Yunling Town.

Marriage Pavilion.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, why did you leave Zhenyang City? That is a big city under the Zhenyang Sect. The cultivation resources there are far beyond what our small town can compare to."

Qin Gengyun sat upright, a little nervous, and answered the blind date sitting across the table:

"Fellow Daoist Li, you may not know that although Zhenyang City is a big city with more resources and opportunities, it also means that rent and daily expenses are more expensive. It would be better to return to Yunling Town, away from the hustle and bustle, so that you can practice in peace."

"Fellow Daoist Qin, why do you have to hide it? Isn't it because you can't make it in the big city and have to return to the small town?"

The female monk laughed, ignoring Qin Gengyun's embarrassment, and then asked:

"I heard that you work in the alchemy shop in town. How much spiritual stones can you earn?"

Qin Gengyun quickly replied: "I can get three spirit stones a month."

The female monk's eyes flashed and she smiled like a flower:

"Brother Qin's appearance and character are acceptable. I am barely satisfied with him. Let's talk about the betrothal gift."

"Dowry?" Qin Gengyun was stunned. In the world of cultivating immortals, is there a need for a dowry when marrying a wife?

The female cultivator opposite held out three white fingers and said, "Three hundred spirit stones, a spirit vein immortal house, and only my name can be written on the title deed."

"What?!" Qin Gengyun's eyes widened instantly.

He could only earn three spirit stones a month. In order to expel the poison in his body, he had used up all his savings over the years. Where could he get three hundred spirit stones?

As for the Spirit Vein Immortal Palace, the cheapest one would cost thousands of spirit stones, which was not something a low-level casual cultivator like him could even dream of.

How come the betrothal gifts in this world of immortal cultivation are even more outrageous than those in the world before I crossed over!

Qin Gengyun couldn't help but ask the female monk, "Daoyou Li, may I ask how much you earn a month?"

The female monk replied, "I work as a waitress in the Rouge Pavilion and I can earn two spirit stones a month."

Qin Gengyun was surprised: "Friend Li, you only have two spirit stones a month, why do you want such a high gift?"

The female cultivator looked at him with disdain: "With my looks, I don't even look down on male cultivators who earn ten spirit stones a month. I just thought you were honest and someone I could trust. I didn't expect you couldn't even come up with this little gift. You can leave now."

Qin Gengyun stopped talking, stood up and walked out of the room. Matchmaker Wang, who was waiting outside, stepped forward and asked:

"Fellow Daoist Qin, how did the conversation go?"

Qin Gengyun shook his head helplessly: "She doesn't like me."

"Don't worry, fellow Daoist. Come this way. There is something suitable for you."

Matchmaker Wang smiled and took Qin Gengyun to another room.

The Marriage Pavilion is the largest matchmaking house for cultivators in Yunling Town. It is a place where cultivators whose cultivation has stagnated and who want to find a new way to achieve foundation building through dual cultivation can find their Taoist partners.

Every step forward a cultivator takes requires a large amount of resource support, but the cultivation resources are almost all in the hands of large sects and are only available to inner disciples with talent and background.

If ordinary casual cultivators only rely on hard training, it would be extremely difficult for them to achieve immortality or even establish a foundation.

Therefore, dual cultivation became the last chance for many ordinary cultivators.

If dual cultivation can be accomplished, it will be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

If dual cultivation fails, then their spiritual aspirations will be cut off and they will become an ordinary couple, spending the rest of their lives consuming the daily necessities of life.

For ordinary casual practitioners, dual cultivation is a shortcut to achieving immortality.

But for Qin Gengyun, dual cultivation is his only hope of survival.

Qin Gengyun traveled through time two years ago. This body with the same name is the same as his previous life, with ordinary talents and ordinary background. In this world of immortal cultivation, he is just an ordinary cultivator.

When Qin Gengyun traveled through time, this body was already 33 years old. He had been practicing for almost 20 years, but his cultivation level was only at the second level of Qi training.

What's even more tragic is that in order to survive, the original body has been working as a poison maker for alchemists for all these years, which has completely ruined his body.

The so-called elixir is the toxic residue left after refining the elixir. The duty of the elixir attendant is to clean up these toxic residues.

However, long-term exposure to the poison polluted the spiritual field in his body, causing him to lose both his Qi and blood, and his cultivation was unable to improve at all.

In fact, if he cannot completely eliminate the erysipelas in his body, he will not live past the age of forty.

Qin Gengyun, who took over this body, could only helplessly inherit this tragic fate.

He asked around and finally found out that in order to eliminate the poison in his body, he needed to take the "Ice Heart Rejuvenating Pill".

But that was a fourth-grade elixir, worth a hundred times more than the life of an ordinary cultivator!

Moreover, elixirs of this grade are only in the hands of large sects. No sect would spend such precious elixirs to save a casual cultivator.

Coincidentally, Qin Gengyun worked in a chemical factory before he traveled through time. Due to long-term exposure to toxic chemical waste, his health deteriorated at the age of 40.

Chemical workers and erysipelas drug attendants suffer similar misfortunes.

In order to fight for a chance of survival, Qin Gengyun came to Zhenyang City, which was under the Zhenyang Sect. There were more opportunities in the big city, and it was easier to earn spirit stones. If he was lucky one day, he might have a chance to buy life-saving pills.

However, there are too many cultivators in Zhenyang City and the competition is fierce. Not to mention earning spirit stones, just surviving requires all one's energy.

If this continues, even if the erysipelas does not break out, Qin Gengyun feels that he will not live past the age of forty.

He had no choice but to leave Zhenyang City and move to Yunling Town where the pressure of living was not so great.

However, the spirit stones earned in Yunling Town were not enough for Qin Gengyun to buy the "Ice Heart Rejuvenation Pill" before he turned forty.

There is only one way to survive - to make the Ice Heart Rejuvenation Pill by yourself.

Qin Gengyun had been in the alchemy room for many years and had some understanding of alchemy. However, an alchemist also needed cultivation support. He only had the second level of Qi training and could not even refine an ordinary first-grade pill.

Therefore, to become an alchemist, one must first improve his cultivation.

But his spiritual field has been contaminated by the poison, and his normal path of cultivation has been blocked.

All the ways to survive were blocked, leaving only one last narrow path: dual cultivation.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, this is Fellow Daoist Zhang, you two should have a good chat."

Walking into another room, Matchmaker Wang said a few words and left. Qin Gengyun sat down. Opposite him was a young female cultivator with a charming temperament and a gentle smile:

"Fellow Daoist Qin, Matchmaker Wang has already told me about your situation. If you have anything you want to know, feel free to ask me."

Qin Gengyun talked with this Taoist friend Zhang for a while, and both felt that they were quite suitable, and soon talked about getting married. The female monk said:

"Fellow Daoist Qin, since you and I are so compatible, I am willing to marry you. You only need to give me a small gift."

Is it another bride price?

Qin Gengyun asked quickly, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, how much do you want as a gift?"

The female cultivator smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Qin, I come from Qishan Town outside Feiyun Sect. According to the customs of my hometown, when a female cultivator gets married, the husband's family needs to give 500 spirit stones, plus a spirit vein fairy house. But I know it's not easy for you, so you don't need a spirit vein fairy house. You only need a two-story building with a courtyard."

Qin Gengyun was stunned: "Friend Zhang, this gift is really too vague, can you be more realistic?"

The gentle smile on Fellow Daoist Zhang's face disappeared: "Fellow Daoist Qin, if I marry you, I will serve you and give birth to your children in the future. The benefits are yours, and the losses are mine. If you cannot build your foundation in the future, and you and I divorce, I must have some protection, right?"

Qin Gengyun smiled bitterly and said, "Friend Zhang, you and I haven't even gotten married yet, and you're already thinking about getting divorced? Besides, we got married more to study the method of dual cultivation, not for you to serve me, so why are you at a disadvantage?"

"Yes, if we can practice together in the future, it means I will help you practice, and this gift is nothing!"

The nun was even more confident.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, dual cultivation is beneficial to both parties. Why are you the only one helping me to cultivate?"

Qin Gengyun defended himself.

"Haha." The female monk gently stroked her hair and looked pleased:

"Since we are practicing together, if I can achieve great success in the future and become a fairy, you can marry a fairy with just 500 spirit stones. Wouldn't that be a big win for you?"

"..." Qin Gengyun had no way to refute, so he could only stand up and bow:

"Friend Zhang, let me go home and think about it."

After leaving the room, Matchmaker Wang immediately came to greet him: "How is it?"

Qin Gengyun smiled bitterly: "Although these two Taoist friends are as beautiful as flowers, their ambitions are higher than the sky, and their gifts are even higher. I am afraid I am not worthy of them."

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Qin. A thousand miles of marriage is made in heaven. The good match is in the Marriage Pavilion. I will take you to see other female cultivators."

Next, Matchmaker Wang took Qin Gengyun to see several female cultivators. Some of them looked down on Qin Gengyun, while others did. But without exception, they all demanded a hefty dowry.

Qin Gengyun couldn't get it out at all.

Finally, Matchmaker Wang was somewhat helpless and said to Qin Gengyun:

"Fellow Daoist Qin, it is natural for women to ask for a betrothal gift. They just want an attitude from their future husbands. If you can't even afford the betrothal gift, how can people see your sincerity?"

Qin Gengyun was speechless.

He suddenly remembered his past life, when his parents urged him to get married and he often went on blind dates.

I have been with several girls for a period of time, and when it comes to the stage of discussing marriage, the other party always asks for a sky-high bride price.

The words were exactly the same as those of the two female cultivators just now:

I just want some reassurance and your attitude.

I earn three thousand a month, but men who earn tens of thousands a month are not worthy of me at all.

You can't even come up with this little gift, how can you show me your sincerity?

But if I can easily afford the sky-high bride price, why should I go on a blind date?

Qin Gengyun walked out of the Marriage Pavilion silently. It had been raining outside without him noticing, and the usually bustling streets were deserted.

He held up an umbrella and walked in the cold winter rain, and couldn't help shivering.

Even though he was at the second level of Qi training, he could still feel the bone-chilling cold.

But his heart felt even colder.

When Qin Gengyun first traveled to this world of cultivating immortals, he was also full of ambition and wanted to change his fate and reach the pinnacle.

However, just like before he traveled through time, he was full of passion on campus, but within a year after entering society, his dreams were shattered by reality.

The only meaning of life is survival.

After traveling to the world of immortal cultivation, the reality is even more cruel.

He practiced hard and tried hard to climb, but in the end, a small gift of marriage blocked his last way out.

In this world, there are many independent cultivators who are struggling to survive like him. Some of them are still in the early stages of Qi Refining in their thirties or forties, and they are considered lucky if they can earn three or four spirit stones every month.

Building a foundation is simply out of reach, and immortality is even more illusory.

Qin Gengyun once saw from afar an inner sect disciple of Zhenyang Sect in Zhenyang City. He was in the process of building his foundation and had an imposing bearing. It was said that he did not have outstanding talent, but his father was the chief elder of the inner sect.

All I can say is that some people struggle to build a foundation all their lives, while others have already built a foundation when they are born.

For ordinary people like him, it is equally difficult whether in the previous life or in the world of immortal cultivation.

It is difficult to cultivate immortality, difficult to marry a wife, and difficult to survive!

Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!!