Spending Life

The moment he saw the immortal master point a fingertip toward him, a trace of hope inevitably rose in Zhang Huan's heart.

However, it lasted for only a single instant.

Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven.

As one of the six most famous immortal-cultivating sects in Yan Country, it occupied a blessed land with a bountiful environment, possessed numerous immortal masters, and held a transcendent status in the cultivation world of Yan Country.

After a lapse of several years, the immortal gate was once again openly recruiting disciples.

The entire nation was in an uproar!

Once selected, one's destiny would be turned upside down, much like a carp leaping through the dragon gate, making one high and mighty from then on and transforming one into an unreachably lofty immortal!

People like Zhang Huan who heard the news and hurried over to take the assessment were countless.

Some even traveled specially from thousands of li away, enduring great hardships, all for the sake of joining Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven and securing a better Dao path.

Unfortunately, Zhang Huan was eliminated in the first round, missing his chance at cultivation.

Transmigrating to the cultivation world yet not having the aptitude for cultivation, is this reasonable?!

Zhang Huan was filled with emotion and let out a long sigh.

If he did not have a golden finger, he would even have considered rerunning his life.

In his impression, Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven was a sect in the newbie village back when Ye Fan first arrived in Big Dipper in Covering the Heavens, featuring low entry requirements and very easy to join.

When he transmigrated to Yan Capital a few months ago, Zhang Huan had already set his sights on this assessment.

He never expected to hit a Waterloo in the very first battle, with even such a small and minor sect failing to take a fancy to him.

It seems I have no choice but to spend my lifespan to cultivate.

Touching the strange treasure within his eyes, Zhang Huan shook his head and said.

Like most other transmigrators, Zhang Huan also possessed a golden finger exclusive to himself.

A strange treasure resided in his left eye, and he could clearly perceive it.

[Name: Zhang Huan]
[Consuming lifespan allows infinite projection of avatars into ancient history to cultivate]
[Current anchor point: 1]
[Remaining cooldown time: 4 hours]
[Current remaining lifespan: Twenty-four years]
[Spatial items: None]

Zhang Huan nodded slightly.

He had already undergone two real experiences. The cooldown for this one would end tonight.

The cultivation insights and memories gained by the projected avatar when heading to a certain era in ancient history belonged entirely to him, and the experiences were completely real.

With no limit on the number of attempts, it meant that after multiple trials and errors, Zhang Huan would definitely achieve small success, influencing his future self and thereby helping his true body rise rapidly.

Even a pig could rise after infinite reloads, and Zhang Huan had absolute confidence in this.

Thinking of the divine herbs in the original work that seized the creation of heaven and earth and could alter one's aptitude, Zhang Huan felt it necessary to make some plans.

With the golden finger helping him in this life, Zhang Huan's greatest pursuit was cultivation, and no matter what, he would never give it up.

Looking up at the time of day, Zhang Huan calmed his mood.

Waiting in line for testing took a fair amount of time, and the stall still needed him to take care of it; now that the testing was over, it was time to head back.

He walked through several streets, winding this way and that, and banished all distractions.

"Big Brother! You're back!"

A little girl's tender voice came over, followed closely by her rushing out from the stall with a joyful expression as she pounced toward Zhang Huan, still holding a few candied hawthorns she was selling in her hand.

The young girl spoiled him by pouncing onto Zhang Huan's legs, rubbing her cheeks against them, looking smart and cute.

"Brother, let me tell you, Nannan is super impressive! I sold lots of candied hawthorns!"

Zhang Huan picked up Nannan and showered her with a burst of affection.

Even though she had drifted onto the streets just like the Dao fruit of Great Emperor Ruthless and was likewise named Nannan.

Yet Nannan would not lose her memory; she merely could not remember things from the past, resembling the other Nannan only vaguely.

Through a long period of getting along, Zhang Huan had long since treated her as a younger sister.

Nowadays, they had a candied hawthorn stall.

Relying on looking a bit pretty and Nannan's enthusiastic shouting.

The candied hawthorns blessed by the power of technology captured a batch of loyal returning customers, bringing in bountiful income and allowing them to fill their stomachs every day.

This child inexplicably invited closeness, and many customers liked her very much. Her mind was also delicate and lively, and she was extremely earnest when making the candied hawthorns.

"Candied hawthorns~ ancestral secret recipe of a thousand years, refreshing and satisfying the heavens~"

They started setting up the stall in the afternoon, and by sunset, only a lonely few strings remained.

Nannan had lost her energy from calling out sales and squatted on a stool propping her chin up as she dozed off.

The various stall owners nearby gathered together again to shoot the breeze and pass the time. It was not like his past life here; things for entertainment were scarce, and mostly when they were idle they could only rely on casual chatter to relieve boredom.

Zhang Huan also joined in, listening to them chat about all corners of the world and analyzing hearsay with great logic, which seemed quite interesting.

"Have you heard? Not long ago, some Yao Di came into the world, causing a lot of immortal masters to pay attention."

Someone spoke with high-spirited emotion.

"I know, and later I heard that someone called the Eastern Wasteland Divine Body appeared, who reportedly can suppress Yao Di with bare hands."

"In my view, it's mostly bragged about; otherwise, the immortal masters of the various grotto-heavens would have already rushed to take him."

The uncle selling scallion pancakes on the side analyzed with reason and evidence.

"Exactly, what Eastern Wasteland Divine Body dares to provoke Yao Di? Did any immortal master go look for him to take him as a disciple?"

The stall owners were almost overwhelmingly one-sided, backing Yao Di.

After listening for a little longer, as the setting sun appeared, the various stall owners no longer had the leisure to chat idly.

The residents in the city also had nothing to do at this moment, and most would come to the streets to join in the bustle. Men and women out strolling came in an endless stream.

Hundreds of thousands of people lived in the imperial capital, and foot traffic would quickly accumulate. Cries of peddlers were endless.

Suddenly, as if a radar had detected something, Nannan jumped to the ground, grabbing Zhang Huan's trouser leg like a kitten and pouting her lips.

"Boss, how much are your candied hawthorns?"

The next moment, a beautifully dressed young girl with delicate features walked up to the stall.

The young girl radiated immortal aura, her temperament transcendent. Although she was smiling politely, the indifference between her brows was like ten-thousand-year cold ice.

A cultivator!

Zhang Huan felt a jolt in his heart. He had just been listening to stories about cultivators, and turning around, he bumped right into one.

He answered respectfully: "Three wen coins a string, ten wen coins for three strings."

The capital city was a gathering place for mortals, rich with mortal dust, and cultivators were generally rarely seen.

"Give me three strings!"

"Ah, coming right up!"

Not daring to be slow, Zhang Huan immediately packed them up and handed them over, picked up the ten wen coins, and watched the other party off.

Not long after, several more cultivators passed by. Their aura and clothing were completely unmasked, making them very conspicuous among the crowd.

Zhang Huan could not help pondering. While chatting idly just now, someone had also poured out bitter grievances, saying that the disappearance of neighbors among the streets had also become frequent.

Cultivators had become increasingly numerous in the capital city recently, and he wondered if there was any connection.

Almost every two or three days, a family mysteriously vanished without a trace, their destination unknown. When the bailiffs came, they just glossed things over hastily and let the matter drop.

This left the neighbors on tenterhooks, mostly believing it was the work of cultivators; otherwise, the government would not avoid the matter so much as to not even dare investigate.

"Let's go, Nannan, we're going home."

Seeing that the sky was growing dark, Zhang Huan also felt some worry in his heart. Having personally experienced life here for several months, he had also come into contact with some rumors; this capital city was not as safe as it appeared on the surface.

"Huh? There are still a few strings of candied hawthorns, aren't we going to sell them, Brother?"

Nannan blinked her eyes, pointing a finger at her chubby cheek, and asked in puzzlement.

"We won't sell them. We'll make a bit less these next few days and head back around this time from now on."

Without saying much, Zhang Huan packed up the stall and, taking advantage of the crowd, pulled Nannan back to their courtyard.

Rumors in the capital city had been growing more numerous lately, and Zhang Huan urgently wanted to possess the strength to protect himself. Tonight, no matter what, he had to make use of his golden finger to accomplish something.

He cooked a simple meal for dinner, the rice fragrant and drizzled with a layer of meat sauce, smelling appetizing enough to stir one's hunger.

Not letting the day's events weigh on her mind, Nannan hugged a large bowl and ate until her mouth was oily.

Wiping the grease stains from her mouth, Nannan grinned, revealing white teeth, her face full of happy smiles.

"Did you eat well today? There's meat, you know."

Zhang Huan touched her cheek, timed his strike to flick her tender forehead, and Nannan's tender voice echoed in the room continuously as she pouted and acted spoiled.

The two of them played and frolicked for a while before seeing the Jade Rabbit hanging high in mid-air.

Time at night always passed quickly; the hours were harmonious and warm.

Taking advantage of the falling, bright moonlight, Zhang Huan closed the doors tightly, blocking them with some heavy objects, while the windows had already been nailed shut with wooden planks.

As Nannan fell peacefully asleep, the inside and outside of the house grew completely still. Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Huan clicked on the hidden text before him and recited silently in his heart.

Become an immortal!

Spend life!

[Current anchor point: 1]
[Current remaining lifespan: Twenty-four years]

Halos flowed, and in a daze, his mind drifted into a realm of chaos.

Dao and Dharma intertwined, and a mighty force beyond imagination surged, converging into a rolling River of Time with churning waves, magnificent and vast.

Ancient and modern times alike revealed themselves upon the waves, scene after scene, view after view, washing through the long river.

A wisp of Zhang Huan's true spirit separated out, transforming into dazzling light as it flew into a wave.

He did not become Ye Fan's classmate, board the fast train, and get guaranteed admission as a Quasi-Immortal Emperor. Nor did he cultivate success early on, able to transform into a security guard and sit back waiting for Ye Fan's parking fees.

He could only rely on his cheat to make up for it!