Zhou Kingdom, Lin Prefecture, Anxi County.
The biting wind of the twelfth lunar month cut like a knife.
At the entrance to the Bluestone Martial Academy.
"Old sir, please, let me in to see Master Liu just once. I've been stronger than other people since I was a child. I've never lost a fight in the village, and everyone says I have the right build for martial arts!"
"If the academy master meets me, he'll definitely take me on as a disciple!"
"Once I've made something of myself in martial arts, I'll never forget your kindness in introducing me!"
A shabby-clothed, gaunt young man pleaded desperately with an old man whose hair and beard were white as snow.
The old man was silent for a moment before replying in a hoarse voice, "Go home. You're too old. The academy's rules only allow disciples under sixteen."
"But I... I'm only two years over..."
The young man's throat tightened. Each word came with difficulty.
"Go home."
The old man shook his head slowly and said nothing more.
The young man stood frozen. His lips parted, but in the end, he left with a face full of unwillingness.
"Alas."
Watching the young man's retreating figure, the old man sighed softly. A trace of wistfulness appeared in his cloudy eyes.
Once, he too had been turned away at the door like that.
The old man was named Jiang Ye. He was a transmigrator, but his life had been so miserable that he could be called the disgrace of all transmigrators.
When he had first arrived in this world, he'd thought that with the experience of two lifetimes, even starting out as a commoner at the very bottom, he could still reach the pinnacle of life in this otherworld.
Then reality had taught him a lesson.
Martial strength ruled this world, so he'd wanted to learn martial arts and rise above the common folk.
But the fees at martial academies were outrageously high, far beyond what ordinary people could afford.
He had no choice but to find a way to earn money first. That was when he discovered that a commoner who tried to do business had only one possible ending.
A small business might enjoy three days of good fortune, but by the fifth, someone would have their eye on it. If business picked up even a little, local thugs would crowd the door and petty officials would demand money.
If you still refused to "learn how things worked," it was perfectly common for your stall to be wrecked and your goods scattered overnight.
In those years, he had tried everything and suffered every hardship.
By the time he'd scrimped and saved enough to pay the academy fees, he was already twenty.
At twenty, his bones and muscles had long since set. He was already past the age for learning martial arts.
No reputable martial academy would take an "overage" disciple like him—unless he paid extra. A lot extra.
But where could he get that kind of money?
Only then did he truly understand that in this world, a commoner with no backing had almost no chance of turning his life around.
After that, he had drifted through life in a daze.
Spring gave way to autumn, and the years rolled by, until the winter of his fiftieth year.
That day, he'd gone up the mountain to chop firewood as usual, only to come across a bloodied man deep in a dead forest.
The man was covered in wounds, barely breathing, and sprawled among the rocks with only a thread of life left. He was none other than Liu Qingshi, who would later become the master of the Bluestone Martial Academy.
Without a second thought, Jiang Ye had carried him back to his own drafty thatched hut, shared his meager food, gathered herbs, and nursed him day and night.
Once Liu Qingshi had recovered, he insisted on giving Jiang Ye a large sum of money in thanks.
Jiang Ye shook his head and refused.
After struggling for decades in this world, he knew all too well that a powerless, unarmed commoner who suddenly grew rich was like a child carrying gold through a crowded marketplace. In the end, it would bring trouble, not good fortune.
Later, Liu Qingshi established himself in Anxi County and opened the Bluestone Martial Academy. Jiang Ye became the old gatekeeper there.
Just like that, twenty years passed.
"Time really flies. I'm already seventy."
Jiang Ye lowered his head and looked at his deeply wrinkled hands, sighing softly.
Seventy years since he'd transmigrated, alone and with nothing to show for it.
He had accepted his fate. He just didn't know how many more years he had left.
Just then—
A line of small text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Destiny: Ascension Stairway]
[Effect 1: Peerless comprehension—No bottlenecks in the martial path. One day of cultivation equals one year of another person's hard work.]
[Effect 2: Locked]
Jiang Ye was stunned.
He blinked.
The words were still there.
It wasn't an illusion.
After a long while, he finally drew in a slow, sharp breath.
He was nearly in his grave, and now his cheat had arrived?!
His hunched back straightened in an instant.
One day of cultivation was equivalent to a year for others...
What did that mean?
It meant that his aged body, weathered by seventy years of time and hardship, now possessed the terrifying potential to turn back the years!
It meant that the bottlenecks and barriers that were as hard as climbing to the heavens for ordinary martial artists might be as level as a broad road before him!
He'd thought his life was over at the age of seventy, but now it was as if he'd been given a second spring.
That was because, in this world, reaching a certain level in martial arts could extend one's lifespan.
Jiang Ye had once heard Liu Qingshi mention that those who cultivated to the True Qi Realm could live for two full cycles of the sexagenary calendar, free of illness and calamity.
With Jiang Ye's talent for cultivation, once he began learning martial arts, reaching the True Qi Realm would be child's play. Even higher realms would be within easy reach.
"I'll have to come up with a good excuse if I want to learn martial arts."
Jiang Ye forced down his excitement.
He knew that given his relationship with Liu Qingshi, if he asked to learn martial arts, Liu Qingshi would probably agree.
But for a seventy-year-old man on the verge of death to suddenly ask to learn martial arts was undeniably strange.
Even though the two of them were close, he absolutely couldn't let the system be exposed.
"Old Man Jiang, what are you thinking about so intently?"
A faint, delicate fragrance drifted from behind him, interrupting Jiang Ye's thoughts.
Jiang Ye turned around and saw a young woman standing a few steps away, dressed in a fitted martial outfit the color of blue lotus.
Her skin was fair as snow, her features as lovely as a painting, and her dark hair was loosely pinned with a white jade hairpin. She was Su Yan, a disciple of the Martial Academy's Inner Courtyard and the young lady of the Su Family of Anxi County.
"Miss Su." Jiang Ye bowed slightly. "Did your training end early today?"
"Yes. We have guests at home, so I'm heading back early."
Su Yan smiled faintly and offered him a box of unopened, exquisite pastries. "I brought more than I can eat. If you don't mind, Old Man Jiang, please have them."
Rich young ladies like her often brought pastries to the academy as snacks. Sometimes, if they trained too hard and forgot to eat, they would give the pastries away.
"Miss Su, you're so generous!"
Jiang Ye accepted the mung bean cakes with a beaming smile and watched Su Yan's graceful figure walk away.
He gently opened the box. The pastries were beautifully made and smelled delicious. He picked one up and slowly placed it in his mouth, savoring its sweet, delicate taste.
His thoughts began to stir.
He'd already come up with an excuse to learn martial arts.
"There are too many people around the academy right now. I'll wait until it closes for the day."
Jiang Ye was sure of his decision.
He'd endured seventy years. What was one more little while?
Throughout the afternoon, several more groups came seeking entry to the academy. He sent them away with a few words.
After watching the gate for twenty years, his eyes had become as precise as the finest measuring stick. At a glance, he could tell whether someone was over the age limit, whether their clothes and complexion suggested they could afford the steep tuition, and whether their expression held genuine determination or merely a last, desperate hope. He could estimate it all with near certainty.
Yet among today's visitors, several had been gaunt outsiders with mixed accents. Their eyes held more than longing—they were filled with the bewilderment of people driven into a corner.
"Even the refugees have come knocking at the academy..."
Leaning against the doorframe, Jiang Ye watched the last person limp away. His brow furrowed as he murmured, "The world really is growing more and more unsettled."
He had lived too long and seen too much.
Disasters had struck Zhou Kingdom one after another, bandits were running rampant, and the people had been driven from their homes. These were signs that the dynasty's fortune was spent and the dragons and serpents were rising from the land.
The more chaotic the times, the more important martial strength became.
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