Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans.

Chapter 1 Forty Awakening
"Lin Chang'an, low-grade spiritual root!"

A cold voice echoed in my mind.

Lin Chang'an was suddenly awakened from his sleep and saw the first spring rain dripping down from the eaves through the window.

The faint fragrance of earth, this familiar scent made Lin Chang'an feel a little dazed, as if he had returned to the spirited days when he first entered the world of cultivation in his early twenties.

"Time flies. Forty years have passed in the blink of an eye in this life."

The pattering rain made Lin Chang'an sigh deeply.

"I'm no longer young. After being so persistent for so many years, it's time to let go."

He has experienced enough in his life, and it's time for him to let go of the past.

Lin Chang'an gazed at the night outside. Although he said he was taking it all in stride, he couldn't help but recall his experiences in this life.

Twenty years ago, he and three others were selected by the guiding immortal master, Master Lu. Under Master Lu's guidance, the young men, full of vigor, participated in the entrance test of the Li Huo Palace.

The result was cruel.

With a low-grade spiritual root and the age of twenty, let alone joining a sect, even being a servant would be considered too old.

Fortunately, Old Master Lu was kind-hearted and introduced him and Li Erniu, who had also failed the selection, to Qingzhushan Market.

Twenty autumns and winters have passed in the blink of an eye.

His spiritual root aptitude was poor, and coupled with insufficient cultivation resources, he wasted twenty years. Now he has reached the third level of Qi Refining, all because he learned the art of drawing talismans.

"We should be content. Settling down in this market means I'm at least a talisman master, instead of having to rely on hunting monsters and risking my life."

Lin Chang'an shook his head; he had already done his best.

For twenty years, he abstained from all vices, including eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. He dared not slack off in the slightest, getting up earlier than the rooster and sleeping later than the dog, spending almost all his time on cultivation and drawing talismans.

Difficult!

You were stubborn in your past life, and you're still stubborn in this one!

It's rolled up to this extent, what more do you want!

He tried his best!

"I've wasted my life and reached the age of forty. It's time to accept my fate."

……

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

There was a knock on the door.

"Brother Lin, are you alright? You drank so much at the brothel yesterday, I was so worried about you."

As the door opened, Li Erniu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Lin Chang'an's haggard face.

"Erniu, I'm fine."

Upon seeing Erniu, Lin Chang'an smiled.

Li Erniu, one of the four who failed the selection process together, came to Qingzhushan Market together, but Erniu later chose to marry into the family.

Twenty years have passed, and the aura of his peasant origins has completely faded away. Now he is a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Seeing Lin Chang'an's appearance, Li Erniu patted his shoulder helplessly.

“Brother Lin, we’ve come this far together all these years, I understand.”

Seeing the concern in Li Erniu's eyes, Lin Chang'an felt a warmth in his heart.

It's not easy for cultivators who marry into families. Back then, the Zhou family was in dire need of resources and urgently needed to recover their strength, which is why they had this opportunity.

Otherwise, such a good thing wouldn't happen under normal circumstances.

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an glanced enviously at the robes on Erniu's body.

He did go when he married into the Zhou family, but the Zhou family didn't choose a son-in-law based on looks, but rather on honesty and integrity.

It's obvious this is bullying honest people; someone like him should be eliminated outright.

"Brother Lin."

Li Erniu also sighed helplessly. He was no longer the simple and honest farm boy he used to be; his demeanor now carried more of the manners of a prominent family.

Lin Chang'an waved his hand dismissively at Erniu.

"Erniu, I am a Qi Refining cultivator. In the future, I can go to the mortal world to govern a region, buy fertile land, live in a big house, and find a few beautiful women. That wouldn't be bad at all."

At this point, Lin Chang'an chuckled and teased:
"My good days are yet to come, so don't be envious then." "That's true." Li Erniu grinned and replied, thinking about his life as a live-in son-in-law.

That carefree smile, saying he wants to enjoy the mundane world, might be believable to others.

But is the smile on Lin Chang'an's face genuine, given that he has been an ascetic for twenty years?
"That Brother Lin."

At this moment, Li Erniu remembered the purpose of his trip and couldn't help but awkwardly whisper:
"Brother Lin, perhaps your desire to return to the mortal world will have to be put on hold for a while."

"what happened?"

"This time is different from the past. There are orders from above to increase the pace of land reclamation, so..."

Although the rest of the sentence was not spoken, Lin Chang'an, having lived here for twenty years, could not possibly misunderstand, and was speechless.

It's true what they say: when you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can cause problems.

He had just given up and was about to return to the mortal world when this happened.

This market town took more than 20 years to develop into its current size. It is reclaimed every three years, and those who do not want to participate in the reclamation have to pay taxes.

But this time it's clear that the higher-ups want to increase their efforts, so the service tax will probably double.

"I understand. It seems I'll have to go back to my old job and work hard for a while longer."

I wanted to leave, but they wouldn't let me stay.

Lin Chang'an shook his head helplessly, while Li Erniu, who was standing to the side, looked around and then carefully took off his boots.

Then they took out a piece of cloth that still smelled of something.

"You, Erniu, haven't changed a single thing about your bad habits after all these years."

Lin Chang'an said with a laugh and a scolding tone, while Er Niu had already opened the cloth ball, revealing twenty-six spirit crystals the size of fingernails.

Spirit crystals are a smaller form of currency than spirit stones in the cultivation world.

"Brother Lin, you can borrow these first."

It was obvious that Li Erniu knew Lin Chang'an was disheartened and preparing to return to the mortal world, and that he had probably exchanged all the spirit stones in his pocket for mortal items.

This time, Lin Chang'an did not refuse Erniu's kindness. After all, with his previous preparations, he was indeed penniless.

"Erniu, thank you very much."

"Brother Lin, you helped me a lot back then."

Li Erniu said solemnly that when he first entered the world of cultivation, Lin Chang'an took good care of him.

Even when the Zhou family was looking for a son-in-law, it was Lin Chang'an who saw the Zhou family's choice and hurriedly went home to call him over.

After seeing Erniu off, Lin Chang'an looked at his figure, untouched by the rain, with envy.

"A low-grade robe. Erniu has first given birth to a child with spiritual roots, and recently he has also broken through. It seems that he will be living a comfortable life in the Zhou family from now on."

Close the door.

The table was filled with gold and silver jewelry that would make any ordinary person greedy. Lin Chang'an shook his head helplessly, stepped forward and casually gathered it into a cloth bag, looking at it as if it were dirt.

"It seems these gold and silver treasures will be gathering dust for a while longer."

Although it was just dung, it was still money for his future life in the mortal world, so he casually tossed it into a corner by the door to collect dust.

"I have to draw talismans again."

Rubbing his temples, Lin Chang'an slowly sat cross-legged on the bed. Drawing talismans is a meticulous task that requires a certain level of concentration and spirit.

Given his current condition, he couldn't bear to waste the talisman paper and cinnabar.

As Lin Chang'an sat cross-legged in meditation and began to practice the Changchun Gong technique, a bright light appeared instantly, making him stare wide-eyed.

Name: Lin Chang'an

【Lifespan: 40/88】

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Level 3 (95/100)]

[Skill: Everlasting Spring Skill (Proficiency: 489/500)]

[Skills: Golden Light Talisman (Proficiency 498/500), Swift Speed ​​Talisman (Proficiency 358/500)]

【法术：火弹术（精通450/1000）、敛息术（精通210/1000）、隐身术（精通120/1000）、驱物术（熟练478/500）……】

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(End of this chapter)