Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Chen Li was carrying a big bag of Demon Beast Meat as he followed into Zhang Yan’s home.

The ground and the table were covered with a thick layer of dust, which suggested that it had not been cleaned for a long time; noticing also a few ’fresh’ and disorderly footprints on the floor, it was clear that Zhang Yan and his daughter had not come out from underground today.

"Fellow Daoist, you must be laughing at me, my home is a bit messy; it hasn’t been cleaned for a long time!" Noticing Chen Li’s scrutiny, Zhang Yan’s face showed a bit of embarrassment.

It seems his skin is not thick enough yet.

For someone like Chen Li who lived underground all the time, this was nothing.

"It’s only natural, where is the tunnel entrance? Let me help you take the meat down."

"No need, no need, that would be too much trouble for you. Shuniang, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and move the meat into the tunnel." Zhang Yan was too embarrassed to let Chen Li help any further and quickly ordered Zhang Shuniang.

Zhang Shuniang obediently said, "Oh," and was about to step forward to take the big cloth bag from Chen Li.

"Never mind; I’ll do it. How can you expect a young girl to carry a few hundred pounds? Be careful not to fall again. Where is the tunnel? Young Zhang, lead the way."

"Father!" Zhang Shuniang looked uncertain and glanced at her father.

"Well... in that case, I won’t refuse. Shuniang, take him there."

"It’s just a small effort." Chen Li said.

"Oh, Uncle Chen, follow me." Zhang Shuniang said.

The entrance to the tunnel was located in the kitchen, and after just a few steps, they reached it. The entrance had a wooden staircase leading to the dark underground, wet and slippery from humidity and seepage, unfortunately.

This basement... would have been better off being like his own, a vertical tunnel with ropes to climb up and down.

"Uncle, the path below is a bit slippery and dark; you must be careful when you walk, earlier I..."

Zhang Shuniang was leading the way and speaking when, because of the slippery ground compounded by the darkness, she suddenly slipped mid-sentence, screamed "Aah aah," and looked like she was about to tumble down the stairs.

Chen Li was quick to react; he reached out and grabbed the collar of her neck, lifting her up with ease.

A fourteen-or fifteen-year-old slender girl couldn’t weigh much; for him, she was as light as lifting a chick.

"Young Zhang, be careful!"

Chen Li carefully put her back on her feet.

"Shuniang, what happened!" Zhang Yan, hearing the noise, called out anxiously.

"Father, it’s nothing!" Zhang Shuniang was still a bit shaken and stole a glance at Chen Li with a flushed face, quickly shouting, "I just slipped a little."

In this shanty town, where everyone was cautious of each other and seldom interacted, Zhang Shuniang mostly kept indoors without her father at home. This close encounter with an outside male was her first.

"Be more careful when walking; really, you’re no help at all! Chen, you’re okay, right?" Zhang Yan shouted.

"I’m fine, though the path is indeed quite slippery." Chen Li replied.

"That’s a relief, that’s a relief. It’s just inexperience, next time I’ll take up these planks and spread some fine sand." Zhang Yan said.

The tunnel was less than ten meters deep, and with caution, it took them less than half a minute to reach the bottom.

There was a dim oil lamp lit underground. The space was cramped and the air was filled with a strong lingering medicinal scent, in contrast to his own twenty-meter-deep, well-built, spacious, and comfortable basement.

This place was as crude and cramped as a slum.

"Where do I put the meat?" Chen Li asked.

"Uncle, just put it in the pickling vat over there." Zhang Shuniang thought for a moment and then said.

...

After they came out, Chen Li suggested to Zhang Yan:

"Zhang, your shelter just won’t do. I have experienced Second Order Demon Beasts firsthand and know too well how formidable they are. If we encounter such creatures, your shelter simply won’t hold up. It’s dug too shallowly, has no escape routes, you can only wait for death.

I think you might as well hire a few more workers and build a new shelter in the ruins next to my house. It won’t take much time. In case of problems, we can look out for each other."

In this world, Chen Li knew the importance of having a good neighbor.

The saying that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors is indeed true.

Zhang Yan was not a weak cultivator and had ample wealth and steady income. With a daughter to look after, the few interactions had given Chen Li a favorable impression of him as a solid and honest person trying to live an honest life.

Zhang Yan was somewhat tempted by the words, yet somewhat reluctant to waste Spirit Stones.

If they ended up not being needed...

Wouldn’t it be a loss!

He hesitated, saying, "I’ll think about it, think about it..."

Chen Li had just made a suggestion and, seeing the other party’s hesitation, decided to drop the subject.

After some more idle chat, he stood up to bid farewell.

...

Zhang Yan was absent for two whole days.

Chen Li thought he had given up.

The third day dawned, and Zhang Yan hurried over, looking worried and haggard. It was only upon questioning that I learned his home vicinity had been attacked by demon beasts. In a single night, several loose cultivators had met with disaster. Seeing such a tragic state, he felt like his seat was on fire and could no longer remain seated.

After he visited Chen Li’s ’magnificent’ underground dwelling, he immediately declared his intention to construct one just like it.

In the following days, Zhang Yan was busy hiring a copious amount of laborers in the vicinity to dig out and build houses, so there’s no need to go into detail.

Meanwhile, Chen Li drew ever closer to the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation.

...

Perhaps it was because the cultivation technique had been greatly optimized that, other than getting stuck for a while when moving from the third layer to the fourth, the progression from four to six was just like water flowing into a channel, entirely natural.

Without even a hint of ceremony.

Late one night,

The spiritual power inside Chen Li’s body, driven by growing spiritual pressure, was directed by his will into another tiny branch in the pathway of flowing energy, expanding the network within and growing more complex.

"Boom!"

His body vibrated.

He opened his eyes.

In that instant, a flicker of light seemed to pass through his eyes before fading away gradually.

"Finally, the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation. The next step is just a stone’s throw away from the late phase of Qi Cultivation..." a smile of joy appeared on Chen Li’s face.

The first to third layers are considered the early phase of Qi Cultivation, the fourth to sixth layers the middle phase, and the seventh to ninth layers the late phase. There is also the great completion of Qi Cultivation to be achieved before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

The sixth layer is the peak of the middle phase of Qi Cultivation.

Overjoyed for a while, Chen Li opened the game panel.

[Name: Chen Li]

[Life Span: 41/125 years]

[Realm: Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation: 1/100]

[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Skill Master: 210/1600]

[Skills:]

Talisman Making: Cleaning Talisman Master: 356/400; Silencing Talisman Master: 21/400; Path-Finding Talisman Master: 11/400; Evil-Repelling Talisman Proficient: 185/200; Arrow-Evasion Talisman Proficient: 35/200; Featherweight Talisman Proficient: 8/200

Spells: Spiritual Power Finger Snap Grandmaster: 3200/3200; Scolding Skill Expert: 543/800; Traction Skill Master: 350/400; Palm Thunder Master: 88/400

Swordsmanship: Basic Swordsmanship Expert: 724/800;

[Divine Skills: None]

Looking at the lifespan of 125 years,

Chen Li couldn’t help but sigh.

Setting aside the dangers of this world,

Such days were actually quite pleasant.

A long lifespan, and the foreseeable future with an even longer lifespan meant there was no need to worry about life’s end approaching too quickly.

Of course, first you have to be strong enough.

To survive all kinds of sudden calamities.

Even the strong Golden Core Ancestors couldn’t avoid misfortunes.

The joy on his face gradually faded, and Chen Li stood up and walked out of the talisman workshop to the courtyard.

On this deep summer night, amidst the noisy chirping of insects and a refreshing breeze, Chen Li habitually began planning his next steps:

"At the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation, I could learn the ’Hemostasis Healing Skill’."

However, he didn’t plan to invest much effort into this skill solely meant for healing; being able to learn and use it proficiently would suffice.

He would instead focus his energy on the various offensive spells.

After all, no matter how expertly one mastered such healing spells, facing a formidable enemy, they would be of no use—if you’re meant to die, you will die.

"Additionally, there are the ’Demon Expelling Talisman’ and ’Amulet’... but those will have to wait; I simply don’t have the energy right now..."

At this thought, he snapped back to reality and sighed inwardly.

I was indeed born to toil; there’s never a moment to rest.

I hope that once my strength increases, I could get a bit of respite.

At that moment, a faint scream could be heard in the distance, seemingly not too far away.

"You beast, today you shall celebrate my breakthrough to the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation!"

Chen Li grabbed a second-order magic sword, checked the Amulet and Featherweight Talisman on his body, then leapt over the courtyard wall and swiftly followed the sounds.