Within the Dao Transmission Platform, only Lu Fan remained. Seated cross-legged, with his hand resting against his chin and brows tightly furrowed, he was deep in contemplation.
Wolong Ridge wasn't a random name he conjured on a whim—it was a carefully considered choice, selected within his sphere of control as the launch site for the first mystic realm. Beyond the vast plains preceding Beiluo City, one would behold a mountain range lying flat upon the land like a slumbering divine dragon—this was Wolong Ridge. Located roughly a hundred miles from Beiluo City, neither too far nor too near.
For Lu Fan, constructing a mystic realm wasn't particularly complicated—much like creating a dungeon in a game. However, for this realm, certain rules needed to be set. The first mystic realm marked the advent of spiritual energy's resurgence, and Lu Fan had to ensure that its arrival would leave the world shaken to its core.
"Yuwen Xiu is the Son of Heaven of Great Zhou, while Xiang Shaoyun is the governor of Western Prefecture. Both wield immense power and command large armies. If they were to clash within the realm, turning the exploration into a battlefield, the original intent of spiritual enlightenment would be lost. Therefore, entry into the mystic realm must be restricted by qualification..."
Upon the Dao Transmission Platform, Lu Fan massaged his slender fingers, mind abuzz with countless considerations. With soul strength surpassing 20 points, his consciousness was exceptionally lucid, allowing him to deliberate with precision and clarity.
Buzz...
After a long while, Lu Fan began to act.
"Activating [Dao Transmission Platform] authority... commence mystic realm construction."
With a whisper, his spiritual power surged. The wind rose with spiritual energy, rolling and swirling around him. His robes fluttered as he sat poised within the mist, resembling an immortal of legend. One by one, archaic hexagram symbols floated before his eyes, forming neat matrices. Lu Fan reached out, his hand brushing over them lightly—each symbol seemed etched upon his very soul.
In the next instant, his surroundings began to shift. He appeared suspended within a chaotic void—heaven, earth, and all around, engulfed in pure emptiness.
Floating amidst the chaos, Lu Fan raised his hand, twenty-seven runes dancing at his fingertips in intricate sequences. Perhaps due to his authority over the [Dao Transmission Platform], the meanings of these runic combinations emerged vividly in his mind. He could rearrange them effortlessly, even sensing the ability to craft an entire world.
Of course, such a feat was beyond his current capabilities—his soul strength was far too feeble to bear the immense cost of world creation.
Within the void, Lu Fan struck the runes into the nothingness, each vanishing into the chaotic folds. Before his eyes, lines intertwined, forming the topography of... Wolong Ridge. The ridgeline manifested in linear form, which Lu Fan expanded with a gesture, inscribing layers of runes into its core. The belly of the mountain opened up as if carved out by an unseen force.
But what form should the first mystic realm take? This question had lingered since he activated the [Dao Transmission Platform].
Now, he had his answer.
The first mystic realm would take the form of a tomb—an illusory, ancient grave of a forgotten Qi Refiner. The tomb would brim with spiritual energy and ancient cultivation methods—this was the seed of immortality, the lure of fate.
Naturally, Lu Fan didn't make things too easy. Yet he refrained from incorporating elements such as "ghosts" or "demons"—beings too fantastical for the current low-martial state of the Five Phoenix Continent. If the difficulty were too extreme, all explorers might perish, and his grand reform would end before it began.
Thus, he merely tweaked the Qi Refiner's corpse to include subtle hazards.
As the construction of the tomb concluded, Lu Fan felt his soul strength rapidly depleting.
"Now that the mystic realm is constructed, I must define its rules…"
With a furrowed brow, he delved once more into thought. His soul strength being limited, the realm's scale was modest, and so eligibility must be carefully controlled.
"Rule definition: Create ten Qi Tokens—five Celestial, five Earth. Only those bearing these tokens may enter the mystic realm."
As his intent surged, a system prompt emerged.
"Consume 5 points of soul strength to define mystic realm rules?"
The cost of a single rule startled Lu Fan slightly—five points! The entire realm's construction had only consumed six.
"Confirm."
Rules were essential—there could be no compromise. In an instant, five soul strength points were drained.
Before him, spiritual energy coalesced and interwove, forming ten palm-sized tokens—five white, five black. The white tokens bore the inscription "Heaven," symbolizing Celestial Qi Tokens; the black ones, inscribed with "Earth," denoted Earth Qi Tokens.
"Rule definition: Establish external realm pressure at 25 times the intensity of a hundred threads of spiritual energy."
Another five points vanished, leaving Lu Fan with a mere three. Shaking his head and suppressing a wave of dizziness, he flicked his finger, and the ten tokens shot out into the void.
"Mystic realm construction complete."
"Initiating mystic realm projection—reflecting onto reality."
...
Rumble—
Dark clouds abruptly gathered above the night sky. The once radiant moon was veiled in shadows, plunging the world into inky blackness.
A hundred miles from Beiluo City—Wolong Ridge.
The long-dead ridge quaked violently. Boulders tumbled, stones leapt—the mountain seemed to tremble in fury. From its depths, night crows took flight, birds flapping in chaotic retreat. Amidst the darkness, a strange, eerie energy brewed.
The entire ridge seemed to be preparing for something—faint blue light shimmered like hidden veins beneath the surface.
...
Exiting the Dao Transmission Platform, Lu Fan opened his eyes. Beads of cold sweat clung to his forehead as he took a few shallow breaths and waited.
"No reward?"
Leaning against the wooden bedframe, he exhaled. Unlike the creation of the [Universal Law Furnace], which had yielded stat bonuses, this time he received nothing. A pang of disappointment struck him.
He slapped his cheeks and gazed at the system panel—only three pitiful soul strength points remained. Rubbing his temples, he sighed.
Laid upon the bed were five scrolls of cultivation methods. Among them were Blood Refining Techniques and martial disciplines. Assembling these had not been easy—after all, such scrolls were rare, especially ones of decent grade. Low-tier techniques, even if modified by the [Universal Law Furnace], might still fail to reach the standards of spiritual cultivation.
Among the Blood Refining scrolls were three: The Earth Derivation Scripture, Zhongnan Sword Codex, and Vast Vitality Technique. The first had been copied for him by Lu Changkong, his long-standing method. The Zhongnan Sword Codex was a sword sect technique—surrendered by Jing Yue in exchange for his life. The Vast Vitality Technique was obtained from fallen Confucian scholars.
The remaining two—Sword Sect Flying Sword Technique and String Blade—were martial arts, likewise betrayed by the unscrupulous Jing Yue.
With five scrolls now gathered, Lu Fan wasted no time.
His consciousness sank.
In his palm, the barely visible [Universal Law Furnace] materialized.
"Consume 25 threads of spiritual energy to refine and evolve the provided Blood Refining Techniques and martial disciplines?"
The system prompt appeared.
Lu Fan's gaze sharpened.
"Yes."
A mere 25 threads—well within his means.
In the system panel, the energy drained instantly. The furnace in his hand began to whirr, the texts on the scrolls seeming to come alive, leaping into the furnace. As the furnace operated, it truly appeared to be ablaze.
Time passed.
At last, calm returned.
"Modification complete. The provided techniques have been refined and upgraded. New rank: High Yellow Grade."
The system prompt materialized before his eyes. Five scrolls now radiated spiritual brilliance, quietly resting upon the bed.
Lu Fan's eyes gleamed.
Just as he picked one up to examine—
A new prompt emerged.
"Side Quest 1: Evolve five Blood Refining Techniques or martial disciplines. (Progress: 5/5 — Complete)"
"Congratulations, Host, on completing [Side Quest 1]. Reward: 5 Allocatable Attribute Points and the Celestial Game Manual – Yitian Momentum."