Immortality begins with exchanging talent attributes.

The Great Yan Dynasty, Qingzhou County, the county jail.

The death row ward was dark and damp, with a perpetual smell of excrement in the air. Faint groans and howls occasionally drifted from the depths of the tunnels, making the already gloomy cells even more oppressive.

A young jailer, holding a short stick, stood at the junction of the death row passage, head bowed in thought.

The boy's name was Zhou Yan. He was pale and thin, and wore a large prison uniform that almost completely covered him.

Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at his hands, completely ignoring any external distractions.

In his eyes, a panel floated clearly above his hand.

[Talent Attribute: Innate Defective Vein (Gray)]

[A once-in-a-millennium waste constitution. Your meridians are like clogged sewers, reducing your cultivation speed by 99%. The good news is, you've perfectly avoided the risk of qi deviation—because there's simply no qi deviation to occur.]

Age: 16

[Remaining lifespan: 4 years]

[Saving lifespan can exchange for certain attributes.]

"So, this is my cheat code? Swapping entries..."

Zhou Yan murmured softly.

This was his second day in this world.

He swears he really didn't do anything; he just took a nap and inexplicably replaced the current boy.

"well……"

He sighed silently, and in a moment of slight distraction, the panel in front of him vanished.

Having inherited all of the original owner's memories, Zhou Yan has some understanding of the world he has transmigrated to.

  

The good news is that this world is one where martial arts are extraordinary.

Whether it's the memory of my deceased father, his daily physical training, or the black-clad officials I saw scurrying about on the roof yesterday, all of these can prove this point.

The bad news is that I can't practice martial arts, and the reason is obvious.

Of course, it's not to say that you can't survive in this world if you can't practice martial arts.

After all, there are countless ordinary people who don't know martial arts.

However, people like him who work in government offices have almost all signed indentures, and have no right to choose their own way of life.

Three months ago, after Zhou's father passed away from a serious illness, Zhou Yanzi took over his father's job and became this temporary jailer.

While enjoying the government's bounty, one must also abide by the rules of the government office.

He was required to master the Body Tempering Technique within three months, or he would be sent to the Corpse Dragging Cave to move corpses.

As for the Corpse-Dragging Cave, what kind of place is that?

Zhou Yan knew nothing else, but he knew that the jailers who worked there had never come out again.

Today, there are two days left until the assessment deadline.

……

Zhou Yan lowered his hand, which had been held up in front of his eyes like a stalk of hemp, and raised his head slightly, looking at the torches on the wall.

"What a disastrous start!"

He knew very well that if he wanted to survive, he had to learn martial arts.

If he wants to learn martial arts, then his cheat code is his only hope at the moment.

"Judging from the information on the panel, besides knowing that I'm a short-lived piece of trash, I can also exchange my lifespan for attributes, but..."

A shout interrupted his thoughts.

"Zhou Yan, it's time for patrol. Xiao Liu and I aren't feeling well today, so you can go by yourself."

Zhou Yan turned his head and saw two prison guards dressed in temporary prison uniforms walking out of the back passage side by side.

The person speaking was one of the prison guards with a pockmarked face.

After Ma Lian finished speaking, he winked at Xiao Liuzi, the tall, thin guy next to him.

"Yes, yes, and you haven't even mastered the Body Tempering Technique yet. You might be transferred in a couple of days. Why don't you get closer to those prisoners?"

After Xiao Liu finished speaking, he exchanged a glance with the pockmarked man and then smiled sinisterly.

Zhou Yan gazed calmly at the two of them, and two beams of white light appeared above their heads.

Short and concise (white)

The target state is stable; exchanging this entry requires a lifespan of 72 years.

[Has some strength (white)]

The target state is stable; exchanging this entry requires a lifespan of 63 years.

Yes, that's why Zhou Yan hesitated to exchange entries with others, even though he knew he could.

He only has four years to live, what can he trade for that?

Even if it has such a long lifespan, are we going to exchange more than 70 years for a "short and compact" one?

However, this is somewhat better. The official in black robes with green attributes that he saw yesterday had been in office for over two hundred years.

"Damn it, can't you offer me a loan service?"

He thought to himself, but said expressionlessly:

"Okay, I'll go myself."

"Don't be ungrateful, you... huh?"

The pockmarked man paused, and the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.

He and Xiao Liuzi exchanged another glance, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes. This kid actually agreed so readily, it shouldn't be like this.

Zhou Yan ignored the two and, carrying his short stick, entered the passageway.

Having lived two lives, he was no longer the impetuous young man he once was, and the two men's slight provocations seemed utterly ridiculous to him.

The reason I agreed was simply to go to death row and see if there were any "cheaper" entries available.

Moreover, it's more convenient to act when you're alone.

After all, the most important thing right now is to practice martial arts; everything else is secondary.

……

Zhou Yan, holding a torch in one hand and a short stick in the other, slowly paced around the prison area.

The patrols in the death row area are different from those in other areas. In reality, the patrols are just to check if any prisoners have died in the cells.

Because the prisoners who are held here have all been subjected to severe torture, and some of them will not be able to hold on, especially at night.

If someone is found dead, they are bundled up with straw mats and thrown directly into the corpse-dragging hole.

This is why the death row is full of temporary guards like him, because the work is too tiring and dirty.

As you walk through the cells, all you see is a lifeless, gray atmosphere.

[Qi and Blood Depleted (Gray), a grayed-out entry that cannot be exchanged.]

[Exhausted and burnt out (gray), gray entry, cannot be exchanged.]

He actually came here yesterday, and just like now, all the entries were grayed out, making it impossible to exchange anything.

Even if we could exchange them, what would be the point?

Do you think you're not dying fast enough?

I just heard that a new batch of prisoners was brought in today, so I thought I'd try my luck.

But most of the cells were exactly the same as yesterday, all gray.

Zhou Yan sighed, then gritted his teeth and looked up into the deepest part of the room.

The innermost cells are solitary confinement cells for serious offenders.

Temporary prison guards are not authorized to conduct inspections.

However, based on the original owner's memories and yesterday's experience, the night shift leader usually doesn't come to the death row, and today he was patrolling alone.

Go check it yourself, it should be fine.

Having made up his mind, Zhou Yan stepped inside.

The bluestone slabs beneath his feet emanated a chilling aura that traveled up his calves, causing Zhou Yan to shiver involuntarily.

"His health is really too poor."

He breathed on his hands and slowly walked to the outside of the bars of the deepest cell.

Zhou Yan pushed the torch in his hand forward a little.

A bloody scene suddenly came into view, making him feel nauseous.

There, a figure with disheveled hair lay motionless on the ground.

Two thick iron chains passed through his shoulders and were locked to iron rings on the ground, one on the left and one on the right.

Large patches of dark blood spread across the ground from the wound, and the strangely bent limbs and motionless body all indicated the severity of the injuries the person had sustained.

Even though the other party looked like he was on the verge of death, you could still tell that he was originally a very strong man.

The arm that hung limply, slightly bronze in the firelight, was so thick it was almost as thick as Zhou Yan's thigh; it wasn't hard to imagine how formidable this man had been before.

"This... should be a martial artist, right?"

Zhou Yan swallowed hard, suppressing the discomfort in his stomach, and focused intently on the sight.

A dazzling green slowly appeared in his field of vision.

"Green entries, sigh~".

Zhou Yan sighed softly and prepared to turn back the way he came.

It's not that green entries are bad, but rather that they're too good—so good that the "cost" of hundreds of years makes him, who has no savings, not even want to look at them.

But the moment he turned his head, his body froze, a surge of heat rushed into his chest, making his weak heart pound violently.

He turned around abruptly and stared intently at the prisoner once more.

A dazzling green suddenly appeared.

【Copper Skin and Iron Bones (Green)】

[Target is near death; terms can be exchanged.]

……