Chapter 6: Bamboo cutting (1)

After an hour, Grey opened his eyes, which were filled with a mix of blue and dark auras. A smile spread across his face as he spoke. "I've reached the first stage of Qi Gathering and officially stepped onto the path of cultivation."He stood up, feeling the surge of newfound strength coursing through his body as he punched the air. "Hmm, with my current progress and the nine remaining Qi Gathering pills, I can at least reach the Foundation stage within a year and a half.""After Foundation, there's the Golden Core stage and then the Nascent Soul stage, and each stage has nine levels" he mused. "I don't know what comes after that," he thought, realizing that the system had only provided knowledge up to the Nascent Soul stage. According to the system's classification, this world is considered a minor world, with the highest cultivation level comparable to the Golden Core stage. However, Grey, who is walking a different path, knew he couldn't be compared to them.[Name : Greyson PeirceAge : 10Cultivation: 1st stage of Qi gatheringCultivation technique : Heavenly Demon Cultivation (1st stage)Evaluation : A person walking on a his own path][Task : Reach Foundation stageRewards: Stellar refinement manual][Congratulations on reaching the First stage of Qi gathering, you were rewarded with 10 points ][System shop (Locked) (Unlock conditions Reach 5th stage of Qi gathering)][World travel (Locked ) (Unlock conditions Reach Nascent Soul )]"Wow, this system is really awesome! So I'll get rewards for every stage? This is great!" Greyson exclaimed with excitement. He couldn't help but feel a rush of joy at how generous the system seemed. Unlike the systems in the novels he'd read, where the hosts were often tortured and given only small rewards, this one was different. It had already granted him an Ex-rank cultivation manual, a treasure that could be considered one of the highest in the universe.The only disappointing aspect, though, was that the system didn't respond to his questions. It just provided instructions and then left him to figure things out on his own, as if it wanted him to grow and learn independently."And this shop... I'm really curious about the products available there," Greyson mused, his curiosity piqued by the possibilities."And what's with this world travel option?" he wondered aloud, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "Don't tell me I can travel to other worlds?"A wave of excitement washed over him at the thought. "Haha, this is going to be fun! I wonder if I can travel back to Earth." But then, he quickly dismissed the idea. There was no one for him on Earth, and that's why, when he arrived in this world, he didn't focus on returning. Instead, he concentrated on survival and left his past behind.Now, he was leading a new life, and he couldn't afford to be burdened by memories of his previous one.Afterward, Grey spent another half hour studying the system before he finally gave in to his exhaustion from cultivation and drifted off to sleep.The next morning, Greyson was sleeping peacefully when the loud sound of the door opening startedled him awake. Groggily, he sat up and saw his senior brother, Daren, standing in the doorway."Brother Daren? Don't you think it's too early? Why are you making so much noise?" Greyson grumbled, yawning before collapsing back onto his bed. "Let me sleep," he muttered as he drifted off again.Daren's mouth twitched in annoyance. Without a word, he walked over to Greyson, hoisted him up like a sack of potatoes, and carried him out. Greyson, still deep in sleep, remained blissfully unaware of what was happening.Five minutes later, Greyson felt a sharp sting on his butt and shouted, "Who dares to spank my—" He stopped mid-sentence, waving a small fist in protest, and noticed that he was no longer in his room. Instead, he found himself in the Bamboo Forest, with Daren standing right in front of him.Behind Daren stood Xiao Fan and a little girl."Brother Daren, why am I here?" Greyson asked, quickly piecing together that the pain he felt was likely due to Daren dropping him on the ground. He silently vowed to take revenge for this in the future."Junior brothers, from today onwards, your training starts," Daren announced, looking at both Xiao Fan and Greyson."Training? Here?" Greyson asked, glancing around the bamboo forest. All he saw were rows of tall bamboo trees swaying gently in the breeze. There was no sign of any training equipment or anything remotely related to martial arts practice. Though he had seen the first season of the series, he couldn't recall the details of the training, as they weren't central to the main storyline.