"It's here!"
As the mysterious panel appeared before his eyes, Lin Chang'an was overcome with joy and excitement.
Forty years!He had waited forty years for this!
Twenty years spent in the mortal world, another twenty in the world of cultivation—he had finally awakened his golden finger (cheat ability).
"But how did it awaken?"
A puzzled expression formed on Lin Chang'an's face as he thought back.
"I just took a nap. Before that, I only went to the brothel once... it can't be because of the women, right?"
"Wait—maybe it was the wine?"
The realization struck him like lightning, and he widened his eyes, staring at the large bed in disbelief.
If he was right, he must have drunk too much, passed out after Erniu brought him back, and... almost died!
No—technically, it was probably a brush with death that triggered the awakening of his golden finger.
"Damn it! That wine must've been watered down!"
Slamming the table in frustration, Lin Chang'an turned his head and caught sight of the mirror in the room.
The man in the reflection had a refined, handsome face with sharp, delicate features. Though he had reached forty, there was not a hint of age on him—on the contrary, he looked mature and composed.
Ironically, this very face had been the reason the Zhou family had rejected him first when choosing a son-in-law.
But now, that face looked haggard, the eyes sunken with dark circles beneath them. Lin Chang'an was startled by how exhausted he looked.
"I've become so worn out in just a few days?"
"Damn it! No more drinking from today onward!"
He slapped his thigh with resolve. Lately, he'd grown disheartened and let himself slack off a bit. But now that fate had opened a door for him, he couldn't waste this opportunity.
Lin Chang'an's face was full of excitement, his spirit rekindled with the same energy and optimism he had when first stepping into the world of cultivation.
He couldn't calm down enough to cultivate—his heart was racing with excitement as he kept examining his newfound power.
Open.Close.Open.Close...Over and over.
Outside, the light spring rain continued falling. By the time night descended, the bustling market town had quieted.
Inside his room, Lin Chang'an sat with bloodshot eyes, still brimming with irrepressible excitement.
He hadn't dared sleep all day—for fear this was all some drunken dream.
"I can't get lost in this... this is only the beginning. There's a long road ahead. With this chance, achieving immortality may no longer be a fantasy."
Taking a deep breath, he stood up and dunked his head in a basin of cold water. The chill cleared his mind. He rose again, gasping for air.
"Still... since I was preparing to return to the mortal world, most of my spirit crystals have already been exchanged for mundane goods. The biggest concern right now is the corvée tax Erniu mentioned."
"In past years, it cost five spirit stones. This time... it'll probably be ten."
Ten spirit stones—an enormous sum for a loose cultivator like him at the early Qi Refining stage.
Even he needed to start preparing now. If he didn't have enough by the deadline, he'd be forced to join the dangerous frontier-expansion missions.
With that, Lin Chang'an started taking stock of his possessions:
A chest of gold, silver, and jewels — useless.
A bundle of mortal-world martial arts techniques and weapons — also useless.
Fifteen low-grade Golden Light Talismans, ten Swiftstride Talismans.
One low-grade bamboo sword (a magic artifact).
And his core tools for talisman crafting, along with his Everlasting Spring Technique scroll—all neatly laid out.
"Aside from the twenty-six spirit crystals Erniu loaned me, I still have twenty of my own."
He reached into a hidden pocket inside his boot and pulled out the remaining crystals, stacking them on the table.
Looking at all his worldly possessions, Lin Chang'an nodded to himself. Over the years, he had spent nearly all his spirit crystals on cultivation.
It was time to start earning again.
Midnight."Talisman crafting requires calm and focus."
The table was prepared. A calming incense burned steadily. All tools were in place. Lin Chang'an had spent two hours meditating to stabilize his spirit.
"Now's the moment."
Taking a deep breath, he uncorked a jade bottle and dipped his specialized talisman brush into the cinnabar ink made with spirit beast blood and rare herbs.
Focused and steady, Lin Chang'an's eyes shone with clarity. He had been doing this for nearly twenty years.
Especially with the Golden Light Talisman—his movements were smooth and instinctive. The spiritual energy flowed steadily through his fingers into the brush.
The combination of gold-attributed spirit beast blood and cinnabar painted flowing lines on the talisman paper with practiced ease.
He had repeated these movements countless times—they had become muscle memory.
"Poof!"
The talisman burst into flames, burning to ash.
Lin Chang'an didn't flinch. He brushed away the ashes and started again.
[Golden Light Talisman +1 (Proficiency: 499/500)]
Finally, on the fourth try, a successful talisman appeared—and a line of text flashed across the panel in his mind.
Lin Chang'an stared at it for a long while, then slowly let out a breath.
"So that's how it works..."
Before, talisman drawing was just a means to survive.
But now—he saw a bright path ahead.
[Golden Light Talisman (Mastery: 0/1000)]
The skill had leveled up.
As the newly crafted talisman shone with golden light, insights and memories surged into Lin Chang'an's mind like a divine revelation.
He stood there in a daze for a long time before finally opening his eyes.
"So... breaking through proficiency actually grants insight. It's like the clouds have parted."
He looked down at the talisman in awe. In that moment, he realized how many of his old techniques were unnecessary or even incorrect.
After a full night of focused crafting, eight perfect Golden Light Talismans lay neatly on the table.
Now that the skill had reached Mastery, mana usage was reduced by ten percent—a significant savings in spirit crystals.
He finally understood the true value of his golden finger:
Hard work always brings results.
Not just repetition—genuine focus and insight could also boost progress.
He remembered clearly—last night, a single point of proficiency had appeared just from a moment of sudden realization.
"As long as I put my heart into it, I'll always be rewarded."
This realization made him abandon any ideas of "grinding" proficiency.
Without genuine effort, he could draw hundreds of talismans and gain nothing.
Only with focus and dedication could his skills improve. That was the true nature of this power.
"Even though I've discovered the right way to use my golden finger, the cultivation world is full of dangers. One misstep could mean death—I must not let my guard down."
Lin Chang'an reminded himself. When he had first arrived in this town, he too had once joined a group of cultivators to hunt spirit beasts, full of youthful enthusiasm.
Sure, some got rich overnight, bought rare pills, and broke through their limits—but those were the lucky few.
Most of them died in blood and mud.
"Back then, several mid-stage cultivators died on that beast hunt. I survived as a low-stage Qi Refiner... I was lucky."
Now, after a full night of crafting, Lin Chang'an could feel his mana nearly exhausted.
He smiled faintly and, for the first time, used his precious spirit crystals to restore his strength.
Outside, dawn had already arrived.The rain had stopped.
Sunlight poured over the land, warm and bright. The bamboo leaves beyond the town shimmered with crystal-clear raindrops, sparkling in the morning light.