Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard” Chapter 1: The System Wants Me to Be Famous!

Seven Extremes Sect.

Immortal Seed Valley.

Fresh groups of immortal seedlings were brought over from numerous Ascension Cities and assembled in this place for a three-month introductory training, after which they would be assigned to various peaks in the sect.

The leading fifty would join as inner sect disciples, the top two hundred as outer sect disciples, and the remaining ones would end up as miscellaneous laborers.

Countless youths aged fourteen or fifteen assembled in a plaza, their buzzing discussions constantly filtering into Su Yuan's ears.

Su Yuan gazed around in bewilderment at the differently clad young people—some clad in opulent garments, others in ragged outfits—their auras strikingly varied.

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

Su Yuan asked himself these three fundamental questions just as a torrent of recollections flooded his thoughts, causing his head to ache intensely.

After some time, Su Yuan stood completely stunned—he had truly crossed over into a world of cultivation!

A surge of wild thrill filled his chest. In his former existence, he had dreamed of achieving immortality and craved the brilliant, mighty immortal techniques. Yet he realized full well that the realm of cultivation brimmed with deadly perils!

Through the recollections, he learned they had faced two calamities en route to Seven Extremes Sect—one assault by beasts and one raid by cultivators. Whispers suggested that certain immortal seedlings had perished even prior to arriving at the sect, underscoring the ruthless hazards of this realm!

As Su Yuan continued to organize his influx of memories...

The whole plaza abruptly grew hushed.

Su Yuan blinked and raised his gaze.

An elderly Daoist materialized, soaring on a sword across the skies. Bearing an otherworldly air, with long white hair fluttering and robes sweeping dramatically, he embodied the quintessential superior expert.

Su Yuan's gaze ignited with passion—this represented genuine aerial travel!

The elderly Daoist touched down on the stage, fondling his beard while offering a subtle smile. "I serve as the Valley Master of Immortal Seed Valley. Today, I shall trigger the Qi Guidance Array to assist you in launching your path of cultivation! Sit right away and get ready to meditate!"

Such straightforwardness?

Watching the youths grab meditation cushions and settle in, Su Yuan swiftly took the closest available one.

Right as he pondered the method for guiding qi...

The elderly Daoist drew out a horsetail whisk and swung it, releasing countless spiritual gleams across the assembly.

One speck of light pierced Su Yuan's forehead, embedding a full technique for qi guidance and advancing straight to the Qi Refining stage right into his consciousness—he committed it to memory right away.

This spectacle astonished Su Yuan completely—this embodied authentic immortal cultivation!

"Qi Guidance Array—activate!"

The elder executed hand seals, summoning vibrant rays that ascended encircling the plaza, shrouding the whole space.

Clear beams of multicolored light dropped down, each one neatly surrounding a single immortal seedling. Su Yuan at once perceived the environment turning utterly still—no breeze, no avian calls—and his thoughts sharpened remarkably.

"Spirit Guidance Incense—ignite!"

With yet another gesture of his hand, twelve lengthy incense sticks materialized in the elder's hold, bursting into flame on their own.

A sweep of his sleeve propelled the twelve sticks to lodge exactly into twelve surrounding pillars of the plaza, their scent rapidly spreading throughout.

Su Yuan observed in wonder.

Upon refocusing his attention, numerous youths had already shut their eyes for meditation, striving to guide qi.

"I ought to commence as well!"

Su Yuan promptly shut his eyes and adhered to the qi guidance technique within his mind. Initially, he struggled to settle down, yet as the aroma from the Spirit Guidance Incense wafted over, he slowly slipped into a state of meditation.

Within the obscurity, he attempted to detect the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Dimly, he spotted minuscule specks in red, green, and faint gold.

Following multiple silent summons, the specks shifted faintly before halting, as if hesitant to draw nearer to Su Yuan.

Prior to managing to draw them in, the obscurity faded—he had come back to awareness.

Su Yuan's eyes fluttered open in puzzlement to discover the Spirit Guidance Incense fully consumed!

Gazing ahead, he spotted more than a dozen youths positioned behind the elder, observing the still-seated group with curiosity.

Those on their feet had undoubtedly achieved success in qi guidance!

"Take a short break before the next round of meditation!" Valley Master Lan declared steadily before shutting his own eyes.

Su Yuan seized this interval to reflect on his prior attempt.

He had detected the spiritual energy—now the task was to draw it in!

"My method from before was off. I need to concentrate on a single kind. Red signifies fire attribute, pale gold metal, green wood. Which one to pick?"

After a quick deliberation, he decided on the wood attribute.

Drawing from his previous life's knowledge, fire attribute qi proved too turbulent, metal excessively rigid and unyielding—wood suited ideally, vibrant yet steady, offering stronger ties to vitality.

Shortly, the elder declared: "Commence the second round!"

Fresh twelve incense sticks were positioned on the pillars.

Su Yuan instantly closed his eyes for meditation.

Quickly, he reentered that shadowy realm, beholding the multicolored specks once more.

Concentrating solely on the green specks, Su Yuan issued mental summons to them.

Gradually, the green specks floated in his direction.

Staying composed, Su Yuan kept his attention steady.

At last, a few green specks made contact with him.

A refreshing feeling streamed from his forehead along his meridians, lodging into his lower dantian and then heating up—Su Yuan felt elation!

"Did it work?"

Abruptly, the shadow receded once more.

Opening his eyes, he saw the elder grinning at him.

Su Yuan hastily offered a bow. "Su Yuan offers respects to Valley Master!"

The elder gave an approving nod. "Impressive. You're the 299th success. Considering your spiritual roots, your pace was fairly swift—solid understanding. Join the rest over there."

"Understood!" Su Yuan bowed once more prior to moving to stand with the group.

Almost three hundred youths formed six lines behind the elder.

The foremost fifty in the initial row bore clear signs of arrogance and assurance.

The succeeding row looked pleased yet a bit nervous, their glances often flicking toward the front row.

The third row came across as far more at ease.

The fourth row exhibited certain delight but stayed somewhat strained.

The fifth and sixth rows revealed evident worry and discomfort.

Su Yuan grasped the situation—following the three months, the top fifty would enter as inner sect disciples, the top two hundred as outer sect. Even at this starting point, this preliminary order based on talent and grasp could well align with the ultimate outcomes!

Positioned second-to-last in the sixth row, Su Yuan displayed a worried look. Peering at the ones still in meditation, he let out an inner sigh—he had cut corners; his true talent for cultivation might rank even lower.

Turning into a miscellaneous worker looked unavoidable—boundless drudgery with scant rewards!

Individuals in the fifth row could perhaps vie for the top two hundred spots, yet his spot in the sixth row all but ensured exclusion from outer sect.

What options did he have?

[Ding. Fame Value +1]

Su Yuan's eyes bulged at the brief message that appeared.

Fame Value?

Confirming that the Valley Master and surrounding disciples remained unaware, he carefully probed, quickly uncovering a system interface in his consciousness:

[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 felt perplexed—did this system advance via fame?

"Fame brings peril in the cultivation realm—the greater the renown, the swifter the demise without enough power!" he reflected.

"System? Care to explain?"

Silence followed—no sign of intelligence there.

Tapping Trait 1 brought up three selections:

[Trait Selection - Choose One]

[Late Bloomer]: Your fate involves a tardy flourish. Nearing the end of your lifespan, your cultivation accelerates and breakthrough odds soar.

[Work Hard, Rest Hard]: You master the art of work-rest equilibrium. Extended rest yields superior cultivation gains.

[Sword Prodigy]: You hold remarkable sword aptitude, mastering sword arts quicker with enhanced insight.

"Three possibilities?"

Su Yuan contemplated intensely. The initial one shone brightly—what tripped up cultivators most was not pace but smashing through barriers! Late Bloomer tackled that flawlessly—if he endured into advanced years, breakthroughs would flow smoothly.

However, in this harsh world, how many reached old age? Perhaps one or two out of ten?

This trait held power but suited endgame too much.

The third option appealed as well—sword cultivators stood among the elite, dominating in offense and velocity.

Yet sword cultivators struck him as brittle and fleeting in life.

Besides, this trait offered little aid in the beginning when building foundations counted heaviest.

His pressing concern involved dodging miscellaneous labor—he had slaved away in his prior life and vowed against reliving that!

Therefore, he picked the second: [Work Hard, Rest Hard]

[Work Hard, Rest Hard]: You master the art of work-rest equilibrium. Extended rest yields superior cultivation gains.

Ideal—useful from the outset, supportive for skills afterward, potentially easing breakthroughs, and permitting... "laziness" (struck through). The prime pick for early stages.

Choosing it erased the alternatives as [Work Hard, Rest Hard] populated his interface.