Chapter 7: The First Scroll - The Abundant Water Plantain

The Left Wing Hall was now left with only Chen Huisheng.

Chen Huisheng unconsciously poked at the bright red embers in the bonfire.

The embers crackled, sending up a shower of sparks.

Xuan Chimei's introduction had been of immense help to him.

Perhaps even Xuan Chimei herself did not realize that this was equivalent to opening a gateway for him, allowing him to understand what it meant to enter the Dao and how to avoid taking detours and doing futile work on this path.

He was not yet certain whether the mysterious feeling he had experienced earlier was truly entering the Dao, but Chen Huisheng was sure that he had at least touched the threshold of the Dao.

Perhaps it was the result of multiple factors: the Qi-Regulating and Meridian-Smoothing Pill, the strange experience of the previous night, and the tranquil environment of the rainy night, which had harmonized with his mind and body.

He was not sure which factor had played a more significant role, perhaps all of them had.

Xuan Chimei's words seemed to carry deeper meanings, but he could not discern them immediately.

Regardless, Chen Huisheng knew he had to rationally accept the reality of this world.

The Daoist and secular worlds coexist, but the former dominates the latter. As for himself, he seemed to be in a peculiar transitional state.

The knowledge of historical trends from his previous life could be an advantage, but what value did it have in this world that seemed both ancient and not?

In his previous life, he was a minor official, graduating from university and working hard at the grassroots level, eventually reaching the peak of Deputy County Magistrate, which was almost the limit.

How did he end up crossing over?

Was it from reading "Yongyang Zazu" or "Xuan Guai Lu," or "Taiping Guangji"? It seemed none of them. It was as if he had found an ancient book fragment, read it intently, and fallen asleep on it.

What book was it? "Shanhe Zhiji," yes, that was it, written by an anonymous author, and he did not know which dynasty it was from.

At the time, he felt it had a style reminiscent of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, but it seemed more like a fictional, constructed world, perhaps one that he had inadvertently predicted.

Without the golden finger of historical trends, and with no sign of a system, it seemed he really had to rely on himself.

Chen Huisheng was very clear that he had no special abilities in his previous life; he was neither particularly smart nor an outstanding student.

He had studied for two years in the mid-1990s and finally got into a teacher's college. If he had to find a strength, it would be his perseverance.

This term might sound a bit highfalutin, but in reality, it meant he could endure hardship and persist.

After graduating, he taught in a school for a few years before finally finding an opportunity to transfer to the township government, where he worked hard at every task.

He served as a family planning officer, head of the social affairs office, head of the armed forces, deputy township head, deputy party secretary, and township head, almost covering all positions. He spent six years in various high-ranking roles in the township government, experiencing all kinds of emotions.

He worked himself to the point of illness to become a Deputy County Magistrate, which he considered a stroke of good fortune. He never expected to be transported to this world of gods and ghosts at the height of his career. What a bizarre turn of events!

However, Chen Huisheng felt he had a significant strength: the ability to quickly assess the situation and accept reality, and to endure what others could not.

When he was about to be promoted to township head, the talks were almost done, and a celebration was almost planned, but then a provincial party organization department cadre was sent down, making him wait an extra year.

Who knew what changes could happen in that year?

He didn't sleep all night, and by morning, he had a few more silver strands in his hair. But he still assisted the new person in getting all the work done perfectly.

The new person returned to become the deputy director of the municipal party research office and rose step by step, now a member of the municipal party committee. When Chen Huisheng was promoted to Deputy County Magistrate, the new person had also spoken up for him.

Now, in the blink of an eye, he had been transported to this world of gods and ghosts, with no golden finger to help. What to do? Tough luck!

He still had to assess the situation and strive to improve, couldn't just be a lazybones and wait for death.

This world was even more brutal and realistic than the original one. Hadn't he seen the Xuanhuo Sect being wiped out, with dozens of disciples killed, including the mid-stage Foundation Establishment Sect Master, and no one cared?

If he accidentally offended a disciple of any sect or family, even a Second Stage Qi Practitioner or a beginner Foundation Establishment practitioner, a punch or a sword strike could end his life.

If he died and could return, that would be one thing, but if he couldn't return and just died, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

The clearer he was about his current situation, the calmer he became.

In his previous life, he had managed to rise from a teacher's college graduate to a Deputy County Magistrate. What had he relied on? Perseverance.

In the 1990s, a teacher's college graduate was still considered a good catch, at least a university graduate. In a way, his current situation in this world was somewhat similar.

He had a certain foundation but was not particularly outstanding, so he still had to work hard.

Being humble and yielding when necessary was a stance, but the drive to advance could not be compromised. When necessary, he had to be willing to make sacrifices.

If he had been complacent in his previous life, he would have remained a teacher. How could he have become a Deputy County Magistrate?

If he was complacent in this life, he might end up living out his days in Yuanbao Fort.

Heaven had given him a先天道种 (先天道种 means "innate Dao seed," which is a term used in Chinese fantasy literature to describe a person with a natural predisposition for Daoist cultivation) identity, so he had to strive to enter the Dao before being complacent.

Clarifying his thoughts would help him plan for the next steps, to dig out all available resources and change his current situation as much as possible.

The sky gradually brightened.

When the first light of dawn appeared, Chen Huisheng had already circulated the qi and blood in his body for a full cycle, restoring his energy.

His rib injury would take some time to heal, but his meridians were now clear, and there were no major issues.

On the right side of the hall, Yu Xianqian and Xuan Chimei were taking turns with two disciples to keep watch. They were now awake and busily taking out their dry rations for breakfast.

This was a common practice for major sects when traveling, to have both array formations and human guards.

At this moment, Chen Huisheng sorted through his own bag.

Besides two sets of spare clothes, there were some essential items for a cultivator traveling.

Three Qi-Regulating Scatters, the most basic medicine for assisting qi circulation, which Chen Huisheng had taken with him when he left the Xuanhuo Sect.

A peach wood talisman, two evil-averting talismans, and half a Qi-Regulating and Meridian-Smoothing Pill, along with a large part of the "Commentary on the Taishang Ganying Chapter."

There was also a green saber.

He had 22 spirit stones, a large piece of secret silver, and a small lump of dan gold.

The spirit stones looked and felt like Go stones, with a slight aura of spirituality, hence the name spirit stones, also known as cloud stones or cloud seeds.

Wherever there were spirit mines in the mountains, with the right mining techniques, they could be found and extracted. This was one of the most basic tasks for major sects and noble families, similar to planting spirit fields.

The main use of these stones was to improve spirit fields and promote the growth of spirit plants, with excellent results.

When ground into powder and mixed with spirit spring water, they could be applied to spirit fields to increase yields, giving Chen Huisheng the impression of a sustainable, cumulative fertilizer.

Additionally, sects and noble families used materials containing cloud stones in their construction to maintain a stable flow of spirit energy, which was beneficial for both maintaining the spirit energy of the area and setting up arrays.

Cloud stones could also be used as stabilizers in the creation of magical artifacts and talismans.

However, due to their versatility, reliability, and convenience, they had quickly become a form of currency for trade and exchange, similar to silver and gold in later times.

Secret silver was a metal primarily used to enhance the capacity to carry spirit energy, especially in the creation of magical artifacts and weapons.

Adding varying amounts of secret silver during the forging process could greatly extend the spirit energy capacity of magical artifacts and weapons, allowing them to withstand greater infusions of spirit energy.

Chen Huisheng had obtained this piece of secret silver and dan gold from a disciple responsible for mining when he was working as a hunter for the Qiyun Sect.

Dan gold was similar to secret silver but had a wider range of applications and a higher capacity to carry spirit energy, making it more valuable.

However, these items had never been put to use.

After several years of wandering, he was left with only these.

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(End of Chapter)