A second life, An Eternal journey to Immortality

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For the next month, Jiang Cheng returned to his ordinary life—drawing talismans, selling them, buying pills, eating monster meat, cultivating, and generally enjoying life.

At dawn, he would set up his stall in the marketplace, exchanging his meticulously crafted Middle Fireball Talismans for spirit stones. By midday, he'd already be counting his earnings while chewing on a roasted beast leg. Then, in the afternoon, he'd either focus on cultivation or head out to procure materials for more talismans.

It was a comfortable routine, and his wallet was finally starting to recover from the medicinal bath expenses.

Today marked a full month since Jiang Cheng's last medicinal bath. Without hesitation, he prepared his materials, arranged everything meticulously, and then—like a seasoned veteran—jumped into the cauldron once more.

The scalding medicinal liquid surged through his body, igniting a familiar burning pain. However, unlike the first time, Jiang Cheng quickly adapted. His muscles tensed, but he remained composed. His tolerance had grown, and his body had become accustomed to the process.

Three hours passed.

He emerged from the cauldron, casting a cleaning technique over himself to remove the lingering medicinal residue. Then, with a practiced efficiency, he devoured a hearty meal of spirit beast meat, replenishing his energy.

Feeling the surge of Qi within his body, Jiang Cheng returned to his quiet room, sitting cross-legged as he entered deep meditation.

This time, as he absorbed the medicinal effects, he could sense the subtle but profound transformations taking place within him. His meridians had widened even further, his muscles carried an explosive strength, and his bones felt sturdier than ever.

The spiritual energy in the void stirred, converging toward him like rivers flowing into the sea. Threads of pure Qi poured into his meridians, nourishing his flesh, bones, and dantian.

Four months had passed since his last breakthrough.

With the continuous support of spiritual rice, spirit-gathering pills, and the dense energy within his cave, his cultivation had advanced steadily. Now, he stood at the precipice—the peak of Qi Training Fifth Level.

He estimated that tonight would be the night he finally stepped into the Sixth Level of Qi Training.

As time passed and night fell, Jiang Cheng's breathing deepened. His body trembled slightly as the energy within him began to surge violently, like a dam about to burst.

Then—

BOOM!

A surge of spiritual energy erupted within his dantian, spreading through his meridians like a raging river breaking through its banks. The room trembled slightly, and the lingering medicinal energy from his past baths activated, reinforcing his breakthrough.

Qi Training Sixth Level—achieved!

Jiang Cheng struck while the iron was hot, running the Longevity Technique several more times to stabilize his cultivation. His spiritual energy circulated smoothly, settling into a more refined and controlled state.

After what felt like an eternity, he slowly opened his eyes.

A sharp light flickered in his gaze, full of confidence and hidden power.

"My cultivation has reached the sixth level of Qi training, my spiritual strength has deepened, and…" He clenched his fist, feeling the terrifying force within.

"My body… has changed again. My arm strength has reached nearly seven thousand kilograms."

Jiang Cheng exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling the transformation in every fiber of his being. His muscles felt compact and full of explosive force, his bones sturdy like tempered steel.

Putting aside the increase in mana, this was what satisfied him the most.

A true foundation for power.

Jiang Cheng sat in quiet contemplation, feeling the newfound power coursing through his body. His Qi was denser, his muscles tougher, and his strength had surged to a terrifying level.

But despite his satisfaction, a sense of regret lingered in his heart.

"Sigh… if only I had a proper soul cultivation technique."

Although his physical body had been greatly enhanced through medicinal baths and his cultivation progress was steady, his soul remained stagnant with his level . He had read many records about the importance of soul strength—without it, even the most powerful body would eventually hit a bottleneck.

A strong soul could enhance divine sense, mental resilience, and even allow techniques that affected the mind. In battles against more advanced cultivators, a weak soul meant an easy defeat.

Even in daily life, a powerful soul had benefits.

Faster comprehension of techniques.

Greater resistance to soul attacks.

Enhanced ability to refine talismans and artifacts.

But soul cultivation techniques were rare and extremely valuable. Even in the Qinglin Sect, only inner disciples or those with great merit had access to them.

Jiang Cheng sighed again and shook his head.

"No point dwelling on it now. If I don't have one, I'll just have to find a way to get one!"

He clenched his fist, determination flickering in his eyes.

For now, he would continue strengthening his foundation, earning more spirit stones, and looking for opportunities. A soul cultivation technique… sooner or later, he would get his hands on one.

However, there was no rush.

Jiang Cheng glanced outside, noticing the sun already high in the sky. "Time flies so quickly when you're meditating," he sighed. Rising from his seat, he stretched and made his way to the kitchen for a meal. After satisfying his hunger, he returned to his desk, prepared a fresh stack of talisman paper, and settled down again.

"The time Has came, he murmured to himself, a sense of anticipation rising within him. "Today, I'll attempt to create a new talisman—Piercing Wind talisman, one of middle grade, infused with the attributes of wind, Fires an arrow of compressed wind at high speed.

It had been a journey of countless errors and mistakes, each one a lesson in itself. But at last, after much trial and error, Jiang Cheng felt the stirrings of success. The wind element was notoriously difficult to manipulate, but he had succeeded. His success rate in drawing the talisman had reached a solid 70%.

"Seventy percent is enough, you can try to draw the fireball talisman."

Peace of mind.

Calm.

After reciting the Calming Mantra silently several times to put his body into a state of stillness, Jiang Cheng began to draw the Piercing Wind talisman.

I have experience in drawing in dreams, and the first piercing wind symbol was drawn successfully.

Taking advantage of the hot state, successfully drew piercing wind symbols one after another.

For the next period of time, Jiang Cheng was immersed in drawing the piercing wind talisman.

....

Meanwhile, Taoist Yan's real estate speculation business had taken off with astonishing speed.

He forged influential connections and attracted several monks from prominent families. Together, they snapped up all the remaining fifth-class caves outside Puchan Town.

Then, with a cunning strategy, they raised the prices—merely one to two hundred low-grade spirit stones above the norm—and resold the cave houses to spiritual farmers, casual cultivators,

And only for sale, not for rent.

At first, spiritual farmers and the low-level casual cultivators had a big fight with Taoist Yan over this.

But because most of Taoist Yan and others are tyrannical, some of them are related to the law enforcement team of Puchan Town .

The only people who will suffer in the end are the spiritual farmers and the low-level casual cultivators.

In addition, Taoist Yan and others' pricing is very clever. The price of each fifth-level cave is only one to two hundred lower-grade spiritual stones higher than the normal price.

Spiritual farmers and the low-level casual cultivators gritted their teeth, but they were still able to get together.

Although they were unwilling to do so, they could only admit it by pinching their noses and handed the spirit stones into the hands of Taoist Yan .

A fifth-level cave house can earn one or two hundred low-grade spiritual stones. Once the number is large, Taoist Yan and others will naturally make a lot of money.

Relying on this business, Taoist Yan bought the third-class cave where he now lives.

This shows how much money he made.

Taoist Yan lamented for Jiang Cheng more than once, saying that if Jiang Cheng had been involved, he would have bought the cave he now lives in just like him.

Jiang Cheng just smiled and didn't care too much.

...

A month later, Jiang Cheng had successfully drawn three hundred and seventy-five Piercing Wind Talismans, with his success rate still hovering around 70%. It seemed incredibly difficult to improve any further.

"I think once I break through to the late stage of Qi Refining, my success rate will improve beyond 70%," Jiang Cheng thought to himself, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

As night fell, Jiang Cheng sighed, "I'm a little tired. Time to rest. Tomorrow, I'll go sell my new products." With a smile on his face, he settled into bed and drifted off to sleep, feeling content.

...

Beyond the Tianmin world, far beyond countless galaxies, in the uncharted reaches of the universe, lies the fabled Void Sea—a place where even the mightiest stars fade into insignificance, swallowed by an eternal abyss. Here, the cold silence of the cosmos reigns supreme, an endless expanse where time itself loses meaning. Space twists and fractures unpredictably, giving birth to storms of void energy that ripple across the endless dark, consuming all in their path.

In the infinite abyss of the Void Sea, where light dared not tread and space itself howled in silent agony, ten monstrous figures stood amidst the churning darkness. Their divine thoughts wove together, forming a sinister chorus that reverberated through the void like the tolling of a funeral bell.

"We have waited for tens of thousands of years," one of them murmured, his voice like a whisper from the grave, seething with anticipation. "Finally, the moment has come. The Sovereign of Life walks alone. This time, we will slaughter her in one fell swoop!"

A second voice, colder than the emptiness between dying stars, followed. "The Sovereign of Life is the right hand of the Celestial Monarch of Stars , the foundation upon which the devine Court stands. Once she falls, the pillars will crack, and the heavens themselves will tremble."

A low, guttural chuckle echoed through the void, dripping with malice. "Hahaha… if the Empress of Life, the creator of the human race, perishes, her dear sister, the Empress of Earth, will be driven mad! The devine Court will be plunged into chaos. War will follow. Blood will stain the cosmos."

A fourth entity, its form shifting like an eternal nightmare, let out a chilling sigh, almost wistful. "Poor little Empress of Earth… Do you think she'll come seeking vengeance?"

"Let her come," a voice rumbled, thick with contempt. "If she dares to step into my domain alone, I will delight in tearing her apart—piece by piece—until she joins her sister in oblivion."

The surrounding darkness seemed to pulse in agreement, a silent, eldritch heartbeat.

The Void Sea trembled, and the universe itself seemed to hold its breath. Something was about to change.