Chapter 12: Cultivation
The wind rustled the ancient leaves high above, sunlight filtering in faint golden patterns across the forest floor. Shafts of late-afternoon light shimmered against drifting motes of spiritual energy. Somewhere in the distance, a low growl echoed, soon followed by the screech of a dying beast—proof that the hunting competition was still in full swing.
Meng Hao sat cross-legged at the base of a thick, moss-draped tree, his robes slightly dusty, but his face calm—almost serene. Yet behind that composed facade, a flicker of dark amusement curled in the corner of his lips.
"Hehehe... a thousand years of cultivation, just for fucking her mother? This system really knows how to tempt people..."
A chuckle nearly escaped his lips, but he quickly suppressed it and narrowed his eyes, glancing around the tranquil woods. His inner voice returned to a more cautious tone.
"But no. Not yet. There’s still the master to consider. Even if her mother ends up favoring me... the remnant soul of her master, Chang Yue, is bound to that ring. A Void Refining realm soul cultivator... That’s not someone I can trifle with right now."
His fingers tapped lightly against his thigh.
"Even if Chang Yue develops some interest in me... at one-star favorability, it’s nowhere near safe. She’s dangerous. A single misstep and I’d be a smear on the forest floor."
Meng Hao took a breath and recalled what he had learned. His system’s interface had shown him the realms once before—cultivation stages from weak to strong: Qi Gathering, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, Void Refining, Fusion, Mahayana, and finally the Deva realm—stepping stone to true immortality and ascension to the upper world.
"The sect master of our Sect is only at the Divine Transformation stage... and most elders are at Nascent Soul. Meanwhile, Chang Yue—just her fragmented soul—is at the Void Refining level. Even if I use every trick at my disposal, there’s no way I could outplay her... unless her favorability rises to four-star or higher. Until then..."
He exhaled softly, a calm smile spreading across his face.