I Idle in the World of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 7: Undercurrents
The three days that followed were unusually peaceful at the Cangxuan Sect.
Zhou Tong didn't come looking for trouble again. Zhou Ming had also disappeared—rumor had it his master had sent him into seclusion, and he wouldn't be reappearing anytime soon. The disciples who had once mocked Lin Luo now gave him a wide berth whenever they saw him. Not out of fear, exactly. They simply didn't know how to act around him anymore.
A person everyone had labeled a waste had suddenly killed a mid-phase Foundation Establishment Wolf King with a single axe strike, then taken two full-power blows from a late-phase Foundation Establishment elder. No one knew how to process that.
Lin Luo, ironically, was the most relaxed of all.
He went about his routine as usual—chopping wood, carrying water, sweeping the yard—as if nothing had happened. But no one at the Chores Hall dared let him work anymore. Ma Biao and the other chores disciples had taken over all his tasks. Whenever Lin Luo tried to pick up an axe, someone would snatch it away.
"Brother Luo, you rest," Ma Biao said, his face split in a wide grin. "This kind of rough work isn't for you."
"I did it just fine before."
"Well, that was before." Ma Biao chuckled. "Before we failed to recognize Mount Tai."
Lin Luo couldn't be bothered to argue. He sat outside the woodshed, soaking up the sun, and pulled out his phone to check the idle progress.
[Idle Cultivation in progress… Time until breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage, Layer 8: 6 hours.]
In three days, he had advanced from Qi Refining Stage, Layer 7 to Layer 8. Now he was just six hours away from Layer 8.
Foundation Establishment Stage was within reach.
[Nine Cycles Mystic Art, Second Cycle: Unlocked upon reaching Foundation Establishment Stage.]
Once he broke through to Foundation Establishment, he could cultivate the second cycle of the Nine Cycles Mystic Art. His physical strength would climb to another level entirely.
Lin Luo turned off his phone and squinted up at the clouds drifting across the sky.
If only things could stay this peaceful forever.
But trouble—trouble had a way of finding you, whether you went looking for it or not.
---
In the evening, an unexpected visitor arrived.
Sect Leader Lu Yuan.
He still wore the unremarkable robes of a middle-aged scholar, and as always, he came alone, without attendants. The Chores Hall disciples dropped to their knees at the sight of him.
Lu Yuan waved them up.
"Lin Luo, come with me."
Lin Luo followed him to the bamboo grove behind the mountain.
Wind rustled through the leaves. The setting sun painted the bamboo forest in shades of gold.
"I heard about what happened three days ago," Lu Yuan said. "Zhou Tong struck you twice. You took both blows."
"Yes."
"Do you know what that means?"
"What?"
"It means your physical body is already stronger than most cultivators at the late-phase Foundation Establishment Stage." He turned to face Lin Luo. "A mortal without a spiritual root, ten days after entering the sect, with a body stronger than late-phase Foundation Establishment—Lin Luo, how exactly are you doing this?"
Lin Luo was silent for a moment.
He'd answered this question many times now. Always with some excuse. But he had a feeling excuses wouldn't work on the Sect Leader.
"Sect Leader, if I told you I don't fully understand it myself… would you believe me?"
Lu Yuan looked at him, not answering immediately.
"What's that game on your phone?"
Lin Luo's heart skipped a beat.
"How does the Sect Leader know I have a phone?"
"You think you've been hiding it well?" Lu Yuan's tone was calm. "On the first day of the transmigration, everyone was panicking. You were the only one looking at your phone. During the Trial Tower, you kept your hand in your pocket. Then you came out having cleared the seventh floor. At Blackwind Ridge, you pulled out your phone, and then you showed up riding an Ironback Bear."
He paused.
"Do you take me for a blind man?"
Lin Luo was silent.
"Let me see your phone." Lu Yuan held out his hand.
Lin Luo hesitated for a moment, then pulled out his phone and handed it over.
Lu Yuan turned it over in his hands, examining it from all angles.
"I've seen something like this before."
Lin Luo blinked. "You have, Sect Leader?"
"Three hundred years ago, there was another person who came from the mortal realm, just like you. He also had one of these." Lu Yuan handed the phone back. "But he wasn't as fortunate as you. His device ran out of power after three days. After that, he became truly ordinary. He grew old in the Chores Hall and died here."
Lin Luo took back his phone, a quiet relief settling in his chest.
So the Sect Leader wasn't going to confiscate it. He was just curious.
"Sect Leader… what happened to that person?"
"He died," Lu Yuan said. "Of old age. His last words were: 'If my phone still had power, I could have become the strongest.'"
Lin Luo fell silent.
"Do you understand now?" Lu Yuan looked at him. "Your secret—I wasn't the first to know about something like this. The last person who had one of these devices accomplished nothing. What you accomplish depends entirely on you."
"Sect Leader isn't going to ask what's on my phone?"
"If I asked, would you tell me?"
"No."
"Then I won't ask." Lu Yuan turned away. "But remember this—the cultivation world is not the Cangxuan Sect. People here will be curious. They will test you. They will try to take what you have. The longer you keep your secret, the better."
"I know."
"Good." Lu Yuan took a few steps, then stopped. "By the way. About the ninth floor of the Trial Tower—when are you going?"
"When I'm ready."
"Don't take too long. That thing on the ninth floor—more than one person wants it."
Lu Yuan walked away.
Lin Luo stood in the bamboo grove, gripping his phone, silent for a long time.
Three hundred years ago, another person had transmigrated here with a phone.
But his phone had run out of power.
And his own phone…
Lin Luo glanced at the battery indicator in the top right corner of the screen—41%.
Ten days since transmigration, and the battery had only dropped by two percent.
This game—it was charging his phone.
---
Two more days passed.
The eleventh day since transmigration.
Lin Luo lay on his cot, staring at his phone screen.
[Idle Cultivation complete! Breakthrough successful!]
[Current cultivation: Qi Refining Stage, Layer 9]
[Character: Lin Luo (Player)]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage, Layer 9 ↑]
[Attack Power: 135 → 160]
[Defense Power: 105 → 125]
[HP: 850 → 980]
[Spirit Stones: 950]
[Idle cultivation automatically started. Time until breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Stage: 72 hours.]
Three days.
Three days until Foundation Establishment.
Lin Luo took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Qi Refining Stage, Layer 9. The fastest among his classmates, Zhao Tian, was now at Layer 5. He was four sub-realms ahead.
But his displayed cultivation was still Qi Refining Stage, Layer 1.
The Disguise Talisman was still working. Unless he chose to reveal himself, no one would know his true cultivation.
Lin Luo turned off his phone and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he would go to the ninth floor of the Trial Tower.
The Sect Leader had said there was something there. Something more than one person wanted.
He needed to get there first.
---
Early the next morning, Lin Luo stood before the Trial Tower.
The elder guarding the tower blinked when he saw who it was.
"You're attempting the eighth and ninth floors?"
"Yes."
"You reached the seventh floor last time. The eighth floor's indicator flickered once before you were thrown out."
"I know."
"The puppet on the eighth floor is at the late-phase Foundation Establishment Stage. The ninth floor…" The elder hesitated. "No one has cleared the ninth floor in three hundred years."
"Three hundred years?"
"Yes. The last person to clear the ninth floor was the Sect Leader himself."
Lin Luo was silent for a moment.
"I'll try."
The elder said nothing more. He opened the great doors of the Trial Tower.
Lin Luo walked inside.
He had already cleared floors one through seven last time. This time, he didn't stop. He climbed upward without pause. With each floor he passed, the indicator lights outside lit up in succession—floor one, floor two, floor three… all the way to floor seven.
Outside the tower, the elder's expression shifted.
"He's heading straight for the eighth floor?"
---
Eighth Floor.
The stone chamber was twice as large as the floors below. At its center stood a three-meter-tall stone puppet, radiating a dark golden light. In its hand was a stone sword, its blade covered in runes.
[Floor 8 Guardian: Darkgold Statue · Foundation Establishment Stage, Late Phase]
Lin Luo pulled out his phone and opened the game interface.
In the game, the eighth-floor instance had already been unlocked. He tapped [Auto-Battle].
In reality, the stone puppet moved.
It raised its stone sword and brought it down. The blade whistled through the air, tearing it apart.
Lin Luo sidestepped and drove his fist into the puppet's arm.
[-45]
The puppet's health bar dropped by a sliver. Too slow.
Lin Luo frowned. He pushed the Nine Cycles Mystic Art to its limit, channeled spiritual energy into his fist, and struck again.
[-120]
Better. But the puppet's health bar was still more than half full.
And the puppet's counterattacks were coming faster. The stone sword swept, slashed, thrust—each strike carrying the full force of the late-phase Foundation Establishment Stage.
Lin Luo dodged most of them, but two attacks caught him.
[-80] [-75]
His health bar was dropping, but slower than the puppet's.
Five minutes of fighting. The puppet's health bar was down to a third. Lin Luo's health was at half.
He pressed on.
Three more minutes—
[Darkgold Statue · Defeated!]
The stone puppet crashed to the ground. The chamber trembled with the impact.
Lin Luo stood there breathing hard, wiping sweat from his forehead.
[Floor 8 cleared! Rewards obtained: Spirit Stones +300, Random Material ×1.]
[Floor 9 unlocked. Continue?]
[Yes / No]
Lin Luo checked his health bar—320 HP remaining. The eighth floor had taken most of it.
The puppet on the ninth floor would certainly be stronger than the eighth.
In his current state, he couldn't win.
"Retreat." He tapped [No].
Outside the Trial Tower, the eighth-floor indicator went dark. The ninth-floor indicator didn't light up.
The elder watched Lin Luo emerge, his expression unreadable.
"You cleared the eighth floor?"
"Yes."
"The ninth?"
"I couldn't beat it." Lin Luo admitted. "I'll come back when I'm stronger."
The elder nodded and said nothing.
But the news spread through the Cangxuan Sect like wildfire.
"That waste cleared the eighth floor of the Trial Tower!"
"He's not a waste! He was pretending the whole time!"
"The puppet on the eighth floor is at the late-phase Foundation Establishment Stage! He can beat a late-phase Foundation Establishment?!"
"The Sect Leader said he took two full-power strikes from Zhou Tong—two strikes from a late-phase Foundation Establishment elder!"
"Then what stage is he actually at?"
"No one knows. The Sect Leader says he's at Qi Refining Stage, Layer 1, but who believes that?"
The rumors grew wilder by the hour. Some said Lin Luo was the reincarnation of an ancient great power. Some said he carried a divine artifact. Some said he was actually the Sect Leader's illegitimate son—no one knew who started that last one, but it spread the fastest.
Lin Luo heard about it while he was chopping wood.
"The Sect Leader's illegitimate son?" He set down his axe and looked at Ma Biao, who was practically vibrating with gossip. "You believe that?"
"I don't," Ma Biao said, shaking his head. "But that doesn't stop other people from believing it. Look at those Inner Court disciples now—the way they look at you has completely changed."
"What way?"
"A mix of respect and fear." Ma Biao grinned. "Brother Luo, you're famous now. 'The Cangxuan Sect's Number One Chores Disciple.' 'The Strongest Qi Refining Stage, Layer 1 in History.' 'The Sect Leader's Illegitimate Son.' You've got three nicknames all to yourself."
"The last one doesn't count."
"But it's the one spreading the fastest."
Lin Luo sighed.
He didn't mind people knowing he was strong. What he minded was the trouble that came with it.
And trouble, as expected, arrived.
---
That afternoon, a young man in a golden robe appeared at the entrance to the Chores Hall.
He was in his early twenties, handsome, with an air of distinction. Embroidered on his chest were two characters: "Sacred Ground." Behind him followed two attendants in identical golden robes, their bearing imperious.
"Who is Lin Luo?"
The Chores Hall disciples froze.
Someone from the Sacred Grounds? What was someone from the Sacred Grounds doing at the Chores Hall?
"I am." Lin Luo stood up.
The young man in the golden robe looked him over, a faint trace of disdain at the corner of his mouth.
"You're the one? The chores disciple from the Cangxuan Sect who had that 'waste to wonder' story?"
"That's me. What do you want?"
"My name is Qin Yun. A disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sacred Ground." His tone carried an unmistakable arrogance. "I heard you cleared the eighth floor of the Trial Tower. That you can withstand the late-phase Foundation Establishment Stage."
"And?"
"And—" Qin Yun clasped his hands behind his back. "I want to test your strength."
Lin Luo looked at him.
Late-phase Foundation Establishment. And a disciple of the Sacred Grounds—likely much stronger than an ordinary late-phase Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"No," Lin Luo said.
Qin Yun's eyebrow rose. "Scared?"
"Not scared. Just don't want to fight." Lin Luo picked up his axe again. "Find someone else."
Qin Yun's expression darkened.
One of his attendants stepped forward. "How dare you! Senior Brother Qin came to spar with you personally—he's honoring you—"
"I didn't ask to be honored." Lin Luo didn't look up.
The attendant's face flushed with anger. He was about to say more when Qin Yun raised a hand, stopping him.
"Interesting." Qin Yun studied Lin Luo. "You don't want to fight, fine. But I'll tell you this—I also want what's on the ninth floor of that Trial Tower. If you're not going to take it, don't blame me if I get there first."
Lin Luo's hands stilled on the axe handle.
The thing on the ninth floor.
What the Sect Leader had mentioned.
"What is it?" Lin Luo asked.
"You don't know?" Qin Yun smiled. "It seems your Sect Leader didn't tell you. It's called the Realm-Breaking Talisman—it can open the gateway to the Immortal Realm. Across the entire cultivation world, only three exist. One is at the Sacred Grounds. One is in the Demon Sect. And the last one is on the ninth floor of this very Trial Tower."
Lin Luo was silent.
Realm-Breaking Talisman. The gateway to the Immortal Realm.
"So," Qin Yun said, turning to leave, "if you're not going to claim it, I will. Of course, you're welcome to try for it yourself. But you'll have to clear the ninth floor first."
He left.
Lin Luo stood where he was, gripping his axe.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out and glanced at it—
[New mission triggered: Seize the Realm-Breaking Talisman.]
[Objective: Clear the ninth floor of the Trial Tower and obtain the Realm-Breaking Talisman.]
[Reward: ???]
[Failure Penalty: None.]
[Hint: The Realm-Breaking Talisman is a key story item. Do not miss it.]
Lin Luo stared at the screen for a long moment.
Then he tucked his phone away, picked up his axe, and resumed chopping wood.
Ma Biao edged closer, lowering his voice. "Brother Luo… aren't you going?"
"I'm going."
"When?"
"When I'm ready."
"How long will that take?"
Lin Luo didn't answer.
He pulled out his phone and checked the idle countdown—
[Time until breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Stage: 58 hours.]
Two and a half days.
Two and a half days until Foundation Establishment. Until the second cycle of the Nine Cycles Mystic Art.
And then—
He'd go get that talisman.
---
(End of Chapter 7)
Current Status
Cultivation: Qi Refining Stage 9
Auto-Cultivation: In Progress (Time until Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment: 58h)
Nine Revolutions Profound Art: First Revolution (Mastered); Second Revolution requires Foundation Establishment to unlock
Attack: 160 (+50 Black Iron Axe)
Defense: 125
HP: 980/980
Spirit Stones: 1250
Disguise Talisman: Active (Displayed Stage: Qi Refining Stage 1)
Possessions: Spirit Recovery Pill ×3, Life-Sustaining Pill ×1, Black Iron Axe ×1, Blackwind Wolf King Inner Core (Mid-Grade) ×1
Instance Progress: Blackwind Ridge Trial Stage 2 Cleared; Stage 3 requires Foundation Establishment to unlock
Quest: Seize the Boundary-Breaking Talisman (In Progress)
Resurrection Cost: 1 Spirit Stone / use