Volume One: Is He the Master?

Chapter 001: The Picture of Immortality

Northern County of the Liyuan Dynasty, Jiyuan City, Yundang Mountains.

The sky was as clear as if washed, birds chirped quietly.

Henry Clark held his breath, quietly lying in a mud pit behind a big tree, his whole body camouflaged, blending perfectly with the environment.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A giant wind wolf slowly walked over, soon arriving at his hiding spot, less than a meter away.

At this distance, as long as he burst forth with strength, he could easily stab the dagger in his hand into the wolf's neck and smoothly obtain precious meat and pelt.

But Henry Clark didn't move at all, as if he had stopped breathing.

After sniffing twice and finding nothing unusual, the wind wolf continued forward and soon disappeared.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Henry Clark wasn't in a hurry to get up. Instead, he shifted to a more comfortable position and continued lying there.

He waited another two hours. During that time, wild boars, elk, rabbits, and pheasants passed by, all very close, but he still didn't make a move.

This was a family hunt. The elders would drive the prey into a pre-arranged ambush in the canyon, letting the younger generation hunt them to temper their minds and courage. In theory, as long as you hid well, you could return fully loaded.

The more you killed, the more attention you received.

All the other siblings of his age were fighting desperately, not hesitating even to get injured. Only Henry Clark was different.

He wasn't hunting to kill, but to survive.

It wasn't that he had offended anyone, nor that he lacked strength, but because he discovered... his own lifespan was less than half a month.

Focusing his mind, a scroll appeared in his mind, with three large ancient characters at the top, exuding an archaic aura that stirred the soul—"The Picture of Immortality"!

This had appeared automatically in his mind after transmigrating.

With a thought, the scroll opened.

Henry Clark: Resident of the Xu Family Village, Jiyuan City, son of the village chief Thomas Clark.

Cultivation: Martial Artist, third level peak.

Lifespan: 16 years / 16 years. (8.5 days remaining).

Stealing Fate: None.

"It's being consumed a bit too fast!"

The first three are easy to understand, but the last one, "Stealing Fate," he still hasn't figured out.

That's right, he wasn't originally from this world, but was a corporate drone on Earth.

For the sake of a better life, he worked 996 for years, finally saving enough for a down payment and betrothal gift. Just as he was about to get married, he discovered that years of overwork and irregular living had already left him with a serious illness.

And then... less than a week later, he died!

He died, and the money went unspent.

Lying on his hospital bed, he thought for a long time: if he could do it all over again, he would live well, never abuse his body again. Compared to life, nothing else matters!

Heaven was not unkind and let him transmigrate to another world, but the person he replaced had less than half a month to live...

Not only that, perhaps because he was a transmigrator and his soul didn't belong to this world, or for some other reason, his lifespan wasn't fixed but fluctuated at any time. As long as he did anything unhealthy, it would sharply decrease...

Just like just now, lying in an uncomfortable position for too long, a line of text floated across "The Picture of Immortality" like a barrage—

Wrong posture, lifespan: -0.01, -0.01... (unit is days, same below)

Henry Clark was in tears.

Damn, could it be any more fragile?

Just because lying down was uncomfortable, it docked my life... have some shame!

So, even though only a bit more than three hours had passed, he lost a full two days of lifespan!

What a sin!

He hadn't even fought any beasts yet. If he really did, and got injured, wouldn't it be -1, -1 each time?

With 8.5 days of lifespan, if he made a move, he'd probably be dead on the spot...

Can't move, absolutely can't move!

Of course, if lifespan can decrease, it can also increase.

Plenty of sleep, quality food... all help.

But to achieve these, he had to wait until the hunt was over.

For the family, this was both training and a test. If he didn't participate... the clan leader, who was also his father Thomas Clark, would probably let him experience firsthand what "try and you'll die" means...

As the sun gradually set in the west, seeing that the time was about right, Henry Clark finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had finally made it through...

He cleaned the mud off his body and quickly ran down the mountain.

Intense exercise, lifespan: -0.01, -0.01...

Damn!

Henry Clark wanted to cry but had no tears, so he slowed his pace and adjusted his breathing.

Sure enough, his lifespan stopped decreasing.

A dozen minutes later, a boy about his age appeared in his sight, dragging the corpses of three wind wolves, moving slowly.

His cousin Edward Clark, son of the great elder.

Since childhood, he had always been his tagalong.