Everyone thought I had achieved something great that allowed me to obtain the Swap skill. I preferred to let them continue thinking that way. Now, I would officially be seen as a two-skill user. However, in front of actual two-skill users, the origin of my Swap skill would definitely be exposed. That would attract a lot of attention because this martial art contained pseudo-particles of magic. It would definitely arouse suspicion from those who knew my grandfather and were familiar with his skills. They would wonder why I suddenly possessed this particular martial art.
After all, the martial art had been passed down by my grandfather, while the only skill granted by Heaven was the one I received for my achievement — not the martial arts. So for now, I was officially recognized as a two-skill user.
As for why I did this, it was because of muscle memory, also known as habit. When you become the Underworld King, you eventually become proficient in magician techniques, martial arts, psychology, and many other fields. It isn't because you deliberately learned them, but because the journey forces you to come into contact with them repeatedly. Habits and addictions are not things we can easily get rid of. If we could, they wouldn't be called habits or addictions in the first place. This kind of life had led me to walk my own unique path.
My only concern now was what kind of believable achievement I should make up to support this story.
I was in my room in the Guard Mansion. Well, let's sleep and let the thoughts run wild after waking up. I fell asleep in bed.
The next day, as always, I left the Guard Mansion on time and headed toward the Mission Hall to pick up my guard post duty. There, I met up with Jack at the western walls.
This time, Jack was the first to strike up the conversation. He said, "Congrats, junior, on gaining your second skill. I heard that it is a space-type skill."
"Yeah," I replied. "As a mortal, I survived a Rank 3 attack and received the achievement at that time. But I had been sad back then, so I couldn't focus on it fully. As you know, when you become a cultivator, these things usually spring up in your mind during hot and sweet moments. That's why so few people remember the exact moment an achievement popped up while they were still mortals."
Jack said, "I bet you remembered it after watching the 'Legend of Life' show on the SK Network."
"Yeah, as expected of senior, who can deduce so many things from this clumsy cultivator," I replied with a smile.
The show was a TV program that broadcasted randomly, but many people could sense when it was about to air, almost like a reminder. It gave an introduction to the origin of skills: there are seven elements — fire, water, earth, wood, wind, dark, and light — that form the foundation of magic. Through the fusion of these seven elements, many paths of cultivation are born. As for what paths are available, that would be known later. Which elements create which paths would be explained when necessary.
The show was widely known as "Eternal Life" because it provided clues given by a mortal said to be the very embodiment of Fate itself. The clues were invaluable, for humans could never hope to comprehend eternal life on their own. It proved that the existence of eternal life was real.
It told the grand tale of a person who had gained immortality and even dared to contend with God.
This immortal had cultivated for thousands of years, shattering every known realm until he stood at the pinnacle of existence. No longer did he age, no longer did he fear disease or the passage of time. His power shook the heavens themselves. Arrogance bloomed in his heart like a poisonous flower. He declared himself above all and challenged Fate directly.
Standing upon the highest peak of the continent, robes billowing in cosmic winds, he roared at the sky:
"I have conquered death! I have conquered time! Now, I shall conquer you — Fate!"
A majesttic, formless voice echoed across the heavens in response. It was calm, ancient, and absolute.
"You have become immortal only in a sense… because no one can defeat Fate."
Enraged, the immortal unleashed his full might — techniques that could shatter mountains, reverse rivers, and rewrite the laws of reality. For what felt like an eternity, the battle raged. Stars dimmed, continents trembled, and the very fabric of the world seemed to fray. Yet no matter how fiercely he struggled, Fate remained untouched, an invisible sovereign beyond all power.
In the end, the immortal fell to his knees, exhausted and broken. Fate spoke once more, its voice carrying the weight of eternity:
"You humans gained immortality, but it is not what you earned by reaching Rank 10. You gained it through Fate, which is not destiny. Since I can give immortality, I can also retrieve it. That is why it is called immortality. You are not fated to die now, so live your life within the Fate that has been changed for you. Of course, many will forget about you — the one who gained immortality — because human envy is eternal and causes disorder in Fate."
The fated battle between him and Fate ended there. I wished I had heard it fresh, but the original owner of this body had already watched the entire "Eternal Life" series, so all the information flowed naturally into my mind. Still, having two kinds of perception was always better than one.
We spoke a lot about many people who rose and fell in the balance of power. One could use the Recording Gu to record events and project them, which sometimes served as blackmail. However, it wasn't as convenient as modern technology. There was only one-time recording — you had to start and stop it manually, and you needed to erase the previous memory to record something new.
It soon became evening, and we went our separate ways.
I walked leisurely because I had no need to fight. One-skill users would not dare challenge me, and two-skill users were not someone I could defeat anyway. So I just returned to my room, cultivated as much as I could while sitting, and went to sleep without any body ache, since I had only sat all day.