After carefully studying the system, Gu Baiqing found that his tasks were divided into two categories:
The first was Daily Check-Ins — basically teaching tasks, where he could select different courses and activities to teach, just like a character-raising game. Since he had inherited the original body’s memories, this part wouldn’t be difficult for him.
Completing daily tasks would increase cultivation progress, but not reward points. And skipping them wouldn’t incur penalties.
The second type was Quest Chain tasks — these were tied to the main plot. A new quest would be issued every so often, and completing them would allow Mo Xuanli’s cultivation to break through and also earn points. Failure would deduct points and could result in regression or, in worse cases, death. Also, these plot quests could affect the Demonization Value — the higher it was, the harder Mo Xuanli would be to teach. If his demonic nature got out of control, it would be extremely dangerous. So these needed to be taken seriously.
Comparatively, daily tasks could be slacked off on, but quests were mandatory.
Reaching the Tribulation Crossing stage within five years — for anyone else in this world, that’d be impossible. But for Mo Xuanli? No problem. He had protagonist buffs, after all. The system wouldn’t give him truly impossible tasks either. So as long as Gu Baiqing followed the system step by step, worked hard, and didn’t slack off, he’d be free in five years.
System’s goal: Train Mo Xuanli to become a bright, upright cultivator. Cultivate properly. Don’t become a demon.
Gu Baiqing’s goal: Maintain a healthy master-disciple relationship, avoid all those cheesy master-disciple romance plot traps, and unbind the system ASAP to enjoy his freedom.
By then, he’d have a house (Luofeng Pavilion), a ride (Morning Snow), a secure government job (Guardian Elder), be healthy, handsome, and long-lived… He could even find himself a sweet spouse and live a soft life. If Mo Xuanli behaved like a proper disciple, then Gu Baiqing would even have a powerful ally in the future. A proper winner in life.
Just thinking about it made him a little excited.
Gu Baiqing couldn’t help the curve of a smile forming at his lips as he continued reading the system’s explanation of Redemption Mode.
Two things could be exchanged:
First — Strategy Satchels. These were clever little aids. When encountering a major plot block or unsolvable crisis, the system would offer a satchel based on the difficulty level. It would cost points, but help the host clear the stage.
These were like fail-safes for future quests. But if points dropped to zero — death. So best to use sparingly.
Second — Point-Based Spirit Recharge. The skill icon showed a little person sitting cross-legged with a plug on their head and lightning sparking around them.
Gu Baiqing: ????? What’s this supposed to mean?
Meanwhile, Luo Nianyi had already quickly explained Gu Baiqing’s physical condition to Fu Zhiyi.
“What?! What do you mean his spiritual energy is zero?!”
Fu Zhiyi was shocked. Gu Baiqing was the top combat power of the Zixiao Sect — basically the sect’s living treasure. Nothing could go wrong with him! He immediately dragged the two into private discussion.
After checking thoroughly, Fu Zhiyi and Luo Nianyi concluded: it was temporary. His strength would gradually return. They just didn’t know when. They told Gu Baiqing not to worry.
Why so confident? Because Gu Baiqing’s spiritual sense, spiritual roots, and cultivation base showed no damage — outwardly, he was still a mighty Tribulation-stage cultivator. Plus, their senior sister, the Sect Master, was frequently struck by heavenly lightning, and every time she came out acting a little “off.” But she always recovered.
So when it came to thunder-related incidents, they remained optimistic.
But seeing Gu Baiqing’s soulless expression, the two didn’t know how to comfort him. After all, he was once the strongest among them — now facing such uncertainty, how was someone as proud as him supposed to take it?
Gu Baiqing himself absolutely couldn’t accept it. He wanted nothing more than to string the system up and beat it. You call this your “strongest”? Your so-called strongest has to recharge to fight?!
The system’s reply: to prevent hosts from slacking off, rushing through the curriculum using brute force, or destabilizing the emotional state of the cultivation subject by overreliance on power, the host’s capabilities were temporarily sealed. Hosts must recharge spiritual energy using points — this was their “anti-cheat” protection mode.
Gu Baiqing: Are you kidding me?! You bloodsucking capitalists!
This was h*ll mode! He had originally thought he could take it easy, cruise through, maybe even slack off a bit now and then. But now…
Gu Baiqing: “This is the cultivation world! Killing and looting are as common as breathing! The original body had multiple mortal enemies who show up for random challenges all the time. I can’t even fly on my sword right now — I’m basically a walking target! What happens if I run into danger and don’t have enough points? Are you planning for me to get killed by heavenly tribulation or beaten to death by some rando before I even finish training the protagonist?!”
System helpfully chimed in: 【If you don’t have enough points, you can forcibly activate emergency spiritual recharge mode. However, it comes with random side effects. After using, the host may experience full-body paralysis, temporary immobility, or even prolonged unconsciousness.】
Gu Baiqing: “Oh, now you tell me! And here I was thinking it might kill me or something. Random side effects? As long as you don’t touch my points, I’ll take anything. Now tell me how to force recharge!”
System: 【The host simply needs to engage in intimate contact with the bound target to draw spiritual energy. The amount absorbed depends on the level of intimacy — for example, hugging…】
Gu Baiqing: Hm? What did I just hear? Nope. Heard nothing.
【For example, kissing…】
Gu Baiqing: You know what? Point recharge is great. From now on, I’m a proud point worker. Let me grind quests, work overtime, and earn those sweet points.
【For example, making lo—】
Gu Baiqing: Shut the f—
This system is definitely not decent. This is your sales tactic, huh? Don’t even try to trick me!
I’d rather break than bend! I’d rather die than give in!
“Fourth junior brother, if you’re not in urgent need, it’s best you stay within the Zixiao Sect for now,” Fu Zhiyi spoke up. “Later, I’ll arrange a crane for you to use as transportation. If you must leave the sect for some task, bring little junior brother with you as protection. But this matter should still be kept quiet—don’t let others take advantage of it.”
“I agree. Don’t worry, I’ll monitor fourth junior brother’s physical condition daily as well,” Luo Nianyi added.
Gu Baiqing, whose heart had just been shredded by the system, suddenly felt a wave of comfort. According to the original body’s memories, aside from being familiar with the sect leader senior sister, he wasn’t close to any of the other senior or junior brothers. Though they had been in the same sect for years, the original body had always been obsessed with cultivation, often in closed-door training or traveling alone. He was taciturn and never intimate with anyone.
As a result, these two still only knew the original based on his strength and surface-level personality. Even when they met occasionally, they were polite but distant. Today’s conversation was slightly different. So even if Gu Baiqing accidentally broke character in the future, as long as it wasn’t too extreme, they probably wouldn’t suspect anything. Gu Baiqing was quite satisfied with this.
Thinking that these two were genuinely decent people from beginning to end, he decided to maintain a good relationship with them in the future. For now, he could only rely on others to keep him alive. The thought made him feel a little bitter.
As he was thinking this, Fu Zhiyi cheerfully waved his fan and said, “No wonder fourth junior brother insisted on wielding the whip himself just now. So it was to protect his disciple. As expected, senior sister’s plan worked—since taking on a disciple, you’ve become much more humane.”
Gu Baiqing: Wait a minute, you’re already moving on to other topics?! That was a huge moment just now, I’m still emotionally traumatized! Can’t you comfort me a little more? Who’s the inhumane one here, really?!
“Second senior brother, how could you! If fourth junior brother hadn’t done that, we might have made a wrongful judgment,” Luo Nianyi said with a scowl. “And you call yourself in charge?”
Fu Zhiyi immediately pulled a “long-suffering housekeeper” face and groaned dramatically.
“All of you act like masters. Senior sister’s always getting struck by lightning and going into seclusion, dumping the whole sect on me. Each one of you just minds your own business—I’m the only one working day and night. You think I can thoroughly investigate everything? It’s not that I didn’t want to be fair. If Mo Xuanli hadn’t insisted on taking the blame during questioning, we wouldn’t have jumped to a conclusion without a proper investigation! Young people have to sort some things out for themselves. Back when we were training under master, didn’t I clean up after you all constantly? None of you ever gave me a break. What kind of fate do I have, being brothers with the lot of you…”
Once Fu Zhiyi started complaining, he went on and on like a chant, making Luo Nianyi’s head ache. She quickly cut him off, “Alright, alright, I get it—you’re the hardest-working, most overburdened one of all. Go complain to senior sister later. It’s all her fault anyway. And it’s not like her cultivation has improved much either—why does she keep getting struck by heavenly lightning?”
Hearing this, a thought popped into Gu Baiqing’s head. In his memory, senior sister always went into seclusion after getting struck by lightning… but was that how the original novel described it? He really didn’t remember much about this background character—it all felt slightly off.
“Thankfully, the truth came to light in the end,” Luo Nianyi said seriously. “Otherwise, those kids would’ve run into heart demons in their future cultivation.”
“I think the truth only came out because fourth junior brother scared them with the whip,” Fu Zhiyi chuckled, looking toward Gu Baiqing.
“What do you mean?” Luo Nianyi asked.
Gu Baiqing explained, “These kids have unstable temperaments. They were too scared to admit their mistakes, yet at the same time, they looked down on their own actions. This contradiction created a psychological need to escape. When I asked whether he acted alone, it was obvious that some of them knew the truth. But Mo Xuanli stayed silent, so I didn’t speak for him—this, instead, pushed the others to realize: everyone already knew the truth. If they continued lying, it would reflect poorly on their character. And some who were already struggling with guilt were probably afraid that Mo Xuanli might really be beaten to death. Their consciences couldn’t take it anymore, so they stepped forward.”
Luo Nianyi suddenly understood. “Ah, I thought we just got lucky. So that’s what it was. Still, your disciple has a good heart. If he had really taken the blame, many of them would owe him a great favor. But now that he didn’t take the punishment, they’ll still be grateful to him for standing up.”
Gu Baiqing didn’t say anything.
He wasn’t sure whether Mo Xuanli had hoped that his fellow disciples would remember his favor and treat him kindly afterward. After all, becoming Gu Baiqing’s personal disciple was something many couldn’t achieve even with strength or connections. Even if he hadn’t received any actual benefits from it yet, just having that status made others envious. And without the strength to shut them up, Mo Xuanli had been met with some exclusion and jealousy within the inner sect.
But unfortunately, human nature was complicated. In the original story, after Mo Xuanli took the fall for everyone, although many expressed gratitude verbally, deep down they felt uncomfortable, like their weaknesses had been exposed. No one likes feeling indebted—so naturally, they avoided him even more. In the end, he became even more isolated.
But Luo Nianyi was right about one thing: this current outcome was better. Before, people avoided him out of guilt. Now… maybe they’d truly open up to him.
***
Meanwhile, all the punished disciples were gathered in the Flying Crane Pavilion for treatment, lying in rows across large floor mats.
As soon as Mo Xuanli woke up, he heard noisy chatter. Although there were plenty of moans and complaints, the atmosphere was unexpectedly lively.
“He’s awake! Mo Xuanli’s awake!”
In the blink of an eye, a group crowded around him, all full of concern.
“You actually woke up this fast? I thought after two lashes, with your pre-Foundation cultivation, you’d be out for a whole day and night!” Tang Yu laughed.
This was the first time Mo Xuanli had ever experienced such warmth from his sect peers. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.
“Is everyone alright?”
“Yep! With Senior Sister Yun Yue here, no wound is too much trouble.”
“You little rascal,” someone teased, “if Senior Uncle hadn’t gone easy on us with the whip, you’d all be paralyzed right now.”
As they spoke, a gentle, elegant woman with a willow-like figure stepped forward. She looked just a few years older than them but carried a quiet, serene presence like a spring breeze. Because of her kind nature and healing skills, she was like a big sister figure to them all—well-liked and respected.
Yun Yue came to Mo Xuanli’s side, checking on him with a worried look in her eyes, but still smiled gently as she said, “You understand medicine. You should know how injured you are. Don’t fool around like the others.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister. I understand.”
Yun Yue, however, said helplessly, “Why thank me? You were the one who took a lash on my behalf. If I hadn’t told you about the spirit herb, you probably wouldn’t have gone in.”
Mo Xuanli replied gently, “Senior Sister only mentioned it for my own good. You’ve always looked after me, so this was something I should do. You’re still suffering from internal injuries, it’s best to get more rest.”
Yun Yue shook her head with a light laugh and set down the spirit fruits she had brought for everyone. “Alright, your wounds have been tended to. If anything still feels off, call for me.”
With that, she turned and left.
Several disciples couldn’t help commenting, “Senior Sister Yun Yue is really gentle. Unlike those other girls who just dropped us off and left without even checking on us.”
“You’re awake now, what more concern do you need?”
“I get it, you’re sticking up for your little Junior Sister Jiaying. Honestly, she’s the one who should’ve stayed behind to check on us.”
“Sigh! But she did admit her fault voluntarily. And besides, you went along with it willingly.”
“She wasn’t that voluntary. Back then, it was obvious she was pressured. I saw her face—she looked so frustrated. Probably thinking she was just unlucky.”
“Uh…”
Tang Yu quickly stepped in to stop the discussion. “Alright, alright, we get it—you like Lin Jiaying. But tell me, if it had been Elder Luofeng holding the whip, would you have taken a beating for her?”
The boy choked on his words. Everyone felt a chill just thinking about it.
Someone clapped Mo Xuanli on the shoulder. “I used to be jealous that you were Elder Luofeng’s only disciple, but now? Seeing how cold and merciless he is, I think I’ll stick with my protective Master.”
“Seriously, I feel bad for you. If we hadn’t stepped in, with your Master’s level of cultivation, he really might’ve beaten you to death.”
A flicker of sadness passed over Mo Xuanli’s face, but he still answered calmly, “Then I really must thank you all for coming out and saving me.”
The others laughed. “Cut the sarcasm! You were the one who saved us in the forbidden zone, and then stood up for us later. We don’t even know how to repay you. From now on, we’re brothers—just say the word.”
“Exactly! We’ve been through thick and thin together. This bond? No one else can compare! Hahaha!”
Mo Xuanli’s heart warmed. Brothers, huh? He’d never had any before. Maybe, as long as he hid well enough and focused on cultivation, this kind of warmth would finally find its way to him, freely and without reserve.
“By the way, Xuanli, your barrier techniques are incredible. Can you tutor me? My Master’s planning an assessment—if I don’t pass, I’m in for it.”
“And formations! Give me a refresher too. After this whole mess, my Master’s definitely looking for an excuse to punish me. I can’t afford to screw up again.”
“Me too! I barely know anything about spirit plants. But you seem to know so much—teach me how to identify them! If not, I’m going to get chewed out during the next inspection.”
After the recent incident, everyone had a better idea of each other’s strengths. Even though they knew Mo Xuanli had weak spiritual roots and low spiritual power, with little potential and no sword training, he was incredibly skilled in other areas—like a walking encyclopedia. And who wouldn’t want a private tutor that good?
Mo Xuanli listened to their complaints, envy surfacing on his face. So their Masters were like that…
“Sure. Once I’m able to get up, I’ll help you all.”
That’s how friendships between young cultivators formed—simple and straightforward.
Tang Yu, eager to join the fun, grinned and said, “I can’t just take for free. How about I teach you a sword technique in exchange? Even if you don’t practice swordsmanship, it won’t hurt to learn.”
“Same here! I’ll trade you something too…”
Everyone chimed in, laughing, offering to exchange their own skills so they could all grow together.
“To be honest, when it comes to the sword, no one in the entire Zixiao Sect surpasses Elder Luofeng. But he finally took a disciple—Xuanli, it’s already been over a year. Why hasn’t he taught you anything yet?”
There were things the others didn’t dare say aloud: based on Mo Xuanli’s aptitude, they had no idea why Elder Luofeng accepted him as a disciple.
Mo Xuanli had no answer to that either. He only knew that he had desperately wanted to become Elder Luofeng’s disciple—because following the strongest was the fastest way to grow and break free from his circumstances. But his Master’s attitude had always been cold.
“I heard a rumor,” someone said, “Among the sect’s four Guardian Elders, Elder Luofeng is the only one without dozens of disciples and grand-disciples. He’s always focused solely on cultivation, never accepting students. This time, the sect leader basically forced him, so maybe he just took Xuanli to shut her up.”
Those who had been speaking with jealousy earlier were now looking at Mo Xuanli with eyes full of sympathy.
“That really is too unlucky. From this incident, you can tell Elder Luofeng truly has no affection for you at all.”
“Don’t joke. Have you ever seen Elder Luofeng show affection to anyone? I can’t even imagine what it would look like for him to personally teach a disciple.”
Everyone thought about it—and indeed, it was true.
They comforted Mo Xuanli: “Forget it. Anyway, you’ve learned well in other areas. Just treat it as if you don’t have this master.”
Mo Xuanli lowered his gaze. In his heart, he did not feel any resentment toward Gu Baiqing’s perfunctory way of taking him as a disciple. He only thought that since his master’s nature was like this, maybe if he did well enough, his master would look at him a bit more, teach him a bit more. Yet the moment he recalled that cold look in Gu Baiqing’s eyes during today’s public trial, a sour ache welled up in his chest.
He had originally believed that the master-disciple bond was something like a family tie. When he first performed the disciple-bowing ceremony, he had been filled with anticipation. It seemed he had thought too much.
Not long after, a disciple came to open the door—Elder Flying Crane had arrived.
Those who could stand got up to salute; those who could not rise still offered respectful greetings while lying down. Luo Nianyi, however, paid no attention to such formalities and came straight to Mo Xuanli.
Mo Xuanli was always proper in his manners, and since he had long received Elder Flying Crane Pavilion’s care and guidance, he forced himself up to salute with gratitude.
Luo Nianyi gave a slight nod. “Mo Xuanli, once your injuries are healed, you won’t need to come here to study anymore.”
Mo Xuanli froze, his expression changing drastically. He immediately knelt down and said anxiously, “Martial Aunt, what happened today was indeed this disciple’s fault. Please show mercy. I will accept any punishment, just please let me continue studying here.”
He was from Luofeng Pavilion, so staying here to study was already against the rules. But… it seemed he had nowhere else to go.
Everyone assumed that the punishment today had caused Elder Flying Crane to expel an outsider disciple, and they all pleaded on Mo Xuanli’s behalf.
Luo Nianyi, speechless, said, “What are you all saying? It was your master who asked me to pass on a message. Once you recover, he plans to personally teach you. So make sure to heal up quickly and return.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the room fell into stunned silence. Everyone turned to look at Mo Xuanli with disbelief.
Wait… Elder Luofeng is going to personally teach him? Is that for real? Didn’t he just act like he wanted nothing to do with him earlier? Is this good news or bad?
Mo Xuanli stood frozen, almost as if his whole body had turned to stone. He couldn’t help but repeat, “Master… is going to teach me himself?”
“Well, it’s not like he can do anything else right now,” Luo Nianyi said bluntly. “What, he’s going to just ignore his own disciple? Just go. If he doesn’t teach you properly, you can come back to me.”
Mo Xuanli didn’t fully understand what she meant by “can’t do anything else,” but hearing that he could come back if needed did ease his mind a little.
Because he was still nervous, the next morning, as soon as he could barely move, Mo Xuanli made his way back to Luofeng Pavilion.
The gates of the pavilion were wide open. Mo Xuanli stood at the entrance and called out respectfully, but there was no reply. Puzzled, he stepped inside and soon saw Gu Baiqing.
At the moment, Gu Baiqing was standing in front of a large mirror-like spiritual stone, seemingly lost in thought, almost as if he were staring at his reflection.
“Master?” Mo Xuanli called again, bowing.
The sudden voice from behind startled Gu Baiqing, who had just woken up and was still trying to accept the reality of transmigrating into this world. He gasped sharply, and in his panic, his foot stepped on the hem of the long floor-length robe he wasn’t used to wearing. Off balance, he stumbled directly toward the giant spiritual stone mirror.
“Master! Be careful!” Mo Xuanli exclaimed, rushing forward instinctively. His hands reached out and grabbed Gu Baiqing by the waist, pulling him back.
Though caught off guard, Gu Baiqing’s body still reacted instinctively. He braced himself with his hands against the spiritual stone to avoid smashing his head on it.
And in that brief moment, a sound echoed in his mind:
[Spiritual Power +1 +1]
When Gu Baiqing realized what had just happened, his face darkened instantly. He could feel someone gripping his waist, and something soft seemed to bump against his back—someone’s leg? His gaze swept across the reflection in the mirror, overlapping with certain unwanted mental images from earlier… His scalp tingled, every hair standing on end. He was utterly horrified.
凸(艹皿艹 )
He immediately turned around and smacked out with the palm full of spiritual power he’d just received.
This stupid world full of traps—go to h*ll!!
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