First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

On this day, a gentle spring breeze blew and the sun shone brightly.

On the rugged mountain path, a man carrying a shoulder pole walks briskly.

As a menial disciple, he couldn't cultivate immortality without spiritual roots, but he could practice martial arts, so this mountain path was no problem for him.

However, he was very careful with the two wooden buckets hanging on the carrying pole, afraid that they might leak out.

The lid of the wooden bucket was covered with a dirty cloth, sealing it tightly to conceal the filth inside.

Soon, he delivered the manure bucket to a mountain outside the immortal village. After waiting for a while, he did not see the immortal master and had to return disappointed.

Just as he was walking back a short distance, a small white porcelain bottle stood steadily in the middle of the road.

The man looked closely and his face lit up with joy. He stepped forward, picked up the porcelain bottle, and repeatedly bowed to those around him, saying, "Thank you, Immortal Master, thank you, Immortal Master."

Xu Mu, hidden in the shadows, smiled faintly, then turned and took away the two buckets of excrement.

The medicinal herb fields on the sacred mountain are never fertilized. They have always used the primitive crop rotation system. Once the soil loses its fertility, the fields are abandoned for several years until they recover before being replanted.

It is the prerogative of Steward Wang to determine whether the medicinal herb field is still cultivable.

He could say that the medicinal herb field was already abandoned and should be left fallow, or he could say that it could still be cultivated for another year or two before being handed over to new people to cultivate.

There's a lot of room for maneuver here, and it's all based on sound reasoning, so the person assigned to it can only suffer in silence.

If you don't want to suffer in silence, it's simple—give a gift.

Xu Mu heard from his fellow Daoists neighbors that this guy had done this more than once or twice.

It is said that he failed to break through after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill. With his lifespan nearing its end, he was unwilling to accept this, so he tried every means to amass wealth in order to continue his breakthrough.

Xu Mu guessed that his cultivation level of the third level of Qi Refining might make the other party think that he had obtained some treasure in the mortal world, and that since he came from the mortal world, he was unfamiliar with the place and people and was easy to bully.

In response, he simply worked quietly every day, showing no particular interest or offering gifts, just like an ordinary farmer who only knew how to cultivate the land.

Gradually, Deacon Wang and some others who might have been secretly watching him lost interest in him.

……

In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed since I arrived at the Qinglan Sect.

Xu Mu's cultivation level increased from the third level of Qi Refining to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

This speed is considered common among outer sect disciples, and could even be considered relatively fast, because he has only farmed for the past ten years and is so poor that he can't even afford elixirs.

However, at this rate, he certainly won't have the chance to establish his foundation in his lifetime.

The higher one's cultivation level, the more difficult it becomes. After the age of eighty-one, one's "qi declines," and there will be no more opportunities to establish a foundation.

This is the fate of the vast majority of outer disciples.

"Junior brother, are you really not going to try at all?"

Senior Sister Mo Yao was in charge of training newcomers in the Transmission Hall and was the person who knew Xu Mu's cultivation progress best. Seeing that he didn't seem to be in a hurry, she was quite puzzled.

"Strive for what?" Xu Mu asked, puzzled.

"...Opportunities and chances, even if it's just taking on missions at the Hall of Merit to earn more talisman money, isn't that what you should do? But you, for ten years, have been farming."

"Hmm... Senior sister, I think farming is pretty good. There's a fixed income every month, and once I've saved enough money, I can buy things. I can clearly see when I'll have saved enough money."

"...You're awesome."

"You flatter me, senior sister." Xu Mu scratched his head shyly.

Mo Yao chuckled and shook her head.

When people are extremely speechless, they can actually burst out laughing.

"Senior Sister's cultivation is also improving day by day. Congratulations, Senior Sister!" Xu Mu said with a smile.

Mo Yao nodded, then sighed with a hint of melancholy, "At the eighth level of Qi Refining, I should have a chance to establish my foundation in my lifetime, but that's all I can hope for."

Speaking of which... I used to feel melancholy and anxious about this, but in recent years I've come to terms with it.

"Because of you, with your cultivation so low, you don't even have a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, yet you can still be so carefree, then I guess I don't need to worry about you."

Xu Mu gave an awkward smile.

"I just think there's no need to be anxious... What's meant to be will be, and what's not meant to be shouldn't be forced."

"Heh, you've read a few of the Taoist scriptures in the Transmission Hall, and you've certainly learned the part about self-cultivation," Mo Yao sneered.

"Even Master Chen Xuan likes to invite you for tea. You're really something."

Hearing her sarcastic remarks, Xu Mu quickly raised his hands to beg for mercy: "Senior sister, please stop teasing me. I don't have any special abilities, I'm just carefree."

Mo Yao snorted and walked towards the classroom, holding the Taoist scriptures.

Xu Mu gave a wry smile and hurriedly followed her to help her attend class.

This is his second job, which he got last month, recommended by Master Chen Xuan.

Over the past ten years, in addition to farming and cultivating his skills, he had no money to buy resources, so he would go to the Transmission Hall to borrow those free Taoist scriptures to read, and gradually he became quite well-read.

After being noticed by Master Chen Xuan, he has recently been frequently invited to drink tea, play chess, and chat together.

The senior sister's sour taste was already evident in her words.

Even though Xu Mu wanted to keep a low profile, this incident still made him famous in Kitamuk Village.

Fortunately, it didn't cause any trouble; on the contrary, it had some benefits—no one dared to bully him, so he accepted it.

He was receiving his salary today, so he planned to go to the market inside the mountain gate and use his savings from all these years to see if he could find a second-hand magic weapon, so that he wouldn't only have the flying sword that he was given as a gift when he entered the sect.

The advantage of farming is indeed a stable income, but the income is also quite low.

That's why his senior sister commented that he was inhuman and had no ambition; how could he endure such a low income for ten years?

Xu Mu could only smile at this.

……

Near the center of the Qinglan Mountains, there is a mountain covered with pear blossoms, which is called Pear Blossom Mountain.

Xu Mu arrived here on his flying sword.

Underfoot were bluestone bricks, and pear trees grew in the gaps between the bricks.

White pear blossoms fluttered down and landed on the stalls under the tree.

It is said that this place was originally a place for disciples to enjoy flowers, but gradually people started setting up stalls to sell things, and it developed into a market.

Within the Qinglan Sect, there are generally two ways to buy and sell items.

One method is trading within the Treasure Pavilion, which involves buying and selling with sects and falls under the official channels.

Another type is the free market among sect disciples.

Apart from items that are explicitly prohibited from circulation by the sect, both outer and inner disciples can trade with each other and settle accounts directly using talisman coins.

Talisman coins are a universal currency usable throughout the cultivation world. Only cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage are qualified to make talisman coins, which represent the Dao of a Nascent Soul God, and no one can counterfeit them.

As for whether anyone will use the talisman coins produced, and what their value will be, that depends on the ability and credibility of the Divine Lord of the Transformation Realm.

The talisman coins circulating within the Qinglan Sect are "Fuyao Talismans" issued by the Fuyao Divine Lord of the Upper Sect.

Whether it's the salary from work or the rewards from the Merit Pavilion's tasks, everything is settled with talisman coins, which greatly increases the freedom of transactions.

Even today, people still enjoy the flowers and play on Pear Blossom Mountain, while others set up stalls to sell their wares, creating a very relaxed atmosphere.

Xu Mu strolled leisurely up the mountain without any hurry.

Even when he was broke, he liked to come here to enjoy the flowers and see what new and interesting things there were to broaden his horizons.

A moment later, he stopped in front of a stall and carefully examined the three items on the stall.

The stall owner was a middle-aged man who sat cross-legged on the ground, meditating with his eyes closed, ignoring customers who came to him.

Xu Mu took a liking to one of the older cloth bags and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Fellow Daoist, how much is this storage bag?"

"Eighty talismans." The middle-aged man calmly opened his eyes.

"Eighty? If it were newer, it would be fine, but the runes on it are almost worn away. It probably won't last many more years..."

Xu Mu pondered, looking at him.

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then said, "Seventy, no less than that."

"make a deal."

Xu Mu nodded, took out a money pouch from his pocket, counted the money, and handed it over.

The process of exchanging money for goods is quite simple.

He never likes to haggle when buying things; as long as the price is right, that's fine.

The other party wasn't actually selling goods, so there weren't many complicated details.

Xu Mu was overjoyed when he received the old storage bag.

"This trip was worthwhile."

If it's a brand new storage bag, it will cost more than 300 talismans to exchange for it in the Treasure Pavilion.

Moreover, everyone needs this, so it's not easy to find a second-hand one.

I was lucky today; there was no suspicious bloodstain on the bag.

From now on, we won't have to carry all sorts of farm tools through the air anymore; it really affects our image.

……

After spending seventy coins, my purse shrank by more than half, and I couldn't buy anything else with the remaining amount. I had to continue hoarding and only buy essential items.

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and stared intently at a stall in front of him.

After hesitating for a moment, he walked over and bowed, saying, "Senior brother, it's been a long time."

Upon hearing the voice, the stall owner slowly raised his head, stared at him for a moment, and then forced a smile: "So it's Junior Brother Li. It really has been a long time."

His voice was hoarse and his face looked much older, but he was none other than Mu Changfeng, who had initially guided Xu Mu into the sect.

Ten years is a long time, and most adult cultivators will not change much, but he looks old.