A Thousand-Year Lifespan

Spring turns to autumn, and the Medicine Valley of the Taixuan Sect spends another year passing by unnoticed through the changing seasons.

The door of a pavilion opens, and sixteen-year-old Gu An, along with Meng Lang and Li Ya, walks out from inside. They turn back to bow toward the room, and then Meng Lang pulls the door shut.

All three let out a sigh of relief before heading down the stairs.

Once they reach their own courtyard, Meng Lang cannot help but grumble, "He could lecture for an hour over something so trivial; couldn't he have just passed the Record of Hundred Herbs to us directly?"

Li Ya shakes his head helplessly, then walks to the corner of the courtyard, picks up a sword stuck in the dirt, and begins to practice his swordsmanship.

Although his spiritual root aptitude is mediocre, he comes from the imperial family, after all, and possesses a set of exquisite sword techniques; he intends to rely on this skill to turn his fortunes around.

The Great Cang Dynasty honors the path of immortality. The entire imperial court, from civil to military officials, practices cultivation. At the same time, the dynasty divides the common people of the thirteen provinces into tiers: slave, commoner, official, and immortal.

Merchants are included among commoners; only those who reach the immortal tier are considered true nobility. Ordinary officials can only hold posts in towns, while the lords of commanderies and the governors of provinces are all of the immortal tier—not to mention the imperial capital, Changluo. To enter Changluo, one must be of the immortal tier.

Many aristocratic families of the immortal tier will exile descendants with poor spiritual root aptitude to ensure the purity of their bloodline, and the imperial family is no exception.

No matter how down-and-out Li Ya of the immortal tier may be, he is not someone Gu An can afford to provoke.

Because he is of the slave tier.

Over this past year, Gu An has specifically helped Li Ya and Meng Lang harvest medicinal herbs, mostly during the summer or early morning, so his efforts have earned him their favor.

As for other tasks like planting, watering, and fertilizing, Gu An does not help them, and they are too embarrassed to keep asking. Besides, Zhang Chunqiu always stands on the pavilion balcony watching during planting.

Gu An listens to Meng Lang's incessant chatter while watching Li Ya practice his sword.

Every man has a dream of being a swordsman.

The three have lived together for a year, day and night, and have built a decent friendship. Li Ya does not stop them from watching him practice; after all, he cannot hide his practice, and the Li Family sword technique requires unique internal energy circulation methods—merely learning the sword moves is useless.

Meng Lang talks for a good while before finally ending, still seemingly unfinished. He pats Gu An on the shoulder and laughs, "You kid, you never practice martial arts; why are you so interested in swordsmanship?"

Gu An replies casually, "My aptitude is mediocre, so I'm too lazy to practice. I watch him because I'm bored. Don't you think life in the Medicine Valley is dull?"

"It is, so boring. You know, back home, I had four maids to keep me entertained. You know..." Meng Lang sighs, then begins to ramble on again.

Gu An is already used to his penchant for bragging and cannot be bothered to call his bluff.

It is not until dusk falls that Li Ya finishes his sword practice. He sticks his sword into the ground in the courtyard and, while wiping off sweat, says, "I'm going to the small woods for a stroll."

With that, without waiting for a reply from Gu An or Meng Lang, he walks toward the courtyard gate.

After he leaves the courtyard, Meng Lang mutters in a low voice, "What do you think that kid is always doing in the small woods?"

Gu An shrugs and says, "How would I know? He's a member of the imperial family; it's normal for him to have a few secrets. What if he goes back to become a prince one day?"

"How could that be? He was sent here to be a servant."

"But you have to think, there is more than just the Taixuan Sect in this world. Why come to the Taixuan Sect to be a servant?"

Gu An shakes his head, and his words leave Meng Lang stunned.

Immediately after, Gu An walks to the well, uses a wooden ladle to scoop water from a bucket, drinks it in one gulp, puts down the ladle, and walks out of the courtyard.

Meng Lang does not follow Gu An; he knows what Gu An is about to do. After muttering to himself, he returns to his room to practice.

Gu An arrives at a garden area where second-tier spiritual herbs, Calm Heart Grass, are planted.

Throughout this year, Gu An has only harvested first-tier medicinal herbs. Furthermore, the herbs here are not ordinary plants; they take longer to mature, and many require several years before they can be harvested, so the amount he has gathered in a year is not substantial.

Zhang Chunqiu said that in another month, they can harvest the Calm Heart Grass in this area. That will be their first time harvesting second-tier medicinal herbs, and Gu An has been looking forward to it for a long time.

In his eyes, those deep blue stalks of Calm Heart Grass are not medicinal herbs, but longevity points.

Suddenly.

Gu An notices a stalk of Calm Heart Grass swaying. He stares closely, his expression changes drastically, and he immediately jumps over the wooden fence and rushes over.

He sees a palm-sized White-furred Rat digging at the soil beneath the Calm Heart Grass, seemingly trying to pull the herb out by its roots.

Seeing Gu An rush over, the White-furred Rat is frightened and immediately darts away, fast as lightning, quickly disappearing beneath the wooden fence at the edge of the area, escaping without a trace.

Gu An intends to chase after it, but he sees that the Calm Heart Grass has been bitten once and the stem is broken. He quickly kneels down and takes a piece of Spirit Protection Paper from his waist.

He uses his left hand to quickly snap off the Calm Heart Grass, and his right hand wraps the roots with the Spirit Protection Paper to prevent the spiritual energy from dissipating.

After bandaging it, Gu An stands up.

[You successfully plundered 4 years of longevity from Calm Heart Grass (second-tier)]

Before Gu An can even smile, another line of text appears before his eyes:

[Your longevity has exceeded one thousand years for the first time; Longevity Detection function activated]

Longevity Detection?

Gu An is secretly curious. He cannot help but look at another stalk of Calm Heart Grass on the ground and thinks to himself, 'View longevity'.

[Calm Heart Grass (second-tier): 4/25/102 years (current age/longevity/maximum longevity)]

The maximum longevity of this Calm Heart Grass can reach one hundred and two years?

The plundered longevity is different from its original longevity; it seems he cannot fully strip away the target's entire lifespan, as most of it dissipates upon the target's death.

Gu An does not understand the difference between longevity and maximum longevity; perhaps it is related to cultivation.

He picks up the bandaged Calm Heart Grass, rises, and leaves, heading toward Zhang Chunqiu's pavilion.

All herbs within the Medicine Valley must be handed over to Zhang Chunqiu for safekeeping. Every six months, Gu An and the other two receive their stipends as menial disciples of the Taixuan Sect, which consist entirely of Spirit Stones and medicinal pills for cultivation. Zhang Chunqiu also grants them herb seeds based on their performance.

Gu An has three Calm Heart Grass plants growing in his room, one more than Meng Lang and Li Ya, though Meng Lang and his companion feel no jealousy toward this.

Just as Gu An stepped out of the garden, he saw someone ascending the stairs to the pavilion where Zhang Chunqiu resided. It was an old man in black, carrying a book box on his back and wearing a black cloth cap, looking quite mysterious.

Watching the old man in black from afar, Gu An felt a stir in his mind and checked the man's lifespan. Two lines of prompts immediately popped up before his eyes:

[Cheng Xuandan (Qi Refining Stage, 8th Layer): 104/120/180]

Cheng Xuandan!

The master of the Medicine Valley and Gu An's nominal master. He had only ever heard Zhang Chunqiu mention him, as he had been wandering abroad all these years; this was their first time meeting.

At one hundred and four years old, Cheng Xuandan had a current lifespan of one hundred and twenty years and a maximum potential lifespan of one hundred and eighty. In other words, barring any accidents, he only had sixteen years left to live.

Gu An found the lifespan inspection feature quite interesting, as it could help him identify the cultivation level and aptitude of others.

He guessed that the maximum lifespan might represent the height of one's potential, though this hypothesis would require repeated verification.

Cheng Xuandan walked into Zhang Chunqiu's room and closed the door behind him.

Gu An walked into Zhang Chunqiu's courtyard, placed the bundled Calm Heart Grass on a long table, and then turned to leave.

Upon returning to his own courtyard, he first paid a visit to Meng Lang, who was cultivating inside his room.

[Meng Lang (Qi Refining Stage, 2nd Layer): 17/90/190]

Hmm, a total waste indeed.

After learning Meng Lang's lifespan, Gu An didn't linger and soon returned to his own room.

He waited until nightfall, and upon hearing Li Ya's footsteps, he rose and stepped out the door.

Li Ya was just about to head toward his own room when he saw Gu An open the door and couldn't help asking, "What is it?"

Gu An inspected his lifespan while replying, "Master has returned. How about we go pay him a visit tomorrow?"

[Li Ya (Qi Refining Stage, 6th Layer): 18/210/1550]

Hiss—

A maximum lifespan of one thousand five hundred and fifty years!

Is this the talent of a royal descendant?

Isn't Li Ya also a mixed spiritual root?

Gu An's gaze toward Li Ya shifted instantly; perhaps Li Ya was a hidden genius who would eventually shine brilliantly.

Furthermore, this fellow had already reached the 6th layer of the Qi Refining Stage!

What does this mean?

Playing the pig to eat the tiger?

The cultivation realms Gu An had been exposed to, from low to high, were divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation. Each major realm was further divided into nine minor layers. For Li Ya to reach the 6th layer of the Qi Refining Stage at eighteen, he would likely reach the Foundation Establishment stage in a few years and be promoted to an official disciple of the Taixuan Sect.

He must build a good relationship with such a talented fellow disciple!

Hearing this, Li Ya raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded. "That is fine. You are very thoughtful. Call me once you are up tomorrow."

With that, he turned and walked toward his own room.

Gu An watched him close the door, feeling deeply emotional.

Sure enough, class distinctions existed in every world; the gap in their status destined that it would be difficult for him and Li Ya to become true friends.

Gu An wasn't angry, though. Having been a servant since childhood and accustomed to cold shoulders and neglect, he didn't resent Li Ya—after all, it was his own fault for appearing so mediocre.

It didn't matter. With his cheat code to harvest lifespan, Gu An felt he would eventually become an immortal. Before then, what he needed was to stay low-key and safely pass through this stage of accumulating lifespan.

To stay safe, one must not clash with others or stir up trouble. The lower profile he kept, the better!

A smile appeared on Gu An's face before he turned and closed his door.

The moon was very round tonight, its light spilling over the stone steps of the courtyard like flowing water.

At dawn, in the main hall.

Gu An, Meng Lang, and Li Ya stood side by side. Before them, Cheng Xuandan sat on a chair, holding a cup of hot tea, with Zhang Chunqiu standing by his side—the senior brother appeared very respectful.

[Zhang Chunqiu (Qi Refining Stage, 5th Layer): 54/110/175]

Gu An felt the senior brother's aptitude was low, but upon second thought, it made sense; there was more than one Medicine Valley in the Taixuan Sect, and for one Li Ya to emerge was already quite rare.

Moreover, compared to these people, Gu An himself had been the most useless of all at the start.

Cheng Xuandan raised his cloudy eyes to look at the three of them and spoke, "I have learned of your performance from your senior brother. As this is our first meeting, I must give you a welcome gift."

"You may choose between the Record of Hundred Herbs, the Qi Cultivation Technique, and the spell Poison Wood Vine. You may only choose one, and you are forbidden from teaching them to each other. If I discover such a thing, I shall punish you severely."

Hearing this, Meng Lang spoke up first, "Master, I want the Poison Wood Vine!"

Gu An thought that surely no one would want the Record of Hundred Herbs, so he decided to let Li Ya choose first as a favor.

Li Ya followed, saying, "This disciple wishes for the Record of Hundred Herbs."

Gu An looked at him in surprise.

Brother, you aren't playing by the rules?