Have you ever encountered a system that arrived too early?

After a brief moment of confusion, Xiao Qingpei quickly grasped the crux of the issue.

“Could it be that this task isn’t meant for me?”

Clearly, this system had bound itself to the wrong person, so it was highly likely that the task at hand wasn’t intended for him either.

“But didn’t Celestial Palace refrain from recruiting disciples this year?”

A grand sect like Celestial Palace didn’t admit new disciples annually like the Linwu Sect did. The Linwu Sect, not knowing when it would find suitable candidates and lacking widespread fame—being known only in the Dayao Dynasty and two neighboring realms—had no choice but to accept students year-round.

After all, the struggle to obtain higher-level celestial examination books and slots resulted in significant casualties among disciples. Each time, over a dozen perished or were severely wounded.

Celestial Palace, however, had no such concerns. Even being eligible to participate in Celestial Palace’s disciple selection was an honor worth boasting about, never mind actually passing. If a candidate failed there and later joined a smaller sect like Linwu, their status would immediately be elevated in the eyes of others.

Thus, Celestial Palace only opened its doors to new disciples at set intervals—once every twelve years.

Xiao Qingpei remembered hearing that Celestial Palace had already held a recruitment two years ago. Someone had failed the selection back then, turned to the Linwu Sect, and was immediately taken in as the Linwu sect leader’s last disciple—fitting the leader’s usual practice of favoring his own.

“So, the next recruitment for Celestial Palace is in ten years…”

With that in mind, Xiao Qingpei quickly reviewed in his mind the storyline around the first ‘female protagonist.’

“She was born during the Great Zhou Dynasty, during the reign of the Zhou Emperor, whose era was called Qianhao—specifically, Qianhao, year six. Right now, however, it’s Shunying, year twenty-seven!”

“The Zhou Dynasty has lasted two hundred years, with eight era names in all, but Qianhao isn’t one of them—so it must have been after Shunying!”

“I’ve heard Emperor Shunying is already old and frail, and likely won’t last more than another three to five years…”

As Xiao Qingpei analyzed, his expression grew a little blank.

“So, this means the task is actually set for ten years in the future?”

This realization left Xiao Qingpei momentarily speechless.

If everything was as he suspected, wasn’t this utterly absurd…?

He’d heard of systems arriving late, but never of one arriving too early.

And if that weren’t enough, it had bound itself to the wrong person!

However…

If it were only a matter of binding to the wrong person, that wouldn’t be such a big deal. What amazed him was that, with the time, place, and characters all wrong, the system still managed to issue tasks with perfect seriousness.

With so many points to complain about, Xiao Qingpei was left without even the heart to make a sarcastic remark.

So, he did nothing at all—choosing instead to see whether the system would make any further moves. He waited for about two hours before the system finally responded.

“Task incomplete. Penalty: imitate a pig three times on the spot.”

“Penalty completed. Since this was your first task, and failure is understandable, you are awarded a consolation prize—a Soothing Wind Pouch, neither sweet nor salty.”

The drowsy, synthesized voice echoed, and then a small, yellow-brown pouch, about the size of a palm, appeared suddenly before Xiao Qingpei.

For the third time, Xiao Qingpei fell silent.

He hadn’t done a thing.

In other words, the punishment for task failure had nothing to do with him.

Yet, why had the first consolation reward for failing a task ended up in his hands?

“So, failing the task is just a formality?”

Xiao Qingpei felt he’d broadened his horizons. He picked up the yellow-brown pouch in front of him.

At first glance, it appeared ordinary. But when Xiao Qingpei infused it with his spiritual sense, he immediately realized this pouch was far from simple.

It was, in fact, a magical artifact.

Normally, it could collect the essence of wind from the world around. In battle, one need only open the pouch.

Moreover, once the Soothing Wind Pouch was refined, the winds it released would carry the mark of the user’s own spiritual energy.

“This is essentially a wide-area celestial technique of atmospheric manipulation!”

Xiao Qingpei was amazed.

Celestial techniques had emerged since pure yang energy filled the world. Their power was immense, but they were extremely difficult to master.

Yet, once mastered, a cultivator’s combat ability would soar dramatically. Xiao Qingpei himself, though not yet at the Foundation Establishment stage and only at the third level of advanced Qi Refinement, had relied on a star-based celestial technique—“Celestial Star Essence: Transforming Stars into Mountains”—to shine among Linwu Sect’s Qi Refinement disciples.

Even those at the sixth level of advanced Qi Refinement weren’t his match.

Celestial techniques of the stars and the heavens were considered equally formidable; the distinction lay only in their classification. Besides these, there were also Earthshift and Astral Fiend techniques.

The power of the Soothing Wind Pouch, as Xiao Qingpei quickly assessed, could rival the all-out attack of a lower Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This realization filled his heart with delight.

He immediately set about gathering the wind essence of heaven and earth.

Perhaps because this was a system reward—consolation at that—Xiao Qingpei found that he didn’t need to spend time or effort refining the Soothing Wind Pouch. He simply had to infuse it with spiritual energy and leave a mark of his consciousness within.

Though Qingya Mountain was renowned among itinerant cultivators as a paradise, in truth, it wasn’t particularly suitable for habitation. The terrain was steep, and the mountain winds fierce—so fierce, in fact, that during certain seasons the gales could nearly carry a person away.

Thus, Xiao Qingpei gathered wind essence with ease.

However, when he returned to Fengqing Town, he found the gate to his rented courtyard wide open. Inside, several Qi Refinement cultivators waited impatiently.

He recognized them well enough, having seen them a few times in the Linwu Sect; they were associated with Protector Lin.

“Senior Brother Xiao!”

Upon seeing him, one of the cultivators was the first to speak.

“Senior brother? You must be joking,” Xiao Qingpei replied, waving his hand. “I’m no longer a disciple of Linwu Sect. And I doubt you’ve come here for nothing. Why don’t you just say what you’ve come for?”

Though he now had the means to attract the Celestial Examination on his own, and thus didn’t care about the quotas controlled by any sect, he could not afford to reveal that to outsiders.

After all, although attracting the Celestial Examination wasn’t too difficult, it was as if all knowledge of the method had been collectively erased from the memories of cultivators—an oddity that could not be ignored.

Therefore, Xiao Qingpei’s demeanor now had to be rather unwelcoming.

Especially since, judging by the way these men had barged in, there was no reason for him to be friendly.

“Senior Brother Xiao, Protector Lin’s previous words were spoken in anger. He’s calmed down now,” said one of the cultivators, dropping the false warmth. Xiao Qingpei’s strength was notable, but not enough for them to fawn over him, so their tone was cold and aloof.

“So, he’s been punished by the sect leader for chilling the hearts of ordinary disciples?” Xiao Qingpei exposed the truth bluntly, showing no intention of giving face—there could be no other reason for their attitude.

After all, a dog cannot change its nature.

At his words, the group fell silent for a moment. Then, the one who had spoken before said stiffly, “Xiao Qingpei, you’re no longer a youth. It’s time to act with more composure. If you understand certain things, there’s no need to say them aloud. So, what is your answer to us?”