Late October, in the twenty-third year of Tianwu.
The Great Liang Imperial Palace.
"No! Boss, please don't fire me! I still have a mortgage to pay…"
A youth sleeping soundly on his back, an ancient book covering his face, suddenly trembled and woke from a nightmare.
The ancient book slid off, revealing his handsome face.
He was sixteen or seventeen, with long, black hair cascading over his shoulders. His eyes were like stars, his skin as fair as jade. He wore the plain, black Eunuch's Attire, marking him as the lowest of the low. Yet, his back was ramrod straight, and he possessed an air that could not be easily dismissed.
Su Chen fell silent, gazing at the massive Library Pavilion before him. Its first floor alone covered over a thousand square meters. He remained speechless for a long time.
'What the hell…'
'I worked myself to death with overtime in my past life only to transmigrate here, and that damn boss still dares to haunt my dreams. If I could ever go back, I swear I'd knock his teeth out.'
Su Chen took a sip of tea, muttering curses under his breath as he calmed his nerves.
He was a transmigrator. Three months ago, he had simply closed his eyes and opened them to see an old eunuch advancing on him, a knife in hand and a savage grin on his face.
He was terrified.
But, as luck would have it, an upheaval rocked the Imperial City just then. Assassins infiltrated the palace, and in the ensuing chaos, he managed to avoid castration, thus preserving his male dignity.
To avoid being discovered as a fake eunuch, he intentionally misbehaved and got himself exiled to this place—the Library Pavilion, a veritable Cold Palace for eunuchs that not even rats would bother to visit.
The dynasty was called Great Liang. Founded over three hundred years ago, it was now in the final, turbulent years of its reign.
The Emperor was cruel and hedonistic. Natural disasters and man-made calamities were constant, Demon Ghosts plagued the lands, and countless commoners rose up in rebellion. However, this world had cultivators, individuals whose immense power could suppress any organized force. The three hundred years of cultivation heritage accumulated by the Royal Race was the only thing barely keeping the dynasty afloat.
Peasant uprisings were repeatedly suppressed, only to rise again. The great Noble Families, still fearing imperial might, dared not act rashly, hesitant to initiate the final chapter of the world's descent into chaos.
However, in the shadows, many powerful cultivation factions—be they Secret Sects or Hidden Sects—plotted to overthrow the dynasty. The original owner of this body had been nothing more than a disposable pawn planted inside the Imperial Palace.
But none of this had anything to do with Su Chen.
In this second life, he would live only for himself. All men eventually die, but he sought only Longevity.
The goal of Longevity was a distant one. For now, he just wanted to lie low in the Library Pavilion, waiting for his Seed of Longevity to transform, sprout roots, and bear fruit.
'Just when will it finally sprout and bear fruit?'
Su Chen closed his eyes, and his vision went black. But within that darkness floated a seed of light, faint as a firefly's glow, yet as majestic as the blazing Great Sun.
It was a seed.
It had appeared in his consciousness on the very first day he transmigrated, making him fully aware of its heaven-defying power.
This was a Seed of Longevity.
As time passed, it would take root within Su Chen's consciousness, sprouting branches and leaves before finally blossoming and bearing fruit.
Each stage of its growth would in turn nourish Su Chen, bestowing upon him profound benefits.
Su Chen didn't have to do a thing; he just needed to wait patiently for the Seed of Longevity to take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit.
From the moment the Seed of Longevity arrived, he had already become a special existence, one who had broken the shackles of mortality to become ageless and undying.
Of course, being ageless simply meant he would not die of old age. He wasn't invincible; if someone killed him, he would still die.
Therefore, after obtaining the Seed of Longevity, Su Chen resolved to live a secluded life, be kind to others, and minimize any chance of being killed.
Longevity was his chosen path, and he would practice cultivation techniques to protect it. Unfortunately, his aptitude for cultivation was pathetically weak.
'Sigh, I still haven't even gotten started.'
'Who was it that told me even an idiot could produce the first wisp of True Qi with this *Barbarian Bull True Qi* technique, just by patiently meditating?'
He had been cultivating for three months, and Su Chen felt utterly humiliated. He angrily flung the *Barbarian Bull True Qi* manual to the ground.
There are two types of cultivation techniques in the world.
One cultivates the body, and the other gathers Qi. These correspond to Horizontal External Cultivation and Internal Cultivation Methods. The ranks are generally from Fifth Grade to First Grade, followed by the two Grandmaster Realms: Acquired and Innate.
First Grade is the highest and Fifth Grade the lowest, while Grandmasters exist only in legends.
He couldn't even reach Fifth Grade.
"Well, well, let's see which little cultivation rookie is taking his frustrations out on a book? This is already one of the finest cultivation techniques from the Inner Palace Martial Arts Bureau."
A slender hand picked up the *Barbarian Bull True Qi* manual.
Soon, a tall and handsome young Green-robed Eunuch with deep eyes walked in. He smiled warmly at Su Chen, a roasted chicken and a jug of aged wine dangling from his other hand.
It was Zhang Gui from the Martial Arts Bureau, a Peak Double Fifth Grade expert and a leading figure among the young eunuchs. He was also Su Chen's one and only friend.
"You're here?"
Su Chen immediately jogged over to greet him. Life in the Nine-Story Library, far from the heart of the Imperial Palace, was certainly quiet. But eating nothing but plain rice and steamed buns every day, without a single scrap of meat, was a trial that even an Immortal would find unbearable.
"This White Confucian Wine really hits the spot."
"You're a true friend."
Su Chen mumbled, his mouth full of roasted chicken and aged wine.
During the palace turmoil when assassins tried to kill the Emperor, Su Chen had found a gravely wounded Zhang Gui near the Imperial Study. He had carried him on his back from a pile of corpses.
From that day on, the two became good friends.
Zhang Gui's talent far surpassed his own. He had entered the palace three years ago and, due to his outstanding aptitude, was immediately adopted as a godson by a Peak Fourth Grade Steward of the Martial Arts Bureau.
Three years had passed, and he was now an expert at the Peak of Grade Five in both the Path of the Body and the Path of Qi.
The next step up, Fourth Grade, would make him a candidate for a Steward position in the Martial Arts Bureau—a role with significantly more power and status than an ordinary Steward Eunuch.
In fact, Su Chen had only managed to get his post at the Library Pavilion thanks to Zhang Gui pulling some strings. Otherwise, how could a low-ranking Black-robed Eunuch like him, even by intentionally making a mistake, have possibly gotten his wish to be sent here?
"Three months, and you really haven't felt a single shred of Qi."
"You... sigh. It seems you truly have no talent and no affinity for the Martial Dao. But no matter. Once I, Zhang Gui, make it big, you'll be able to do as you please in this inner palace. When I become the Purple-robed First Supervisor, you'll be my Red-robed Second Chief Supervisor!"
Zhang Gui clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes as deep as a dark pool, making no attempt to conceal his ambition.
Zhang Gui then sat beside Su Chen. Drinking bowl after bowl of White Confucian Wine, he recounted the major events that had recently shaken the inner palace.
The Emperor had recovered.
The Old Emperor, who had been gravely wounded in the assassination attempt and had hovered near death for three months, was finally healed. A Daoist adept had entered the palace and offered a Thousand-Year Treasure Medicine, leading to his full recovery today.
His first act was to unleash a bloodbath in the imperial court. The heads of countless Civil and Military Officials rolled, and their entire clans were exterminated.
Princes were deposed.
Even the First Purple-robed Chief Eunuch, who oversaw all Inner Palace defenses, was deposed. He was replaced by an unfamiliar old eunuch from the Tianwu Tower, one of the hidden pillars of power from the previous emperor's reign.
Panic gripped the Imperial Palace. With a Purple-robed Chief Eunuch deposed, the Red Robe Chief Stewards and Blue-robed Steward Eunuchs feared it was only a matter of time before they were affected.
"I'm about to break through to Double Fourth Grade. When I do, I should be able to snag a position as a Blue-robed Steward. Then, I'll get my own godson, and even when I'm not around, you'll still have someone to bring you White Confucian Wine and roasted chicken every day."
After saying this, Zhang Gui leaned in eagerly and couldn't help but add.
"Su, that soap you gave me works wonders! It immediately caught Noble Consort Zhang's attention, and I've already handled a couple of matters for her…"
As he spoke, Zhang Gui's breathing grew heavy, and he continued with some embarrassment.
"You mentioned before... that there's a Secret Medicine called Perfume. It can give the body a subtle, lingering fragrance, like blooming flowers, making one seem like a Fairy from the Immortal Palace, surrounded by butterflies..."
"Noble Consort Zhang is the Old Emperor's most favored consort. You understand what I mean, right?"
Seeing the ambition burning in Zhang Gui's eyes, Su Chen felt his friend was far too desperate to climb the ranks. He was bound to take a major fall sooner or later.
"You! It's like not getting ahead is a death sentence for you. Can't you just be carefree like me?" Su Chen suddenly felt the White Confucian Wine had lost its taste. He wiped his hands and gestured for a brush and ink.
"Right away!"
Zhang Gui's smile widened as he presented the paper and brush. He looked less like the proud rising star of the Martial Arts Bureau and more like a fawning lackey.
"Take a tea bowl and cover it with gauze. Soak flower petals in water for at least twelve double-hours, and then…"
Zhang Gui left, completely satisfied.
'It's the end of the tenth month.'
'Tomorrow is the eleventh month. Autumn is here.'
Su Chen walked to a window of the Library Pavilion and watched Zhang Gui depart. Looking out at the withered yellow leaves covering the ground and feeling the chill in the wind, he closed his eyes and visualized the Seed of Longevity.
This day marked the end of his third month since transmigrating.
At that very moment.
CRACK.
The Seed of Longevity inside his consciousness emitted a crisp cracking sound. Tiny rootlets began to extend from it. It had sprouted, forming the beginnings of a root system.
As the Seed of Longevity sprouted, its cracking shell nourished Su Chen's body, producing wisps of Qi.
Longevity Qi.
Now, he had reached Fifth Grade on the Path of Qi.