Chapter 1

### Chapter 1: Wanxiu Gate

In the hour before dawn, when the world is shrouded in darkness and the flow of spiritual energy is at its peak, Lin He, who has practiced cultivation for ten years, would never miss this crucial time for his training. As the sky began to brighten, his morning practice came to an end. The 18-year-old cultivator Lin He maintained a calm expression, but he felt a tinge of disappointment in his heart.

Lin He's Spirit Gathering and Qi Cultivation Technique was personally taught by his master's wife, Yao Yao. With the same cultivation method, others could reach the Second Stage of Qi Cultivation within a year, but Lin He had made no progress in ten years. Today was no different; the spiritual energy that flowed into his dantian seemed to vanish like a stone thrown into the sea, far from the description in the manual, which stated that the energy would gather in the dantian and form a mixed yuan qi, allowing one to control it at will. Once the mixed yuan qi reached a certain level, one would naturally enter the Second Stage of Qi Cultivation. Lin He had long become numb to this situation, day after day. He continued to practice not just out of habit. Although he could not advance to the Second Stage of Qi Cultivation, he always felt uncomfortable if he skipped a day of practice. Since continuous cultivation had no negative effects, Lin He persisted.

The path of cultivation is long and arduous. Some people spend their entire lives, a hundred years, and still fail to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Out of the countless people in the world, only a few can achieve success in cultivation.

In fact, after three years of cultivation, Yao Yao had given up on this child she had saved from the jaws of wild beasts in the mountains. She sent Lin He to the General Affairs Office to learn various miscellaneous skills, such as talisman making and geomancy. After three years of cultivation without breaking through to the Second Stage of Qi Cultivation, one would be deemed to lack the aptitude for cultivation and be sent down the mountain to make a living. Learning these miscellaneous skills was a way for Lin He to earn a living, and Yao Yao had done her best for him. Five years ago, Yao Yao sent Lin He to the General Affairs Office, which then assigned him to work as a temporary laborer in the medicinal garden at the southern foot of Wanxiu Mountain. This arrangement lasted for five years. If not for Lin He's rapid progress in alchemy, producing the highest yield of Yuan Gathering Pills for the initial disciples, he would have been asked to leave the gate long ago.

With a regretful look, Lin He counted the days on his fingers. In three months, the Wanxiu Gate would hold its biannual competition between the northern and southern sects. The winner would represent Wanxiu Gate at the Daoist Sects' Grand Assembly. A hundred years ago, the head of Wanxiu Gate failed to transcend the tribulation and was killed. The other elders split into two factions, one supporting the eldest son, Wan Chongshan, and the other supporting the second son, Wan Junling. The conflict escalated, and the once fifth-ranked Wanxiu Gate declined to its current tenth position.

The first task after the morning practice was to water the medicinal garden. Having done the same task every day for five years, Lin He was extremely proficient. The current batch of medicinal herbs was in the peak growth period and required the Third-Level Spirit Rain Technique to meet their growth requirements. Lin He, who could only use the First-Level Spirit Rain Technique, quickly found an alternative method after taking over the garden. By combining a spirit array, talismans, and the First-Level Spirit Rain Technique, he managed to transform the First-Level Spirit Rain into the Third-Level, and the results were even better than those produced by others using the Third-Level Spirit Rain. This was indeed a remarkable achievement.

The first step for Lin He was to set up the spirit array, the Spirit Gathering Array, which could gather most of the spiritual energy within a 500-meter radius. Therefore, every day, as soon as he started watering, the neighboring medicinal garden had to wait until he finished, or the Spirit Rain Technique would fail, demonstrating the power of the array.

The tools Lin He used to set up the array were four small banners he had crafted himself. He found a spot about five to six meters wide in the garden, placed a banner in each of the four directions, and then lit a talisman he had made. The neighboring medicinal garden's herbalist, Old Hao, began to grumble.

"Damn it, you're at it again. Do you have to be so punctual? You're attracting all the spiritual energy, and I can't even meditate properly."

Old Hao had been cultivating for thirty years, with slightly better aptitude than Lin He. He was at the Third Stage of Qi Cultivation, and although he had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he was considered a mid-level expert within Wanxiu Gate. He could stay in the gate for life without worrying about being dismissed.

Old Hao, who had stopped meditating, propped his chin in his hand and watched listlessly as the spiritual energy from all corners of the mountain gathered in Lin He's garden. He sighed, "This kid has some tricks up his sleeve." Lin He's constitution was unsuitable for cultivation, which was no secret within Wanxiu Gate. However, he had learned many miscellaneous skills, such as talisman making, spirit arrays, and alchemy, especially alchemy. With the same herbs and the same furnace, others could only produce eighteen Yuan Gathering Pills per batch, and sometimes as few as fifteen. Lin He, on the other hand, could produce at least thirty, and sometimes even forty. In the face of his lack of progress in cultivation, his rapid advancement in miscellaneous skills was a form of compensation.

Fine as cow hair, the spirit rain sprinkled in the morning breeze, nourishing the herbs in the garden. Lin He sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes closed, in a state between sleep and wakefulness. The spirit rain on his face allowed him to skip the daily face-washing routine.

Lin He enjoyed the feeling of being immersed in the spirit rain. This was when he was in his best state of mind. His brain was particularly sharp, and many difficult problems he was studying often found solutions in his mind during this time.

The spirit rain fell on his face, and Lin He did not wipe it away. His face was full of joy as he figured out another problem, and the abundant spiritual energy made his brain exceptionally agile. By slightly controlling the temperature and adjusting the timing of the spirit energy injected into the furnace through the Spirit Gathering Array, he could increase the yield of a batch of 200 Yuan Gathering Pills by half a percent.

After half an hour of watering, Old Hao outside the fence looked aggrieved as he watched Lin He stand up. "Kid, I'm still a few short of the Yuan Gathering Pills I need to submit this month. I have to submit them tomorrow, I..." A gourd was unhooked from Lin He's waist and flew over. "Take as many as you need, but don't take too many."

Old Hao's aggrieved expression immediately turned to surprise. This scene repeated itself every month. Old Hao, who liked to take small advantages, had no idea that Lin He was fully aware of his monthly trips to the black market to sell Yuan Gathering Pills. Yuan Gathering Pills were a common pill that every cultivator could make, but they had a significant flaw: a very low yield. Normally, a batch of 200 herbs could only produce about fifteen Yuan Gathering Pills after 27 days of cultivation.

Yuan Gathering Pills were essential for junior disciples to aid in their cultivation. Ordinary people who consumed Yuan Gathering Pills could strengthen their bodies and extend their lifespans. Due to the low yield, most cultivators were not enthusiastic about this pill, and only large sects kept a stock of Yuan Gathering Pills to reward disciples for their cultivation achievements.

Because of their scarcity, Yuan Gathering Pills were always in high demand in the black market. Old Hao's monthly quota was fifteen pills, and if he completed his tasks for the year, he could go to the scripture hall to select and read the jade slips he needed. Since Lin He first submitted twenty Yuan Gathering Pills five years ago, Old Hao had come to Lin He every month to ask for a few pills, always using the same excuse.

Perhaps because of the Yuan Gathering Pills, Lin He was not asked to leave the mountain and fend for himself during the five years he was forgotten, nor did anyone mention him to the sect leader.

Pouring out five Yuan Gathering Pills, Old Hao left contentedly. Lin He didn't even need to count; he knew exactly how many were missing just by taking the gourd. To be honest, Lin He wasn't stupid; he just didn't want to leave the mountain and face a life he knew nothing about. Therefore, it was important to have fewer people speaking ill of him.

It was the end of the month, and Lin He, as usual, left his thatched cottage and followed a path through the misty Wanxiu Mountain to the main peak, YunTai Peak, where Wanxiu Gate was located. From the mountain gate halfway up the mountain to the peak that pierced the clouds, over a thousand cultivators of Wanxiu Gate resided.

Lin He's destination was the General Affairs Office, located in a brick and stone courtyard halfway up the mountain. This place was responsible for the sect's reception, procurement, and other tasks. It had little power but was very important. Lin He, a disciple who had been abandoned, dared not offend any of the officials here.

The official in charge of the medicinal garden was Old Ge, whose exact age no one knew. He had a face full of wrinkles and white hair. He spent most of his time dozing in his chair, drooling. When Lin He entered the room, Old Ge opened his eyes, pointed to a spot on the shelf, and Lin He went over to pour fifteen pills from the gourd into a porcelain bottle on the shelf. He then walked to Old Ge's side and quietly placed a small porcelain bottle, smiling, "Old Ge, you look well today."

Old Ge, without moving, raised his sleeve, and the small porcelain bottle disappeared. He remained with his eyes closed and pointed to a small bag on the table. Lin He picked it up, bowed slightly, and said, "You can continue resting, I'll take my leave."

Leaving Old Ge's room, Lin He knew he could stay for another month without worrying about being sent down the mountain. Wanxiu Gate had thirty medicinal gardens, and each garden had a gardener and alchemist like Lin He. As long as they submitted fifteen Yuan Gathering Pills each month, they would receive five First-Level Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones were the currency of the cultivation world, with the highest level being Ninth-Level. However, in the cultivation world, it was rare to see Spirit Stones above Fifth-Level in circulation, as Fifth-Level and above were essential for the Foundation Establishment stage, and Eighth and Ninth-Level Spirit Stones, which contained a large amount of spiritual energy, were necessary for the Golden Core stage.

Others received five Spirit Stones in their bags, but Lin He's bag contained only three. It wasn't because he did poorly, but because he was a forgotten temporary worker. If he didn't want to be asked to leave the gate, he had to accept this reality.

When Lin He was very young, Wu Mama, who raised him, told him, "This world has never been fair. Without the strength to demand fairness, you can only calmly accept the unfairness of the world."

On his way back from the mountain gate, Lin He looked back at the gate hidden in the lush greenery, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Five years ago, he was inside the gate; five years later, he was outside. The ups and downs of life were often like this.

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**End of Chapter 1**