Trait System

[This is a place to store your brain; dear readers, please feel free to store it here. Upon leaving, Beauty + infinity, Charm + infinity, Wealth + infinity, Intelligence + infinity, Health + infinity, Length +3]

Great Zhou Dynasty, Qingyuan Prefecture, Blackwater County.

Spring is late and winter is stubborn; the lingering cold remains severe.

The residual snow has yet to melt, and long icicles hang from the eaves and corners of the walls.

In a residence on the east side of Blackwater County, on a couch in the west room.

Jiang Tian's eyelids fluttered, his lashes trembling slightly as he slowly opened his eyes.

What met his gaze was a dim ceiling beam with an oil lamp hanging from it. The flame flickered in the wind sneaking through the door cracks, casting the room's light and shadow into a chaotic dance.

He had been in this world for over ten days, and as he fully digested the memories of his predecessor, he finally had a rough understanding of his surroundings.

At this moment, there was good news and bad news laid out before him.

The good news was—the system had arrived, albeit late.

But the bad news...

[Host: Jiang Tian]

[Lifespan: 16/17]

[Realm: None]

[Mastered Martial Arts: None]

[Traits: Poor Bone Structure (White) (10+/100), Outstanding Comprehension (Green) (427+/500)]

[Trait Points: 0 (Points can be obtained by extracting traits from others; points can only be extracted from those at the same realm or lower. Different colored traits yield different amounts of points.]

[White 10 points, Green 100 points, Blue 500 points, Purple 1000 points, Red 10000 points, Gold 100000 points... Extracting traits will not cause any harm to the trait owner.]

[Traits are categorized into White, Green, Blue, Purple, Red, Gold...]

"Hiss—"

Jiang Tian drew a sharp breath.

He rubbed his cheek fiercely, his palm brushing over the bruises that had yet to fade, sending a dull ache through his face.

Sixteen years old, and the lifespan column read "16/17."

In other words, he only had one year left to live.

This lifespan was, in a way, the fault of his predecessor.

The predecessor was a bookworm who spent his days buried in mountains of books. In terms of scholarship alone, he was second to none in all of Blackwater County.

But in this era of war, roving refugees, and rampant gangs, what was the use of being a scholar?

Ten days ago, the predecessor was invited to a poetry gathering by Wang Moshan, the third young master of the Wang Family, one of the three great families of Blackwater County.

Because he was a fool for books and lacked a filter, he publicly pointed out several errors in Wang Moshan's poem, causing the man to lose face.

After the gathering dispersed, he was cornered on the road, given a brutal beating, and tossed into the snow.

The predecessor died just like that.

And Jiang Tian, perhaps because they shared the same name, transmigrated into this battered body.

The predecessor's internal organs had suffered severe trauma, and his foundation was ruined. His older brother, Jiang Hai, had spent a fortune to hire a physician, but while it kept him alive, it burned through the little remaining life potential this body had.

By the time Jiang Tian arrived, he only had a year left to live.

According to the physician, he had four or five years left.

But how the hell was this four or five years? What a damn quack!

"Damn it, I finally finished paying off the eight million in bank loans from my failed startup... and this is what I get?"

Jiang Tian stared at the glaring "16/17" on the system panel, feeling a nameless fire rising from his chest, though he didn't know who to vent it on.

His primary task now was to find a way to extend his pitifully short lifespan!

But what could he do?

Rely on this system?

Could evolving traits allow him to live a few more years? Probably not, right?

However, he knew from his predecessor's memories that there were rare treasures capable of extending life, but which of those treasures weren't worth a fortune?

Of course, there was another path to extending one's life.

Martial arts experts could also extend their lifespan after reaching a certain realm.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

Just as Jiang Tian's thoughts were churning, a childish voice drifted in through the door.

"Un, Uncle, lunch is ready, come and eat!"

Jiang Tian looked toward the sound as a cute little girl pushed the door open and stumbled inside. With her chubby baby face and eyes like black gems, she was his four-year-old niece, Jiang Yuexi.

The moment he saw her, the gloom in Jiang Tian's heart was diluted quite a bit.

He was about to pick up his niece as usual, but suddenly froze.

He saw a small system panel floating above the head of Xiao Yuexi.

[Extractable Trait Detected]

[Name: Jiang Yuexi]

[Realm: None]

[Trait: Gifted Intelligence (Green) (Extractable)]

Jiang Tian did not hesitate, silently chanting in his heart: "Extract!"

The system had stated it would cause no harm, so he had no reason to hesitate.

In an instant, the panel transformed into a speck of emerald light, darting into the center of Jiang Tian's brow like a firefly.

[Trait Points: 100]

Jiang Tian glanced at the "Outstanding Comprehension (Green)" section on his panel; it was only seventy-three points away from evolving.

His gaze sharpened.

"Deep Blue... add points!"

"Whoosh!"

The panel shuddered.

[Trait: Outstanding Comprehension (Green) → Innate Wisdom Root (Blue) (27+/1000)]

In a flash, a wave of intense dizziness washed over him.

Mountains and rivers, the sun and moon, stars and dust, falling leaves and drifting snow, the rising and setting of the sun, the turning of the four seasons... all sorts of strange images flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

"Uncle, what's wrong?"

Xiao Yuexi noticed the strange expression on Jiang Tian's face, a look of deep concern appearing on her small face as she reached out to tug at his sleeve.

"Uncle is fine." Jiang Tian rubbed his temples and slowly opened his eyes.

His mind had become clearer than ever before.

Ancient poems he had only glanced at once in his previous life, never having memorized them, now appeared in his mind word for word, even the position on the page clearly discernible.

His thinking speed had even increased.

Problems that used to require a moment of thought to sort out now had answers surfacing naturally the moment a thought crossed his mind.

"Is this... Innate Wisdom Root?"

Jiang Tian sighed with emotion; the system's utility was far greater than he had imagined.

At this moment, the worry in his heart was largely washed away.

Just then, a faint voice, tinged with a hint of coldness, drifted from the kitchen nearby.

"Time to eat."

"Coming, sister-in-law."

Jiang Tian hurriedly replied.

At the request of our readers, we have now launched a VIP membership feature to remove ads.

Click to view