Chapter 1

The Great Liang Dynasty.

Jingyun Prefecture, Dongling County, Jiangluo City.

...

Sunlight gently filtered through the window, casting a warm glow on the face of the person lying on the intricately carved wooden bed, frowning.

The blinding light made Xu Nanshan's eyelids flutter, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm not dead?"

Xu Nanshan murmured, feeling somewhat incredulous. He sat up and looked around.

The room was simple, not very large, and the air was filled with the scent of cinnabar and ink. Sheets of cut yellow paper were scattered on the table, and the wolf-hair brush hanging from the pen stand seemed to sway gently in the breeze, like a young woman's waist.

This unfamiliar environment... Xu Nanshan felt that he might have been transported to another time.

So, it's really possible to live again?

A complex expression appeared on Xu Nanshan's face.

In his previous life, he had grown up in poverty and, as an adult, devoted himself entirely to his career, working tirelessly in the business world, socializing day and night, often drinking until he vomited over the toilet, even causing internal bleeding.

Finally, he achieved success in his career and financial freedom, but his health had deteriorated, and the doctors told him he had little time left.

Xu Nanshan, whose name means "as long-lived as the southern mountains," ultimately lived a fleeting life of just over twenty years.

In the remaining days, Xu Nanshan had a sudden realization. After arranging his affairs, he began to travel and explore the world.

He chose to cross great rivers and witness the surging tides, and to climb high and see the clouds roll by.

He used the remaining short time to travel and remember the world, even though the world would quickly forget him.

His body grew weaker day by day, and he realized that his short life had missed so much beauty.

He had never experienced a proper romance.

He had never enjoyed the ease that financial freedom could bring.

But it was too late; he had no more life to live and enjoy these things.

Finally, Xu Nanshan passed away on a train heading to northern Tibet, leaning against the window, watching a meteor streak across the clear night sky, and died with a heart full of regrets.

When he opened his eyes again, it was at this moment.

Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, Xu Nanshan smiled. The feeling of starting over, bidding farewell to the past, was quite pleasant.

Having died once, he now understood the preciousness of life.

His head throbbed slightly, and Xu Nanshan gently massaged his forehead. At the moment his fingertips touched his skin, a current seemed to flow through his brain, and fragmented images flashed before his eyes like a rapid slideshow.

These were the memories of this body.

Looking at the room's layout, Xu Nanshan initially thought he had escaped through a temporal rift and traveled back to some ancient dynasty.

But after sorting through the memories, he realized he had underestimated the situation.

"This world is called the Eternal Continent, a place where cultivation is possible. Countless ordinary people aspire to become cultivators, and cultivators dream of ascending to the Eternal Realm, joining the ranks of immortals, and achieving eternal life."

"But... the cultivation in this world is not quite right."

Xu Nanshan's pupils dilated: "In this world, cultivators use their lifespan as a universal currency? To obtain cultivation resources, one must pay with their lifespan!"

This was a significant shock for Xu Nanshan, who had just realized the value of life.

Lifespan quantified as currency?

Life equated to money?

Xu Nanshan remembered a science fiction movie from his previous life that depicted something similar, but it was just a movie... When it actually happened to him, it felt incredibly surreal.

The universe is vast and full of wonders!

In this world, children at the age of ten have the opportunity to unlock their life seals. Those who can unlock their life seals have a lifespan that can be transferred and traded, and they receive a life token from the imperial government, granting them the资格 to become cultivators.

Children who fail to unlock their life seals remain ordinary, living and dying in the cycle of life, becoming insignificant ripples in the vast world.

After becoming a cultivator, children with life tokens are required to attend the Enlightenment Life Academy established by the imperial government in various cities and regions. They study for six years, complete their enlightenment cultivation, and take the academy's unified exam to gain the资格 to continue their cultivation in an outer sect.

The academy's unified exam is extremely difficult. Some fail, while others succeed. If truly accepted into an outer sect, not only do they receive a lifespan reward, but they also gain the资格 to participate in the imperial cultivation exams.

If they excel in the imperial exams, they receive a significant lifespan reward, extending their life.

In the future, they may even have the opportunity to ascend to the upper realm as immortals, enjoying boundless lifespan and overseeing the world below!

This is a magnificent yet mysterious world!

After unlocking their life seals, cultivators use their lifespan as currency to purchase cultivation resources, aiming to advance in their cultivation path, gain lifespan rewards, and obtain the资格 to continue their cultivation!

However, this is also a cruel world. From the Enlightenment Life Academy to the outer sects, many cultivators, even after spending all their lifespan, fail to gain the资格 to advance.

As for where the spent lifespan goes, the memories did not provide an answer for Xu Nanshan.

Xu Nanshan, who died young in his previous life and now had a second chance, naturally cherished life. However, fate had played a cruel joke on him.

He was now living in a world where lifespan was currency, and life was quantified.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Xu Nanshan learned from the memories that he was now a student at the Jiangluo City Life Academy, in the seventh courtyard of the Heavenly Life Tower, having already unlocked his life seal, received his life token, and gained the资格 to cultivate.

Xu Nanshan was also pleasantly surprised to discover that after unlocking his life seal, his innate lifespan was actually 150 years!

This meant that if Xu Nanshan were not killed or fell ill, he could live for 150 years!

The imperial official responsible for unlocking his life seal had even exclaimed that he was a "longevity seed" of the Jiangluo Life Academy!

Xu Nanshan was extremely excited.

Even in his previous life, with advanced medical technology, living to 150 years was virtually impossible.

However, in this world, such an opportunity existed.

Closing his eyes slowly, a faint warm current stirred in his Dantian.

When he opened his eyes again, a black, circular iron token appeared in his palm.

This was Xu Nanshan's life token.

On the life token, golden characters slowly appeared like wisps of smoke.

...

【Name: Xu Nanshan】

【Age: 15】

【Cultivation: Qi Condensation Level 4】

【Remaining Innate Lifespan: 13 years, 8 months, 3 days, 6 hours, and 1 moment】

【Guaranteed Lifespan: 10 years】

...

Looking at the golden characters on the life token, Xu Nanshan's smile slowly faded.

His excitement, like a small flame, was suddenly doused by a torrential rain.

The room seemed to become unbearably cold in an instant.

What about the 150 years of lifespan?

What about the "longevity seed"?

In the end, his innate lifespan was only 13 years...

Wasn't he just a short-lived ghost?

Xu Nanshan's face turned pale. Was this another cruel joke from fate?

What went wrong?

Closing his eyes slowly, his memories rippled like water.

After a thorough search, Xu Nanshan finally understood the reason.

His 150 years of innate lifespan had been reduced to 13 years and 8 months. Excluding the 5 years lost to the passage of time, this meant that Xu Nanshan had spent 131 years of his lifespan in a short period.

It wasn't that Xu Nanshan, after awakening his 150 years of lifespan, had become reckless and spent it frivolously. Rather, the original owner had a chronically ill father who was bedridden.

Xu Nanshan spent 131 years of his lifespan buying medicinal herbs, formulas, and seeking healers...

Finally, a month ago, he cured his father.

However, after being cured, the father mysteriously disappeared, leaving no words, no farewell, and no apology, as if he had vanished into thin air.

Xu Nanshan was at a loss. His future had been bright, but after spending 131 years and 4 months and 26 days, he had gone from a "longevity seed" to a short-lived ghost, and this was the result.

Originally, because of his 150 years of lifespan, Xu Nanshan had become a prominent figure at the Jiangluo City Life Academy, known as a "longevity seed." His performance in various subjects, such as talismans, elixirs, and forging, was not bad, and many believed he was almost certain to pass the academy's unified exam and be admitted to the first outer sect of Dongling County.

After all, in a world where lifespan is currency, 150 years of lifespan... that meant he could buy two to three times the cultivation resources of others.

However, due to his filial piety, Xu Nanshan fell from the clouds to the ground, becoming a laughingstock in the entire academy.

With just over a year left until the academy's unified exam, and excluding the guaranteed 10 years of lifespan, Xu Nanshan had only 3 years of lifespan left to spend.

Three years of lifespan were not enough to purchase the cultivation resources needed to advance from Qi Condensation Level 4 to Qi Condensation Level 6.

Without reaching Qi Condensation Level 6, not only would he fail to be admitted to the first outer sect of Dongling County, but he would also struggle to pass the academy's unified exam and complete his enlightenment cultivation.

The final outcome would be to live a mediocre life with only 10 years of guaranteed lifespan.

The original owner, unable to bear this blow, died of depression.

Xu Nanshan sighed after reading the memories. The original owner's experience could only be described as a life wasted on filial piety.

Originally, he could have lived for 150 years, but now he had only 13 years left.

This made Xu Nanshan, who had just arrived in this world and cherished life, feel a deep pain.

How could there be such a selfish father?

Xu Nanshan was furious. His son had exhausted his future to extend his father's life, and in the end, the father left without a word, leaving behind only a dilapidated talisman shop. What was this?

The most tragic "longevity seed" at the start!

Xu Nanshan clutched his life token, shook his head, feeling sad for the original owner and worried about his remaining short lifespan.

Suddenly, he felt the life token in his hand become extremely hot.

After a moment of shock, Xu Nanshan looked down at the life token.

The content and lifespan numbers on it suddenly twisted into a mass and then split into two beams of golden light.

It was as if the life token had cracked.