"Cough, cough..." Jiang Xuan said, "Thank you for worrying about me, Aunt Liu, but I'm fine. Cultivating like this is good enough."
As he answered, Jiang Xuan's thoughts could not help drifting afar, recalling the ties between his household and the Su Household.
Jiang Xuan's father had also been a Cultivator, but he had not come from a sect. To recruit talented people from across the land, the Divine Firmament Sect sent roaming guards to the major dynasties of the mortal world every year to test children's Spirit Roots. Anyone whose Spirit Root reached Mystic Grade would be brought back to the sect for cultivation.
At the Star Daoist Academy where Jiang Xuan studied, fully two-thirds of the disciples were poor children selected from the mortal world in this manner.
Compared to Jiang Xuan now, Jiang Quan's circumstances back then had been even harsher. A poor child with no one to rely on, he had entered the sect without even the slightest cultivation resources. Forget pills—even the most basic Spirit Rice had been unavailable to him. He could only fill his stomach with mortal food.
Fortunately, his Spirit Root aptitude had been fairly good: Earth Grade Lower Tier.
It was precisely through that aptitude, along with a few fortunate opportunities, that he came into contact with the current mistress of the Su Household and became what others called her "close friend."
Of course, "friend" was the nicer way to put it. Put less pleasantly, he had been a follower, an appendage.
—Whether expanding their influence or guarding their own interests, cultivation families within sects all needed to recruit talent.
With his Earth Grade Lower Tier Spirit Root, Jiang Quan became one of those recruited by the Su Household.
With the support of the Su Household's mistress, Jiang Xuan's father's cultivation journey became much smoother. Not only did he gain cultivation resources, but through the Su Household's efforts, he also secured a lucrative position in the outer sect, and his Dao Foundation was within reach.
And to further bind Jiang Quan to them, the current mistress of the Su Household even married off her personal maid—Jiang Xuan's mother—to him.
Had things continued smoothly, Jiang Quan would have cultivated from Aperture Opening to the Mysterious Perfection of the Heavenly Circuit under the Su Household's support, then attempted to forge his Dao Foundation once his cultivation reached completion.
If he successfully forged his Dao Foundation, the Su Household would even secure an outer sect steward's position for Jiang Xuan's father.
Naturally, the Su Household would gain many benefits in the process as well.
As someone raised up by the Su Household, once Jiang Xuan's father became an outer sect steward, that authority could be said to remain firmly in the Su Household's grasp.
And whenever the Su Household encountered trouble, Jiang Xuan's father would have to lend his strength—benefits from cultivation families had never been so easy to take.
Jiang Quan's death had happened precisely because of that "favor."
During an outing for training, the entourage of the Su Household's mistress was attacked by demons.
Having received so many benefits from the Su Household, Jiang Xuan's father and the other Cultivators who had accepted the Su Household's favors could only step forward to hold the enemy back and cover the retreat.
What happened afterward was obvious. Jiang Xuan's father never returned.
The Su Household had not treated Jiang Xuan's fallen father poorly, however.
They gave the Jiang Household a fairly generous compensation payment, then wanted Jiang Xuan to become Su Linyin's follower.
To people in this world, that truly was a bestowed favor.
Though cultivation families needed to recruit talent, they would not even spare a glance for a Mystic-Grade Spiritual Root.
Jiang Xuan's father had received so many benefits because he possessed an Earthly Spirit Root.
And one thing could not be denied: if Jiang Xuan had merely been an ordinary person, with the Su Household's protection, his path of cultivation would indeed have gone far more smoothly.
Just as Aunt Liu had said earlier, what happened to Jiang Xuan's father had only been an accident. The Zhou Lie she married had undergone an experience identical to Jiang Xuan's father's, yet he had been fortunate enough to grow steadily and normally.
With the Su Household's help, he married Aunt Liu, formed his Dao Foundation, had children, and became an outer sect steward.
With such cultivation and such a history, he had already been luckier than ninety percent of cultivators in the world.
That was why both Shen Yuerong and Liu Hui wholeheartedly wanted Jiang Xuan to take this path.
But before the memories of his previous life awakened, Jiang Xuan had always harbored deep resentment toward the Su Household, which had indirectly caused his father's death. He had absolutely refused to agree.
And after his true spirit awakened and he remembered all that had happened in his previous life, he became even less willing to live under another's roof, become someone else's appendage, and spend his life controlled by others.
That was also why, when Dong Hao said he wanted to give him a cultivation method, Jiang Xuan refused no matter what and insisted on borrowing it instead.
Revisiting the past took Jiang Xuan some time, but he soon returned to himself and exchanged a few more words with Aunt Liu.
During that time, he once again rejected that "kindness" with unyielding certainty.
After he left, Liu Hui watched his stubborn retreating back and let out a heavy sigh. Turning to Shen Yuerong, she said, "Yuerong, you really need to persuade him properly. Becoming Miss Lin Yin's follower is the best way out he'll ever have in this life."
"Because of Jiang Quan, the Su Household has been very tolerant of Jiang Xuan. But an Aristocratic Clan's tolerance has always had limits. If he keeps being so stubborn, the Su Household will sooner or later wash their hands of him completely and never care whether he lives or dies again."
"When Miss Lin Yin comes tomorrow, I'm afraid it will be the final chance for you mother and son."
At that, she sighed again. "If we hadn't been close when we were in the Su Household, I would never have said such heartfelt words to you."
Shen Yuerong's eyes reddened slightly at those words, and she softly said, "I know. I'll try to persuade Little Xuan again."
After exchanging a few more intimate words, Liu Hui rose to take her leave. Shen Yuerong saw her out, then returned to the house and found that Jiang Xuan, rather than resting, was cleaning the main hall. He lit incense, refilled the lamp oil, and wiped down the altar table, every movement meticulous and thorough.
[You cleaned the Daoist temple's main hall. Daoist Acolyte experience +1] [You wiped the Attendant altar table. Daoist Acolyte experience +1] [You...]
Naturally, Shen Yuerong could not see those game notifications. She only thought that he was physically depleted yet still refusing to rest, so she hurried over to take over. "Leave these chores to me. You cultivated all day—you must be exhausted by now. Rest first. Oh, and eat something to tide yourself over."
"These are spiritual food pastries your Aunt Liu brought. Here."
Liu Hui truly shared a sisterly bond with his mother. Whenever she came over, she brought plenty of spiritual food to nourish blood and vital energy. With his stomach empty, Jiang Xuan did not stand on ceremony. He took the pastries and ate two or three in quick succession.
"Gulp..."
The spiritual food entered his mouth, its rich, sweet flavor blooming across his tongue. Then a gentle current of spiritual energy slid down his throat into his stomach, turning into a warm flow that coursed through his limbs and bones, washing away more than half the exhaustion and depletion of his vital energy.
Nourished by spiritual energy and food, Jiang Xuan felt his whole body relax. Even his pale complexion regained a hint of color.
Watching him eat, Shen Yuerong hesitated for a long while before finally steering the conversation back to becoming a follower.
As expected, Jiang Xuan still refused cleanly and decisively.
"No, Mother. Cultivating as I am now is good enough."
Shen Yuerong doted greatly on Jiang Xuan. Seeing that she could not persuade him no matter what, she sighed and ultimately stopped pressing the matter.
But she did remind him of one thing: when the Su Household's mistress, Su Wanyi, and Su Linyin came tomorrow, Jiang Xuan could not pull a long face or do anything else inappropriate.
Jiang Xuan nodded in agreement.
He was not foolish enough to provoke the Su Household while his strength was still so weak.
Besides, while Jiang Xuan did feel some sorrow and regret over his father's death, there was not much hatred in his heart.
His father had taken the Su Household's resources and served as a bodyguard and guard. He had died in an accident, which counted as a workplace casualty. Even Jiang Xuan could not really say much about it.
The pastries eased Jiang Xuan's hunger, but his body still needed time to recuperate, and after a busy day, his mind also needed to recover.
Therefore, Jiang Xuan could not cultivate again for the moment.
Sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, Jiang Xuan considered how he could rapidly refine his mana.
"Pills are the most convenient and quickest path, but I have no Spirit Stones. That path is simply impossible."
"...Even if I went to Dong Hao again, he might not lend to me."
"More troublesome still, I have no way to earn Spirit Stones and repay him in the short term. If I rely entirely on borrowing, I'll owe him too many favors. By then, I'll practically be his appendage."
Jiang Xuan did not want to follow Su Linyin, nor did he want to follow Dong Hao.
Thinking of that, Jiang Xuan could not help letting out a long sigh.
"What a pity. If not for that serious illness a few years ago, Father's compensation payment would have had plenty left. I wouldn't be having such a difficult start."
Several years ago, Jiang Xuan had fallen unconscious for a long time due to turbulence in his soul. To save him, his mother had spent every last bit of the household's remaining wealth and even borrowed many Spirit Stones before barely pulling him back from the gates of hell.
What left Jiang Xuan most helpless was that this upheaval had most likely been caused by his true spirit awakening and breaking the mystery of the womb. It left him with nowhere even to direct his complaints.
"If I'm not mistaken, I must have transmigrated to this world more than ten years ago, and my true spirit began awakening three years ago. For three full years afterward, I was merging with and adapting to this world and this body, until my true spirit finally revived completely a few days ago."
Pinpointing the exact time of his transmigration did nothing to help Jiang Xuan solve his problem of insufficient mana.
After another round of deep contemplation, Jiang Xuan realized that he had no reliable way to break the deadlock.
This was the normal state of the vast majority of cultivators in the world.
Without an exceptional Spirit Root grade or a sufficiently wealthy family background, opening thirty-six Apertures within seven days was simply a fantasy in the clouds.
Moreover, if cultivation problems were truly so easy to resolve, more than ninety percent of Cultivators in the world would not be trapped at the bottom-tier Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening realm, unable to advance even a single step for their entire lives.
Starting late and lacking resources, Jiang Xuan had already done his utmost by relying on the Profession System to halve the time needed to open his Apertures.
"Should I just give up, enter the Dao-Bearing Class with a 'Good' rating, and then place my hopes on the second round of assessments to fight for an 'Excellent' rating?"
It was indeed a safe path, but Jiang Xuan was unwilling.
After another bout of focused thought, a glimmer of light finally reignited in Jiang Xuan's eyes.
"It's not a dead end yet. Today, I tested the effects of the Clearheart Mirror. And after taking on the Treasure Grade profession of Clear-Heart Sword Disciple, aside from the Clearheart Mirror, I also have Sincere Heart (Sword). Tomorrow, if I embrace the sword and enter stillness, cultivating with a sincere heart to wield the sword, perhaps I can gain another source of aid."
Carrying that faint yet genuine hope, Jiang Xuan meticulously finished cleaning the entire Daoist temple, then finally could no longer resist the exhaustion wracking his body and fell into a deep sleep.
What he did not know was that while he slept soundly, Liu Hui had already returned to her own residence.
"You went to Jiang Quan's home?"
The one who asked was a middle-aged man with an inherently imposing face. He was Liu Hui's husband, Zhou Lie.
Hearing her household head's question, Liu Hui nodded. "Yes. The mistress and Miss Lin Yin are coming tomorrow to offer condolences. I didn't want their mood to be disturbed, so I went to remind Yuerong to keep Jiang Xuan under control... This is probably their household's final chance as well."