"Sigh… am I fated to fail?"
An exhausted voice echoed toward the heavens. His eyes, once sharp and unyielding, now glimmered with profound wisdom — and quiet despair.
His youth had long slipped away. Deep wrinkles carved his weathered face, and strands of white hair swayed in the cold mountain wind. Though his mind was weary, his body still carried the strength worthy of a cultivator.
A single wave of his hand could shatter mountains.
His aura alone could crush mortals like ants.
Yet the once-glorious power that made the heavens tremble was now fading — like a dying sun sinking beyond the horizon.
He had reached the peak of the Core Formation Realm, only a single step away from the Nascent Soul Realm — the highest realm attainable in this domain. Once, people had mocked him, claiming he would never even reach the Foundation Stage.
Now, those same people were long gone, and he stood as a powerhouse who could live for more than 400 years.
But three failed breakthroughs had carved away his lifespan each time.
Now, barely ten years remained.
"How the mighty have fallen…" he murmured with a bitter smile.
His Qi dispersed like smoke in the wind. His eyelids grew heavy, and the world blurred as death quietly approached.
Then images flashed before his eyes.
Dreams he had seen since at age of 10 years old.
He never understood their meaning, nor could his Master, a man who stood at the Eighth Rank of the Nascent Soul Realm. In the end, even his Master had given up.
But now, those visions… or perhaps memories, played within his mind like a moving picture.
"I see…"
His trembling lips formed a faint smile as tears slid down his cheeks. Memories and emotions surged through his soul like a hurricane. Then darkness came in
---
When his eyes opened again, nearly a day had passed.
"So that's how it is…"
A mad laugh burst from his lips. "I reincarnated into this world… but I lost my previous life's memories when I was five after my parents died."
Truly, fate loved its cruel jokes.
"It feels… as if a mountain has been lifted off my shoulders," he whispered.
His weary mind, once corroded by hopelessness, felt alive again. His heart, which had already surrendered to death, now burned with vigor.
"I had a cheat system all along… and I completely forgot about it."
His old voice trembled between laughter and ridicule.
Like many who met their end in bizarre ways, he had encountered a god-like being who called himself The Balancer.In his previous life, he had died at twenty-four… struck by a truck.
The Balancer offered him a second life and a "cheat" of his choosing, before sending him into a cultivation world. But he was not a big of cultivation world but didn't have that much choices.
"Sigh… I should've chosen a better cheat."
At that time, he had just spent his first night with his girlfriend.
On his way home, death came swiftly. After tasting the worldly pleasure of lust, his mind clouded and he made the worst possible choice.
"Sex!"
"No wonder my life turned out like this…"
His chosen cheat was called [Sex Lifespan] as long as he released inside a beautiful woman, his lifespan would increase by one year.
It had seemed brilliant at the time survival above all else. Survivor s were the strongest.
But now, 60 years later, the absurdity of it all made him laugh until his sides hurt.
"I was wrong… I forgot my own stupidity because I became strong! Hahahaha! Life truly knows how to humble a man!"
He had only married once out of obligation and devoted the rest of his life to cultivation. Two sons from two different women, one official wife the daughter of one of the Eight Great Clans of Azure City.
Now, he served as an Elder of the Outer Sect in the Azure Flying Sect, one of the greatest powers in the entire province.
A single province here was as vast as Earth, home to nearly ten billion people. Among countless sects, Azure Flying Sect was the top dog, among the strongest sects. Like many other top sects, only selecting only ten thousand disciples every four years from over ten million candidates. It valued quality above all else.
The Outer Sect was divided into Eight Wings, and he was the Elder of the Crimson Wing. Each Wing housed twelve Elders and one Head Elder. Though his position came partly from his wife's influence, his authority remained considerable.
"Time to welcome the new disciples," he said with a faint smile.He was saved from misery called hopeless.
"I miss my wife," he murmured softly.
She was fifty, yet looked no older than thirty because of her expensive skin maintenance techniques
He also lived with the mother of his other son.
Though the two women had once despised each other, years had mellowed their hearts. Now, the three lived together peacefully.
"Life is good… life is the best," he hummed, swaying his hips as he descended the mountain an old monster reborn, humming a tune from previous world.