Chapter 1: The Blind Date

“What… special skills do you have?”

In the Immortal Ruins, within the tranquil elegance of a teahouse in Qing’an City, the female cultivator was the first to speak.

She had taken great care with her appearance for this matchmaking meeting, donning all her finest garments, because the matchmaker had said the man was a handsome youth skilled in alchemy and talisman crafting.

Indeed, Li Guanxuan, seated across from her, truly possessed a refined and striking appearance. His long hair was half tied, half loose, his eyes and brows gentle, and his temperament was free and unrestrained, giving off the aura of an immortal.

In short, the female cultivator was quite satisfied with his looks.

“My skills in alchemy and talisman crafting are broad but not deep,” Li Guanxuan replied.

The answer pleased her as well. Such modesty usually meant the opposite, and everything about Li Guanxuan’s appearance, bearing, and manners suggested he came from an esteemed family of cultivators.

Only those born into such families possessed this kind of refinement.

She straightened her back almost imperceptibly, subtly displaying her assets.

Lifting her teacup to her lips, she took a delicate sip, stealing a glance at Li Guanxuan. Seeing his sincere smile and gentle gaze, she felt a flush of pride.

A man’s true character, indeed—how apt the saying was.

“If I may ask, where is your family from?” she inquired with a bright smile.

“The Yongning Prefecture of the Grand Heng Immortal Dynasty,” Li Guanxuan replied.

At this, her satisfaction grew.

The Grand Heng Immortal Dynasty was by no means a minor mundane kingdom; its spiritual veins stretched ten thousand miles, and its national fortune was at its zenith.

Here in Qing’an City, there was only a single first-grade spiritual vein, barely a hundred meters long, yet tens of thousands of cultivators crowded the city. Low-level cultivators like them could only reside in the outskirts, not even allowed into the city proper, let alone approach the core spiritual vein.

Yet the Li family of Yongning Prefecture, at the heart of the capital’s spiritual veins, was a noble clan with thousands of years of history, their founder a formidable Nascent Soul cultivator.

If she could marry into the Li family, even if only lingering at the fringes, she could rise to prominence.

She was nearly certain that this Li Guanxuan before her was only sent out to the Immortal Ruins for training because his potential was ordinary. Returning to the family would require one of two things:

First, forming a Foundation Establishment.

Second, marrying and having children.

The first demonstrated one’s worth to the family. The second was for when all else failed—hoping the next generation’s talents might win the family’s favor.

If their child’s spiritual roots were decent, perhaps they could return to the family and enjoy a peaceful old age.

A smile blossomed on her face. With her first-layer Qi Refining cultivation and Li Guanxuan’s alchemy and talisman skills, they could surely produce several children with promising spiritual roots, then leave the chaotic Immortal Ruins for Yongning Prefecture…

Just based on these two conditions, she could already give him an eighty out of a hundred.

After all, in the path of cultivation, the four foundations were “wealth, partner, method, and ground.”

For cultivators of mediocre talent, without the aid of family or sect, it was nigh impossible to reach Foundation Establishment or even survive the journey.

Thus, finding someone to rely on was especially vital—even a marginal place in a family was better than nothing.

“By the way, may I ask how adept you are at alchemy and talisman crafting?” she asked, her beautiful eyes full of anticipation.

Li Guanxuan took a sip of tea. “All at elementary first-grade.”

She paused, then pressed on, “And your cultivation?”

“Second layer of Qi Refining.”

“Spiritual root aptitude?”

“Low-grade four-element root—metal, wood, fire, and earth.”

“…”

She nodded at his candor, feeling relieved. If he were a prodigy, the family would never have sent him out for training.

She smiled once more, saying, “It’s alright. As long as by forty we reach advanced first-grade in alchemy and talisman crafting and mid-stage Qi Refining, our children have a high chance of inheriting good roots… then we might reach Foundation Establishment by sixty.”

Li Guanxuan paused. “Er… I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Why not?”

“Did the matchmaker not tell you my real age?”

“Then you…”

A sense of foreboding rose in her chest.

Li Guanxuan smiled. “I am over forty this year. I’ve taken my family’s Youth Preserving Pill.”

Since this was a marriage meeting, he saw no reason not to be honest. The brashness of his youth had long been worn away by the years.

“I see…”

Her hopes were dashed. Over forty, only second layer Qi Refining, low-grade four-element roots, and only basic first-grade alchemy and talisman skills—he had no chance of returning to the Li family.

She tightened her splendid robes around her slender figure, offered a polite smile, and said, “Fellow Daoist, I wish you good fortune on your immortal path… Farewell.”

“Understood,” Li Guanxuan nodded, unbothered.

Such was the heartlessness of the immortal path; matchmaking was merely a transaction of needs.

As for appearances…

The cultivation world was full of handsome men and beautiful women; who cared for a pretty face with no substance?

He had crossed over from Earth to this world of cultivation more than forty years ago. At twelve, he’d left Yongning Prefecture with his clan brothers to pioneer in the Immortal Ruins. Now, all were scattered, their fates unknown.

Having struggled for so many years at the bottom, he’d become indifferent to many things.

He’d tried the diligent, hard-working route, like the protagonists of underdog tales, hoping for a miraculous rise.

But without spiritual veins or resources for cultivation…

No matter how hard he worked, it was futile. In the end, he could only make a living with basic alchemy and talisman crafting, barely scraping by.

Now, with no other options, he had to try marrying and having children as a way to petition his family for resources.

But with his low-grade four-element root, even producing a child with spiritual roots would be difficult…

“In the end, I must try,” he sighed inwardly.

“Miss, I’m sorry, but I need a cultivation partner, not a common martial artist.”

Elsewhere in the teahouse, another matchmaking meeting was ending. At the next table, a male cultivator rose and spoke blandly,

“I’ve already paid for the tea. Farewell.”

The woman across from him wore a loose, patched robe. At his words, her body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Only after the man had left did Li Guanxuan hear a faint “thank you.”

He turned to look. The woman’s face was thin, her head bowed in self-abasement, her rough hands cradling her tea cup as she sat in silence.

After a long while, she sighed quietly, set down her cup, and prepared to leave—only to notice the handsome man now seated before her, startling her into a daze.

“Miss, are you alone? So am I. Would you care to chat?”

Li Guanxuan sat down straightforwardly, finally getting a good look at her face.

Her hair was tied up high; beneath her arched brows were large, clear almond eyes, with a few wisps of hair drifting across her face. Her nose was straight, and her small red lips parted slightly. Her oval face had grown so thin as to resemble a melon seed.

To the eyes of someone from a noble family like Li Guanxuan, she would be a beauty capable of captivating a city—if only she gained some weight, tidied herself up, and put on a long dress.

Coming to her senses, the girl looked down like a startled fawn and stammered, “I—I’m just a martial artist, a commoner. I… I eat a lot.”

Her naive awkwardness made Li Guanxuan laugh. Perhaps moved by love at first sight, he replied sincerely,

“My name is Li Guanxuan. I was born to the Li family of cultivators in Yongning Prefecture. Because I have a low-grade four-element root, I was sent away to train. As for my parents… the immortal path is heartless; there’s no need to speak of them.

I am forty-three this year, at the second layer of Qi Refining, with elementary skills in alchemy and talisman crafting… If you don’t mind, we can marry today—what do you think?”

Faced with his open account of family and cultivation, the girl stared at him in surprise, a trace of caution in her almond eyes.

“I—I am just a martial artist…” she repeated, lacking the social skills for more.

“I’m not much different from a mortal,” Li Guanxuan replied with a smile. “Qi Refining cultivators live just over a hundred years, and even then, only with luck—just enough to make up our twenty-year age gap. Rest assured, I seek nothing from you. Having no hope on the immortal path, I wish only to return to a simple life.”

Glancing up at him, she saw the clarity in his eyes, the warmth in his smile, and his straightforward sincerity.

After a long while, she put down her cup and introduced herself with grave formality,

“My name is Wen Rongxin. I’m eighteen, born to a farming family in Shanliu Town. Three years ago, our town was raided by bandits. My parents were killed protecting me as I escaped. I came to Qing’an City, and was tested… I have a five-element inferior root, so I could only train in martial arts.”

Li Guanxuan nodded slightly—she, too, had come to matchmaking out of desperation.

For martial artists, food was their most precious resource.

But judging from Wen Rongxin’s condition, she could barely afford a meal.

They continued to chat. Slowly, a trace of a smile returned to Wen Rongxin’s thin face, her eyes curving prettily, revealing a budding charm.

…

Half a month later.

In that time, Wen Rongxin had let down her guard completely.

They decided to hold their wedding today.

Li Guanxuan lived in a shantytown on the eastern outskirts of Qing’an City, in a wooden house partitioned into small rooms, with a yard for growing spiritual vegetables and rice, each household separated by fences.

Their simple home was adorned with red lanterns and the “Double Happiness” character, lending a touch of warmth.

After their meal, they completed their wedding rites.

Soon after, Wen Rongxin scurried back to the bedroom, donned a red bridal veil, cheeks flushed, and sat quietly, nervously awaiting her new husband.

For all his experience, Li Guanxuan was just as anxious—he was still a naive young man at heart, with only theoretical knowledge and no real practice.

Calming himself, he spoke softly,

“My dear, from now on… please take care of me.”

“Mm.” Wen Rongxin’s reply was a soft murmur.

A breeze drifted through; the flickering candlelight was instantly snuffed out.

The red “Double Happiness” glowed vividly.

Outside, the full moon hung bright and round.

Two hours later.

A surge of pure energy suddenly rose from within.

Li Guanxuan’s expression changed. He quickly withdrew, sitting cross-legged, closing his eyes and focusing his mind.

He intended only to check his internal state, but to his shock, his spiritual sense was drawn into a dark, empty space.

All was silent save for a single, strange tree towering within.

The tree stood fifty or sixty feet high, its crown spreading wide, its slender branches angular, leaves fine and feathery, bright green, with blossoms like soft pom-poms, pink and white filaments cascading like horsetails, delicate and lovely.

In an instant, golden and crimson lights rose from the roots, transforming into a dragon and a phoenix. They spiraled upward, bursting through the darkness and dissolving into pure energy, which then suffused his body.

“What…”

Li Guanxuan’s eyes widened.

He recognized this spiritual silk-flower tree—it grew on Joyous Mountain east of Qing’an City…

…

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