New Life

Lifespan Remaining:

One month and thirteen days.

Looking at the lifespan entry in his Personal Status, Wu Tao pinched the Evil-Breaking Talisman between two fingers. A flash of ferocity crossed his face as he poured a thread of spiritual power into it, and the talisman immediately began to glow yellow.

Pinching the Evil-Breaking Talisman tightly between two fingers, he slapped it straight onto his forehead.

He gave a low shout:

"Break!"

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The moment the Evil-Breaking Talisman touched Wu Tao's forehead, wisps of black smoke immediately rose, accompanied by sizzling sounds like an electric current.

That current charged straight in through his brow, overbearing as an old general charging across a battlefield, scouring the Evil Aura from within his body.

The process was exceedingly painful!

Wu Tao could not help trembling as though seized by convulsions. Even his consciousness suffered a tremendous impact. In an instant, every hair on his body stood on end, cold sweat burst from his pores, and his clothes were soaked through as though he had just been fished out of the water.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain of Evil-Breaking with all his might.

Fifteen minutes later, as a wisp of black smoke drifted away into the air, the Evil-Breaking Talisman began to burn as well. He hurriedly peeled it off, lest it burn him into a bald man.

At the same time, all strength seemed to drain from his body. He collapsed onto the floor, cold sweat flowing like water and spreading across the ground through his clothes.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Wu Tao panted heavily, his fingertips still trembling faintly. Only as time slowly passed did he feel the strength returning to his hands, the hairs on his arms settling one by one, and the pain throughout his body completely fading away.

Only then did he climb to his feet and head to the washroom. He stripped off his clothes, took a shower, and changed into a fresh set.

Afterward, he filled a basin with water and lowered his head. As the ripples swayed, his reflection wavered with them. Before long, the water settled, and he clearly saw that the black mark between his brows had vanished completely.

After leaving the washroom, he circulated the Sanyang Technique through his meridians once and confirmed that the Evil Aura had been completely cleared away.

Moreover, his body and mind felt incomparably light, as if every burden on his shoulders had been cast off in an instant.

"Damn, that hurt too much. It was probably worse than childbirth. If some little fairies from my previous life found out about this, they'd probably make their husbands experience the pain of giving birth with it."

Wu Tao muttered. Then a flash of inspiration struck his sea of consciousness, and he hurriedly opened his Personal Status.

[Lifespan: 25/83]

One look.

Two looks.

Three looks.

"Hahaha..." Only after confirming it three times did Wu Tao finally break into a wide grin and laugh freely. At this moment, not a single person could truly share the joy in his heart.

He laughed until his mouth cramped and his stomach hurt before finally stopping. Patting his numb face until it recovered, he began calculating.

"Eighty-three minus twenty-five is fifty-eight. I still have fifty-eight years... No, I can't calculate it like that. As a cultivator's realm rises, their lifespan gradually increases. The upper limit for Qi Refining is one hundred and fifty years. If I reach Qi Refining Perfection, I can live to one hundred and fifty."

"If I break through to Foundation Establishment, that's another hundred and fifty years. If I break through to Golden Core... Mm, I don't know how long Golden Core cultivators live... Am I..."

"This is..."

"Immortality is within reach!"

Wu Tao lightly clapped his hands. The more he thought about it, the more he felt life held promise and his future was boundless.

The more he thought, the more excited he became. In the end, he decided, "This day of gaining a new life must be celebrated properly."

With that, he took out the pound of Spirit Rice Uncle Han had given him, put it into a pot, added water, and cooked it all.

Spirit Rice was convenient like that. There was no need to wash it, because washing it would rinse away some of its spiritual power.

As he watched the pot lid bounce nonstop and steam burst out from its edges, the entire room filled with the fragrant aroma of Spirit Rice. Wu Tao's appetite was instantly roused, and he could hardly wait to start eating.

At last, the rice finished cooking. Wu Tao could not even be bothered to scoop it into a bowl and simply ate straight from the pot.

"So fragrant!"

As he stuffed a huge mouthful of steaming Spirit Rice into his mouth, Wu Tao's eyes immediately widened into perfect circles. He exclaimed as he ate, "Uncle Han didn't lie to me. It really is so fragrant. It's unbelievably delicious even without any dishes."

"It's the spiritual power. It has spiritual power in it!"

In less than five minutes, the entire pot of Spirit Rice disappeared into Wu Tao's stomach. He slumped into a chair, one hand hanging down while the other rubbed his round belly, feeling that life was simply too satisfying.

"Right, Spirit Rice contains spiritual power. I can't let it go to waste."

Wu Tao jolted upright and immediately leaped onto the bed to meditate, circulating the Sanyang Technique to refine the spiritual power from the Spirit Rice in his stomach.

The moment he circulated the Sanyang Technique, joy appeared on his face. As expected, it was somewhat denser than the spiritual power drifting between heaven and earth.

Two Quarters of an Hour later, Wu Tao stopped circulating the Sanyang Technique. His round belly had returned to normal as well. After carefully sensing his dantian, he was delighted to find that the spiritual power within it had increased by a trace. Though it was extremely little, it was still a small improvement in his strength.

It had been far too long since he had felt his strength increase.

When Yin Evil Qi had been inside him, the spiritual power he cultivated each day had all been offset. How could any of it remain?

Wu Tao took out his Spirit Stone Bag and poured out all the Spirit Stones inside: five Low-Grade Spirit Stones and nineteen Fragmented Spirit Stones. Picking up one Spirit Stone, he said, "From now on, I'll use Spirit Stones to cultivate. Cultivation is the foundation of everything."

"Once I earn more Spirit Stones, I'll buy pills to cultivate with."

"I can't neglect spells either. Spells are the arts that protect the Dao. The spellbook I have records the Five Basic Spells: Fireball Technique, Cleaning Spell, Fog-Dispelling Technique, Wood-Cutting Technique, and Earth-Digging Technique. Their offensive power is ordinary, but as a Rogue Cultivator, it seems I have no other choice..."

"My Secondary Profession is body cultivation. Body Cultivator cultivation techniques and spells receive bonuses, but spells are expensive too..."

"Sigh, I'm still poor!"

"My next plan is to refine robes and work hard to earn money, practice spells, improve my cultivation, and practice the first-tier, third-grade Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction..."

"Right, I also need to look into the certification matter. The next time I set up and pack away my stall, I'll ask around. Otherwise, without certification, people will keep haggling my prices down. And with certification, there are reductions in stall fees and taxes."

Wu Tao made a brief plan for his future development.

Knock, knock, knock!

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

There was no need to guess. He knew it was Zhang Li. He did not know anyone else here.

Wu Tao turned to open the door, but then seemed to think of something. He retied the black cloth strip around his forehead so Zhang Li would not notice that he had already expelled the evil spirit. Otherwise, if Zhang Li brought up having him patronize her business, he would have no reason to evade her.

He had only just recovered from a serious illness and needed to nurture his body. He could not casually leak his Essence Qi.

The moment he opened the door, Zhang Li said, "You worked hard helping me buy rice from the Marketplace. Come eat with me."

"Huh? Fellow Daoist Zhang, sorry, but I just ate."

Hearing that, Wu Tao immediately felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, the extra pound of Spirit Rice Uncle Han had given him had been thanks to Zhang Li.

He was too embarrassed to tell Zhang Li that.

"But I already cooked your portion. Come on, it's fine if you only eat a little." Zhang Li frowned.

"All right!" Wu Tao felt that he should not keep being coy.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, I didn't expect your cooking to be this good. It's delicious..."

"Eat slowly. No one's fighting you for it!"

"It's mainly because it's too delicious..."

"Didn't you already eat? How can you still eat so much..."

"I'm just afraid of wasting food..."

"I'm done eating, Fellow Daoist Zhang. Just sit there. I'll wash the dishes."

After sweeping the meal clean, Wu Tao took the initiative to handle the dishes. Zhang Li sat in her chair, one hand supporting her chin while the other waved a palm-leaf fan, quietly watching Li Mo wash the dishes.

After putting away the bowls and chopsticks, Wu Tao turned around and found Zhang Li staring fixedly at him. He immediately touched the corner of his mouth and asked in confusion, "Do I have rice on my face?"

Hearing that, Zhang Li caught sight of a grain of Spirit Rice stuck to the corner of the table. An idea immediately came to her. Without changing her expression, she picked it up, walked before Wu Tao, and brushed his mouth with her hand, showing him the grain of rice on her fingertip.

"Huh, there was more? I didn't feel it just now..." Wu Tao gave an embarrassed smile, took the rice, and put it into his mouth.

Zhang Li was amused by his action and giggled. "You really don't waste a single thing. It's still early, so keep me company and chat for a while..."

Wu Tao shook his head. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, this is where you're wrong. Now isn't the time for chatting. The Spirit Rice in our stomachs contains spiritual power, so we can't waste it for nothing. I'll go back and refine it first. Fellow Daoist Zhang, you should meditate and refine it too!"

After saying that, Wu Tao opened the door and left.

Zhang Li was dumbfounded. Only after hearing the door next door close did she viciously kick the table leg, producing a dull thud.

"I said you don't waste anything, and you really don't waste anything... Ugh... It hurts so much..."