Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1 World 3
Ganzhou, Liang Kingdom.
The Martial World of Ganzhou was recently rocked by a significant development just after the New Year festivities concluded.
In Nanyang City, the renowned Grandmaster Zhao made a sudden announcement regarding his retirement, transferring control of the entire clan to Zhao Mingcheng, his first grandson.
As this intelligence circulated rapidly, a clandestine rumor began to take root. It suggested that despite his status as an Innate Grandmaster, Zhao’s humble origins as a tenant farmer and his reckless pursuit of Cultivation had backfired. The rumor claimed he had severely compromised his foundations, capping his life expectancy at eighty years—a limit he had now reached.
Consequently, many believed that Grandmaster Zhao’s "retirement" was merely a cover for his actual death.
While the Zhao family fought desperately to discredit these claims, their efforts seemed futile as the Grandmaster failed to make a single public appearance. This absence only served to convince outsiders that the whispers were true, making the family's frantic denials appear rather pathetic.
...
Name: Zhao Sheng
Life Span: 79/79
Constitution: Strong Bones (Mediocre)
Talent: Dynamic Vision (Mortal Level)
Skill: Floating Light Sword Skill (Refined), Wind Chasing Arrow Technique (Divine Transformation), Emerald Tide Technique (Great Success), Cloud Dragon Three Changes (Refined)
"Second life has concluded, calculating results...
"Calculation finished, final rating: C+."
"Rating Reward: Select one attribute to inherit from Constitution, Skill, or Talent. Please make your choice?"
Hmm, I choose to inherit the Talent "Dynamic Vision."
Talent has been inherited.
"Congratulations on completing two life achievements: First, Innate Grandmaster; Second, Blessed with Many Sons (10/10)"
"Achievement Reward: Two random rewards have been granted. You may draw from Constitution, Skill, or Talent, or choose to upgrade your Talent level. Please select?"
Select Constitution, and draw twice in a row.
"Drawing... Congratulations, you have obtained the Mortal Level Constitution 'Longevity Body'. Congratulations, you have obtained the Mortal Level Constitution 'Light as a Feather'."
...
Within the private quarters of the Zhao Mansion,
Zhao Sheng bolted upright in his bed. A flood of memories and data surged through his consciousness, causing him to let out a slow, heavy sigh as his face clouded with melancholy.
His second life had yielded a better final score than his first. Not only was it two grades higher than the initial "C Lower," but he had also unlocked two distinct achievements. However, he felt a sting of disappointment; he still hadn't managed to acquire a Spirit Root.
"When I count them all, this is now my third incarnation in this realm..." Zhao Sheng muttered. He looked around the room, noting the high-quality furniture and refined decor.
It appeared his current family was doing well, avoiding the poverty he had endured during his second start.
Two centuries ago, Zhao Sheng first arrived in this world as a member of a common household. Upon reaching adulthood, he utilized the wisdom of his previous life to build a business empire, rising to become the wealthiest individual in his city within fifteen years.
He spent the rest of that life basking in luxury, surrounded by many wives, concubines, and a massive brood of descendants.
However, at eighty, he contracted a terminal illness. It was only on his deathbed that a physician mentioned the existence of Cultivators, leaving Zhao Sheng consumed by regret for what he had missed.
By then, time had run out. After clinging to life for one final day, he passed away.
To his amazement, death revealed the existence of the "Hundred Lifetimes Book," a treasure that permitted him to reincarnate into his own descendants. So long as his bloodline persisted, his soul would endure.
Filled with new hope, Zhao Sheng entered his second life after selecting "Dynamic Vision" as his starting talent.
When he woke up that second time, he was the son of a poor farmer.
He eventually discovered that a century had passed since his first death.
Five years after his original passing, bandits had wiped out the Zhao family. Only one son, who was away for studies, had survived the slaughter.
In the generations following that tragedy, the family had steadily declined until his father was reduced to a mere tenant.
Zhao Sheng remained undeterred. He was determined to restore the family's glory while also mastering martial arts to seek the path of Cultivation and eternal life.
A decade later, he had rebuilt the family's wealth. Guided by his "Dynamic Vision," his martial prowess flourished, turning him into a formidable second-rate martial artist.
Still, during those ten years, he found no clues regarding the location of any Cultivators.
After much thought, he made the difficult choice to leave his family and wealth behind to travel the world in search of answers.
That journey lasted twenty years.
By age fifty-five, using rare medicinal pills and grueling effort, he finally broke through to the Innate Realm, becoming the most powerful Grandmaster in Ganzhou.
This elevated status finally granted him access to the circles of actual Cultivators.
Six months into his new social standing, a Cultivator informed him that the path of Cultivation was closed to those without a Spirit Root.
Zhao Sheng lacked this vital trait, and in the common world, it was found in less than one out of ten thousand people.
However, he learned a crucial secret: the children of Cultivators were far more likely to inherit a Spirit Root.
Returning to Nanyang City half a year later, he began arranging marriages for his offspring, specifically targeting families within the Cultivation World.
This proved to be an immense challenge.
The Cultivation World was an insular, xenophobic society. To maintain their bloodlines, Cultivators strictly married their own kind. For a mortal family to propose a union with a Cultivation Sect or family was considered an absurdity.
Zhao Sheng sacrificed nearly everything, including the bulk of his wealth and his own freedom through a twenty-year service contract. Only then did the Chen Family—a Cultivation clan—agree to marry a distant female relative to his grandson, Zhao Mingcheng.
"The path to immortality is grueling, more difficult than climbing to the stars… I barely caught a glimpse of it in my last life after so much struggle. Will I finally reach it in this one?"
Thinking of his past hardships, Zhao Sheng gave a soft sigh. He was grateful for the "Hundred Lifetimes Book." If one life wasn't enough to reach the Dao, he would simply try again in the next.
With that resolution, he focused his mind on the glowing jade book hidden within his soul.
The cover bore the title "Hundred Lifetimes." As it flipped open, ninety-seven pages remained empty, while the first three were now inscribed with text.
He ignored the familiar first two pages and looked at the third.
Name: Zhao Zhiqin (Zhao Sheng)
Life Span: 15/120
Constitution: Longevity Body (Mortal Level), Light as a Feather (Mortal Level)
Talent: Dynamic Vision (Mortal Level)
Skill: Floating Light Sword Skill (skilled), Cloud Dragon Three Changes (beginner), Emerald Tide Technique (beginner)
...
"The 'Zhi' generation?" Zhao Sheng whispered, his mind beginning to race.
In his first life, he had established a specific naming order for his descendants: Feng Xian Ming Ren, Quanzhen Du Taihe, The Classic of Sincerity and Jade Declaration, Zhongzheng Chang Jinke, Essence of the Mystic Path, Gao Hongding Daluo, Moral Performance, and Immortal Cultivation is Valuable for Longevity.
The "Zhi" generation represented the eleventh generation of his bloodline.
Sifting through the memories of his new host, Zhao Sheng realized that another one hundred and sixty years had ticked by.
This time, the family had thrived, expanding into a massive clan of over a thousand members. Their influence stretched across all of Ganzhou, where they were respected as a powerful martial arts family capable of navigating both the legal and underworld spheres.
In this life, Zhao Sheng’s social standing was respectable. Even though he was an orphan, he was a direct descendant of the Zhao family's third branch.