"Ping'er, your foundation is average. I'm afraid that you won't be able to reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. The clan has limited resources and can't provide for every clan member. After the discussion of the elders, they're going to send you to the Cloudy Mountain Swamp to explore with the Golden Sun Sect. Perhaps you'll encounter your own immortal encounter there."

In the dark and damp wooden house, the lights were like beans. Shen Ping leaned on the table and looked at the half-crippled talisman. He sighed deeply.

The exploration of the Golden Sun Sect required a large number of cultivators. He had four impure spiritual roots and ordinary aptitude. It was normal for the family to exchange him for resources.

However, twenty years have passed.

Not only did he not encounter the so-called immortal encounter, but because he was contaminated with the venom of demon beasts, his body became ill. Every day, he had to use his spiritual energy to suppress the poison. His cultivation, which was already growing slowly, was completely stagnant.

Even though he was in his forties, he was still at the third level of Qi Refinement. It was simply unspeakable.

As a true transmigrator, he could be said to be a classic bad example. But there was nothing he could do. Without the golden finger, his cultivation for the past twenty years was like walking on thin ice. He deeply understood the difficulty of cultivating at the bottom.

Boom! Crack!

As lightning flashed, rolling thunder shook the sky.

Shen Ping stood up and walked to the wooden window. He opened it and the sound of the rain entered his ears. Looking at the purple lightning in the sky, he said self-deprecatingly, "I wonder which mighty person is transcending the tribulation. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't have such a chance in my life.

"Forget it, I've wasted twenty years. It's time to accept my fate!"

As a transmigrator, he had always believed that his fate was in his own hands. Even though he had four impure spiritual roots, he had never given up on cultivating diligently. After all, there were countless examples of seniors with even worse aptitudes succeeding in cultivating.

He did not have a cheat code. But since he was lucky enough to transmigrate to the supernatural world, his luck should not be low. However, things didn't go as he wished. The cruel reality taught him an unforgettable lesson.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how hard he worked, without aptitude and opportunities, it was ultimately futile. There was no hope.

He closed the wooden window.

That night, Shen Ping did not work hard to draw talismans anymore. Instead, he relaxed and slept.

The rain stopped the next day.

The road outside the house was muddy, and the rainwater gathered into small streams that flowed along the gullies formed by the impact. He stepped on the puddles of water and passed through seven or eight winding alleys before arriving at the main road paved with limestone slabs. There were many cultivators here, and there were rows of vendors on both sides of the road. It looked very lively.

Following the main road, he quickly walked into a shop.

"Yo, isn't this Fellow Daoist Shen? What a rare guest!" The enchanting female cultivator in the shop had loose skin and a pile of makeup on her face. Waves of fragrance surged into Shen Ping's nose.

"Fellow Daoist Ceng, I want to ask you—"

Before he could finish speaking, the female cultivator chuckled and interrupted, "Don't worry, I guarantee that I'll find you a beautiful and fair young lady. Didn't you come to my place to get married? Fellow Daoist Shen, I've already advised you. Since there's no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment, you have to focus on nurturing the next generation. If you had thought things through earlier, your children might have already reached Foundation Establishment!"

Shen Ping sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Ceng is right!" As he spoke, he handed Matchmaker Ceng a heavy cloth bag.

Matchmaker Ceng opened it and glanced at it. The smile on her face became even brighter. "Fellow Daoist Shen is indeed a Talisman Master. You're so generous."

Ten spirit stones were definitely not a small sum.

It was not easy for Shen Ping to accumulate wealth. Since he had accepted his fate this time, he wanted to find a wife that he liked. It would be best if she had the aptitude for spiritual roots. There was a high chance that the child she gave birth to would have spiritual roots.

He stated his conditions.

Matchmaker Ceng hesitated for a moment and said, "Fellow Daoist Shen, I'm afraid it's difficult to find one with spiritual root aptitude. Even the lowest pseudo spiritual root can't meet the demand. The Dao companion they choose is also at the intermediate stage of Qi Refinement. The lowest requirement of those with some beauty is the late stage of Qi Refinement."

Shen Ping also knew that it was very difficult to find a Dao companion with spiritual roots. His strength was too low. Although he knew how to make talismans, his methods of making talismans were relatively crude. Until now, he was only a low-level talisman master. His conditions were too poor.

"Fellow Daoist Ceng, try your best. If you really can't find her, then I'll settle for a mortal woman."

Matchmaker Ceng smiled and said, "Our Cloud Mountain Parlour doesn't have many other things. But we have countless slender and beautiful mortal women who are the descendants of cultivators and don't have spiritual roots. You can choose as much as you want. Fellow Daoist Shen, don't worry. I will definitely find a woman who can easily give birth to spiritual roots for you!"

Shen Ping cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Ceng!"

He left the shop. He did not stay long and returned home.

Cloud Mountain Parlour was a marketplace established by the Golden Sun Sect. Over the past 20 years, its safety has been guaranteed. However, the area he was in belonged to the periphery of the marketplace, and there were often cases of people killing and stealing treasures. As he was relatively poor and did not have any good magic tools on him, coupled with his usual cautiousness, he had been relatively safe over the years.

Dozens of days passed. There was news from Matchmaker Ceng. He came to the shop again.

When he arrived at the second floor of the shop, he saw a delicate little girl fidgeting with her skirt. She was about twenty-eight years old, and her skin was fair and tender. Although her appearance could not be said to be gorgeous, she was delicate and beautiful.

Matchmaker Ceng smiled and said, "How is it? Her appearance and figure are not bad, right? Her name is Wang Yun. Her father is a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refinement. Some time ago, he was targeted when he went out and died. He left her behind and no one took care of her. Although she doesn't have a spiritual root, her body can sense spiritual energy. If she cultivates mortal martial arts, she can easily break through to the Connate Realm. Most importantly, she's very obedient."

Hearing the last sentence, Shen Ping immediately made a decision. "It's her!"

Matchmaker Ceng beamed with joy. "Alright, five spirit stones. She's yours, Fellow Daoist Shen. When the wedding banquet is held tomorrow, you have to let me have a few drinks!"

Shen Ping took out another five low-grade spirit stones and left the shop with the little girl. Two days later, the wedding banquet was held. Invitations were sent out to all the neighbors.

Most of the people living around his house were at the intermediate and lower levels of Qi Refinement. Seeing that he was a Talisman Master, they all gave him face and came to eat on the day of the wedding banquet.

...

At night, there were a few more candles in the room, and it was much brighter than usual.

Although there were specialized lighting crystal lamps sold in the market, they were relatively expensive. Shen Ping had been saving as much as he could over the years and did not dare to buy crystal lamps extravagantly.

Wang Yun sat on the edge of the bed. Her body under the red veil was tense. Her father had died. She did not have any spiritual roots and had no freedom in Cloud Mountain Parlour. She only hoped that this cultivator would treat her well.

She heard footsteps approaching, and became even more nervous. When the red veil was lifted, she lowered her head shyly, not daring to look up at her husband.

Shen Ping could not help but feel a little nervous. Although he had watched countless films in his previous life, it was all limited to theory and had never been used in actual combat. Fortunately, as a cultivator in this life, even if his strength was low, it was not a problem for him to marry. "Yun'er, we should rest." He reached out and placed his hand on Wang Yun's shoulder.

"Husband, please take good care of me."

Phew.

Waves of wind blew past. The candle went out.

Soon, Shen Ping finally shed the immaturity in his heart and became a real man.

The next day, the sky had just brightened.

Shen Ping woke up from his deep sleep. Feeling his wife curled up like a kitten in his arms, he could not help but reveal a trace of disappointment.

From today onwards, he would completely abandon his unrealistic expectations and obediently accumulate resources for his descendants. If his descendants did not have spiritual roots, he would live an ordinary life.

[Obtained talisman crafting experience +10.]

[Bonus: 0]

[Talisman Master: Level One, Low Level (1,005/1,000). Can break through.]

Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly noticed a virtual panel that suddenly appeared from the corner of his eye. There were four lines of golden words on it. Shen Ping could not help but rub his eyes. Seeing that the virtual interface was still there, he was sure that he was not hallucinating from overwork.

"Could this be a cheat?" He gradually became excited, but he did not show it. Instead, he asked his wife beside him. "Yun'er, is there anything in front of you?"

"No!" Wang Yun replied and said shyly, "Husband, I overslept. I'll get up and cook for you now."

However, Shen Ping turned around. "It's still early. Let's sleep for a while more."

He couldn't care less about his wife. He wanted to confirm if this was a cheat.