Seizing Lifespan

Beneath the blazing sun, the sky stretched clear for miles. Peaks encircled the land, heaven and earth seemed to tremble, and the forests swayed. A mountain breeze swept in, blowing all the way into the valley and bringing Gu An, who stood in the garden plot, a thread of coolness.

Gu An wiped the sweat from his brow, his burning gaze fixed upon the blooming flowers and herbs before him. Each was vividly colored, showing no signs of withering despite the scorching sun.

A young man stood on either side of him. The three of them had joined the Medicine Valley beneath the Taixuan Sect's Alchemy Hall today. Compared to Gu An's excitement, the other two seemed uninterested, absentmindedly wiping away sweat.

A plainly dressed young man stood before them. His features were ordinary, but his frame was sturdy and his eyes bright. He was Zhang Chunqiu, the Medicine Valley's senior disciple, explaining to Gu An and the others the key points of harvesting spirit flowers and herbs.

"All the flowers and herbs in this plot are first-grade medicinal herbs. Do not pull them out by the roots when harvesting them. Cut them off at the stem close to the soil, then wrap the cut end with the Spirit Protection Paper in your hands to prevent spiritual energy from leaking out..." Zhang Chunqiu's voice was resonant and full of vigor, utterly unaffected by the blazing sun.

Gu An held scissors in his right hand and strips of white paper in his left, carefully committing every word Zhang Chunqiu said to memory.

Unlike the two beside him, he cherished this position deeply. He had endured countless cold stares to win this opportunity.

Others thought he was lying flat, that he was falling into ruin. Little did they know that this was the path to strength best suited for him!

"Alright, begin. Each of you harvest one plant, and I'll inspect them." The moment Zhang Chunqiu finished speaking, Gu An crouched down.

Gu An set down the Spirit Protection Paper in his hand and carefully grasped the stem of a red flower before him with his left hand.

"Brother, aren't you being a little too nervous? It's fine even if you cut it wrong. They're only first-grade medicinal herbs—mere plants used to refine basic pills. Back home, I wouldn't even spare them a glance." Meng Lang, standing to Gu An's right, spoke up. He was dressed lavishly and clearly came from an extraordinary household.

That was indeed the case. Apart from Gu An, who was a household servant, the other two came from wealthy families. Yet even the children of rich households needed suitable Spirit Roots to enter the cultivation world. Both possessed the most mediocre five-element Spirit Roots, so if they wanted to remain in the Taixuan Sect, they could only become Handyman Disciples.

Gu An ignored Meng Lang and focused on cutting the flower.

Holding the stem steady, he gave it a gentle snip with the scissors, then wrapped the red flower's cut end with Spirit Protection Paper.

After finishing all this, he rose and handed it to Zhang Chunqiu for inspection.

Zhang Chunqiu accepted it, took a look, and smiled in satisfaction. "Well done. You're very meticulous."

Gu An did not reply. Instead, he stared fixedly at the red flower in Zhang Chunqiu's hand.

At this moment, he was even more nervous than before he had cut it.

Several breaths later, a line of text that only Gu An could see appeared before him.

[You successfully seized 1 year of lifespan from Red Spirit Flower (First Grade)]

It worked!

A smile appeared on Gu An's face, and his entire body relaxed as though a heavy burden had been lifted.

Sure enough, only plants and animals containing spiritual energy could have their lifespans seized by him.

The first time Gu An had seized a lifespan was when he was ten years old. He had accidentally collided with another servant carrying a flowerpot, causing the spirit flower inside to spill onto the ground. Because of that, he had gained twelve years of lifespan.

At the time, the guard of the residence had flown into a rage and insisted on chopping off one of Gu An's hands. It was Third Young Miss Ji Xiaoyu who stopped him and saved Gu An.

This time, Gu An had also been able to enter the Taixuan Sect thanks to Ji Xiaoyu. Ji Xiaoyu possessed a dual Spirit Root seen only once in a century. Numerous great cultivation sects had extended olive branches to the Ji Family. Ji Xiaoyu had brought five members of the Ji Family into the Taixuan Sect, and Gu An was one of only two household servants among them.

Without Ji Xiaoyu, someone with his five-element Spirit Root aptitude could only have entered a third-rate sect.

While Gu An was secretly delighted, Meng Lang and another youth named Li Ya had also finished harvesting their flowers.

Zhang Chunqiu placed the three Red Spirit Flowers into the Storage Bag at his waist and said seriously, "Your task today is to harvest fifty Red Spirit Flowers together. You may only move about within this garden plot and must not trespass into the other plots. Once you're done, bring the Red Spirit Flowers to the pavilion and find me."

With that, Zhang Chunqiu turned and left.

Meng Lang waved a fist at Zhang Chunqiu's retreating back and muttered under his breath, "He spent half the day talking about such a tiny matter. Has he never taught junior brothers before?"

Li Ya simply sat down on the dirt and frantically wiped away sweat with his sleeve.

After seeing Zhang Chunqiu head upstairs, Gu An turned to Meng Lang and Li Ya. "Brothers, judging by your fine clothes, your families must be very well-off. You surely aren't suited for this sort of rough work. I'm different—I'm merely a household servant. Why not let me do it for you? I'll finish the task, while you find somewhere shady to rest. Just take good care of me in the future."

The moment Meng Lang heard this, his eyes lit up. He smiled in delighted surprise. "Sure, brother. You really know what you're doing. If you ever can't stay here any longer, I'll make sure you live a life free of worries over food and clothing."

Li Ya no longer had the strength to speak and merely nodded in agreement.

The two then left behind their Spirit Protection Paper and supported each other as they headed out of the garden plot.

Gu An picked up the Spirit Protection Paper, then turned to look at the garden. His eyes shone brighter than the blazing sun in the sky.

In his eyes, the Red Spirit Flowers filling the garden were not flowers at all, but stepping stones reaching the heavens, paving the road to immortality!

He began to work carefully. Not only did he need to complete the task, he needed to do it well, lest he lose this perfect job.

The blazing sun cast down its boundless radiance, showing not the slightest mercy for the feelings of the living beneath it.

Meng Lang and Li Ya reached a small pavilion and rested there. The two kept wiping away sweat, without even the strength to speak, their gazes following Gu An.

Time slipped away second by second. Gu An was drenched in sweat, yet he was utterly exhilarated, and the smile on his face never faded.

Watching Gu An, whose face was flushed red, Meng Lang could not help sighing. "In weather this hot, this kid is really giving it everything he has. I like him. We should take better care of him from now on—make sure he eats and drinks well, and not let anyone bully him. That way, he can keep doing our work for us."

Li Ya rolled his eyes and said irritably, "There are barely any people in this valley. Who could bully him? If Senior Brother bullied him, would you dare talk back?"

Meng Lang gave a fake cough, looked at Li Ya, and asked, "Brother, which Li Family are you from?"

Li Ya answered calmly, "The Li Family of Changluo, Cang Province."

"Changluo? Isn't that the Imperial City? You share a surname with the Imperial Family?" Meng Lang asked in astonishment. The moment he finished speaking, his eyes widened involuntarily.

Li Ya did not answer, merely gazing quietly at Gu An.

Meng Lang became uneasy. He had not expected to encounter a member of the Imperial Family here.

But on second thought, he found it reasonable. This was the Taixuan Sect, the foremost cultivation sect of the Great Cang Dynasty. The fact that it could share the character "Cang" with the dynasty itself was enough to show how transcendent the Taixuan Sect's status was. Encountering a member of the Imperial Family at the bottom rung of the Taixuan Sect was not so outrageous.

A long while passed.

Gu An finally finished harvesting fifty Red Spirit Flowers. He placed all the wrapped flowers into a bamboo basket, slung it onto his back, and looked toward the other garden plots with anticipation filling his face.

There were more than fifteen garden plots in the valley. The one they occupied was merely a small corner, and he guessed that the medicinal herbs in the other plots were even more valuable.

The days ahead were long!

Gu An did not wish to expose his golden finger, so he would stop here for today.

He walked along the path toward the pavilion while waving to Meng Lang and Li Ya. The two rose and came over.

"Brother Gu An, you've worked hard. Let me carry it." Meng Lang said with a beaming smile. The three had introduced themselves when they met the Valley Master earlier, so they remembered one another's names.

Gu An saw through Meng Lang's little scheme, smiled, and nodded before handing him the bamboo basket.

Li Ya curled his lips, contempt showing in his eyes.

Gu An only wanted to keep this job. He did not want to be transferred elsewhere because he performed too well, so he could not be bothered to argue with Meng Lang.

The three entered the pavilion and met Senior Brother Zhang Chunqiu.

Zhang Chunqiu was holding a book. When he saw Gu An and the others enter, he set it down and said, "Put down the Red Spirit Flowers. These three books are basic cultivation methods left behind by Master. Cultivate diligently during your rest periods and strive to leap out of this place someday, becoming true disciples of the Taixuan Sect. Five years ago, a disciple received one of Master's spirit pills, successfully reached Foundation Establishment, and became an Outer Sect disciple of the Taixuan Sect."

As he spoke, he waved his right hand. Three manuals flew from his sleeve toward Gu An and the other two.

Gu An caught one and saw the words written on its cover.

Springwood Art!

It sounded so low-grade!

Still, Gu An was not disappointed. After all, he was at the bottom rung of the Taixuan Sect.

Zhang Chunqiu gave them a few more instructions, then told them to find rooms in the neighboring courtyard. It was specifically reserved for Handyman Disciples. At present, there were only four disciples in this Medicine Valley. The Valley Master was away and would not return for another two years, so Zhang Chunqiu was now in charge of the Medicine Valley.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn.

Gu An lay on a wooden bed, gasping heavily, his face flushed red after enduring the scorching sun.

With a thought, lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Gu An]

[Lifespan: 15/151]

[Spirit Root: Ordinary Five-Element Spirit Root (Lifespan can be invested to evolve cultivation)]

[Cultivation: Unranked (Lifespan can be invested to evolve cultivation)]

[Cultivation Method: Fire Control Art (Unmastered) (Lifespan can be invested to evolve cultivation)]

...

Gu An had seized eighty-eight years of lifespan in one go!

Before this, his lifespan had been sixty-three years. Twelve of those years had come from breaking the flowerpot when he was ten. In other words, he originally could only have lived to fifty.

First-grade medicinal herbs could provide only one to two years of lifespan, but to a mortal, how long was a single year!

The more Gu An looked at his Attribute Panel, the more exhilarated he became. It had not been long at all, yet he had already earned eighty-eight years of lifespan. This job was simply wonderful!

He wanted to become a permanent fixture in the Medicine Valley!

Outer Sect disciples, Inner Sect disciples—he did not think much of any of them.

It was said that becoming an official disciple required going out to carry out missions, slaying demons and exterminating evil in the mortal world. It was extremely dangerous.

From childhood to adulthood, Gu An had never even killed a chicken. In his previous life, he had been an ordinary person on Earth. Asking him to fight and kill was something he could not do.

How wonderful it was to stay in the Medicine Valley. He would almost never encounter danger, and he could still madly earn lifespan!

Who said cultivating immortality had to mean risking one's life?

Gu An sank into beautiful fantasies and could not pull himself free.

One night passed.

Gu An woke early the next morning. After washing up simply, he went to find Zhang Chunqiu and receive a task.

Zhang Chunqiu had not slept. He was cultivating through breath absorption. Seeing how diligent Gu An was, he smiled with gratification, then rose and walked to the door. Pointing toward a garden plot, he said, "All the Spiritheart Grass in that plot may be harvested. Once you finish, leave it at the door. There's no need to knock."

With that, he flicked his sleeve, and strips of Spirit Protection Paper fell into Gu An's hands.

Seeing Gu An struggle to contain his excitement, Zhang Chunqiu hesitated briefly before revealing a kindly smile. "Junior Brother, work hard. As long as you are diligent and willing to endure hardship, you will surely see the day you rise above it all."