It's been four weeks since Lin Changsheng was banished from the Ancestral Hall. He spent his time playing chess with Mei wang beneath the old peach tree. The board never changed; only the pieces moved — much like his life.
"I wish I could cultivate, but it's too bad I don't have spirit roots," Lin Changsheng muttered inwardly, his eyes fixed on the chessboard. "If I had spirit roots, I would have stayed in this place until I achieved immortality. After that, I would journey through the world of immortals without fearing death."
Suddenly, a chime rang inside Lin Changsheng's head, startling him as he dropped his chess piece.
[Ding!]
[Conditions have been met.]
"What was that?" Lin Changsheng exclaimed, shock evident on his face as he stood up to survey his surroundings.
Mei wang, noticing his reaction, asked, "Master, is there anything wrong?"
Seeing that nothing was amiss, Lin Changsheng sat back down in his hunched chair. "No, I don't think so. Maybe it was just my imagination."
Suddenly, the voice rang out again.
[You have been connected to the Astral Archive.]
[You now have access to all books and treasures of the world.]
[Please designate lifespan to read or collect any treasure you want.]
[ Note: Treasures that increases lifespan does not exist in the Astral archive. ]
'What is this?'
'I have a cheat? I can't believe it! The heavens are still with me.'
[Please note that if you leave your courtyard physically, your status as the Sage of the Astral Archive will be temporarily stripped away from you until you return to the courtyard.]
"Hahaha," Lin Changsheng laughed, overwhelmed with joy as he suddenly went a bit wild. However, the happiness was short-lived, and he sat back down again.
Mei wang couldn't explain what was happening.
"Hey, system, are you there?"
[...]
"System?"
[I'm here, Master. What do you need?]
With a smile on his face, Lin Changsheng continued, "How do I summon a book or a treasure?"
[You just have to think about the content of the book you want. If it exists in the Astral Archive, it will be recommended to you, and you will pay with your lifespan.]
"Then is there a book that allows for cultivation without spirit roots?"
Suddenly, a blue screen appeared inches above his face, blocking his view of the chessboard.
[Searching the infinite library...]
[200 hundred books have been found.]
[Filtering books that match the Sage's needs...]
[One book found.]
A new screen popped up, displaying the book cover.
[Immortal Serenity Records: In the land of the Gods, a mortal who feared death wanted to become like the gods, so he trained his martial arts to perfection. After thousands of years of training, even the gods themselves couldn't contain him, so they killed him. Hence, the Astral Library recorded his findings about the Heavenly Way. He was called the Serenity Emperor.]
[Book cost: 35 years.]
[Would you like to sacrifice 35 years of lifespan?]
"Th-thirty-five years?" Lin Changsheng's eyes widened in shock.
"Master, is something wrong?" Mei wang asked.
"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking about cultivation," Lin Changsheng replied, still looking at his status screen, though his mind was in chaos.
What if he couldn't cultivate after reading this? What if he lacked the talent to decipher the book? Was it even in Mandarin? Would he understand the language?
"Thirty-five years for a single book? That is a lot."
In this life, the original Lin Changsheng died at eighteen for reasons he couldn't remember. If he sacrificed thirty-five years, that would be like half his lifespan. What if it didn't work?
Mei wang observed her master, wondering, 'What is the Young Master thinking? It's as if he's not concerned with the game anymore.'
"Master, should I make some soup?" she suggested.
Lin Changsheng nodded without taking his eyes off the chessboard, still lost in thought.
After a while, he finally came to a conclusion. "If this is how I'm going to die, so be it. But at least I have to make the most out of this book."
"System, will the cultivation realms I practice in this book increase my lifespan?"
[If you successfully break through realms, yes, 100%.]
"Alright," Lin Changsheng said, clicking the system function.
New system notifications appeared.
[35 years have been successfully subtracted from your lifespan.]
[You have 40 years of lifespan left. Thank you for your purchase.]
Suddenly, a book materialized in front of Lin Changsheng.
"So this is the book about a cultivation method that does not involve spirit roots?" He opened the first page, which was filled with colorful diagrams illustrating how to cultivate.
A man sat in a lotus position, cultivating and absorbing Qi. Below the man were labels of nine realms: Ten Meridian Opening, Profound Realm, Spirit Realm, Heavenly Foundation Realm, Nine Leaves Realm, Emperor Realm, Supreme Realm, Realm Lord, Divine Realm.
"Wow, nine realms, just like the nine mortal realms from Qi condensation to Mahayana, but everything is really different."
Lin Changsheng opened the next page and continued reading.
Page Title: Ten Meridian Opening
The Ten Meridian Opening is the foundation of martial arts, designed to establish a solid base for future improvements.
The first step is to feel QI, the second step is to open the first meridian. The third step involves using QI to channel the other meridians, thereby opening all ten meridians.
"Wait, is that it?" Lin Changsheng asked the system.
[You need a breathing technique and pills. Would you like to purchase high-level breathing techniques?]
"No, thank you. Do you want me to die before I start cultivating?"
[...]
Suddenly, Mei wang entered with soup.
"Master, here's your soup." Mei wang placed the bowl and a spoon on the table.
As she sat down, Lin Changsheng carefully tested the soup while setting the book aside. It was then that an idea struck him.
" Mei wang, three days ago, you mentioned that your father works in the Spring Immortal Sect, right?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Could you send him a letter asking to borrow a cultivation breathing technique? Even a low-level one would be fine," Lin Changsheng requested.
Mei wang nodded. "Master, that is possible. But why do you want a breathing technique when you don't even have spirit roots?"
Lin Changsheng grinned and replied, " Mei Wang, once you bring that breathing technique, I'm going to teach you how to cultivate."
"Really? Is that really possible?"
"Of course."
Suddenly, another system chime resonated in his mind.
[Ding!]
[It is detected that you wish to pass down the methods of the Serenity Emperor. However, nothing in this world is free. All who wish to learn from you must become your disciples. You will receive gifts according to their potential.]
[Would you like to accept a mission?]
[Y/N]