Chapter 2: Hard Work Will Be Rewarded
"Here it comes!"
Upon seeing the panel appear, Lin Chang'an was overwhelmed with joy and excitement.
Forty years!
He had waited a full forty years!
The first twenty years were spent in the mortal realm, the latter twenty in the cultivation world—he had finally waited long enough for this golden finger.
"But how exactly did this golden finger awaken?"
Thinking of something, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but show a look of suspicion.
"I just took a nap. Before that, I had only gone to a brothel once. It can't be the woman."
"Could it be the wine!"
Suddenly realizing something, Lin Chang'an widened his eyes as he looked at his large bed.
If his guess was correct, he had drunk too much last night, and after being brought back by Erniu, he had drunkenly passed out and nearly died!
Bah!
It should be said that it was at the brink of life and death that this golden finger was activated.
"Damn it! That wine must’ve been watered down!"
At this moment, Lin Chang'an angrily slammed the table, turning his head just in time to catch his reflection in the clear mirror inside the room.
The figure in the mirror had a refined and elegant appearance, with clear and composed features. Though already in his forties, he didn’t show the slightest sign of aging. On the contrary, he even exuded a sense of depth.
Back then, it was precisely because of this face that he had been the first one pushed out by the Zhou Family.
But now, between his brows was a trace of weariness, with faint dark circles under his eyes. The sight made Lin Chang'an startled.
"In just a few days, I’ve become this haggard!"
"Damn it! Starting today, I quit drinking!"
Lin Chang'an resolutely slapped his thigh. He had indeed been somewhat lax recently due to discouragement.
But now that fortune had arrived, how could he waste such an opportunity?
At this moment, Lin Chang'an's face was full of excitement, and his expression had regained the high spirits he once had when first stepping into the cultivation world.
Right now, how could he possibly calm down to cultivate? Instead, he excitedly kept studying his opportunity.
Open, close!
Open, close!
…
The drizzle continued falling until nightfall.
The marketplace had lost its daytime bustle, while Lin Chang'an, who had stayed inside all day, now bore eyes full of bloodshot veins.
But his face still showed an excitement that wouldn't subside.
He hadn't dared to sleep the entire day, fearing that upon waking, all this would turn out to be just a drunken hallucination.
"I must not get lost in this. This is only the beginning—there’s still a long road ahead. Attaining immortality may not be just a dream in the future."
Lin Chang'an took a deep breath, got out of bed, and plunged his head into the water basin for a long moment. The icy cold water sobered him up, and only then did he raise his head, gasping heavily.
"But previously, because I had to go to the mortal realm, I used most of my spirit crystals to exchange for goods. Right now, the most urgent matter is still the labor tax Erniu mentioned."
"In previous years, the labor tax always required five spirit stones. This time, I’m afraid it’ll take at least ten spirit stones."
Ten spirit stones—for a drifting cultivator at the early stage of Qi Refining like him, that was an enormous fortune.
Even for him, he would have to prepare in advance. Otherwise, if he lacked spirit stones at the time, he'd be forced to take on dangerous pioneer missions.
Thinking of this, Lin Chang'an couldn’t help but start calculating his current belongings.
A chest of gold, silver, and jewels—useless.
A bundle of martial arts techniques and divine weapons from the mortal realm—useless.
Fifteen low-grade Golden Light Talismans, ten Swift Talismans.
One low-grade magical weapon, the Green Bamboo Sword.
The rest consisted of his talisman drawing tools and the Evergreen Art, all neatly arranged on the table.
"Besides the twenty-six spirit crystals temporarily borrowed from Erniu, I still have twenty spirit crystals of my own."
He lowered his head and took out the spirit crystals one by one from a pocket inside his tall boots, piling them all on the table.
Looking at all his possessions, Lin Chang'an silently nodded. Over the years, all the spirit crystals he had earned had gone into his cultivation.
He had to earn spirit crystals as soon as possible.
…
Midnight.
“Drawing talismans requires calming the mind and focusing the spirit.”
Calming incense curled on the table, all the talisman tools were prepared, and only after Lin Chang’an sat with eyes closed for two full hours did his heart settle down.
“This is the moment.”
He took a deep breath, opened the jade bottle, and dipped the talisman brush into the specially prepared cinnabar inside.
Holding his breath and concentrating, Lin Chang’an’s gaze was focused and earnest—he had been drawing talismans for nearly twenty years.
Especially the Golden Light Talisman; the gentle spiritual energy flowed steadily and evenly from his palm through the brush tip.
The metallic spiritual beast blood, combined with the special cinnabar, made the brush strokes dance like dragons and snakes on the talisman paper—his movements were smooth and fluid.
This set of motions had already been repeated countless times, having become second nature—everything flowed naturally.
“Poof!”
A burst of flame flared up—the talisman paper ignited spontaneously without fire.
Lin Chang’an, seemingly already used to this, waved away the ashes and took out another talisman paper to repeat the process.
【Golden Light Talisman +1 (Proficiency 499/500)】
Finally, after three failures, when the fourth talisman was successfully completed, a data prompt flashed across the panel in his sea of consciousness.
Lin Chang’an stared blankly for a while before letting out a long breath.
“So that’s how it works.”
If the old him had drawn talismans only to make a living, then now he clearly saw a bright path ahead.
…
【Golden Light Talisman (Mastery 0/1000)】
The Golden Light Talisman had leveled up!
With the appearance of a high-quality Golden Light Talisman, Lin Chang’an felt a sudden revelation, and insights about its creation surged in his mind.
Only after quite a while did Lin Chang’an slowly open his eyes.
“So that’s it. Breaking through proficiency even grants me insights. This feeling is like the clouds parting to reveal the sun.”
Lin Chang’an murmured emotionally as he looked at the Golden Light Talisman on the table. This time, he seemed to understand many previously unnecessary and incorrect techniques.
After a night of focused talisman drawing, eight Golden Light Talismans were neatly laid out on the table.
Especially after reaching mastery, the mana consumption of the Golden Light Talisman was reduced by ten percent—that was essentially saving spirit crystals.
And he suddenly understood the true function of this golden finger: as long as he worked hard, he would be rewarded.
Not only through practice—having insight also improved his skills.
He clearly remembered that last night there had been just 1 point of proficiency left, and it increased when he had a sudden insight.
“As long as I do it wholeheartedly, I will be rewarded.”
Coming back to his senses, Lin Chang’an also gave up on the idea of mindlessly farming proficiency.
If he didn't focus, even drawing a hundred Golden Light Talismans wouldn’t increase his proficiency by a single point.
Putting one’s heart into everything and working hard—that was the correct way to use the golden finger.
“Although I’ve figured out how to use the golden finger properly, the cultivation world is full of hidden dangers and treacherous currents. One careless step could lead to death. I can’t be careless.”
Lin Chang’an reminded himself. When he first came to the marketplace, he had been filled with enthusiasm, joining like-minded cultivators to hunt monsters.
But those tales of overnight wealth, trading for elixirs, and breaking through in cultivation—they were the fortune of the lucky few. Most ended up dead in pools of blood.
“Back then, even several mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators died while hunting beasts. That I survived as an early-stage cultivator—wasn’t that luck as well?”
After a night of talisman drawing and feeling the nearly depleted mana within his body, Lin Chang’an smiled.
He even brought out spirit crystals he usually couldn’t bear to use, using them to restore his mana.
By now, the sky outside had already brightened, and the rain had stopped.
Warm sunlight poured down on the rain-washed world. Outside the marketplace, the glistening droplets on the emerald bamboo leaves sparkled brightly.