Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

The next day, when he got up, the sky was already bright.

Chen Li was helped into his clothes by Zhou Hong.

Zhou Hong’s face was rosy, her eyes watery, radiating a surprising amount of charm.

Environment shapes the spirit, and nurture shapes the body.

When they first met, she was sharp-tongued and fiery, a true image of a loose cultivator; now, after so many years, not only has her body become more nourished and full, but her personality has also turned gentle like water, nearly a different person from before.

He couldn’t help but kiss her.

"Naughty!" Zhou Hong felt delighted inside, but feigned annoyance, "I just applied my lipstick, and you’ve smudged it again. Wasn’t last night enough for you? My body is still sore and weak today, you’re such a stubborn ox."

"Heh, a lifetime wouldn’t be enough!" Chen Li laughed.

If only it really could last a lifetime, Zhou Hong thought.

...

After washing up, Chen Li walked into the dining hall.

Zhang Shuniang had already prepared breakfast and was waiting for him. Seeing Chen Li come out, she hurriedly brought the warmed dishes from the kitchen, bustling about and blushing, busy like a nimble little bird.

Chen Li stopped her to inquire about her recent cultivation progress.

He learned that she had reached the peak of the fourth level of Qi Cultivation months ago but had yet to show any signs of a breakthrough.

This was a situation many encountered, not due to lack of cultivation speed, but because they were stuck at a bottleneck, unable to break through.

Chen Li offered her a few words of encouragement.

After breakfast, he left the cave abode.

Thick fog pervaded the mountains in the early morning.

The air was fresh, mixed with the scent of decaying wood and leaves; he did not use any techniques and naturally flew up toward the mountaintop.

His goal for this trip was to find a suitable shop to consign the fifty-odd Golden Light Body Protection Talismans he had painted recently.

Foundation Establishment cultivators within the sect had various means to earn money.

The simplest was to plant spirit flowers and grasses.

Each Foundation Establishment cave dwelling comes with several acres of courtyard space, all rich in spiritual energy and considered third-order spirit lands. Hire a few experienced mortal servants to plant anything, and you can harvest ten to twenty mid-grade Spirit Stones each year.

With the stipend and mission rewards,

the income would be about two to three top-grade Spirit Stones a year.

Such an income doesn’t allow for a luxurious lifestyle, but it’s just enough to cover the annual expenses of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, it does mean living a tight life, without thinking about buying better magic artifacts, robes, or formations.

Of course, if one chooses to be content with what they have,

without much hope for the future path,

such income ensures a life that is both easy and pleasant.

Next, there are artisans like Chen Li.

In the world of cultivation, the three arts are alchemy, artifact refining, and talisman painting. Although talisman painting ranks last, it is superior to some and not as good as others.

Lastly, there is the management of commerce. In Luoluo City and in the various markets, large and small shops, and some major businesses, are all controlled by Foundation Establishment forces.

Especially the large Foundation Establishment families, their vast families and numerous talents permeate all industries. Besides paying hefty rents, they still make a fortune every day.

Whether it was the former Longevity Sect or the now Returning True Sect, they basically do not levy any taxes on Luoluo City or the big markets, or rather, they collect it in another special form of tax.

That is the rent.

Whether it’s the shantytown at the foot of the mountain or the houses in Luoluo City, they are only for rent, never for sale.

As for the shops, Chen Li knew they were even harder to secure, requiring bidding every ten years, with only Foundation Establishment cultivators eligible to participate. Unfortunately, he reached Foundation Establishment too late, and by now, the shops in Luoluo City and all the major markets had already been divided up a few years ago.

However, on second thought,

If he had reached Foundation Establishment a few years earlier, he might have been embroiled in the disarray of the Longevity Sect’s collapsing ship. Whether he would still be alive today was a matter of luck.

Descending from the sky, Chen Li walked another hundred meters and arrived at a talisman store of the Returning True Sect. He quickly negotiated a price with the shopkeeper, agreeing to buy at 22 low-grade Spirit Stones per talisman, with a delivery once a month.

After sorting out this minor affair, Chen Li went to the pharmacy and purchased fifty bottles each of the Gathering Qi Elixir and Body Tempering Elixir before swiftly returning.

...

Since joining the Returning True Sect, Chen Li spent his days cultivating within the sect, living a peaceful and leisurely life.

Time flew like a fleeting horse, and in the blink of an eye, a year and a half had passed.

One deep night,

’Realm: Foundation Establishment first layer: 37/100’

’Cultivation Technique: Longevity Skill (Foundation Establishment Chapter) Grandmaster: 1632/3200’

In the quiet room, Chen Li opened his eyes and checked his game panel, "Phew, I’ve made a bit more progress!"

He calculated with his fingers:

"The last time was ten days ago... Once Longevity Skill is maxed out, I estimate it can be shortened to around six days or so."

The pace of cultivation during the Foundation Establishment Stage was much slower than that of the Qi Cultivation Stage.

And this was just from the first to the second layer of Foundation Establishment. As his cultivation level rose, it would inevitably become even slower, not to mention potential bottlenecks. If he managed to complete Foundation Establishment within fifty years, it would already be quite an achievement.

"In fifty years, I will also be a hundred years old. If Zhou Hong is unable to reach Foundation Establishment by then..."

He quickly restrained his thoughts from wandering further.

In the past year, Zhang Shuniang had advanced to the fifth level of the Qi Cultivation Stage, while Zhou Hong was still stagnating at the seventh level.

Chen Li sometimes wondered what exactly was this talent for cultivation, it seemed to be like intelligence, predetermined from birth. Both women had no lack of elixirs, and had access to third-order Spirit Grass fields, yet their cultivation pace remained incredibly slow.

Zhang Shuniang’s talent was slightly better than Zhou Hong’s.

But compared to the Inner Sect Disciples, it fell short. This year, Zhang Shuniang turned twenty, and the standard for the Inner Sect Disciples of the Returning True Sect was to reach the seventh phase of Qi Cultivation before twenty.

Chen Li had also taught Zhou Hong the maxed out Longevity Skill (Qi Cultivation Chapter).

Unfortunately, after Zhou Hong practiced it, not only did her cultivation not speed up, but she almost suffered a Qi deviation and came close to cultivating into madness.

Clearly, Longevity Skill was optimized based on him, tailor-made for his needs.

"The two-year buffer period is almost over, and I won’t have this leisure time anymore," Chen Li said, patting his robes and standing up from his meditation mat.

Yet, he wasn’t particularly fearful.

During these two years, he had not been idle.

The Zhou Tian Gang Strength and the Evil-Breaking Skill had both been leveled up to max.

The maxed-out Zhou Tian Gang Strength, in particular, could be used for both offense and defense, with a protective force comparable to a Second Order second-level technique. It activated instantly and could maintain its effect for thirty seconds—more than enough to resolve a battle.

And his biggest advantage lay in his versatility; he had a strong capability to survive a wide array of situations.

For scouting, he had Far Sight Skill, Earth Listening Technique, Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill, Qi-watching Skill, and Penetrating Vision Skill.

For attack, he had Zhou Tian Gang Strength, swordsmanship, Magic Artifacts, and various auxiliary offensive techniques like Flash Skill and Scolding Skill.

For escaping, he had Yuan Magnetism Evasion Skill, Invisibility Technique, and Breath-Concealing Skill.

Whether dealing with cultivators, Evil Wraiths, or large-sized Demon Beasts, he had appropriate countermeasures; as long as he didn’t encounter something too powerful, he might not necessarily be without a chance to fight back, even with his mid Foundation Establishment Stage strength.

PS: It’s tough over the New Year... That’s all for today!