Inside the Yan Huang Sect Hall, He Yiming slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
"So... it's finally healed." His voice was calm, but a spark of satisfaction flickered in his eyes. "This Azure Emperor Immortal Body is ridiculous. Not only did it fix all my injuries in record time, but I actually broke through in the process."
He raised his hand. In his palm was a glowing inner pill, roughly the size of a clenched fist the core of the Deep Sea King.
If not for the system, He Yiming might have refined it into a high-grade Condensing Pill to boost his cultivation. Those pills were precious, often granting a huge leap in strength and, rarely, a direct breakthrough into the peak of the Spirit Vein Realm.
But He Yiming paused.
He thought of the players. Of karmic luck. Of long-term gain.
"With time, I'll reach peak Spirit Vein anyway. This... this can serve a greater purpose."
He would turn it into a Spirit Ascension Pill instead something that could raise others. With the right spirit herbs from the sect's new fields, he could produce a batch of incredibly powerful pills.
After all, most monsters at this level chose to self-destruct rather than let humans take their inner cores. Even obtaining one like this was an absurd stroke of fortune.
He carefully put the core away, decision made.
A voice echoed from the outer hall.
"Brother Ming? Are you here?"
He Yiming stepped out of the chamber to find Wang Lufei waiting.
"What is it?" He asked with a warm smile, putting on his elder-instructor tone.
"I, uh, had some questions about cultivation…" Wang Lufei scratched his head sheepishly.
"Come in."
But then, without warning, Wang Lufei activated the reverse flow of the Azure Emperor Immortal Body.
His skin flushed, his meridians screamed in protest, and blood started to surface across his arms.
The technique wasn't designed to be used this way. It was reckless, self-destructive, even suicidal. But it made his aura spike, briefly rivaling that of a Spirit Vein cultivator.
He Yiming's eyes narrowed. "You know that's going to shatter your meridians, right?"
"I know, but—" Wang Lufei grinned, unfazed. "I feel like this reverse-flow has insane potential! There's power in it. I just… I don't know how to control it. Can you help?"
He Yiming raised an eyebrow.
If it were a normal cultivator, he'd have lectured them on foolishness.
But this was a player. They could die. Come back. Die again. Repeat.
So if they wanted to punch their own acupoints for power boosts? Why not.
"There's a method," He Yiming said calmly. "The problem isn't the reversal it's how you're doing it. Pouring all your strength into your body at once creates chaos. The energies fight each other, cancel out."
Wang Lufei listened closely.
"Try this instead: reverse just one meridian. Then wait. Adjust. When you're stable, reverse another. Build it gradually. You'll gain more power, and it'll last longer."
Wang Lufei's eyes widened. "Wait… so you're saying… it's like Eight Gates?"
"No, not really. The structure of—"
"Hold the grass. I invented Eight Gates?! Brother Ming!"
"Not exactly. The mechanics—"
"I knew I was a genius!"
He Yiming paused, then gave a soft sigh.
"Congratulations. Yes. You've invented the Eight Gates," he said flatly.
There was no winning this. Let the boy have his moment.
"Thank you, Brother Ming!" Wang Lufei bowed deeply and bolted out of the hall with renewed enthusiasm.
No sooner had he left than another voice arrived.
"Brother Ming?"
It was First Ice Man.
"You too?" He Yiming smiled faintly.
"I've been studying my Frost Technique for ages, but…" First Ice Man frowned. "In the fight against the Deep Sea King, my ultimate move the triple-layered Frost Kick didn't even scratch him. Is… is the Cold Ice Technique just weak?"
He Yiming shook his head.
"You're Body Forging. He's Foundation Establishment. That kind of gap isn't something one technique can fix. But... you're thinking about it wrong."
He leaned in.
"Try this. Don't go solo. What if you took ten people, a hundred even and cast the technique together?"
First Ice Man blinked.
"You're saying… a combined technique?"
He Yiming nodded. "Exactly. Multiple cultivators, synchronized in one spell it's common. I'll show you one that even Body Forging disciples can use. Try it with your team."
Excitement lit up the player's face. "Thank you!" He bowed, then ran off with new ideas bouncing in his head.
Before He Yiming could even sit down.
"Brother Ming?"
It was Star this time.
"Let me guess," He Yiming said, rubbing his forehead. "More cultivation questions?"
"Kind of…" Star scratched the back of his head. "I can fight just fine, but commanding teams? That's where I'm weak. Everyone just runs around. No one listens. I don't have voice chat or group tools or… I mean, you're an NPC, so you wouldn't know what I mean by team UI…"
He trailed off.
He Yiming tilted his head.
"I know exactly what you mean."
Star blinked. "Wait, really?"
"I'll look into a solution," He Yiming replied. "You'll have your command functions soon."
Star lit up. "Thanks, Brother Ming!"
As he left, He Yiming stood quietly for a moment, then exhaled.
So many players. So many questions.
Author note
[First person to write the name of the 1st disciple who joined will get extra chap for everyone]