System Upgrade, Returning Cultivation

With the family backing them—and everyone in agreement—the women from the Huang family felt like they were on an official clan mission, contributing to the family's future. There wasn't much psychological pressure at all.

For the heavenly spiritual roots. For the family's prosperity.

A little pressure was something they could easily bear.

Seeing how handsome Qin Changqing was only made their mood even better.

This kind of pressure? A few more times wouldn't hurt.

And as long as they bore descendants with heavenly spiritual roots, their status in the family would rise like the tide!

They didn't mind, so Qin Changqing minded even less.

The other side had offered plenty of spirit stones—who'd be a fool to turn down freebies?

Half a month later, the two Huang women left arm in arm, thoroughly satisfied. Before departing, they didn't forget to remind Qin Changqing to take good care of his health—they'd be back.

Qin Changqing was a bit speechless. Just as he turned to check on the kids, his steps halted. A system prompt chimed in his mind.

"Upgrading?"

Qin Changqing froze, then broke into a grin. So the system could level up too.

He wondered if the upgrade would help boost his own strength.

A flicker of anticipation stirred in him.

Qin Changqing was over the moon, trembling with excitement all over.

After enduring humiliation for over a decade, he'd finally seen the payoff. The system hadn't abandoned him after all! He'd misunderstood it before!

If the system had a physical form, he'd hug it tight and plant a few kisses—hell, he'd burn billions of lifespan to reinforce it.

Calming down, he examined the upgraded features one by one.

The storage space was straightforward—like a storage pouch or ring.

Physique reinforcement... He'd find out next time he got busy.

But the cultivation refund had him thrilled. It refunded the cultivation of his kids right back to him!

Did that mean he didn't even need to cultivate anymore? As long as his children advanced, so would he?

Of course, there were limits.

High-grade spiritual root offspring: 1/10th refund.

Top-grade: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠1/100th.

Earth-grade: 1/1000th.

And so on—perfectly matching the lifespan he'd invested, down to the fraction.

The system prompts were already queuing up.

"Receive!"

"One-click receive everything!"

His pounding heart and shaking hands selected yes.

In an instant, he sensed dozens—hundreds—of invisible rainbow lights streaking from all directions, unseen by anyone else, pouring straight into his body.

His stagnant cultivation, untouched for nearly a decade, exploded upward. His aura surged layer by layer, rocketing ahead.

"Qi Refining second layer!"

"Qi Refining third layer!"

...

"Qi Refining sixth layer!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Qi Refining seventh layer!"

It rocketed all the way to the peak of Qi Refining eighth layer before finally slowing to a halt.

This rush of skyrocketing power was addictive. Qin Changqing couldn't get enough: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"Why'd it stop already?"

Still craving more.

But reason soon kicked in. His kids were still young. The eldest, Qin Qiming, was only sixteen—high-grade spiritual root or not, ten years of cultivation only got him to Qi Refining seventh layer.

His children all had top-tier talent, but most had only cultivated a few years. Some hadn't even started.

Plenty of time left. The future looked bright.

"Qi Refining eighth layer!"

Qin Changqing licked his lips, his grin impossible to hide. He'd thought Foundation Establishment was out of reach for life. What a surprise from the system.

"Gotta work harder on making more kids!"

Before, his poor aptitude had left him indifferent. But now, with refunds from his descendants fueling his growth, he was motivated.

"Jumping from first layer to eighth overnight? That's bound to raise eyebrows. I'm already a target—no way I let anyone notice."

Qin Changqing glanced around warily. Luckily, this was his private courtyard, warded by none other than Golden Core real person Huang Yuanjing himself. No one dared barge in uninvited.

"Little system bro's so thoughtful—knew I'd need this and prepped the concealment function."

He activated it immediately. His aura vanished in a blink, his cultivation appearing as mere Qi Refining first layer to outsiders. System-grade hiding—even a Golden Core couldn't pierce it, let alone Nascent Soul or Soul Transformation experts.

It was a consumable function, steadily draining lifespan while active, but the cost was negligible with his reserves.

"It hides the body too? That's straight-up invisibility!"

His eyes lit up as his form turned transparent, sunlight passing through without casting a shadow.

Even better: he could phase through walls and arrays like a ghost. No barrier—steel doors or whatever—could stop him.

Excitement bubbling, he strolled casually around the Qin family grounds. He even stood before the Qin ancestor's secluded cultivation chamber, and the Foundation Establishment elder sensed nothing.

"This ability's broken!"

Qin Changqing was ecstatic. Perfect for assassinations—the enemy wouldn't know what hit 'em. Or against unbeatable foes: poof, invisible, and they'd be left scratching their heads.

Where the hell'd he go?

Thinking it over, he chuckled to himself.

Back in his room, he deactivated it. Such a cheat guzzled lifespan way faster than basic concealment—couldn't sustain it forever.

"One function left. Wonder what it does?"

Qin Changqing checked the final feature.

Got it!

Qin Changqing's eyes gleamed. Now he could spot ill intent from a mile away.

Another god-tier perk!

He scanned everyone listed—all his contacts, all positive numbers.

No enemies!

"Guess my people skills aren't half bad!"

Qin Changqing chuckled.