noffsinger Chapter 1 Life-Saving Cultivation System
Chapter 1 Life-Saving Cultivation System
"Don't miss out! The fourth volume of the bestselling novel 'A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality' is now available! First come, first served..."
"Following the crowd is mortal, defying it is immortal; it's all in a single thought. The latest installment of the renowned Xianxia novel, 'Xian Ni,' is here, and you can take it home with just a single Soul Shard!"
In a corner of the outer street of Taihu Market, a man dressed in a worn-out Taoist robe, with graying temples and a slightly aged appearance, yet with a hint of heroic spirit between his brows, stood out.
He sat listlessly in front of the bookstall, calling out his wares.
However, in the vast market, there were very few cultivators coming and going. Even if someone passed by the bookstall, they would only glance at it briefly before heading towards the center of the market.
At the stall next to him, an elderly man with a white beard and a sturdy build chuckled upon seeing this.
"Xiao Chuan, stop shouting and rest."
"Today is the triennial day for testing one's affinity with immortality. An envoy from a higher sect has arrived, and everyone is rushing to join in the fun and pray for an affinity with immortality. There are hardly any people on the streets..."
Jiang Chuan picked up the blue gourd, took a sip of water, and then, a thought struck him. Curious, he asked:
"Uncle Wang, what are you talking about, testing one's destiny for immortality?"
Old Wang stroked his beard, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his cloudy eyes as he looked at Jiang Chuan:
"The so-called 'testing for immortality' is conducted by the Biyang Immortal Sect, the superior sect of our Taihu Market. They send people to test the spiritual roots of eligible children in the market. If their spiritual roots and aptitude meet the requirements, they can be selected to join the sect and embark on the true path of cultivation. It can be described as ascending to heaven in one step..."
Hearing Old Man Wang's explanation, Jiang Chuan immediately understood.
Although he had been in this cultivation world for nearly half a year, as a low-level rogue cultivator in the market, he was only focused on writing books to earn spirit stones to unlock cheat codes, and he didn't know much about the common knowledge and secrets of the cultivation world.
That's right, he's a time traveler.
In his previous life, he was a third-rate online novelist. After a college reunion, he was hit by a dump truck while driving under the influence of alcohol and was then transmigrated to this world, becoming an orphan whose parents died at the beginning.
A standard starting point for a weak protagonist in the "beginner's guide" genre...
Old Wang glanced at the stacks of novels on Jiang Chuan's stall, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes, and then sighed with feigned helplessness.
"Xiao Chuan, you can write such a wonderful novel. You are truly talented, a literary genius descended to earth. If you lived in a mortal dynasty, you would definitely be the top scholar in the imperial examination..."
Unfortunately, you only possess a low-grade spiritual root, and you are already old; your path to immortality is hopeless!
"There's something I, the old man, am unsure whether I should say."
"Uncle Wang, please speak."
"Since you are already over forty, why continue to struggle in the world of cultivation? Why not marry and have children, enjoy the blessings of a perfect family, and make your life worthwhile... If any of your descendants have outstanding spiritual roots, they might be able to guide you once..."
"I have a niece, forty years old, with a cultivation level of Qi Refining Level 3. She is of excellent character, has a striking appearance, and is capable of bearing children... If you are willing, we may marry..."
Hearing Old Wang suddenly say he wanted to introduce her to someone, and that the other person was an older single woman,
Jiang Chuan's lips twitched involuntarily.
He thought to himself, "If I didn't have this cheat code, I might have really given up on this idea of seeking immortality."
But I do!
I am the greatest Chinese man on Earth...
With a sudden thought, a light screen invisible to outsiders appeared in his field of vision.
Name: Jiang Chuan (18 years old)
[Remaining lifespan: 14 years]
【灵根：金3、木10、水2、火5、土2、风1、雷1、光1、时1、空1（可投入寿命进行演化）】
[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 1 (Can be evolved using lifespan)]
[Taoist Technique: Evergreen Skill (Beginner Level, can be evolved by investing lifespan)]
[Lifespan Boundary: 1 acre, no plants released]
His gaze lingered on the [Life Barrier] for a moment.
Jiang Chuan sighed softly to himself:
"Although I have the essential cheat code for time travelers, activating it won't be easy!"
After he transmigrated into the body of a boy with the same name, appearance, and even similar physical attributes, he simultaneously awakened the [Life-Saving Cultivation] system.
Originally just a mortal, he only managed to draw qi into his body after spending a full eighteen years of his lifespan, opening up his dantian and qi sea, and stepping into the first level of qi cultivation, thus becoming a cultivator.
Then, he tried to use his lifespan to evolve his spiritual root aptitude. Before he knew it, he had spent several decades more, turning him from a handsome eighteen-year-old boy into a middle-aged man with both qi and blood deficiency.
His own wood-attribute spiritual root aptitude had only increased by a mere 1 point, which frightened him so much that he quickly stopped his reckless behavior.
Of course, this life-consuming cultivation system, besides consuming one's own lifespan to evolve cultivation, Dao techniques, and spiritual roots, also possesses the function of devouring lifespan [Lifespan Barrier].
However, to deploy a [Lifespan Barrier], you must have a [Spirit Field].
As a lowly ant whose parents have passed away and who has no one to rely on, obtaining a priceless sacred field is truly not easy.
Besides, in his previous life he wasn't some urban soldier king or a craftsman master; he was just an ordinary fat otaku online novelist. It's a bit of an exaggeration to say he was powerless, but you could also say "a scholar who is useless in a hundred ways."
Naturally, he wouldn't dare risk his life to gather herbs, hunt monsters, or mine in caves. He could only rely on his own strengths: copying a few famous fantasy novels from his previous life, selling them for spirit stones, and preparing to rent a spirit field to deploy the [Lifespan Barrier].
Fortunately, the book business is doing fairly well. At this rate, in another year or two, I should be able to save enough spirit stones to rent out the spirit fields...
"Ogawa, what's your decision?"
"If you agree, I'll bring my niece to meet you tomorrow."
Jiang Chuan snapped out of his daze and shook his head apologetically.
"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Wang, but my ambition lies elsewhere. I only wish to dedicate my life to the path of immortality."
Seeing Jiang Chuan refuse with such a lame excuse, Old Man Wang felt a little embarrassed. He snorted and stared at the stall in front of him without saying another word.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Jiang Chuan sat cross-legged, adopting the posture of "five hearts facing the sky," and began practicing the "Evergreen Technique."
In his internal vision, within the pitch-black, lifeless, and empty dantian, there was a fist-sized pale green ball of energy—this was the magical power he had cultivated.
As time goes by,
After an unknown amount of time, as the cultivation technique circulated throughout the body, the gaseous magical power within the dantian increased by a barely perceptible amount...
Jiang Chuan opened his eyes, looking slightly tired.
I glanced at the sky; the sun was setting, the evening glow filled the sky, and the sky darkened.
"With my low-grade wood spiritual root's cultivation speed, without the aid of pills, spirit stones, and the like, it would take at least ten years to open 36 new spiritual apertures and break through to the second level of Qi Refining. It's ridiculously slow..."
In this world of cultivation, spiritual root aptitude represents innate talent.
The better one's spiritual root aptitude, the higher their affinity with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the higher their utilization rate of spiritual energy, the faster their cultivation speed, and the fewer cultivation bottlenecks they encounter...
"Forget it, it's getting late, let's go home and rest."
Jiang Chuan finished packing up his bookstall and was preparing to leave.
Suddenly, several streaks of light flew in from afar, and several extraordinary young men and women dressed in the same sect's attire landed in front of him.
"Stop right there! Did you write 'A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality'?"
Jiang Chuan raised his head, looked at the several richly dressed young men and women in front of him, and clasped his hands in a slightly uneasy manner.
"It is I."
One of the beautiful cultivators, with an oval face and a slender, graceful figure, stared at Jiang Chuan with her bright, beautiful eyes. Her red lips moved slightly, and her voice was like heavenly music, melodious and pleasing to the ear.
"Finally found you! May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"
Upon seeing the girl before him, Jiang Chuan was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself, "Wow, so beautiful!" He was slightly taken aback, but dared not look any longer, quickly lowering his head to reply:
"Reporting back to the fairy, I am Jiang Chuan!"
The beautiful female cultivator smiled slightly.
"Jiang Chuan Yao, the river flows through the mountains and fields, the river enters Taihu Lake... Fellow Daoist Jiang, what a fine name, what fine writing! The story is wonderfully written!"
"You flatter me, fairy!" Jiang Chuan said awkwardly, clasping his hands in thanks.
At this moment, a young man in brocade robes carrying a magic sword beside the female cultivator raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes revealing arrogance:
"Jiang Chuan, right? How many of these books do you have left? I'll take them all."