Oh my god, the leader finally joined the group!

Success, success, I did it!

Cough, wrong mood.

Still, this was the very first time Cao Xueyan had successfully drawn a talisman pattern with her own hands—its meaning was extraordinary.

But the road from forming patterns to creating true talismans was still long, and becoming a formal talisman master would be even more difficult.

The spiritual power condensed into the talisman lines imprinted upon the talisman paper, glowing with rotating brilliance, natural and flawless.

If mortals were to see it, they would probably exclaim: this is the handwriting of an immortal!

In truth, how could Cao Xueyan be called any kind of immortal?

But this was precisely the wonder of the talisman path.

And this was only a human-level talisman pattern.

If it were earth-level or heaven-level—even without becoming a complete talisman—it would hold powers mortals could not even imagine.

Reversing rivers, overturning sun and moon—those would be the true handiworks of immortals, invincible in the world, long-lived and eternal.

This was the goal Cao Xueyan would struggle for all her life.

Seizing the momentum while her hand still remembered the feel, Cao Xueyan sank her breath to her dantian, circulated her cultivation method, and once again gathered spiritual power at her fingertips.

Another talisman pattern took shape.

Cao Xueyan’s spirit was taut, sweat pouring down.

The consumption of spirit in talisman-making was enormous, while the loss of spiritual power was relatively small.

Now she only felt dizzy, heavy with an uncontrollable drowsiness.

Without bothering to find a proper position on the bed, she merely called out Mo Sheng’s name, then collapsed headfirst.

Hearing the order, Mo Sheng walked to the bedside, gently arranged Cao Xueyan’s body, placed her head on a soft pillow, then pulled a quilt over her.

After finishing, she stood silently by the bed, her face without the slightest hint of life, like a robot with its power cut, as still as a statue.

A whole night passed.

Unusually, Cao Xueyan overslept, only waking slowly when the sun was already high.

The biological clock she had maintained for ten years was broken.

Mainly because yesterday, after drawing her first talisman pattern, she had handled many things poorly, resulting in excessive depletion of her spirit.

Without reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, she had no way to nourish her spirit.

Such consumption had to be minimized, or her foundation might be harmed.

Thinking of yesterday, Cao Xueyan reflected for a while, then opened the panel of her simulator.

The simulation chances she had squeezed from Xiao Menglan last night were still unused.

Seizing the morning, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and started a simulation right on the bed.

【At age 20, your talisman skills improved, and you were very happy】

【Your teacher Xiao Menglan often entered your room under the pretext of guidance. Your relationship grew increasingly ambiguous】

【At age 23, you finally created your very first talisman. Xiao Menglan was very happy for you. To celebrate this day, she prepared a special guidance for you】

【You spent a delightful night】

Cao Xueyan: “Huh?”

Li Zaigan Shenmo?

A堂堂 Golden Core cultivator, with such poor self-control?

Only three years had passed, and she couldn’t resist already?

Each time it happened earlier than before.

In earlier simulations she at least held out for a few lines, but now she didn’t even bother to pretend, right?

Cao Xueyan ground her teeth.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that, with time, Xiao Menglan would one day “translate” the simulator’s words into reality.

That shameless female Daoist had long harbored ill intentions toward her!

She kept reading on.

What happened in simulations no longer shocked her.

After all, she herself felt nothing from it, treating it as reading her own self-insert fanfiction.

In fact, the more it happened in simulations, the better—it meant more cultivation points to harvest.

She was only a few dozen points away from breaking through to Qi Refining Level 8.

Ah, cultivation really was such an easy thing, Cao Xueyan thought cheerfully.

【At age 24, you became a formal talisman master, far exceeding Xiao Menglan’s expectations. She decided to officially accept you as her personal disciple, hosting a grand ceremony】

【Many inner-sect disciples, elders, and even peak masters were invited. The ceremony was unprecedentedly grand. You wore custom ceremonial attire, while Xiao Menglan wore a flawless white immortal dress. The two of you received the blessings of the entire sect】

【At the end of the ceremony, the sect master of Qingyun Sword Sect appeared in person, gifting you a flying sword capable of sealing a Golden Core cultivator’s strike】

【That night, you and Xiao Menglan both drank a bit too much. Wearing the same clothes from the day, you indulged in wild deeds within the Moon-Inviting Palace. No one witnessed it, no one knew—save for a bright moon, silently watching overhead】

Cao Xueyan’s brows twitched slightly, but she held back the urge to complain.

What surprised her most was that the elusive sect master, who never showed up even in major events, appeared this time!

That was a huge breakthrough.

She could only pray her simulated self wouldn’t waste the chance—she had to dig deeper before dying.

【At age 27, you received a letter from the sect’s External Affairs Hall, ordering you down the mountain for a mission】

【Together with several inner-sect disciples, you traveled. Half a month later, you arrived at the mission site】

【The local area was ravaged by demonic beasts and marauding demonic cultivators. Your task was to eradicate them】

【With the treasures gifted by your master Xiao Menglan, you and your companions completed the task easily. You were about to return to the sect when you spotted dazzling treasure-light erupting deep in the mountains—sign of a treasure’s birth】

【After discussion, you and your companions decided to investigate. But upon approaching, you discovered an ancient ruin left by cultivators of old】

【Overjoyed, you planned to mark the location and return to the sect to summon elders. But before you could leave, a group of demonic cultivators emerged from hiding and surrounded you】

【All your fellow disciples perished. You, relying on your treasure, barely escaped—only to encounter a Golden Core demonic cultivator】

【In desperation, you hurled the sect master’s gifted flying sword at the ruin’s barrier, accidentally opening an entrance. Without hesitation, you dove in】

【You wandered in the ruin for several months. Lacking fasting techniques, you exhausted your supply of pills, finally dying in despair in a corner of the ruins】

【Before dying, you seemed to faintly hear a sigh. The voice was strangely familiar, as if you had heard it before—but you no longer had a chance to recall】

【Evaluation: Wuhoo, congratulations. You’ve found the key to breaking the stalemate. Though still far from the goal, you seem to be nearing some truth. Keep it up, girl. To become immortal, one master alone won’t be enough】

【Reward: Cultivation Points +150】

This time the reward was unexpectedly high.

Cao Xueyan instinctively saved them up.

Now, if she wished, a single thought could push her to Qi Refining Level 8.

At her age, fewer than a handful in the entire sect could match her.

Her Foundation Establishment in the future was practically guaranteed.

She never thought she would one day be considered a “genius.”

As usual, she added 10 points per day, pretending she had diligently cultivated.

What else could she do?

The talisman path couldn’t be boosted with points, so she could only advance her cultivation.

She glanced at her panel:

Host: Cao Xueyan

Realm: Qi Refining Level 7 (700/380)

Simulation Attempts: 0

Cultivation Points: 390

The feeling of cultivation progress was addictive.

Cao Xueyan closed her eyes, savoring it, then calmed herself and began to seriously reflect on the simulation’s outcome.

Though the way she died had updated again, at least she had unlocked a new map.

Clearly, staying in the sect led only to dead ends.

The solution lay outside.

But the simulator’s words were always vague, with hardly any names.

Where exactly was that so-called ancient ruin?

Cao Xueyan originally wanted to find a chance to report it to the sect, bringing several Golden Core cultivators to crush it by force.

She wanted to see just what was hidden within that ruin.