Courtyard House: The Cultivation System Takes Me Flying

As dawn broke through the morning mist of Qinglan Prefecture, the first rays of golden light shone upon the rolling mountains. The Eternal Immortal Abode was hidden within a triple array and an eternal barrier. Spiritual mist swirled around it, and the fragrance of spiritual valleys filled the air. The entire grotto-heaven maintained its unique tranquility and peace, completely isolated from the hustle and bustle of the outside cultivation world.

Qin Lindong opened his eyes after a night of cultivation. The golden light in his eyes was contained, and the golden core within his dantian slowly rotated. His cultivation at the third level of the Golden Core stage, nine-tenths complete, was already extremely stable. He only needed a slight opportunity to successfully break through to the fourth level. His Undying Battle Body continued to operate during the night's breathing exercises. His physical body and bones were reshaped by pure spiritual energy, becoming increasingly resilient. A faint golden light flowed around his body, giving him an indestructible defensive barrier even without using any cultivation techniques.

He got up and stepped down from the central stone platform. He swept his spiritual sense across the cave and took in everything inside.

He Yuzhu had already been guarding the entrance to the cave, his fiery spiritual energy condensed like a torch. With the fifteen-fold cultivation buff, his early Foundation Establishment cultivation was showing signs of breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. He held a short sword made of ordinary iron, which emitted a scorching sharpness under the wrapping of fiery spiritual energy. His eyes vigilantly scanned the mountains and forests outside the formation, fulfilling his duty of protecting the cave to the utmost.

In the spirit field, Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong had already begun their day's work. Holding farming tools made of spirit wood, the two carefully loosened the soil and channeled the spirit energy into the valley. After several days of nourishment from the spiritual energy of the cultivation world, the two old men's originally aged bodies had become more robust, the white frost in their hair had lessened, their complexions were rosy, and their cultivation at the ninth level of Qi Refining was firmly rooted, with increasingly obvious signs of the bottleneck loosening.

"Old Yan, look at this spirit grain. It will be ready for harvest in three days. When it is milled into spirit rice, it will be enough for our entire family to eat for more than half a year, and there will still be a lot left over to be used as seeds." Liu Haizhong gently stroked the golden and plump ears of grain, his face full of a gratified smile. His competitive demeanor in the courtyard in the past was completely gone, leaving only the peace of living a stable life.

Yan Bugui nodded in agreement, and lightly flicked a wisp of spiritual energy into the soil of the spiritual field: "The blessed land of the cultivation world is indeed well-deserved of its reputation. We could never have imagined such a life in our mortal days, but now we are actually living it. We must take good care of it and live up to the trust of the Immortal Lord."

Beside the spiritual spring by the lake, Qin Huairu was meditating with her three children, Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua. Water-attribute spiritual energy, like gentle ribbons, enveloped her, nourishing her and making her even more graceful and ethereal. Her skin was as smooth and lustrous as jade, and her early Foundation Establishment cultivation was solid and stable. Her water-elemental power was gentle yet resilient. The three children, their intelligence greatly enhanced, possessed a steady and profound aura at the peak of Qi Refining. Despite their young age, they were exceptionally composed during meditation. Baiyu Lingxi lay beside them, her snow-white body protecting the three children, as docile as a loyal guardian.

The four members of the Jia family were still diligently working in the corner of the courtyard. Jia Dongxu was pruning the spirit bamboo in the yard, Jia Zhangshi was wiping the stone table and benches, their movements slow and careful not to make a sound, and Jia Geng was quietly following beside his three children, learning to practice breathing exercises. The arrogance and meanness of their former mortal selves had long been worn down by time, and the four of them felt only awe and obedience, knowing that being able to stay in the immortal abode was an immense opportunity.

The people of the prefecture each performed their duties, living in harmony and peace, without any disputes, enjoying a tranquil life.

Qin Lindong walked slowly forward. Wherever he passed, people rose and bowed, their expressions respectful but not obsequious, their tone calm yet full of sincerity. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment, saying nothing more. This tranquility was the most precious form of cultivation in his heart.

Just then, three steady fluctuations of spiritual energy emanated from the edge of the array outside the cave.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Qin Lin could immediately see who it was.

The leader was a middle-aged cultivator wearing a cyan-gold Daoist robe. He had a square face, a calm demeanor, and a cultivation level of the second stage of the Golden Core realm. He was Li Xuan, an outer sect elder of the Qinglan Sect. Behind him were two late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples. One of them was Zhou Cheng, who had come to investigate yesterday. The other was holding an ancient wooden box and had a respectful expression.

The three did not approach the formation rashly, but stopped three miles away, bowed respectfully, and their voices entered the formation with reverence:

"Li Xuan of the Qinglan Sect, acting on the orders of his sect leader, has come to pay a visit to Senior Yongheng Immortal Mansion, bringing a small gift to express his apologies. He has absolutely no intention of offending you!"

His tone was humble and his manners impeccable. It was clear that after Zhou Cheng returned to the sect yesterday to report, the higher-ups of the Qinglan Sect dared not neglect this unfathomable reclusive master and specially sent an elder to pay a visit and show goodwill.

He Yuzhu immediately noticed the commotion outside and turned to bow to Qin Lindong, saying, "Immortal Master, people from the Qinglan Sect have come to pay their respects. Shall we allow them to pass?"

"Let them in," Qin Lindong said calmly.

He Yuzhu immediately raised his hand and made a hand seal, opening a gap in the concealment formation that was only wide enough for one person to pass through.

Seeing this, Li Xuan and his companions were filled with even greater awe. They quickly straightened their robes and slowly stepped into the array's range. After passing through layers of spiritual mist, the three were instantly stunned by the scene before them—the vast spiritual valley shimmered with golden light, the spiritual lake was crystal clear, the spiritual bamboo was lush and verdant, the spiritual energy was so dense it was almost liquid, and the houses were simple and elegant, exuding an aura of immortality, far surpassing the blessed land of the Qinglan Sect's mountain gate by several times!

"This...this is the true immortal realm!" Li Xuan exclaimed inwardly, his gaze toward Qin Lindong growing even more respectful. He quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Li Xuan of Qinglan Sect greets Immortal Lord Yongheng! Yesterday, your disciple was ignorant and disturbed your cultivation. The entire sect was filled with apology and has prepared this small gift to express our regret. We hope for your forgiveness."

After saying that, he gestured to the disciple behind him to hand over the wooden box, which he presented to Qin Lindong with both hands.

Qin Lindong glanced at the contents of the wooden box. Inside were three hundred-year-old spiritual herbs, ten mid-grade spirit stones, and a humble letter of greeting. For a small to medium-sized sect like Qinglan Sect, this was a great show of sincerity.

"No need for formalities." Qin Lindong raised his hand but did not accept the gift. His voice was calm and unwavering. "My family lives in seclusion here, detached from worldly affairs. The best apology is that the Qinglan Sect will abide by the borders and not disturb the peace of my immortal abode."

Li Xuan felt relieved and quickly replied, "Immortal Master, rest assured, from this day forward, the Qinglan Sect will definitely designate this area as a forbidden zone. No disciple of the sect will ever set foot within a hundred miles. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished according to the sect's regulations!"

He had initially thought this reclusive master would be aloof and difficult to get along with, but he was surprised to find him so peaceful, and the weight on his heart was finally lifted. He had been worried that this master would covet the territory and resources of the Qinglan Sect, but now it seemed that the other party had no interest in the outside world's conflicts and only sought to live in seclusion and cultivate.

"In that case, you may return to your sect." Qin Lindong waved his hand, not intending to say anything more.

Li Xuan dared not linger and bowed again, saying, "This junior takes his leave. The Qinglan Sect will never dare to disturb the Immortal Master's cultivation again!"

After saying this, the three of them respectfully took three steps back, turned around and left quickly, not daring to mention the gifts again, for fear of offending this unfathomable immortal lord.

After the three left, the formation closed again, completely isolating the immortal abode from the outside world.

He Yuzhu stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Immortal Master, the Qinglan Sect is quite sensible; they should not cause trouble again in the future."

"The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world. They only respect strength, not truly submit to it," Qin Lindong said calmly. "But it doesn't matter. As long as we don't provoke them, our manor will not make things difficult for them. We can live peacefully."

[Ding! The host has handled the interactions with external sects effectively, increasing the stability of the grotto-heaven and triggering a reward.]

[The concealment effect of the grotto has been enhanced, making it impossible for even Nascent Soul cultivators to detect the immortal abode.]

[All disciples in the academy have stabilized their mental state, permanently increasing their cultivation efficiency by 10%]

[Host reward: Your cultivation has broken through from the third level of the Golden Core stage to the early stage of the fourth level!]

The moment the system notification sounded, a vast and powerful force surged into Qin Lindong's body. The golden core in his dantian trembled violently, and the golden Dao patterns surged wildly. The originally condensed golden core expanded again, and even deeper Dao patterns appeared on its surface!

Golden Core Stage Four!

breakthrough!

Qin Lindong felt his meridians expand several times over, his spiritual energy surge like a river, and his spiritual sense range instantly expand to thousands of miles away. His physical strength broke through the limit once again, and his indestructible battle body reached a new level. Even when facing the full-force attack of a Golden Core peak cultivator, he could easily withstand it and was impervious to all magic!

He slowly closed his eyes, feeling the power after the breakthrough, his heart still calm and undisturbed.

Whether he breaks through or not, it is merely a step on the path to immortality for him; there is no need for joy or ostentation.

Inside the cave, no one noticed the Immortal Lord's breakthrough. They continued to perform their duties, cultivating and working, and the peaceful atmosphere grew stronger.

At noon, Qin Huairu cooked spirit grain rice with spirit spring water, served it with freshly picked spirit fruits, and laid out a table of light immortal cuisine. Everyone in the courtyard sat together, eating quietly like family. Bai Yu Lingxi lay to one side, enjoying the spirit fruits that Qin Lindong had specially left behind. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

After the meal, everyone returned to their respective spiritual practices.

He Yuzhu meditated and cultivated his flame technique at the entrance of the cave, his flames growing ever brighter, and the bottleneck of his mid-Foundation Establishment stage had loosened; Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong sat by the spirit field, breathing exercises, their Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivation steadily improving; Qin Huairu led her three children in cultivation by the lake, water spirit power flowing through their bodies; the Jia family of four continued to diligently tend to their courtyard, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Qin Lindong stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the cave, gazing at the continuous green mountains outside.

Back at the Qinglan Sect, a thousand miles away, Li Xuan had already returned to the sect and reported the matter of paying homage to the sect leader in detail. Upon hearing of the Eternal Immortal Lord's strength and attitude, the sect leader immediately ordered the borders to be sealed off, strictly forbidding disciples from approaching the territory of the Eternal Immortal Mansion, and further designated the Eternal Immortal Mansion as an entity that the Qinglan Sect should not provoke.

The entire Qinglan Prefecture remained bustling with sect cultivation, monster battles, and wandering cultivators. Only the Eternal Immortal Abode remained as peaceful and secluded as ever, like a pure land isolated from the world.

As the sun sets, the evening glow paints the sky red, and the Eternal Immortal Abode is enveloped in orange-red light. The Spirit Valley glows with gold, the Spirit Lake reflects the sunset, the Spirit Bamboo sways, and an aura of peace permeates all directions.

Qin Lindong sat cross-legged on the central stone platform, closed his eyes and breathed deeply. His cultivation at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage was steadily stabilized under the influence of a massive amount of spiritual energy.

The grotto is peaceful and the entire courtyard is healthy; the noise of the outside world is irrelevant to me.

Qinglan's visit to the mountain was merely a minor interlude on her path of cultivation, without disturbing the tranquility in the slightest.

The mortal world is far behind, the path to immortality lies ahead, the immortal abode is eternal, and the original intention remains unchanged.

In the years to come, I will continue to guard this grotto, protect the peace of this prefecture, cultivate the path to immortality, and live a peaceful life.

Do not vie for supremacy, do not seek profit, do not stir up trouble, and do not get involved in disputes.

Quietly and peacefully, it endures forever.