Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

Thank you, dear readers, for reading. The author expresses his sincere gratitude.

Qingxuan Sect, Qingmu Peak Inner Hall.

Elder Wu Feng of the outer sect sat in the main seat, his gaze falling on the slender young man below the steps, his tone scrutinizing: "You are Zhang Li, Zhang Song's grandson?"

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, it is indeed I, your humble servant." Zhang Li bowed and knelt respectfully.

Seeing this, Wu Feng nodded slightly, his expression softening. He said frankly, "Your grandfather saved my life. Logically, I could have made an exception and accepted you into the inner sect, or even made you my personal disciple. However, your spiritual root aptitude is too poor, only four spiritual roots, far below the sect's standards for accepting disciples. Making an exception for you would inevitably arouse the jealousy of other disciples. As the saying goes, it's easy to defend against a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. In the future, there will inevitably be people who secretly make things difficult for you and trip you up at every turn. Do you understand the danger involved?"

"I understand," Zhang Li replied solemnly.

"Since you understand the principles of things, I will give you two paths." Wu Feng softened his tone. "First, enter the outer sect to cultivate, and your future depends entirely on your own destiny; second, descend the mountain and return to the mortal world, and I will guarantee three generations of wealth and honor for your Zhang family. If any exceptionally talented person emerges in the clan in the future, I may make an exception and accept them as my personal disciple. What will you choose?"

"I am willing to enter the outer sect for cultivation!" Zhang Li replied without hesitation.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I have been given a second chance at life by chance and am fortunate enough to embark on the path of immortality. There is absolutely no reason for me to give up halfway or be content with the mortal world.

"Very good." Wu Feng nodded slightly, turned to look at the disciple beside him, "Lu Ying, take him to the incense hall to complete the registration procedures, and explain the sect rules to him in detail."

"Yes, Master." A disciple in blue robes stepped forward in response.

Zhang Li bowed again and then followed Lu Ying as they turned and left.

On the way, Lu Ying turned to look at him: "Zhang Li, my name is Lu Ying. You can call me Senior Brother Lu from now on."

"Greetings, Senior Brother Lu." Zhang Li stopped and bowed respectfully.

Looking at his composed and polite demeanor, Lu Ying sighed softly, "You are indeed calm and courteous, but unfortunately your talent is mediocre. Otherwise, I might really have another junior brother."

Having said that, he raised his hand and patted his waist, and a dark iron boat flew out, stretching to a length of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) in the wind, hovering steadily in mid-air. "Get on."

Suppressing his shock, Zhang Li leaped and landed steadily on the boat.

Lu Ying then stepped onto the iron boat, lightly exhaling a wisp of cyan spiritual energy from her fingertips and injecting it into the magical artifact. The iron boat trembled violently and suddenly soared into the air, speeding away through the sky.

A sharp, gusty wind rushed towards me, but it was completely blocked by a thin layer of light blue light, leaving only a gentle breeze ruffling my hair.

The mountains below rushed past, and the towering, insurmountable peaks that were just moments before now lay prostrate before our eyes.

Standing on the boat, Zhang Li gazed at the surging sea of ​​clouds and the misty immortal mountains, his heart filled with countless emotions. This was the true path of cultivation, a world completely different from the mortal realm.

Lu Ying stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the slightly immature but composed young man in front of him, and spoke in a calm tone, fulfilling his master's instructions: "You should know in your heart that the reason your master is giving you the opportunity to enter the sect today is entirely due to your grandfather's influence, not because of your aptitude."

Zhang Li bowed slightly, his attitude respectful: "Junior brother understands."

"Good that you understand." Lu Ying nodded lightly, her tone carrying a hint of advice. "Your spiritual root is the most ordinary of the four spiritual roots, your cultivation speed is extremely slow, and your talent is only ranked at the bottom in the entire cultivation world."

In the world of cultivation, the strong are respected, and personal favors are ultimately meaningless. Only one's own cultivation is the foundation for survival. A master can protect you for a time, but not forever.

"Thank you for your advice, Senior Brother Lu. I will definitely keep a low profile and focus on my cultivation in the future, and I will never cause trouble for Master Wu."

Zhang Li responded respectfully.

Lu Ying then explained some of the important rules and regulations of the sect one by one.

Zhang Li looked respectful, and he remembered every word Lu Ying said. This was his way of surviving in the sect, so he had to keep it in mind.

A moment later, the iron boat slowly landed in front of an ancient blue stone hall.

The plaque on the roof of the hall is inscribed with three powerful and ancient characters: Incense Hall.

"We've arrived. Come in with me." Lu Ying put away the iron boat, raised his hand and waved it. The dark iron boat shrank to a size of an inch and turned into a streak of light, returning to his waist.

The two entered the incense hall, where people came and went, all of them outer disciples on business. Several gray-robed stewards sat at their desks, handling various trivial matters such as disciple registration, monthly allowance distribution, and task registration.

In a short while, a wooden waist tag engraved with green wood grain, two sets of brand-new blue cloth outer robes, two yellowed books, a palm-sized bag, and two small jade bottles were handed to Zhang Li.

After completing all the formalities, Lu Ying escorted Zhang Li to his residence and said, "I'll see you off here. From now on, remember to cultivate peacefully in the outer sect and avoid causing trouble."

"Thank you for your guidance along the way, Senior Brother. I will remember your teachings." Zhang Li bowed respectfully.

Lu Ying nodded slightly, turned around and boarded the iron boat, his figure disappearing in an instant.

Watching Lu Ying's figure disappear completely into the horizon of the sea of ​​clouds, Zhang Li turned to look at the small courtyard where he would live in the future.

Although the courtyard is not large, it has all the necessary facilities, and he only needs to bring his bags to move in.

Having transmigrated to this world of cultivation for over a year, he possessed the body of a boy with the same name and, after overcoming countless hardships, finally stepped into the immortal realm that countless people in his past and present lives had dreamed of.

Zhang Li slowly walked into the house, sat cross-legged on the soft bed, and first took out the items he had acquired that day and checked them one by one.

Two brand-new blue Taoist robes, two bottles of fasting pills, two yellowed and curled books with ancient-style characters on the covers, "Qingxuan Breathing Technique" and "Basic Cultivation of Immortals", and a cloth bag the size of a palm.

"This should be the storage bag that Grandpa mentioned that can store things. The other items that the butler mentioned should also be in this bag."

Zhang Li recalled his grandfather's words and opened the bag. Inside, it was all gray and hazy, and he could only vaguely see a few gray clumps.

No matter how Zhang Li reached out, shook it, or tried every method, he couldn't get the contents out of the storage bag. His fingertips only touched a hazy barrier; he couldn't penetrate the inner space at all.

Just as he was puzzled, Zhang Li suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He remembered how Lu Ying had taken out objects before. There was a light blue spiritual light surrounding Lu Ying's palms, which was how he was able to take out the iron boat from the bag.

"If that's the case..." Zhang Li said, turning his head to look at the yellowed book "Qingxuan Breathing Technique" next to him.

He reached out and took the cultivation manual in front of him, but just as he was about to open it, Zhang Li suddenly stopped and instead opened another book, "Basic Cultivation of Immortals".

The pages were gently turned, the yellowed paper carrying a faint woody scent. The words were simple and straightforward, all written specifically for beginners in the world of cultivation.

The book details the classification of cultivators' realms, the determination of the quality of spiritual roots, and basic knowledge about various magical artifacts, elixirs, and talismans. Zhang Li studied it carefully, word by word.

Through this, Zhang Li also thoroughly understood his own qualifications and background.

He possesses four elemental spiritual roots: wood, fire, earth, and water. This is quite mixed, only slightly better than the worst mixed spiritual root of five elements. He certainly doesn't meet the minimum requirements for Qingxuan Sect to accept disciples.

According to past practice, someone with his spiritual root could only enter the Qingxuan Sect by starting as a lowly servant disciple. These servants were like ordinary servants in the secular world, and had no status whatsoever within the sect.

The book states frankly that most cultivators with mixed spiritual roots will find it difficult to reach the late stage of Qi Refining in their entire lives. Even if they are lucky enough to draw Qi into their bodies and embark on the path of immortality, their cultivation journey will be full of twists and turns and bottlenecks at every turn.

Among 100,000 cultivators with mixed spiritual roots, it would be difficult for even one to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

No wonder Elder Wu was impatient when he first met him, and hesitated to accept him as an exception. With such talent, he would indeed be considered a waste in the sect.

But having finally been reborn into this world of cultivation, even though his aptitude was so low that he couldn't even catch the eye of a legitimate disciple of a sect, he didn't want to give up the opportunity to cultivate.

So what if I have mediocre qualifications? So what if there are many obstacles ahead?

If something like being reborn in another world can happen, why can't someone with mixed spiritual roots forge a foundation for their Dao, condense a golden core, and achieve a nascent soul?

Thinking of this, a glint flashed in Zhang Li's eyes, and he picked up the book "Azure Profound Breathing Technique".

Slowly turning the first page of the cultivation method, unlike the plain language of "Basic Cultivation of Immortals", "Qingxuan Breathing Technique" is concise and profound throughout, full of cultivation incantations and diagrams of qi circulation routes, with detailed markings of the order in which spiritual energy circulates through the body's meridians.

Zhang Li calmed his mind, sat upright on the futon, adjusted his breathing according to the instructions in the book, closed his eyes slightly, and tried to sense the spiritual energy wandering in the world.

After trying for more than an hour, a thin layer of sweat had appeared on Zhang Li's forehead. He felt sore and stuffy all over his body, but he couldn't retain any spiritual energy in his body.

Undeterred, he got up and stretched his somewhat stiff body before continuing to try to draw qi into his body.

……

Almost two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the past two months, Zhang Li has truly experienced just how poor his aptitude really is.

"No wonder Elder Wu is so disgusted with his own talent."

Zhang Li glanced at the two remaining Bigu Pills in the jade bottle and sighed softly.

He had previously complained that Elder Wu was ungrateful for not accepting him as a disciple, but now he understood.

Elder Wu's decision to keep him as an outer disciple in the sect was already a great act of kindness.

Two months have passed, and Zhang Li has not only failed to draw qi into his body, but has also barely sensed any spiritual energy.

He slowly walked to the window and gazed at the bright moon in the sky.

"In my past life, I was a student at a prestigious university, but in this life, I'm stuck at the most basic first step."

Zhang Li asked in a low voice, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

He suddenly realized that what he had said over the past two months was ridiculous, and perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to just be a wealthy man.

"I'm not reconciled..."

Zhang Li clenched his fist, his knuckles turning slightly white.

He had persevered for two months, sitting day and night, exhausting his energy. He was truly unwilling to give up now.

Having never admitted defeat in his past life, and now embarking on the path of immortality in this life, having witnessed the vastness of longevity and understood the way of the extraordinary, how could he be willing to turn back to be a mediocre, wealthy man in the mortal world?

But what can you do if you're unwilling to accept it?

The limitations of qualifications stand in our way, like an insurmountable chasm.

He leaned against the windowsill, staring blankly at the full moon, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

But just as he was about to give up and the thought of retreating arose in his heart, he suddenly sensed something strange.

It was an extremely subtle feeling, as if something was slowly flowing around us.

Zhang Li held his breath, not daring to make the slightest unnecessary movement, for fear of breaking this hard-won connection.

Sure enough, the faint sensation became clearer and clearer. Zhang Li no longer cared that he was still standing in front of the bed and hurriedly guided the spiritual energy into his body according to the instructions in the cultivation method.

As time went by, more and more spiritual energy was drawn into his body, flowing slowly into his dantian along his meridians.

hum-

A subtle tremor of airflow resounded within the body, and a pure and gentle spiritual energy took root completely in the dantian.

The Qi has been drawn into the body; it's done!

Before he could even feel joy, a white light suddenly shone in his eyes, even though he was still clearly still with his eyes closed.

The white light suddenly magnified and swallowed him whole.

When Zhang Li regained his sight, he suddenly found himself on a floating island.

Right beside him stood a broken stone tablet with two large characters faintly written on it...

"A grotto-heaven?"

Zhang Li couldn't see the two blurry characters clearly, but they inexplicably came to mind.

In the center of the cave, on a flat area, there was a black field about an acre in size, but it was bare, just like the entire floating island.

Beside the land stood a dilapidated wooden house, and not far from the house was a well of unknown depth.

"Where is this?"

"Is anyone there? Please show yourself, senior..."

After a while, there was still no response, and Zhang Li's heart gradually calmed down. His imagination, which had been sharpened by countless battles in his previous life, began to run wild.

"Is this the cheat code that every transmigrator needs?"

Once the thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed.

Zhang Li suppressed his excitement, forced himself to calm down, and began to cautiously probe.

He first went to look at the wooden house and the well. The well was bottomless. He tried to probe it with his eyes, but he could not sense any spiritual energy or hear any water flowing. The wooden house seemed to be just an ordinary wooden house.

Then Zhang Li raised his hand and grabbed a handful of black soil. He was immediately shocked to find that the black soil was filled with an extremely rich spiritual energy.

In just a few breaths, the spiritual energy within completely vanished, turning into a handful of mortal soil.

Seeing this, Zhang Li placed his hand directly into the black field and indeed felt that extremely rich spiritual energy again, without any sign of it disappearing.

With just a simple touch, Zhang Li had already formed a bold conjecture about the function of the black spiritual field, but now was not the time to verify it.

"But how do we get out?"

No sooner had he had the thought of leaving than a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him.

The next moment, everything went dark. When he opened his eyes again, Zhang Li was back in the courtyard on Lingze Peak.