Immortality: Starting with the Fruit of Taiyin

"Foundation Building Ceremony?"

Without asking any questions, Wang Xuan pressed the communication talisman and received the message within it.

A year ago, after the initiation ceremony, Han Cheng, who had failed to be selected, went down the mountain in disappointment and returned to his small cultivation family, where even the strongest cultivator was only at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Before leaving, the boy, who had started practicing Qi cultivation at the age of six and only broke through to the third level of Qi cultivation at nearly fifteen, left communication talismans for the four people traveling with him, hoping to maintain contact in the future.

Although there is only one gate separating the inside and outside of the mountain, they are already worlds apart.

Perhaps it was because he returned home and received instruction from his elders that Han Cheng understood more and more what it meant to be a disciple of a sect. That's why there had been no news of him for the past two years.

Only today did he suddenly send some good news.

"Our clan uncle broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage in the Immortal City and is currently in seclusion to consolidate his realm... He is expected to return to the clan in a year and a half, at which time a grand ceremony will be held, and he cordially invites us to attend?"

He was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with realization.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Wang Xuan roughly understood what the other party meant.

"I see... Previously, no one in Han Cheng's clan had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so his so-called cultivation of immortality was just for his own amusement. Now that an elder has finally achieved Foundation Establishment, they are preparing to come under the rule of Nan Hua and obtain a spiritual vein to pass down through generations."

"That's right."

A strange look flashed in her eyes. Ignoring the so-called Han Clan Foundation Establishment, Chen Yao thought of her cousin instead.

Chen Wanrou... I wonder if her luck will be as good as it is in the future in this reality.

To be honest, although there was no evidence, she had always suspected that the woman had some hidden Dao body related to "luck", but the Nanhua Sect could not detect it at all.

"So, are you planning to go take a look?"

"While it's true that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we might have just gained some benefits for nothing in the past, serving as a tool for the Han family to demonstrate their stance to the outside world... it could still be considered a kind of unconventional mutual benefit."

Dispelling her distracting thoughts, Chen Yao casually said:

"Although I don't care about those spirit stones, they should still be quite useful to you."

"certainly."

Without much hesitation, even though the ceremony was two years away, Wang Xuan nodded in agreement.

However, he wasn't after any personal gain; he wanted a channel to acquire resources from outside the sect.

Disciples of the sect can obtain supplies from within the sect at relatively low prices, but to prevent reselling, disciples of the Enforcement Hall come to audit the accounts every few days.

Therefore, if you need to purchase a large amount of demon beast blood essence to "charge" your Dao Fruit in the future, it is best to go through the path outside the sect.

"Oh, right."

Thinking about the important matter at hand today, Wang Xuan decided to seek advice from the "know-it-all" Miss.

"I have been thinking about this for a long time recently and have decided to try out my talent in the various arts of cultivating immortality."

"I wonder if my junior sister has any unique insights in this regard?"

"Um?"

"The Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation?"

Her previously calm expression immediately darkened. As if she had thought of something, Chen Yao's face tightened and her expression became serious.

"I don't know, don't ask me, I've never tried it."

"You'd better master the various arts of cultivation yourself. These things depend entirely on talent and cannot be forced."

Even if you are exceptionally talented and have unparalleled combat power, you may still suffer from the jealousy of the heavens, causing flaws to appear in your otherwise flawless appearance.

"If you insist on trying, even with profound cultivation, you will only waste spirit stones and ultimately gain nothing!"

"..."

A series of "insights" followed. Wang Xuan wanted to ask more questions, but seeing Chen Yao's reaction, he chose to remain silent.

Well, whether it's a grandmother by her side, a reborn person, or someone who possesses a "little green bottle," it's clear that Miss "Know-It-All" doesn't have much talent in this area.

This is not surprising, because there is no absolute correlation between the various arts of cultivation and cultivation talent.

Even in the cultivation world, there are often various rumors, such as that a certain pseudo-core cultivator with no hope of progress spent a huge amount of money and painstakingly cultivated array formations for decades, but still could not even see the threshold of the second level.

It was time-consuming and laborious, and ultimately nothing was accomplished—in fact, Wang Xuan was also pessimistic about whether he had any talent.

The myriad arts of cultivating immortality are far too complex. Even if someone is exceptionally gifted in a particular field, they may never come into contact with that kind of inheritance throughout their entire life.

If it weren't for the Dao Fruit he possessed, Wang Xuan would never have made such an attempt in the early stages of Qi Refining.

……

After bidding farewell to Chen Yao, Wang Xuan headed to the Lower Courtyard Scripture Pavilion, wanting to understand the specifics of the situation first.

The Linzhang Lower Temple is located on Baiyun Mountain outside the sect's main gate, and it is not protected by any sect-protecting formation.

Aside from the foundation-building techniques available for disciples to choose from, only some basic immortal cultivation texts exist. The true transmission of all arts and crafts is limited and rarely accessible.

Fortunately, Wang Xuan was only looking up introductory books and didn't delve into anything too advanced.

So the morning passed quickly, and Wang Xuan walked out the door thoughtfully, carrying several borrowed books.

"I never expected it, so that's how it is... Indeed, one cannot completely trust the guesses made in one's past life in the mortal realm."

He shook his head slightly, genuinely surprised.

"Who would have thought that the so-called 'easiest to learn' method of making talismans would actually be such an easy way to start..."

"And the vast majority of first-tier, low-grade talismans are worthless on the market?"

Luckily, I checked the information beforehand, otherwise I would have been fooled... Shaking his head and laughing, Wang Xuan sighed inwardly.

According to the information I found earlier, among the various arts of cultivation, alchemy, talisman-making, array-making, and artifact-making are the most prominent, closely related to cultivation, and attract the most cultivators.

However, the layman sees only the spectacle, while the expert sees the details. Only by truly understanding can one know how deep the pitfalls are.

Take talismans as an example. People who have never used them think that as long as they use magic power to scatter them in the air, they can win by sheer numbers and overcome the strong with the weak.

However, in the eyes of true cultivators, while talismans can save cultivators' mana, they still cannot do without the assistance of spiritual sense.

If your spiritual power only allows you to cast two spells at the same time, then controlling a maximum of three talismans is the limit.

A talisman without spiritual control is like a spell without a cultivator; it's difficult to even get close to an enemy. More likely, it will be disrupted by the overflowing magical power of a cultivator during battle and dissipate into thin air halfway through.

Therefore, apart from talisman cultivators with unique lineages, no one uses talismans to win by sheer quantity.

The reason why the Dao of Talismans is a prominent field of study is not because of its quantity, but because it can be used beyond one's level without damaging the cultivator's foundation.

In the early stages of Qi Refining, one can use a high-grade first-tier talisman to unleash an attack comparable to that of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator; in the late stages of Qi Refining, one can directly use a second-tier talisman to escape from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Whether it's eliminating powerful enemies or preserving one's life, talismans are indispensable.

Low-level cultivators cannot use high-level magic weapons or unleash high-level supernatural powers, but they can trigger high-level talismans. This is the true advantage of the talisman path.

However, this leads to a problem: what seems like the easiest path to master, the way of talismans, is actually the most treacherous behind the scenes.

"Because the value of talismans lies in their ability to transcend levels, but the lowest level in the cultivation world is the early to mid-stage of Qi Refining."

"Therefore, first-tier low-grade talismans are practically nonexistent; any Qi Refining cultivator with a magic weapon can easily contend with them."

"Furthermore, the 'shelf life' of low-level talismans is even more pitiful; their spiritual power dissipates and they become useless after only a few months... to the point that they ultimately have no market at all."

"In this situation, the reason why the way of talismans is 'the easiest to get started' is simply because rogue cultivators hunt demonic beasts and live a life of constant danger. Their blood, hair, and fur can be used to make talismans, thereby testing whether they have any talent."

"In comparison, alchemy requires cauldrons and medicinal herbs; weapon crafting materials are expensive... even just testing talent can bankrupt a rogue cultivator."

"The so-called 'easiest way to get started' is not about what you want, but about what I have."

With a slight sigh, unsure of what to say, Wang Xuan could only lament that perhaps this was the true nature of the immortal path in the real world—strict and cruel.

He even had a vague suspicion.

If the major powers in the cultivation world are ruthless enough, they can deliberately release a large number of cheap first-tier talismans, pills, and magical artifacts, maintaining them at cost price, and competing maliciously with independent cultivators.

On the one hand, he gained enough fame, on the other hand, he trained his disciples, and on the other hand... he completely blocked the possibility of rogue cultivators rising up against the odds through the various arts of cultivation.

Even if someone is a genius at weapon crafting, if they lose money no matter how they craft weapons before reaching the second tier, can they really continue to persevere?

Even if you want to stick to it in your mind, you don't have the conditions in reality.

After all, the reason why independent cultivators are independent cultivators is that they lack a stable foundation and source of wealth.

If one can persevere through losses all the way to the Foundation Establishment stage, then one can no longer be considered a rogue cultivator.

"...Luckily, I'm not a rogue cultivator, otherwise, if I wanted to achieve success in cultivation, I would really only have two paths to take: either become a cultivator through tribulation or become a dog."

"Indeed, in a relatively stable environment, whether in the world of cultivation or the mortal realm, there is no chance for a wandering cultivator to rise to prominence."

"The only way to change things... is through war."

Seeing that it was still early, Wang Xuan did not return to the courtyard, but instead turned around and headed directly towards the sect's "Hundred Arts Pavilion".

Let's put war aside for now, since all these insights are only relevant to independent cultivators without any real foundation.

As half-beneficiaries of the existing system, the disciples of the Nanhua Sect were doing relatively well, except that resources related to the Nascent Soul stage were blocked by the dominant sect in the Chen Kingdom's cultivation world, and resources related to the Core Formation stage were divided up among the sect's higher-ups.

At least for the Hundred Arts Talent Test, the sect will cover the costs for you.

……

"Outer disciple Wang Xuan greets his martial uncle."

Inside the Hundred Arts Pavilion of the Lower Courtyard, there were few people.

With a respectful bow, Wang Xuan handed his identity jade token to the white-haired old man.

This is a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Nanhua Sect who is about to pass away; he has been alive for over two hundred and twenty years.

If he weren't an exceptional case with an innately powerful nature, his remaining lifespan would likely not exceed thirty years.

On the large recliner, the old man slightly raised his wrinkled eyelids.

Another young man trying to overtake others by taking a shortcut... well, you could say that.

Without a special skill, how many people with mid-grade spiritual roots can successfully establish their foundation?

Relying solely on meditation and qi cultivation, one is fortunate to have even one chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage before their qi and blood decline; most people don't even have that opportunity.

"Here you go, um—since this is your first time here, I'll explain the sect's rules to you."

He spoke calmly, and no matter what he was thinking, he didn't show it; he simply followed the rules.

"The myriad arts of immortality are in no way inferior to the orthodox path of cultivation."

"Its depth and vastness, and the enormous cost, far exceed what ordinary people can imagine."

"Even though my Nanhua Sect is one of the six major Core Formation sects in the Chen Kingdom, it is impossible for us to support the cultivation of all our disciples."

"Therefore, if you want to master all kinds of skills and comprehend the complete inheritance of the sect... first, you must be tested for your talent."

"This hurdle alone would cost a great deal in the outside world, but the sect has covered the expenses for you."

"Every outer disciple has one free opportunity to have their talent tested, and the second time they only need to pay half the cost."

Now, tell me your choice.

"This disciple chooses the path of alchemy."

With utmost respect, Wang Xuan cupped his hands in greeting.

This was the result of his careful consideration, and it was also the path that best suited the sect's environment.

"Do you have any basic knowledge of alchemy?"

"no."

"Um."

The old man nodded upon hearing this, but didn't take it seriously.

Of the disciples who came to the Hundred Arts Pavilion, three out of ten chose talisman making, three chose alchemy, two chose weapon crafting, one chose formation making, and only one chose something else.

But as for the result... in the end, none of them passed.

He casually pulled out a talisman, his aged voice remarkably calm.

"Go inside, turn left at the third corner, and within three days, the second alchemy room will be yours."

"The medicinal herbs and introductory content are all included. As long as you can refine a non-ranking medicinal liquid that reaches the 'inferior' level, you will pass the test."

"At that time, the complete first-grade high-level alchemist inheritance, the first-grade low-level magic weapon alchemy furnace, the right to use the Earth Fire Alchemy Room, the monthly quota of medicinal material consumption... as long as you pass the test, it will all be yours."

"But if it doesn't work out, then don't dream of becoming an alchemist anymore."

"The various arts of cultivating immortality rely on talent, not hard work and diligent practice."

They didn't care whether the visitor was a family cultivator, whether they had prepared in advance, or whether they were pretending to have no foundation.

The old man knew that the sect wouldn't give you any loopholes in this regard.

As for those who think they can take advantage of the Nan Hua Sect... that sect will show you with facts what it means that in the cultivation world, only fellow cultivators talk about evidence.

Those who are qualified to be fellow Daoists with the Core Formation Sect obviously wouldn't come here to earn such a small amount of spirit stones.