Awakening at Forty

"Lin Chang'an, Low-grade Spiritual Root!"

An icy voice rang out in his mind.

Lin Chang'an jolted awake from his dream. Through the window, he saw the first spring rain trickling steadily from the eaves.

The faint fragrance of wet earth left Lin Chang'an in a daze. It seemed to carry him back to the high spirits of his early twenties, when he had first entered the Cultivation World.

"Time truly flies. In the blink of an eye, forty years have passed."

The patter of rain drew a long sigh from Lin Chang'an.

"I am no longer young, after all. I have clung to this for so many years. It is time to let go."

He had experienced enough in this life. It was time to see things more lightly.

Lin Chang'an gazed into the night beyond the house. Though he spoke of letting go, memories of this life still rose unbidden in his mind.

Twenty years ago, he and three others had been chosen by the immortal guide, Elder Lu. Led by Elder Lu, filled with the fiery spirit of youth, they had gone together to take Li Fire Palace's entry examination.

The result had been cruel.

With a Low-grade Spiritual Root and already twenty years old, joining a Sect was out of the question. Even if he had wanted to serve as a servant, people would have considered him too old.

Fortunately, Elder Lu had taken pity on him and recommended him, along with the equally rejected Li Erniu, to Green Bamboo Mountain Market.

In the blink of an eye, twenty autumns and winters had passed.

His spiritual root aptitude was poor, and his cultivation resources could not keep up. After wasting away for twenty years, reaching the Qi Refining Third Layer was only possible because he had learned the craft of Talisman Drawing.

"I should be content. I have settled down in this Market, and I am at least a Talisman Master. I do not need to lick blood from a knife's edge hunting demon beasts."

Lin Chang'an shook his head. He had already done his utmost.

For twenty springs, summers, autumns, and winters, he had touched neither food and drink, whoring, nor gambling. He had not dared slack off in the slightest. Of the twelve hours in every day, other than eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping, all his time had gone into cultivation and Talisman Drawing.

It was hard!

He had grinded himself to the bone in his previous life, and he had still grinded himself to the bone in this one!

After grinding this hard, what more could he possibly want?

He had done his utmost!

"I have squandered my years and reached the age of forty. It is time to accept my fate."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A knock sounded outside the door.

"Big Brother Lin, are you all right? You drank so much at the pleasure house yesterday. I was worried about you."

When the door opened and Li Erniu saw Lin Chang'an's haggard face, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Er Niu, I am fine."

A smile appeared on Lin Chang'an's face when he saw Er Niu.

Li Erniu had been his fellow sufferer among the four rejected candidates back then. They had come to Green Bamboo Mountain Market together, but unlike Lin Chang'an, Er Niu had later chosen to marry into another family.

Twenty years had passed, and all traces of the farm boy he had once been had faded away. Now, he was every inch a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivator.

Seeing Lin Chang'an like this, Li Erniu helplessly patted his shoulder.

"Big Brother Lin, we have made it through all these years. I understand."

Warmth filled Lin Chang'an's heart as he looked into Li Erniu's concerned eyes.

Life was not easy for a cultivator who married into another family either. Back then, the Zhou Family had been fighting over resources and urgently needed to recover their strength. That was why such an opportunity had arisen.

Otherwise, where would such a good thing come from in ordinary times?

Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an cast an envious glance at the Dharma robe Er Niu wore.

He had gone to try his luck when they were recruiting sons-in-law, too. But the Zhou Family had not chosen their live-in sons-in-law based on looks. They had chosen honest, dutiful men instead.

Was that not plainly bullying honest people? Someone like him had been rejected outright.

"Big Brother Lin."

Li Erniu sighed helplessly. He was no longer the simple, honest farm boy from before. His every gesture now carried a little of the propriety of a great clan.

As for Er Niu, Lin Chang'an waved a hand and put on an easygoing front.

"Er Niu, I am a Qi Refining Cultivator. In the future, I can go to the Mortal Realm and rule over a region, buy fertile fields, live in a grand house, and find myself a few lovely beauties. That would not be bad at all."

At this point, Lin Chang'an clicked his tongue and teased with a grin.

"My good days are still ahead of me. Do not get jealous when the time comes."

"That is true." Thinking of his own days as a live-in son-in-law, Li Erniu grinned in response.

That carefree smile, and those words about going to the Mortal Realm to enjoy life—perhaps others would have believed him.

But Lin Chang'an? This bitter cultivator who had cultivated as tirelessly as one day for twenty years—was the smile on his face genuine?

"Um, Big Brother Lin."

Li Erniu remembered the purpose of his visit and awkwardly said in a low voice.

"Big Brother Lin, your plans to return to the Mortal Realm may have to be put on hold for a while."

"What happened?"

"This time is different from before. There is an order from above to intensify Land Reclamation efforts, so..."

Though he left the rest unsaid, how could Lin Chang'an, who had lived here for twenty years, fail to understand? He could not help feeling speechless.

When a man was unlucky, even drinking cold water made his teeth ache.

He had only just decided to give up and return to the Mortal Realm, yet he immediately ran into this.

This Market had only reached its current scale after more than twenty years of Land Reclamation. Every three years, there was corvée labor. Those unwilling to take part had to pay a substitute labor tax.

But this time, it was clear that those above wanted to step things up. The substitute labor tax would likely double.

"I understand. It seems I will have to return to my old trade and toil for a while longer."

He wanted to leave, but fate insisted on keeping him.

Lin Chang'an shook his head helplessly. Beside him, Li Erniu looked around before carefully pulling off his long boots.

Then he took out a cloth bundle that carried a distinct odor.

"You, Er Niu—after all these years, you have not changed that habit one bit."

Lin Chang'an laughed as he scolded him. Er Niu had already opened the bundle, revealing twenty-six Spirit Crystals, each no larger than a fingernail.

Spirit Crystals were a unit of currency even smaller than Spirit Stones in the Cultivation World.

"Big Brother Lin, borrow these for now."

Clearly, Li Erniu knew that Lin Chang'an had lost heart and was preparing to return to the Mortal Realm. The Spirit Stones in his pocket had likely all been exchanged for mortal goods.

This time, Lin Chang'an did not refuse Er Niu's kindness. After all his previous preparations, his pockets were indeed cleaner than his face.

"Er Niu, thank you."

"Big Brother Lin, you helped me plenty back then."

Li Erniu spoke solemnly. When they had first entered the Cultivation World, Lin Chang'an had taken great care of him.

Even when the Zhou Family had been recruiting live-in sons-in-law, Lin Chang'an had seen what the Zhou Family wanted and hurried home to call him over.

After seeing Er Niu off, Lin Chang'an watched the figure in the rain, untouched by a single raindrop, with envy in his eyes.

"A low-grade Dharma robe. Er Niu first had a descendant with a spiritual root, and he has recently made a breakthrough himself. It seems his little days in the Zhou Family will improve from now on."

He closed the door.

Looking at the gold, silver, and jewels on the table—wealth that would stir greed in any ordinary person—Lin Chang'an shook his head helplessly. Wearing the air of one who regarded them as dung and dirt, he casually packed them into a cloth sack.

"It seems this gold, silver, and jewelry will have to gather dust for a while longer."

Though they were dung and dirt, they were still money for his eventual trip to the Mortal Realm. So he casually tossed them into the corner by the door to gather dust.

"I have to draw talismans again."

Rubbing his brow, Lin Chang'an slowly sat cross-legged on the bed. Talisman Drawing was meticulous work; it demanded one's essence, qi, and spirit.

In his current state, he could not bear to waste talisman paper and Cinnabar.

As he sat cross-legged in meditation and began circulating the Evergreen Art, a flash of light suddenly appeared, making Lin Chang'an's eyes widen.

[Name: Lin Chang'an]

[Lifespan: 40/88]

[Realm: Qi Refining Third Layer (95/100)]

[Cultivation Method: Evergreen Art (Proficient: 489/500)]

[Skills: Golden Light Talisman (Proficient 498/500), Godly Travel Talisman (Proficient 358/500)]

[Spells: Fireball Technique (Mastery 450/1000), Breath Concealment Technique (Mastery 210/1000), Invisibility Technique (Mastery 120/1000), Object Manipulation Technique (Proficient 478/500)...]