I Can Only Cultivate In A Game

Victor carefully placed his palm against the cool, smooth surface of the obelisk and immediately channeled a thread of restrained Qi into it.

He deliberately held back, only revealing precise control and refined quality, matching what someone at the third stage of Qi Refining Realm would display, albeit at an exceptional level.

Instantly, the obelisk let out a buzz as a blue light rose steadily from faint illumination into a brilliant, deep azure glow that danced gracefully within the crystal's core.

Unlike others who displayed raw, overpowering Qi, Victor's Qi was calm, pure, and intricately controlled, impressing even Elder Qin Mu.

The elder raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Remarkable," he praised cautiously. "Fang Chen, was it? You have an excellent grasp of Qi for your age and stage."

Victor bowed humbly. "Thank you, Elder Qin."

With a satisfied look, the elder nodded. "You pass."

Victor quietly stepped away, maintaining a modest demeanor despite his exemplary performance. Bai Heng greeted him excitedly, slapping his back. "Haha! I knew you had talent. Seems we'll both make it!"

Victor smiled faintly. "Let's hope the next stages go just as smoothly."

As the rest of the participants finished their tests, roughly half of them were eliminated and forced to leave the platform in disappointment.

Elder Qin Mu stepped forward once more to address the remaining participants.

"Good work to those who've passed. But remember, this is merely the beginning. Our family doesn't accept average or mediocre talent. Be prepared; the next tests will only grow more challenging."

A wave of murmurs rose from the crowd. Victor narrowed his eyes slighly. To truly infiltrate and bring justice to Lingyun Town, he needed to get closer to the heart of the annexed Qin-Bai family, especially to key figures like Qin Fei and Bai Ting Ting.

With the first objective accomplished, a quiet notification chimed gently in Victor's line of sight.

[ Hidden Objective Complete: Successfully pass the initial Qi control test.]

[Rewards: 15,000 wisps of Qi, +1% Bloodline Integration.]

Victor's lips curled slightly into a smile.

They had passed the Qi control test, but the elders made it clear that what lay ahead would be far more grueling.

Victor stood quietly at the side with his arms folded beneath his loose robe as his white hair fluttered softly.

His expression remained calm, indifferent even, as if none of this truly concerned him.

But inwardly, he was already running calculations.

He needed to proceed with just enough skill to impress, but not enough to reveal how truly terrifying he could be. These were mere entry trials after all. The real game would begin once he was accepted into the inner fold of the annexed Qin-Bai family.

Elder Qin Mu appeared again, flanked by several sub-elders.

"For the next stage," Qin Mu declared with a crisp voice, "you will each undergo an endurance assessment. Cultivators without mental resilience or bodily durability are nothing but paper tigers. You must endure three rounds of punishment and not fall."

At his signal, the ground shifted as ten enormous stone slabs slowly rose from a platform at the edge of the mountain.

These were Weight-Sealing Slabs, known for placing immense pressure on the body and meridians.

"Step onto a slab," one of the sub-elders barked.

Victor moved with the crowd and positioned himself casually atop one of the slabs. Bai Heng grinned broadly and moved to the one next to him.

"Hope your legs don't snap," Bai Heng chuckled with a wink. The reference version of this chapter is on M*V*LEMPYR.

Victor gave him a glance, then looked away wordlessly.

The elder waved a fan, and the first rune layer activated.

A deafening boom echoed as everyone on the slabs dropped slightly causing groaning sound to to fill the air. The pressure was immense. Some cultivators trembled as veins bulged on their foreheads.

Sweat broke out within seconds.

Victor, of course, didn't budge.

He merely blinked and yawned internally.

A few cultivators collapsed before the second rune layer was even activated. Their knees struck the slabs, disqualifying them on the spot.

Then the second layer lit up.

More collapsed.

By the time the third layer was activated, compressing pressure tenfold increased by tenfold...

At this point, only twenty cultivators remained standing out of the original forty-six.

Bai Heng was barely holding on. His muscles trembled as his face had long turned beet-red.

He turned to the side and was utterly stupefied at how Victor stood as still as a sculpture.

When the pressure finally dissipated, a few gasps of relief rang out.

Victor stepped down from the slab as though he had simply gone for a morning walk.

Even the sub-elders seemed puzzled.

"That boy didn't flinch…" one of them muttered.

Qin Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"A rare one," he said.

The next test was a talent evaluation.

It was less physical and more mystical.

Each participant was brought before an ancient jade stone resembling a translucent monolith that could analyze one's cultivation foundation and latent potential.

One by one, the cultivators pressed their hands upon it. The monolith responded by lighting up in corresponding colors, from dull orange to golden yellow. Bai Heng's glow shimmered with bright gold, and everyone murmured in praise.

"Mid-grade Heaven Talent!" an elder called out.

Bai Heng beamed.

Victor stepped forward.

He casually pressed his palm against the monolith and funneled the most minuscule sliver of Qi into it. He didn't want to make it glow too brightly.

The monolith lit up in radiant silver for only a moment before dimming to bright blue.

"High-grade Earth Talent!" the elder announced with a satisfied nod.

Victor sighed in relief inwardly. He had toned it down just in time. If he had channeled even 10% more, that silver light would have erupted to purple or gold... something only monstrous cultivators with divine roots ever triggered.

Especially since he had wood Affinity which was extra rare but thankfully, it displayed Earth.

The final stage of the recruitment was different.

Elder Qin Mu turned solemn as he addressed the candidates.

"You have all passed the core tests. But there remains one final tradition. Long ago, an ancestor of the Qin family built a Legacy Hall on this mountain.

Only the promising are allowed to step into it. It is not a trial of strength but one of fate. If the ancestral spirit within the hall deems you worthy, you will receive a mark, or perhaps… a gift."

Several of the recruits began to whisper excitedly.

A mark from a legacy spirit was incredibly rare. Those who bore one were often offered direct entry into core discipleship or even a position within the inner family council.

Victor on the other hand wondered if it was anything like Lingyun's spirit...

As the group ascended toward the towering ancestral structure hidden deeper within Bai Qing Mountain, Victor's eyes swept over the surroundings.

The air here was thicker with ancient Qi, and the wind carried with it the scent of age-old incense and weathered stone.

The Legacy Hall was an imposing structure carved directly into the mountain face, guarded by two large statues of mythical qilins. The double doors opened slowly with a creak as Elder Qin Mu raised his hand.

"Enter one by one. And remember—you may not find anything. But if you are chosen, you will know."

Inside the hall was a single circular room. The walls were covered with murals of ancient battles, and a statue of a stern-looking man stood at the center... presumably the ancestor.

Victor stepped inside last, allowing the others to go before him.

One by one, they each knelt before the statue, closing their eyes in meditation and waiting for a response from the spirit within. Some left disappointed. A couple of them trembled slightly during the experience, perhaps having felt a presence, though no mark appeared.

When Victor's turn came, he approached the statue casually.

He knelt and placed one palm on the marble base. Then, he let a sliver of his spiritual consciousness seep out.

And then... boom!

A sudden silence enveloped the hall as if time had frozen. The world around Victor darkened, and a deep, ancient voice echoed in his mind.

"You… are not of this lineage."

Victor's eyes sharpened.

"Yet your soul burns with defiance… and something ancient... something familiar…"

The statue's eyes flickered faintly causing Victor to instinctively looked up.

A brandless seal suddenly etched itself into his back which was not visible to others, but he felt it, like a scalding hot brand beneath the surface of his skin.

[You have received the Shadow Flame Mark of the Forgotten Legacy.]

[Bonus Perk Unlocked: +3% Resistance to Soul Damage. Shadow Qi techniques locked.(Unlocking Requirement Not Met ]

Victor's expression remained impassive as he stood and bowed once more before leaving.

Outside the hall, the elders raised their heads slightly, watching each participant as they emerged.

They examined the wrists and brows for signs of a visible legacy mark. Only one of the girls had a faint glowing pattern...

"Only one? The turn out this year is disappointing," one of the elders scoffed.