Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Huanglingfang Market, inside a shop.

Lin Changsheng sat opposite an old man.

The old man had gray hair and dry, wrinkled, and loose skin, appearing to be in his eighties.

But his eyes were bright and his movements were swift and decisive, giving him an air of otherworldly grace.

"I had long heard that a highly skilled young talisman master had appeared in Huangling Market, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved. I apologize for any inconvenience caused by my unauthorized visit to invite him."

The old man had a kind face and looked at Lin Changsheng with a benevolent expression.

"Eighth level of Qi Condensation!"

Lin Changsheng silently extended his divine sense and sensed the magical power emanating from the old man. With the memories and experience of the 'Heavenly Poison True Man', he immediately judged the old man's cultivation level.

He Zhizhou, one of the current elders of the He family, seems to have arranged this meeting in order to recruit Lin Changsheng.

Xu Qinghuan told him this secretly on the way here.

“Senior, you flatter me. The Xi Danhe family owns many properties here and can be considered half the owners. As a junior who has lived here for many years, it is only right that I come to pay a visit.”

Lin Changsheng remained calm and composed, speaking respectfully without revealing his true feelings.

However, he did not actively inquire about anything else during his conversation.

"Haha, Master Lin has a good personality, no wonder he is so famous in Huangling Market."

Despite being invited by a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, Lin Changsheng remained remarkably composed. His composure earned him a hint of admiration from He Zhizhou.

"Our He family needs to recruit a group of talented young people to fill vacancies. I wonder if Master Lin would be interested in this?"

The old man got straight to the point, stating his purpose directly without any hesitation.

The news of the Xi Danhe family suffering a severe blow a few days ago has been widely circulated in Huanglingfang.

Lin Changsheng had already heard about it.

The fact that He Zhizhou, an elder of the He family, personally extended the invitation suggests that the rumors are likely true.

But Lin Changsheng had some reservations about the olive branch extended by Xi Danhe's family.

Cultivation families are different from sects.

The sect values ​​individual talent and contributions, and treats most cultivators equally, except for a very few with special backgrounds.

Within cultivation families, blood ties and kinship are highly valued, and outsiders can never access the core.

Moreover, the Xi Danhe family has just suffered a major blow and even needs to recruit rogue cultivators to replenish its members, which shows that the situation is not very good.

Besides the He family, there are also the Chen family of Huangling and the You family of Luochuan in this area.

For decades, the three families have competed and restrained each other.

Now that one company is losing momentum, the other two might have other ideas.

In short, joining the Xi Danhe family at this time has both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that one has a stable first-order spiritual vein for cultivation, and with the support of the Xi Danhe family, one can escape the exploitation of Master Wu.

The downside is that they might be dragged into the conflict, and these outsiders would only be cannon fodder in the conflict, which is not what Lin Changsheng wants.

Although Lin Changsheng was new to the world of cultivation, he had a wealth of experience and quickly analyzed the advantages and disadvantages.

"My cultivation is shallow. I am grateful for my master's care and have just begun to understand the basics of talisman making. Now I only want to cultivate and serve my master in peace when I am not making talismans. I have no intention of joining any other family."

Lin Changsheng carefully considered his words and spoke after a moment's thought.

"Hehe, I have known your master, Master Wu, for many years. I know his character well. It is truly remarkable that Master Lin was able to learn the art of talisman making from him."

The old man, He Zhizhou, glanced at Lin Changsheng with some surprise, then smiled meaningfully.

"Since Master Lin does not wish to become a member of my He family, why not cooperate with my Xi Dan He family as a retainer? What does Master Lin think?"

“Our He family has a relatively complete first-order talisman-making technique, which we can give to Master Lin free of charge. We will also provide a first-order high-grade spiritual vein as a place for cultivation.”

"However, Master Lin needs to sign a contract with the He family to serve as a talisman maker for the He family for fifty years. After the term expires, he can leave or stay as he pleases. If Master Lin can cultivate two first-tier mid-grade or higher talisman masters for the He family within fifty years, he can also leave or stay as he pleases and will not have to abide by the fifty-year contract."

He Zhizhou's well-prepared offer of cooperation terms clearly demonstrates his thorough understanding of Lin Changsheng's situation.

After all, Xu Qinghuan knew that he had secretly learned the art of talisman making.

The magical talismans they create on a regular basis are also sold through the latter.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the He family knew their own situation.

"Such an opportunity is rare. What has Master Lin decided?"

He Zhizhou stroked his beard, looking confident of victory.

"The conditions you have set are indeed tempting, but I have one more small condition."

Lin Changsheng clasped his hands in a fist and said sincerely.

"Oh? Does Master Lin have any other conditions?"

"The cultivation method I practice is not suitable for fighting with others. During my time as a retainer in the He family, I am only responsible for making talismans and teaching disciples. I am not allowed to participate in any other clan affairs."

"Hmm... This matter will be written into the contract later. If such a thing really happens, the He family will first follow Master Lin's idea."

After speaking, He Zhizhou looked at Lin Changsheng with a surprised and meaningful gaze.

……

Half an hour later.

Lin Changsheng walked out of the cabinet and ran into Xu Qinghuan, who was waiting anxiously outside the door.

"Brother Lin, how did the talks go? Did you agree to Elder He's request?"

"You seem to care about the outcome even more than I do."

Seeing Xu Qinghuan's eager expression, Lin Changsheng said with a half-smile.

"Ah... this... Elder He promised that as long as he can persuade Brother Lin to agree, he will also allow me to become a member of the He family."

"Brother Lin, you don't know, this opportunity is once in a lifetime. If it weren't for the fact that the He family's direct descendants have decreased, this kind of cultivation family would never recruit outsiders."

"If you become a member of the He family, you will do the same work every month, but you will receive several times more resources, and even your status will be very different."

Xu Qinghuan was initially a little embarrassed and spoke haltingly, but then she became more and more excited as she spoke.

"I've agreed to Elder He's request."

"Really? That's wonderful, Brother Lin! From now on, we brothers are members of the Xi Dan He family, no longer ordinary rogue cultivators! There's hope for the path to immortality! There's hope for the path to immortality!"

……

In the evening, Lin Changsheng arrived at Wu Fushi's courtyard.

"I don't care where you go, but you absolutely cannot change the conditions you promised me every month!"

Master Wu spoke coldly, without any intention of negotiation.

“Master, I have become a retainer of the Xi Danhe family, and from now on I can only make talismans for the He family. Most of my income will be distributed in the form of spiritual veins, family contributions, pills, and magic artifacts, with spirit stones being only a part of it.”

"So! Elder Lin is trying to renege on his debt? Don't forget I taught you your talisman-making skills! You can go out and secretly resell talismans, but you have to give me two hundred spirit stones every year from now on, not a single one less!"

“Master, my cultivation is still shallow. I spend most of my time cultivating. It is already difficult enough to complete the He family’s talisman-making task. I am simply unable to take on more. At most, I can spare fifty spirit stones each year to pay my respects to you.”

……

After a while, Lin Changsheng walked out of the house, his expression as usual.

They encountered the cheerful Master Hu Dan, who was still embracing a beautiful concubine and seemed to find amusement in the quarrels between the master and disciple.

"Xiao Lin, I have to congratulate you on going to the Xi Danhe family. Don't forget your older brother when you become successful in the future."

"Master Hu is right. We might need to trouble Master Hu to refine pills in the future."

Lin Changsheng smiled and clasped his hands in greeting.

Even after leaving the courtyard, one could still faintly hear Wu Fushi's furious roar coming from inside.

Liang Kang and several new apprentices stood trembling to the side, heads bowed and eyes lowered.

"Damn it, this traitor, this villain! He's got too big for his britches now, thinking that just because he's associated with the He family he can disregard his master!"

Wu Fushi's chest heaved with anger, and his mustache trembled incessantly.

Knowing full well that Lin Changsheng's mastery of talisman-making techniques was mostly due to his own talent and had little to do with him.

But seeing the other party go from a small, easily manipulated cultivator to a talisman-making master of the Xi Danhe family was more painful than losing a thousand talismans...