Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard” Chapter 3: Astonishing Cultivation Results

Su Yuan eased his steps just a touch.

Grinning broadly, Zhang Wei kept pace behind him.

Together, the pair rejoined the assembled group.

Once they halted, Zhang Wei wasted no time flaunting the Earth-grade cultivation technique he'd chosen, parading it before the disciples close by. This sparked waves of jealousy among the surrounding lower-grade spiritual root cultivators. A smug look of triumph lit up Zhang Wei's face.

Su Yuan, ever watchful, spotted a few disciples casting hostile glares toward Zhang Wei.

Yet, the majority of the disciples had already settled into meditation over their techniques, immersing themselves in fervent cultivation.

Su Yuan held off on delving into any techniques himself—for now, he was building up his rest duration for the "Work Hard, Rest Hard" perk in his system. Did poring over techniques qualify as cultivation as well?

Instead, he struck up light banter with Zhang Wei.

"Zhang Wei, watch yourself. That seventh disciple over on your left looks like he can't stand you!" Su Yuan murmured a caution.

Su Yuan held him back: "Don't stare outright—you'll tip them off."

Zhang Wei feigned a nonchalant peek that way, then let out a low scoff: "Hah, it's that skirt-chaser from the Zhou clan. We hail from the same immortal city. Never figured his aptitude outshone mine. Tch! Bet he didn't snag an Earth-grade technique and now he's green with envy! That brat thinks he can mess with me? I'll thrash him flat!"

"Plus, the third one in the fifth row, the seventh, the fifteenth in that same row, the ninth in the sixth row, and the twenty-fifth all appear to hold grudges against you too," Su Yuan went on.

Zhang Wei's face froze up at once, his earlier cockiness draining away as he grumbled, "Is it that bad really?"

Su Yuan prodded him: "Haven't you seen that almost every disciple who got a technique is already meditating on it? Even those with top-grade spiritual roots up front are grinding away diligently. You're stuck at the tail end of the sixth row—where's your drive?"

At those words, Zhang Wei scanned the area more seriously and saw Su Yuan had hit the mark—nearly all the disciples were quietly absorbing their techniques. For all the apparent bustle, hardly anyone was chatting!

"With talent like that and still pushing so fiercely... how can we lower-grade spiritual root folks even keep up?" Zhang Wei's countenance grew somber.

He shut his eyes right then to pore over his technique.

Soon enough, he blinked open his eyes in bewilderment, noticing Su Yuan still idly surveying the surroundings with no sign of tackling his own technique.

"How come you're not diving into your technique?" Zhang Wei inquired.

Su Yuan gave a casual shrug: "I've come to terms with it. Lousy talent and no backing— no amount of effort will shift things. I'm not getting into the outer sect no matter what. A bit more practice time won't tip the scales. But you're not like me—you're gunning for the outer sect. Don't you need to hustle even more?"

Zhang Wei: "..."

The reasoning rang true, yet something nagged at him oddly, though he couldn't quite place it.

After a few more turns, the Valley Master at last stepped out from the Scripture Pavilion.

With a casual flick of his wrist, countless beams of light shot forth, landing in the disciples' grasp.

In Su Yuan's hand appeared a jade slip marked with "299."

The Valley Master proclaimed: "These serve as your disciple badges and the keys to your quarters. Take today to unwind. Your rooms come stocked with essentials—disciple uniforms, maps of the valley, your daily allotments, and the Immortal Seed Valley cultivation method."

"From tomorrow onward, senior disciples will deliver lessons on diverse techniques in the Lecture Hall. Timetables will be displayed—showing up is your choice. In ten days' time, your initial cultivation evaluation awaits. Make sure you're ready!"

With that, the elder swept his eyes over the assembly before lifting off on a streak of pure white light, his ascent so smooth and majestic that Su Yuan's gaze sparkled with longing.

The throng burst into lively discussion at once.

As Zhang Wei chatted animatedly with a cluster of folks—undoubtedly hashing out their prior agreement—Su Yuan sighed softly, waved goodbye to Zhang Wei, and made a beeline for his lodging.

On the way, five shadows stepped into his route.

"Hey there, pal, name's Zhou Wuyou. Our family's big in pill trading, and we've got tons of high-ups in the sect. Get the picture? Side with me, and pills or spirit stones will always be yours in plenty!" boasted a rather chubby young man with haughty flair.

Su Yuan put on a regretful face: "Apologies, but I've already committed to another."

"Zhang Wei?" The young man sneered, "That hotheaded fool? What good is trailing after him? When push comes to shove, he can't shield you!"

Su Yuan's brow creased—that came off as intimidation.

"Sorry about that," Su Yuan replied, dropping his gaze.

Irritation flickered across Zhou Wuyou's rounded features, while the quartet at his back shot furious stares.

"Think it over again?" Zhou Wuyou intoned flatly.

Su Yuan shook his head no.

Zhou Wuyou fixed Su Yuan with a lingering stare before pivoting away. His four lackeys huffed disdainfully and trailed after him.

Su Yuan gazed mutely at their departing forms, musing inwardly: "Already building cliques? And it's barely our first day? The sect elders must be observing. Why no crackdown?"

He shook off the thought and pressed on without further obstruction, quickly locating his allotted home—a cozy independent structure featuring a modest yard, along with a dedicated cultivation room, sleeping quarters, privy, washing spot, and a small kitchen. The setup delighted him immensely.

After a invigorating wash and fresh attire, Su Yuan flopped onto his bed, drained from the day's trials.

Not all disciples rushed to slumber so swiftly.

Zhang Wei had gathered cultivation aids from assorted disciples—thirteen bits of spirit stone altogether. Though scant, these would supercharge his initial cultivation stages, ramping up his advancement by a solid thirty to forty percent!

Zhang Wei hustled back to his place in high spirits and dove headlong into practicing his fresh technique.

Dawn broke peacefully.

Su Yuan roused feeling revitalized. After a quick cleanse, he pondered the fasting pill clutched in his palm.

In sorting through the sect's supplied goods, he'd uncovered these tablets—one could keep a disciple nourished for a full day sans meals. Evidently, they formed part of the routine cultivation supplies!

Intrigued by its flavor, he tossed one in and bit down. A sharp bitterness assaulted his tongue, sending him scrambling for water, even as the nasty tang clung on.

"That's wild! What sort of nightmare taste is that?"

Su Yuan consulted the valley chart for mess hall spots but spotted none.

Knock! Knock!

"Su Yuan, you awake?"

Su Yuan arched a brow—Zhang Wei's tone.

"Hold on!"

He swung the door open to admit a beaming Zhang Wei, whose brows danced with exaggerated mirth.

"What's making you beam like that at this hour?" Su Yuan wondered.

Zhang Wei's smile stretched further: "One night of cultivation, and I've sparked fifteen threads of spiritual energy! What's your count?"

Su Yuan answered: "Hmm... what do you reckon I pulled off?"

Zhang Wei ventured: "Three threads over three rounds?"

Su Yuan inclined his head: "Spot on guess!"

Zhang Wei clapped his back: "Chin up! With my edge in talent, top-tier technique, extra resources, and extra grind, it's no shock I'm advancing four or five times quicker!"

"Such a comforter you are," Su Yuan remarked with sarcasm.

"Haha! Outer sect's mine for sure this round!" Zhang Wei flashed a toothy grin, then sauntered off with over-the-top flair, yelling back: "Time to cultivate again!"

Su Yuan promptly stepped into his cultivation space.

He glanced at his system display:

[[Name]: Su Yuan

[Region]: Green Vine Continent

[Level]: Unknown (1/100)

[Realm]: Qi Refining Stage - First Layer (0/100)

[Trait 1]: Work Hard, Rest Hard: You excel at balancing work and rest. The longer you rest, the better your cultivation results. Current rest time: 8.7 hours

"Time to try out this trait's power."

Su Yuan crossed his legs, gripping a spirit stone fragment.

Eyes shut, he set about truly grasping the Burning Wood Spirit Tempering Technique!

As he dissected its passages letter by letter, a white glow flickered over the system interface—his rest accumulation dropped to zero.

At the same instant, Su Yuan's thoughts sharpened to an incredible degree. What had been murky and tough in the technique now clicked swiftly into full comprehension and control.

The steps for the first layer shone vividly clear:

To reach Qi Refining's first layer, one needed to forge three spiritual nodes via spiritual energy. Normally, the initial node demanded a hundred threads, the next two hundred, and the last three to four hundred.

But the Burning Wood Spirit Tempering Technique provided a unique approach—nurturing energies of wood, fire, and metal apart. In building nodes, wood fueled the burn of fire for force, while metal bolstered the structures. This approach cut energy use by twenty percent, and skilled handling could trim it even more!

Flashes of insight surged in Su Yuan's mind—in mere moments, he'd grasped the technique at a foundational level.

With understanding secured, Su Yuan launched the technique proper, syncing his breaths to steer his starting wood energy along the meridian paths!

Spiritual energy from the air seeped in via inhalations and skin, merging into the meridian currents.

Awkward at first, Su Yuan soon got the hang of it. His energy streams flowed with uncanny smoothness, breezing past hurdles as if aided by the heavens.

Upon finishing the loop, his dantian—which had begun with a single flawed wood energy thread—now housed three full ones: of wood, fire, and metal types.

This caught Su Yuan off guard.

Per Zhang Wei, a single loop usually yielded one thread— but Su Yuan had birthed three in one go!

Concentrating once more, Su Yuan kicked off a second loop, directing all three threads through his meridians.

The trio of energies twisted jointly while staying separate, crafting a three-sided drill tip ahead and a braided, tri-hued cord behind for immense drive.

Surrounding energies and the spirit stone's essence poured into Su Yuan's form at a heightened pace.

His honed routing transformed this influx into his own spiritual energy with staggering yield.

Without realizing, Su Yuan's loops had leaped beyond novice stage— a seasoned watcher would gape in astonishment.

As this loop wrapped up, the inbound energy had swelled to twelve threads!

Su Yuan reeled in shock.

He forged ahead into a third loop, striving to draw more but hitting the cap at three threads. Unfazed, he kept the flow even.

As the loop approached its end, a wave of mental weariness hit—his command over energy slowed. The trait's boost had run its course.

Luckily, the moment aligned well. With two more breaths, he channeled the energy home to his dantian.

Nine fresh threads added on, pushing his sum to twenty-one—eclipsing what Zhang Wei had eked out overnight.