Immortality and cultivation: Heaven rewards diligence, and success is inevitable.

Canglin City, Qingyun Gate, at the foot of the mountain, in a courtyard.

"Sir, this is the new apprentice servant."

A sixteen-year-old boy was led in.

Manager Lin frowned upon hearing this: "The quota for odd jobs has been full for a long time, why are you sending in more people?"

"Moreover, it has five spiritual roots. Cultivation with such roots is slow. What's the point of recruiting it?"

The visitor was a seasoned servant in the courtyard, and he knew the manager's personality well.

He calmly took out a small wooden box.

When Manager Lin opened the box, his brows immediately relaxed.

"A ten-year-old elixir, in perfect condition, not bad at all."

"Your name is Jiang Shi, right? Having five spiritual roots is actually quite good. You have all five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, your magical power will naturally be higher than others."

"Alright, take him downstairs. There's still room in the woodshed; he can stay there."

After finishing speaking, Manager Lin put the wooden box into his pocket.

"Hurry up and thank the steward."

"Thank you, Steward!"

Jiang Shi breathed a sigh of relief. He was originally a herbalist who had been making a living by searching for and collecting herbs in the mountains for generations.

Just three months ago, he suddenly awakened his past life memories, which were from a world called Earth.

In that world, he was just an ordinary working man whose favorite pastime was reading fantasy novels.

Having awakened his memories of his past life, Jiang Shi realized how magnificent the world is and how insignificant human life is.

He was unwilling to remain a mortal in this life; he wanted to cultivate immortality and attain immortality.

Unfortunately, he only possessed five spiritual roots. Although the legends say that five spiritual roots have many extraordinary aspects, no sect in Canglin City was willing to accept a disciple with five spiritual roots.

Fortunately, when Jiang Shi awakened his past life memories, he also awakened his destiny.

[Destiny: Diligence is rewarded by Heaven; success is inevitable!]

With effort, you will reap the rewards.

Having been born with this destiny, Jiang Shi practices his family's traditional craft every day.

He studied and practiced diligently, day and night, and finally made a breakthrough two months ago.

[Seeking Medicine: Dacheng (100/3000)]

Harvested by: Da Cheng (15/3000)

Then, Jiang Shi immersed himself in the mountains and forests, and through his diligent practice of finding medicinal herbs, he spent a month finding a ten-year-old spiritual herb and a five-year-old spiritual herb.

With the help of these two spiritual herbs, Jiang Shi bribed the senior servants and managers in the courtyard and entered the courtyard, becoming a servant disciple.

The senior servant led Jiang Shi to collect a set of gray servant's clothes and a cultivation technique stone slip.

Then he took Jiang Shi to the woodshed.

"Come in, this is your residence."

"Remember, being a menial disciple is just the beginning. If you don't reach the second level of Qi Refining in one year, or the fourth level in three years, you will be expelled from the menial courtyard."

"Of course, as long as you break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining within three years, you can enter the outer sect of Qingyun Sect and become an outer sect disciple."

The senior servant said earnestly, "How many people with four or five spiritual roots have spent money to join the miscellaneous courtyard, hoping to cultivate immortality and seek the Dao?"

Those who could enter the common courtyard either lacked connections or were not qualified. In the end, they were either kicked out of the common courtyard or paid money to stay and become senior servants.

Cultivating immortality is difficult! Attaining enlightenment is difficult!

Countless talented and brilliant individuals have turned to dust on the path to immortality, let alone these menial disciples in the common courtyard.

"Thank you, Brother Li!" Jiang Shi said.

Jiang Shi walked into the woodshed, a place where firewood was stored, and there wasn't even a bed.

It's impossible for anyone to live there on a normal day.

However, Jiang Shi's desire to seek the Dao was unwavering. He usually slept in the mountains when he went up to collect herbs. This house, which provided shelter from the wind and rain, was a place he could live in, albeit barely.

Jiang Shi simply laid straw on the pile of firewood and used it as his bed.

Sitting on the pile of firewood, Jiang Shi took out the stone tablet he had just received. Brother Li had just told him that this thing could be used by placing it on his forehead.

The stone tablet touched Jiang Shi's forehead and emitted a dazzling light.

The Wood Spirit Manual

This is a low-grade Yellow-level martial art.

The cultivation method is divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. Each level is further divided into three grades: Upper, Middle, and Lower.

Although the "Wood Spirit Technique" is the worst cultivation method, it is simple and easy to learn, making it suitable for those with mediocre talent. Most people in the courtyard practice this method.

Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable!

[Introduction to the Wood Spirit Technique (1/500)]

Jiang Shi sat on the pile of firewood, and as he circulated the "Wood Spirit Technique," spiritual energy entered his body, and his proficiency in the technique slowly increased.

Although it was slow, Jiang Shi could see that it was constantly growing, which filled him with motivation.

Half a day passed, and it was afternoon.

[Introduction to the Wood Spirit Technique (3/500)]

He has now officially embarked on the path to immortality, drawing qi into his body, and his cultivation has officially entered the first level of the Qi Refining stage.

"Huh? Who are you?" a voice rang out at the door of the woodshed.

Jiang Shi finished his work and looked toward the sound.

A burly young man dressed in gray servant's clothes stood at the door, holding a carrying pole.

Jiang Shi jumped down from the woodpile, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Senior brother, I am Jiang Shi. I just entered the common courtyard today and was assigned to this woodshed."

"Assigned to this woodshed?" The boy was dumbfounded. He knew how greedy Manager Lin and his group of senior servants were, but he never expected them to be so shameless.

This woodshed doesn't even have a bed, how can anyone live here?

"You've worked hard too. My name is Chen Tao, and I work in the woodshed. My job is to chop and carry firewood."

"Does this courtyard still require work?" Jiang Shi was startled upon hearing this. Cultivation was already difficult enough; if he were to do these tedious chores as well, wouldn't that be a waste of time?

"Of course," Chen Tao explained to Jiang Shi as he tidied up the firewood.

"The compound is divided into four courtyards: A, B, C, and D. Courtyard A is where the forest steward and the senior servants live."

"Courtyard B houses the senior disciples at the third level of Qi Refining, Courtyard C houses the senior disciples at the second level of Qi Refining, and Courtyard D houses us new disciples who have just entered the sect."

"Only the A and B departments don't have to do odd jobs; everyone else has to work every day."

Jiang Shi also helped Chen Tao gather firewood, which they then tied together with a rope.

Chen Tao was very pleased with Jiang Shi for his help and explained the situation of the tenement to Jiang Shi.

"Even if you're just starting out, you still need to get a job and work every day."

"Senior Brother Chen, how long does this workday take?"

"The working hours are different for everyone, but the good jobs are all taken by the senior students from College C, so we can only do some hard jobs."

"Like this woodshed, we need to spend three hours in the morning felling trees and one hour in the afternoon delivering the firewood."

"Working four hours a day! Wouldn't that greatly reduce my cultivation time? How can I cultivate like that? How can I break through? Won't I inevitably be kicked out after a year?"

You should know that there are only twelve two-hour periods in a day.

"Sigh~" Chen Tao sighed upon hearing this and said helplessly, "If you can't break through after a year, you have to keep paying. As long as you have money, you can stay in the tenement indefinitely."

"That's how it is with those senior handymen."

After saying that, Chen Tao carried the firewood on a shoulder pole and left. He had to hurry up and finish his work so he could focus on his cultivation.