Others Pay with Crystals, I Pay with My Life?

Great Yu, Qingzhou, Taikang Prefecture, Lingbao County.

Name: Lu Yuan

Age: 16 years old

Talent: Slightly Talented

Lifespan: 61 years

Cultivation Technique: Ox Demon Fist (Beginner's Insight 55%)

Looking at the attribute panel that only he could see, Lu Yuan felt helpless:

"I haven't even watched The Wandering Earth 3 or Investiture of the Gods Part 2 yet. I wonder when those two movies will be released..."

He wasn't from this world. He woke up one day and transmigrated to this world, and it had been sixteen years.

However, he had only just awakened his memories of his past life yesterday, along with his golden finger.

Great Yu had been established for five hundred years, nearing the end of its dynasty. The emperor's decrees barely extended beyond the capital. Only provincial officials would grudgingly obey the imperial court's orders. At the prefecture and county levels, far from the emperor's reach, it was basically ruled by powerful aristocratic families and clans, with bandits and robbers occupying territories and acting as their own kings.

Besides man-made disasters, there were also demons and monsters causing trouble.

It was already a chaotic world, and ordinary people were as fragile as blades of grass in such times.

Lu Yuan's luck in this life was not bad. He was born into a family of medicine merchants. Although they were not powerful or extremely wealthy, they had enough to eat and wear.

"I can only live for sixty-one years in this life, which is simply..."

In his previous life, sixty-one years would definitely be considered short-lived. But in ancient times, sixty-one years was certainly not short-lived.

And this golden finger was actually a way to consume lifespan to strengthen oneself and improve one's talent.

Talent, from lowest to highest, was: Foolish, Slightly Talented, Low-grade Talent, Medium-grade Talent, High-grade Talent, Genius, Peerless Prodigy, Innate Sage, Child of Destiny.

"Foolish" was the kind of person who, even if taught a basic set of boxing techniques, couldn't learn it. They would also be lazy, afraid of hardship, and even if given elixirs and undergone marrow cleansing to enhance their strength, they wouldn't achieve much.

"Slightly Talented" was much better than "Foolish." They could even grasp the basics of more profound martial arts.

As for "Medium-grade Talent," they were intelligent and possessed an extraordinary aura even if born into ordinary circumstances. Their martial arts aptitude was exceptional, and they could achieve remarkable feats in martial arts.

Those with "High-grade Talent" had heavenly-gifted roots and bones, imbued with the essence of heaven and earth. Their character was tenacious and unyielding, making it clear at a glance that they were no ordinary individuals. As long as they cultivated diligently, they were bound to stand out and become masters. What ordinary people considered a genius was this level of talent.

As for true "Genius," they were astonishing and brilliant, capable of leaving their mark on history through martial arts. Any force would treasure them, and their potential was limitless with even a little guidance.

Lu Yuan's "Slightly Talented" was the most common type of talent. He had practiced the Ox Demon Fist for over three years and had only just reached the beginner's stage, which was partly due to his sporadic efforts. His mediocre talent was also a significant reason.

After understanding the function of his golden finger, Lu Yuan was utterly speechless.

He could only live for sixty-one years in total, and he was expected to consume his lifespan to improve his talent?

Was it worth it? This was a difficult calculation.

If he could live to a hundred, or even eighty or ninety, Lu Yuan would definitely have consumed his lifespan to improve his talent without a second thought.

But he could only live for sixty-one years. He was truly reluctant to consume his lifespan to improve his talent.

Suddenly.

"Rumble!!!!"

A sudden burst of chaotic and disorderly hoofbeats came from ahead, the sound growing louder as it approached.

The ground vibrated slightly, and small stones bounced up. In an instant, the deafening sound of hooves was right in front of them, like a thousand troops charging.

"Alert! Draw swords!"

Steward Shen shouted abruptly.

Clang clang clang clang!

The more than twenty people in the caravan drew their swords in unison, looking warily ahead.

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Lu Yuan looked up from his horse and saw dozens of riders rapidly approaching with an imposing and overbearing aura.

"Bandits? Robbers?"

Lu Yuan frowned.

His family were medicine merchants, so they needed to go to Lingbao County and even further places to purchase medicinal herbs periodically. This procurement team was led by Steward Shen, who had been with the Lu family for over twenty years.

Lu Yuan had come along to familiarize himself with the process of purchasing medicinal herbs and to learn from Steward Shen.

With the imperial court's power waning and chaos spreading everywhere, bandits and robbers were rampant. Therefore, this team of over twenty people was composed of strong and capable individuals, armed with swords and knives. Ordinary bandits wouldn't dare to provoke this tough group.

Seeing the bandits approaching, Lu Yuan also drew the long saber hanging on his horse.

Dozens of riders on tall horses stopped about thirty feet away. These people were dressed simply, their auras sharp and fierce, wielding weapons such as swords, spears, and hammers.

The leader was extremely burly, like an iron tower, nearly two meters tall. His arms were thicker than an ordinary man's thighs, his muscles bulging. His eyes, like copper bells, emitted a daunting light.

On the horse's flank hung a saber as wide as a palm.

Strangely, Steward Shen breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing them. He walked out of the group, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "So it's the three top leaders of Iron Dragon Stockade. May I ask why you've stopped us?"

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Iron Dragon Stockade was one of the largest bandit groups lurking around Lingbao County. They roamed the mountains, occupied territory, raided merchant caravans, and extorted passage fees – that was their business.

The government had organized several expeditions to suppress them, but they had all returned in failure, suffering heavy losses.

Lu Family's acquisition of medicinal herbs inevitably led to dealings with Iron Dragon Stockade. Therefore, they paid a certain protection fee every month in exchange for Iron Dragon Stockade's non-interference.

The leader of Iron Dragon Stockade before them was their third leader, Li Jing.

Li Jing spoke calmly, "Of course, we have a reason for stopping you."

"Oh? What reason?" Steward Shen felt uneasy.

Li Jing smiled, "My eldest brother's fortieth birthday is approaching. Shouldn't you offer some form of congratulatory gift?"

Steward Shen said gravely, "The eldest leader's fortieth birthday is indeed a joyous occasion. However, the fees for this month were already paid by the Lu family to Iron Dragon Stockade long ago. Furthermore, my Lu family deals in medicinal herbs and only earns a meager living. Where would we have the extra money to celebrate the eldest leader's birthday?"

"These bastards are so greedy! They extort us even after we've paid the passage fee, making up excuses!"

"Steward Shen, ignore them. We'll fight if we have to!"

"They have people, but we're not short either, Steward Shen, give the order!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, all indignant.

A bandit leader demanding tribute for his fortieth birthday? It wouldn't be that easy.

Lu Yuan clenched his fists, staring intently at the bandits.

A fortieth birthday? Wasn't that just an excuse to extort more money?

Indeed, a group of mountain bandits and outlaws, what rules could they possibly have? Greed was their nature.

Li Jing, however, smiled and said, "Steward Shen, will you offer your congratulations or not?"

Steward Shen shook his head, "Leader Li, you're making things too difficult for me."

"Very good!"

Li Jing sneered. The people from the Lu family were quite stubborn. To make them pay more, he had to intimidate them with his strength.

Hiss!

He pressed down on his horse and dismounted abruptly. The immense force caused the tall horse's legs to buckle, nearly making it fall to the ground.

He himself used the momentum to dash forward, drawing the saber hanging from his horse's back. His body moved like a ferocious tiger or leopard, covering ten zhang in an instant. Then, raising the saber high, he brought it down with the force of splitting a mountain.

What a fast saber!

Lu Yuan's hair stood on end, a sense of danger overwhelming him.

The next moment, the heads of the three horses at the front of the group were cleanly severed. Blood spurted out, and the smell of blood instantly filled the air. An area of several meters turned into a bloody pool.

The three horses fell dead without even a whimper.

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