Chang Li Yao had barely survived the Purple Heaven Palace fiasco when he received word of a Heavenly Dao Fragment hidden in a nearby realm an isolated valley where the laws of nature were unstable, and powerful cultivators often vanished without a trace.
Fantastic, he muttered. Dangerous places, forced breakthroughs… just what I needed for a relaxing day.
As he entered the valley, the air itself seemed to resist his presence. Gravity fluctuated unpredictably, winds ripped through the trees, and rocks floated like drifting islands. It was the perfect trap.
[System Notice: Fragment Detected. Collection will trigger rapid breakthroughs.]
Chang Li Yao groaned, holding his head. "I can feel it already. My body's going to explode again, isn't it?"
Before he could strategize, a figure emerged from the mist tall, draped in shadowed robes, eyes glowing with malice. A Rogue Saint who had long been guarding the fragment.
Rogue Saint: "So, the universe sends you here, little worm. You will not leave alive."
Chang Li Yao groaned again. "Seriously? Could you at least let me collect the fragment first? I really don't want to grow today!"
The Rogue Saint laughed, launching a deadly strike. Chang Li Yao barely dodged, his instincts guiding him. Even mundane moves ducking, jumping, rolling triggered the system, forcing unwanted breakthroughs:
[Breakthrough Points Gained: 60]
[Automatic Realm Breakthrough Triggered: Heavenly Dao Stage Four to Heavenly Dao Stage Five]
"Ugh!" he groaned, clutching his head as new energy coursed through him. His perception expanded; space, lightning, death, and five-element laws intertwined in his mind, overwhelming yet instinctively manageable.
Chang Li Yao gritted his teeth. Focus. Indirect strategy. Always indirect strategy.
Using space-law manipulation, he created illusions of himself, confusing the Rogue Saint. Lightning-infused bamboo spikes gifts of his Purple Bamboo Bloodline darted from shadows, striking without leaving openings.
The Rogue Saint stumbled. Chang Li Yao seized the opportunity, grabbing the Heavenly Dao Fragment. Its energy pulsed violently, threatening to rip reality apart around him.
[System Notice: Fragment Collected. +120 Breakthrough Points]
[Automatic Realm Breakthrough Triggered: Heavenly Dao Stage Five to Heavenly Dao Stage Six]
Chang Li Yao groaned louder than ever. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?!"
Even as his body glowed with overwhelming power, he had to maintain control. One misstep could send him spiraling toward Hong Mang World, the lonely, desolate realm he dreaded more than death itself.
After narrowly escaping the valley, Chang Li Yao sat on a cliff, breathing heavily. He brushed rocks off his robes, muttering complaints:
"Great… just great. Collected a fragment, survived a Rogue Saint, leveled up twice against my will… and I didn't even want any of it!"
Yet, beneath his frustration, a spark of satisfaction remained. Every battle, every fragment, every forced breakthrough made him stronger, more cunning, and increasingly capable of manipulating the system itself.
Chang Li Yao rubbed his temples, looking toward the horizon. "If this is how the universe wants me to grow… fine. But I'll play its game, twist its rules, and stay in my own world. And maybe… just maybe, I'll have a little fun while I'm at it."
The system hummed quietly in response, as if amused by his defiance.
[Hint: Additional Heavenly Dao Fragments Detected Across Multiple Realms. System growth mandatory for collection.]
Chang Li Yao groaned again. "Yeah… I know. I know. Universe… leave me alone for five minutes!"
But even as he complained, a faint smile appeared. Reluctant though he was, he was no ordinary cultivator. He was Chang Li Yao and the universe had yet to see the lengths he would go to bend fate to his will.