Chapter 1 - Fifteen years, finally can die
"Let me die.
I really don't want to live anymore."
A young boy dressed in coarse linen sat on a rock by the beach, gazing at the setting sun with a face full of melancholy.
The boy's name was Li Qinghai, and he was about fifteen years old.
He had well-defined features, delicate eyebrows, and a handsome face.
In this small fishing village, there was no other boy as handsome as him.
As a result, many girls of his age secretly admired him.
However, Li Qinghai remained indifferent.
In his view, women only distracted him from his determination to die!
The reason he wanted to die so much
was because there was a book in his mind.
The Book of Reincarnation and Good Fortune with Limitless Merits!
A book with a rather long and strange name.
It might be a system, or perhaps a cultivation manual of this world.
But that's not the point; the point is that it was a golden finger that could make him stronger.
This book, which he temporarily called the Book of Good Fortune, only had two pages with text.
On the first page, there were eight large characters.
"Choose sacrifice, and your power will be boundless."
Fortunately, it wasn't something like "To master this skill, you must first castrate yourself."
Below the eight characters, there were many small characters explaining further.
The general meaning was that as long as you died, you could reincarnate and be reborn.
With each reincarnation, you would gain different fortunes, and you could inherit the fortunes of your previous life and carry them into the next, retaining them permanently.
In other words, if you were reborn a hundred times, it would be equivalent to being born with hundreds of different fortunes bestowed upon you.
In theory, this Book of Good Fortune granted him infinite life and unlimited resources to grow stronger.
Of course, such a powerful function naturally came with its own rules and limitations.
Suicide was not allowed.
According to the Book of Good Fortune,
Suicide was considered a disregard for one's own life.
The soul would be directly obliterated, with no chance of reincarnation.
In his previous life, Li Qinghai died suddenly from staying up all night reading novels.
And this time, it was Li Qinghai's first time crossing over and being reborn.
Regarding his background, the Book of Good Fortune had a record on the second page.
"You were born in a secluded seaside village, orphaned from a young age."
A very simple sentence, but the tragedy within was evident.
***
Just as the Book of Good Fortune recorded, 15 years ago, Li Qinghai was born in this small fishing village.
His mother died in childbirth.
His father went out to sea to fish and never returned.
He was born and brought misfortune to his parents.
The superstitious villagers of the small fishing village saw him as a bad omen.
Naturally, no family was willing to adopt him.
Superstition was a flaw of the fishermen, but they also had the virtue of kindness.
At the suggestion of the old village chief, each household took care of him for a day.
Thus, Li Qinghai managed to survive his powerless infancy.
At the beginning of life, human nature is inherently good.
All the children in the small fishing village were so innocent and pure.
Only Li Qinghai.
At the beginning of life, his heart was set on death.
He was eager to die quickly and reincarnate to be born into a better life.
So Li Qinghai was constantly looking for opportunities to court death.
However, the small fishing village faced the sea and was backed by mountains, like a paradise.
The best description of the small fishing village was that there was no theft, and doors were left unlocked at night.
The villagers were all simple and kind-hearted, and not only was there no fighting, but even quarrels were rare.
Li Qinghai stayed in the small fishing village for 10 years, yet he couldn't find a single opportunity to be killed.
Afterward, Li Qinghai changed his plan to court death.
At the age of 11, Li Qinghai packed his bags and left the small fishing village.
In the village, no one had ever tried to leave the small fishing village for generations.
But as the saying goes, the world had no roads, but when people walked more, roads were made.
Li Qinghai decided to be the first pathfinder!
He braved thorns and thickets, spending half a month climbing a large mountain.
He stood at the top of the mountain, gazing into the distance.
Beyond the mountain, there was still another mountain.
Li Qinghai was not discouraged and continued forward.
One mountain.
Two mountains.
Three mountains.
Li Qinghai didn't know how many mountains he had crossed.
But there was always a mountain in front of him.
Li Qinghai eventually gave up; if he continued, he would die in this deep mountain forest sooner or later.
Such a death not caused by others would also be considered suicide.
With tattered clothes and a disheveled appearance, Li Qinghai returned to the small fishing village in a sorry state.
Despite this unsuccessful attempt, Li Qinghai's determination to sacrifice himself remained undiminished.
Since he couldn't leave the mountains, he decided to go out to sea!
With the help of the kind fishermen, he got a large boat.
Li Qinghai set sail on a long voyage.
After spending three months at sea, he fell ill and had to return to the small fishing village.
***
In the following years, Li Qinghai could only sit on the rocks by the sea, daydreaming like today.
He hoped for a miracle, to meet an immortal or something, to take him away.
Of course, if it were an evil cultivator, that would be even better.
They could slap him to death, allowing him to reincarnate directly.
If that evil cultivator were a seductive female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect, that would be the best.
Experiencing death by exhaustion would be quite novel.
As Li Qinghai was lost in thought, daydreaming, the sun was setting again, and the world gradually grew dark.
Li Qinghai reluctantly stood up.
"Sigh.
Another day without an opportunity.
Fifteen years, when will this end?"
Li Qinghai shook his head, about to go home for dinner.
Suddenly, the distant sky churned with clouds and wind.
A series of thunderous roars echoed continuously.
What was happening?
Li Qinghai looked up into the distance, trying to see what was going on.
The Book of Good Fortune in his mind suddenly reacted.
With a thought, a phantom book floated in front of him.
The third page had writing on it, which read:
[Attention, there are cultivators fighting in the distance, and your life is in danger. In your dying moments, you can make a final statement.]
[Your final words will affect your background and the inheritance of your fortune in your next life.]
[For example: If you choose to make a statement defending the small fishing village, you will be born into a kind family in your next life and gain the fortune of a righteous act.]
[If you choose to make a statement begging for mercy, you will be born into a landlord's family in your next life and gain the fortune of bullying the weak.]
[Additional explanation: A righteous act gives your words and actions a natural charm, allowing you to rally others with ease.]
[Bullying the weak: gives you an absolute suppressive force over the weak, but you have no will to resist the strong.]
[Note: If you do nothing, you will be reborn in a place similar to the small fishing village, with no changes.]
Li Qinghai looked at the words in front of him, almost moved to tears.
Fifteen years!
Fifteen whole years.
The Book of Good Fortune finally reacted again.
He could die.
He could finally die!
At the same time, the battle between the two cultivators had already reached the sea above the small fishing village.
On the sea, deafening explosions sounded one after another, and water columns were blasted into the sky.
All the residents of the small fishing village ran out of their houses, trembling as they watched everything unfold.
The voice of a cultivator rolled in like thunder.
"Jian Jiu, both of us are already seriously injured. Why continue to press on? Must we both fall before you are satisfied?" one of the cultivators shouted angrily.
"Yin Laomo, there's no need for words. Today, even if I die, I will completely destroy you!" The middle-aged sword cultivator known as Jian Jiu raised his flying sword, ready to face death.
"Fine, fine, fine! In that case, none of us will live! Haha, there's even a small fishing village ahead; let it be buried with us!"
Yin Laomo charged toward the small fishing village, followed by towering waves.
Li Qinghai's eyes lit up.
It was happening.
It was time to make his final statement.
Chapter 2 - He has a heart of a child
Regarding the Choice of Last Words
Li Qinghai chose to defend the small fishing village.
Of course, before delivering his last words, he needed to make some gestures to emphasize them.
Li Qinghai slowly raised his head, looking at the approaching Yin Laomo, and spread his arms wide.
He let the fierce wind blow through his long hair.
He let the heavy rain beat against his face.
A voice full of righteousness echoed.
"The small fishing village is where I grew up. If you want to destroy my home, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"
Cultivators have senses far beyond ordinary people.
Even though Li Qinghai didn't speak loudly, Yin Laomo in the sky heard it clearly.
"Hehehe..." Yin Laomo stared at Li Qinghai, laughing sinisterly.
"What a righteous young man. But I, the old devil, despise people like you the most. You and Jian Jiu both make me sick. I'll start with you as an appetizer!"
With a wave of his large sleeve, a massive wave behind him transformed into a giant water serpent, rushing straight at Li Qinghai.
Li Qinghai's lips curled slightly as he slowly closed his eyes.
Jian Jiu, who was in hot pursuit, didn't have time to speak. With a sword gesture, his treasured sword flew forward.
With a slash, the serpent's head was severed.
The seawater fell like a torrential downpour.
Even though the spell was broken, the aftermath was not something a mere mortal like Li Qinghai could withstand.
Li Qinghai felt as if a heavy hammer had struck him hard.
Yet he didn't feel any pain.
This made Li Qinghai very satisfied.
With a thud... Li Qinghai was sent flying backward, spitting a mouthful of blood.
With a heavy crash, he landed on the beach.
His body lay straight, completely unconscious.
Jian Jiu's figure flashed, landing in front of Li Qinghai.
With a stretch of his hand, the sword flew back into his grasp.
"Yin Laomo, as long as I'm here, you won't harm him a bit!"
Yin Laomo's eyes narrowed slightly, forming a plan.
"Jian Jiu, I'm curious. If you had to choose between protecting him and killing me, what would you choose?"
Jian Jiu frowned.
He understood the implication of Yin Laomo's words.
If he wanted to pursue and kill Yin Laomo, he wouldn't have time to care for the young man before him.
Conversely, if he stayed here to protect the young man, he would have to let Yin Laomo go.
Jian Jiu glanced at Yin Laomo in the sky, then looked down at the unconscious Li Qinghai.
The image of Li Qinghai sacrificing himself for righteousness seemed to appear before him again.
Seeing Jian Jiu's hesitation, Yin Laomo knew the outcome.
"Jian Jiu, it seems you've made your choice."
Yin Laomo let out a long sigh and was about to leave.
Yet he felt a sense of frustration.
So he left a harsh remark.
"Jian Jiu, you've hunted me for three days and nights. This grudge, I, Yin Laomo, will surely repay in the future."
Even so, Yin Laomo still felt uneasy.
After all, even after hundreds of years, he estimated he would still struggle to be Jian Jiu's match.
Seeing the young man Jian Jiu was protecting, he found a new target for his anger.
"Jian Jiu, you'd better protect that kid well. Before I kill you, I'll use him as an appetizer first. Hahaha..."
Finally feeling satisfied, Yin Laomo laughed wildly and flew away.
If Li Qinghai were awake at this moment, he would surely be delighted to hear Yin Laomo's words, and would probably clasp the old devil's hand, calling him a great person.
Jian Jiu watched Yin Laomo disappear into the distance without saying much.
To him, only the weak are verbose.
Then, Jian Jiu crouched down and immediately saw that Li Qinghai's injuries were quite severe.
However, in the eyes of a cultivator, such injuries were nothing.
With a thought, a bottle of pills flew out from his storage bag.
He took one and fed it to Li Qinghai.
Then he used spiritual energy to clear the blocked meridians.
Li Qinghai's pale face regained some color.
Subsequently, Jian Jiu murmured.
"You remind me a bit of my younger self, willing to risk life and death for friends and family.
It's been years since I've seen someone as pure as you.
Exchanging Yin Laomo's life for yours is no loss.
Because I believe, in the future, you could slay hundreds, even thousands of Yin Laomos without breaking a sweat."
For once, a rare smile appeared on Jian Jiu's usually stern face.
It was clear that he was quite satisfied with Li Qinghai.
"You've been buried in this small fishing village, come, I'll take you to cultivate immortality!"
Jian Jiu slowly floated up, his sleeve wrapped in spiritual energy, lifting Li Qinghai.
The flying sword landed beneath their feet, and they soared into the distance.
***
Three days later.
Jian Jiu brought Li Qinghai to the sky above a vast mountain range.
These mountains below were known as the Ten Thousand Mountain Range, the territory of the Azure Cloud Sect.
All the mountains were divided into four regions based on the concentration of spiritual energy.
The outer region, filled with houses, was home to tens of thousands of outer disciples.
In the inner region, although most residences were still houses, some places had caves. This was where thousands of inner disciples lived.
The core region was the heart of the sect.
Here, one could see many grand halls, such as the Pill Refining Chamber, Artifact Refining Hall, Library Pavilion, and so on.
Around these core halls, many caves were opened up in the surrounding mountains.
Those who lived in these caves were all core figures of the sect, such as the sect master, elders, and core disciples.
As for the fourth region, it was the sect's forbidden area.
Such places were beyond the reach of ordinary disciples.
Jian Jiu was one of the elders of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Thus, upon entering the Ten Thousand Mountain Range, he didn't stop, flying directly into the core region.
Soon, the flying sword landed on a peak shrouded in spiritual energy.
Every cultivator has their preferences, and their way of opening caves varies.
Most sect cultivators prefer to open caves within the mountain, setting up formations for an ideal cultivation spot.
But Jian Jiu was different; his cave consisted of a few simple wooden huts on the peak, looking quite modest.
Jian Jiu landed and put away his flying sword.
He glanced back at Li Qinghai.
Li Qinghai, still wrapped in spiritual energy, remained unconscious.
Though his internal injuries had healed, his soul had been shaken.
Soul recovery is slow, requiring several days of rest before waking.
Jian Jiu then carried Li Qinghai into a small hut, placing him on a wooden bed.
Jian Jiu sat by the bed, and a communication token flew from his storage bag, floating before him.
"Senior Brother Sect Master, come to the hut for a meeting."
After sending the message, he waited for a moment.
A middle-aged cultivator, slightly older than Jian Jiu with graying temples, entered the hut.
He was the current sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect, Liu Daoyuan.
Liu Daoyuan walked to Jian Jiu's side and immediately noticed Li Qinghai on the bed.
With a brief inspection, he found only a mortal.
"Junior Brother Jian Jiu, why did you bring a mortal back?" Liu Daoyuan asked, puzzled.
"Though he's a mortal, he has a pure heart, willing to sacrifice himself for others. In my eyes, he surpasses countless cultivators," Jian Jiu replied earnestly.
Hmm?
Liu Daoyuan was quite surprised.
He hadn't expected Jian Jiu to hold such a high opinion of this young man.
Chapter 3 - How am I still alive? This is not scientific
With matters of a pure heart, Liu Daoyuan wasn't particularly concerned.
What he valued more was one's aptitude for cultivation.
"How is this young man's aptitude?" Liu Daoyuan asked.
Jian Jiu didn't speak, simply gesturing for Liu Daoyuan to investigate for himself.
Liu Daoyuan placed his palm above Li Qinghai's chest, allowing strands of spiritual energy to descend.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
Liu Daoyuan's frown deepened.
"Five-element mixed spiritual roots." Liu Daoyuan withdrew his hand, shaking his head slightly.
"Jian Jiu, even if this young man has good character, he will ultimately struggle to achieve greatness. Even if you pour resources into him, he will only barely reach Foundation Establishment in his lifetime."
"I invited the sect master here to ask you to pass on the secret technique to him."
"Secret technique?" Liu Daoyuan was momentarily stunned, then immediately refused.
"Impossible, that secret technique is an unparalleled legacy brought back by the founder from the upper realm, it cannot be easily passed on to an unknown boy."
"Sect master, while the secret technique is indeed precious and rare, it is only suitable for cultivation by those with five-element spiritual roots. No one in the sect has been able to master it. Wouldn't it be better to let him try than to let it gather dust in a secret chamber? As for the boy's background, you can rest assured, I, Jian Jiu, have a good eye for people."
*Cough cough cough...*
Jian Jiu spoke with urgency, aggravating his internal injuries, causing him to cough violently, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Liu Daoyuan's heart softened, and he sighed helplessly.
"Jian Jiu, I naturally trust you. But the matter of passing on the secret technique is of great importance and not something I can decide alone. Can I observe this young man for a while?"
"Of course, no problem." Jian Jiu smiled slightly, full of confidence in Li Qinghai.
"Your injuries?" Liu Daoyuan shifted the topic, showing concern.
"From battling with Yin Laomo, my foundation is somewhat damaged. I need to retreat for a while. I entrust this young man to you, senior brother."
Liu Daoyuan pondered slightly, "He is, after all, of mixed spiritual root aptitude. If I give him special attention, it might attract unwanted attention, which wouldn't be good for the boy. According to sect rules, he should be placed in the outer sect as a servant."
"Endure hardship to become a superior person. There's no problem with that, I believe he can overcome it."
"Very well, let it be so."
***
After a few pleasantries, Liu Daoyuan left.
Returning to his mountain peak, he sat in a chair, frowning slightly, seemingly pondering something.
At this moment, a five or six-year-old girl ran over.
The little girl had two pigtails, bouncing like two rattles as she ran, lively and adorable.
"Father, why did you sneak out without me? It's so boring staying on the mountain alone. When can I go down the mountain to train?"
Looking at the girl before him, Liu Daoyuan felt both fondness and helplessness.
She was always clamoring to go down the mountain to train, which gave him a headache.
With her innocent demeanor, she might even help count money if someone sold her.
He needed to find something for her to do.
Suddenly, Liu Daoyuan's eyes lit up.
Jian Jiu had just entrusted that young man to him, and as the sect master and a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator, he couldn't personally watch over an outer disciple.
He was just thinking of finding a suitable disciple to secretly observe and assess the boy's character.
Now he could let his daughter do it.
"Father, what are you thinking about? I'm talking to you." The little girl pouted, dissatisfied.
"Yaoyao, Father has a fun task for you." Liu Daoyuan said with a smile.
"What task?"
"Go spy on a young man, see what he's doing, and report back to me."
Liu Yaoyao blinked, finding it interesting, and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, which young man, where is he?"
"Let me ask your Uncle Jian Jiu."
Liu Daoyuan took out a sound transmission token, "Jian Jiu, where did you place that young man?"
Soon, Jian Jiu's voice came from the token.
"Outer sect, Green Bamboo Residence."
Liu Daoyuan smiled slightly; Jian Jiu indeed valued that young man highly.
Though Green Bamboo Residence was in the outer area, it was close to the inner area.
Its spiritual energy concentration made it one of the best cultivation spots in the outer area.
Liu Daoyuan turned to Liu Yaoyao.
"You heard that, right? At Green Bamboo Residence. Go check it out when you have time, but remember not to expose yourself, remember..."
"Got it, I know."
Liu Yaoyao turned and ran off, disappearing in a flash.
Liu Daoyuan shook his head helplessly; he hadn't even finished speaking.
But there was no need to give too many instructions. After all, in the sect, no one would dare harm Liu Yaoyao.
***
At this moment.
In Green Bamboo Residence.
Li Qinghai lay quietly on a wooden bed.
Then, his eyes moved slightly and slowly opened.
"Where is this?"
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Li Qinghai muttered.
Suddenly, Li Qinghai remembered something, his eyes widening.
"Wait, I'm not dead?!"
Li Qinghai sat up abruptly, patting his limbs and feeling his body.
His limbs were intact.
His body was healthy.
Li Qinghai was dumbfounded.
He muttered to himself in a daze.
"How am I not dead?"
"This isn't scientific?"
"Wasn't that Yin Laomo supposed to be powerful?"
Hmm?
The Book of Good Fortune seemed to have unread text.
Li Qinghai sensed it.
On the fourth page, a few lines of text appeared.
[You survived a great battle, your luck is extraordinary.]
[Your cycle of fortune has changed.]
[In your next reincarnation, you will gain the fortune of the Child of Destiny!]
What the heck?
Child of Destiny?
Isn't that the protagonist's halo?
I need to die immediately.
Li Qinghai's excited heart, trembling hands.
His eyes darted around, looking for something to end his life.
But he quickly calmed down.
Because he suddenly remembered, suicide would result in soul annihilation...
What's that?
Li Qinghai saw some items on a small wooden table not far away.
He jumped off the bed, walked to the table, and examined them one by one.
A manual, "Qi Condensing Technique."
A Spirit Stone, low grade.
A bottle of pills, Fasting Pills.
An identity token, one side inscribed with Azure Cloud Sect, the other with Outer Disciple.
And a set of outer disciple clothing.
Li Qinghai had read many cultivation novels.
Seeing these items, he immediately made a judgment.
Not only was he not dead, but he had been brought back to the sect by a cultivator.
Outer disciple?
That meant his aptitude was poor.
But that wasn't a problem.
Once he died, in the next life, he'd have the blessing of the Child of Destiny.
Starting off ahead of the pack, what could other cultivators compare with?
Since he was in the sect, dying would be easy.
I'll just provoke a big shot outside and let them slap me to death.
Li Qinghai chuckled.
Just as he was about to leave.
Suddenly, the Book of Good Fortune reacted again.
Chapter 4 - Farming? This is different from the imagined cultivation
Li Qinghai stopped in his tracks and first read the words on the Book of Good Fortune.
[Please note, provoking a cultivator stronger than you is considered a suicidal act.]
[Regarding the judgment of suicide: Death caused by your own actions is your own karma and must be borne by yourself, thus considered suicide.]
[Regarding the judgment of homicide: If you intervene in someone else's affairs, it is primarily their karma, and you do not need to bear it yourself, thus considered homicide.]
[There will be no further reminders, please be aware and treat death with caution.]
This...
Li Qinghai was a bit bewildered.
Karma was truly too mysterious.
For him, a mere mortal who hadn't begun cultivation, it was completely incomprehensible.
But reading comprehension, Li Qinghai could manage.
Suicide was one's own karma.
In other words, even if he did nothing and naturally died of old age, it would be a form of chronic suicide caused by his own karma.
In any case, if he wanted to die, he would have to do it like last time, going out to seek death when others were in the heat of battle.
Only in such a situation would it be considered homicide, using someone else's karma as the fuse.
He understood it now.
But the difficulty of suicide had clearly increased a lot.
Sigh...
Li Qinghai sat helplessly on a chair; the method of finding a powerful cultivator to kill him was no longer viable.
Although he was a little disappointed, he wasn't disheartened.
Because Li Qinghai knew that in the world of cultivation, killing and treasure snatching were too common, and there would be plenty of opportunities to seek death in the future.
Then, Li Qinghai's gaze fell back onto the table.
Without much thought, he reached out and picked up the Qi Condensing Technique.
He had always fantasized about transmigrating and cultivating.
He never expected that one day he would get to experience the joy of cultivation.
Li Qinghai excitedly opened the Qi Condensing Technique and began to read it carefully.
A moment later, Li Qinghai swiftly got onto the bed, sitting cross-legged in a proper manner.
Following the instructions in the technique, he breathed in and out, trying to find the so-called sense of qi.
***
An hour passed just like that.
Not to mention finding any sense of qi, he was almost exhausted to the point of passing out.
Li Qinghai collapsed onto the bed, lying flat.
His legs were numb.
His waist and back ached.
His mind was foggy.
Cultivation was too hard.
Could it be that my aptitude is too poor?
It seemed this body wasn't suitable for cultivation; it needed to be remade.
Just as he was thinking this.
A voice came from outside the house.
"Junior Brother, are you inside?"
Li Qinghai jumped off the bed, opened the door, and saw a chubby man in his twenties standing outside the bamboo fence of the courtyard.
"What is it, Senior Brother?" Li Qinghai asked.
"Elder Jian Jiu instructed me to help you with the daily affairs of the sect."
Jian Jiu?
Li Qinghai had some impression.
Jian Jiu was one of the two cultivators who fought in the small fishing village back then.
Since he saved him, the disciple he entrusted shouldn't be a bad person.
"Please come in, Senior Brother," Li Qinghai invited him in.
After all, he did need to understand the situation of the sect.
The chubby man waddled over to Li Qinghai's side, and the two entered the house together.
They exchanged a few pleasantries and introduced themselves.
It turned out this chubby man was named Wang Dafu, and as his name suggested, he came from a wealthy family.
His ancestors had once helped an immortal, which gave him the opportunity to enter the sect for cultivation.
Although Wang Dafu's aptitude was average, he had connections, so he was previously assigned to the Green Bamboo Residence.
But now the Green Bamboo Residence had been requisitioned by Jian Jiu and given to Li Qinghai.
With Jian Jiu's temperament, he wouldn't forcibly take from an outer disciple.
As compensation, Jian Jiu arranged for Wang Dafu to be placed in the inner area.
From Wang Dafu's beaming expression, it was clear he was very happy.
Jian Jiu was his benefactor, and Li Qinghai indirectly gave him this opportunity.
So, Wang Dafu was both courteous and enthusiastic towards Li Qinghai.
"Junior Brother Li, that's the general situation of the sect. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
Li Qinghai was most concerned about cultivation, "How can one successfully condense qi? Is there any method?"
Wang Dafu chuckled, "I knew Junior Brother would be concerned about this. For outer disciples like us with poor aptitude, it's very difficult to condense qi on our own. The best method is to use Qi Condensing Elixirs. One Qi Condensing Elixir costs five low grade Spirit Stones."
"I see." Li Qinghai finally understood the key to condensing qi.
The two of them chatted about many things, and Li Qinghai, a novice in cultivation, learned quite a bit.
After a long time, Wang Dafu left.
In a great mood, he even left Li Qinghai a small gift.
It wasn't anything precious, just a small bag of herb seeds.
Outer disciples generally had weak strength, and the ways to earn spirit stones were limited.
Especially for a newcomer like Li Qinghai, the only way to earn spirit stones was by farming.
So, farm he would.
***
Li Qinghai went to the courtyard, picked up a hoe, and began to till the land.
The land, nourished by spiritual energy, was very hard, requiring great effort to break it open.
The hoe in his hand was naturally not an ordinary tool.
It was a Common Artifact, the most basic tool in the cultivation world, lacking any offensive properties but much better than mundane farming tools.
Above Common Artifacts were Magic Artifacts, Treasure Artifacts, and Spiritual Treasures...
Those were the real magical treasures used in combat.
But such things were beyond the reach of a small outer disciple like him.
The primary task now was farming.
Li Qinghai dug and dug, laboring for several hours, finally planting all the seeds.
Supporting his aching back, he slowly sat on the doorstep.
Looking at the plot of farmland in the courtyard, Li Qinghai almost cried.
This was nothing like the cultivation he had imagined.
He had always envisioned cultivation as flying on swords, roaming the world freely.
Where was the farming in that picture?
Moreover, according to Wang Dafu's explanation, these herb seeds were Qi Gathering Grass.
Based on the yield and age ratio.
If harvested in a month, they could be exchanged for 1 to 2 spirit stones.
If harvested in half a year, they could be exchanged for 6 to 10 spirit stones.
If harvested in a year, they could be exchanged for 15 to 20 spirit stones.
Which meant it would take about half a year to exchange for one Qi Condensing Elixir...
And using a Qi Condensing Elixir didn't guarantee successful qi condensation.
There was a record of the worst aptitude disciple in the Azure Cloud Sect taking a full 9 Qi Condensing Elixirs to successfully condense qi.
If he were like that disciple...
The scene was too tragic to bear.
Wait a minute.
Why do I have to cultivate?
Wouldn't it be better to reincarnate in the next life and cultivate then?
Besides, once I start cultivating, my strength will increase, making it even harder to die, right?
Damn.
I was so focused on experiencing the joy of cultivation that I forgot about this.
I have a cheat, and seeking death is the most important thing right now, not farming for spirit stones.
Looking at the spiritual field in the courtyard, Li Qinghai's face twitched.
An entire afternoon wasted...
His body was tired, and his heart even more so.
Forget it, time to sleep.
Rest well, and rise early tomorrow to reincarnate.