Chapter 135: Borrowing Another Lifetime of Longevity

Li Shun did not rush to borrow lifespan from the heavens.

Instead, he waited another day, adjusting both his body and mind until they had reached their absolute peak.

In the early hours of the seventh day of the third month, Li Shun once again slowly circulated the lifespan-borrowing art of the Cycle of Twelvefold Longevity Methods.

His consciousness seemed to leave his body, drifting upward until it reached the Ninth Heaven.

Once more, his will connected with the heavens, allowing him to behold the all-pervading Life Qi, the supreme force that filled heaven and earth and governed the life and death of all living beings.

'Last time, I borrowed a full two hundred years of lifespan.'

'Although the amount borrowed through this secret art is destined to decrease with each use, no matter what, I should still be able to borrow over a hundred years this time.'

Filled with anticipation, Li Shun directed his thoughts toward the boundless heavenly will, once again forging a connection with that supreme consciousness.

Only after a long while did a faint stream of azure qi descend from the Ninth Heaven and merge into the crown of his head, signaling the end of this borrowing.

Yet after carefully sensing the changes within his body, Li Shun's expression abruptly changed.

'What? Only fifty years?'

The gap between expectation and reality was simply too great. For a moment, Li Shun found it impossible to accept.

However, as he quickly recalled every detail of his previous borrowing, he gradually calmed down.

'The reason I managed to borrow two hundred years the first time wasn't merely because I repeatedly accumulated experience through Threefold Self-Reflection.'

'The more important reason was...'

'Through the rewinding power of Threefold Self-Reflection, I constantly alternated between the state of an aged, declining body and that of youthful vigor.'

'Regaining my youth in an instant, only to lose it again just as suddenly. That overwhelming contrast ignited an almost insane obsession with immortality deep within my heart.'

'But now...'

A faint realization dawned on Li Shun.

He was currently in the prime of his youth and still possessed more than two hundred years of remaining lifespan.

For the foreseeable future, he had no need to fear dying of old age.

Without imminent danger, that desperate longing for immortality had naturally faded.

When borrowing lifespan from the heavens, everything depended upon the conviction of one's own heart.

One might deceive the heavens.

But one could never deceive one's own heart.

That was why the result of this second borrowing had been so disappointing.

After pondering for a long time, Li Shun finally made up his mind.

'I'll set the matter of borrowing lifespan aside for now.'

'As long as I do it before breaking through to the Spirit Resonance realm, there won't be any problem.'

'In the meantime, I can personally experience several more states beyond the Mortal Physique realm.'

'The only issue is...'

'My lifespan is simply too long. I can't possibly spend all of it remaining stuck in the Primal Simplicity realm.'

Li Shun slowly shook his head before turning his gaze toward the phantom belonging to Shentu Xin, heir of the Jun Clan, within the Fangcun space.

'Perhaps... there is another way.'

'If I can make use of the Jun Clan's secret technique to burn away all of my remaining Life Qi in a single day, forcibly driving my body into the brink of death through extreme old age, then activate Threefold Self-Reflection afterward...'

'Ordinary lifespan-burning techniques are nowhere near as efficient as the Jun Clan's secret arts. If I can't burn through these two hundred-plus years within a single day, then all that lifespan would simply be wasted.'

'The problem is that the Jun Clan has always been elusive, appearing and disappearing like divine dragons. Besides, the cultivation methods of the Hundred Schools are inherently exclusive and often conflict with one another...'

Li Shun rubbed his temples. His thoughts had become an inextricable knot, so he simply set the matter aside for the time being.

He immediately activated Threefold Self-Reflection, returning to the beginning of the day.

The following days passed peacefully once more.

During the day, Li Shun cultivated and attended to governmental affairs. In his spare time, he wandered among the mountains and rivers, thoroughly enjoying his tranquil life.

Until the twentieth day of the third month.

That was when trouble finally came knocking.

"Brother, this is bad!"

Li Qing burst into the inner hall like a gust of wind.

"They're trying to smash the memorial inscription you wrote on the summit of Three Elders Peak!"

"Hm?"

Li Shun's eyes narrowed.

"They're saying they want to destroy it, but they haven't actually done it yet. That fellow is unbelievably arrogant. He claims your memorial essay is complete nonsense. Before destroying the stone wall, he wants to publicly debate you in front of everyone, prove who's right and who's wrong, and then tear it down openly and righteously. Right now, he's waiting for you at the summit of Three Elders Peak!"

"I don't know how, but the news spread incredibly fast. Nearly half the people in the county have already gone there to watch the spectacle!"

Li Qing quickly explained everything.

Li Shun's expression gradually turned cold.

"It seems certain people have finally lost their patience and decided to show themselves."

"Come."

"Let's go meet him."

While making their way toward Three Elders Peak, Li Shun learned the provocateur's background from Li Qing.

No one knew which school he belonged to. His cultivation was not particularly high, only at the lower tier of the Spirit Resonance realm.

However, he possessed an extraordinary charisma. His eloquence was remarkable, and he excelled at swaying people's hearts. With only a few words, he could easily win over everyone around him.

Before long, Li Shun arrived at the summit.

Looking up, he saw a sea of people.

At the center sat a white-robed scholar cross-legged upon the ground, speaking eloquently to the gathered crowd.

As though he had anticipated Li Shun's arrival, the moment he caught sight of him, the scholar burst into hearty laughter.

"So County Magistrate Li has arrived."

"Excellent. Then let us see whether what I have to say makes sense."

"Allow me to introduce myself."

"My name is Cheng Rang."

Without rising, Cheng Rang pointed toward the inscription carved into the cliff overhead and declared in a clear voice, "County Magistrate Li, throughout your memorial essay, you insist that all of Shangyu's prosperity today is entirely the gift of the Three Elders."

"I believe that is utterly mistaken."

"First."

"The people of Shangyu did not begin with the arrival of the Three Elders."

"Before the Three Elders ever came, although the wilderness of Nanxu was plagued by savage beasts and poisonous miasma, our ancestors had already braved wind and rain to build their homes here."

"They struggled against heaven itself and fought fierce beasts to survive."

"This land already had human life."

"It was not because the Three Elders descended that mankind first drew breath here."

"Yet your memorial declares, 'Only then did the hundred races gather, and only then did Shangyu's people come into being.'"

"That is nothing less than erasing the flesh and blood of our ancestors spanning thousands of years."

"What an outrageous distortion!"

Cheng Rang's very first argument caused Li Shun's expression to darken slightly.

A loud buzz immediately spread through the surrounding crowd as the spectators whispered among themselves.

Judging from their expressions, many had already been convinced by Cheng Rang's words.

After all, the passing of the Three Elders had occurred far too long ago.

Unlike Li Shun, none of them had personally witnessed the hardships of that ancient era through the remains left behind by the Three Elders.

Among the common people, those who truly worshipped the Three Elders were few.

But everyone revered their own ancestors.

Before Li Shun even had the chance to respond, Cheng Rang launched his next attack like bolts from a repeating crossbow.

"Second."

"Opening the land and channeling the rivers was neither the work of a single day, nor the accomplishment of merely three or five individuals."

"The fertile plains and intricate waterways of Shangyu today rely upon favorable weather above, advantageous terrain below, and, between the two, the hoes and plows of countless generations."

"Moreover, officials of the Water Administration throughout the ages, along with men such as Qian Yuan, spent year after year dredging rivers and maintaining waterways."

"Only through those tireless efforts was today's prosperity achieved."

"Yet County Magistrate Li attributes the sweat and blood of countless people over thousands of years entirely to the Three Elders."

"You treat the common people as ants."

"You claim the works of heaven itself as the private achievement of a handful of men."

"What a shallow and laughable view."

Cheng Rang's eyes were as sharp as blades as they fixed themselves upon Li Shun, every word carrying an edge capable of cutting steel.

"You..."

A flash of anger crossed Li Qing's face.

Just as he was about to step forward, Li Shun raised a hand and stopped him.

Curiously, Li Shun's desire to argue had instead grown weaker.

He simply looked quietly at Cheng Rang, waiting for him to finish.

As expected, Cheng Rang smiled faintly before revealing his final and deadliest strike.

"Third."

"The gathering of people into cities, the establishment of counties, and the appointment of officials are all inevitable trends beneath heaven."

"They are not things any single person can prevent."

"Nor are they things any single person can accomplish."

"Even without the Three Elders, the people of Shangyu would still have multiplied generation after generation."

"As the years passed, forests would naturally recede, plains would gradually expand, and once the population reached sufficient numbers, the imperial court would inevitably establish a county here according to circumstance."

"This is the direction of the people's hearts."

"It is the unavoidable course of governing the realm."

"You claim that without the Three Elders, there would be no Shangyu as it exists today."

"As for the imperial court..."

Cheng Rang slightly cupped his hands toward the empty sky.

"...where, then, have you placed it?"

His voice was cold and imposing as he posed the question.