A second life, An Eternal journey to Immortality

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Time had flown by in the blink of an eye. Days blurred into one another as Jiang Cheng settled into a steady routine—waking up at dawn, washing his face, meditating for an hour, checking his spiritual field, eating a simple meal, and spending hours crafting talismans before heading to the market to sell them.

With each passing day, his skills improved, his success rate in making talismans increased, and so did his earnings.

And now, after half a month of relentless effort, he finally had something to show for it.

Jiang Cheng sat in his humble home, a small wooden box open before him. Inside, neatly stacked spirit stones gleamed under the candlelight.

"Eight hundred and fifty-five spirit stones!"

He grinned, barely suppressing his excitement. His fingers ran over the cool, smooth stones, the weight of his hard-earned wealth filling him with satisfaction.

"Finally, hard work pays off!" He couldn't help but laugh.

Just a month ago, he had been scraping by, worrying about every single purchase. Now, he was rich

Well… not truly rich—eight hundred spirit stones weren't enough to shake the foundation of a cultivator's world—but for someone like him, who started with nothing, this was a fortune.

Jiang Cheng leaned back, exhaling in relief. "I should reward myself…"

For half a month, he had been living frugally—only buying necessities like food, talisman paper, and a few other essentials. Now, with a comfortable amount saved up, he could afford to spend a little without guilt.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"A better weapon? Some defensive artifacts? Maybe even a proper cultivation technique…"

Jiang Cheng smirked. "Guess I'll be making a trip to the Treasure Pavilion tomorrow."

He carefully stored the spirit stones away, making sure they were well hidden. Just because he was rich now didn't mean he could be careless.

Jiang Cheng washed up and changed into the original owner's old clothes—simple, slightly worn, and entirely unremarkable.

He doesn't have any disguise techniques, nor could he alter his facial structure. The best he could do was avoid standing out.

For the past half month, he had been careful, deliberately selling his talismans to different stores to avoid drawing too much attention. He wasn't strong enough yet to deal with potential trouble, and wealth always attracted greed.

After making sure his appearance was as plain as possible, Jiang Cheng stepped out, first making his way to his spiritual fields.

As usual, he checked the crops carefully, ensuring there were no issues. Satisfied, he performed the Spirit Rain Technique, letting the gentle mist of spiritual energy nourish the soil.

Once everything was in order, he didn't linger.

Jiang Cheng navigated through the bustling market with focused steps, ignoring the colorful stalls that lined the streets. His mind was set, and today, his goal was clear:

to purchase the remaining supplies he needed to further his cultivation and ensure his future success. The sounds of street vendors calling out, the smell of sizzling food, and the vibrant energy of the market seemed to fade into the background as he moved with purpose.

He made his way past familiar faces and busy merchants, his thoughts solely on the task ahead. As he approached his destination, he could see the building ahead, its wooden frame tall and sturdy, with signs of age but well-maintained.

The Qinglin Pavilion.

It had become a familiar spot over the past few weeks, and today, Jiang Cheng hoped that with his newfound wealth, he could acquire the final pieces needed for his next phase of cultivation.

He quickened his pace, determined to finish his business and return home to his spiritual fields.

Pushing open the door, the familiar scent of incense and the soft murmur of the Pavilion's quiet atmosphere greeted him. Ruan Xue was at the counter, her head slightly tilted as she glanced up when he entered.

"Back again, fellow Daoist Jiang ?" she said, her tone light but amused.

Ruan Xue led Jiang Cheng to a quiet corner of the Qinglin Pavilion, where a simple wooden desk sat waiting. The soft glow of paper lanterns illuminated the space, and the faint scent of incense lingered in the air. She gestured for him to sit as she poured him a cup of hot tea, steam curling lazily upward.

"Please, take a seat, fellow Daoist Jiang," Ruan Xue said with a knowing smile. "You seem like someone with a lot on their mind."

Jiang Cheng took the offered tea, savoring the warmth before placing it gently on the desk. "Thank you," he said, his tone earnest.

He was feeling the weight of his recent purchases and decisions, and now that he had the means to move forward, he needed guidance.

"I need some basic skills," Jiang Cheng began, his voice steady, "and some understanding of the world of cultivation. I've been going about things mostly on my own, but I realize I lack crucial knowledge. It's time to fill in the gaps."

Ruan Xue's expression softened. She placed the teapot down and leaned forward slightly. "Ah, so you seek the foundation—the fundamentals. I can certainly help you with that."

After waiting for a while, Ruan came to Jiang Cheng again with a tray.

Dozens of jade slips were quietly placed on the tray, looking very attractive.

Putting down the tray in her hand, Ruan Xue's picked up a jade slip from the tray and began to introduce it.

"This is the Spirit Eye Technique. It can check other people's cultivation at any time to avoid provoking strong people."

"This is the Fireball Technique. It condenses a fireball to kill the enemy. It is extremely powerful."

"This is the sound transmission technique. It is the first choice for Qi training cultivators to communicate with their friends over long distances.

The speed of flying cranes is extremely fast and it is basically impossible to be intercepted. If it is intercepted, the information will self-destruct. It is extremely safe."

"This is a light body technique that can increase walking speed. It is essential for long-distance travel and escape."

"This is the Breath Containment Technique. It can restrain one's own aura and make it no different from a stone. It will basically not be noticed by others."

Jiang Cheng was amazed by these simple spills and decided to take them all

One is the art of spiritual vision.

One is the art of sound transmission.

One is the art of restraining breath.

The Spirit Eye Technique can tell other people's cultivation level with just a glance, thus avoiding provoking powerful enemies.

And because the Spirit Eye Technique can only detect cultivation level and cannot obtain other information, it will not be as annoying as a scan by spiritual consciousness.

The spiritual eye technique is different from the spiritual sense scan. It is like the qi-seeing technique. It can only see the other party's level of cultivation and will not be annoying.

But spiritual scanning is like touching with your hands. Who would like to be touched suddenly by a stranger?

Therefore, in the world of immortal cultivation, everyone is accustomed to using the spiritual eye technique and does not take it seriously, but using spiritual consciousness to scan the other party is a taboo.

The art of sound transmission, after exchanging breath with a friend, you only need to release paper cranes or flying birds to contact the other party through this technique.

It is the preferred spell for Qi training monks to communicate over long distances.

Of course, if the opponent is in a defensive formation, or has used the Breath-Concealing Technique to conceal his own breath, the Sound Transmission Technique will not be able to find the opponent and will only stay where the opponent's breath disappears.

Exchanging breath with friends is like two people adding each other as a friend, and they can use this breath to contact each other.

There is no need to worry about this trace of breath being tracked.

If there is a special spell that can change one's own breath, the sound transmission spell will be ineffective.

At the same time, once the sound transmission technique is intercepted, the information on it will instantly self-destruct, and the person who performed the sound transmission technique will also know it.

The Breath-Containing Technique is a method of restraining one's own aura so that others cannot detect it. It is the best choice to avoid disasters and misfortunes.

Of course, the Breath-Suppressing Technique can only block perception. If you see it with the naked eye, you can still see the existence of this person.

The Breath-Containing Technique is only about restraining one's own breath, it is not an invisibility technique.

Therefore, when you use the Breath-Concealing Technique and don't want others to discover you, it is best to hide and avoid being seen.

However, when using the Spiritual Eyes Technique to observe someone who is practicing the Breath-Containing Technique, the Spiritual Eyes Technique is unable to detect the other person's cultivation level.

When the opponent is not using the Breath-Containing Technique, one can see the opponent's cultivation level with just a glance using the Spiritual Eye Technique.

"Each of these spells only requires twenty spirit stones. Which ones do you need, Fellow Daoist Jiang ?"

After introducing all the spells on the tray, Ruan looked at Jiang Cheng and asked softly.

Every spell sold in the Spiritual Skills Pavilion is contained in a jade slip, so there will be no situation where there are no spells that cannot be practiced or there are no missing words or pages.

After purchasing it, just stick the jade slip directly to fully receive all the tricks of this spell.

In addition, our predecessors also have insights and experiences regarding these spells.

It is enough to help people who are practicing this spell for the first time avoid many detours.

Such a comprehensive service will not be cheap.

However, instead of looking for those inexpensive handwritten versions in the stalls outside, Jiang Cheng prefers to buy the original authentic products in Qinglan Pavilion.

Not for anything else.

Just because I'm afraid of being cheated.

"I need three spells: the Spirit Eye Technique, the Breath Containment Technique, and the Sound Transmission Technique. Thank you very much, fellow Taoist."

Nodding towards Ruan Xue , Jiang Cheng took out sixty spirit stones from his sleeve and handed them to Ruan .

He took the spirit stone handed over by Jiang Cheng

Ruan Xue picked out three jade slips from the tray and handed them to Jiang Cheng .

"Just stick the jade slip on your forehead."

The gentle female voice came again.

Jiang Cheng didn't say anything else. He just took the jade slips and randomly picked one and put it on his forehead.

The next moment.

All the information about the Breath-Containing Technique was firmly imprinted in Jiang Cheng's memory.

Almost in an instant, Jiang Cheng had completely understood how to practice the Breath-Containing Technique, as well as the various effects of the Breath-Containing Technique after it was practiced.

Jiang Cheng did the same with the remaining two jade slips. After learning all three basic spells, he finally opened his eyes.

I have to say.

Using jade slips to learn spells is indeed very effective.

Jiang Cheng , who had just learned three basic spells, did not feel tired at all. Instead, he felt energetic. The memory of the three basic spells in his mind seemed to be deeper.

"If you need anything else, feel free to call me. The books on common sense of cultivating immortals are on the bookshelf over there. You can browse them at will. I have something else to do, so I'll leave you now."

"Thank you, sister Ruan ."

Bowing to Ruan who was walking away, Jiang Cheng suppressed the urge to go home immediately to practice the three magic spells.

Walking to the bookshelf nearby, Jiang Cheng picked up a book and began to read it silently.

"Record of Spiritual Plants,

Record of Spiritual Mines,

Diagram of Monsters,

Classification of Realms of Cultivators,

Classification of Powers Surrounding Qinglin Sect

Jiang Cheng glanced at book after book, which gave him a general understanding of the world of cultivation he was in.