I was reading a novel a couple months ago but I can't remember the title of the novel. In it the MC is "cursed" in that anyone that gets close to him dies. We find out after he saves a cultivator in the woods in which he lives that his cultivation talent and such was stolen by a family and given to one of their kids. The cultivator helps the MC and trains him. Later gives him the task to join a sect as part of his training. En route to the city he runs into a girl from one sect that is on run from people from opposing sect. She throws the parcel at him and runs off. Later he runs into an innkeeper who sends him to another old guy to see if he can learn runes or whatever it is. Later MC trains body and spirit. While in city he helps fight off demon beast invasion. the beasts have to have spirit to be considered demon beasts. After repelling invasion the city holds competition for entering one of the I think 4 big sects. MC wins 1st place, part of the competition is how many beasts can kill quickest and he of course wins that. He enters same sect as the city lords daughter or niece can't remember what she was. MC picks a cold or yin type advanced cultivation method while in sect which makes him unable to use a couple stances from the blade technique his master gave him. Later MC goes on mission and lets one person die cause of his arrogance but saves the others cause he had already seen the enemies. Later after mission the sect and other sects have some kind of "opportunity" for disciples where they're only able to enter the "shadow valley" in spirit form to search for inheritances. If die in the valley their body dies. MC because of having trained his spirit some already is more substantial and clear in spirit form. Makes hook weapons. While in the shadow valley they have to defeat beasts and absorb the partial inheritances. MC later gets a quest to plant some kind of light seed and protect it till it blooms and when it does he gets a prize. Thats the furthest I got in the novel but I can't remember the title of the novel. Anyone know the title of that novel? No matter where I look I can't find it but feel like the name is on the tip of my tongue!
I spent the last 30 minutes going through the description of every novel (Class is boring) with the Tags including "Cultivation" and "Male Protagonist, and excluding 5 Tags that are about transmigrating/reincarnating and couldn't find something similar to it. Given your description I should've probably added the tag tragedy but I'm not going to look for it again today. Novel descriptions can also be deceiving in this genre so my way to find the novel wasn't the best, sorry I couldn't be of more help.
No, in the one i remember he doesnt have any family, dont think theres that many chapters, and not sure theres talismans. But thanks for the mention that one looks good as well.
I don't know, what come to my mind was Perfect World but I don't think it was novel that you looking for.
No, Perfect World has a premise of kid from clan that pools its resources to help him on road to cultivation. The one im talking about the guy lives alone in woods cause hes seen as cursed cause the 5, i think, couples that adopted him in his youth all died and the one girl that played around him died as well i believe.