Zamirah died.
It was a car accident just the same as her predecessors' cause of death.
Predecessors?
Oh, they are the ones like her, the ones who ended up in another person's body in another world.
A Transmigrator.
Zamirah carefully observed the face reflecting from the puddle of water. The woman is beautiful, with a fox eye that seems to seduce people and disdain everything around her. Her face is small with her lips shaped like a cupid's bow and naturally tinted with pink. Her hair is wavy pitch black reaching her waist.
The most eye-catching about her is the unique temperament that made her feel otherworldly, something far from mortal filth.
In short, she's a beautiful cultivator.
That's what Zamirah summarized at first sight.
'Fortunately, fortunately.' She thought inwardly.
Zamirah patted her chest in relief as she made sure her looks were fine. Not just fine, but very good.
She's also a beauty in her past life, now that she's going to live a new life, of course, she wants to be just as beautiful.
Zamirah didn't know if she stole this body or if she just remembered her past life memory after dying. Anyway, she decided to live a good life. A life where there are no shackles to keep her.
A wild and free one.
That's the goal she decided upon.
Rummaging the memories of this life, she knew that this world was an amazing one. Incomparable to Earth where there is only technology.
She is in the World of Cultivation, the Realm of Azar.
Besides mortal humans and wild animals, there are cultivators, demons, and devils in this world.
Magic that Earthlings deemed as fantasy is normal here.
Alchemy, Talisman, and Magic Artifacts can be bought.
Longevity is within reach.
Most importantly, death is as common as eating.
Zemirah, a girl from modern Earth who strictly abides by law was appalled at the thought of killing.
This -
As she was feeling disgusted by those actions of killing and looting for treasure and opportunities, a certain memory popped into her mind.
It was her fighting against a group of evil cultivators.
She was not outstanding in fighting, so she was quickly defeated. A female evil cultivator stabbed her in her heart with a joyous smile. Seemingly happy with her nearing death that will come from her hands.
After that, they left her dead body on the ground and then looted her belongings. Her storage bag and even her accessories. Fortunately, her clothes are cheap, so it wasn't looted.
Reminiscing her memories before death, Zamirah's thoughts about resisting killing vanished.
'No, this is not Earth anymore. There are no authorities that protect and ban killing. This is a world of cultivation where everyone fights for chances to reach immortality.'
Zamirah closed her eyes as she decided, 'I won't see killing as normal, but I won't shy away from doing it either.'
Then she opened her eyes, the brown orbs with a tint of pink showed a determination that was different from before, 'I will fight for myself, to live the life I wanted.'
After seeing such a cruel memory, where she even died, Zamirah changed her mind. Even though she's not sure if she can really do what she says, she's prepared for it.
Now that she is in this kind of world, where opportunities and risk intertwine. Where power is more than she can imagine and immortality is not an impossibility. She will do her best.
Zamirah patted away the dust and mud on her body after laying on the ground earlier. She stood up unsteadily as she flinched from the slight pain in her chest.
Wait-
Zamirah frowned in thought.
Slight pain?
How can a stab in the heart not be very painful?
Although her new identity is a cultivator whose body is more powerful than a mortal, it's not that she can't feel pain anymore.
Feeling curious and incredulous, she checked the supposedly seriously wounded area and discovered something amazing.
Wow, her chest is really blessed.
No- Not that.
The supposedly fatally injured area has nothing at all. It was unblemished as usual.
"This?" Zamirah uttered in shock.
Where's the stab wound?
If not for the memories and slight pain, she would've thought she was having an illusion.
But how did her injury miraculously heal?
Rummaging her memories, she didn't remember anything after losing consciousness. She also didn't have any miracle pill on her to heal herself.
So, what happened?
Not finding an answer, Zamirah just pushed the blame onto her transmigration.
Whatever, there are so many strange things that happened today. Another one is not a big deal.
Zamirah then started to think of what to do next. This body was killed by Demonic Cultivators, so her impression of them is on rock bottom. Although she wouldn't actively seek them for revenge, she understood that being cautious is the right thing to do.
Now, she needs to find the storage bag she threw when being chased earlier. The original owner that was being chased by the Demonic Cultivators knew that her chance of survival was low, so she threw away the storage bag that had most of her cultivation resources and belongings.
She didn't want her things to benefit her perpetrators.
"I think I threw it in the river," Zemirah whispered, then started walking towards the river in her memory.
She was chased in the forest, where killing can be easily done and covered. This forest has some Body Refining Realm demonic beasts, equivalent to human cultivators in the Foundation Building Realm, deep in the forest as bosses. While some low-level demonic beasts wander on the edge of the forest.
Sometimes attacking human settlements.
It wouldn't be good to meet one, especially since she is still unfamiliar with her body and cultivation techniques.
She found the river after an hour of walking. The river is small, just like a little bigger stream. She searched for the storage bag, which was hidden deep in the water in between the stones.
She almost missed it.
"So this is the storage bag? How to use it again?" Zemirah smiled as she curiously examined the infamous storage bag.
"I remember that using the spiritual energy is a common way," Zemirah dug into her memories of how to make use of her spiritual energy.
After finding the method, she focused her mind and felt something inside her body stir. That mysterious energy inside the place called Dantian responded to her call and opened the storage bag.
"That was simple," She sighed in relief at the smooth operation. Finally, she looked at the things inside the storage bag whose side was only the size of her palm, but the inside was more.
"This is amazing."
Inside the space ring, there are various resources like pills, spiritual fruits, and a few pieces of low-grade spiritual stone. And yet, the most eye-catching thing is the material to make talismans that are packed in specially made wooden boxes. The created talismans are finished when she is running away from the demonic cultivators.
"I seem to remember that I'm a talisman master?" She pursed her lips thoughtfully at the sight.
No wonder there are so many talisman-making materials.
Then she saw her magical artifact, a talisman pen that can be used to make talismans up to the Peak-stage of Grade 1 talismans. Grade 1 talismans are equivalent to the Energy Refinement Realm.
There are 4 stages in every realm, from Early, Middle, Late, and Peak.
The Peak Stage is the highest in every realm, so the preciousness of the talisman pen she has is evident.
"Fortunately, I threw this thing away earlier. Otherwise, I will have nothing on me." Zemirah happily caressed her storage bag.
"Now, I have to find a place to practice in seclusion to become familiar with my body and techniques," Zemirah remembered the cultivation techniques and skills her body had practiced before, but she was not sure about using them.
"I also need to make some talismans to protect myself."
Zemirah listed the things she needed to do on her mind.
"Now, I have to find a place to stay."
Zemirah knew that there was a town called Teal River Town just outside the Teal River Forest. She can go there, but she's quite afraid of cultivators right now, especially Demonic Cultivators who just killed the original owner.
She also did not want to be seen by them because how can she explain when a dead person suddenly appeared alive and well.
"No need to go to the Town right now. I can just find a cave in the forest first for a temporary stay." Zemirah nodded at this decision
She took out a Common-quality Low-stage Grade 1 artifact weapon, the only weapon in her storage bag called [Snake Binding Whip].
She swung it a little before barely understanding how to use it.
After confirming she was ready, Zemirah then started to find a cave. She only dared to look at mountains that didn't have any powerful aura.
It took her a few hours to find one, a finely hidden cave with sparse spiritual energy.
"It's small but hidden enough," Zemirah examined the cave she found and nodded in satisfaction.
She then started cleaning away the dirt and dust, only settling down after the smell faded away.
"I should arrange an array that can hide my aura," Zemirah observed the cave and thought of this. However, there is a problem. "I'm a talisman master, not an array master." She patted her forehead in dismay.
"I'll just make a talisman that can hide my aura, it should be enough." Zemirah settled for the next best thing.
She took out a futon and sat deep in the cave. She took a night pearl as a lamp and finally closed her eyes.
"I can start practicing my breathing technique. This is the beginning of my cultivation journey." Zemirah excitedly thought.
Then, as per the instructions from her memory, she started meditating. Feeling the energy inside her, she started circulating the breathing technique based on her memories.
The cultivation technique she practices is called [Star Mystery Breathing Technique] from the Star Mystery Sect.
The body she transmigrated came from a mid-tier sect, where there is a late-stage Foundation Realm cultivator as an ancestor. The sect has some fame for its practice in sub-professions like talismans and array. It was said that there is a technique for divination in the sect, yet no one was able to practice it.
Just last week, the sect was suddenly attacked. The attacker is another mid-tier sect that has three known Late-stage Foundation Building Realm ancestors, where one recently advanced to the Peak-Stage Foundation Building Realm. The Star Mystery Sect was destroyed along with the disciples.
Zemirah was one of the lucky few who escaped.
The Star Mystery Breathing Technique made use of the stars to boost their cultivation practice. Now that there are no stars yet, her practice is mediocre.
Yet Zemirah is satisfied.
This is the first time she felt the power inside her. The feeling of being a cultivator. Only after this did she really understand that she was a genuine cultivator. Not just a normal human in the modern world.
"This feeling is amazing." She sighed in amazement.
The feeling of improving visibly is addictive to Zemirah. She can feel her body absorbing the mysterious energy called Spiritual Energy.
That energy is being stored in her body like a mist, slowly filling up in her almost empty Dantian, where only after filling it up and refining the spiritual energy can she try to advance. Then the cycle repeats until she advances to a higher cultivation realm.
She circulated the exercise three times before feeling her body full. She even has a feeling that she can advance to the next stage in the next few days, a good thing after surviving a disaster.
She exhaled a turbid air before opening her eyes. Those eyes are shining brightly, mixed with joy and firm will.
"I'll make sure to reach immortality," Zemirah promised. A determination that was planted in her heart.
"Now, let's try to make a talisman to hide first before doing others." Zemirah then took material from her space ring.
A Paper, Ink, and Brush.
The talisman paper is specially made from spirit wood that can contain the power of a mid-stage grade 1 talisman. The ink is made from the blood of a Red Ink Chicken. And her precious magic artifact, the White Fox Tail Talisman Brush.
"Now, how do we start this?" Zemirah held the talisman pen as she stared at the spread-out talisman paper and prepared ink.
"I remember that there's a low-stage grade 1 talisman called [Breath Hiding Talisman]. I should make that one." Zemirah decided.
The [Breath Hiding Talisman] is a simple talisman that most newbie talisman master makes. Her body also frequently makes one before, so her success rate is quite high.
Every cultivation material has its own quality that indicates its effectiveness. From pills, magic artifacts, talismans, and others. They are common (60%), uncommon (70%), outstanding (80%), rare (90%), and supreme (100%).
The most common talisman can only release 60% of the talisman's power, while the most powerful talisman master can make a supreme quality talisman that can release all the power.
Like a Fire Ball Talisman, a common quality can release a head-sized fireball while a supreme quality can release thrice its size.
In legends, they said that there is a higher quality that can release the power better and even has a special effect that makes a miraculous change.
"Whatever, it's already good if I can make one talisman," Zemirah uttered, tossing other things out of her mind.
After she finished studying and understanding the [Breath Hiding Talisman], Zemirah finally decided to start making one.
She transmitted her energy to the talisman pen, which then influenced the ink. The ink with energy is more alive in Zemirah's eyes, she can see the seemingly lively and wild ink being suppressed by the talisman paper.
The [Breath Hiding Talisman] isn't complex to make, but a novice like her can barely make the lines pass as she made a mistake, and the talisman on her hand burned to dust.
"I can't believe that even in this world I have to be forced to draw." Zemirah gritted her teeth as she muttered.
After starting to make a talisman, Zemirah concluded that the Talisman Master drew for a living. They draw symbols that can resonate with this world to release the power of that symbol. The more perfect the drawing, the more powerful it can be.
Now that she has her own understanding of talisman making, Zemirah feels that making a talisman isn't that hard anymore.
"Let's make one again." Zemirah is not afraid of trying again since she has quite a lot of materials. And the materials she's using are the most common ones. The expensive and precious talisman-making materials are hidden deep in her space ring.
Those materials can be used to make a late-stage grade 1 talisman.
After burning four more talisman materials, Zemirah finally succeeded in making one.
A golden light seems to trace each line on the talisman in front of her. She can feel the difference it brings from the failed talisman. This talisman is like the spiritual stone in her storage bag, there is an energy hiding on it. But this one in front of her can not only release energy but also use that energy to make a spell.
"Hahaha, I'm really a genius. I actually succeeded in just five tries." Zemirah laughed loudly before remembering that she was not yet safe in her cave. Only then did she become silent.
"Well, how do we use this paper?" Pinching the talisman on her hand that looked like a piece of paper with some doodles in her eyes, Zemirah thought of how to use a talisman.
"Paste it somewhere and use spiritual energy to turn it on," Zemirah muttered as she watched a certain part of her memory.
She smiled, "Okay, I got it now." Then she did as instructed.
The talisman seems to have changed as a spell resonated inside to the outside world. She seemed to see the talisman brightening up, and then Zemirah and her cave were surrounded by the spell of [Breath Hiding Talisman].
"Good, now we're hidden, though not much." Zemirah thought for a moment before deciding if she'd start practicing her spells and techniques.
"I think I should make some more talismans."
Zemirah is quite fond of talisman-making now, after her success and seeing its impressive effects.
She then started making various Low-stage Grade 1 talismans the whole day. Only when night came did she come out of her immersion.
"I actually skipped lunch, let's eat some fruits first before sleeping." Zemirah can feel her body and mind tired. The energy in her Dantian is also almost empty.
"I need a rest."
She looked at the pile of talismans in front of her. There are 3 kinds of talisman she made: a [Breath Hiding Talisman], a [Water Shield Talisman], and a [Fire Ball Talisman].
One for stealth, one for defense, and one for offense.
She made the most [Water Shield Talisman].
"That should be enough for now," Zemirah said after biting the spiritual fruit in her hand. Some energy flowed in her Dantian.
"I'll practice tomorrow, I'm really tired and sleepy." She even yawned.
Her beautiful face is now stained with tiredness, yet it didn't diminish the beauty within. Contented with her work, Zemirah slept for the first time in Azar.