Life-Sacrificing System

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Lu Chengchuan lay in bed, coughing with a pale face.

It was April, a season of growth for all things, yet he was about to leave this world. He was unwilling. Why him? Why did he have an incurable disease?

"Xiaochuan, Mom will borrow money. We'll go to another big hospital to see,"

Beside the bed, a haggard woman was covering her face and crying, her heart aching for her emaciated son in bed.

"Don't go... cough, cough! Don't go... cough, cough! I'm beyond saving!" Lu Chengchuan coughed, not wanting his mother to borrow money from others.

His illness was incurable; no amount of money could fill that hole.

In the past few years, his mother had sought help from everyone she could to treat him. Their family was heavily in debt. Lu Chengchuan really didn't want to continue treatment; he was a burden.

"Don't, don't say such things. Mom will definitely save you..."

Hearing her son wanting to give up, Huang Yuyun's tone became extremely pained.

Her husband had died unexpectedly ten years ago, and now even her only child was about to leave. The pain in Huang Yuyun's heart was unimaginable.

No matter how her child shook his head, she would never give up!

Lying in bed, Lu Chengchuan didn't speak. He just wanted to be free from the weakness that had tormented him for so long.

System loading complete. Newbie pack has been delivered. Please check.

Just as Lu Chengchuan was dozing off in bed, a cold, mechanical voice sounded in his ear. He opened his eyes, searching for the source of the sound, and then realized it was in his mind.

A system?

As if hearing something unbelievable, Lu Chengchuan became emotional. Huang Yuyun didn't notice her son's change; she was wondering who else could lend them money...

"Mom, let's go home first. I don't want to stay here."

Lu Chengchuan wanted to see what the system was all about, but he had to go home first. He didn't want to check the system in the hospital.

Huang Yuyun wiped away her tears and forced a smile, "Okay, I'll take you home."

After returning home, Lu Chengchuan sat in a chair and made an excuse, "Mom, I want to drink water."

"Oh, oh, Mom will get you some hot water."

Hearing her son say he wanted to drink water, Huang Yuyun quickly got up and went out to fetch water.

"System?"

After his mother left, Lu Chengchuan immediately called out in his mind. The moment he said the word "system," a transparent panel appeared before him.

Life-Sacrificing System

Host: Lu Chengchuan

Realm: None

Martial Arts: None

Current Lifespan: 5 days.

Host's condition is extremely weak. Unknown disease detected. Host can heal disease through cultivation.

(Newbie pack available. Open?)

As the system panel appeared, a stream of information flooded into his mind. He endured the ache in his head and digested the information.

Life-Sacrificing System. As the name suggested, he could increase his strength by consuming a certain amount of lifespan. But the current problem was that he only had five days left. If he kept consuming it, he would die directly.

What use was this to him? He needed to survive first!

Lu Chengchuan was a little disappointed. He needed to live. Only by living could he have the chance to sacrifice his life.

But seeing the newbie pack at the bottom, a glimmer of hope rose in his heart. He hoped the items in the pack could heal his body, as long as it returned to normal.

Opening newbie pack. Obtained Yellow Grade martial art (Everspring Skill [Minor Completion]). Obtained Yellow Grade martial art (Eagle Claw Iron Body Skill [Great Completion]).

The moment he received the newbie pack, a special force surged up from below his abdomen. This force was very gentle, spreading from his abdomen to every part of his body. Lu Chengchuan felt strength for the first time in a long time.

His weak body was nourished, a trace of redness appeared on his pale face, and a large amount of sweat poured out, soaking his clothes.

The gentle energy flowed through his body three times, eventually returning to below his navel.

Lu Chengchuan stood up. He threw a punch forward, creating a sound of air being torn.

Punch after punch, Lu Chengchuan swung his arms freely, feeling the strength in his body. Since falling ill, Lu Chengchuan had never felt so refreshed.

"My illness is cured?"

His body was strong to an extent he couldn't imagine. Lu Chengchuan felt that his illness was cured.

Life-Sacrificing System

Host: Lu Chengchuan

Boundary: Body Forging

Martial Arts: Everspring Skill [Yellow Grade/Level 1], Eagle Claw Iron Body Skill [Yellow Grade/Level 2]

Current Lifespan: 35 days.

Host's bodily functions have recovered, but the unknown disease has not been cured.

Summoning the Life-Sacrificing System and seeing his remaining lifespan, Lu Chengchuan's heart sank. His illness wasn't cured; he just gained thirty more days. He was still a short-lived ghost, albeit a very powerful one.

"This…" Lu Chengchuan was speechless. The situation was different from what he imagined.

He felt incredibly strong, yet he had less than two months to live.

Lifespan, it always came back to lifespan. Lu Chengchuan sat back in his chair. Just as he was pondering how to increase it, his mother walked in with a cup of hot water.

Lu Chengchuan quickly feigned weakness. He couldn't appear too normal. He had transformed into a powerful martial artist in just a few minutes; revealing that would be too shocking.

Moreover, with only a little over a month to live and his illness still uncured, he didn't want to give his mother false hope.

"Here, be careful, it's hot."

His mother handed him the water. Lu Chengchuan slowly raised his arm, 'struggling' as usual to take the cup.

"Mom's going to look for work tomorrow. You rest well at home. I'll be back in the evening. Call me if you need anything."

"I understand, Mom. I'll take care of myself," Lu Chengchuan said, feeling a pang of sympathy.

With that, Huang Yuyun helped her son back to his room to rest.

Inside the small room, Lu Chengchuan dropped the facade of weakness. He walked to the window and grabbed the iron bars.

He slowly increased the pressure on his hand. The rusty yellow bars gradually deformed in his grip. Before long, Lu Chengchuan had bent the finger-thick iron bars.

These past few years, he had been consumed by his illness and hadn't paid much attention to his mother. In his memory, she wasn't this haggard. Now that his body had recovered, he realized that most of her hair had turned white.

Lu Chengchuan felt a pang of guilt, but he had to wait, wait until he knew how to gain lifespan before he could tell her he was better.

Even if he couldn't find a way to live, he would still earn money, pay off the debts, and save enough for his mother's retirement.

As for how to make money, Lu Chengchuan looked at the bent bars. He already had an answer in mind.

Easily bending steel as thick as an adult's finger with his bare hands… he had never seen anyone with such strength. Those martial arts masters online were all talk, boasting about some Hunyuan Wuji or Lightning Whip, but in a real fight, they got their faces bashed in by young people and couldn't get up off the ground.

This was genuine power. As for how to use this power to make money… he needed to think carefully.

The next day, Huang Yuyun left home. Before leaving, she prepared lunch and put it in a thermos.

After his mother left, Lu Chengchuan returned to his normal self. After confirming that his mother wouldn't suddenly return, he put on a mask and left the rented apartment.