In the cultivation world, mortals are dust, and low-level cultivators are just beasts of burden.

Xu Changshou, a starving cowherd, thought joining the mighty Green Immortal Sect was his ticket to escaping a life of misery. He was dead wrong. Tested with a 'trash' Ten-Element Mixed Spirit Root, he is discarded to the Green Ink Peak—a literal sweatshop where miscellaneous disciples are drained of their lifespan and Qi to mass-produce cheap talismans for the sect elites.

Here, you either meet your quota, or you die trying.

But Xu Changshou has a secret. Hidden deep within his bloodline lies an ancient inheritance: the [Bloodline Jade Talisman].

While others burn their life force to draw a single basic rune, his cheat allows him to siphon heaven and earth's energy directly, unlocking forbidden, high-tier talismans lost to time. He can craft ancient arrays, devastating thunder spells, and legendary escape runes without spending a drop of his own Qi.

In a sect where the strong relentlessly exploit the weak, Xu Changshou chooses to hide in the shadows. By day, he plays the role of an exhausted, talentless talisman slave. By night, using a mask of a thousand faces, he becomes a wealthy black-market merchant, hoarding unimaginable resources to fund his quiet rise to power.

They call him a 10-element piece of trash. He calls them stepping stones.

This is the legend of the Talisman Progenitor.