Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

"WUUUUUUUUH!"

At that moment, the horns of war sounded.

Mr. Du seized the opportunity, dispatching the Great Yuan forces to begin the invasion of the Turkic Kingdom. The soldiers poured out, charging toward the Turkic lines like a tsunami.

The duel between Practitioners was the vanguard for the soldiers.

When one side’s faith collapsed and their morale was dead, it was the perfect moment to launch an attack.

If Chu Lingguang had been the one to fall today,

the Turkic side would have likewise mobilized their entire army to attack Great Yuan.

But now, Andenuk had fallen.

Having held back for too long, the long-waiting Great Yuan Soldiers charged like ravenous wolves and tigers. They unleashed their pent-up frustration, storming into Turkic territory at top speed to slaughter the panicked, leaderless Turkic soldiers who scrambled to fight back.

With the collapse of the Turkic army’s morale,

the war became a one-sided affair, like a row of falling dominoes.

The Turkic Army, once fierce and holding a tight defense, was routed in an instant as if crushed by a primordial beast. They were utterly broken, and their commanders were powerless to reverse the tide.

All they could do was lead the retreat, casting aside their helmets and armor as they fled deeper into their own territory.

Great Yuan had long been oppressed by the Turkic Kingdom.

Conflicts were frequent along the national border.

Although Great Yuan had repelled numerous Turkic invasions, they suffered heavy losses each time and constantly needed reinforcements. A day like today—where Great Yuan Soldiers broke through Turkic defenses, charged into their enemy’s camps, forced the Turkic Army into a full retreat, and even seized their land—was a rare event in their history, having happened only a handful of times.

This victory was entirely due to Chu Lingguang’s immense power. He had shattered the myth of Andenuk, showing the Great Yuan Soldiers that the Turkic forces were not invincible—even their Little Prince could be killed just like that.

Buoyed by this morale, Mr. Du’s troops advanced like a hot knife through butter. The Turkic Army suffered defeat after defeat, retreating like stray dogs until they disappeared beyond the national border.

Eventually, even the main settlement of the Aika Tribe fell.

The Great Yuan Soldiers entered the settlement, sparking another inevitable slaughter. Seeing no hope of victory, the tribespeople either fled or surrendered.

Several tribes near the national border that had supplied the Turkic forces with provisions fell one after another, their lands becoming territory of Great Yuan.

Chu Lingguang stood in the air, silently watching it all unfold.

Great Yuan was victorious, but he felt no sense of victory himself.

This was true even as lines of text announcing his new Favor Points appeared before his eyes.

He couldn’t bring himself to be happy.

War meant the loss of life.

The Turkic people and the people of Great Yuan were all human.

Most were common folk, manipulated by those in power to slaughter each other on the battlefield. No one would care whether they lived or died.

He had been to the Aika Tribe. Although they had been enemies from the start, and he had even been plotted against by them, most of the Aika tribespeople were herders with no strength to even truss a chicken.

Though they revered martial strength and were stockier than the people of Great Yuan, they couldn’t last a moment under the iron hooves of the Great Yuan army.

They were torn to shreds.

Their settlement was engulfed in flames.

Countless lives were frozen in that moment, extinguished on this spot.

Yet, while Chu Lingguang couldn’t say he was happy, he couldn’t say he was sad, either.

After all, when the Turkic forces had entered Great Yuan territory, the same scenes had played out. The only difference today was that most of the dead were Turkic people.

As someone who had once defended Wolf Valley Pass, led soldiers across the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and raided the Turkic Headquarters, Chu Lingguang was long accustomed to the sight of death.

He merely stood in the sky, watching the iron hooves of Great Yuan spread like wildfire through Turkic territory, gaining a new understanding from this different perspective.

’In this world where the strong devour the weak, strength is the only way to avoid being bullied and to preserve your own life.’

’Today, I defeated and killed Andenuk. If I had lost to him and died by his hand, the scene would be completely different.’

’But one thing is certain: countless people would still have died. The majority of them just would have been from Great Yuan.’

As a Cultivator, Chu Lingguang wasn’t as heartless as those Practitioners who would enter seclusion for decades or even centuries, growing indifferent to human life.

But neither could he weep bitterly over the tragic deaths of complete strangers.

He was simply lamenting the cruelty of war, nothing more.

And so, the Great Yuan forces advanced as if through unmanned territory, while the Turkic forces retreated like beaten dogs, suffering one defeat after another.

The army led by Mr. Du fought its way to Xie Family Castle, razed Xie Xiaohuan’s fortress to the ground, and finally made camp there.

Only then did the Turkic forces’ decline come to a halt.

Nevertheless, Andenuk’s death had shattered their will to fight, leaving their morale in disarray. The Turkic forces hunkered down into a defensive posture, launching no counterattacks against Mr. Du’s troops.

It was at this time that Chu Lingguang and Li Qiushui left the national border.

"Aided the Great Yuan royal family in repelling the Turkic forces. Received 1,233,011 Favor Points."

"Helped Mr. Du achieve meritorious deeds. Received 210,021 Favor Points."

On the way back, lines of text appeared before Chu Lingguang’s eyes.

Before he knew it, his total Favor Points had exceeded two million.

Unfortunately, there were no other Cultivation Technique rewards.

But he had enough Favor Points to pour into the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Technique and max it out to Perfection.

His power was already at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, and he had accumulated over a million points in his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Technique. His cultivation hadn’t broken through, preventing him from becoming a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment expert. Chu Lingguang had a strong premonition that this was because the technique’s value had not yet reached Perfection.

This was his chance.

He yearned to become a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment expert.

This was especially true after seeing the golden Spiritual Power emerge from the Heavenly Mirror. At that moment, he felt the mirror could unleash an unexpected power, one that could even cause the resonating Five Elements Power to momentarily fuse.

Once that power was formed, the Spiritual Power on his Flying Sword would instantly collapse.

The beam of light it fired might even have gravely wounded or killed him outright.

In short, the appearance of that power made Chu Lingguang realize he was still too weak.

Furthermore, Andenuk had died by his hand.

His master, while unable to interfere in mortal affairs, could still kill him as a Practitioner, outside the secular world.

Even as he turned to leave with Li Qiushui, Chu Lingguang felt a pair of eyes from within the Turkic territory staring at him, as if he had been locked onto by some terrifying existence.

He felt a deep sense of unease.

It was as if he were in grave danger, a feeling even more unsettling than when he had entered the Immortal King’s Tomb.

So, during their withdrawal, Chu Lingguang seized the opportunity to pour his newly acquired Favor Points into the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Technique, instantly raising it to Perfection.

He checked his status panel.

Favors: 594,783

Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment (3,000,000/3,000,000)

(Remaining Lifespan: 795 years)

"BUZZ!"

As the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Technique reached Perfection,

a strange power began to grow from within his Star System.

Chu Lingguang could feel his Star System undergoing a transformation.

The Star System of a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator is different from that of a Qi Refining Cultivator. Likewise, the Star System of a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator is also different from that of a Golden Core Realm Cultivator.

If the Star System of a Qi Refining Cultivator is a cloud of mist like a smoke ring, then the Star System of a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator is like a solidified millstone.

As for a Golden Core Realm Cultivator, their Star System condenses into a unique Golden Core. Some Golden Cores even have special magical inscriptions on them, form lightning, or are enveloped by the power of the Five Elements.

It is as if it becomes a miniature universe, capable of erupting with terrifying power.

Furthermore, the Star System Compass of a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator, compared to that of a Qi Refining Cultivator, can not only hold more Spiritual Power and Magic Techniques, but can also resonate more easily with the Spiritual Power within the Five Elements.

The higher the realm, the greater the resonant power that can be formed.

Some Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators can even have their Star System Compasses resonate with the Five Elements Power simultaneously, just like the Heavenly Mirror, allowing them to constantly use the Five Elements Power to create terrifying Attack Power.

Of course, resonance cannot compare to fusion.

Once a Star System Compass both resonates and fuses with the Five Elements Power, that Cultivator’s power will reach an untouchable level among those in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Chu Lingguang didn’t yet know how many types of Spiritual Power a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s Star System Compass could resonate and fuse with, but as it was the highest level within the Foundation Establishment Realm, he was full of anticipation.