Starting with warding off evil and disaster, one can ascend to immortality after countless tribulati

Grasping Ye Tao's fair and delicate hand, Jiang Ming smiled brightly and pulled her into his arms, vowing earnestly, "I will never forget my sister's kindness..."

Shrinking her head shyly, Ye Tao, though ten years older than Chang Jiangming, was still a complete novice when it came to matters of love and romance.

A few sweet words immediately satisfied her, and she was eager to give him her heart. "The Ye family is quite wealthy. I haven't had the chance to help you before, so please don't refuse this time."

Please keep these one hundred mid-grade spirit stones for now, as a small token of my appreciation. My sister isn't feeling well, so I won't be able to deliver them to you personally.

Taken aback, Jiang Ming accepted the spirit stone, but his heart warmed. He hugged Ye Tao and prepared to repay her kindness.

She pushed him away sweetly, her brows furrowed as she softly refused, "No, it hurts..."

"It's my fault. I took too much for cultivation." Jiang Ming scratched his head and felt ashamed.

Ye Tao flicked his forehead, showing no sign of blame, and said indulgently, "It's because I'm weak. I heard that everyone is like this when they first experience things. I'll accompany you again next time."

The kindness of a beautiful woman is the hardest to repay. After cuddling for a moment, Jiang Ming bid farewell to Ye Tao and headed straight for the Cheng family.

More than half a year has passed, and it's time to repay the spirit stones owed to Cheng Ya.

Cheng family.

Outside the door, there was singing and dancing, as if a joyous occasion had just taken place.

Jiang Ming felt a sudden unease and curiously moved closer.

He listened silently to the discussions of the crowd.

"This young lady from the Cheng family is exceptionally talented and beautiful. Her marriage to the He family, one of the four great families, is a match made in heaven."

"Yes, I've long heard that Miss Cheng is exceptionally beautiful, and seeing her today confirms it."

"Brother Jiang, what are you doing here?" Cheng Yun was handing out wedding candies when she saw Jiang Ming and quickly ran over to greet him.

Her bun hairstyle, with its swinging motion, looks quite cute and exudes a youthful and energetic vibe.

"Just dropping by on the way. Is someone in the Cheng family getting married today?" Jiang Ming asked, somewhat surprised and curious.

Looking at Jiang Ming, the girl blinked, a hint of regret in her eyes. "It's Sister Cheng Ya. She was forced into an arranged marriage by her family. Sigh, it's a long story."

……

After a long silence, I felt a deep emptiness in my heart.

Jiang Ming was preparing to ask Cheng Yun to deliver the spirit stone.

The next second, Cheng Ya, dressed in a light blue gauze dress, walked out of the mansion, frowned, grabbed Cheng Yun's ear, and twisted it unhappily.

With her hands on her slender waist, she threatened coldly, "You brat, if you dare talk nonsense again, don't blame me for spanking you!"

After scanning Jiang Ming, Cheng Ya rarely showed a smile. "Your cultivation is already close to the mid-stage. You're very fast."

Come in quickly, a young lady from the main branch is getting married today, and the Cheng family has opened their family treasure land to celebrate.

I'll show you around; if you're lucky enough, you might get a chance.

Snorting sullenly, Cheng Yun turned and left in a huff, "Hmph, my good intentions were wasted."

"With you so timid and hesitant, when will you ever get married!"

Cheng Ya rolled her eyes at her, ignoring her completely.

He led Jiang Ming into the back hall of the Cheng family home, pointed to the area where the crowd was gathered, and said with a hint of anticipation in his eyes, "The ancient well over there was left by the ancestors of the Cheng family."

It is said that by pouring spiritual energy into the well, one can receive blessings from one's ancestors.

I heard that when the Third Elder was young, he was blessed by the ancient well, and after that, his cultivation level has been advancing by leaps and bounds.

He later surpassed others to become the youngest ninth-level cultivator in the family.

Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow curiously, his interest piqued.

He had once heard Xu Youwei say that the Xu family's ancestral treasure land was used to temper one's physique, but he never expected that the Cheng family's treasure land was even more mysterious, with so-called blessings coming.

Squeezing through the crowd, everyone saw Cheng Ya arrive and kindly made way for her, clearly indicating that her status in the family had recently risen again.

Watching this scene, Jiang Ming smiled slightly, feeling quite pleased.

As one of his few friends, Cheng Ya was straightforward and generous, a person worth befriending. Seeing that she was on the right track with excellent luck, Jiang Ming was naturally happy for her.

"Hold your breath and concentrate, pour spiritual energy into the ancient well. After a few breaths, you will at least feel a sense of peace and clarity."

After a quiet reminder, the Cheng family disciples looked over curiously.

Everyone wanted to see what the man who rejected Cheng Ya would do.

An urgent sound emanated from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner; it was the first time the little black snake had transmitted its voice across a distance, and its tone was slightly anxious.

"Keep channeling your spiritual energy in, don't stop! There's something good inside that will benefit us all!"

Upon hearing the little black snake's reminder, Jiang Ming immediately perked up and did as instructed.

A moment later, water began to gurgle and splash in the ancient well.

Everyone was shocked to see this.

Even Cheng Ya stared wide-eyed and walked to Jiang Ming's side, wanting to see what kind of blessing effect such a violent fluctuation would produce.

"Alright, I've swallowed the golden essence left by their ancestor. Although it's very weak, it's enough for me to advance to the sixth rank."

Besides that, take a look at your own cultivation level.

The words in his mind faded away, and Jiang Ming regained consciousness.

Having observed the situation closely by his side and witnessed Jiang Ming's breakthrough in cultivation, Cheng Ya's eyes widened in disbelief; she had never expected this outcome!

She brought Jiang Ming over just for good luck, hoping he would benefit from it.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Ming was so lucky that he actually received blessings from his ancestors!

This is an honor that many Cheng family disciples have never received.

"This... directly helping them break through their cultivation level, we descendants of our ancestors have never been treated with such favor."

So this is how ancient wells can be used? Our ancestors were really biased!

"Sigh, it's so frustrating to compare yourself to others. We, the disciples of the Cheng family, can come to the ancient well every year."

No one has ever achieved such a significant improvement, yet Jiang Keqing succeeded as soon as he arrived…”

"No, I also received an extra benefit; I feel much more relaxed."

"Me too, I feel like the bottleneck that was bothering me has suddenly loosened up a bit."

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Jiang Ming felt ashamed.

He subconsciously did as the little black snake said, but when he realized that he had inadvertently drained the legacy left to his descendants by the Cheng family patriarch...

Even though I felt guilty, it was too late.

That greedy, smelly snake!

Fortunately, no one nearby could see through his secrets; otherwise, let alone enjoying everyone's praise, whether he could even leave the Cheng family alive would have been a matter of luck.

"You and my family are quite destined to meet. A blessing of this scale is something you might not encounter even once in decades."

Thanks to you, my understanding of the spring water seems to have deepened somewhat.

Sensing something amiss, Cheng Ya beamed with joy, gazing tenderly at Jiang Ming and showering him with praise.

Jiang Ming nodded awkwardly, of course not daring to tell the truth, and could only humbly explain, "Perhaps it is the spirit of our ancestors that has blessed the Cheng family."

This means the Cheng family is about to prosper...

After saying some auspicious words, the Cheng family members present immediately felt more favorably toward Jiang Ming, and gradually felt relieved that Jiang Ming had won first place and reaped the best reward.

Away from the crowd, Jiang Ming followed Cheng Ya to the courtyard for a chat.

Jiang Ming took out a full sixty mid-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them over readily, his eyes sincere and full of gratitude.

"I am so grateful to you for lending me spirit stones back then, otherwise I probably wouldn't have entered the inner sect yet. This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."

He raised an eyebrow, took the spirit stone, and weighed it in his hand.

Cheng Ya stared at Jiang Ming with a puzzled look in her eyes, and said seriously, "If you need resources, you can continue to owe me spirit stones."

As an inner member, you have to fight for all resources.

But I'm different; even if I do nothing every month, I can still get a lot of spirit stones.

Everyone has their own destiny. I'm not showing off, I just want to say that if you need spirit stones, take them and use them first, there's no need to rush to return them.

"One thing at a time, please accept it, otherwise I won't feel at ease." Jiang Ming pushed it into Cheng Ya's arms and gave his answer without room for argument.

After quickly putting the spirit stones into her storage bag, Cheng Ya stopped insisting and remained silent for a while before tentatively trying to persuade her to stay.

"Why don't we stay at the Cheng family's house for a few days and exchange cultivation tips? I've just broken through to the mid-stage of the seventh rank."

"We are attempting to condense a second image."

It was getting late.

After thinking it over, Jiang Ming did not refuse. After the two entered the quiet room, they began to talk about their recent experiences.

When Qin Lao was mentioned, Jiang Ming was slightly saddened, but Cheng Ya was full of admiration and gently comforted him, "When Senior Qin broke through, many people in Tongzhou saw it."

He survived all the tribulations and had already taken a half-step into the Foundation Establishment stage, but unfortunately, at the last moment, the Frostfire Fruit Master was unable to guide him.

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening." He did not go astray; he was simply born at the wrong time.

Before he fell, he did something important for you.

He used his last bit of cultivation to kill the Liu family patriarch. Now the Liu family is leaderless and has been reduced to a second-rate family...

Having not heard about this from Old Man Li, Jiang Ming was deeply moved. Old Man Qin was still paving the way for him at the very last moment.

Unfortunately, I have no way to repay this kindness.

"I've heard that a Golden Core True Monarch can guide souls from the cycle of reincarnation. If you have the chance in the future, you might be able to find that senior's trace in the cycle of reincarnation."

Seeing that Jiang Ming was somewhat downcast, Cheng Ya gently comforted him.

Nodding, Jiang Ming didn't say much. After thinking it over, he decided to pass on Wang Xiaogang's method to Cheng Ya.

Jiang Ming handed over the parchment and carefully instructed, "This is a foundation-building opportunity. If one day in the future, Miss Cheng finds that the path through the spring water is blocked, you might as well try this."

After flipping through it for a while, Cheng Ya initially didn't think much of it, but after reading it, she felt a sense of awe and silently memorized the method.

He cast a slightly grateful glance his way, "This unorthodox foundation-building method is almost non-existent in this world. Yours is priceless, and you're just passing it on to me like this?"

"The predecessor who created this method once said, 'There was originally no road in the world, but as more people walk on it, it becomes a road.'"

The reason why the so-called fruition position is so powerful is simply because there are enough believers. If everyone in the future uses this method to build their foundation...

The Dharma Gate of Emptiness is also a new path.

I am sharing this with you not only because of our personal relationship, but also in the hope that you will have more like-minded people on your future spiritual path.

After the explanation, Cheng Ya was deeply moved.

After a moment's thought, she placed her hand on Jiang Ming's shoulder, her eyes resolute, and said, "In that case, I'll give you a return gift as well."

The imagery of spring water symbolizes a long and continuous flow. Water-based martial arts techniques, when used on others, can cause harm in addition to their own effects.

It can also subtly and silently send blessings; I wish you a smooth journey and a long and prosperous future.

After their conversation, both of them benefited.

As night deepened, Cheng Ya returned to her room alone.

Seeing Cheng Yun occupy her bed and make a big "X" shape on it, he helplessly pushed her aside and then reluctantly lay down on her bed.

"Hmm, Sister Ya is back? What have you been talking about? You've been talking all this time."

"Why is your face so red? What did he do to you?" He looked at Cheng Ya's rosy face by the candlelight.

The little girl sat up, chattering incessantly, "Did you do things that only adults do?"

Grabbing Cheng Yun's braid, Cheng Ya angrily tugged at it, wishing she could tear the girl's head open to see what strange things were inside.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You're so young but so precocious. We were just discussing our experiences and insights in cultivation."

Sighing with some disappointment, Cheng Yun criticized him as if she were exasperated, "Sister Ya is so stupid, talking to him about these things so late at night?"

You're already twenty-eight, if you don't take the initiative soon you'll be too old...

Cheng Yun poked Cheng Ya's full, round buttocks, then pinched her own. With a touch of pride and a mature air, she pointed out, "See? As you get older, it's not as nice to touch anymore..."

Annoyed, Cheng Ya tapped her on the head. Her face flushed red, and she scolded her angrily, "You brat, instead of practicing diligently, what are you researching all day?"

Tomorrow I will have the Third Elder urge you to cultivate..."

"Who's afraid of you?" Cheng Yun said, turning under the covers, her little hands darting around restlessly.

The two fought fiercely, and in an instant, they both lost their armor and weapons, revealing their snow-white skin.

……

The next day.

In the early morning, Cheng Ya walked Jiang Ming for a while, watching him gradually disappear from sight. Recalling Cheng Yun's teasing yesterday, she couldn't help but feel a little empty inside.

However, she quickly returned to normal. As the most outstanding disciple of the Cheng family in the present generation, she had a heavy burden on her shoulders.

Bearing the expectations of her entire family, there are some things she cannot make decisions about, and she can only put aside her personal feelings for her children for the time being.

He flew back to the inner sect on his sword.

Along the way, Jiang Ming saw many disciples from other sects who, under the protection of their elders, entered their respective sects one after another.

The Five Sects Grand Competition seems to be about to begin soon.

Not daring to linger, Jiang Ming went to the Merit Hall, exchanged all his contribution points for pills, and then returned to the Treasure Fish Pond to take his shift.

Now, all the treasure fish on Crimson Flame Peak are under his control and supervision.

Unlike before, the Treasure Fish Pond is also equipped with array formations and accommodations. Although they are just simple single rooms, they are enough for Jiang Ming.

Free accommodation, 1,500 contribution points per month.

This kind of cushy job would never have been available to Jiang Ming without connections.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Jiang Ming quietly began to cultivate, constantly improving his personal strength in all aspects, and silently waiting for the start of the Five Sects Grand Competition.

Half a month later, the "True Scripture of the Great Forest Obscuring the Sun" was partially completed. At the same time, the imagery of the Great Forest Wood Fruit Position gradually took shape under the blessing of the metal element...