Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself, his tone shifting to one of reverence. “Oh great system, what are your functions? Enlighten me with your divine wisdom!”
...
Silence.
Hao Yu frowned. “System? Are you… there? Hellooo?” He waited, his excitement waning as the silence stretched on. A minute passed. Then another. His expression soured.
“No… no way. Don’t tell me—” A horrifying thought dawned on him. “The system wouldn’t… it couldn’t just ditch me after giving me hope, right? That’s too cruel! Especially for someone as dashingly handsome, modest, graceful, courteous, and generous as I am!”
Panic bubbled up as he paced in small, frantic circles. “No, no, no, this isn’t happening. I can’t lose my cheat before I’ve even started! Come on, system! Say something!” His voice cracked, desperation seeping through.
Finally, on a whim, he stopped in his tracks and tried something. “Status!”
To his immense relief, a panel materialized in front of him, its surface glowing faintly. Detailed information filled the screen:
[Name: Hao Yu]
[Lifespan: 76 years]
[Spiritual Root: Five-Element (TRASH) Spiritual Root (Lifespan can be used for evolution)]
[Cultivation: First Level of Qi Refining (Lifespan can be used to improve cultivation)]
[Technique: None (Lifespan can be used to increase proficiency once learned)]
Hao Yu let out a long, shaky breath, clutching his chest as though he'd just escaped certain death. “Thank the heavens. The system’s still here. It’s just… not sentient.” He squinted at the panel. “Or maybe it’s lazy. Figures.”
Reading the information, his mind raced. “So, I can use lifespan to evolve my spiritual roots? Or boost my cultivation? Even improve techniques?” He bit his lip, weighing the possibilities. This was no ordinary system—it was a treasure chest of potential, albeit one with a heavy price.
His gaze lingered on the “Five-Element (Trash) Spiritual Root” description, and a bitter smile crossed his face. “This trashy spiritual root... It’s the reason I’m stuck at the bottom of the cultivation ladder. But if I can evolve it...”
Excitement surged within him, and his mind raced. “If I can evolve my spiritual root into something stronger, my efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy will skyrocket. With better roots, I might actually have a chance at cultivation!”
He turned his attention to the rows of mature spiritual plants swaying gently in the breeze. Each one seemed to radiate a faint, alluring light, as if calling out to him. A wide grin spread across his face.
“Well, my dear herbs, it seems your time has come! Your sacrifice will not be in vain!”
Fueled by newfound vigor, Hao Yu darted toward the next plant. One plant after another vanished into his hands, his movements so fluid and frantic that it looked like a crazed beast feasting on prey.
“Oh, Spirit Condensing Plant, thank you for your service. Lifespan acquired! Oh, you too, Golden Leaf Grass? Don’t mind if I do!” He moved through the garden like a whirlwind, his laughter ringing through the air.
With each successful harvest, the familiar notification would pop up.
[You have seized 6 years of lifespan from first-grade spiritual plant Golden Leaf Grass.]
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
[You have seized 8 years of lifespan from first-grade spiritual plant Frost Petal Herb.]
Every notification made his grin grow wider. His earlier weariness was replaced by a manic energy as he worked faster, practically skipping from one plant to the next.
“This is it! Who needs to slog through years of training when I can just hoard lifespan from these plants?” he chuckled.
Fifteen minutes later, Hao Yu stood with a satisfied expression, admiring the neatly picked medicinal plants before him. He had managed to harvest every mature plant in the garden. As he glanced at the status panel, his eyes widened in excitement.
His lifespan had increased to 300 years!
Before this, he only had 76 years of life remaining, but now—he could hardly believe it. The ability to seize lifespan was truly amazing. Yet, as the realization set in, a wave of caution washed over him. He knew that he had to keep this ability a secret. People were unpredictable, and hearts could be darker than the deepest abyss.
If he ever revealed his ability to steal lifespan, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how he might meet his end. His soul would be hunted down, tortured forever—he shuddered at the thought. Goosebumps spread across his skin like wildfire.
"Thank goodness I’m a coward... ahem, I mean, a cautious individual," Hao Yu muttered under his breath. "I’ll never reveal this to anyone, not even the dearest of people."
Determined, he set his mind on the medicine garden. Who needed to become a formal disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect? Hao Yu was perfectly content with his current situation—seizing lifespan from the plants, improving his qualifications, and steadily advancing his cultivation.
Eventually, I’ll become invincible, he thought, dreaming of the future with sparkling eyes. When I’m at the peak, maybe I’ll reveal one-hundredth of my power. Hmm, wait... no, no, no! I almost let my heart demon take control just now. I can’t be that reckless. Hao Yu quickly corrected his thoughts. I'll only reveal one-billionth of my strength!
Lost in his whimsical fantasies, Hao Yu became completely absorbed in his daydreams, unable to pull himself out.
A few moments passed before the harsh reality struck him again. Sigh... he thought. Right now, I’m just a medicine boy. Becoming invincible is still a long, long way off. But… one day, I’ll get there.
He took the basket filled with spiritual plants and walked toward the pavilion where the master of the herb garden resided. Cheng Lao, an elder in his 70s, was tasked with overseeing the garden and managing the spiritual plants.
As Hao Yu approached the pavilion, he noticed Cheng Lao sitting at the table, engrossed in his reading. The old man’s white hair and long beard gave him an air of wisdom, yet something about the way he was hunched over the book struck Hao Yu as odd.
Curiosity piqued, Hao Yu glanced at the title on the book Cheng Lao was holding. His eyes widened in disbelief.
“The Forbidden Arts of the Heart...”
The title was enough to make Hao Yu choke on his own breath. For a moment, his mind reeled, and he quickly looked away, feeling an awkward flush creep up his neck.
What kind of book is that for someone his age? Hao Yu thought, his eyebrows twitching. I thought this guy was supposed to be all about cultivation, not... whatever that is.
Trying to regain his composure, Hao Yu stepped into the pavilion, doing his best to act casual. He wasn’t about to make a big deal of it, but the image of Cheng Lao reading such a book would probably linger in his mind for a while.
Cheng Lao, unaware of the younger man's awkward glance, simply put the book aside as Hao Yu entered. "Put the basket down," he said, his voice as gruff as ever. "A basic cultivation manual will be given to you. In your spare time, you should read it and train hard. Only by becoming a formal disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect will your cultivation journey truly begin."
Cheng Lao waved his hand, and a book floated off the shelf and into Hao Yu’s hands. Hao Yu glanced at the cover, his mind still half-expecting another title that would make him question everything he knew about this so-called “respectable elder.”
But alas, there was no shock this time. Instead, he felt a pang of disappointment.
"Ahem," Hao Yu cleared his throat, inwardly justifying himself. "Not that I’m interested in those kinds of books or anything… it’s for research purposes! Research, I swear!"
The title of the book was Basic Spirit Gathering Sutra.
"Well, this is underwhelming," Hao Yu thought, his lips twitching into a wry smile. "The most basic of basic techniques. It couldn’t get more beginner-friendly than this."
But despite his initial reaction, he quickly shrugged off the disappointment. Basic? So what? In his hands, even the most elementary techniques could become extraordinary. After all, he had the system and its lifespan-seizing function.
Cheng Lao, who was still pretending to be dignified after his earlier "reading session," gave him a few more instructions. “Go back to your courtyard and focus on your cultivation,” the old man said with a wave of his hand. “I need to stay here and… comprehend a secret technique.”
Hao Yu’s eyebrows twitched at those words. He bowed respectfully and left, but his thoughts were anything but respectful.
"Comprehend a secret technique? Really? At your age, you’re calling that comprehending? Just admit you’re going to bury yourself in more of those… books! Have you no shame, old man? Shameless! Utterly shameless! Thank heavens I’m not like that."
Still shaking his head in mock pity, Hao Yu made his way to his courtyard, which was reserved for medicine boys like him. At the moment, he was its sole occupant.
.....
Night eventually fell. Hao Yu sat cross-legged on his bed in a meditative posture, the moonlight casting faint shadows across his modest room.
He rubbed his hands together with glee, looking at the 300 years of lifespan displayed in his status screen.
"Alright, time to invest!" he declared, his eyes sparkling with ambition. "System, invest 100 years of lifespan into my spiritual roots!"
His mind buzzed with excitement.
"Will it be four-element spiritual roots? Three-element? Maybe I’ll skip ahead and get dual-element spiritual roots right away!"
The system didn’t leave him hanging for long. Prompts appeared before his eyes.
[You’ve invested 10 years of lifespan into evolution of spiritual roots. Your five element (Trash) spiritual roots' sensitivity has increased slightly but have failed to transform into four element spiritual roots. ]
[You’ve invested a total of 100 years of lifespan into evolution of spiritual roots. Your five element (Trash) spiritual roots' has increased sensitivity slightly and have failed to transform into four element spiritual roots. Please invest more.]
Hao Yu froze. His hopeful grin turned into a blank stare, and then into a twitching scowl.
"What… WHAT?!" he whispered harshly, clenching his fists. "Increased sensitivity? Failed transformation? Are you kidding me? 100 years for this?! What kind of black-hearted scam is this?! System, you robber! You swindler! Black-hearted leech!"
If it hadn’t been nighttime, Hao Yu would have screamed his curses to the system. Instead, he seethed silently, glaring at the prompts like they owed him an apology.