Somewhere in the cultivation world, three individuals were chatting in the Misty Cloud Sect's courtyard. It was lined with blue-tiles and surrounded by white walls.

"Senior Brother Zhang Li, you've reached the fourth level of spirit cultivation. It's almost a guarantee that you'll become an inner sect disciple. Why are you trying to destroy your future by heading to the mortal world?"

"That's right, Senior Brother. The spirit energy in the mortal world is thin, and there are barely any resources. No one is going to accept this mission. Why do you have to go? T-This is such a pity."

"Senior Brother Zhang, that disaster three years ago was just an accident. You really don't have to be bound by it."

"We heard that things didn't work out between you and Senior Sister Zuo Qiong. We cultivators are indifferent to love, after all. Senior Brother, why do you have to give up your cultivation path because of this…" two 27- or 28-year-old cultivators advised him anxiously.

The young man sitting before them was Senior Brother Zhang Li.

At this moment, Zhang Li shook his head indifferently and raised his hand to take out a jade tablet.

The three-inch jade tablet was engraved with the words "Misty Cloud," and it emitted a hint of spirit light.

It was the identity tablet of a mortal guardian.

He had already accepted the mission.

The two young cultivators looked at each other and sighed.

Usually, only low-level disciples who had no hope in cultivation would take on missions to be a mortal guardian. Although they told people that they would return after 300 years, they were actually nearing the end of their life.

If Zhang Li accepted this mission, he would never have the chance to return to the sect in this lifetime.

It was impossible for someone to live 300 years without entering the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Was he supposed to cultivate the Foundation Establishment Realm in the mortal world?

How was that possible?

"Since you've made up your mind, I can only wish you a safe journey, Senior Brother. You've taken care of me these past few years." The youth on the left named Zhu Hao cupped his hands and said softly.

While he spoke, he took out two pieces of jade that were about an inch thick. They glowed faintly as he held them with both hands. "These two spirit stones are a little token of my appreciation. You'll need them when you go to the mortal world, Senior Brother."

The other young man also gave him two stalks of Verdant Spirit Herbs.

The two of them did not say anything else and left the small courtyard with cupped fists.

In less than half a day, seven or eight groups of people came to the courtyard. After they advised Zhang Li, they left him some gifts and left.

The noisy courtyard finally returned to silence.

Zhang Li sighed as he sat in front of a bluestone table. He slowly got up and walked to the fish pond at the side. He then sprinkled a handful of fish food and looked at the koi that were splashing in the water.

The young man was a little lost in thought, as his face was reflected in the turbulent water.

He appeared to be about 24 or 25 years old. His face was delicate, and his eyes were deep. Wearing a green Daoist robe, he gave off a slightly otherworldly aura.

Zhang Li was an outer court disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect.

With his Level 4 Spirit Refinement cultivation, he was considered an elite in Misty Cloud's outer sect.

Once he reached Level 6 of the Spirit Refinement Realm at the age of 30, he would be able to enter the inner sect that countless people dreamed of.

The Misty Cloud Sect was the number one sect within a radius of a million miles, and there were countless experts in the sect. It was said that the Grand Elder, Daoist Yun Teng, had already entered Level 9 of the Gold Core Realm and was about to reach its peak. He would become the first expert in the False Nascent Soul Realm in the Lu Yang continent.

Zhang Li probably had unimaginable resources and connections since he was about to become the inner disciple of such a large sect.

Undergoing a smooth cultivation process and pursuing the path of immortality were not mere dreams for him.

However, Zhang Li had chosen to give up such a good future and accept a mission to guard the mortal world for 300 years.

The outer sect disciples who were close to him felt extremely regretful, but they were also puzzled.

Guarding the mortal world was equivalent to giving up on the path of cultivation, so why?

Zhang Li did not want to either…

He could not tell anyone that he was leaving because he was not the real Zhang Li.

Three years ago, he had been a gold trader in an international listed company on Earth. He had been in charge of a huge project that involved trillions of dollars. He had spent the night working overtime and ended up dying.

He did not expect to be reborn in the cultivation world as a cultivator with the same name. However, this cultivator was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

Zhang Li was rescued and brought back to the sect by his fellow disciples. The other disciples and several elders who had led his group were all dead.

Zhang Li recovered from his injuries and inherited everything from the original owner, including his cultivation and memories.

As a result, he learned the reason for the failed mission.

Relying on his business acumen and transmigration cheat that set him apart from the cultivation world, Zhang Li accumulated a lot of wealth in the past three years. He then used this wealth to improve his cultivation and befriend his fellow disciples.

One could say that as long as he cultivated according to the routine, he would be able to do well in the Misty Cloud Sect.

With the help of his golden touch, his future was limitless.

He could even soar into the sky.

However, he dared not enter the inner sect at this point. He had to do everything possible to delay it.

Whenever people entered the inner sect, an array would probe their thoughts, and their secrets would be revealed.

Zhang Li was afraid they would discover that he was from Earth.

If they determined him to be possessed, he could only imagine how they would punish him.

For the past three years, he had been looking for an opportunity to escape the detection of the inner sect's array.

Otherwise, he would not have remained at Level 4 of the Spirit Refinement Realm after three years of cultivation.

This time, he had finally obtained the mission to guard the mortal world for 300 years.

Once he reached Level 9 of the Spirit Refinement Realm in the mortal world, he would establish his Great Dao foundation and step into the Foundation Establishment Realm. When that happened, he would return to the sect and enter the inner court without having his mind probed.

Entering the Foundation Establishment Realm in the mortal world, where spirit energy was thin, was harder than ascending to the heavens.

However, to Zhang Li, who had a heaven-defying golden touch, he only needed to seize this opportunity to guard the mortal world.

"In the future, all of you will have to fend for yourselves…" Zhang Li whispered softly as he looked at the fish swimming in the pond.

Over the past three years, he could only confide in the pond that was full of koi.

After he scattered the fish food in his hand, Zhang Li turned around and walked back to the stone table.

He took out all the gifts he had received and sorted them together with his savings from the past three years.

There was a total of 80 spirit stones.

This was the hard currency of the cultivation world. The spirit energy contained in a Low-grade spirit stone was roughly enough for a cultivator, who had just entered the Spirit Refinement Realm, to absorb spirit energy for 100 days.

However, how could a cultivator who had just entered the Spirit Refinement Realm be qualified to cultivate with spirit stones?

Even the outer court disciples of the large Misty Cloud Sect were not paid with spirit stones.

Inner court disciples only had a monthly salary of three spirit stones, and it was barely enough for their cultivation.

Yet, Zhang Li had managed to accumulate eighty spirit stones in just three years, which showed that his methods of accumulating wealth were extraordinary.

It could not be helped. In his previous life, he had been a natural with money. This was something he was born with.

It was also the reason why he managed to get close to the outer court disciples.

Those who followed him could basically make a small fortune.

Aside from spirit stones, there were also various spirit herbs and ores that were worth 20 to 30 spirit stones.

As he looked at the few pieces of ore, Zhang Li extended his hand and grabbed them.

Then, a faint green halo emerged from his palm and covered the ores.

Soon after, the greenish-gray aura dissipated within the ores.

By the time he opened his hand, the refined iron ores had already turned bright, and their quality differed greatly from before.

This was Zhang Li's golden touch—Fusion.

It was his greatest asset!

He could fuse items and increase their quality by purifying them.

He had one fusion opportunity per day, and it could be accumulated.

The level of the fused items would continue to increase as his cultivation increased.

At present, he could fuse any valuable items if their attributes corresponded to the Spirit Refinement Realm.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed his palm down again.

When he retracted his hand, the few pieces of refined iron ore had already fused together. Their quality had increased by another level, and they were now of Fine grade.

His current cultivation base should be enough for him to deal with materials of this level. He could not improve the fusion for now because firstly, he did not have enough mystical materials. Secondly, his cultivation base was not high enough.

A piece of refined iron ore after fusion and purification was worth many times more than before.

Relying on his golden touch, Zhang Li could quietly accumulate wealth and quickly rise.

However, in his previous life, he learned that he could only live long by keeping a low profile.

He even suspected that his sudden death in his previous life had not been an accident.

Outsiders must never know about his cheat ability.

In the three years after his transmigration, he never used the ability aside from a few times when he first discovered it.

Now, he had accumulated more than 1,000 chances to fuse items.

He pondered for a moment as he gazed at the pile of spirit stones and treasures on the table. Ordinary inner court disciples usually did not have such a collection. Then, he took the refined iron ores, as well as spirit herbs, and stuffed them into his sleeve before walking out of the courtyard.

When he returned, he had already exchanged those items for 40 spirit stones.

A total of 120 spirit stones were placed on the table, and Zhang Li's eyes shone brightly.

"I'll leave Misty Cloud Mountain in three days, and I won't return to the sect for 300 years. I'll make it big out there."

He raised his hand and pressed it down on the spirit stones to cover them with green light.

At that moment, they fused.