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

A Foundation Establishment expert had come personally.

Li An had no way to avoid it, so he got up and opened the shop door.

“Black-hearted Talisman Master, you finally came out!”

“Talisman Master Li!”

“Our benefactor!”

Outside, numerous pairs of eager and grateful eyes stared at Li An, making him extremely uncomfortable.

“Greetings, Senior Yu!”

Li An respectfully saluted the middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Yu Xiong waved his hand. “No need for formalities. Talisman Master Li, may I ask… those Breaking Seal Talismans—were they all sold from your shop?”

Li An’s face turned grim, and he said in fear, “I truly didn’t know they were Demonic Cultivators… If I had known, I would’ve notified the Market District immediately.”

Yu Xiong burst out laughing. “No need to worry, Talisman Master Li. This isn’t your fault. The enemy was far too cunning—even the sect’s formation failed to detect their movements.”

Li An then respectfully invited Yu Xiong inside and explained everything that had happened.

A few days ago, a large man had come to order Breaking Seal Talismans.

Driven by greed, Li An grit his teeth and took the order. But he soon realized he couldn’t produce that many in time. There wasn’t even enough time to contact the sect’s Talisman Hall. So, he had a wicked thought… and made fake talismans.

Unexpectedly, the man never returned, so Li An sold the fake talismans off piece by piece.

He never imagined it would lead to today’s outcome.

Li An had already thought this through and handled it with a natural demeanor. His explanation was logical and flawless.

“Senior Yu, this junior was momentarily blinded by greed and brought shame to the Clear Sun Sect’s Talisman Shop… Please punish me. I accept any consequence.”

Li An appeared terrified and remorseful.

After all, if the matter were seriously pursued, he would surely be punished harshly by the sect.

But Yu Xiong was in great spirits. Despite the Demonic Cultivators’ assault, he had preserved the Market District—an immense contribution in the eyes of the sect.

And that great merit… had everything to do with this greedy little Talisman Master.

Thinking of how those Demonic Cultivators had schemed so meticulously, only to be ruined by a greedy Talisman Master, he couldn’t help but laugh. He waved his hand:

“Talisman Master Li, don’t worry about this. I’ll speak on your behalf to the sect.”

Li An was overjoyed and quickly bowed in thanks.

“And all of you—”

Yu Xiong turned toward the gathered merchants and cultivators outside, speaking sternly:

“Enough with calling him the ‘Black-hearted Talisman Master.’ That kind of talk ends now!”

“Talisman Master Li clearly noticed something suspicious and laid a trap to lure the Demonic Cultivators into revealing themselves. He made a great contribution to the Market District! Someone this virtuous and brilliant must not be slandered so casually!”

“Do you all understand?”

The crowd nodded repeatedly, but many couldn’t help smiling.

This was probably the greatest joke the Market District had seen in years.

A greedy little Talisman Master accidentally destroyed the scheme of a Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator?

Still, most people had a favorable impression of Li An.

After all, the persona Li An had established for himself was that of a petty, money-loving Talisman Master. Such people weren’t feared or targeted—just gossip material over meals.

Yu Xiong casually picked up a Breaking Seal Talisman from the counter. With a wave, it burned up on its own—completely useless.

A fake, indeed.

He couldn’t help but smile. “The other talismans…”

Li An immediately said, “All the others were refined with great care—completely genuine, no problem at all.”

Yu Xiong laughed heartily and patted Li An’s shoulder.

“The Demonic Cultivators are gone. Destroy all these fake talismans. Don’t sell them anymore.”

With that, he turned and left.

Li An respectfully saw Yu Xiong out.

“Blac—Talisman Master Li, don’t throw out those fake Breaking Seal Talismans! Sell me one! I want a keepsake—after all, this thing saved our lives today!”

“Yes, those fake Breaking Seal Talismans are full of good fortune!”

“Demonbane Talisman Master Li! These are priceless treasures!”

Suddenly, numerous cultivators surged forward, eager and excited.

Everyone had just experienced a rollercoaster of life and death. Now that the danger had passed, they were in high spirits.

Li An: “…”

He didn’t refuse them. He gave away the remaining fake talismans and then closed the shop door.

…

That night, in his room, Li An reviewed the events from beginning to end.

The only thing that had gone beyond his expectations… was that before leaving, Horse-Face of Death had placed a massive bounty on his head—offering a Foundation Establishment Pill for the life of a mere Fourth Layer Qi Refining cultivator.

Still, Li An wasn’t especially worried.

It was nearly impossible for Foundation Establishment cultivators to sneak into the Market District.

And if a Qi Refining cultivator came, it would be hard to kill Li An instantly. As long as he could delay them, he wouldn’t die.

As long as he stayed put in the Market District, it would be hard for anyone to kill him.

“There shouldn’t be any major flaws…”

Li An whispered to himself.

Only Zhang Shouye and Tan Qingxue knew he had set up an array in his room. Even if they eventually discovered it had been activated and destroyed, Li An had an excuse.

That array had flaws. If it malfunctioned during the Market District’s tremors, it would be entirely normal.

As for Wang Yun—he was an orphan with no family. The old shopkeeper he once followed had already retired back to the sect. The two no longer had contact.

No one would investigate Wang Yun’s severe injuries or mental damage.

Li An would just find a place to settle him quietly.

Late at night, after confirming that no one was spying on him, Li An quietly opened the Storage Pouch he had taken from the Demonic Cultivator.

The moment he looked inside, his eyes lit up.

He was rich!

This Demonic Cultivator was astonishingly wealthy.

323 Spirit Stones.

Two Qi Circulation Pills, three Recovery Pills.

A Mid-Grade First Rank Chainmail Armor, and a High-Grade First Rank Treasure Umbrella.

What surprised Li An most was that the four First Grade Fire Spirit Fruits he had sold earlier… were also inside.

They’d come back to him.

There was also a stalk of Purple Soul Grass.

This was a Second Grade Spiritual Herb—one of the main ingredients for a Foundation Establishment Pill!

It seemed that the female cultivator who had sought the Fire Spirit Fruits had been targeted and killed by the Demonic Cultivator for her valuables.

Aside from that, there were two or three First Grade Herbs, and a green alchemy cauldron—clearly the woman had been a First Grade Alchemist.

Li An sighed.

If she hadn’t been so desperate when trying to buy those Fire Spirit Fruits, she might not have been targeted.

Her eagerness had clearly revealed her intent to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, implying she carried other ingredients as well.

A moment’s carelessness had brought her death.

But now… all her belongings had fallen into Li An’s hands.

“Hmm?”

Among the items was an old, yellowed bamboo scroll that caught Li An’s eye.

He picked it up and examined it closely.

“Yin-Yang Devil Furnace Technique!”

Li An read aloud. It was a Demonic Cultivation Technique, the core of which involved using another person as a furnace through dual cultivation—thereby improving one’s aptitudes and boosting cultivation.

“It’s actually a Mysterious Grade technique!”

Li An was stunned. This level of technique was extremely rare. Even in his past life as a Core Formation Stage cultivator, he had only possessed one—and couldn’t cultivate it until he reached Foundation Establishment.

For this Demonic Cultivator to possess a Mysterious Grade Demonic Technique… it was a true treasure.

He became highly interested and quickly stored the other items, then read the manual carefully.

“Yin-Yang Devil Furnace Technique… far superior to ordinary demonic methods. By using another person as the furnace and refining Yin-Yang Devil Qi through dual cultivation, one can improve their spiritual roots and raise cultivation!”

“But the drawbacks are terrifying. When the Yin-Yang Devil Qi breaks through the bottleneck of the spiritual roots, it triggers a deadly calamity. The furnace is destroyed, and even the user’s physical body collapses—only the soul and spiritual roots remain, requiring possession of a new body to continue cultivation.”

Li An was slightly disappointed.

The technique was excellent—but its side effects were too severe.

His own Life-Nurturing Immortal Foundation Technique already gradually improved his spiritual roots. Risking himself to cultivate this method wasn’t worth it.

“Still… if I only cultivate the Yin-Yang Devil Qi, and avoid letting it impact the spiritual roots… it could be a very useful technique!”

He murmured.

In his past life, he’d mastered several dual cultivation techniques. But ordinary ones required bonding with a Dao companion, carefully merging spiritual energy, and cultivating together over time—much effort for meager returns.

Not worth it.

But the Yin-Yang Devil Furnace Technique was different. It was direct, domineering, and didn’t need all that emotional entanglement.

If an opportunity arose, he might try it.

Moreover, what he valued most was the technique’s secondary function—Shapeshifting!

Once the Yin-Yang Devil Qi was fully cultivated, it allowed the user to alter their appearance and aura.

Combined with the Aura Concealment aspect of the Life-Nurturing Immortal Foundation Technique, even one’s life essence would change along with their appearance. Not even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator using spiritual sense would recognize him.

That would be extremely convenient.

Satisfied, he stored the Yin-Yang Devil Furnace Technique. Then, he examined the rest of the miscellaneous items. Among them, one object caught his eye—

A snow-white jade bracelet.

A Chastity Bracelet. He had seen one on Mu Qingwan of the Clear Sun Sect.

These were usually given to “furnaces” during preparation, preventing the leakage of innate Yin energy to improve dual cultivation outcomes.

“Does anyone in the Clear Sun Sect know this demonic technique?”

A dark cloud settled over Li An’s heart.

Still, he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he turned to the white Storage Ring.

Storage Rings were superior to pouches—and this one was high quality. What treasures might lie within?

Full of anticipation, Li An opened it.

And froze.

Because inside the ring… was nothing else—

Only a naked woman.

…

(End of Chapter)