Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 39 Three Years of Hardship, A Spiritual Journey Through the Void

Spring goes and autumn comes, time flies.

The turmoil in Changning County was like a stone thrown into a deep pool; although it stirred up ripples, it eventually subsided with the passage of time.

However, the high platform on the site of the former City God Temple has been renovated by the local people.

Although the paper effigy of the City God had already turned to ashes seven days later, Gu Yan "followed the will of the people" and erected a blank stone tablet at that location.

People still come here to burn incense during festivals and holidays, and the incense offerings are even more abundant and lively than before.

Three years is enough time for a baby to learn to walk, and also enough time for a small shop called Gu's Paper Making Shop to become a well-known brand within a radius of hundreds of miles.

On a crisp autumn morning, the cold dew dampened my clothes.

In the backyard of the paper-making shop, the leaves of two old locust trees are turning golden.

Gu Yan lay on the purple clay rocking chair that had been worn for countless years, playing with two round beads in his hands.

These two beads are not jade. Upon closer inspection, they are actually made of countless layers of extremely thin paper pulp compressed together, with a faint milky white halo flowing across their surface.

Those are prayer beads formed from the power of incense offerings and prayers.

"It's been three years."

Gu Yan sighed softly and sank his consciousness into his sea of ​​consciousness.

In the center of the originally chaotic sea of ​​consciousness, a semi-transparent little figure floated, looking exactly like Gu Yan, only more solemn and dignified.

Countless thin white lines, as fine as gossamer, pierced through the void and connected to the little man.

These white lines represent the incense offerings of the people of Changning County.

Gu Yan discovered that although these wishes could not directly improve his spiritual power cultivation, they had two incredible effects: first, they nourished his soul, making his spiritual sense far stronger than that of other cultivators of the same level; second, they purified it.

A thought flashed through his mind, and the image of the underground chamber came to mind.

The clone known as "Blood Swordsman" was sitting cross-legged in the blood pool.

The Blood River Heart, which was originally violent and bloodthirsty, has had its maddening negative emotions completely stripped away by Gu Yan's daily and nightly cleansing with incense and vows, leaving only the purest killing power.

The Blood Swordsman is no longer a ticking time bomb that could go out of control at any moment, but a truly obedient blade.

[Host: Gu Yan]

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 6 (Steady progress)]

Paper-crafting skill: Grandmaster level.

[Special State: Incense-Worship Golden Body (Prototype), Divine Consciousness Takes Form.]

Reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining in three years is only considered average among the major sects in the cultivation world, but it is already astonishing in the resource-scarce world of independent cultivators.

This is all thanks to the three thousand spirit stones left behind by that Foundation Establishment old ghost, as well as the new businesses that Gu Yan has developed in recent years.

"Boss! Is the boss there?"

The voice of Ah Fu, the waiter, came from the front hall.

This kid was Gu Yan's apprentice two years ago. He's clever and hardworking, and now he can handle things on his own.

"What is it?" Gu Yan asked lazily.

"A customer has asked to order a set of substitute paper talismans and has offered this price."

Afu ran into the backyard, held up five fingers, and looked excited.

Fifty taels of gold.

Gu Yan didn't even open his eyes: "Tell him that the Substitute Talisman is gone, only the Illusion Talisman remains. Its life-saving effect is a bit weaker, but it can confuse the enemy for three breaths. Take it or leave it."

"Okay!" Afu turned and ran out.

Gu Yan's lips curled up slightly.

In recent years, as Changning County has become more stable, many low-level independent cultivators from the surrounding areas have begun to settle here.

Gu Yan timely introduced some magical paper artifacts with a slight spiritual power, such as paper lanterns that can provide light, paper cranes that can deliver messages, and paper armor that can provide simple protection.

These items are inexpensive to produce, but they are highly sought after among low-level cultivators.

Gu Yan not only earned a large amount of ordinary gold and silver to buy medicinal herbs, but also exchanged them for a lot of low-level spiritual materials through the black market.

Just then, a muffled clap of thunder suddenly came from the sky.

This thunder was unlike any other; it sounded more like the low growl of some giant beast awakening.

Gu Yan suddenly opened his eyes, and in a flash, he appeared on the rooftop.

He gazed into the distance, looking eastward.

That's the direction of Yunmengze, shrouded in lingering poisonous miasma and fog year-round.

But at this moment, the thick fog suddenly cracked open, and a beam of seven-colored light shot into the sky from the crack, piercing straight into the clouds.

Even though they were hundreds of miles apart, Gu Yan could still feel the pure spiritual energy emanating from them.

"The mists of Yunmeng Marsh have dissipated, and the gates to immortality have opened wide."

Gu Yan muttered to himself, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Three years ago, when Shen Youwei left, she mentioned that every ten years, the ancient ruins deep in Yunmengze would open, and the surrounding major cultivation sects would join forces to hold an ascension conference, recruit disciples, and compete for the opportunities within the ruins.

This is the only chance for a rogue cultivator to rise to the top in one step.

"Is it finally starting?"

Gu Yan took a deep breath, returned to the secret room, and opened a sandalwood box that had been sealed for a long time.

Three things lay quietly inside the box.

The first item was a mask as thin as a cicada's wing.

This is a disguise mask he created using his master-level skills, combined with his talent for "deceiving heaven and earth," and it is called "Thousand Illusions."

Wearing it not only changes one's appearance, but also allows one to disguise one's aura and cultivation level.

The second item is an antique-looking token.

This was made by him by imitating the token on that holy son back then. Although it was just a fake, after adding the aura of the Blood River Heart, it was enough to pass for the real thing.

The third item was a thick stack of gold talisman paper.

That was his trump card, accumulated over the past three years: the Golden Armor Warrior Talisman.

"Afu!"

Gu Yan's voice reached the front hall.

"Hey! Boss!"

"Hang up the sign, closed for business."

"Huh? How long will you be resting?"

"The return date is undetermined."

Gu Yan put the three items into his storage bag, and then awakened the "Blood Swordsman" clone in the basement, turning it into a thin piece of paper that he stuck to his chest.

He took one last look at the small courtyard where he had lived for three years.

The tranquility here is indeed captivating, but the path to immortality is never found in comfort.

After all, the ponds in Changning County are too shallow to raise a true dragon.

Gu Yan pushed open the back door without disturbing anyone, and his figure blended into the bustling crowd, walking towards the seven-colored ray of light that pierced through the sky and earth.

This departure meant the separation between the mortal and immortal realms.

Behind him, the small shop with the sign "Gu's Paper Making Shop" slowly closed its doors, leaving only a notice flapping in the wind, bearing eight large characters:

"The master has something to do, so he goes into the mountains to collect paper."