Zhou Cang left, and everyone else entered the city.
After sending away a few of the younger companions gathered around him, and politely declining numerous cultivation families trying to recruit him along the way, Li Jizhou returned to his small home located at the far east of Inverted Mountain with a forlorn expression.
This was the inheritance left to him by his loose cultivator father in this life, a small room in a courtyard at the very edge of the slum area of Inverted Mountain.
The courtyard had three rooms, each belonging to a different owner, and he was just one of them.
Entering his own room, Li Jizhou activated the protective array his father had set up, sweeping away the dejection on his face, even revealing a slight smile.
"Reincarnation Treasure Mirror!"
Silently chanting, darkness invaded his sea of consciousness.
Moments later, in the pitch-black sea of consciousness, a treasure mirror gradually appeared, its golden light shining brilliantly. Upon closer inspection, the mirror actually had an engraving of a handsome young man holding a Pill Furnace.
"Is this my past life?"
Li Jizhou secretly marveled.
He closed his eyes, recalling the scene from the morning at the third mental strength assessment platform of the Golden Sun Sect.
To be honest, although Li Jizhou's detected Spirit Roots were just slightly above lower grade, his Divine Soul far surpassed others. If it weren't for the awakening of his previous life's Innate Wisdom at that moment, he certainly would have passed the final assessment and smoothly entered the Golden Sun Sect.
"Fate toys with people!"
Despite now knowing that he possessed a golden finger, Li Jizhou still felt regret for not being able to join the sect.
Especially after awakening his previous life's Innate Wisdom, seeing the turbulent, struggling, and despairing past life flash like shadows, he realized more fully the harshness and reality of this cultivation world.
Wealth, partner, technique, and land, not one can be absent!
Especially in this cultivation realm, without Spirit Vein lands, everywhere else lacks even the basic Spiritual Qi for cultivation, and Spirit Vein lands are mostly occupied by sects or cultivation families.
In his past life, Li Jizhou originally lived on Earth, struggling diligently at first, then resigning to fate in the end. Eventually, he transmigrated by chance into this cultivation realm named Celestial Profound Continent.
At the beginning of his transmigration, Li Jizhou thought he was the protagonist of this world, rising against the heavens and becoming invincible, ruling over ages!
Especially after being rejected by many sects and laughed at by some people, he further confirmed to himself that he was the type of protagonist who experiences thirty years in the east and thirty years in the west.
Whenever he heard of a possible secret realm or treasure, he rushed over at the first opportunity, always thinking that they were fateful chances prepared for him.
The outcome, needless to say.
Not only did he not gain any serendipitous encounter, but he often ended up severely injured and on the brink of death, damaging his foundation, and ultimately dying with the regret of never reaching Core Formation, a miserable end.
Looking back at his past, living in poverty without talent, resources, or connections, with ambitions soaring beyond his means; if it weren't for his eventual awakening and recognition of his own ordinariness, settling his mind on researching Alchemy and amassing some resources, even Foundation Establishment would have been impossible.
"Ah~" Reflecting on his past life's experiences again, Li Jizhou let out a long sigh.
"Fortunately, I have this secret treasure allowing me to live again, otherwise I would truly be the most unfortunate transmigrator."
The wretched experiences of his past life deeply affected Li Jizhou, though it felt like watching someone else's life, not adversely affecting his mindset, not turning him into an ancient monster-like being who'd lived for hundreds of years. It merely made him recognize the reality, recognize his ordinariness, allowing him to sail through future years more steadily.
After diligently recalling his past life, Li Jizhou looked again at the Reincarnation Treasure Mirror in his sea of consciousness.
Beside that golden light radiating mirror of his past life, another mirror emerged.
However, this mirror had no golden light, nor any engraved image.
"This mirror should correspond to this life! It probably won't fully brighten until this life is completed."
"I wonder how many times the Reincarnation Treasure Mirror will allow me to reincarnate? Is it three lives and three worlds, or nine lives of reincarnation, or... endless reincarnation?"
"It shouldn't be limited to just two lives, at the worst there should be a third life!"
Li Jizhou stopped thinking about it and focused on the first-life mirror.
Information immediately emerged:
[Previous Life Duration: 218 years. Acquired Spirit Root Points: 218 points.]
[Previous Life Late Stage of Foundation Establishment Divine Sense, Divine Soul cultivation speed +5%.]
[Previous Life Alchemy Skill: Tier Two Middle Level, this life Alchemy proficiency increased by 10%.]
This is the greatest function of the Reincarnation Treasure Mirror, allowing the acquired talent of past lives to feed back into the current life.
The Spirit Root points gained from his previous life haven't been allocated to this life yet, but the soul speed increase is inherent.
"No wonder my Divine Soul in this life is much stronger than my companions, it's because of the five percent boost!"
Li Jizhou once again clicked on this life's mirror.
[Spirit Root]: Metal (6/10 Inferior), Wood (31/100 Lower), Water (7/10 Inferior), Fire (67/100 Lower), Earth (2/10 Inferior).
[Divine Soul]: Spiritual Sense (25/100) +5% (cannot be allocated).
[Allocatable Points: 218.]
This cultivation realm's Spirit Root system encompasses all five elements.
For the Human Race, the spirits of all things, they are inherently complete with all five elements.
The evaluation of Spirit Root aptitude is based on the highest Root's sensitivity to Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Inferior Spirit Roots have such low sensitivity to Spiritual Qi that drawing Qi into the body can take a lifetime.
In his past life, Li Jizhou had inferior Metal, Water, and Earth Spirit Roots, with Wood being lower, and Fire being lower-high, so his overall Spirit Root grade was lower-high, which was the average level for ordinary cultivators in a small Cultivation Country.
It matches the Spirit Root data reflected by this moment's mirror.
"It seems the Reincarnation Treasure Mirror grants me Spirit Roots inherited from my previous life."
As for Divine Soul, during the Qi Cultivation Stage, it's at the Spiritual Sense phase. In this life, Li Jizhou has just completed drawing Qi into the body. At this stage, a normal person is just touching the threshold of Spiritual Sense, while Li Jizhou already has accumulated Spiritual Sense.
This should benefit from the five percent Divine Soul nurturing speed boost from his past life.
"Even if I allocate all points to the highest sensing Fire Element Spirit Root in this life, it would only be of Middle Grade. With sect or family support, achieving Core Formation is possible, but for Nascent Soul, it would require heaven-defying fate,
However... having just passed Golden Sun Sect's aptitude test, enhancing talent now and going for tests at other sects might attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. Such a shocking secret of dramatically enhancing talent in a short period is enough to make Nascent Soul level old monsters abandon their pride.
After all, there are only a few sects within Qi Kingdom, and they interact with each other frequently.
Moreover, possessing the hidden secret of the Reincarnation Treasure Mirror, I definitely can't wander under the noses of those great cultivators."
"Actually, for someone like me, with the backing of a past life, it doesn't matter, being a Loose Cultivator is fine. With Middle Grade talent combined with past experiences of Perfect Foundation Establishment and Tier Two Alchemy Master, careful management means only early stages will be difficult, and I will undoubtedly surpass some sect outer disciples later."
"If I can achieve Core Formation, I can gain nearly five hundred years of lifespan. In the next life, I can add five hundred points to this life's Spirit Root base, making top-grade talent possible in the future... again and again, as long as I can reincarnate for three more lives, opening with a Celestial Soul Body Spirit Root, it's at my fingertips."
"Hope for attaining the Dao!"
Avoid contention, manage steadily, make sure to reach Core Formation, strive for Nascent Soul, and in this life, live as long as possible with all one's might!
With this life's goal set, Li Jizhou prepared to allocate all 218 points to his Fire Spirit Root.
At this moment, a glowing dot beneath the Reincarnation Treasure Mirror caught Li Jizhou's attention.
[The highest-level cultivation technique obtained in the previous life: "Complete Evergreen Skill"]
"Cultivation technique!"
"I obtained many cultivation techniques in my past life, the highest should have been that top-grade "Flame Phosphorus Skill."
"Evergreen Skill? Anyone can acquire it here."
Li Jizhou was slightly taken aback. "Evergreen Skill" was a basic cultivation technique widespread in this world, sharing the title of Loose Cultivator's friend along with "Kaiyuan Scripture" and "Golden Seal Skill."
It's everywhere on the streets; anyone who wants to learn can do so.
"Evergreen Skill" is a Wood Element Health Cultivation Skill. Because each stage consolidates itself after absorbing Spiritual Qi, it's slower than common cultivation techniques. While others with similar aptitude achieve Qi Cultivation First Level Perfection in a year with ordinary techniques, "Evergreen Skill" takes nearly a year and a half.
And the Eternal Spring Magical Power it cultivates is notoriously poor in attack, with mediocre power. The only notable points are that at equal levels, Eternal Spring Magical Power is rich and continuous, with a distant aura, best suited for drawing talismans.
Thus, most Talisman Masters will supplement their studies with "Evergreen Skill" to aid in drawing talismans.
Another point is its health maintenance attribute, increasing lifespan by twenty percent compared to ordinary techniques at the same level.
Other than that, unless absolutely necessary, no one predominantly cultivates this technique.
However, seeing the word "complete" in front of "Evergreen Skill," a hint of anticipation rose in Li Jizhou's heart.