Chapter 1: Blackstone Wasteland

A pale streak of light flew across the endless wasteland.

Lin Yuan stood atop a narrow wooden flying board, his robes fluttering violently in the dry wind.

He stared at the horizon.

Then he sighed.

Still nothing.

Grey-brown earth stretched as far as he could see. Scattered rocks and patches of stubborn yellow grass were the only things breaking the monotony.

He had been flying since sunrise.

The scenery had barely changed.

Lin Yuan lowered his gaze toward the wooden board beneath his feet.

Faint formation patterns glowed across its surface as spiritual energy flowed through them.

A low-grade flying artifact.

When Lin Yuan had first discovered that cultivators in this world could fly, he’d imagined soaring through clouds and crossing mountains in moments.

Reality was somewhat less impressive.

His flying board was slow.

It was uncomfortable.

And after standing on it for most of the day, Lin Yuan had developed a newfound appreciation for chairs.

He shifted his feet.

"Four more days."

Four days before he reached home.

Although calling that place home was being generous.

It had been less than a month since Lin Yuan opened his eyes in this world.

One night, he had gone to sleep after helping close his family’s small restaurant.

When he opened his eyes again, there was an unfamiliar wooden ceiling above him and twenty years of someone else’s memories inside his head.

Cultivators.

Spirit stones.

Spirit beasts.

Techniques.

Sects.

Flying artifacts.

Things that had existed only in stories had become ordinary parts of reality.

Fortunately, Lin Yuan hadn’t awakened as a helpless child.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t awakened as the young master of some powerful cultivation clan either.

The body’s original owner was also named Lin Yuan.

Twenty years old.

Qi Refining, seventh layer.

An ordinary wandering cultivator.

No extraordinary spiritual root.

No famous master.

No powerful clan standing behind him.

His parents had also been wandering cultivators. Both had died several years ago, leaving their only son a modest inheritance.

A cultivation technique.

Two storage bags.

A few low-grade artifacts.

Some spirit stones.

And land.

A ridiculous amount of land.

Lin Yuan looked down.

The barren earth passing beneath him belonged to that territory.

When he’d first sorted through the body’s memories, this had sounded like the most valuable part of his inheritance.

In his previous life, owning a small apartment could require decades of payments.

Here?

He owned enough land that crossing it was a journey.

Then he discovered why nobody wanted it.

Blackstone Wasteland.

Spiritual Qi here was so thin that cultivators avoided staying for long.

Most of the soil was unsuitable for farming.

Water was scarce.

There were no known valuable mineral deposits or spiritual resources nearby.

And the nearest cultivation city was many days away even with a flying artifact.

The original Lin Yuan had purchased the land cheaply because he wanted somewhere isolated to cultivate.

He had certainly succeeded.

There wasn’t anyone around to disturb him.

There wasn’t anyone around at all.

Lin Yuan glanced toward the empty horizon.

"At least the neighbors are quiet."

The flying board continued forward.

Fortunately, Blackstone Wasteland wasn’t completely cut off from civilization.

An old trade route crossed the region, connecting two distant cultivation territories.

Merchants and cultivators still used it because traveling around Blackstone Wasteland could add weeks to their journey.

The route passed through the edge of Lin Yuan’s land.

Calling it a busy road would be absurd.

On his journey toward the cultivation city, Lin Yuan had gone several days without seeing another person.

Still, people used it.

That was more than could be said for most of the wasteland.

Lin Yuan pushed more spiritual energy into the flying board.

The pale streak accelerated toward the horizon.

Four days later, green finally appeared among the endless grey.

Lin Yuan’s tired expression immediately improved.

"There you are."

Several dozen trees surrounded a small stream that wound through the barren landscape.

The stream wasn’t impressive. During the driest months, parts of it became little more than mud and scattered pools.

But out here, even that was valuable.

Near the stream stood an old stone wall enclosing a courtyard.

Three buildings occupied the property.

One was usable.

One needed serious repairs.

The third appeared to be negotiating with gravity about how much longer it intended to remain standing.

Lin Yuan guided the flying board downward.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he jumped off.

"Finally."

He stretched his back.

Being a cultivator apparently did not make standing on a wooden board for days comfortable.

With a thought, the flying artifact disappeared into his storage bag.

Lin Yuan looked at the courtyard.

Strangely, after being away for almost three weeks, the place didn’t seem quite as miserable as he remembered.

Perhaps ownership did strange things to a man’s standards.

Even ruins looked better when they were your ruins.

He pushed open the wooden gate.

Creak—

A little dust fell from above.

Lin Yuan looked up.

"...I really need to fix that."

He’d said the same thing before leaving.

At least this time he’d returned with supplies.

He touched the storage bag at his waist.

Rice.

Flour.

Salt. ℴℴ𝘮

Oil.

Dried meat.

Vegetables that could survive the journey.

Tea.

Several jars of cheap wine.

Cooking utensils.

Tools.

Seeds.

Cloth.

Replacement timber.

And various other necessities.

He’d bought enough to avoid another journey to the city for several months.

That lesson had been learned after he discovered he was nearly out of salt during his first week.

When the nearest market was many days away, forgetting something on a shopping trip became considerably more serious.

Lin Yuan entered the courtyard.

His attention immediately fell on the old well beneath a crooked tree.

"Water first."

He lowered the bucket.

Splash.

A moment later, he pulled it back up.

The water was clear and cool.

Lin Yuan drank directly from the wooden ladle.

Slightly sweet.

Refreshing.

And completely ordinary.

There was almost no spiritual Qi within it.

Lin Yuan didn’t care.

After days of flying, cold water was enough.

He took another drink.

Then—

A faint vibration passed beneath his feet.

Lin Yuan froze.

The sensation vanished almost immediately.

He slowly lowered the ladle.

"What was that?"

He extended his spiritual sense.

Nothing.

No spirit beast.

No formation activating nearby.

No unusual spiritual energy.

Lin Yuan waited.

Several breaths passed.

Then something appeared within his mind.

Not a voice.

Not exactly words either.

It was more like information that he somehow understood the moment it appeared.

Territory confirmed.

Lin Yuan’s expression changed.

Another piece of information followed.

Ownership confirmed.

Territory Core awakening.

He stared at the well.

For nearly a month after transmigrating, Lin Yuan had secretly been waiting for something like this.

A mysterious old grandfather.

An ancient inheritance.

A heaven-defying bloodline.

A system.

Anything.

Nothing had happened.

Eventually, he’d accepted that being transported into a world where people could cultivate and fly was strange enough.

Apparently he’d given up a little too early.

"Territory Core?"

A simple translucent interface appeared within his perception.

Territory Core

Owner: Lin Yuan

Territory: Blackstone Wasteland — Private Domain

Core State: Awakened

Spiritual Environment: Barren

Lin Yuan waited.

Nothing else appeared.

"No immortal technique?"

Silence.

"No divine weapon?"

Nothing.

Lin Yuan hesitated.

"Beginner gift?"

The interface remained unchanged.

He rubbed his forehead.

"Of course."

At least he’d gotten something.

Lin Yuan focused on the words Spiritual Environment.

More information flowed into his mind.

The Territory Core was bound to land under his ownership.

As the Core strengthened, it could influence the spiritual environment within its territory.

Most importantly, it could increase the concentration of spiritual Qi.

Lin Yuan’s expression became serious.

Blackstone Wasteland’s greatest problem was its lack of spiritual Qi.

Cultivators could survive here easily enough, but actually cultivating here was inefficient.

If the Territory Core could change that...

"How do I strengthen you?"

The answer came immediately.

Spirit stones.

Lin Yuan’s eyebrow twitched.

Naturally.

Apparently mysterious supernatural opportunities also required money.

He checked his storage bag.

Thirty-seven low-grade spirit stones remained.

That wasn’t poverty for an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator.

But it certainly wasn’t wealth.

He couldn’t afford to waste them.

Lin Yuan continued examining the Core until another function caught his attention.

Territory Enhancement.

He focused on the old house.

Nothing happened.

The wall.

Nothing.

The crooked tree.

Still nothing.

Finally, his gaze returned to the well.

New information appeared.

Old Well

Condition: Usable

Quality: Ordinary

Enhancement available

Cost: 5 low-grade spirit stones

Lin Yuan’s eyes sharpened.

Five spirit stones.

Not cheap enough to ignore.

Not expensive enough to overcome his curiosity.

He walked around the well once.

Old stones.

Wooden frame.

Rope.

Bucket.

There was nothing remotely special about it.

"What does the enhancement do?"

No answer.

Apparently the Territory Core expected him to discover that himself.

Lin Yuan looked at his storage bag.

Thirty-seven spirit stones.

Then at the well.

If five stones taught him how his mysterious advantage worked, it was probably worth the price.

"Enhance."

Five low-grade spirit stones disappeared from his storage bag.

Lin Yuan immediately sensed spiritual energy gathering beneath the courtyard.

Thin streams of Qi moved through the ground toward the well.

There was no thunder.

No pillar of heavenly light.

The old stones didn’t suddenly transform into jade.

For several breaths, a faint glow appeared between the cracks.

Then everything became quiet.

Lin Yuan blinked.

"...That’s it?"

Information appeared.

Spirit-Touched Well

Quality: Low

Effect: Water contains a trace amount of spiritual Qi.

Additional Effect: Minor purification.

Next Enhancement: Unavailable

Lin Yuan immediately lowered the bucket.

Splash.

He pulled up fresh water and filled the wooden ladle.

It looked identical.

He took a drink.

Then stopped.

The difference was small.

Very small.

But at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, Lin Yuan could clearly sense it.

A faint trace of spiritual energy entered his body with the water.

It wouldn’t meaningfully improve his cultivation.

Even drinking buckets of it wouldn’t suddenly push him toward the eighth layer.

But that wasn’t what caught his attention.

The water tasted better.

Cleaner.

Fresher.

The slight mineral bitterness he’d noticed before had disappeared completely.

Lin Yuan drank another mouthful.

The result was the same.

He stared into the well.

Five spirit stones.

He had spent five spirit stones once.

Yet the well was now continuously producing this water.

No formation needed to be maintained.

No additional spirit stones were being consumed.

Lin Yuan slowly placed the ladle down.

His mind was no longer on cultivation.

It was on money.

Blackstone Wasteland was enormous.

Water was scarce.

Spiritual Qi was even scarcer.

And an old trade route passed through the edge of his territory.

What would someone who had spent ten days crossing a dry wasteland think after finding cold, clean water?

What if that water also contained spiritual Qi?

Even if the amount was tiny, it was still better than ordinary water.

Lin Yuan looked toward the old road in the distance.

He had grown up around a restaurant.

His parents had never taught him some secret formula for becoming rich.

But he’d learned one thing very early.

You didn’t need everyone to want what you sold.

You needed the people who did want it to have a reason to stop at your door.

Travelers needed water.

They needed food.

They needed somewhere to sit.

Those crossing the entire wasteland might need somewhere safe to sleep.

Lin Yuan’s gaze slowly moved from the well toward the damaged buildings.

For the first time, he wasn’t looking at ruins.

The larger building could become a kitchen and dining hall.

The smaller one could be repaired into several rooms.

There was enough space behind them for animals.

And if the Territory Core could enhance a well...

What could it do to a kitchen?

A room?

A stove?

Food?

Lin Yuan’s heartbeat quickened slightly.

He looked beyond the courtyard.

Empty land stretched toward the horizon.

No sect.

No market.

No neighbors.

Nothing.

Most people saw Blackstone Wasteland and saw worthless land.

Lin Yuan suddenly saw something very different.

Space.

A lot of it.

He didn’t need to establish a sect.

He didn’t need to become some famous wandering swordsman.

And he certainly wasn’t interested in fighting people several cultivation realms above him over every treasure that appeared.

At least, not if he had a choice.

For now, he wanted somewhere comfortable to live.

Something useful to do.

And preferably enough spirit stones that a trip to the city didn’t empty half his savings.

Lin Yuan looked at the Spirit-Touched Well again.

Thirty-two spirit stones remained.

A broken building stood behind him.

An old trade route passed nearby.

He smiled.

"Let’s start with a tavern."