Chang Li Yao opened his eyes, only to find himself lying on a cold stone floor under a sky he didn't recognize. Mountains stretched endlessly, shrouded in mist, and rivers glittered like flowing stars. The air hummed with a faint, otherworldly energy that made his head throb.
"Where… am I?" he muttered, standing up and brushing off dust. His modern-world senses screamed confusion; this wasn't Earth.
Suddenly, a crisp, robotic voice echoed in his mind:
[System Activated: Realm Breakthrough System]
[Current Realm: Thai Golden Immortal Stage One]
[Breakthrough Points: 0]
Chang Li Yao froze. A… system?
Warning: You must break through realms regularly. Failure to advance may result in stagnation or expulsion to Hong Mang World.
"Wait what?he yelled into the empty valley. "Stagnation? Hong Mang World? No! I do not want to go anywhere! Especially not a lonely, desolate hellhole!"
New Task: Sweep the courtyard. +5 Breakthrough Points
Chang Li Yao blinked. Sweep the courtyard? He looked around there was no courtyard, just a cliffside garden. Begrudgingly, he swept invisible leaves with his hand. As soon as he finished, the system chimed:
Breakthrough Points Gained: 5
Automatic Realm Breakthrough Triggered: Thai Golden Immortal to Golden Immortal, Stage Two
"Ugh!" Chang Li Yao groaned, holding his head. He felt the surge of energy, his muscles tingling, laws of the universe crawling into his mind. I didn't ask for this!
He tried to ignore the rush, but even as he muttered complaints, his body moved faster, stronger. Birds in the trees froze as he accidentally passed through a tree trunk in his awkward flight.
"System… why does everything I touch make me stronger?!" he shouted.
[New Ability Unlocked: Divine Might Passive Comprehension of High Level Techniques under Pressure]
[Bloodline Detected: Purple Bamboo Rare Immortality Potential]
"Figures," he muttered. "Even my body is conspiring against me."
Before he could protest further, a figure appeared on a nearby peak an old man in white robes, eyes like infinite galaxies, his aura pressing down like a mountain.
"Hmph you are strong… but not yet ready," the man said.
Chang Li Yao narrowed his eyes. Saint? Hung Jun.
"Uh… hello?" he said cautiously. "I… I'm not looking to be anyone's disciple. I have… my own plans."
The old man's gaze pierced him. The air shimmered. Suddenly, Chang Li Yao's comprehension of the surrounding laws surged space warped slightly, lightning crackled, the five elements danced in the wind. His body obeyed instincts, dodging invisible attacks, yet he hadn't even been hit.
I hate this… this is too much power too soon
Chang Li Yao fled before Hung Jun could insist, muttering about avoiding the Hong Mang World. Each step left him faster, stronger, yet more frustrated.
Later, in the Purple Heaven Palace, Chang Li Yao devised a plan. He presented mystical fruits laced with "poison" that was actually a catalyst for breakthrough to the Queen Mother of the East and the Jade Emperor. They consumed them, surged in power, and unknowingly granted him massive breakthrough points.
[Breakthrough Points Gained: 50]
[Automatic Realm Breakthrough Triggered: Golden Immortal, Stage Two to Great Completion Stage]
Chang Li Yao rubbed his temples. "I'm never taking another fruit to anyone… unless I want to accidentally become omnipotent."
As night fell, he sat atop a cliff, staring at the stars. The system hummed quietly:
[Hint: Collect Heavenly Dao Fragments to perfect the Primordial World]
"Great," Chang Li Yao muttered. "Just what I needed… more ways to break through without asking."
He clenched his fists. Power surged in him naturally, but the thought of ending up in Hong Mang World alone, desolate, with nothing familiar made him grit his teeth. He would find a way to stay here, in a world he could at least call home… even if the system had other plans.