras monitored every corner, and the entrance was secured with an automatic alarmed security door.

If Gao Xiaohua hadn’t brought Chen Fengyun in, any outsider merely touching the door would have triggered the alarm, and the cameras outside would have monitored the area from every angle, alerting the Gao family at once.

However, Gao Xiaohua clearly had authorized access. He unlocked the door, disabled the cameras, then invited Chen Fengyun into the collection room before closing the door for their private tour.

“What a dazzling array, Fatty. I bet your dad spent a fortune on all this?” Chen Fengyun looked around at the various artifacts, nearly overwhelmed, and couldn’t help but marvel.

“My dad, well, he doesn’t have many hobbies—collecting is about all he does. Besides, he’s so rich that he’s got nothing left but money. Don’t be fooled by how few pieces there are; they’re worth half the family fortune,” Gao Xiaohua replied.

“Show off. ‘Nothing left but money’—how many people can boast that?” Chen Fengyun said with a hint of disdain, though without any trace of envy.

The rich have their way of living, the poor theirs. Besides, the happiness of a family doesn’t depend on how much money they have, but on their sense of contentment.

“I’m not bragging; my dad is just like that, always using this collection to educate me. You have no idea how much I resent it. If not for him stuffing me with all sorts of supplements when I was little, I wouldn’t have grown up like this. You can’t imagine how much I dislike it,” Gao Xiaohua grumbled.

“All right, enough complaining—introduce me to these pieces. I’m sure as the young master of the Gao family, your father’s already told you everything,” Chen Fengyun interrupted, having heard Gao’s complaints before.

“These are three coins from the Zhenguan era of the Tang dynasty—money from when Li Shimin was emperor. Years ago, my dad picked them up from an old farmer by the roadside in Anxi City, Shaanxi, for just five thousand,” Gao Xiaohua began.

“This is a painting by Wu Daozi, supposedly an original. My dad bought it at an auction in Hong Kong for five million eight hundred thousand, though I can’t vouch for its authenticity. With my dad’s intelligence, he’s probably been duped more often than not,” he continued.

Piece by piece, Gao Xiaohua introduced the collection, recounting with pride the stories behind each acquisition, revealing that despite his verbal complaints, he was actually proud of his father’s passion.

“This one is truly special. It looks like just a jade pillow, but it’s linked to legend. Remember the story of the Yellow Millet Dream? It’s said the protagonist slept with this very jade pillow,” Gao Xiaohua said, pointing at a yellowed jade pillow over a foot long. But Chen Fengyun was skeptical.

“So, have you slept on it? Ever dreamed of Li Xiaoya?” Chen Fengyun teased.

“Heh, I’ve slept on it all right, but I never dreamed of her. That’s why I say my old man’s collections are fakes,” Gao Xiaohua chuckled, scratching his head.

As they joked, Chen Fengyun reached for the jade pillow. The moment he touched it, his mind was struck by a strange vibration, as if a deep longing resonated within.

“What’s going on?” Chen Fengyun wondered, startled, quickly withdrawing his hand. The intense vibration and longing vanished instantly, as though nothing had happened.

“What’s wrong, afraid to touch it? I told you it’s fake—pick it up, even if you drop it, it doesn’t matter,” Gao Xiaohua said, noticing Chen Fengyun’s reaction. He picked up the jade pillow himself and shoved it into Chen Fengyun’s hands.

As soon as his fingers touched the jade, the strong vibration overtook Chen Fengyun’s mind again, and a message seemed to urge him to absorb the special energy within the pillow.

He realized it was his cultivation panel in his mind causing the vibration and sending the message. Yet he hesitated—what would happen if he absorbed the pillow’s energy? What if it was destroyed?

But the persistent vibration and longing made him feel this was an opportunity—a chance to understand both his cultivation panel and his cultivation state. Gritting his teeth, he focused on absorbing the energy.

Instantly, a stream of special energy vanished from the jade pillow, absorbed into his body, and then disappeared. To his relief, the jade pillow remained unchanged in his hands.

“Better be careful. If I really break it, what if your dad makes me pay?” Chen Fengyun said, masking his excitement as he glanced over the jade pillow and returned it to the shelf.

He immediately checked his cultivation panel, only to find it had changed: the attribute points, previously at zero, were now at two, and the plus signs next to Spirit and Cultivation were lit up.

“Huh, could these attribute points be used to enhance Spirit and Cultivation?” he speculated, since the plus signs only appeared after the attribute points increased, suggesting a clear connection.

“Might as well try it,” he decided.

He focused on upgrading his Cultivation, and at once a surge of spiritual energy descended upon him, merging with his own qi and swiftly opening several more meridians. He could clearly feel the flow of spiritual energy within him.

“So it really works—attribute points can enhance cultivation. But now that I’ve reached the second level of Qi Refinement, the plus sign is gray again. Looks like I can’t upgrade further right now.”

Indeed, his cultivation had risen to the second level of Qi Refinement, but the plus sign behind it dimmed, leaving only the one behind Spirit still lit, with one attribute point remaining.

“Let’s try upgrading Spirit,” he thought.

He used his remaining point to upgrade Spirit. Immediately, a cool sensation swept through his mind; his spirit was instantly invigorated, and the world seemed to grow brighter around him.

Just as he expected: when the attribute points reached zero, the plus sign behind Spirit also turned gray. He deduced that only with sufficient attribute points could he upgrade these options.

Now, his cultivation panel looked like this:

Spiritual Root: Mortal Grade, Level Ten
Spirit: Mortal Grade, Level Two
Cultivation: Qi Refinement, Second Level
Technique: Heaven and Earth Qi Nourishing Formula (Mortal Grade, Level Three)
Skills: None
Artifacts: None
Attribute Points: None

Chen Fengyun was inwardly astounded. In this age where cultivation was nearly impossible, he had somehow acquired such a heaven-defying system—one that could convert special energies into attribute points, which could then be used to enhance every aspect of himself.

“Could this really be so extraordinary? Even in this era of dwindling spiritual energy, I might still have hope of becoming a true cultivator,” he thought, taking a deep breath as he suppressed his excitement, having finally found a way to continue on the path of cultivation.