Chapter 1 : Awakening at Forty

Chapter 1: Awakening at Forty

“Lin Chang’an, low-grade spiritual root!”

Through the window, watching the first spring rain trickling down from the eaves, Lin Chang’an rubbed his aching brow with a look of melancholy.

In his mind, the cold voice from twenty years ago, when he had first stepped into the world of cultivation, echoed once more.

“Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, forty years have passed in this life.”

With the spring breeze sweeping in, much of the alcohol scent in the room dispersed, and Lin Chang’an let out a long sigh.

With a low-grade spiritual root and no resources whatsoever, after twenty years of bitter cultivation, he was still only at the Qi Refining stage Third Level.

This was no longer just a matter of poor aptitude—it was having absolutely nothing.

Cultivation was simply too difficult.

“Bitter cultivation for twenty years, now at the age of no confusion... I should accept my fate.”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

There came a knock at the door.

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

As the door opened, Li Erniu saw Lin Chang’an’s haggard face and let out a sigh of relief.

“Erniu, I’m fine.”

Seeing Erniu, a smile appeared on Lin Chang’an’s face.

Li Erniu, one of the four who had failed the selection together back then, a comrade in misfortune. Although they had come to Qingzhu Mountain’s marketplace together, Erniu later chose to marry into another family.

Twenty years had passed, and the aura of a peasant boy had completely faded. Now, he had clearly become a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage Third Level.

Looking at Lin Chang’an in this state, Li Erniu helplessly patted his shoulder.

“Brother Lin, we’ve both come this far over the years. I understand.”

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

Being a son-in-law cultivator wasn’t easy either.

Back then, the Zhou family was desperate to recover after losing resources in a conflict, which was the only reason the opportunity arose.

Otherwise, during ordinary times, where would such a chance come from?

Thinking of this, Lin Chang’an looked at the robe on Erniu’s body with envy.

He had tried to marry in too, but the Zhou family’s requirements for a son-in-law weren’t based on looks—they wanted someone honest and dependable.

Obviously, wasn’t that just bullying honest people? Someone like him got rejected immediately.

“Brother Lin.”

Li Erniu sighed helplessly. He was no longer that simple and naive farm boy; his demeanor now bore traces of a big family’s decorum.

To Erniu, Lin Chang’an waved his hand nonchalantly.

“Erniu, I’m a Qi Refining cultivator. In the future, I’ll go to the mortal world, oversee a region, buy fertile land, live in a big house, and find a few beautiful wives—nothing wrong with that.”

As he said this, Lin Chang’an even chuckled and teased:

“My good days are still ahead. Don’t be envious when the time comes.”

“That’s true.” Thinking about his own life as a live-in son-in-law, Li Erniu also grinned in response.

That carefree smile, speaking of going to enjoy life in the mortal world—he might have believed it if it were anyone else.

But Lin Chang’an, this man who had cultivated bitterly for twenty years without change—was that smile on his face truly sincere?

“Um, Brother Lin.”

At that moment, Li Erniu recalled the purpose of his visit and awkwardly lowered his voice:

“Brother Lin, you might have to put your return to the mortal world on hold for a while.”

“What happened?”

“This time is different from before. There’s an order from above to intensify land reclamation efforts, so…”

Although he didn’t finish, how could Lin Chang’an not understand after living here for twenty years? He couldn’t help but feel speechless.

Truly, when luck runs out, even drinking water gets stuck in your teeth.

He had just decided to give up and return to the mortal world, and this happened.

This marketplace had taken over twenty years of development to reach its current scale. Every three years there was a land-reclamation event, and those who didn’t want to participate had to pay taxes.

But this time it was clear the higher-ups wanted to intensify efforts, so the tax was likely to double.

Not paying the tax was also an option, but that meant becoming a true itinerant cultivator.

However, if one paid the tax and held an identity jade token, they could live in luxury in the capital of the mortal realm, enjoying fine clothes and abundant food, with titles granted to their wives and descendants, and future generations instantly rising to nobility.

They would also be protected by a backing immortal sect, and their descendants would receive special attention, as the probability of spiritual roots appearing among a cultivator’s offspring was high.

Otherwise, which mortal power in the secular world didn’t have a sect behind it?

Scattered cultivators without identity tokens could only go to small towns and villages.

The difference between the two was like heaven and earth.

“I understand now. Looks like I’ll have to return to my old trade and work hard for a while.”

He wanted to leave, but fate made him stay.

Lin Chang’an shook his head helplessly, while Li Erniu looked around carefully, then cautiously took off his long boots.

Then he pulled out a smelly cloth bundle.

“You damn Erniu, after all these years, you still haven’t changed your habits one bit.”

Lin Chang’an scolded with a laugh, as Erniu unwrapped the cloth bundle, revealing twenty-six spirit crystals, each the size of a fingernail.

Spirit crystals were an even smaller unit of currency than spirit stones in the world of cultivation.

“Brother Lin, borrow these for now.”

Clearly, Li Erniu knew Lin Chang’an had lost heart and planned to return to the mortal realm, and the spirit stones in his pocket had probably already been converted into mortal goods.

This time, Lin Chang’an didn’t refuse Erniu’s kindness, for after all his previous preparations, his pockets were indeed emptier than his face.

“Erniu, thank you.”

“Brother Lin, you helped me a lot back then.”

Li Erniu said earnestly. When he had just entered the world of cultivation, Lin Chang’an had looked after him many times.

Even when the Zhou family was recruiting sons-in-law, it was Lin Chang’an who, upon seeing their criteria, hurried back to inform him.

After seeing Erniu off, watching the figure in the rain unaffected by a single drop, Lin Chang’an revealed a look of envy.

“A low-grade robe. First, Erniu had a child born with spiritual roots, and now he’s broken through again. Looks like his days in the Zhou family will be comfortable from now on.”

He closed the door.

On the table, the gold, silver, and jewels that would make ordinary people drool with greed made Lin Chang’an shake his head helplessly. He casually swept them into a cloth bag with a look of utter disregard.

“Looks like these treasures will be collecting dust for a while longer.”

Though he treated them like dirt, they were still money for the future in the mortal realm, so he casually tossed them into a corner by the door to gather dust.

“Time to draw talismans again.”

Rubbing his brow, Lin Chang’an slowly sat cross-legged on the bed.

Drawing talismans required precision and focus—it was an art that demanded energy, spirit, and concentration.

Given his current state, he couldn’t afford to waste talisman paper or cinnabar.

As he sat cross-legged and began circulating the Evergreen Art, a flash of light suddenly appeared, making Lin Chang’an widen his eyes.