Li Yuan's mundane life is shattered by the guard rotation notice. He's conscripted into the Guard for a month, a dangerous assignment patrolling the Demon Beast-infested outskirts of the Yuanheng Mountain Range. This isn't just a pay raise; it's a death sentence for unlucky low-level cultivators, a fact Li Yuan's predecessor learned firsthand. With only twelve days until his rotation begins, Li Yuan faces a stark choice: risk his life for ten Spirit Stones, or find a way to break through to Mid-stage Qi Refining (Qi Refining Fourth Level), which would exempt him from conscription. His newly acquired "Spiritual Qi Filtration" trait offers a 30% cultivation speed boost and impurity removal, but it's not enough for a breakthrough in such a short time. He desperately scours his meager belongings, finding only a chipped magic sword (un-equippable) and a cleaning talisman. The cleaning talisman offers a "Clean Body (Gray)" trait, which, if made permanent by learning the Cleaning Skill, would unlock a second equipment slot. This sparks a frantic strategizing session: should he equip the talisman, learn the skill, and then stack traits for a breakthrough, or focus on making Spiritual Qi Filtration permanent first? He chooses the latter, prioritizing his core cultivation, but the clock is ticking, and the danger of the guard rotation looms large.

Li Yuan's relentless cultivation, combining the "Spiritual Qi Filtration" trait with a newly acquired "Meridian Opening Pill" (equipped for "Cycle Acceleration (White)"), dramatically accelerates his progress. He also makes "Pristine Body (Gray)" permanent by learning the Cleaning Skill, unlocking a second equipment slot. This allows him to equip the "Iron Bull Skill" manual, gaining "Internal Organ Fortification (White)" and a direct mental infusion of the technique. The combined effects—purified Qi, accelerated circulation, organ resilience, and enhanced Qi Blood from the "Five Grains Qi Nourishing (White)" trait (made permanent by consuming White Jade Rice)—prove transformative. He easily overcomes the bottleneck that crippled his predecessor, breaking through to Qi Refining Fourth Level. This breakthrough not only exempts him from the guard rotation but also earns him a promotion to Vice-Captain, complete with a new Spirit Detecting Disc (a green-grade trait, "Spiritual Sense Expansion," but currently un-equippable due to its value and permanence condition). His increased power and status are immediately put to the test as he leads a team to hunt a Tier One Middle Grade Demon Beast, which he dispatches with ease, demonstrating the potent synergy of his stacked traits. This success solidifies his confidence in the system and his ability to rapidly ascend.

Li Yuan's new position as Vice-Captain comes with increased responsibilities and dangers, including patrolling the increasingly turbulent outskirts of the marketplace. He uncovers a subtle conspiracy involving Zhao Wu, a "loose cultivator" secretly spying on the marketplace's defenses, leading to Zhao Wu's hasty retreat and confirming a wider threat to the Wang family's stronghold. Concurrently, Li Yuan begins a new, highly unconventional path to power: pill consumption. He discovers "Evil Essence Pills," which, despite their dangerous side effects, significantly boost his cultivation speed. Crucially, his "Organ Fortification" trait mitigates the damage, and his "Spiritual Qi Filtration" even cleanses a portion of the Evil Qi. This allows him to make "Circulatory Acceleration (White)" permanent, freeing another equipment slot. Old Sun, the alchemist who created the Evil Essence Pills, recognizes Li Yuan's unique resilience and offers him a deal: gather rare herbs from the wild in exchange for Spirit Stones and additional pills. This opens a new avenue for resource acquisition, directly linking his patrol duties to his cultivation needs, and hinting at deeper mysteries surrounding the marketplace's escalating threats.