Cultivation: From Poor Peasant to Celestial Lord

Chapter 235: Chapter 136: The Limit of Qi Cultivation, Judgment of Merits and Demerits

Inside the Cultivation Room, the Five Element Spiritual Energy swirled like colorful mist.

Chu Bai sat cross-legged at the heart of the array, a storm raging in his mind as he felt the distinctly different rhythm of Magical Power within his body.

’Microscopic... I actually broke through the shackles of the Perfection Level.’

He slowly opened his eyes. A five-colored light flashed in his pupils and vanished, replaced by a clarity that was almost chilling.

With his growing experience, Chu Bai was no longer the naive, Lower-class Youth he had once been.

He was well aware of one of the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty’s iron laws of cultivation: the limit for a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivation Technique was the Perfection Level.

Only Superior Cultivation Techniques of the Foundation Establishment Stage or higher, or those incredibly powerful Earth-level Techniques, possessed higher skill levels.

This was because, in theory, the Divine Thought and physical strength of a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator were simply insufficient to handle the profound changes beyond the Perfection Level.

But now, he had truly pushed this basic ”Guiyuan Technique” to the Microscopic Realm.

’It’s the power of my Fate Chart...’

Chu Bai took a deep breath and recited it in his mind.

[Acquired Fate Chart: Non-stop Rushing, Unceasing Labor]

(The Celestial Dao rewards the diligent. Any Magic Technique practiced daily will surely yield results, ignoring all bottlenecks, allowing for natural success.)

’I understand now.’

Chu Bai’s eyes glinted as realization dawned on him. ’So ”ignoring all bottlenecks” doesn’t just refer to the hurdles when breaking through to a new Great Realm. It also refers to the inherent ceilings that exist for all the world’s techniques.’

’As long as I train hard every day and keep accumulating, my Fate Chart will transform every drop of sweat into the raw power needed to shatter these shackles.’

Even if a Cultivation Technique had its own upper limit, under the tyrannical logic of his Fate Chart where the Celestial Dao rewards the diligent, limits had to make way for hard work!

At this realization, Chu Bai’s heart pounded. With a thought, he summoned the Fate Chart Panel, which he hadn’t examined closely in a long time.

[Name: Chu Bai]

[Realm: Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer (39/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Guiyuan Technique (Microscopic 1/???)]

[Skills/Magic Techniques:]

[Spirit Water Needle (Perfection 679/1000)]

[Guardian Shield (Perfection 347/1000)]

[Formless Cloud Hand (Perfection 215/1000)]

[Golden Eye Shattering Illusion (Perfection 108/1000)]

Just as he thought!

Chu Bai’s breath hitched.

All his Magic Techniques that had previously reached the Perfection Level now showed clear progress bars.

This meant that as long as he continued practicing, all these techniques, which were already at the peak for the Qi Cultivation Stage, had the chance to cross over into the legendary Micro Level.

’A Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator mastering Micro Level technique proficiency...’

Chu Bai murmured to himself, a terrifying glint shining in his eyes.

He knew exactly what this meant.

In Magical Combat, the limit for cultivators of the same realm was casting Perfection Level techniques. But if he could reach the Micro Level, he could unleash terrifying power with minimal Magical Power. He could even perceive and exploit minuscule flaws in an opponent’s technique at a critical moment.

This was a heaven-defying, fate-changing power!

At that moment, the Five Elements Gathering Spirit Array in Qingfeng Courtyard was operating at its peak.

Chu Bai closed his eyes again. This time, as he operated the Micro Level ”Guiyuan Technique,” the surrounding Five Element Spiritual Energy no longer surged into him. Instead, it was as if it had met its Monarch; it flowed into his body with extreme obedience, moving in an orderly fashion along specific meridian pathways.

’It’s too fast...’

Chu Bai felt the speed of his Magical Power growth. It was nearly thirty percent faster than before.

With this cultivation speed, combined with a future Magic System where all his techniques could reach the Micro Level, his combat prowess would likely swell in a short time to a degree that would drive his peers—and even Late-stage Qi Cultivators—to despair.

’However, at my current cultivation speed, I’ll probably reach the Late-stage Qi Cultivation before all my techniques reach the next level.’

A profound smile touched the corners of Chu Bai’s lips. He calmed his mind and completely immersed himself in the exhilarating sensation of this frantic improvement.

...

「Two more months passed in a flash, and a heavy snow began to fall over Anping County.」

With the new year approaching, the entire county was immersed in a bustling atmosphere of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.

But for the officials of the Evil Suppression Department, this was the most critical time of all—the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty’s year-end ”Merit Examination” had begun.

County Captain Zhang Cheng had already submitted this year’s assessment documents.

This year, Anping County had quelled the Sanmu River flood and eradicated the blight of the Luu Family. Furthermore, the reorganized Demon-slaying Team had been astonishingly efficient. These achievements were considered outstanding in all of Dayuan Prefecture.

However, the Great Zhou Laws were strict, and the evaluation of Merit was by no means determined by reports on paper alone.

Today, the ”Merit Envoy” from the Merit Department officially arrived at the Anping Evil Suppression Department.

The Merit Department held immense power. From provincial Governors down to Ninth-Grade Immortal Officials, their promotions, talisman bestowals, and even resource allocations were all decided by this year-end merit evaluation.

The year-end ratings were divided into four grades: Poor, Average, Good, and Excellent.

For an ordinary Cultivator, receiving a ”Good” rating meant a high chance of being allocated more resources and Secret Technique Manuals in the coming year.

And if one was rated ”Excellent,” their future prospects were bright, and they might even secure a recommended spot for the ”Celestial Examination.”

”Younger Brother Chu, I’m afraid it’s over for me this time...”

Outside the duty room, Pang Song found Chu Bai with a mournful look on his face. As Chu Bai’s deputy this year, he had earned merit in several cleanup operations and had originally hoped for a ”Good” rating to solidify his position.

Seeing his expression, Chu Bai couldn’t help but ask in surprise, ”Brother Pang, you’ve been diligent in your duties this year, and your files are clear. Logically, getting a ’Good’ rating shouldn’t be difficult. Why the long face?”

Pang Song heaved a heavy sigh and lowered his voice. ”The envoy visited just now. I followed the old customs from previous years and secretly prepared an ’opening gift’ for him, hoping to smooth things over and make the Heart Inquiry process go a little more favorably.”