novelraw Chapter 1049: How could there be a path to immortality in this world?（57）
Chapter 1049: How could there be a path to immortality in this world?（57）
Chapter 1049: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (57)
The immense impact caused Jiang Zuo to fall to the ground in a very awkward position.
His body scraped up a layer of dirt from the ground.
Fortunately, thanks to the protection of Daoist Baijie’s bronze mirror, Jiang Zuo didn’t suffer a single scratch.
He quickly got back on his feet, scanning his surroundings with growing tension.
Although he wasn’t sure what had happened while he was unconscious, from what he had just seen, Jiang Zuo could guess part of it.
The President had sent him away so urgently—clearly, that purple-haired little girl was terrifying... Jiang Zuo wanted to go back to check on Daoist Baijie, but he also knew very well that he would only be a burden if he returned.
The only thing he could do was ensure his own survival—at the very least, not let the President’s efforts be in vain.
But what Jiang Zuo never expected was that, after cautiously moving some distance, he unexpectedly ran into Flameflow, the Vermilion Bird clan demon who had previously tried to mutilate his master’s corpse.
The encounter made Jiang Zuo’s heart tremble in fear.What shocked him even more was that he saw with his own eyes this crazy Vermilion Bird demon actually start devouring the corpses of his own kind... and even the corpses of other demons and cultivators!
Flameflow exuded a terrifying, violent aura—like a ticking time bomb.
Jiang Zuo carefully hid himself, afraid of being discovered by this crazed maniac. Just then, he saw that purple-haired little girl!
Wait… wasn’t she supposed to be fighting with President Baijie?
Could it be… the President had been defeated?
Jiang Zuo was overwhelmed with dread. He curled up tightly, afraid to make the slightest sound and draw her attention.
At that moment, the little girl seemed to say something to Flameflow, and then Flameflow suddenly collapsed in pain. A short while later, she lifted him up and flew off.
She had taken Flameflow away.
But before she left, Jiang Zuo clearly saw the little girl's eyes glance toward his hiding spot—though she didn’t stop or do anything, as if she completely ignored him.
Then she disappeared above the jungle canopy. Jiang Zuo let out a subconscious sigh of relief.
But just then—
[Query: Has the subscriber chosen a desired item?]
A cold, emotionless voice spoke from behind Jiang Zuo. He turned his stiff neck and felt as if his heart was under extreme pressure.
She... didn’t she already leave with Flameflow? How could she be...
Fear rendered Jiang Zuo speechless. As a cultivator, he had powers beyond those of ordinary people and should have been able to calmly face the world. But now, confronted with something completely incomprehensible, he realized he was just a tiny speck in the vast river of time.
Still... she didn’t seem to have hostile intent—at least not yet.
“Item... what item?” Jiang Zuo carefully followed her words and asked, all the while keeping an eye on his surroundings.
[Query: Is the subscriber dissatisfied with the items in Area 7?]
Area 7… this jungle?
So, there were multiple areas? And each area, like this ancient forest, was filled with precious treasures?
This jungle was already unimaginably vast, filled with countless heavenly herbs and rare materials. But if this was only “Area 7,” just how massive was this place?
“How... how many areas are there?” Jiang Zuo asked, again following Gaia’s lead—this was all he could do now.
He knew he needed more intel—before she turned hostile.
[There are twelve areas in total,] Gaia replied, blinking. [Please state the type of item you desire for search and guidance.]
Jiang Zuo was stunned. This little girl felt like some kind of AI.
He hadn’t been cultivating for long—less than 20 years. His talent had caught the attention of a roaming master. Before that, he had been a top computer science graduate student specializing in Python at a major university.
Back then, AI development was still in its early stages.
But cultivation had shattered his scientific worldview—there were forces beyond science. Unlike most cultivators who worshiped such supernatural power, Jiang Zuo always tried to use scientific reasoning to understand it.
Sadly, his knowledge was shallow. Most of what he knew was superficial, and as his cultivation deepened, so did his awareness of his ignorance.
Still… if this little girl was some kind of AI—
A powerful body combined with AI—what kind of technological marvel was she?
If humanity could master this tech… suddenly, several wild thoughts popped into Jiang Zuo’s mind. Though absurd, he felt a deeper urge he couldn’t shake.
Becoming immortal... was ultimately just about achieving longevity—even eternal life.
But cultivation was a one-way road. No one in the Divine Land had truly become immortal for a long time. In the Daoist World, only a handful had reached the Enlightened Dao Realm.
But with this kind of technology… if consciousness could be copied and installed into a body like this girl’s, wouldn’t that be a different form of eternal life?
[Please state the type of item you desire for search and guidance.]
Gaia emotionlessly repeated the question again.
Jiang Zuo was taken aback—though intelligent, the girl’s AI seemed quite basic. If that was all there was to it, it looked like current human technology could already pull it off.
The difference was just that humans couldn’t yet build bodies with such terrifying power… Jiang Zuo couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
“I…” Jiang Zuo started to speak, but then realized the surroundings had gone completely silent.
He immediately blamed himself for being careless. President Baijie’s life was still uncertain, yet he had already been distracted.
“You… what did you do to President Baijie?” Jiang Zuo asked with a slight tremble.
[The rogue has fled again after destroying seven avatars,] Gaia said slowly. [Threat level has been raised. Ten avatars are now deployed to pursue. Their weapons have been upgraded, and combat limits unlocked. Please do not worry.]
Worry my ass…
Still, this meant the President was still alive… He really deserved his status as a pillar of the Daoist World—his depth was unimaginable. But could he really handle what Gaia called “unlocked combat limits”?
He had to!
After all, Baijie was a legend in the Daoist World.
Knowing Baijie was temporarily safe, Jiang Zuo quietly breathed a sigh of relief. His mind spun, and suddenly, a bold idea struck him—
Could he try to learn more about this girl? Understand more about this place?
And maybe find a way to leave?
Should he ask directly how to leave
But Jiang Zuo quickly dismissed the idea. Things likely weren't that simple—if he directly asked to leave, would it trigger some kind of programmed judgment mechanism in the girl's system?
“You mentioned purchasing…” Jiang Zuo carefully asked, “But you’ve got to let me know what I can buy, right? Trade is based on exchange, ideally of equal value… I mean, what do I use to buy? It can’t be money, can it?”
Gaia didn’t respond. Her eyes flickered non-stop.
After a pause, Jiang Zuo scratched his head and said, “How about this—you at least need to tell me what I can buy?”
[Scanning]
Gaia suddenly spoke, and Jiang Zuo immediately felt like he was being examined inside and out, as if stripped bare and researched thoroughly.
[Confirmation complete. Matching... Matching complete.]
As Gaia’s voice faded, countless virtual screens about ten centimeters in size appeared in front of Jiang Zuo, surrounding him on all sides. They hovered in midair, densely packed like projections.
Among them, one screen was yellow, and the rest were blue.
Gaia remained silent.
Jiang Zuo looked at the content on the screens, surprised that he could clearly read everything—modern writing.
The yellow screen displayed his purchasing power:
Soul Value Purchasing Power: 107 (+20) ~ ??
Health Value Purchasing Power: 1 ~ 3
Memory Value Purchasing Power: 3 ~ 19
Life Value Purchasing Power: 1 ~ 20
Luck...
Achievements...
Emotions...
Everything was listed clearly.
In total, his maximum purchasing power was 107 points.
He calculated: the soul alone was 107 points, and if he added the highest values of all other aspects, it just barely totaled 107. This implied that everything else—health, memory, luck, achievements—together made up a complete soul?
But after being converted, the soul's purchasing power also showed an unknown upper limit… What was that about?
So for now, if he used the soul as his buying currency, 107 was the minimum?
What was the basis of this calculation system?
Jiang Zuo glanced at Gaia again. She remained still... He took a deep breath and started browsing the many blue screens—these showed what he could buy.
Without a doubt, none of the items exceeded the value of 107 points.
“This… Why doesn’t the soul-based purchasing power have a final limit?” he couldn’t help but ask.
[Soul quality has room for improvement. Current purchasing power reflects current soul quality.]
Jiang Zuo was stunned. “So if I use all 107 points to buy something now, you’ll take my soul?”
[107 points is the total value. You may deduct 20 points of life instead, and the soul will be retrieved after the buyer’s death.]
Wait, what?
They could just wait until death to collect the debt… So he could live normally until then?
That didn’t sound like a bad deal… Jiang Zuo blinked. “So if I don’t want to die now, I only have 87 points of purchasing power?”
[Confirmed.]
Jiang Zuo remained puzzled. “Then what if I use 87 points to buy something now, but later my soul quality increases and exceeds that value—what happens to the excess?”
[Upon death, the soul is collected according to the original transaction agreement.]
That’s unfair!
Suddenly, Jiang Zuo realized the hidden trick—right now, his purchasing power could only buy low-tier items. But if his power improved later, he'd still be paying based on his earlier, weaker state—if he used his soul as the trade currency.
It was like the system was making an investment—getting a better return in the future.
Yet, something about that loophole didn’t seem quite right… He just didn’t have enough information to figure it out.
He rubbed his temples.
“Let me see…” Jiang Zuo reached out, and a blue screen floated to him.
“70 Polestar Herbs…”
“The first three chapters of Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique...”
“Female Body Transformation??? Pass.”
“Level-3 Gene Completion Serum… Hmmm, not bad?”
“One-minute tour of the Eternal Kingdom—uh, one minute? What is this? Scam, pass.”
Jiang Zuo kept browsing. Some items made no sense; others were tempting—but he hesitated, thinking better things might appear later. Typical buyer's dilemma.
Yet, he had to admit—despite knowing his soul might become more valuable later, some items were just too tempting right now...
It felt like the system was saying, "You might easily get this in the future, but right now you can’t. If you want it, buy it now. We're not forcing you. Your choice..."
They really knew how to manipulate human weakness… Jiang Zuo gave a bitter smile.
“Huh… what’s this?” He had no idea how many screens he’d flipped through when one particular item caught his eye.
“This… This is possible?” he asked, pointing to the screen with a trembling finger.
[Confirmed.]
“Then I…”
Jiang Zuo swallowed hard, heart pounding, hand shaking as he slowly tapped the purchase button.
Purchase: Trial Version – Treasury Administrator Gaia Unit Assembly Line Observation Time (1~4800 seconds)
Assembly line…
Could he gain insight into how the little girl was manufactured?
(End of Chapter)