Traveling through time for three years and gaining a new cheat each year—doesn’t that seem perfectly reasonable?

This is Qingya Mountain, once considered an ideal place of cultivation by many solitary cultivators.

But that was in the past.

After the Linwu Sect lost their authority to organize the celestial examinations, their ancestral grounds were seized, forcing them to retreat to Qingya Mountain. As the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse—how could mere solitary cultivators possibly stand up to the Linwu Sect’s disciples?

Fortunately, things had recently taken a turn!

Qingya Mountain had become haunted!

At first, neither the Linwu Sect cultivators nor the solitary practitioners took this seriously. Ever since the world became saturated with Pure Yang Immortal Qi, tales of demons and ghosts had long been dismissed as baseless superstition.

Yet, soon enough, both the sect members and the loose cultivators began to believe—if not out of faith, then out of caution. Better to err on the side of belief than risk the alternative.

But Xiao Qingpei, recently expelled from the Linwu Sect for “failing to reach Foundation Establishment by the age of thirty,” didn’t believe in the hauntings at all.

Not because he was particularly brave or stubborn, insisting on seeing before believing.

But because… he was the one behind it!

“Thirty years old and still can’t break through to Foundation Establishment… Do you hear what you’re saying?” he muttered.

“If, over the past three years, the slots for the celestial examination that should have been mine hadn’t all been given away to elders’ grandsons, hall masters’ second sons, and protectors’ cousins, I’d have already passed the exam, been favored by the celestial path, granted a foundation for cultivation, and would have long since called the wind and summoned the clouds!”

“They claim it’s all fair competition, that skill is all that matters, but it’s nothing but connections and favors. Did they really think I couldn’t see through it?”

Though Xiao Qingpei spoke of the injustices he’d suffered, his tone and expression remained calm.

He casually pinched dead a mosquito that had flown too close, feeling it had overheard too much.

Then, glancing at the time and sensing it was about right, Xiao Qingpei carefully locked a few volumes of celestial examination manuals back into his obsidian jade chest, famed among cultivators as the safest place to store treasures.

Though they were merely a few books, these volumes were so precious that even the most prestigious cultivation clans would covet them, and solitary cultivators would pay any price to obtain them.

Had his predecessor’s parents not rendered great service to the Linwu Sect, and even suffered grave injuries saving a Foundation Establishment elder’s child during a struggle for higher-level examination manuals, the Xiao family would never have qualified for these Foundation Establishment texts.

Yet, though they had acquired these manuals, his predecessor’s parents died soon after, lacking the medicines to recover from their wounds, and never had the chance to attempt the celestial examination themselves.

They had fought so desperately for the sake of the examination—not just for themselves, but for their descendants.

Even after their deaths, their son trained tirelessly to fulfill their dream, braving heat and cold, but was never able to participate in the examination.

After reaching the upper stage of Qi Refinement, his cultivation inexplicably stalled and then regressed; his health deteriorated day by day, until finally… Xiao Qingpei transmigrated into this body.

At that time, his predecessor was already half gone.

So, upon learning of his predecessor’s past, Xiao Qingpei’s first instinct was to check for any inconspicuous rings on his person.

After all, his surname was also Xiao.

Regrettably—and perhaps fortunately—there were none.

Now, Xiao Qingpei resided in a small mountain town within Qingya Mountain. Though the mountain attracted many solitary cultivators as a blessed land, its surroundings were sparsely populated.

Cultivators preferred solitude. If not for the inability to fast and abstain from food before reaching Foundation Establishment, even this lone mountain town might not exist.

Though ordinary cultivators stood below nobility, in the Dayao Dynasty they still enjoyed considerable privileges.

The town, called Fengqing, had few permanent residents; most were merchants selling provisions to cultivators, so inns and rental courtyards abounded.

These goods had to be transported from distant counties, and travelers needed places to rest.

Xiao Qingpei rented such a secluded courtyard; though there were other yards nearby, none were occupied or lit—he was currently the only guest in this area.

He had arranged this deliberately.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rose in the courtyard, stinging the skin like knives.

It was a yin wind.

And as it swept through, though the heat of summer still lingered, frost began to form upon the ground.

The “ghost” of Qingya Mountain was about to arrive!

Though prepared, Xiao Qingpei couldn’t help being unsettled. The specter he had “enlightened” was making quite an entrance.

After all, though he’d gained this “talent” over a year ago, this was his first time using it.

He had transmigrated three years prior.

The “enlightenment” ability had arrived in his second year after crossing over—a “talent” of unknown origin, but since it was part of himself and required no immortal power to activate, he called it such.

To distinguish it, Xiao Qingpei named this talent: “Better Me Than My Friend.”

Yes—better me than my friend.

The reason for this name was clear.

This “talent” allowed Xiao Qingpei to use an ancient object as a medium to “enlighten” a ghostly entity exactly as he imagined.

The ghost’s strength depended a third on his own cultivation and the age of the object.

With his upper-stage Qi Refinement cultivation and a century-old artifact as a medium, he had produced a Foundation Establishment-level ghost!

For reference, the elders and sect leader of the Linwu Sect were also at Foundation Establishment.

As for the Golden Core stage—those mighty cultivators wielding the will of heaven and earth—not even the entire Dayao Dynasty could sustain one, let alone the Linwu Sect.

But that alone wasn’t enough for Xiao Qingpei to call this talent “Better Me Than My Friend.”

He did so because the ghosts he created would never kill anyone—not even a powerless mortal—unless the person was so timid they died of fright.

But as for Xiao Qingpei himself, the ghost would show no mercy, as if he were its mortal enemy—ruthlessly intent on his destruction.

Otherwise, he’d have used this “talent” long ago.

Still, it wasn’t all downside.

While the ghost existed, Xiao Qingpei’s cultivation aptitude, physical constitution, and comprehension improved drastically—especially in practicing yin-based techniques; it was as if he’d received divine assistance!

In just a few short days, he’d forced a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment without ever taking the celestial exam!

If not for the absence of the exam, his immortal power would recede in a few days due to heaven’s rejection, and he’d revert to Qi Refinement. Otherwise, he’d already be a true Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Whoosh—the yin wind howled even more fiercely!

Suddenly, a figure appeared—a woman in black, as cold and pristine as an orchid in an empty valley, materializing silently before Xiao Qingpei.

She appeared in an instant.

Even with his current Foundation Establishment spiritual sense, he hadn’t detected her until she entered his view.

His heart skipped a beat, but he remained composed. “Xiaoqian, it’s me, Caichen! Do you remember Ning Caichen by the Lanruo Temple? I—”

He was probing her.

But before he could finish, a blood-red tongue burst from the ground, lined with barbs, lashing straight for his face.

Clearly, the ghosts created by “Better Me Than My Friend” had no memories of past lives, and this one seemed to be on the verge of becoming a “Granny” rather than a “Xiaoqian.”

Xiao Qingpei, however, did not panic.

His earlier anxiety had only been due to lack of experience—now, faced with real danger, he was utterly calm.

He soared into the air, streams of starlight swirling around him.

“Celestial Star Essence!”

As he spoke, the stars above shone down, their light gathering toward him.

“Starlight Forms Peaks!”

The starlight instantly condensed into three glowing mountains. Though no larger than a table each, they radiated immense power, crashing down one after another.

The black-robed woman’s form shattered, revealing an ancient artifact within her body.

Xiao Qingpei wasted no time—he plucked a bead from his wrist and flicked it.

A streak of light flashed!

In an instant, the ancient object shattered.

Though it was centuries old, it was no celestial treasure—just a portrait of a young maiden, already riddled with wormholes when Xiao Qingpei acquired it.

But the bead he’d flicked was a sword pellet left by his predecessor’s parents!

Although it was a failed forging, it had been crafted by a great cultivator.

When a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses all its strength!

Not because he, Xiao, had nothing else at hand.

As the artifact shattered, the shadowy woman—whether “Granny” or “Xiaoqian”—vanished with it.

Xiao Qingpei breathed a sigh of relief, then froze.

For, hovering in his field of vision, a line of text appeared:

[Today, the Sword Pellet drove away a ghost—Sword Pellet gains +1 Spirit.]

Buzz—

The bead, no different from a lump of black iron, vibrated and flew back into Xiao Qingpei’s hand.

“So it can do that?” Xiao Qingpei was surprised, though the text was familiar—it was the first “talent” he’d acquired after crossing over.

He called this talent “Heaven Rewards Diligence: Basic Stipend,” which doubled all his daily gains.

It should have been a formidable gift.

But his own aptitude was so poor that while others gained “10” from a day’s training, he gained only “1.”

Even doubled, he lagged behind others.

“Dingdong!”

A strange sound chimed in his ear, making him start.

As he tensed, spiritual sense sweeping outward, a sleepy-sounding electronic voice announced: “Female Lead Ascension System successfully bound!”

“A third cheat ability?” Xiao Qingpei wondered.

Then, abruptly, he realized something was amiss. “Wait—what system did you say?”