Chapter 1: Longevity Dao Fruit

Prison Guard's Cap.

Dark blue short jacket.

Black trousers.

On the chest, a large white circle with the character "Prison" written inside it.

Zhou Yi sized up his outfit and still couldn't bring himself to believe that he'd woken up to become a prison guard of the Heavenly Prison in Fengyang Country.

He was still enjoying hotpot, embracing a girl, and singing love songs the previous night, when suddenly he transmigrated!

Dark, gloomy cells, the strong stench of decay, the shadowy figures of prisoners curled up behind the iron bars, and their humming sounds that were almost imperceptible.

Everything served as a reminder to Zhou Yi that this was not a dream.

"I worked 996 before crossing over, and I'm still working 996 after crossing. This fucking isn't a free trip!"

Zhou Yi rubbed his temples, attempting to alleviate the severe pain from the memory clash, realizing the gist of his own circumstances.

Same name, same surname; his father was also a prison guard, who unfortunately died of a cold last year, and his mother followed after a few months, succumbing to depression.

The prison guard's household registration was hereditary, and following tradition, they had recruited Zhou Yi into the Heavenly Prison. Since he was born physically weak and sickly, and had no martial arts cultivation, his duty was only to deliver food to the prisoners.

The Heavenly Prison was directly managed by the Imperial Court, detaining political prisoners and criminals with severe sentences. The overall number of inmates wasn't large, so the work was relatively easy.

Zhou Yi stretched and warmed up his muscles with a few simple broadcast gymnastics movements but this caused a series of coughs, the pain and spasms in his chest became intense.

"Cough cough cough! This body is really too frail; no wonder he died so young..."

Fear suddenly arose in Zhou Yi's heart as he remembered that he was a premature baby, congenitally weak and frequently ill, by now having already exhausted all the family's silver coins.

Regardless of how much nourishing medicinal decoction he drank, it never cured his innate deficiency!

"Is this game setting me up to die again right from the start?"

Zhou Yi carefully inspected his memories, and his heart sank completely.

Being a prison guard might seem like a despicable vocation, but given the exceptional identities of the prisoners, the job was quite lucrative.

Father Zhou had been on duty in the prison for more than twenty years, managed to buy a house in Divine Capital, and even arranged for an Imperial Physician from the palace to personally diagnose and prescribe medicine for Zhou Yi, which ultimately amounted to nothing.

With these thoughts, the only remaining option for Zhou Yi was to summon up his courage and softly call out.

"System!"

No response.

"Golden Finger?"

"Elder?"

"System Daddy?"

Zhou Yi called out affectionately several times, but still received no response, not even a ding sound.

Suddenly.

A golden light burst forth in Zhou Yi's mind, manifesting a round Golden Core.

"What is this thing?"

Before his words fell, scenes after scenes appeared before Zhou Yi's eyes, spectacular, luxurious, terrifying, thrilling!

Monstrous beasts roamed the wilderness, spewing flames that filled the sky.

Palaces of white bones sat atop thousands of feet high mountains, with figures that resembled both humans and ghosts riding swirling clouds of demons.

Creatures with the heads of wolves and bodies of snakes calling upon storms, winged people commanding thunder.

The firmament slowly opened its eye of golden light, gazing coldly and indifferently at the mortal world, unleashing countless purple divine thunders, leaving nothing but ashes within thousands of miles.

Immortals commanded flying swords, slashing open rifts in the void.

Demon Heads sat cross-legged in blood pools, with skulls and skeletons floating up and down.

Giant gods, nine-dragon chariots, white tigers that howled at the sky, black turtles that covered the sea...

The vast sounds of Immortal music buzzed, and the blurry images slowly faded away.

At this moment.

The Golden Core within his mind had already converged its divine light, resembling an ordinary golden pearl, slowly revolving and suspended within Zhou Yi's soul, as a strand of information entered his spiritual consciousness.

Longevity Dao Fruit!

"Dao Fruit!"

"Isn't this the Longevity Dao Fruit I obtained in the game from my previous life after cultivating to the highest level?"

Before Zhou Yi's transmigration, he had been addicted to a cultivation simulation game, and after half a year of continuous play, he finally reached the max level. After surpassing the nine heavenly tribulations, he could choose a Dao Fruit.

Since Zhou Yi was a 'leecher' who did not spend money, he had no choice but to select the only free Longevity Dao Fruit.

[Dao Fruit: Longevity]

Attributes: After reaching adulthood, no further growth, an endless lifespan, everlasting and ageless.

The free Dao Fruit came without any additional attributes or stats!

"So my golden finger is a game! Load game? Open game? Game panel? Di Chou Work Studio?"

Zhou Yi tried calling out a few more times, confirming that he had not brought along any other game attributes, and could only shrug helplessly.

"So, am I now granted everlasting youth?"

"Unfortunately, everlasting youth doesn't mean immortal. It simply means one does not age, has an endless lifespan, but can still be injured, become ill, fall victim to accidents, and be killed by others."

Zhou Yi moved his arms and legs and found that weakness and illness had vanished, his breathing was long and even, and his limbs were strong and vigorous.

"The innate deficiencies have disappeared, likely due to the influence of the Longevity Dao Fruit."

"If I had known I would transmigrate, I should have spent ten 648s, and whaled the best Dao Fruit talent! However, while the other Dao Fruits increase talents and attributes, none offer everlasting immortality..."

Zhou Yi thought carefully for a moment and realized that in reality, as opposed to the game, the Longevity Dao Fruit actually seemed like the best choice.

Because there are lifespan limitations in reality, even with other high-level attributes and talented Dao Fruits, one still needs to continue cultivating for everlasting life, facing inevitable strife and battles.

In the face of the dangers of war, survival is slim!

On the other hand, having the Longevity Dao Fruit just requires one to be careful and wary, avoiding making enemies, and steadily cultivating. In tens or hundreds of thousands of years, one could still ascend to immortality and become an ancestor.

Zhou Yi recalled the horrific scenes from the Cultivation World, where moving mountains and filling seas were commonplace, and tearing through the void was taken lightly.

Even with a high-level Dao Fruit to aid in one's cultivation, an untold number of struggles between life and death would have to be endured to achieve longevity.

Gods, demons, and immortals are not always benevolent seniors. Should they discover Zhou Yi's unusually fast cultivation pace, or if someone with waning years needed the Heavenly Pride Furnace Cauldron,

they might not hesitate to disregard their dignity to perform a Soul Search or take over his body to steal the Dao Fruit!

The Dao Fruit is the ultimate goal in the path of cultivation, and without corresponding Dao Protection Art, one is like a child holding gold in a bustling marketplace.

"Am I, Zhou Yi, the type to seek out trouble and fight recklessly?"

Determined, Zhou Yi resolved to lie low until he was unmatched in the world, before going out to enjoy freedom in the exterior world.

The Heavenly Prison was truly an excellent place. Geographically, it was located in Ningde Fang of the Divine Capital, with the city's main gate to the west and the Ministry of Justice right to the east, and only two marketplaces away from the imperial palace.

Thousands of imperial guards provided strict security, and one could always flee the city if needed, making it arguably the safest place in Fengyang Country.

Even in the event of a dynastic upheaval, attackers would target the palace; new emperors wouldn't release serious criminals, potentially allowing them to harm their own lands and people.

Enjoying the level of defense afforded to an emperor, yet without being confined by the Palace Court.

"Perfect! Let's set a small goal, to live in this Heavenly Prison for a few hundred years!"

Zhou Yi, holding a food bucket, went to the door of each cell, scooping up a spoonful of some watery gruel made from indistinct ingredients.

Upon hearing the noise, prisoners climbed up from their straw mats. With hands as dark as pitch, they fished in their coarse porcelain bowls, finding only a few grains of coarse rice and some wilted vegetable leaves before flipping the bowl over with a crash.

"I am the Assistant Minister of Rites, how dare you make me eat such swill fit for pigs?"

This was someone new who hadn't yet shed the pride of his former status!

The cellmate, much more understanding, said, "Young fella, another spoonful, please. This isn't enough to fill me up!"

Zhou Yi, adhering to the principle of humanity, checked the cell number and ladled some thicker porridge from the bottom of the bucket for the prisoner, reminding him.

"The end of the month is near, remember to have your family send money for food."

"Another month has passed, huh!"

The prisoner sighed, slurped his bowl clean, belched satisfactorily, then returned to his straw mat to sit in meditation and ponder.