The Path to Immortality Begins as a Sect's Menial Servant

By dusk, the group of Menial Servants finally reached the mountain gate, panting heavily.

The disciples who had ridden the white eagles had long since arrived and been selected by Outer Sect elders and stewards. By the time Li An and the others got there, even Wang Dazhu’s silhouette had vanished.

“Next is your assignment,”

The Immortal Master who led them up the mountain spoke. “Zhang Susu, Wang Zilin—you both have wood-type miscellaneous spirit roots. You’ll be tending spiritual plants. Lu Yishan, Guo Mang—you both have fire-type miscellaneous roots. You’ll be blacksmithing…”

After finishing the names, the Immortal Master paused. “Li An, non-elemental spirit root…”

His gaze fell on Li An. “Where do you want to go?”

Among all the Menial Servants, Li An had the most unusual spirit root.

So the Immortal Master didn’t bother deciding for him—Li An was actually granted the right to choose.

Li An’s heart stirred. “This disciple wishes to tend spiritual plants!”

Becoming a spirit farmer was ideal for cultivating his Life-Nurturing Immortal Forging Technique.

“Fine, suit yourself. All stewards, take your people away.”

As the Immortal Master finished, seven or eight others stepped forward to lead away their assigned personnel.

“Zhang Susu, Wang Zilin… and Li An, right? You three, come with me!”

A middle-aged man called out. He was Fan Jie, the steward of Spirit Plant Peak—and a registered disciple himself!

Fan Jie was burly and pot-bellied. He gave the three a once-over, his gaze lingering a moment longer on Zhang Susu.

Although Zhang Susu only had a miscellaneous spirit root, she came from a prominent mortal family in Sunfire County. She had a lovely appearance and graceful figure, second only to Mu Qingwan.

Fan Jie nodded with satisfaction.

…

The Bright Sun Sect was one of the seven great cultivation sects in the Grand Dawn Dynasty, controlling dozens of miles of mountain range.

Spirit Plant Peak lay deep in the northern mountains. The slopes here were gentler, the spiritual energy abundant, and between the hills lay over a hundred acres of spirit fields.

“How beautiful this place is!”

Zhang Susu couldn’t help but exclaim in awe. One glance, and the scenic splendor of Spirit Plant Peak captivated her.

“The spiritual energy is so strong!”

Wang Zilin, born from the lower class, was also overjoyed.

With such dense spiritual energy, living here would greatly aid cultivation.

Only Li An felt secretly bitter.

Damn it. So much land…

I'm afraid I really have to work like a cow or a horse?

Fan Jie led them up the mountain, where simple dwellings awaited the Menial Servants.

Below the mountainside were spirit fields that grew crops like spiritual rice and spiritual beans. Above the midpoint, the slopes became steep and were left uncultivated.

“These are some cultivation methods. One is a breathing technique, the other is the Cloud-Walking Rain-Summoning Technique. The former, combined with spirit stones, helps you enter the Qi Refining Stage. The latter is for farming use.”

At the mountain base, Fan Jie handed each of them two bamboo scrolls, a small fragment of a spirit stone, and a pouch of spirit rice.

“Train hard. This batch of spirit crops is nearly ripe. You’ve got one month to learn. Understood?”

All three nodded rapidly, looking delighted.

“Get away. The huts at the mountain’s base are vacant—choose one to live in. Robes for Menial Servants are inside. Change into them by tomorrow!”

“You’re not allowed to step up the mountain without my permission. If you do, I’ll break your legs. Remember that!”

Fan Jie barked before climbing up the mountain—his residence was at the summit.

After he left, the three began choosing quarters.

“Miss Susu, this dwelling is the largest, and it even has a small garden. Perfect for a lady. What do you think?”

Wang Zilin offered the best lodging to Zhang Susu without consulting Li An.

Zhang Susu seemed pleased and nodded. “Thank you, Brother Zilin.”

Wang Zilin smiled. “We’ll live nearby—it’ll be easier to exchange insights in cultivation later…”

He chose the house next to Zhang Susu’s and then suggested:

“Susu, Brother Li—how about we study this breathing method and Cloud-Walking Rain-Summoning Technique together?”

Although he addressed Li An as “Brother Li,” he barely looked at him and focused solely on Zhang Susu.

“Good idea! We’ll improve faster together.”

Zhang Susu nodded, then looked at Li An expectantly.

Li An’s non-elemental spirit root was a half notch better than theirs. If he joined them, they might benefit in some way.

“Sorry, I’m tired. I’d like to rest first.”

Li An replied calmly, then picked a secluded hut for himself.

Zhang Susu and Wang Zilin both looked a little embarrassed.

“Tch, just because he has a non-elemental spirit root… What's he being so proud about? He’s still just like us.”

Wang Zilin muttered.

…

The living conditions for Menial Servants were basic, but at least pots, pans, and daily essentials were all present.

Li An tossed aside the breathing method and rain-summoning scrolls and instead took out the small bag of spirit rice.

Unlike spirit stones, spirit rice’s main function was to fill one’s belly—while also containing traces of spiritual energy. This one-jin bag (about half a kilogram) could feed a mortal for a year.

For beginner cultivators and low-stage practitioners, spirit rice was vital—since they hadn’t yet learned to go without food.

Moreover, its spiritual energy could help familiarize the body with cultivation techniques. Once the technique was stable, spirit stones could be used to break through, minimizing waste.

The kitchen had everything needed. Li An washed the pot, rinsed the rice, lit the fire, and began cooking—his movements somewhat clumsy.

Steam surged from the pot, carrying the unique fragrance of spirit rice.

Soon, the rice was ready—a full pot.

Anyone seeing this would find it ridiculous. That much could feed dozens.

And in this early cultivation phase, when techniques weren’t yet mastered, much of the spirit energy in food would be wasted. Most only ate twenty grains per meal.

This entire pot used half a jin of rice.

Li An dared eat like this because, thanks to his past-life experience, he could absorb the energy efficiently.

He scooped a large bowl and ate slowly.

As he swallowed, fragrant spirit rice filled his stomach, and in his mind, the Life-Nurturing Immortal Forging Technique began to circulate.

At that moment, his blood and energy flowed, and threads of spirit mist were extracted from the rice.

Li An tried guiding it several times, but the mist was sparse and scattered easily.

He remained patient, chewing thoroughly and continuing to guide the technique.

As the pot emptied, a measurable amount of mist formed and was finally drawn into his dantian.

“Fix—”

Li An whispered, focusing the mist into a single point as his dantian absorbed it.

Still, not much happened.

He glanced at the empty bag—heart aching. Half the spirit rice was gone.

But he didn’t hesitate and cooked the rest.

After finishing the second half—

Finally, a tiny green sprout appeared within his dantian.

That sprout filled his core with vibrant vitality. Li An’s body—damaged earlier by lightning energy—also began to heal.

“The Life Seed… it’s sprouted!”

Li An was excited.

In his past life, he had studied this technique countless times.

This life, he could finally practice it.

Everything unfolded naturally.

“The Life Seed is the core of the Life-Nurturing Immortal Forging Technique!”

“It’s bound to my life—the stronger it grows, the stronger my vitality becomes. My lifespan increases with it!”

“Moreover, the beauty of this technique lies in its long-term effect. As the Life Seed takes root and grows, it nourishes the body and slowly transforms one’s spirit root!”

Li An murmured.

That was the true reason he had chosen this technique.

As long as he cultivated steadily and patiently, his extended lifespan and gradual spirit root transformation might one day allow him to reach the Nascent Soul stage—or even higher.

Cultivators had limited lifespans. The Qi Refining Stage capped at two hundred years. Without Foundation Establishment, one would die of old age.

But Li An estimated that with proper training, this technique could let him live up to three hundred years!

An extra hundred years of life.

Then, Li An frowned slightly.

With only one jin of spirit rice per month, who knew how long it would take before the Life Seed sprouted its first leaf?

The Life Seed was his only hope to repair his spirit root. Until it healed, he couldn’t even enter the Qi Refining Stage.

And in one month, he’d have to start farming using the rain-summoning technique. If he hadn’t broken through by then, Fan Jie would surely scold or punish him.

He still had a small fragment of spirit stone, but those were precious and rich in spiritual energy. He planned to use it once he was ready to push into the first Qi Refining level.

He thought for a moment—those spirit fields outside were almost ripe…

But all were protected by formation barriers. No one was allowed in outside of assigned labor times.

“The formations and restrictions here must be low-tier—they likely don’t cover everything…”

Li An whispered. In his past life, he had reached the Core Formation stage and had studied formations, alchemy, and artifact crafting.

He stood up, heated water, and bathed in a wooden tub. The day’s fatigue and grime washed away.

He changed into the Menial Servant uniform—a light gray robe made from fine hemp, far more comfortable than the tattered clothes he wore when he entered the sect.

Only then did he sleep.

…

In a flash, seven days passed.

During those days, Li An occasionally wandered outside, admiring the scenery and familiarizing himself with the terrain.

“I’ve finally reached the Qi Refining Stage!”

A delighted shout came from outside.

Li An strolled out before nightfall and saw Wang Zilin and Zhang Susu congratulating each other.

“Brother Li, you must’ve broken through too, right?”

Zhang Susu turned her beautiful eyes toward him.

“Not yet.”

Li An looked a bit embarrassed. “My body was injured by lightning spirit energy—I still need to recover…”

Hearing that, Zhang Susu’s eyes flickered. “Don’t worry, Brother Li. I still have some spirit rice—I can spare you some…”

Though spirit rice wasn’t medicine, it did nourish the body.

She was from a powerful mortal family and knew how to win favor.

Li An might be injured now, but with a non-elemental root, he could still rise in the future.

Li An thought for a moment. “Then I thank you, Miss Susu.”

He accepted the small handful of spirit rice she offered, took a walk, then returned to his room.

A faint smile curled on Zhang Susu’s lips.

“Susu, that guy doesn’t know gratitude. Why treat him so kindly?”

Wang Zilin couldn’t help but complain.

…

Inside his room.

Li An was completely calm.

The spirit rice from Zhang Susu was of little use to him—but he accepted it anyway.

He didn’t want her to think poorly of him.

Zhang Susu was the only female cultivator on Spirit Plant Peak, and a beauty at that.

Moreover, when Fan Jie brought them here, his eyes had lingered on her far too long. Li An didn’t miss the meaning behind that gaze.

Whether willingly or not, she was destined to become Fan Jie’s bedmate!

Owing her a small favor would make interactions smoother in the future.

As for Wang Zilin… Li An didn’t care about him at all.

Getting so close to Zhang Susu? That was asking for trouble. Fan Jie would deal with him eventually.

Right now, Li An had only one thought—

To survive and transform his spirit root!

He absolutely refused to get involved in any drama or danger.

At present, he had no cultivation and no power to protect himself… far too fragile.

…

It was deep into the night.

Li An quietly slipped out of his room.

Following the route he had mapped out over the past week, he reached a corner where the spirit fields met the mountain slopes—a spot where the terrain was chaotic and the formations had gaps.

This insight came from his past-life experience. Without that, even a registered disciple like Fan Jie couldn’t have spotted this flaw.

He leapt into the dikes, rolled up his pants, took off his shoes, and stepped into the irrigation ditch, following it into a particularly fertile spirit field.

By walking through the water, he wouldn’t leave footprints.

Moreover, water channels attracted insects. The rows closest to them often yielded poorly due to pest damage—no one paid them much attention.

Cautiously, Li An plucked a few still-ripening grains of spirit rice from a stalk…

…

(End of Chapter)