Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

```

Chen Li hurriedly took several deep breaths, adjusting his frantic emotions.

"Don't panic, at least I'm still a Cultivator, which is much better than transmigrating as a commoner," he reassured himself.

The memory of the Longevity Skill in his mind was incredibly clear, which gave him some comfort that the situation hadn't reached a terrible state.

"Right, there are also the original body's possessions! Even a broken ship has three pounds of nails," Chen Li thought with a flicker of hope.

The room wasn't too large, divided into a bedroom, kitchen, living room, and a special talisman-making room, totaling about a hundred square meters. With a flurry of rummaging, and with the help of the original owner's vague memory, Chen Li quickly sorted out the previous owner's belongings.

The loot was quite abundant:

Over a dozen pounds of gold.

Five volumes of old books.

A huge pile of worn animal hides.

Five low-grade talismans.

A set of low-grade magical instruments, the Willow Leaf Darts (six in total).

A number of bottles and jars containing the blood of spirit beasts.

A complete set of tools for making talismans.

An ordinary longsword.

Over two hundred pounds of firewood.

Besides, there was enough low-quality Spirit Rice in the rice bin to last five or six days.

In his memory, this kind of rice was quite expensive. Just this amount of rice was valuable; it was used by the original owner to aid his cultivation and was one of the major expenses every month.

Of course, the most valuable among all the inheritances was undoubtedly the set of low-grade magical instruments, "Willow Leaf Darts."

In fact, they were on Chen Li's waistband, three on each side. Each dart was less than two inches long, with a color like jade, shaped like a willow leaf, and the design was exquisite. If it weren't for the sudden flash of memory, he would have thought they were simply ornaments.

"If I sold these things, they should be worth quite a bit of money, right?" Chen Li mused to himself.

Of course, that was just a thought. These were life-saving tools, and unless he could not survive, he definitely wouldn't sell them.

His hand gently touched the Willow Leaf Darts, and feeling the potency of this powerful weapon, a sense of security settled in his heart.

According to the vague memory, operating these magical instruments was not complicated.

The key point was speed.

As long as spiritual power was activated, they could be launched swiftly, essentially foolproof.

Chen Li was eager to try them out, but after looking around and at the door, he ultimately refrained.

The sky was beginning to darken.

...

Late at night.

A round moon, bright as snow, cast a silvery glow across the heavens.

The dirty and messy shantytown lost the clamor of the daytime, and if not for the occasional eerie howls piercing the silence, everything seemed remarkably tranquil and peaceful.

Chen Li huddled under a musty blanket, his hand lightly resting on the Willow Leaf Darts at his waist, his concentration focused on any slight sound outside, not feeling the slightest bit sleepy.

This was his first night in this strange and mystical world.

Oppression, helplessness, confusion, loneliness, fear!

The negative emotions that weren't too pronounced during the day erupted like a volcano on this quiet night, completely uncontrollable.

Unable to sleep, and instead of ruminating endlessly, he simply got out of bed.

He snapped his fingers, and the next moment a red flame sprang up from his fingertip,

A faint smile tugged at Chen Li's lips, but it lasted less than a second before his heart sank again.

This trick didn't even qualify as a spell; it was merely a simple application of spiritual power. Anyone at the first layer of Qi Cultivation could easily master it after a bit of contemplation. As for other abilities, he still hadn't recalled them and might need some more stimulus.

Chen Li let out a long sigh and went to the room dedicated to making talismans, lighting the oil lamp.

He then scooped a basin of water from the kitchen's water tank, intending to wash his face and refresh himself.

The face reflected in the water was strange to him.

It was the face of a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, honest and simple yet with a hint of cunning gained from worldly experiences. He must have been rather handsome in his youth, but by now, he was clearly aged, like cured meat.

This was the first time he had taken a good look at this unfamiliar self.

There was an eerie feeling, as if another person was watching him.

Chen Li involuntarily averted his gaze.

"Splash"

The calm water surface was disturbed.

Chen Li hastily washed his face, suppressing the abrupt acceleration of his heartbeat, and took out the stack of books to read by lamplight.

All these volumes were handwritten manuscripts with scribbled handwriting on yellowing, coarse paper with frayed edges, evidently cherished and frequently read by the original owner.

There were a total of five volumes.

"Common Spells of Qi Cultivating Monks"

"Methods of Making Eight Kinds of Talismans"

"Spiritual Medicine Identification"

"Experience in Talisman Making by Inner Sect Disciples of the Longevity Sect"

```

"Feign Death Escape Skill"

When he saw the last book, Chen Li's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

"Surviving in this world is not easy. In my previous life, I never had to study things like these," he sighed, not knowing for how many times that day.

"I'll start with 'The Craftsmanship of Eight Kinds of Talismans' first."

"I at least need a means of livelihood to survive in this world. As for the rest, I can only take one step at a time."

Chen Li picked up the book, concentrated, and began to read.

The book recorded eight kinds of talismans: Cleaning Talisman, Silencing Talisman, Direction Talisman, Evil-Repelling Talisman, Arrow-Evasion Talisman, Featherweight Talisman, Demon Expelling Talisman, and Amulet. He read them effortlessly, relying on the fragmented memories of the original host and a strange sense of déjà vu.

He could quickly understand everything he read.

His spirits lifted.

"However, of these eight talismans, the original host probably could only craft the first four. The last four are way beyond the capability of someone with just the third layer of Qi Cultivation," he thought to himself.

In just a few minutes, he had memorized all the key points for crafting the Cleaning Talisman.

Chen Li felt an itch in his hands and couldn't resist trying to craft one himself.

He took out a piece of yellowing talisman paper from a sheaf, much more durable than normal paper, often used as a medium for low-level talismans.

For something a little more advanced, specially treated animal hide was needed to bear the spiritual power.

Like the Evil-Repelling Talisman.

A viable piece of hide for talisman drawing must be thinned to a cicada's wing and utterly smooth without obvious wrinkles.

Undoubtedly, mastering this was another essential skill for talisman crafting.

...

Talisman crafting is a meticulous job, with many intricate preliminary rituals involved.

Focusing the mind.

Calming the qi.

And incantations for blessings from the heavens and the earth.

Each ritual was complicated in its own way.

The first two were meant to calm the spirit, while the last was more about hoping for some mysterious force and luck from the universe.

Chen Li, trying talisman crafting for the first time, didn't resist the steps at all and complied earnestly with each procedure, performing them meticulously and repeating everything thrice.

Perhaps it was psychological, but after completing all the rituals,

he felt serene, as if all negative emotions had been swept away.

"Now is the time."

He took a deep breath, opened a bottle of beast blood, and dipped his talisman brush in it.

He began his first talisman crafting attempt.

He held his breath, his gaze focused and serious. At the same time, gentle spiritual power flowed from his palm through the tip of the brush, delivering it evenly and steadily while the blood-soaked tip danced on the talisman paper, moving as smoothly as a dragon or snake, like flowing clouds and streaming water.

Before he started, Chen Li was somewhat tentative, deliberately controlling his movements, and his body was stiff and unnatural. But as soon as the brush touched the paper, somehow, he began acting on instinct.

The same movements seemed as if they had been performed countless times by this body, becoming second nature, as natural and aided as if by divine intervention.

As the talisman neared completion,

he couldn't help but let his focus relax slightly.

"Poof!"

A burst of flame arose, and the talisman paper ignited spontaneously.

Chen Li jerked back in surprise.

Fortunately, he quickly came to his senses and, in a frantic rush, grabbed a torn rag nearby to extinguish the flames.

"I'm too impatient; it was just a little bit off," Chen Li threw the rag aside, suppressing the stirring excitement in his heart.

After pacing back and forth to completely calm his emotions, he began his second attempt.

And this time, there were no accidents.

As Chen Li watched the fading glow of the Cleaning Talisman, he hadn't yet had the chance to rejoice when suddenly, the light in front of him twisted, and a screen appeared.

[Name: Chen Li] 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

[Lifespan: 40/98 years]

[Realm: Qi Cultivation Third Layer: 31/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Skill Proficiency: 23/200]

[Skills:

Talisman Crafting: Beginner Cleaning Talisman: 1/100]

[Divine Skills: None]

Chen Li stared at it for a good while, and, seeing no other abnormalities, his stiff body gradually came to life.

He suddenly realized that it seemed he wasn't the only one who had crossed over to this world alone.

"This... this is clearly a game panel."

Thinking back to the game he was playing before crossing over, which boasted no monster grinding, but an extreme grind for progress, Chen Li wished he could give himself a few good slaps.

"Games really do take a toll on people."