Li Chang'an faces the crushing weight of a fifteen year spirit contract binding him to the Zheng Family for mere survival in a hostile cultivation world. After breaking through to the third layer of qi refining he expects familiar farming duties but receives a death sentence assignment to mine dangerous spiritual ore filled with deadly dust that shaves years off life. He attempts to bribe the steward Zheng Jinbao with his entire life savings of twenty spirit stones but the corrupt official takes the money and assigns him to the mines anyway showing no mercy or honor. Despair turns to hope when a golden light reveals a daily divination system predicting an auspicious encounter by the riverbank under a willow tree late at night. He follows the prompt through the deep night and finds the lost jade pendant of the Zheng Family Young Miss hidden among thick water weeds carefully. This trivial item becomes his key to freedom as he returns it and requests an audience with the family leadership to plead his case politely. The Young Miss Zheng Qingqing grants him exemption from tasks for five years and validates his status within the marketplace immediately upon hearing his story. Zheng Jinbao is forced to apologize and return double the spirit stones fearing the Young Miss's wrath and potential repercussions from his superiors above. Li Chang'an secures his safety without fighting realizing information is superior to brute force in this violent and unpredictable cultivation world today. He retreats into seclusion to cultivate knowing the marketplace is fraught with hidden dangers and political traps waiting for the unwary cultivators. This initial victory establishes his philosophy of caution and preparation over reckless adventure or false heroism in his daily life always. He understands that survival is the primary goal before immortality can be pursued successfully by anyone with poor aptitude levels. The system refreshes daily offering new paths while he consolidates his gains and resources for future breakthroughs and growth. He avoids the mining disaster that claims others proving the divination's accuracy and reliability to his own eyes clearly. This milestone sets the foundation for his rise from a disposable laborer to a respected artisan within the community of loose cultivators. He locks his door and focuses on stability knowing that peace is the greatest treasure for a low level cultivator seeking longevity above all else. He watches his friends suffer while he remains safe realizing the contract binding his soul is lifted by the Young Miss's hand gently. He feels reborn as the shackles vanish from his spirit and realizes he must hide his true capabilities to avoid jealousy. He observes the Zheng Family dynamics closely and notes the steward's fear planning his next move carefully without trust. He knows he cannot trust anyone fully and prepares for the next divination cycle understanding the value of time deeply. He commits to the path of talismans and sees the future clearly avoiding the trap to secure his home and build his foundation. He waits for the right moment knowing patience is key valuing his life and avoiding conflict to seek resources and grow stronger.

The protagonist faces threats from tribulation cultivators disguised as friends inviting him to explore ancient tombs filled with deadly traps and arrays. His divination warns of evil outcomes allowing him to refuse while others suffer heavy casualties and severe injuries from the explosions. He acquires a talismanic inheritance from a fox den and becomes a talisman master capable of earning spirit stones efficiently without risk. When the Wu brothers attempt to ambush him he uses prepared traps and a spirit beast to eliminate them without mercy or hesitation. This marks his transition from passive avoidance to active defense against those who seek to take his life and treasures. He loots their storage pouches gaining significant resources and a spirit beast named Dahuang who becomes his loyal companion and guardian. The confrontation proves his cautious preparation outweighs enemy aggression showing that planning is better than raw strength in a fight. He hides his true strength from the public while eliminating threats in the shadows to maintain his low profile image. This milestone cements his reputation as a skilled artisan while keeping his combat capabilities secret from potential enemies and rivals. The resources gained fuel his next breakthroughs allowing him to purchase better tools and materials for his crafting skills. He learns that trust is a liability in the cultivation world and verifies everything through his divination system before acting. He refuses to join groups for tomb raiding and stays within the marketplace where he can control the environment better. He kills Wu Feng after extracting information realizing that leaving enemies alive is too dangerous for his long term survival plans. He acquires a spirit beast bag through divination allowing him to carry Dahuang conveniently without drawing attention from others around him. He refines high quality talismans and sells them for profit building a stockpile of defensive items for future conflicts. He navigates the black market carefully avoiding scams and fake treasures that trap other greedy cultivators seeking quick wealth and power. He strengthens his residence with arrays ensuring his home is a fortress against intruders who might seek to rob him of his gains. He prepares for higher level conflicts knowing that tribulation cultivators will continue to target him for his resources and skills. He remains calm and focused prioritizing his cultivation and skill development over socializing or forming unnecessary alliances with questionable people.

Li Chang'an attends an auction and purchases a broken puppet based on a divination hint indicating a hidden inheritance inside the damaged item. Inside he finds a top grade puppetry inheritance expanding his skill set beyond talismans to include crafting autonomous defenders for his safety. He navigates Zheng Family internal strife involving foundation establishment ancestors and rival clans vying for control over the marketplace resources and power. He refuses to marry into the family to maintain independence knowing that joining a clan would limit his freedom and choices. He refines puppets to assist in combat and defense creating a small army to protect him when he cannot be present personally. The political landscape shifts as rumors of an ancestor's death cause chaos and he remains neutral profiting from the instability and fear. He acquires a spiritual eye to boost cultivation speed allowing him to absorb spiritual qi faster than ordinary cultivators in the area. This phase expands his skill set beyond talismans giving him multiple ways to generate income and defend himself from attacks. He builds a network of contacts while maintaining distance ensuring no one knows his full capabilities or resource stockpiles. The marketplace becomes a battleground for higher realm powers and he survives the purge of spies by the Zheng Family quietly. His ability to remain unnoticed despite growing power is key to his survival strategy in this dangerous and volatile environment. He helps Zheng Qingqing prevent a catastrophic battle between foundation establishment ancestors using information from his divination to guide her. He gains access to the family library and better techniques as a reward for his assistance and loyalty to her faction. He prepares auxiliary medicines for his own breakthrough ensuring he has everything needed for foundation establishment attempts later. The narrative shifts towards higher realm conflicts as he prepares to face enemies stronger than himself with his new tools. He balances friendship with survival instincts knowing that even friends can turn against him for treasure or power in the end. He equips himself with multiple trump cards including sword arrays ensuring he can escape or fight when cornered by powerful enemies. The stage is set for his attempt at foundation establishment as he gathers the final resources needed for the transformation. He has secured enough resources and skills to challenge the limits of his aptitude and reach the next realm. The focus moves from survival to ascending the hierarchy and securing his place among the true immortals of the cultivation world.

He acquires an alchemy inheritance and begins refining pills to support foundation establishment and heal injuries from potential conflicts with enemies. He deals with poison attempts from rival cultivators using his divination to counteract them before they can harm his meridians permanently. He helps Zheng Qingqing prevent a catastrophic battle between foundation establishment ancestors using information from his divination to guide her decisions. He gains access to the family library and better techniques as a reward for his assistance and loyalty to her faction within the family. He prepares auxiliary medicines for his own breakthrough ensuring he has everything needed for foundation establishment attempts later in his journey. The narrative shifts towards higher realm conflicts as he prepares to face enemies stronger than himself with his new tools and skills. He balances friendship with survival instincts knowing that even friends can turn against him for treasure or power in the end. He equips himself with multiple trump cards including sword arrays ensuring he can escape or fight when cornered by powerful enemies. The stage is set for his attempt at foundation establishment as he gathers the final resources needed for the transformation. He has secured enough resources and skills to challenge the limits of his aptitude and reach the next realm of power. The focus moves from survival to ascending the hierarchy and securing his place among the true immortals of the cultivation world. He refines his body in medicinal baths strengthening his foundation for the next major breakthrough in cultivation level. He masters the thousand faces divine skill allowing him to change his aura and hide his true cultivation level from scouts. He eliminates Zheng Jinbao finally removing the corrupt steward who threatened him since the beginning of his journey. He loots the steward's hidden treasure gaining thousands of spirit stones to fund his future cultivation needs and purchases. He prepares for the chaos of foundation establishment battles knowing that the marketplace will become a war zone soon. He secures his friends by giving them resources and advice ensuring they survive the coming turmoil and violence. He focuses on his own path ignoring the politics that do not directly threaten his life or safety from others. He knows that strength is the only truth and continues to cultivate without distraction from worldly matters. He prepares to leave the marketplace eventually seeking greater opportunities in larger immortal cities for growth. He understands that Qinghe is just a starting point for his long journey to eternal life and power. He remains vigilant knowing that danger can come from anywhere at any time without warning. He trusts his divination above all else and follows its guidance to avoid death and destruction. He builds his legacy step by step securing his future through careful planning and execution of his goals.