A second life, An Eternal journey to Immortality

...

Jiang Cheng woke up early in the morning, feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. Today was a big day—he was finally going to introduce his Piercing Wind Talismans to the market.

After a hearty breakfast of roasted spirit beast meat and spirit rice, he packed up his goods. Alongside his usual Middle Fireball Talismans,

he carefully stored several stacks of Piercing Wind Talismans, making sure they were properly sealed to prevent any accidental activation.

As he made his way to the bustling marketplace, he noticed a slight change in the atmosphere. There were more cultivators than usual, and a few unfamiliar faces were scattered throughout the crowd. Something was going on.

Jiang Cheng set up his stall, placing a small wooden sign next to his talismans:

New Product! Piercing Wind Talisman – Middle Grade Fires a high-speed wind arrow, capable of piercing through defenses.

Before he could even settle in, a curious cultivator stopped by. "Piercing Wind Talisman?" the man muttered, picking one up. "Never seen this before. How strong is it compared to a Fireball Talisman?"

Jiang Cheng smiled calmly. "The Middle Fireball Talisman is better for explosive damage, but the Piercing Wind Talisman is faster and more precise. It can penetrate protective barriers and even some low-tier defensive talismans."

The man's eyes gleamed with interest. "How much?"

"Twenty-two low-grade spirit stones each," Jiang Cheng replied.

The cultivator frowned. "That's two spiritual stones more than a Fireball Talisman."

""It's more precise, has a longer range, and is harder to dodge," Jiang Cheng said confidently.

Just then, a large flying monster bird soared through the sky above the marketplace. It was a common sight—these creatures often scouted for scraps or weak prey.

Jiang Cheng's lips curled into a slight smile. "Let's test it in action. Fellow Daoists, see for yourselves."

He stood up, flicked his wrist, and activated the Piercing Wind Talisman.

Whoosh!

A streak of compressed wind shot through the air like a lightning-fast arrow. Before the bird could even react, the wind projectile pierced its body.

Boom!

The creature exploded into a blood mist , scattering remnants of flesh and feathers across the sky.

The crowd fell silent.

A few moments later, an awed murmur spread among the cultivators.

"Incredible speed!"

"It didn't even have a chance to dodge!"

"it has the power of a full blow of middle stage Qi refining"

"A direct kill… this is even deadlier than a Fireball Talisman!"

Jiang Cheng remained composed, folding his arms as if this outcome was only natural. "Now, do you see its value?"

The hesitating customers from before immediately stepped forward, their eyes burning with newfound excitement.

"I'll take five !"

"Give me seven !"

"four for me!"

Jiang Cheng smiled as spirit stones piled up in front of him. Business was thriving.

Not far from Jiang Cheng's stall, a group of talisman masters stood watching the spectacle unfold. Their faces twitched slightly as they observed the rush of customers eagerly buying his Piercing Wind Talismans.

One elder, dressed in a dark blue robe with ink-stained fingers, clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Hmph. A mere middle-grade talisman, and yet he's selling it like it's some grand treasure. The audacity."

A younger talisman maker beside him, arms crossed, frowned. "But you saw it yourself! That speed… that power… even a defensive talisman wouldn't block it in time. It's not just hype."

Another old talisman master let out a long sigh. "That's the problem! The damn thing works too well! His success rate must be at least seventy percent… Do you know how hard it is to make a stable wind-element talisman?"

The man in blue scoffed. "Tch. Maybe he's got some secret technique. Or a high-grade wind-attribute brush…"

The youngest among them muttered bitterly, "Or maybe… he's just better than us."

Silence.

The older masters exchanged glances, their pride wounded.

The elder in blue snorted, then turned away. "Hmph. Let's see how long he can keep this up. Talisman making isn't just about one good product. Let's see if he can maintain that success in the long run."

Still, as they left, none of them could deny it—Jiang Cheng had shaken the marketplace today.

Jiang Cheng stayed in the market until noon, and by the time he was ready to leave, he had sold forty-four Piercing Wind Talismans. With a total of 1,034 spirit stones earned today, his wallet was finally feeling full again.

Satisfied with his success, he packed up his stall and made his way toward a nearby restaurant to celebrate—not only for his earnings but also for his recent breakthrough to the Sixth Level of Qi Training.

However, as he walked through the bustling streets, a few shadowy figures lurking in the alleys had already set their eyes on him.

__

In a dimly lit corner of the market, several rough-looking cultivators whispered among themselves. Their leader, a wiry man with a scar across his cheek, licked his lips greedily.

"Did you see that? That kid made over a thousand spirit stones in just one morning." His voice was full of desire. "That's not a cultivator—that's a walking fortune!"

A bald man beside him grinned maliciously. "A fat fish indeed. He's alone, doesn't seem to have any backing, and he's just a talisman maker. If we take him down, we can live comfortably for months."

A younger rogue cultivator chuckled. "And don't forget, he still has a bunch of talismans with him. We can resell them for even more spirit stones!"

The scarred leader nodded. "We have numbers on our side. Plus, our gang has three brothers at the Sixth Level of Qi Refining. Once we surround him, he won't even have a chance to react—"

BOOM!

Before he could finish his sentence, an overwhelming wave of Qi burst forth from Jiang Cheng's body.

The air trembled slightly.

The rogues instantly froze in place as they felt the pressure of a Sixth Level Qi Refining cultivator radiating from their supposed "fat fish."

"Shit!" The bald man cursed .

The young rogue cultivator's face turned white as a sheet. "He's at the Sixth Level?! Just like Us three brothers !"

The scarred leader's expression twisted and spat in the Ground cursing "He's not just a Sixth Level cultivator—he's also a Talisman Master!"

For a moment, they stood rooted to the spot, their minds racing.

Then, realization dawned.

"Even if we have numbers, so what?" The bald man swallowed hard. "Three of us are at the Sixth Level… but so is he! And unlike us, he has who knows how many talismans with him. Do you really want to fight a Talisman Master head-on?"

"This isn't a fortune—this is a Murderer waiting for us !" the younger rogue blurted out.

The scarred leader's greed turned to fear in an instant. "Damn it! Retreat!

Without hesitation, the group turned around and left , vanishing into the alleys as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Idiots," he muttered to himself before shaking his head and continuing toward the restaurant.

Today was a day for celebration, not for wasting time on small fries.

_

Jiang Cheng stepped into the familiar Seihong Residence, a well-known restaurant frequented by cultivators and merchants alike. The rich aroma of braised spirit beast meat and spiced wine filled the air, mingling with the lively chatter of customers.

Instead of requesting a private room, he chose to sit at a regular table on the second floor, where he could listen to the various conversations happening around him. Information was as valuable as spirit stones—sometimes even more so—and a place like this was perfect for gathering rumors about the world beyond his own small circle.

He waved over a waiter. "A pot of Cloud Mist Wine and a plate of roasted spirit beast ribs."

"Right away, sir!" The waiter quickly scurried off.

Jiang Cheng continued sipping his wine, casually listening as the conversation at a nearby table took an interesting turn.

"Have you heard?" a rough-looking cultivator said in a hushed yet excited voice. "Another casual cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining just stumbled upon an inheritance in a city nearby, in the Mortal County. This time, he even got a Foundation Building Pill!"

A burly man next to him grunted in envy. "Tsk, I heard about that too! They say a Golden Core ancestor was the one who left the inheritance. Lucky bastard."

"Hah, these things happen all the time," another man sighed. "There's always some lucky ones stumbling into opportunities. Meanwhile, we struggle for every single spirit stone."

A more experienced cultivator stroked his beard and said, "Actually, it's not surprising. Most cultivators who break through to Foundation Building—especially the older ones—leave behind inheritances in various places. Cave dwellings, secret chambers, or hidden ruins… but these resources are almost always meant for Qi Refining

The burly man nodded. "Yeah, they probably do it as a form of karma, helping younger generations. But it's rare to find any that leave behind Foundation Building-level techniques or pills. Most only leave some low-grade spiritual herbs, talismans, or manuals."

Jiang Cheng's ears perked up as the conversation at the next table took a more intriguing turn.

A thin cultivator shook his head and muttered, "I don't understand why these seniors leave behind inheritances so openly. No tricks, no traps, not even restrictive techniques… even the demonic sects do the same."

A middle-aged man with a tired expression sighed. "Who knows? Maybe they just don't care. Or maybe they have their own reasons." He took a sip of his drink before adding, "Then again, in this region, we're basically living in a backwater world. Information is scarce, resources are lacking… even spiritual energy was mysteriously depleted a century ago for no reason."

The burly man from before grunted. "Yeah, and it's only now starting to recover. But for a hundred years, this place was nothing but a barren wasteland for cultivation."

Another cultivator leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone. "I've heard that the depletion of spiritual energy only happened here, in this region. Other places weren't affected."

"No wonder," someone scoffed. "This explains why most cultivators here are so weak. How many Foundation Building cultivators are even willing to stay in this place? Almost none."

"I heard that even in the Mortal Countries outside this region, their spiritual energy is just as abundant as ours!" A man sneered. "Hah, isn't that a joke? A so-called 'cultivation region' that's no better than a land of mortals."

Jiang Cheng's fingers tapped rhythmically against the table. Spiritual energy depletion?

He had never paid much attention to history, but now that they mentioned it… the low number of Foundation Building cultivators, the weak cultivation standards, and the scarcity of resources in this area suddenly made more sense.

A century ago, something must have happened to drain the spiritual energy from this land.

And now, it was slowly recovering.