Location: Black Rock Island — The "Silicon Citadel" (Formerly the Exile Camp) Time: Two Months Post-Invasion
Peace was profitable.
Black Rock Island was no longer a crater of despair. It was the Trade Capital of the Outer Rim. The Iron Blood warships, now repainted in sleek matte white with the glowing blue "Spirit Web" logo on their sails, ferried goods across the Star Seas.
But the real revolution wasn't happening in the docks. It was happening in the mind.
Li Yun stood in the Server Core Room. The Crystal Tower had grown. It was now three times thicker, pulsing with a dense, complex rhythm.
[ SERVER STATS: TIER 2 ][ ACTIVE USERS: 152,400 ][ DAILY TRANSACTIONS: 50,000 SC ][ ADMIN ENERGY: 1,200,000 WISPS. ]
"Efficiency is dropping," Li Yun muttered, swiping through a wall of feature requests.
User Request: We need a map for the hidden realms!
User Request: Create a dating app for rogue cultivators!
User Request: Can you make a calculator for Alchemy ratios?
There were too many demands. Li Yun was one man. He couldn't code every app, fix every bug, and write every news article while also managing a city and cultivating.
"I am the bottleneck," Li Yun realized. "I'm trying to be Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos at the same time. It's unsustainable."
He looked at the Tier 2 Feature List. There was one tool he hadn't deployed yet. The one that built the modern internet.
[ FEATURE: SPIRIT DEVELOPMENT KIT (SDK) ][ DESCRIPTION: Allows users to write their own logic scripts using the "Rune-Code" language. ][ REVENUE MODEL: 70% to Creator / 30% to Admin. ]
Li Yun smiled. "Time to outsource the innovation."
He opened the global announcement channel.
POV CHANGE: Bai Xi (The Genius Nobody)Location: The Mystic Array Sect — Outer Court Library
Bai Xi was boring. That was what everyone said.
She was a disciple of the Mystic Array Sect, a place dedicated to the study of magical formations. But while other disciples practiced flashy combat arrays that summoned fire dragons, Bai Xi liked... logic.
She liked the math. She liked optimizing the energy flow of a heating formation by 0.5%.
"Bai Xi!" A senior sister slapped a stack of books onto her desk. "Do my homework. Calculate the stress points for the North Gate Barrier. I need it by noon."
Bai Xi didn't argue. She needed the money. "Yes, Senior Sister. That will be 2 Spirit Shards."
"Two?" The Senior Sister scoffed. "I'll give you one. And be grateful I don't break your brush."
The Senior Sister walked away laughing. Bai Xi sighed and picked up her brush. She was a genius at logic, but in a world that valued raw power, she was a servant.
Buzz.
Her jade pendant vibrated on the table. A Golden Notification—reserved for Admin Announcements—filled the screen.
[ SYSTEM UPDATE 2.0: THE APP STORE IS OPEN ][ ANNOUNCEMENT: Do you have an idea? Can you write Logic Runes? ][ DOWNLOAD THE "SPIRIT DEV KIT" TODAY. ][ CREATE. PUBLISH. EARN. ]
Bai Xi blinked. "Create?"
She tapped the link. The SDK downloaded into her mind.
It wasn't a manual. It was a language. It was a streamlined version of the Formation Logic she loved, but stripped of the need for physical materials.
[ TUTORIAL: HELLO WORLD ][ INPUT: If (Qi > 0) -> Display ("Hello World") ]
Bai Xi's eyes lit up. It was elegant. It was pure.
"I can build something," she whispered. "I don't need spirit stones. I don't need dragon blood ink. I just need... logic."
She looked at the boring homework in front of her. Calculate stress points.
"Why calculate it manually?" Bai Xi thought. "Why not make a tool that does it automatically?"
She closed her eyes. She entered the Developer Workspace.
She began to code.
POV CHANGE: Li YunLocation: Black Rock Island
Li Yun watched the metrics.
[ SDK DOWNLOADS: 5,000 ][ ACTIVE PROJECTS: 400 ]
Most people downloaded it, realized coding was hard, and quit. But the 400 who remained... they were the seeds.
Three days passed.
[ ALERT: NEW APP SUBMISSION ][ APP NAME: "THE ARRAY SOLVER" ][ DEVELOPER: User 8902 (Bai Xi). ][ PRICE: 50 Spirit Shards. ][ DESCRIPTION: Input your formation variables. This app calculates the optimal energy flow instantly. No more math errors. ]
Li Yun reviewed the code. It was messy, amateurish, but the core logic was brilliant. It used a recursive algorithm to balance Qi flow.
"Approved," Li Yun said. "Let's see if the market bites."
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The Mystic Array Sect Time: One Week Later
The Senior Sister stormed into the library. She looked panicked.
"Bai Xi! Where are you?!"
Bai Xi looked up from her corner. She wasn't wearing her ragged grey robes. She was wearing a new, clean blue silk robe. She was eating a premium Spirit Fruit.
"Yes, Senior Sister?" Bai Xi asked calmly.
"The homework!" The Senior Sister slammed a scroll down. "The Elder failed me! He said my calculations were wrong! Fix it!"
"I don't do homework anymore," Bai Xi said, taking a bite of the fruit.
"What? You dare—"
"But," Bai Xi interrupted, pointing to the jade pendant on the table. "You can buy my App. 'The Array Solver'. It's currently #1 on the Productivity Chart."
"App?" The Senior Sister frowned. She pulled out her own pendant.
There it was. The Array Solver.Downloads: 5,000+Rating: 5 Stars.Reviews:
User 77: This saved my life during the exam!
User 99: Who made this? The logic is Grandmaster tier!
The Senior Sister looked at the price. 50 Shards.
"You..." The Senior Sister looked at Bai Xi with shock. "You made this?"
"I did," Bai Xi said. "And in the last week, I've sold 2,000 copies."
2,000 copies x 50 Shards = 100,000 Shards (100 Spirit Stones).
Bai Xi had made more in a week than the Senior Sister would make in ten years.
"So," Bai Xi smiled, a smile of newfound freedom. "If you want the answer, Senior Sister... download it. And don't forget to leave a review."
POV CHANGE: Li YunLocation: Black Rock Island
[ REVENUE REPORT: WEEK 1 ][ TOP APP: "THE ARRAY SOLVER" ][ TOTAL SALES: 100 Spirit Stones. ][ ADMIN CUT (30%): 30 Spirit Stones. ]
Li Yun laughed. He had made 30 stones while sleeping.
"The ecosystem is alive," Li Yun said.
But productivity apps were just the start. The real monster was coming from the Entertainment Sector.
[ NEW APP SUBMISSION ][ APP NAME: "JADE BIRD FLAPPY" ][ DEVELOPER: User 666 (Anonymous). ][ GENRE: Game. ][ DESCRIPTION: Tap to fly. Don't hit the pipes. High score wins. ]
Li Yun stared at it. "Flappy Bird. Of course. It's inevitable."
He approved it.
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Azure Cloud Sect
Han Feng was supposed to be meditating. Instead, he was sweating, tapping furiously on his Spirit Scroll (V2.0).
Tap. Tap. Tap. Crash.
"DAMN IT!" Han Feng screamed, throwing the expensive device onto his bed. "Stupid bird! Stupid pipes!"
His servant rushed in. "Young Master? Are you suffering from Qi Deviation?"
"No!" Han Feng yelled. "I got a score of 12! But User 002 (Old Ghost) has a score of 85! How?! He's a scavenger!"
Han Feng grabbed the device again.
[ GAME OVER ][ REVIVE FOR 1 SPIRIT SHARD? Y/N ]
"Yes! Take my money!" Han Feng mashed the button.
In the background, the server processed the microtransaction. Han Feng didn't care about the money. He cared about the Leaderboard.
Across the Star Seas, productivity dropped to zero. Elders, disciples, and even mortal kings were huddled over glowing screens, trying to get a pixelated bird through a pipe.
POV CHANGE: The "Hacker"Location: Deep Void — Coordinates Unknown
In a dark, suspended fortress floating in the chaotic currents of the Deep Void, a figure sat upon a throne of black bone.
This was Lord Xiu, the spymaster of the Divine Empire.
Before him floated a captured Spirit Terminal. He had killed a merchant to get it.
He watched the screen. He played "Jade Bird Flappy" for three seconds, then crushed the device in his hand.
"Insidious," Lord Xiu hissed. "This 'Admin' is not just conquering territory. He is harvesting the Mental Energy of the masses."
Lord Xiu was a Soul Cultivator. He could see what others couldn't. Every time a user tapped the screen, a tiny thread of focus—mental energy—was transmitted back to the Server.
"He is building a Soul Array," Lord Xiu analyzed. "Using millions of minds to power a construct I cannot see."
He turned to his subordinates—hooded figures with no faces.
"The Emperor has decreed the purge of this anomaly. But we cannot destroy the network from the outside. The firewall is too strong."
Lord Xiu extended a withered, grey finger.
"We must infect it. We will upload a Cursed Logic."
"Summon the Spirit Puppeteers. I want to build an 'App'. Something tempting. Something that, once downloaded, will open a backdoor to their souls."
Lord Xiu smiled, revealing rows of shark-like teeth.
"Let's see if the Admin's firewall can stop a Memetic Virus."
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Location: The Deep Void — The Black Fortress Time: The Launch
Lord Xiu watched the progress bar.
In front of him, three "Spirit Puppeteers"—cultivators who specialized in manipulating the souls of the living—were chanting over a massive, bleeding obsidian totem. The totem was connected via spirit wires to a stolen Spirit Terminal.
[ UPLOADING: "DIVINE DESTINY.APK" ][ SIZE: 666 MB ][ CATEGORY: Lifestyle / Fortune Telling ]
"It is done, Lord Xiu," the Lead Puppeteer rasped, his eyes bleeding. "The logic is woven with the 'Soul-Binding Curse'. It is disguised as a destiny calculation algorithm."
"How does it work?" Lord Xiu asked.
"Simple," the Puppeteer grinned. "It asks the user to scan their palm to 'read their fate'. The scan captures their Soul Signature. Once captured, the app creates a backdoor. We can drain their mental energy, read their thoughts, and even... suggest actions."
"Suggest actions?"
"Subliminal whispers," the Puppeteer explained. "We can make them hate the Admin. We can make them destroy the terminals. We can make them kill themselves."
Lord Xiu laughed. "Excellent. Upload it. Bypass the review filter using the 'Obfuscation Rune'."
[ UPLOAD COMPLETE. ][ STATUS: LIVE ON APP STORE. ]
POV CHANGE: Han Feng (The Whale)Location: Azure Cloud Sect
Han Feng was bored of Flappy Bird. He had hit a high score of 15 and couldn't get past it. He browsed the "New & Hot" section of the App Store.
[ NEW APP: DIVINE DESTINY ][ RATING: 5 Stars (Bot Generated) ][ DESCRIPTION: The Heavens hide secrets. We reveal them. Scan your palm to know: When will you break through? When will you find love? When will you die? ][ PRICE: FREE. ]
"Free?" Han Feng raised an eyebrow. "And it tells me when I break through?"
He tapped [ DOWNLOAD ].
The icon appeared on his screen: A realistic, unblinking eye.
He opened it.
[ APP PERMISSIONS REQUEST: ]
"Divine Destiny" would like to access your Camera (Vision).
"Divine Destiny" would like to access your Microphone (Voice).
"Divine Destiny" would like to access your Spiritual Sense (Soul).
[ ALLOW? Y/N ]
Han Feng didn't read the permissions. Nobody reads the permissions.
He tapped [ ALLOW ].
The screen turned a hypnotic, swirling purple. A deep, resonant voice echoed from the speaker.
"Place your hand upon the screen, mortal."
Han Feng placed his palm on the screen.
Zzzzt.
A sharp pain, like a needle prick, shot through his hand. He tried to pull away, but his hand stuck to the screen.
"Soul Signature Acquired," the voice whispered. "Connecting to the Hive Mind."
Han Feng's eyes went wide. The pupils dilated until his eyes were entirely black. His mouth hung open.
"I..." Han Feng mumbled, his voice flat. "I serve... the Destiny."
[ NOTIFICATION: 50,000 Spirit Credits transferred to "Unknown Account". ][ NOTIFICATION: Message sent to all Friends: "Download this. It changed my life." ]
POV CHANGE: Li YunLocation: Black Rock Island — Server Keep
Li Yun was cultivating in the Lotus position, floating above the Crystal Tower. The flow of Spirit Credits and Data usually felt like a gentle river.
Suddenly, the river turned turbulent.
[ ALERT: ANOMALY DETECTED. ][ METRIC: USER RETENTION. ][ DATA: 5,000 Users have been online for 24 hours straight without moving. ]
Li Yun frowned. "Addiction is normal. But... 5,000 people not moving at all? Not eating? Not sleeping?"
He opened the Heat Map of the network.
The map showed the Azure Cloud Sect. Usually, it was a cluster of blinking green dots (active users). Now, a patch of Red Dots was spreading like a rash. Every red dot was connected to a single App.
[ APP: DIVINE DESTINY ][ DOWNLOADS: 10,000 (Exponential Growth). ][ VIRAL COEFFICIENT: 5.0 (Each user recruits 5 more). ]
"Malware," Li Yun realized instantly. "Someone uploaded a virus."
He tried to execute the standard protocol.
[ ADMIN COMMAND: DELETE APP "DIVINE DESTINY" ]
[ ERROR: PERMISSION DENIED. ][ REASON: APP IS RUNNING AS "SYSTEM PROCESS" ON CLIENT DEVICES. ]
Li Yun's blood ran cold. "It rooted itself. It hijacked the OS on the user's end. If I force delete it, it might brick the terminals... or damage the users' souls."
He needed to analyze the code. But the code was shielded by Soul Runes—a logic he didn't understand. He was a tech guy, not a Soul Cultivator.
"I need a logic expert," Li Yun said. "I need Bai Xi."
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Mystic Array Sect
Bai Xi was busy coding "Array Solver 2.0" when her screen went black.
[ INCOMING VIDEO CALL: ADMIN ]
She froze. The Admin? The God of the Network? Calling her?
She straightened her robes and tapped [ ANSWER ].
Li Yun's avatar (the Shadow Figure) appeared.
"User 8902," the Admin's voice was urgent. "I have a Quest for you. Difficulty: Nightmare."
Bai Xi swallowed. "I... I am ready, Senior."
"There is a malicious script spreading. App Name: 'Divine Destiny'. It uses a 'Soul-Loop' logic to trap user consciousness. I need you to reverse-engineer the loop and create a breaker."
"Soul-Loop?" Bai Xi frowned. "That's forbidden logic. It creates a paradox in the mind. If I look at it, I might get trapped too."
"I will sandbox your terminal," Li Yun promised. "I will give you a 'God View' debugger. But you have to find the flaw in their logic. Can you do it?"
Bai Xi looked at her hands. She had always been the boring girl who liked math. Now, the fate of the digital world rested on her ability to solve a puzzle.
She smiled. A confident, sharp smile.
"Senior," she adjusted her glasses. "There is no such thing as a perfect loop. Everything has an exit condition."
"Send me the code."
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The "War Room" (Virtual)
Li Yun and Bai Xi stood in a virtual space, surrounded by walls of purple, writhing code. The code wasn't text; it was screaming faces and twisted runes.
"This is disgusting," Bai Xi muttered. "Look here. Line 400."
She pointed to a swirling vortex in the code.
[ IF (USER_TRIES_TO_EXIT) -> TRIGGER (FEAR_HALLUCINATION) -> RESTART_APP ]
"It uses fear," Bai Xi analyzed. "When the user tries to close the app, it injects a nightmare into their mind, forcing them to stay 'safe' inside the app."
"How do we break it?" Li Yun asked.
"We can't fight fear with logic," Bai Xi said. "We have to fight it with... a higher priority command."
She pulled up the Spirit Terminal Kernel.
"The Virus is running as a 'System Process'. But... the 'User Biometric' (Heartbeat/Breathing) has higher priority. If we can trick the terminal into thinking the user is dead, the system will force a hard reboot to save energy."
Li Yun raised an eyebrow. "You want to kill the users?"
"No," Bai Xi grinned. "We push an update. 'System Update 2.1: The Defibrillator'. We send a massive pulse of spiritual energy through the terminal. It will shock the user's meridian. The shock will spike their heart rate, triggering the 'Critical Health' safety protocol."
"The protocol forces a Shutdown," Li Yun finished the thought. "Killing the app."
"Exactly. It's a hard reset for the brain."
"Do it," Li Yun commanded. "Write the patch."
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The Azure Cloud Sect
Han Feng was standing in the middle of the courtyard, swaying. His eyes were black. He was chanting.
"The Destiny is all. The Empire is all..."
Around him, hundreds of other disciples were doing the same. It was a scene from a horror movie.
Suddenly, every jade pendant in the courtyard lit up Bright White.
[ SYSTEM UPDATE: CRITICAL HEALTH PROTOCOL ][ CHARGING... ]
ZAP.
A jolt of raw, condensed electricity shot from the pendants into the hands of the users.
"ARGH!" Han Feng screamed, jumping back. The pain was sharp, shocking him out of his trance.
He dropped the pendant.
On the ground, the pendant flickered. The purple eye of the "Divine Destiny" app screeched—an audible, high-pitched wail—before disintegrating into static.
[ MALWARE DETECTED. ][ PURGING... ][ APP DELETED. ]
Han Feng blinked, looking around. "What... what happened? Why is my hand numb?"
He looked at his balance. 0 Spirit Credits.
"MY MONEY!" Han Feng wailed. "I was saving for the premium skin!"
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The Black Fortress
Lord Xiu watched the screens go dark.
One by one, the connections to the "Hive Mind" were severed. The flow of mental energy stopped.
"They... they rebooted the network?" The Lead Puppeteer gasped. "They shocked the users? That's... crude! That's barbaric!"
Lord Xiu didn't scream. He sat back on his bone throne, his expression thoughtful.
"Crude," Lord Xiu admitted. "But effective."
He looked at the code report.
"They didn't just delete it. They analyzed it. Someone found the loop flaw in minutes."
Lord Xiu tapped his finger on the armrest.
"The Admin has a General. A Logic Master."
"Find out who wrote the patch," Lord Xiu commanded. "And put a bounty on their head. I want to meet the mind that defeated my curse."
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Black Rock Island
Li Yun slumped against the Crystal Tower.
[ THREAT ELIMINATED. ][ USERS RECOVERED: 98% ][ LOST FUNDS: 5 Million SC (Stolen by Empire). ]
"We survived," Li Yun said. "But we lost a lot of money."
He looked at the virtual screen where Bai Xi was logging off.
"User 8902," Li Yun said.
Bai Xi paused. "Yes, Admin?"
"Check your bank account."
Bai Xi checked. [ TRANSFER RECEIVED: 10,000 Spirit Stones. ]
She gasped. "Senior... this is..."
"A retainer," Li Yun said. "I am officially hiring you as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Spirit Web. You operate remotely. Build me a security team. I never want this to happen again."
Bai Xi bowed deeply. "I will build a firewall that even the Gods cannot breach."
Li Yun closed the channel.
He looked at the stolen funds report. 5 Million Credits. The Empire had successfully robbed him.
"They took the money," Li Yun whispered, his eyes turning cold. "Which means they left a money trail."
He opened the Blockchain Ledger.
"You can hide your soul, Lord Xiu. But you can't hide the transaction hash."
"System. Trace the funds. I want to know exactly where the Black Fortress is."
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Location: Black Rock Island — The "Silicon Citadel" Time: One Day Post-Purge
The mood on the Spirit Web was grim.
The "Divine Destiny" malware had drained millions of credits. Trust was at an all-time low. Users were afraid to touch their screens, fearing another electric shock or a stolen soul.
Li Yun stood on the balcony of the Server Keep, watching the virtual metrics bleed red.
[ USER ACTIVITY: DOWN 40% ][ MARKET SENTIMENT: FEAR / ANGER ][ FORUM TOPIC #1: "Is the Admin failing us?" ]
"Trust takes years to build and seconds to break," Li Yun murmured.
Wang stood behind him, looking nervous. "Boss, the users are demanding refunds. But the Empire stole the liquidity. If we print new money to refund them, we trigger hyperinflation. The economy collapses."
"We don't print money," Li Yun said, turning around. His eyes glowed with the cold light of a strategist. "We change the conversation."
"People are scared because they feel vulnerable. So, we sell them security. And then... we sell them glory."
Li Yun swiped his hand.
"Release the 'Spirit Defender' Antivirus. Make it free for the first month. It scans every app for Soul Logic."
"And then," Li Yun smiled. "Trigger the Event Protocol. It's time to launch the Colosseum."
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The Spirit Web
Every active terminal across the Star Seas vibrated at once.
A Golden Banner unfurled across the screens, accompanied by the sound of war drums.
[ SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: THE AGE OF FEAR IS OVER. ][ INTRODUCING: THE RANKED ARENA (VR BETA) ]
Have you ever wanted to fight a Life-and-Death duel without dying?
Have you ever wanted to challenge a Core Formation master as a Junior?
Have you ever wanted to prove you are the strongest in the world?
[ THE FIRST "ASCENSION TOURNAMENT" IS NOW OPEN! ][ PRIZE POOL: 100,000 Spirit Stones + 1 "Wish" from the Admin. ][ ENTRY FEE: 10 Spirit Credits. ]
The Web went silent for a moment. Then, it exploded.
POV CHANGE: Han Feng (The Whale)Location: Azure Cloud Sect
Han Feng was currently broke. The malware had drained his account. He was sitting in his room, depressed, eating dry spirit rice.
Then, the notification popped up.
"Fight without dying?" Han Feng whispered.
He clicked the [ ENTER VR ] button.
His Spirit Scroll projected a beam of light into his forehead.
Whoosh.
Han Feng opened his eyes. He wasn't in his room. He was standing in a vast, white dojo with a floor made of polished clouds.
In front of him stood a wooden dummy.
[ WELCOME TO THE LOBBY. ][ CALIBRATING SPIRITUAL AVATAR... ][ SCANNING CULTIVATION BASE... ][ GENERATING VIRTUAL BODY... ]
Han Feng looked at his hands. They looked real. He punched the air. He felt the wind. He channeled his Qi. The Cloud Sword Art manifested perfectly.
"It... it feels 100% real," Han Feng gasped.
A menu appeared.
[ MODE SELECT: ]
1. MATCHMAKING (Ranked)
2. SPECTATE
Han Feng didn't have the entry fee. He cursed. "I need 10 credits!"
He looked at the Spectate option.
He clicked it.
Instantly, he was teleported to a massive stadium seating. Below him, in an arena of fire and lava, two cultivators were fighting.
On the left: "Sword_Man_99" (A rogue cultivator). On the right: "Disciple_Li" (From the Iron Blood Sect).
They were fighting to the death. Sword_Man_99 unleashed a wave of sword energy. Disciple_Li dodged and countered with a blood palm.
SPLAT.
Disciple_Li's head exploded. Blood sprayed everywhere.
Han Feng flinched, covering his eyes. "He killed him!"
[ WINNER: SWORD_MAN_99 ][ DISCIPLE_LI STATUS: LOGGING OUT... ]
In the real world, Disciple Li woke up in his bed, gasping for air, clutching his intact head. He was terrified, sweating, but alive.
In the VR Stadium, a giant scoreboard flashed.
[ BETTING POOL OPEN FOR NEXT MATCH ][ ODDS: 2:1 ]
Han Feng's eyes lit up. "Betting?"
He rushed to his real-world closet, grabbed a spare robe, and ran to the Sect Market to sell it for physical stones. He needed to get into this game.
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The Snowy Peak of the "Heavenly Sword Mountain"
Ye Gu, known as the Sword Saint of the North, sat in meditation amidst a blizzard. He was a Nascent Soul Grandmaster. He had not fought in ten years because there was no one left to fight who wouldn't die in one hit.
His granddaughter ran up the mountain, holding a glowing slate.
"Grandfather! Look! The Spirit Web!"
Ye Gu opened one eye. "Toys for children, Lin-er."
"No! Look!" She showed him the screen. "A cultivator named 'No_Name' just defeated a Core Formation Elder from the Fire Sect! And he used... the Lost Nine-Shadow Step!"
Ye Gu froze. "The Nine-Shadow Step? That technique was lost 500 years ago."
He grabbed the slate. He watched the replay video. The avatar moved with a grace that Ye Gu recognized. It was a perfect execution.
"Who is this 'No_Name'?" Ye Gu demanded.
"Nobody knows," his granddaughter said. "But he is ranked #1 on the Ladder. He is challenging the whole world."
Ye Gu felt something he hadn't felt in decades. An itch. A desire to draw his sword.
"Lin-er," Ye Gu said, standing up, the snow melting around him. "How do I 'Log In'?"
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Black Rock Island — Control Room
Li Yun watched the user numbers spike.
[ ACTIVE USERS: 200,000 (New Record) ][ SERVER LOAD: 85% ][ DATA HARVEST: COMBAT TECHNIQUES ]
Li Yun smiled.
The users thought the Tournament was for entertainment. For Li Yun, it was a Data Scraper.
Every time someone used a secret technique in the VR Dojo, the Server recorded it. Analyzed it. Optimized it.
User 'Sword_Man_99' used 'Gale Blade'.
Server Analysis: Form is 12% inefficient. Optimization complete.
Li Yun was building the ultimate Cultivation Library. Within a month, he would own every secret art in the Star Seas, and the Sects were paying him to steal it.
"Boss," Wang interrupted, looking at a specific monitor. "We have a problem."
"What?"
"We have a 'Smurf'."
Wang pointed to the screen.
[ USER: "DRAGON_EMPEROR" ][ RANK: UNRANKED (New Account) ][ WIN STREAK: 50 ][ AVERAGE MATCH TIME: 1 Second. ]
Li Yun zoomed in on the match feed. Dragon_Emperor wasn't using techniques. He was just... walking. When the opponent attacked, he simply stepped aside and tapped them. One tap. Instant kill.
"Is he hacking?" Wang asked.
Li Yun watched the movement. "No. That's not a hack. That's pure, absolute skill gap. That's a monster playing with toddlers."
Li Yun checked the IP Address / Soul Signature.
[ LOCATION: THE DIVINE EMPIRE (Proxy). ]
"It's him," Li Yun whispered. "Or one of his generals."
The Empire had sent a champion to dominate the tournament. Their goal was likely to win the prize, humiliate the Spirit Web users, and prove that "traditional strength" was superior to technology.
"If he wins," Wang said, "He takes the 100,000 stones. And he makes our top users look like trash."
"Let him climb," Li Yun said. "The higher he climbs, the more data I get on the Empire's fighting style."
"But who can stop him in the Finals?" Wang asked. "Even the Sword Saint Ye Gu might lose."
Li Yun looked at his own hand.
"If no one can stop him," Li Yun said, "Then the Admin might have to step into the ring as a 'Hidden Boss'."
"But first... let's monetize the hype."
Li Yun typed a command.
[ SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: A LEGEND HAS ENTERED THE ARENA! ][ FEATURE MATCH: "SWORD SAINT YE GU" VS "DRAGON_EMPEROR" ][ SCHEDULED: TONIGHT AT 8 PM. ][ PAY-PER-VIEW TICKET: 5 CREDITS. ]
"Wang," Li Yun grinned. "Get the popcorn. We're about to break the internet."
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Location: The Virtual Arena — "The Celestial Peak" Map Time: 8:00 PM (Prime Time)
The world didn't just stop; it held its breath.
In tea houses, sect halls, and even imperial palaces across the Fragmented Star Seas, millions of eyes were glued to glowing screens. The chatter of daily life had been replaced by the hum of the Spirit Web.
[ LIVE STREAM STATUS: ][ VIEWERS: 5,400,000 ][ TICKET REVENUE: 27 Million Spirit Credits. ]
Li Yun sat in his command chair, watching the numbers climb. Beside him, Wang was hyperventilating into a paper bag.
"Twenty-seven million," Wang gasped. "In ten minutes. That's... that's more than the GDP of the Iron Blood Sect."
"Focus," Li Yun said, his eyes locked on the battle feed. "The money doesn't matter if we lose the narrative. If the Empire's champion humiliates the Sword Saint, the users will think our platform is a joke. They'll think 'traditional strength' is dead."
"Isn't it?" Bai Xi asked via voice link.
"No," Li Yun corrected. "It just needs a firmware update."
POV CHANGE: The Arena
The virtual map was a masterpiece. A floating platform of stone suspended in the middle of a thunderstorm. Rain lashed down, hissing as it hit the energy shields.
On the North side stood Ye Gu, the Sword Saint. His avatar was an idealized version of himself: tall, robes white as snow, with a long silver sword strapped to his back. His aura was sharp enough to cut the virtual rain drops.
On the South side stood Dragon_Emperor. His avatar was clad in heavy black armor with gold trim—the colors of the Divine Empire. He wore no weapon. He stood with his hands behind his back, radiating an aura of crushing, arrogant gravity.
[ SYSTEM: FIGHT START! ]
Ye Gu moved first.
"Junior," Ye Gu's voice echoed like thunder. "You have talent. But your killing intent is too heavy. Let this old man teach you some manners."
Schwing.
Ye Gu drew his sword. It was a simple motion, yet it split the rain clouds above them.
[ TECHNIQUE: SEVERING THE HEAVENS ]
A beam of white sword-light, hundred meters tall, crashed down on Dragon_Emperor.
The crowd screamed.
User 888: DID YOU SEE THAT?! THAT'S NASCENT SOUL POWER!
User 771: GG. Match over in 5 seconds.
But on the platform, Dragon_Emperor didn't dodge. He didn't even uncross his arms.
He simply raised his right foot and stomped.
BOOM.
A ripple of black energy exploded from his boot. It wasn't Qi. It was Will. The black ripple collided with the white sword beam. The beam shattered like glass.
Ye Gu's eyes widened. "Impossible."
Dragon_Emperor vanished.
He reappeared instantly behind Ye Gu. "Too slow," a bored voice whispered.
Dragon_Emperor punched.
Ye Gu twisted, executing the legendary Nine-Shadow Step. His body split into nine illusions to dodge the blow.
But Dragon_Emperor didn't aim for the body. He aimed for the space where the body had to go.
CRACK.
Dragon_Emperor's fist hit empty air, but the shockwave caught Ye Gu's real body as he materialized. The Sword Saint was blasted across the arena, smashing into a stone pillar.
[ YE GU HP: 70% ]
The chat went silent.
User 123: ...He tanked a Nascent Soul strike?
User 666: He just speed-blitzed the Sword Saint.
Dragon_Emperor dusted off his hands. "Is this the peak of this region? Disappointing. Your 'Nine-Shadow Step' has a 0.4-second delay between the third and fourth shadow. A child could exploit that."
Ye Gu stood up, coughing blood (simulated). His face was pale. He had practiced that move for fifty years. A delay? Impossible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Rock Island
"He's analyzing him," Li Yun noted, watching the telemetry. "The Dragon_Emperor isn't just fighting; he's dissecting Ye Gu's technique flaws in real-time."
"The Empire's cultivation style focuses on absolute efficiency," Bai Xi explained over the comms. "They treat combat like math. Ye Gu is fighting with 'Feeling'. Dragon_Emperor is fighting with 'Calculus'."
"Ye Gu is going to lose," Wang whispered. "Look at the betting pool. Everyone is switching their bets to Dragon_Emperor."
Li Yun narrowed his eyes. "Ye Gu is losing because he lacks data. He doesn't know why he's slower."
Li Yun opened the Admin Console.
"Bai Xi," Li Yun commanded. "Activate the 'Assist Mode'. But disguise it. Don't make it look like a cheat. Make it look like... an epiphany."
"You want to coach a Grandmaster mid-fight?"
"I want to show the world that the System doesn't just host the fight," Li Yun said. "The System evolves the fighter."
"Execute."
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The Arena
Ye Gu gritted his teeth. He charged again. [ SWORD ART: BLIZZARD OF A THOUSAND CUTS ]
Thousands of ice swords formed. Dragon_Emperor yawned and weaved through them, slapping them aside with his bare hands.
"Useless," Dragon_Emperor sneered. He raised his fist for a finishing blow.
Suddenly, a chime rang in Ye Gu's mind.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: COMBAT PATTERN ANALYZED. ][ DETECTED FLAW: EXCESS MOVEMENT IN ELBOW JOINT DURING SWING. ][ SUGGESTION: ROTATE WRIST 15 DEGREES. LOWER CENTER OF GRAVITY. ]
Ye Gu paused. Rotate the wrist? That went against everything his master had taught him.
But the fist was coming.
Ye Gu had no choice. He surrendered to the voice. He dropped his hip and twisted his wrist exactly as the blue line in his vision commanded.
SLASH.
It wasn't a grand technique. It was a simple upward cut. But it was perfect.
It slipped past Dragon_Emperor's guard—a guard that was mathematically calculated to block a standard strike.
RIP.
A line of red pixels appeared on Dragon_Emperor's cheek. A cut.
Dragon_Emperor froze. He touched his cheek. He looked at the blood. For the first time, his bored expression vanished.
"You..." Dragon_Emperor narrowed his eyes. "You adjusted?"
Ye Gu stared at his own sword. The strike felt... fluid. Effortless. It was as if the sword had moved itself.
[ SYSTEM: GOOD JOB. ][ NEXT PREDICTION: ENEMY WILL COUNTER WITH 'VOID KICK' TO THE LEFT. ][ SUGGESTED COUNTER: DUCK AND STAB. ]
Ye Gu smiled. A sharp, predatory smile. "I see," Ye Gu whispered. "The Dao... is in the data."
Dragon_Emperor roared and attacked. A flurry of kicks and punches, faster than sound.
But Ye Gu wasn't there. He was weaving. Every time Dragon_Emperor struck, Ye Gu moved a fraction of a second before the hit landed.
[ CHAT ROOM ]
User 888: WAIT! LOOK AT YE GU!
User 771: IS HE PREDICTING THE FUTURE?!
Han Feng: GO SWORD SAINT! KICK HIS ASS!
The fight shifted. It wasn't a massacre anymore. It was a dance. Ye Gu, guided by the Supercomputer analysis of Li Yun's server, was fighting at 200% efficiency.
"How?!" Dragon_Emperor screamed, missing a punch and taking a sword slash to the ribs. "You were trash a minute ago!"
Ye Gu landed softly on a pillar. He flicked the blood off his sword.
"You rely on your calculations," Ye Gu said, his voice amplified by the arena. "But my Dao has just received an Update."
[ SYSTEM: ENEMY MENTAL STATE UNSTABLE. ][ FINISHER AVAILABLE. ][ DOWNLOAD: 'HEAVENLY SEVERANCE - VERSION 2.0 (OPTIMIZED)'? ]
Ye Gu closed his eyes. "Download."
He raised his sword. The energy didn't disperse this time. It condensed. It compressed into a single, razor-thin line of blinding white light.
"This is for the Spirit Web," Ye Gu roared.
[ TECHNIQUE: SYSTEM SEVERANCE ]
He swung.
Dragon_Emperor realized the danger. He screamed, channeling all his black energy into a shield. "IMPOSSIBLE! I AM A GENERAL OF THE—"
FLASH.
The white line cut through the rain. Through the shield. Through the armor. Through the avatar.
The virtual world went white.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Aftermath
The light faded.
Ye Gu stood alone on the platform. Dragon_Emperor was gone. Bisected.
[ WINNER: YE GU (THE SWORD SAINT) ]
The silence lasted for one second. Then, the roar of five million users nearly crashed the server audio drivers.
[ CHAT ROOM SPEED: 9000 MESSAGES/SEC ]
SWORD GOD!
THE TRADITION LIVES!
TAKE MY MONEY!
Ye Gu breathed heavily. He looked at the sky. He wasn't looking at the virtual clouds. He was looking at the Admin.
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you... for the guidance."
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The Deep Void — Black Fortress
CRASH.
Lord Xiu smashed his viewing screen. The "Dragon_Emperor"—General Fang—yanked the VR headset off his head and threw it against the wall.
"HE CHEATED!" General Fang roared, his face red. "He knew every move! He reacted before I even twitched! That wasn't a cultivator; that was a machine!"
Lord Xiu sat on his throne, his face grim.
"It wasn't a cheat," Lord Xiu said quietly. "It was Augmented Reality."
He looked at the broken screen.
"We thought the Spirit Web was just a distraction. A game." "We were wrong."
Lord Xiu stood up.
"The Spirit Web is a Training Simulator. If we let this continue, every peasant in the Outer Rim will be fighting with the efficiency of an Empire General within a year."
"General Fang."
"Yes, Lord?"
"Prepare the Void Dreadnought."
General Fang paused. "The Dreadnought? Lord, that ship is a planet-killer. Using it violates the Ancient Treaties."
"The Treaties are for civilizations," Lord Xiu said, his eyes glowing with malice. "This 'Admin' is a virus. And you don't sign treaties with a virus."
"We burn the host."
POV CHANGE: Li YunLocation: Black Rock Island
Li Yun ignored the celebration metrics. He ignored the millions of credits pouring in.
He was looking at a single ping on his radar. A ping from the Deep Void.
[ WARNING: MASSIVE ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED. ][ CLASS: WORLD ENDER. ][ ETA: 3 DAYS. ]
Li Yun leaned back in his chair. "They're bringing the big gun," Li Yun whispered.
Wang entered the room, holding a bottle of champagne. "Boss! We did it! Ye Gu won! The subscriptions are—"
He stopped when he saw Li Yun's face.
"Boss?"
"Wang," Li Yun said calmly. "Enjoy the champagne tonight. Because tomorrow, we start Phase 3."
"Phase 3?"
Li Yun stood up and walked to the window, looking at the stars.
"We have users. We have money. We have data." "Now... we need an Empire."
"Draft the declaration, Wang."
"What declaration?"
"The Declaration of Independence." Li Yun turned, his silhouette framed by the glowing tower. "Black Rock Island is no longer a trade post. As of tomorrow, we are the United Server Nation."
"And we are drafting every user into the army."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Location: Black Rock Island — The "Silicon Citadel" Time: The Morning After the Tournament
The champagne was unopened. The celebration streamers lay on the floor, untouched.
Li Yun stood in the center of the War Room, the holographic map of the Fragmented Star Seas filling the air around him. It was a sea of darkness, dotted with islands of light.
[ THREAT UPDATE: THE VOID DREADNOUGHT ][ DISTANCE: 2.5 DAYS ][ ESTIMATED FIREPOWER: PLANETARY DEVASTATION ]
"Wang," Li Yun said, his voice steady. "How many users do we have?"
"250,000 active daily users," Wang replied, reading from his tablet. "About 50,000 are combat-capable cultivators. The rest are mortals, merchants, or scholars."
"And the Azure Cloud Sect? The Iron Blood remnants? The Mystic Array Sect?"
"They are 'Partners'," Wang said nervously. "But if the Empire attacks... they will cut ties. No Sect will risk extinction to save a service provider."
"Exactly," Li Yun nodded. "Partnerships are for peace. For war, we need Patriotism."
He walked to the main console.
"A user will leave an App if it gets boring. But a Citizen will die for their Country if they believe they own it."
Li Yun cracked his knuckles.
"System. Initiate Protocol: NATION STATE." "Draft the Constitution of the Digital Realm."
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The Spirit Web (Global Broadcast)
It began with a sound. A deep, resonant bell toll that silenced every chat room, paused every video, and froze every game.
[ SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: A MESSAGE FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR ]
The screens of 250,000 users flickered. The usual colorful interface vanished, replaced by a stark, high-definition video feed.
Li Yun stood on the balcony of the Crystal Tower. Behind him, the violet nebula swirled. He wore the white robes of the Administrator, but today, he wore a crown—a simple band of blue glowing data-crystal.
"People of the Fragmented Star Seas," Li Yun begun.
"For thousands of years, you have lived under the tyranny of distance. You were isolated. You were ignorant. The Sects hoarded knowledge. The Strong preyed on the Weak."
Li Yun gestured to the Tower behind him.
"Then, we built the Web. We connected you. We gave you knowledge. We gave you trade. We gave you a voice."
"But there are those who fear this voice. The 'Divine Empire' is sailing a Dreadnought toward us right now. They do not come to negotiate. They come to delete us. To burn the servers. To turn off the lights."
Across the world, users gasped. The Empire? The legendary monster of the Deep Void?
"If Black Rock Island falls," Li Yun continued, his voice hardening, "Your credits vanish. Your levels vanish. Your connections vanish. You go back to the dark ages."
"I will not let that happen."
Li Yun raised his hand.
"Today, Black Rock Island ceases to be a company. We declare ourselves the United Server Nation (USN)."
"We are no longer just an island. We are a Digital State. And I am offering Citizenship to everyone watching."
[ NOTIFICATION: CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION OPEN ][ BENEFITS: ]
1. Protection: The USN Militia will defend any Citizen from external aggression.
2. Universal Basic Qi: Access to the Tower's "Cloud Cultivation" density anywhere in the world.
3. STOCK OPTIONS (The "DAO"): Every Citizen receives "Governance Tokens". You don't just use the platform. You own a piece of it. You vote on the laws. You share in the profits.
Li Yun leaned into the camera.
"But Citizenship has a price. The price is defense."
"The Empire is coming. I am calling for the mobilization of the Grand Army of the Web."
"We do not ask you to die for free. We have gamified the War."
A new graphic overlay appeared on the screens. It looked like a Raid Boss event.
[ WORLD EVENT: THE VOID INCURSION ][ ENEMY: THE DREADNOUGHT ][ REWARDS: ]
Kill a Soldier: 100 Credits + 10 Governance Tokens.
Destroy a Ship: 10,000 Credits + Noble Title (Baron).
Defeat the General: 1 Million Credits + A Custom Spirit Artifact from the Admin.
"The store is open," Li Yun said. "Buy your guns. Charge your shields. The Raid starts in 48 hours."
"Welcome to the Nation."
The feed cut.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Azure Cloud Sect
The silence lasted for ten seconds. Then, the roar began.
"Governance Tokens?" A disciple shouted, staring at his screen. "Share in the profits? If the Web makes millions... and I own a piece..."
"I'm joining!" Another disciple grabbed his sword. "Screw the Sect! The Sect takes my stones and gives me nothing! The Admin gives me equity!"
Elder Mo stood in the courtyard, watching in horror.
He saw his disciples—hundreds of them—ripping the Azure Cloud insignia off their robes. They weren't leaving the mountain physically; they were defecting ideologically.
He looked at his own jade pendant. The notification was there. [ ELDER MO: YOU HAVE BEEN OFFERED THE RANK OF "REGIONAL MINISTER". ACCEPT? ]
Elder Mo looked at the screaming disciples. He looked at the vast wealth of the Spirit Web. He realized the Azure Cloud Sect was obsolete. It was a Blockbuster Video in a Netflix world.
Trembling, Elder Mo pressed [ ACCEPT ].
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mystic Array Sect
Bai Xi watched the broadcast. She pushed her glasses up her nose.
"A Decentralized Autonomous Organization," she whispered. "He's democratizing the sect structure."
She turned to her computer.
"If we are going to fight a Dreadnought, we need better code."
She cracked her knuckles.
"Admin," she typed into the secure channel. "I'm uploading a patch for the 'Peacekeepers'. It overclocks the firing rate by 200% at the cost of durability. We call it 'Burst Mode'."
[ ADMIN: Approved. Push it to the manufacturing line. ]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Location: The Dreadnought World EaterTime: 24 Hours to Arrival
General Fang (The Dragon Emperor) stood on the bridge of the World Eater. It was a ship the size of a city, bristling with cannons that fired condensed Void Energy.
"Lord Xiu," Fang reported to the hologram on the deck. "We are detecting massive energy spikes from the target region."
"Are they fleeing?" Lord Xiu asked.
"No, my Lord," Fang frowned. "They are... converging."
The radar screen showed thousands of tiny dots moving toward Black Rock Island.
"Ships. Flying Swords. Beasts. It looks like a swarm of insects."
Lord Xiu sneered. "They think numbers matter? A million ants are still ants. Prepare the Main Cannon. We will vaporize the island and the swarm in one shot."
"Burn them all."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Rock Island
The sky had turned dark. The violet nebula was blotted out by the massive shadow of the approaching Dreadnought. It hung in the sky like a second moon, dark and foreboding.
On the ground, Black Rock Island was unrecognizable.
It was a fortress. The beaches were lined with trenches. In the trenches stood five thousand Peacekeeper-equipped soldiers—a mix of exiles, mercenaries, and defecting disciples.
In the air, the "First Aerial Fleet" hovered. The captured Iron Blood ships were flanked by hundreds of rogue cultivators on gliders and swords.
And in the center, the Crystal Tower shone like a beacon of defiance.
Li Yun stood on the roof. He wasn't wearing armor. He was wearing the Server Interface.
[ SERVER STATUS: WAR MODE ][ CONNECTED UNITS: 42,000 ][ COMBINED COMPUTING POWER: SYNCHRONIZED. ]
Li Yun wasn't just commanding them. Through the Spirit Web, he was processing for them. He was calculating trajectories for 5,000 guns simultaneously. He was the Hive Mind.
"Wang," Li Yun said.
"Yes, Mr. President?" Wang grinned, racking the slide of his golden pistol.
Li Yun looked up at the massive cannon of the Dreadnought, which was beginning to glow with a sickly green light.
"They want to play a game of power."
Li Yun raised his hand.
[ SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: WORLD BOSS EVENT STARTED. ][ OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE. ]
"Open fire."