88: Finally out of the novice village

Just as the chinchilla family was reunited, Lin Chuping's Cultivation reached its final stage.

The fervent worship of over a thousand chinchilla pups directly made up for his final "Innate deficiency."

Lin Chuping felt as if he was immersed in warm spring water, every pore greedily absorbing Divine Power.

The Divine Power within him began to circulate on its own, faster and faster, gradually forming a small spiritual energy vortex.

"Condense for me!"

Lin Chuping roared in his heart.

The vortex suddenly contracted, transforming into a golden speck of light the size of a grain of rice.

Though tiny, it emitted astonishing energy fluctuations. At the same time, Lin Chuping truly felt the System's existence for the first time; it was a small black dot in his Sea of Consciousness.

He could feel that this thing was inextricably linked to him.

He didn't know if it was due to spending a long time together, but Lin Chuping actually felt a sense of intimacy towards this small black dot.

How strange.

Lin Chuping sighed and tried to carefully extend a tendril of Divine Sense towards the small black dot.

The moment his Divine Power made contact, his consciousness was suddenly pulled into a chaotic and disordered space—

There was no up, down, left, or right here; time and space seemed to have been crumpled and discarded at will.

Countless memory fragments streaked by like meteors, majestic immortal palaces collapsed, and countless figures fell from a blood-red sky...

"Where is this?"

Lin Chuping tried to grasp a memory fragment, but it turned into green smoke at his fingertips.

Instantly, the space began to twist and fold, and Lin Chuping's consciousness was immediately ejected.

Where was this place?

Just now, he seemed to have witnessed the tragic defeat of a great battle!

These fragments seemed to be the System's memories?

But isn't the System a program? Where would a program get memories?

Or perhaps the System wasn't a program at all.

This was the first time Lin Chuping had calmly considered the reason for his Transmigration and the true nature of the System.

Previously, his reliance on the System's existence was tinged with caution.

He had to rely on the Divine Arts provided by the System to survive, yet he also worried that the System was a disguise for some ancient monster. After all, this was a world rampant with demons, and for a naive person from a peaceful era like him, no amount of caution was too much.

Now it seemed his direction of caution might have been wrong.

At least the System wasn't a disguise for an ancient monster; it clearly wasn't, now that he saw it.

Lin Chuping's mind was in turmoil, but he was certain that what he had just seen was something extraordinary, or perhaps the truth of how he came to this world.

War of Gods?

Demonic invasion?

Fall of the Divine Palace?

Unable to comprehend, Lin Chuping temporarily set the matter aside.

These things were indeed extraordinary, but what did they have to do with him, a small Ninth-Rank Land Deity!

Seize the day, let tomorrow's troubles be for tomorrow.

If one day he could become the greatest god in heaven and earth, then he would ponder these questions.

"No matter what, I've finally taken the first step towards becoming powerful!"

"This is... the first layer of the God Cultivation Art!"

Lin Chuping opened his eyes, a golden light flashing within them.

As his Soul grew stronger, he felt an unprecedented sense of ease.

He felt an ineffably profound power surging within his Sea of Consciousness.

He tried to concentrate, and the world around him instantly became incredibly clear—the gurgling water of the distant mountain stream, the subtle rustle of birds' wings in the forest, and even the flickering flames on the stoves in the homes of Qingzhou City's common folk were all vividly reflected in his perception.

Now, he finally had a sense of becoming a god.

The System's mechanical prompt arrived late.

【Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully Breaking Through to the first layer of the God Cultivation Art!】

【Ding! Reward: Jurisdiction upgrade!】

【Ding! Jurisdiction has now been upgraded to the entire Qingzhou!】

"System, check personal information."

【Host: Lin Chuping】

【Rank: Ninth-Rank Land Deity】

【Jurisdiction: Qingzhou】

【Divine Power: 10086】

【Divine Arts: Enter Dream, Blessing, Thunder Punishment Lv2, Rain Summoning Technique, Amulet, Nine Revolutions Soul Return Pill】

【Cultivation Technique: God Cultivation Art】

【Believer Cultivation Technique: Faith Cultivation Art】

【Incense Value: 10,000 (Can be used to convert Divine Power, purchase Divine Arts)】

【System Store: Lv2】

During this period, due to the needs of Cultivation, the Incense Value was almost entirely used to exchange for Divine Power, filling this bottomless pit as Cultivation resources, leaving very little Incense Value.

However, Incense Value wasn't accumulated, but earned.

Lin Chuping understood this principle and would never lose sight of the bigger picture for minor gains.

"System, putting Divine Arts aside, what rank Martial Artist would my current strength be equivalent to among humans?"

The System was silent for a moment, then its mechanical voice spoke again.

"Based on the Host's current Divine Power intensity and Divine Soul state, it is roughly equivalent to a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist among humans. However, the Host possesses Divine Arts, so actual combat power should be higher than a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist."

Lin Chuping nodded slightly. A Fifth-Rank Martial Artist was considered someone of some standing in Qingzhou. He hadn't expected to possess such strength after Cultivating to the first layer of the God Cultivation Art.

It seemed this God Cultivation Art was indeed extraordinary.

He looked at his hands, feeling the Divine Power flowing within him, and a surge of ambition rose in his heart.

With such power, even if he were to leave the System, he would have the ability to fight.

"System, if I continue to Cultivate to the second layer of the God Cultivation Art, what level could I reach?"

Lin Chuping couldn't help but ask.

The System quickly replied: "Based on current information, the second layer of the God Cultivation Art would be equivalent to the Spirit Refining Realm level of human Cultivators, and Divine Power would be even more abundant, and the power of Divine Arts would also increase. At the same time, the Host can Cultivate Divine Arts independently."

So, above the Innate Realm is the Spirit Refining Realm?

That's quite interesting.

After asking what he wanted to know, Lin Chuping left the temple, preparing to venture out of Chang Sheng Village to see the world.

Before leaving, he conveniently dealt with the Shadow Spider Clone lurking in the shadow of the rat spirit.

Then, it was hunting time!

* * *

Lin Chuping was hidden in the clouds. After Breaking Through to the first layer of the God Cultivation Art, his perception ability was several times greater than before. Standing in the clouds now, every rustle and stir in the entire Qingzhou reached his ears and eyes.

He restrained his Divine Power, concealed himself in the Void Realm, and looked down upon the vast land below.

Within his field of vision, all things in the world became tiny and clear, like a delicate painting slowly unfolding before his eyes.

Liu Chunsheng and Shen Jianxing were with the villagers, crouching at the edge of the village, their gaze fixed on the boundary line not far away.

In the village, old people were busy with farm work in groups of two or three, every movement revealing their love for life and attachment to the land.

The guards protecting their homes were exceptionally dedicated; they held long spears, marching in neat steps, patrolling the village back and forth, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

Of course, Lin Chuping also noticed a small flaw.

A young servant was flirting with a young girl.

Overall, everything here seemed so beautiful, like a secluded paradise isolated from the world.

However, when Lin Chuping's gaze swept past the village and cast further afield, his heart sank sharply.

As far as his eyes could see, there were thousands of miles of uninhabited land!

The villages that should have been full of life were now eerily silent, and even birds and beasts seemed to avoid them.

On both sides of the official road, corpses were piled like mountains, a gruesome sight.

Several broken carriages lay haphazardly in the middle of the road.

A human purgatory was nothing more than this.