The morning sun stretched across the eastern sky, golden light spilling over the rooftops of the quiet border city. The air shimmered faintly with warmth, birdsong filling the courtyard — until a loud, lazy yawn broke the peace.
Zeke scratched the back of his head as he stepped out onto his balcony, hair messy, eyes half-open. He squinted down at the massive bronze-jade serpent coiled around the fountain below. Each of its breaths twisted the air, distorting the light like ripples on water.
"Still sleeping, huh?" Zeke mumbled. "Must be nice not to have bills or taxes."
[Ding! Daily Sign-In Complete. Reward: 100 Spirit Beast Nutrient Orbs.]
A hundred radiant golden spheres materialized in the air before him, each pulsing with gentle vitality. They floated lazily, as if teasing him.
Zeke rubbed his chin. "A hundred, huh? What am I feeding, a small continent?"
[Each orb slightly enhances a spirit beast's cultivation and physique.]
" 'Slightly'? Oh, buddy… that sounds like a dare."
He grinned — that familiar, dangerous grin — and with a flick of his wrist, summoned a massive wooden tub. The orbs floated into it in neat rows like obedient marbles.
Below, the serpent stirred. The air trembled as its golden eyes cracked open.
"Good morning, scaly landlord!" Zeke called cheerfully. "Breakfast is served!"
The serpent blinked slowly. "I require no food, human."
"You require gains," Zeke replied without missing a beat.
"I—wait, what?"
Before the serpent could even coil up properly, Zeke flickered from the balcony and appeared before its massive head, holding an orb in each hand. "Open up."
"I refuse—"
"Good choice."
He shoved both glowing spheres straight into its mouth.
A boom rippled through the courtyard. Waves of Qi burst outward like thunder, shaking the entire estate.
[Companion advancement: Mid → Peak Foundation Establishment.]
Zeke wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. "See? Instant results!"
From the manor balcony above, a familiar, unimpressed voice floated down.
"You terrorize everything you own," Alora said flatly.
He looked up at her and grinned. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It is a bad thing."
"Details."
The serpent hissed, its massive head lowering until its golden eyes glared down at him. "You dare force-feed me, mortal?"
"Yes," Zeke said simply — and shoved another ten orbs into its mouth.
The result was immediate. Light burst from the serpent's body; its scales glowed like liquid bronze. A hurricane of Qi swept across the courtyard.
[Companion breakthrough: Early Golden Core Realm.]
Alora's voice rose over the roar of wind. "Zeke! Stop before you level the manor!"
"Relax!" he yelled back. "He's fine! Look at him glowing! That's progress!"
"He's screaming!"
"That's just cultivation enthusiasm!"
The serpent, indeed, was not enthusiastic. It thrashed, its enormous body cracking tiles and shaking the fountain apart. "Cease this madness!"
"Can't hear you over the power of gains!" Zeke replied, tossing in another ten.
Each batch detonated with greater intensity.
20 orbs: Mid Golden Core.
40 orbs: Late Golden Core.
60 orbs: Peak Golden Core.
80 orbs: Heaven-trembling chaos.
Storm winds howled through the city. The guards on the outer walls fell to their knees, clutching their helmets as the ground rumbled beneath them.
Above it all, the Extreme Defense Array shimmered faintly, humming in calm defiance as it absorbed every ripple without so much as a tremor.
Alora appeared beside Zeke in a flash of movement, voice half-panicked, half-furious. "Zeke! Stop before you open a hole to the heavens!"
"Relax!" he said cheerfully. "Just one more batch! This is the home stretch!"
"You're insane!"
He grabbed another handful of orbs and tossed them like popcorn. "No, I'm efficient!"
The serpent let out an earth-splitting roar. Qi erupted like a volcano, tearing through the air in golden waves that reached all the way to the horizon.
The light was so intense that even the sun seemed to dim.
Then—silence.
Zeke blinked, squinting upward. His grin widened.
Hovering in the air above the courtyard was a serpent easily a hundred meters long, its body gleaming like molten metal. Bronze-jade scales shimmered with divine runes that pulsed faintly, each movement distorting the clouds around it.
It didn't slither on land anymore — it floated, gracefully weaving through the sky as if gravity itself had given up trying to restrain it.
[Ding! Companion breakthrough: Early Nascent Soul Realm. Stabilization complete.]
Zeke put his hands on his hips. "Look at that. Beautiful. Terrifying. Probably illegal."
Alora just stared, eyes wide, hair whipping in the lingering wind. "You force-fed a Heavenly Beast into Nascent Soul and turned it into a flying mountain!"
"Yeah, I'm amazing."
"Zeke—"
"A god has chosen me."
She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "…Right. And I'm the goddess of patience."
"See? I knew it."
[Ding! New Quest: Culling the Wilds. Eliminate 100 Wild Beasts (no assistance).]
[Target Range: Qi Refining & Early Foundation.]
"Feed a beast, then kill a hundred more? Balanced diet."
[Host requires combat conditioning for breakthrough.]
He sighed. "You really like your murder cardio, don't you?"
The following days blurred into a dance of steel and blood.
Zeke moved through the forest like wind, his sword flashing in arcs of light. Packs of Qi Refining wolves fell before him. Armored boars crashed through trees only to crumble beneath his strikes. Early Foundation apes roared and charged, but his movements grew sharper with every encounter — his steps lighter, his breathing steady.
He no longer relied on tricks or grenades; it was pure swordsmanship now, guided by instinct and precision.
[Progress: 12/100 → 47/100 → 89/100 → 100/100.]
By the end of the week, he stood in a clearing surrounded by bodies. His shirt was half torn, his sword glowing faintly gold.
[Host's Sword Intent has advanced to Major Perfection.]
He stared at his reflection in the blade and smirked. "So this is what discipline feels like."
[Correction: Temporary discipline.]
"Semantics," he said, wiping the blade clean.
When Zeke returned, his clothes were shredded, his expression satisfied.
Alora was waiting by the gate, arms crossed. "How many?"
"All hundred."
She sighed. "Of course."
High above them, the serpent drifted lazily among the clouds.
"Master's chaos yields results," it said in a deep, echoing voice.
"Compliment accepted."
"Sarcasm."
"Still counts."
Night settled over the city like a blanket of stars. The serpent glided in slow circles above the protective dome, its scales glowing faintly under the moonlight.
Zeke lounged on the balcony, arms behind his head.
[Quest Complete. Reward Pending Calculation.]
He sighed. "Pending again? You love suspense."
[Affirmative.]
Alora rolled her eyes. "If the heavens haven't struck you yet, they never will."
"Because I'm their favorite."
From above, the serpent's voice rumbled like thunder. "Hubris… thy name is Master."
Zeke grinned. "Too long. I'm calling you Slither."
"…Unacceptable."
"Too late."
The massive serpent let out a low hiss that somehow sounded like a groan.
"Bonding accomplished," Zeke said proudly.
[Ding! Bonus Reward Unlocked – Divine Sword Physique.]
The air itself froze.
A blinding silver light burst from Zeke's body, shooting into the sky like a pillar of divine flame.
Every sword in the city began to tremble.
Blades rattled in weapon racks, guards screamed as their swords flew from their scabbards and hovered in midair.
Even Alora's black blade slipped from her hand, spinning beside dozens of others.
She shielded her eyes. "What… what is happening to you?!"
Zeke hovered above the balcony, his body surrounded by a storm of silver energy. His veins glowed, his hair whipped wildly, and his screams tore through the night.
"AAAH—SYSTEM! YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME!"
[Installation in progress… Divine Sword Physique fusion commencing.]
The entire sky turned silver.
Thousands of glowing swords appeared above the city, suspended in the air, all pointing toward him like subjects bowing to a king. The sound of countless blades resonating together filled the heavens — a metallic hymn that made every cultivator drop to their knees in awe and terror.
The Extreme Defense Array thrummed softly, absorbing the shockwaves without the faintest flicker.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, everything stopped.
The blades lowered. The light faded.
Zeke crashed face-first onto the balcony, smoke rising from his clothes.
[Installation complete. Divine Sword Physique acquired.]
He groaned. "Next time, warn me first, you sadistic AI."
[Host did not read terms and conditions.]
"I'm suing you one day."
Alora knelt beside him, eyes wide, her voice trembling. "That… wasn't normal."
Above them, Slither's massive body drifted across the moon, letting out a low, rumbling sound that could only be described as laughter.
Far away, in places Zeke had never even heard of, the world trembled.
In ancient temples buried under snow, long-forgotten swords ripped free from frozen stone and shot skyward.
Within the grand hall of the Blade Clan's main estate, ancestral swords sealed for centuries rose from their stands, humming violently until even the clan's patriarch opened his eyes.
In the Immortal Sword Valley, an old man surrounded by floating blades let out a quiet laugh. "So it's finally appeared… the Divine Sword Physique."
Across continents, Sword Emperors, Immortal Kings, and ancient sect masters stood at once, their gazes drawn skyward, expressions solemn and uncertain.
"Send envoys," one commanded.
"Mobilize the disciples," said another.
"Whoever it is… find them."
Within hours, orders flew across nations. Empires armed themselves, sects deployed scouts, and the world's great powers scrambled to uncover the source of the disturbance — yet none could determine where it began.
The world was too vast, the pulse too widespread. Every direction whispered the same rumor, but no one knew the truth.
Some called it the birth of a Sword God. Others swore it was an omen, a curse that heralded the end of an era. But whatever it was, the heavens had moved — and everyone knew the balance of power had just shifted.
Above that quiet border city, the enormous serpent named Slither drifted protectively through the clouds, while below, a white-haired boy lay sprawled on the balcony, charred clothes and a crooked grin on his face.
"Next time," he muttered weakly, "I'm uninstalling this system."
The system's tone was utterly unbothered.
[You say that every time, Host.]
"Yeah… one of these days I'll mean it."
He closed his eyes, the faint hum of swords still echoing across the horizon as the city slept peacefully beneath the hovering guardian and the man who had just unknowingly shaken the world.