A single year; for cultivators, both mortal and Ascended beings, this was an extremely short period of time. It could barely cover any form of proper secluded cultivation period, and even certain alchemical products typically require far, far longer than this to refine.
To designate this time as a deadline for an Ascended's cultivation session, every last high-level expert within the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region would guffaw at it. This would include a sneer of mockery if it was to refine a peak Mystic-Earth grade product, cultivate a Low-World tier cultivation method to the first stage, and succeed in the Third Ascension.
A NEW SPELL! WOOOOO!