In March, the misty rains of Jiangnan create a dreamlike atmosphere. In the morning, the town of Tengjiao is filled with the fresh scent of spring as the gentle drizzle drifts through the sky. The branches along the riverbank sprout tender new buds, and the lush green grass exudes the fragrance of the earth, covering the land.

“Eeya!” The door of a dilapidated old house at the foot of Wushan Mountain swings open. A young man wearing a gray tracksuit, somewhat thin and disheveled, steps out. His name is Zheng Zheng. He is of ordinary appearance, with nothing particularly striking about him. If one were to find a merit, it would probably be his black-and-white eyes, which seem a little deeper than others.

He stretches lazily and rubs his legs, which have grown numb from sitting in meditation for a long time, shaking his head in frustration. After two hours of practice, he feels refreshed but still sees no signs of spiritual energy entering his body. He cannot fathom why his cultivation has shown no progress.

Since that fateful encounter in the mountains, it has been half a year of meditative practice. The initial feelings of joy and anticipation have slowly turned into disappointment and numbness, becoming merely a habit of daily life. The mixed emotions of bitterness and sweetness are not something he can share with others.

However, Zheng Zheng is not disheartened. No one knows the secret he holds within, nor does anyone know how he howled in madness and vented his emotions upon discovering this secret. With flowing long hair, flying on a sword, and mastering the five elements, he imagines the celestial beings he has only read about in books and seen on TV. Coincidentally, he finds himself involved with such a being. While it would suffice to merely overturn his worldview, the problem is that the immortal was overjoyed upon seeing this mortal and forcefully took him as a disciple.

Zheng Zheng instinctively felt a sense of unease, unsure why the immortal would choose a mere mortal like him. He pondered the implications behind this choice, fearing that there might be traps in place.

Soon, he would find out the answer. The immortal was not from Earth; he had previously resided in the realm of cultivation, a dimension connected to Earth but usually closed off. During a competition for heavenly treasures, he was severely injured by other cultivators. In desperation, he burned his lifespan as a cost to activate a secret technique of his sect, forcefully opening a teleportation portal to escape to Earth.

But due to prolonged overexploitation, Earth was deficient in spiritual energy and lacked alchemical materials. After suffering for half a year, the immortal felt his end was near. He had no choice but to leave his recovery space and began searching for a disciple. Unfortunately, in the vast sea of people, he found no suitable candidate for cultivation.

Just as the immortal was nearing his end, he finally encountered Zheng Zheng, a young man who appeared honest and pleasing. Time was not on his side, and in the end, he reluctantly compromised and chose Zheng Zheng as his disciple.

Upon learning the backstory, Zheng Zheng felt as if he had been struck by a pie falling from the sky, nearly fainting from happiness. "I have a celestial master now, capable of turning the tides and moving mountains! Who would dare bully me? As long as I learn a trick or two, I will benefit for life. Wealth and beautiful women will surely follow!"

Unfortunately, Zheng Zheng's blissful fantasy lasted only half a day before the immortal master passed away. He left behind a spatial storage ring, an emerald tower, a jade slip for cultivation, a sound-recording shell, and the identity token of the master of Danxia Mountain, but no other particularly valuable items.

Devastated, Zheng Zheng cursed the heavens for half a day, feeling incredibly depressed as he buried his master. After completing this task, he finally found the time to sort through his master's relics. The spatial storage ring, as its name implies, is a ring that can store and retrieve items. Its usage is simple, requiring only a bit of mental energy. Inside the ring, there are plenty of items, including a cauldron, a vast amount of alchemical materials, and over ten introductory books on alchemy, artifact crafting, talismans, formations, and more. These books are perfect for Zheng Zheng, who is just starting to explore the world of cultivation.

Zheng Zheng often thought that this bargain master must have been a great alchemist in his lifetime; otherwise, why would the ring be filled with these herbs instead of golden treasures? Moreover, he had repeatedly urged Zheng Zheng to diligently cultivate and improve his alchemical skills before he died.

As for the emerald tower, it was clearly a precious item; otherwise, his master would not have died for it. However, he had not figured out its usefulness, and he knew nothing about it himself. The sound-recording shell is a magical tool that requires one to reach the mid-stage of qi refining before being able to use it; for now, its secrets remain unknown. Overall, it seems to be a very distant goal.

After taking stock of the items, Zheng Zheng, filled with enthusiasm, resigned from his hard-won job the day after burying his master. He packed his belongings and rushed back to his hometown, Tengjiao Town, to settle everything before embarking on a frenzied journey of meditation and cultivation.

He thought that after gaining a miraculous encounter, he could reign supreme like the protagonists in fantasy novels, but who knew that he would still have to live cautiously?

修炼过程毫无进展，换做其他人，估计早就放弃了，郑正却意志坚定，百折不挠，坚持了下来。然而，这样不寻常的生活过了半年多，他渐渐引人注意，邻居们开始议论纷纷。

“好小伙子干什么去，不找工作，也不干活，整天窝在家里？”腾蛟镇很小，那些闲女人爱八卦，到处散播这家散那家的谣言。好消息传不远，坏消息传得却很远。

不知怎么的，消息传到了他在温州做小生意的父母那里，他们多次回家，恳切地劝告他。

被说了这么多遍，再加上修炼上没有任何进展，郑正有些迷茫了，接下来的路该何去何从？家里的开销因为父母生病越来越大，情况越来越糟糕，更关键的是，他已经半年没有收入了，积蓄也快用完了。

唉，“神仙”也有世俗的烦恼吗？

摇摇头，他暂时把这些事情放在一边，决定先解决饥饿问题，至于修炼，既然已经到了这个地步，再拖延一会儿也无所谓。

晨风轻轻吹拂，朝霞似火，安静的小镇偶尔回荡着几声犬吠。

古老的石板街上，七八位老人手拿道具，有说有笑，准备晨练，偶尔有卖菜的，提着一筐筐的菜匆匆走过，想占个好摊位，趁着价格便宜再买点。

有几家早餐店已经开始营业。

热腾腾的馒头、香气扑鼻的荷叶鸡饭、美味的糯米饭，都是郑正曾经的最爱，但自从打坐修炼之后，他的厨艺却越来越淡，技艺也没有什么明显的进步。