BTTH: Auto Cultivation System

After bidding farewell to Ming Cheng and the others, Xiao Hua returned to his room, waiting patiently for Lady Azure, who had gone to speak with Xun Er.

It didn’t take long before Lady Azure arrived, her usual calm and graceful demeanor present as she stepped into his room. Before Xiao Hua could inquire about her conversation with Xun Er, Lady Azure waved a hand dismissively, her tone casual as she addressed his unspoken concerns.

"I spoke with her about her background," Lady Azure said. "I gave her the same Qi Method as the two alchemists, but I warned her not to use it yet. Her background is unique, and if those behind her realize her Qi Method is unusual, it could cause trouble for you. That's all."

Xiao Hua raised an eyebrow, confused by her cryptic remarks. "Do you think her background would bother her—or chase after me—because of the Qi Method?"

Lady Azure let out a soft snort, her expression cooling. "Not the Qi Method, but the flame. I will give her my flame seed, but then what about her Heavenly Flame? You, of all people, should understand the strength and uniqueness of the Primordial Heavenly Flame. It made even her Heavenly Flame tremble in fear, suppressing it with ease."

Xiao Hua smiled wryly, unable to argue with her. Every word rang true. His flame, the Primordial Heavenly Flame, had once caused the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, the fourth-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame List, to flicker and tremble in terror. Such power was enough to draw unwanted attention from any force.

He sighed, shaking his head as he shifted the conversation. "What about the other matter we discussed earlier—about the natural conversion of my energy and how your Qi Method will change as a result?"

Lady Azure’s expression remained indifferent as she explained, “I’ve yet to mention this, but the Great Thousand World relies on a purer form of energy known as Spiritual Aura or Spiritual Energy. It’s fundamentally different from the Dou Qi you’re familiar with. Once you in the higher plane, it’s important to understand that your Dou Qi will gradually convert into this purer form of Spiritual Energy. This process is critical when entering the Great Thousand World."

Her gaze sharpened as she went on. "Most experts who break free from the Lower Planes remain unaware of this concept. They cling tightly to their hard-earned Dou Qi or other forms of energy. Naturally, they resist converting it into something unfamiliar, something they don’t fully understand.”

Xiao Hua’s eyes widened in realization as Lady Azure continued. “Of course, this resistance leads to conflict. The conversion into Spiritual Energy may pose risks, and rejecting it outright could be even more dangerous. This is the first major hurdle faced by those who’ve broken through from the Lower Planes.”

"I see. I understand the concept of energy conversion, but that still doesn’t explain what you mean by my Qi Method changing as well..." Xiao Hua nodded, acknowledging her explanation, but his confusion lingered. The transformation of his Qi Method remained unclear.

Lady Azure, sensing his puzzlement, smiled faintly and began to explain the natural conversion of the Chaos Mantra in greater detail.

"Currently, your Qi Method is perfectly suited to the Dou Qi Continent," she said softly, her eyes gleaming with wisdom. "But as you progress—when you fully merge the nine Heavenly Lightnings into the ‘Primordial Heaven Lightning,’ fuse the twenty-two Primordial Flames into the ‘Heavenly Genesis Flame,’ and refine the 'Celestial Ancient Frost'—your Qi Method will evolve. It will no longer be a Qi Method, but a Spiritual Art, one that is designed for not only Energy Cultivation but for Physique Cultivation as well."

She paused, allowing the weight of her words to sink in. "As the refining and merging processes complete, the Dou Qi within your body will begin to convert naturally into Spiritual Energy. With this transformation, your strength will soar beyond the realm of Dou Di, propelling you into a higher realm—the realm known in the Great Thousand World as the Earth Sovereign."

Xiao Hua’s eyes widened at the revelation. The leap in power was far greater than he had imagined, but Lady Azure wasn’t finished.

"And that’s when the third and final seal of the Chaos Mantra will be fully released," she added, her tone lowering, carrying a sense of awe. "Even I was unable to penetrate this last seal. That alone tells you how unimaginably powerful your Chaos Mantra truly is, doesn't it?"

A chill ran down Xiao Hua’s spine. To think that even someone as powerful as Lady Azure couldn’t breach the final seal... His heart surged with anticipation. The full potential of the Chaos Mantra was still hidden, lying in wait for him to unlock it.

Xiao Hua was truly amazed by this revelation, yet a hint of concern clouded his heart. The mystery surrounding the Chaos Mantra had deepened, leaving him both intrigued and cautious. He had already been aware that his cultivation energy would change upon entering the Great Thousand World, and he’d assumed that by then, he would have fully comprehended the Chaos Mantra. But the existence of a third seal troubled him.

The fact that this seal would only be released after merging and refining the Primordial Heaven Lightning, the Heavenly Genesis Flame, and the Celestial Ancient Frost hinted at something far more profound.

"Does it... have something to do with Chaos itself?" Xiao Hua wondered silently. After all, the technique was named Chaos Mantra. His mind raced with possibilities, but he quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought for now. Pondering it would lead nowhere until he reached that point in his cultivation.

For now, he could only hope that when the third seal finally revealed itself, it wouldn’t bring forth something too troublesome.

A flash of realization crossed Xiao Hua’s eyes as he turned toward Lady Azure. "Does that mean when you sent a sliver of your fragment into this plane, the energy within you and the Heavenly Lightning had to convert into Dou Qi instead of Spiritual Energy?"

"Indeed," Lady Azure nodded calmly. "We had no choice but to adapt, altering our energy to align with the nature of this plane. Otherwise, we would’ve been rejected by the world's laws."

Xiao Hua felt a wave of amazement at Lady Azure’s ability to seamlessly shift her energy without hesitation. While it was true that her presence was pulled into this world, it still surprised him that someone of her immense power didn’t hesitate to lower her energy to an inferior quality like Dou Qi. It was a less pure energy compared to the Spiritual Energy of the higher realms, yet she had done so without complaint.

He shook his head, dispelling the thought. 'She’s on a different level than I am. What else should I expect?'

"Nevertheless, I should rest for a bit. This time really took a toll on my mind," Xiao Hua muttered, lying down on the bed and closing his eyes. Fatigue washed over him, both physically and emotionally. He decided to check the update for the System later, after dealing with their faction and its establishment.

Lady Azure said nothing, her gaze softening as she observed him. Without a word, her form dissolved into a green-colored ember, quietly entering the space between Xiao Hua’s brows. She settled within him without disturbing his rest, understanding the weight he carried. It wasn't just the day's events but the emotional strain of his complex relationship with Xun Er that had truly taxed his mind.

Although the situation had been handled well, largely thanks to Li Mei and the others, Lady Azure knew that Xiao Hua had poured out all the emotions he'd been bottling up towards Xun Er. It was a release he had needed, even if it left him drained.

For that reason, she remained silent, allowing him the rest he deserved. Tomorrow would be another arduous day—not just for him, but for the entire Chaos Gate faction. They would need to prove themselves and solidify their standing within the Inner Academy, and Xiao Hua would be at the center of it all.

----

The following morning, after cleansing himself, Xiao Hua’s first action was to open the AC System. His eyes flickered as he glanced at the accumulated points. Excluding the 50,000 ACP he had received as reward, he has 2,980 ACP remained. While upgrading the ACP Rate only required 23,000 ACP, his curiosity was piqued by the new update the System had mentioned.

With a single thought, he stirred the System and commanded inwardly, "System, reveal the new event and function."

[Displaying the new event and function!]

[In celebration of reaching the Soul State and overcoming your Inner Demon by accepting your true self, the System has introduced a new event and function: Gacha Event and ACP Sign-In Function!]

[Note: These two will disappear upon reaching the peak of Dou Di class!]

Xiao Hua’s eyes scanned through the descriptions. As expected, the names were straightforward—one was a Gacha event, and the other a Sign-In function.

Xiao Hua decided to examine the Sign-In feature first. As stated, it merely granted ACP upon signing in. Though he felt a twinge of disappointment that it didn’t provide medicinal ingredients or rare treasures, he reminded himself that it was still better than receiving nothing.

The Sign-In function was divided into three tiers: Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly. Naturally, without hesitation, he signed in for the weekly and monthly rewards. However, the Yearly Sign-In was greyed out, temporarily unavailable to him for the next two years.

The Weekly Sign-In would grant him 5,000 ACP. The Monthly Sign-In offered a more substantial reward of 50,000 ACP. As for the Yearly Sign-In, it promised a staggering sum of 4,000,000 ACP. However, there was a notable drawback—claiming the Yearly Sign-In meant forfeiting the Weekly and Monthly rewards for an entire month. While Xiao Hua wasn’t entirely surprised by this limitation, it was still a regrettable trade-off.

(Note: I just put a random number generator and just put 6-10. Result is 7, so I just decided to use 7 digits numbers. Why do I do that? Cause I'm way too lazy to think of a number or the amount.)

Even so, Xiao Hua couldn’t help but be amazed by this new function. He only wished it had been available to him earlier. Shaking his head to dispel those lingering regrets, he shifted his attention to the new event the System had unlocked as a reward for reaching the Soul State.

The event was simple yet disappointing—a Gacha Draw with only a single banner labeled "Dou Qi Grade Draw". There was but one option, a solitary button that offered a 10x Draw.

This 'Dou Qi Grade Draw' required 30,000 ACP, which he found quite affordable after his sign-in rewards today. The potential rewards included:

1. Medicinal Ingredients, Pills, and Medicinal Formulas: Low to High Grade, ranging from sixth-tier to ninth-tier.

2. Dou Techniques: Huang Class to Tian Class. Rank is vary.

3. Magical Beast’s Corpse or Bloodline: Low to High Rank. There's a low chance of getting Ancient or Divine Grade.

4. Treasures: Grades and Types are varying. Low chance of getting Core Soul Marrow and Bodhisattva Ancient Tree: Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva, Bodhisattva Seed and Bodhisattva Heart.

5. ACP: 30,000 to 10,000,000.

What piqued his interest even more about this event was the "Pity Draw" that accompanied the Gacha Event. Once his accumulated draws under the 'Mortal Grade Draw' banner reached 300, he would be guaranteed to receive three rewards from a set of five randomly generated "Pity Rewards". The list of potential 'Pity Rewards' included:

1. 2-4 Ticket of Primordial Heavenly Flame.

2. 2-3 Tian Class Dou Techniques. Rank is vary. 

3. (10 - 100 batches of) Rare and High Grade Medicinal Ingredients.

4. 4 Parts of Divine or Extinct Mythical Magical Beast. (Can be a scales, claws, blood essence, fangs, or even bloodlines.)

6. (1 - 3) High-Grade Treasures that could evolve.

Xiao Hua’s fingers hovered over the button, his heart racing with anticipation. The temptation was overwhelming—after all, there was nothing in the reward list that would leave him disappointed. Still, he resolved to draw only twice. He needed to conserve his ACP for the necessary upgrades, especially since the event and its functions would vanish upon reaching Dou Di.

With a deep breath, he pressed the button twice.

[You have received…]

[5x Medicinal Ingredients: Soul Calm Fruit, Demon Spiritual Valley Grass, Jade Bone Fruit, Blood Lotus Essence and Ice Spirit Blazing Grass.]

[2x High Xuan Class Dou Techniques: Mountain Splitting Lightning Spear, Soft Snow Sword.]

[1x Xuan Low-Level Qi Method: Tranquil Water.]

[1x Rank 4 Magical Beast Corpse: Raging Sea Serpent.]

[1x Treasure: Ice Spirit Cold Fountain.]

[2x Tier 2 Medicinal Pills: Energy Recovery Pills.]

[2x Tier 4 Medicinal Pills: Three Lines Green Spirit Pill.]

[2x Tier 4 Medicinal Pills: Dou Spirit Pill.]

[1x Tier 6 Medicinal Pill: Zong Breaking Pill.]

[1x Tier 8 Medicinal Pill: Bone Growing Blood Fusing Pill.]

[1x Medicinal Formula: Poison Pill Formula.]

"My luck is truly terrible. To think I would get so many low-tier medicinal pills, with only one tier-eight pill..." Xiao Hua sighed under his breath, frustration flickering in his eyes. Though others might see his draws as a fortune, they failed to understand—he was already an eighth-tier alchemist. The Poison Pill Formula was no mystery to him; he had long known about it, having read through the entire novel. What use were these scraps to someone of his level?

He began to wonder if wasting his ACP on this was a mistake, but the fact that he could receive two or more tickets for a free Primordial Heavenly Flame was hard to ignore!

All the rewards were transferred into his Storage Ring. He marveled at how seamlessly they were stored—Lady Azure hadn’t even sensed the slightest fluctuation. Still, he planned to inform her about these new gains later.

Shifting his focus, Xiao Hua turned his attention to the Talent section. With a decisive thought, he upgraded all his professional talents to the Perfected Stage of the Mortal Realm. Now, his abilities in Refinery, Poison Making, Array Comprehension, and Genesis Rune Comprehension had the potential to rival that of a Dou Di, on par with his mastery in Alchemy.

Although upgrading Genesis Rune Comprehension wasn’t entirely necessary, he saw no harm in doing so—it would only broaden his skill set.

Next, he moved to the Weapon Talent section to assess his options. Despite possessing an Advanced Stage of Mortal Realm talent for Sword Art, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. He had never wielded a sword, nor did he foresee a time when he would.

"A spear, maybe... but a sword? I doubt I'll ever wield one," Xiao Hua thought wryly. Unlike the majority of cultivators who revered the sword as the weapon of choice, he had always preferred the spear and close combat. For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, swords simply didn’t resonate with him, and so, he saw no point in mastering their art.

He glanced at his Spear Art Talent and Close Combat Art Talent. Without hesitation, he decided to upgrade these instead of his Sword Art Talent, pushing them to the Perfect Stage.

Next, his attention shifted to his Element Affinities. To his shock, every single affinity, except Blood and Time, had already reached the Perfect Stage of the Mortal Realm. He made a mental note to ask Lady Azure about this later, but for now, he decided to focus on other matters.

Looking at his remaining ACP, he noted that he had 47,960 left. He had spent 60 ACP upgrading his Professional and Weapon Talents. Finally, he upgraded his ACP Rate, which cost 23,000 ACP, leaving him with 24,900 ACP.

Xiao Hua sighed. With his stock of medicinal ingredients running low, he figured he might as well use his remaining ACP to purchase more. Opening the 'Shop,' he was immediately taken aback—prices had inflated drastically. The cheapest medicinal ingredients, pills, and treasures now cost 20,000 ACP, while the item he coveted most, the Primordial Heavenly Flame, was priced at an outrageous 40,000,000 ACP.

(Note: Once again, I used a random number generator, selecting between 6-10, but this time I clicked ten times. Surprisingly, the number 8 appeared six times in a row, so I decided to go with 8 digits.)

"This cursed System! What kind of logic is this?! To raise the price of the Primordial Heavenly Flame this much...!" Xiao Hua cursed inwardly, his irritation evident. He wondered what kind of business model this System used to justify such absurd price hikes in the Shop.

A moment later, Xiao Hua let out a dispirited sigh. The inflation within the 'Shop' was disappointing, but he could afford to wait. With the Sign-In function, he doubted it would take long to gather more ACP.

'Besides, with the Gacha Event, I don’t need to worry about wasting ACP on a single item. For just 30,000 ACP, I can draw ten items at once—though the rewards are random. Still, compared to the exorbitant prices in the Shop, I'd be nothing but a poor man, tearfully gazing at these countless treasures...'

He shook his head and decided to leave. Just as he stepped outside his room, a powerful ripple of energy surged through the air, emanating from the chambers of his brothers and sisters.

"It seems Sister Li Mei and the others have successfully stepped into the Dou Spirit realm."

A melodious, enchanting voice stirred Xiao Hua from his quiet thoughts as he gazed toward the commotion created by his brothers and sisters. Turning towards the familiar voice, his expression softened. A gentle, loving smile appeared on his lips as he A gentle, loving smile appeared on his lips as he stepped forward, embracing the dainty figure approaching him with a warmth that matched her sweet smile.

"Xun'er, it seems you've broken through as well," he said softly, releasing her from the embrace, his gaze filled with gentle affection. He could sense the subtle energy pulsing from her body—a sign that she, too, had reached the Dou Spirit realm.

Xun Er’s cheeks flushed slightly, her smile turning shy. "It's a little embarrassing... I broke through while I was sleeping," she admitted, her voice laced with a hint of awkwardness. Yet, deep inside, she understood the reason behind her effortless breakthrough. The shadow in her heart had been soothed, allowing her to step into the Dou Spirit realm without resistance.

Xiao Hua's warm smile deepened, his voice filled with warm and affection. "Well then, since Sister Li Mei and the others have also broken through..." He raised his hand, extending it toward her. "It’s time for the Inner Academy to recognize the existence of Chaos Gate."

Xun Er blinked in surprise before a bright smile broke across her face, free of the facade and mask she so often wore. She reached out, clasping his hand with a newfound determination. "Then let's go," she said, her voice filled with a radiant joy. "I can’t wait to see this place bustling with other students."