Three-Digit Lifespan

[Martial Art]: Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber

[Martial Art]: Phantom Shadow Maze Steps

[Applicant]: Jiang Li

[Class]: Class 3, Grade 3

[Granting Teacher]: Yun Fei

Yun Fei filed away the application form and handed the two martial arts manuals to Jiang Li.

"There are only three months left until the martial arts exam. Of the eighth-grade martial arts at Seventeenth High School, the two you chose can rank in the top five."

During his selection, Yun Fei had reminded Jiang Li, but she could not sway him from his determined choice.

"With your talent, it would already be impressive if you could get started with these two martial arts within three months. To reach minor mastery would take at least three to five years. To reach major mastery would take at least several decades."

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can come ask me anytime." Yun Fei had no way to deal with Jiang Li.

Geniuses were always confident. Once they kicked an iron plate and learned pain, they would understand.

"Don't worry, Senior." Jiang Li left contentedly with the two martial arts manuals.

One Breathing Technique and two martial arts manuals—this time, his gains were immense.

He returned straight to the dormitory. At this time, the other students in the dorm were still in class.

Jiang Li shut the door directly. With a thought, the Yellow Book appeared before his eyes.

[Name]: Jiang Li

[Age]: 18

[Cultivatable Lifespan]: 1002

[Abilities]: None

[Cultivation Art]: Heavenly River Crimson Blood Art (Eighth-grade Perfection)

[Martial Art]: Blade Wielding Technique (Self-Created)

"The Yellow Book can't have written it wrong. Eighth-grade Perfection—so why are my Blood Qi Value and Strength Value so low?" Jiang Li stared at the numbers above, frowning slightly. "Could the machine be broken? Forget it. When I have time, I'll go to Heavenly River Martial Arts Hall and test myself again."

With that thought, Jiang Li began consuming his lifespan. The first thing he cultivated was the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique.

At once, a page of the Yellow Book turned, and words emerged.

[You begin cultivating the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique. Because you previously cultivated the Blade Wielding Technique, you possess a slight degree of control over your breathing, which also benefits your entry into the Breathing Technique.]

[In the third year of cultivating the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique, you feel warmth in your lungs and internal organs. There is a distinct sensation of qi when you breathe, and your strength rises by ten percent when practicing martial arts while your stamina consumption drops by ten percent.]

[In the nineteenth year of cultivating the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique, you successfully break through to the next realm. When using the Breathing Technique, your heart burns like fire, and your strength, stamina, and explosive power are greatly enhanced.]

[In the forty-second year of cultivating the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique, you break through to the third realm of the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique. When using the Breathing Technique, your five internal organs, six viscera, sinews, bones, and blood vessels seem to be burning, and your body is greatly enhanced in every aspect.]

[In the one hundred thirteenth year of cultivating the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique, you break through to the fourth realm of the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique. You have already integrated the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique into instinct. Due to your long-term cultivation of the Breathing Technique, your five internal organs, six viscera, sinews, bones, and blood vessels are also enhanced, while the purity of your blood qi rises noticeably.]

[In the one hundred ninety-ninth year of cultivating the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique, you have completely mastered the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique. When using the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique, a faint Great Sun phenomenon appears behind you.]

[Martial Art]: Fire Spirit Breathing Technique (Perfection)

When Jiang Li awoke as if from a great dream, warmth filled his lungs and internal organs with every breath.

"Two hundred years? You've got to be kidding me."

Shock completely covered Jiang Li's face.

For a C-Class Breathing Technique, he had cultivated for two hundred years? He admitted that his martial arts aptitude might not be very good, but surely a C-Class Breathing Technique should not have taken him two hundred years.

If this had been the SS-Class Great Sun True Fire Breathing Technique, wouldn't his thousand years of lifespan have been drained dry?

Jiang Li, who had previously been brimming with confidence over his thousand years of lifespan, now deeply felt the crisis of his lifespan.

He practically wished he could leave the city immediately and kill several dozen exotic beasts to replenish it.

But what Jiang Li did not know was that Yun Fei had not lied to him about Breathing Techniques. She had simply forgotten to mention some things.

The Fire Spirit Breathing Technique was indeed a C-Class Breathing Technique, but it was also a genuine simplified version of the SS-Class Great Sun True Fire Breathing Technique.

In other words, at the first realm of the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique, it held only a slight advantage over some C-Class Breathing Techniques, and the difference was not great.

But at the second realm, the Fire Spirit Breathing Technique was already enough to crush C-Class Breathing Techniques of the same level.

At the third and fourth realms, it was already comparable to a B-Class Breathing Technique.

At the fifth realm, it was already equivalent to an A-grade Breathing Technique.

Yun Fei had never imagined that Jiang Li could reach the third realm within three months—no, before officially joining Nanfang Martial Arts University.

Even across the entirety of Nanfang University, no one had managed to break through to the third realm of an SS-Class Breathing Technique within three months.

So she had not mentioned it at all.

As for an A-grade Breathing Technique, even martial arts geniuses of extraordinary talent, without fortuitous encounters and opportunities, some high-level martial artists could not cultivate one to Perfection in their entire lives.

That was also why some martial artists, even upon seeing Breathing Techniques above S-Class, were unwilling to choose them.

The difficulty of cultivating an S-Class Breathing Technique was practically like ascending to the heavens.

Staring at his remaining 803 years of lifespan, Jiang Li fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth.

"This lifespan was meant to be used for cultivation. Hesitation is a man's greatest taboo."

"Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber, Phantom Shadow Maze Steps—consume lifespan!"

His gaze hardened, and fresh words appeared in the Yellow Book.

[You begin cultivating saber techniques. Due to the Blade Wielding Technique, your cultivation speed for the Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber greatly increases.]

[In the eighth year, you cultivate the Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber to minor mastery.]

[You train bitterly day and night. In the twenty-ninth year, the Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber breaks through to major mastery.]

[In the thirty-seventh year, you cultivate the Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber to Perfection... afterward, you continue cultivating, and the Blade Wielding Technique also improves as a result.]

Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber (Perfection)

[You begin cultivating the Phantom Shadow Maze Steps. Because this is your first encounter with Movement Martial Arts, your cultivation progress is slow.]

[In the tenth year, you cultivate the Phantom Shadow Maze Steps to minor mastery.]

[In the thirty-third year, you successfully cultivate the Phantom Shadow Maze Steps to major mastery.]

[In the fifty-second year, after your diligent cultivation, the Phantom Shadow Maze Steps reach the pinnacle of perfection, finally attaining Perfection... afterward, you continue training bitterly, but are never able to advance another step.]

Phantom Shadow Maze Steps (Perfection)

When the words ended, another eighty-nine years had slipped by in an instant.

A trace of weathered age flashed through Jiang Li's eyes as he looked at the Yellow Book, as though he had undergone nearly another century of bitter cultivation.

[Cultivatable Lifespan]: 714

Looking at his lifespan, now reduced to three digits, Jiang Li let out a long breath.

"When I get the chance, it looks like I'll have to find some exotic beasts to kill. I'm only eighth-grade. If I keep consuming it like this, my lifespan definitely won't be enough."

He felt a sense of crisis. Eighth-grade was already this difficult—then for seventh-grade, sixth-grade, and beyond, his lifespan would absolutely not be enough.

Just then, the dormitory door was kicked open.

Several people walked in together. When they saw Jiang Li, they froze.

"Jiang Li!"

The leading man was called He Hai. He had a burly frame, stood about 1.8 meters tall, and was a member of the School Team.

His current cultivation was also in the upper range of ninth-grade.

Jiang Li had previously owed him ten thousand yuan and had often served as his punching bag.

"Never thought you'd come back to the dormitory!"

He Hai strode over and stared at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li had already been reborn through nirvana. He slowly rose from his seat, and his height was actually level with He Hai's.

Even Jiang Li himself had not noticed that after breaking through to eighth-grade, his body had undergone some obvious changes. His height was one of them.

He Hai suddenly grabbed Jiang Li's arm with one hand, leaving Jiang Li stunned.

"Quick, take a picture together!"

"An eighteenth-grade eighth-grade Martial Artist—your future is definitely one of Great Xia's prestigious schools."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? No wonder you were willing to be our punching bag. You were using us to temper your martial arts cultivation, weren't you?"

He Hai burst into laughter, and Jiang Li could not help but feel greatly surprised.

But soon, he smiled. He knew it was all because of the change in his strength.

After taking photos with several classmates, and seeing things about to escalate as they started calling over students from other classes, Jiang Li immediately made an excuse and left the dormitory.

Outside the dormitory building, Jiang Li glanced back at the dorm and felt that he should rent a place of his own as well.

After walking a few steps, he encountered classmates who were all exceptionally polite and courteous. Their eyes were filled with awe when they looked at him.

"Sure enough, a man must strive to become strong!"