Since I have come into this world, I must not miss the Immortality Dao!
Though he possessed great determination and perseverance, there were more pressing matters demanding his attention. Three years of cultivation had left him in a dire situation — his previous self wasn't engaged in production or trade. The money he brought to the mountain was now nearly depleted, leaving him with nothing but a cooking small tripod, a set of writing tools - ink, brush, paper, and inkstone. Beyond these, there was no spare wealth to speak of, forcing him to rely on wild vegetables to stave off hunger.
When even survival is difficult, how can one dream of seeking the Immortal Dao?
Cultivation isn't about retreating deep into the mountains, untouched by the smoke and dust of the human world; in reality, it's an endeavor that consumes vast amounts of resources. For those not born into a wealthy household, sustaining the practice is easier said than done.
Of course, those naturally gifted individuals, chosen by the Masters, were a different matter entirely.
But for someone like Zhang Yan, who took the initiative to climb the mountain as a Dao Seeker, he had to shoulder every expense himself.
Over the past few days, Zhang Yan had been brooding over how to resolve the predicament before him. Finally, a method emerged in his mind: if the plan was carried out skillfully, not only could it alleviate his current plight, but it might also bring him into the Shanyuan Temple Master's attention.
However, this method carried considerable risk; one misstep could lead to utter ruin. But since fate had presented him with this opportunity, to abandon his pursuit of the Dao and descend the mountain was absolutely impossible.
He could only move forward; retreat was not an option.
As the saying goes, the arrow is nocked and must be released!
In his view, the previous Zhang Yan only knew how to confine himself to closed-door cultivation, failing to uncover his own latent resources.
Because his former self hailed from a scholarly background, he had poured considerable effort into studying the unique script used by cultivators — the "Erosion Text."
Almost all Daoist tomes were written in this script, which could be said to be the foundation of cultivation.
In Zhang Yan's opinion, the Erosion Text resembled less a script and more a "code" for cultivators. Each Erosion Text character contained infinite meanings; when they formed sentences, decoding them felt as inscrutable as a heavenly book. To comprehend them required not only inherent talent and insight but also the use of bamboo divinations to calculate and deduce the general outline, followed by meticulous contemplation to achieve understanding.
Such interpretation relied half on divination and half on conjecture, often consuming vast amounts of time. It was anything but efficient; it wasn't uncommon for people to spend three to five years scrutinizing a Daoist book without grasping its essence. Many cultivators struggled greatly with this.
If one wasn't willing to painstakingly grind away time, one could seek instruction from the Masters in Shanyuan Temple. But whether one had the "fate" to gain their guidance was another matter.
Perhaps benefitting from the fortune of being reincarnated across two lifetimes, Zhang Yan — already possessing a natural aptitude for the Erosion Text — now found his thoughts even sharper and more agile. His divinations and deductions were not only seldom wrong, but his speed had increased several-fold compared to before, giving him the ability to assist others in deciphering the Erosion Text in exchange for money.
But this alone was still insufficient.
He clutched the Broken Jade in his hand, a faint smile emerging on his face. With this artifact, his confidence soared even higher.
Raising his head, he glanced at the sky. It was already the Hour of the Dragon, with daylight shining brightly outside, and mountain mist dispersing. He stood up tall, carrying the bamboo basket he had prepared long ago, holding a bamboo banner in his hand, and calmly walked out.
His residence was a cave mansion carved into the rock walls of Shanyuan Temple's cliffs, specifically designed for Dao Seekers visiting the mountain to meditate and lodge. Outside the cave mansion, a wooden plank walkway was built for passage. The outer side of the walkway lacked guardrails, exposing a sheer cliff dropping thousands of feet below, intimidating all who gazed upon it.
But after living here alone for three years, Zhang Yan had long regarded the scene before him as a flat and steady path. Naturally, he moved with ease, stepping directly onto the walkway and heading straight down the mountain path.
Cangwu Mountain had eighteen peaks and thirty-six streams. At Yueqiong Peak's summit, there lay a flat and smooth boulder referred to as "Thousand People Rock." Every dawn, as the red sun rose and vibrant clouds soared, several hundred disciples from Shanyuan Temple would rise early to exhale the old and inhale the new, absorbing Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.
The journey from Zhang Yan's residence at Star Gazing Peak to Thousand Feet Rock took about an hour on foot. By the time he arrived, the morning session of cultivation practice had long ended. Only a few disciples gathered in small groups of threes and fives, exchanging insights on cultivation. Zhang Yan paid them no mind, choosing instead to locate a wide-open spot with a good view.
He seated himself at a stone bench in a cool pavilion, then placed the bamboo banner upright, arranged his writing tools, and sat there silently with his eyes closed.
Soon, someone ascended the stone steps leading to the pavilion. The newcomer glanced at the bamboo banner and then at Zhang Yan, his gaze sharp as he said, "Explaining Erosion Dao Books? Brother, judging by your cultivation level, you dare to boast of such claims?"
The man looked to be in his twenties, stocky and broad-shouldered. His robust frame stood out further by his rolled-up Daoist robe sleeves, which exposed taut and muscular arms. His eyes shone brightly, and his complexion carried a faint jade-like luster — an indication that his Foundation Building was complete, and he had stepped into the "Condensing Yuan and Manifesting Intent" realm. Those with such cultivation were not to be taken lightly.