Longevity: Starting From Getting Down The Mountain And Marrying A Wife

Quietly, Zhong Yan got out of bed and put on his clothes, walking quickly towards the backyard cultivation room.

Eighteen years!

Stuck at the third level of Qi Refining for eighteen years!

Who knows how he managed to get through these eighteen years?

He only slept for one hour a day, wishing to practice his techniques even while walking and eating, diligently to the point of being abnormal.

For a medicinal herb, he risked his life by entering a dangerous place that others wouldn't dare to go.

For a pill, he boldly planned to kill cultivators of higher realms than himself...

Unfortunately, this world only respects the strong and doesn't care about appearance. Otherwise, he would have gone to flatter powerful female cultivators in exchange for opportunities to improve.

"Eighteen years, this day has finally come!"

Zhong Yan sat cross-legged, calming his excited heart, taking a deep breath and speaking out: "Breakthrough!"

Boom~

An ethereal and invisible energy enveloped him, flowing through his meridians and limbs, converging towards his Qi Sea in his dantian, forming a cycle.

Crack~ The barrier of his realm broke open, and Zhong Yan seemed to hear a heavenly sound. His whole body felt comfortable, making him want to shout out in joy.

That feeling was even more comfortable than reaching the peak with his wife at the same time and falling into bliss together.

Fourth level of Qi Refining!

"Awesome!" Zhong Yan felt his body filled with strength, ready to go back to bed and have another round with his wife.

He stood up, clenched his fists, and waved his arms. He was on the verge of jumping and dancing, unable to express his joy.

Calm down.

Future breakthroughs will no longer be a problem.

Zhong Yan sat back down and looked at the system panel.

[Name: Zhong Yan]

[Age: 39]

[Realm: Fourth level of Qi Refining (2/100000)]

[Cultivation Technique: "Heavenly Fire Technique" (Entry Level 959/1000)]

[Occupation: Talisman Maker (Rank One Middle Grade 209/10000)]

Looking at the realm bar, Zhong Yan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, making him feel cold to the core. In one moment, he was in heaven, and now he had fallen into hell.

Doing a simple calculation, his heart panicked.

Every bit of cultivation experience was equivalent to practicing for a whole day without taking any pills.

Based on the three breakthroughs per day he had just set, even if he didn't rest for 365 days a year, it would take him 91 years to reach the fifth level of Qi Refining!

91 years!!

Even the highest lifespan of a complete Qi Refining cultivator is only 120 years, and he is about to turn forty.

Moreover, the higher the realm, the more cultivation experience is required.

The experience needed to break through from the fourth level to the fifth level is ten times more, and if it increases tenfold after each breakthrough...

Zhong Yan couldn't imagine it. Sweat was already dripping from his forehead. If it were really like that, even if he practiced non-stop every minute of the day until he died, he still wouldn't be able to achieve Foundation Building.

"It's impossible!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

"There must be something wrong!"

Zhong Yan stared at the panel, hoping that his Talisman Dao experience would increase faster, and it wouldn't take too long to go from Middle Grade to Low Grade.

But even if he obtained more resources, his aptitude is there, and it's probably difficult to have significant improvement. After all, he didn't hesitate to take many pills before.

[Cultivation Technique: "Heavenly Fire Technique" (Entry Level 959/1000)]

"The cultivation technique I'm currently practicing, the 'Heavenly Fire Technique,' is only at the entry level. When it upgrades and becomes more proficient, the experience required for realm advancement will surely decrease..."

After some contemplation, Zhong Yan's heart settled slightly, but he wasn't overly optimistic.

Because Skill Comprehension is targeted at a specific technique, even if one becomes proficient, it only serves to enhance cultivation. The main way to improve one's cultivation level is through expanding meridians and accumulating qi.

"This is the real world, it's impossible to level up like in novels with external assistance..."

"The road ahead is long, panels can only serve as assistance, one still has to rely on oneself!"

After a long while, Zhong Yan took a deep breath, took out materials, and began making talismans.

However, the number '100000' was like a thorn stuck in his heart, making it difficult for him to calm down. This led to a significant decrease in the success rate of talisman making, and the quality of the ones he managed to make was not high.

"Forget it, let's take a break..."

Zhong Yan walked out of the cultivation room, feeling the cold wind on his face, which calmed his restless heart slightly.

In the front yard, his wife was practicing swordsmanship in a red outfit.

"Husband!"

Jiang Ping stopped her movements and smiled, "I'll cook for you, my husband!"

A smile appeared on Zhong Yan's lips, "You woke up so early, didn't you sleep enough?"

Since she could cultivate Martial Dao after cultivating internal energy, Jiang Ping had been very diligent. Besides doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning, she spent most of her time training.

"I've rested well." Jiang Ping approached him, holding his arm and looked up at him cautiously, "Do you have something on your mind, husband?"

Zhong Yan shook his head and touched her soft black hair, "It's nothing, I'll buy a maid to help you with the chores another day. You should focus on martial arts and studying."

"Yes, husband!"

Jiang Ping felt happy. She had thought about it before, but without her husband's instructions, it was inconvenient to bring it up.

A few days later...

Jiang Ping brought back a little girl. Her hair was messy, and apart from her pale face, her thin body was covered in dirty tattered clothes. She clutched the hem of her clothes, trembling, as if she would collapse with a gust of wind.

She looked like a refugee.

There was an alley in the north street of the city specifically for buying and selling slaves, where some had grass inserted into their hair or were directly locked in bamboo cages.

"Husband, what do you think of her?"

"I bought her for five taels of silver in the north street. She escaped from Wei Kingdom's border due to famine. She only has one sister left, who got separated. She's twelve years old this year and can do laundry and cooking... If my husband doesn't like her, I'll personally send her away."

Zhong Yan smiled and said, "If you like her, then it's fine."

"Yes, I will teach her well!" Jiang Ping looked at the little girl and said, "Thank you, sir, for taking me in! Thank you, madam! I will serve you wholeheartedly!"

Zhong Yan nodded, his tone calm but with authority, "Get up. Remember, in Zhong Mansion, speak less and do more."

"Yes, I will remember, sir."

"Xiao Huan is the name I gave her."

Jiang Ping smiled and went forward to help her up. It was clear that she liked this little girl very much and said, "With Xiao Huan here, she can help a lot during the New Year."

There was not much change in the mansion with the addition of a maid.

Besides the fixed three times a day rewards, Zhong Yan spent the rest of his time immersed in the cultivation room making talismans.

In addition to the system's bonus Talisman Dao Experience, his own practice also accelerated the progress of talisman making.

Two months after marriage...

Zhong Yan led his wife and the maid to visit the Li Mansion.

The guards at the front gate were absent, so the three of them walked in directly.

As they passed through the front yard, they heard loud scolding and crying. They saw a row of people kneeling on the ground, while those standing were bowing their heads in fear.

Apart from Li Henian, who was wielding a bamboo whip and repeatedly striking a woman and a young boy, causing their skin to split and blood to stain their clothes.

"You wicked child, I'll beat you to death!"

"Ah~ Ah... Father, please spare me, I won't dare anymore! Ah~"

"Wuwu~ Master, please spare Wen'er, beat me instead, beat me..."

In the middle of winter, such a scene made Jiang Ping's eyelids twitch. She instinctively clenched her sleeve, suddenly realizing: this should be the usual scene in a large mansion.

The maid Xiao Huan also tightly held the gift box in her hand, seemingly empathizing.

...