Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard

In the autumn of the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong era, the Ming army suffered a crushing defeat at Tumu Fortress. The emperor was taken north, and the capital was thrown into turmoil. Jiang Chen, a low-ranking Imperial Guard officer, should have been struggling to survive amid the chaos. But on the day the Oirat cavalry arrived at the gates, he discovered that every day he stayed alive could be exchanged for ten years of cultivation. Day one: Qi Nurturing Realm. Day ten: Meridian Opening Realm. Day one hundred: Innate Realm. Everyone thought he was a young hero who had turned the tide, but only Jiang Chen knew he was racing against death with every passing moment. As powerful figures at court began to notice this brash young man, and all sides sought to recruit him, Jiang Chen realized he had already been drawn into a game more perilous than the battlefield. During the defense of the capital, he held Chaoyang Gate alone with nothing but a blade. In the first year of the Jingtai era, he took charge of the Northern Garrison Branch. In the third year of the Jingtai era, he turned his sword toward the Grand Secretariat. Someone asked him how he'd risen so quickly. Jiang Chen glanced at the blood-red mark on his palm, which lost a day with every beat, and smiled. “I'm in a hurry.”