Chapter 1: The Busted Install
Li Chen blinked. One moment, he was choking down instant noodles in his cramped apartment, the next… he was choking on air thick with the scent of pine needles and something faintly metallic. Sunlight, painfully bright, stabbed through towering trees. Concrete jungle replaced by actual jungle. Panic flared, hot and sharp.
"Transdimensional translocation complete. Host designated: Li Chen. Cultivation System v9.81 'Cosmic Overlord Edition' initializing…"
A voice, cool and synthetic, echoed directly inside his skull. A blue, semi-transparent screen flickered before his eyes, filled with swirling, indecipherable symbols that suddenly snapped into crisp, modern Mandarin.
System Notification:
Welcome, Host!
Initial Energy Surge Detected… Compiling…
Error: Local Reality Matrix Insufficient.
Compensating…
Compensating…
…
Host Cultivation Base: [Mortal] >>> [???]
…
Reality Calibration Required. Standby…
Li Chen stared, mouth agape. "System? Cultivation? What the actual—"
Before he could finish, the world shuddered. It wasn't an earthquake; it felt deeper, like the fabric of existence itself groaned under sudden, immense pressure. The air crackled. The vibrant greens of the forest seemed to deepen, becoming almost unnaturally vivid. A nearby boulder… rippled, its surface briefly flowing like liquid stone before solidifying again, now shot through with veins of faintly glowing crystal.
"Reality Calibration Complete. Host Status Elevated: [Primordial Foundation Establishment - Peak Stage]. Warning: Local Reality Has Adapted. Threat Level Increased Significantly. Commencing Survival Protocol."
"Peak Foundation Establishment?" Li Chen choked out. He'd read enough webnovels to know that was insane for a starting point. "Adapted? What does that—"
A guttural roar shattered the unnatural silence. From the denser undergrowth nearby, a creature emerged. It looked vaguely like a wolf, if wolves were the size of small cars, had obsidian-black fur that seemed to absorb light, and six glowing crimson eyes burning with unnatural intelligence. Drool sizzled as it hit the moss-covered ground.
System Analysis:
Entity: [Voidfang Wolf - Mutated]
Cultivation: [Late Stage Qi Condensation - Enhanced]
Threat Assessment: Moderate-High (Reality Adaptation Detected: Void Affinity Awakened)
"Late Stage Qi Condensation? That should be way below Foundation Establishment!" Li Chen yelped, scrambling back. "You said I was Peak Foundation!"
"Host possesses theoretical power level," the System's voice remained infuriatingly calm. "Practical application: 0%. Reality Adaptation has empowered baseline entities. Recommendation: Evade or Eliminate."
The Voidfang Wolf lunged, a blur of darkness and snapping jaws. Instinct, fueled by raw terror and the sudden, overwhelming energy surging within him – a vast ocean he had no idea how to swim in – took over. Li Chen screamed and threw out his hands.
He didn't channel energy. He didn't form a technique. He just… pushed.
Space warped.
A ten-foot sphere around the leaping wolf distorted violently. The creature howled, not in pain, but in disorientation, as it seemed to stretch and compress simultaneously before snapping back into place, crashing clumsily into a tree trunk instead of Li Chen.
"Reality Distortion: Localized Spacetime Shear (Unintentional). Energy Expenditure: 0.01%. Proficiency: Abysmal."
Li Chen stared at his trembling hands, then at the dazed wolf. "I… I did that?" A hysterical laugh bubbled up. "Okay. Okay! Busted system. Mutated murder-puppies. Got it." He took a shaky breath, a spark of his old, sardonic wit cutting through the panic. Time to see just how broken this thing really is. "System! Options! How do I not die in the next five minutes? Preferably with minimal flailing!"
"Combat Protocol Activated. Scanning for exploitable local anomalies…"
The Voidfang Wolf shook its massive head, the crimson eyes locking back onto Li Chen, burning with predatory fury. It crouched, muscles coiling like obsidian springs.
Li Chen braced himself, the absurdity warring with the very real, very sharp teeth mere yards away. The System's interface flickered, symbols rapidly cascading.
*"Anomaly Detected: Chronal Instability Node (Minor) - 15 meters northwest. Synchronization possible."*
"Chronal Instability?" Li Chen muttered, eyeing the indicated spot – a patch of air shimmering faintly, like heat haze. "Time stuff? How do I—"
The wolf launched again, faster this time, a streak of hungry shadow.
"Host Command Required: Activate Temporal Anchor? (Y/N)"
"Yes! Anchor! Whatever!" Li Chen shouted, throwing himself sideways.
"Command Acknowledged. Executing: Temporal Anchor - Localized Stasis."
The world didn't freeze. Everything else did.
The Voidfang Wolf hung suspended mid-leap, jaws wide, drool crystallized in mid-air. Dust motes hung like tiny, frozen stars. The rustle of leaves silenced. Only Li Chen and the shimmering patch of air seemed exempt. He could move, breathe, think.
"Holy time-out, Batman," he breathed, stepping cautiously around the frozen predator. The sheer, casual power was terrifying. And exhilarating. He poked the wolf's frozen snout. Solid. Unyielding.
"Anchor Duration: 10 subjective seconds. Reality Strain: Low. Host may interact with the Anchor Point."
The shimmering patch pulsed gently. Li Chen reached out, not with his hand, but with the strange new sense the System had unlocked within him – the awareness of the ocean of power at his core. He touched the instability.
*"Chronal Instability Node Absorbed. System Function Unlocked: [Minor Temporal Rewind - Localized]. Cooldown: 24 hours."*
The frozen scene snapped back into motion. The wolf completed its lunge, crashing into empty space where Li Chen had been a subjective second ago. It skidded, confused, sniffing the air.
Li Chen stood five meters away, heart pounding, a giddy, dangerous smile spreading across his face. He felt the new function slot into his System interface, a tiny, coiled potential. Rewind time? Even locally? This wasn't just leveling up. This was cheating reality itself.
"Alright, Fido," Li Chen said, the initial terror replaced by a surge of bold recklessness fueled by his impossible advantage. "Round two? Or do you wanna find someone whose bones don't come with built-in time hacks?" He raised a hand, not sure what he'd do but feeling the vast, untapped power thrumming beneath his skin, ready to warp the world again at his poorly-aimed whim.
The Voidfang Wolf snarled, sensing the shift, the wrongness radiating from the human. It hesitated, those six crimson eyes flickering with something deeper than animal hunger – a spark of primal fear. It wasn't facing prey anymore. It was facing an anomaly.
Before it could decide, a sharp whistle cut through the clearing. The wolf's ears flattened. With a final, baleful glare at Li Chen, it melted back into the shadows, vanishing as swiftly as it appeared.
Li Chen lowered his hand, the adrenaline crash leaving him shaky. He wasn't alone.
From the opposite tree line, a figure stepped into the dappled sunlight. A young woman, perhaps his age, dressed in simple but well-made grey robes. Her long dark hair was tied back severely, emphasizing sharp, intelligent features and eyes that widened slightly as they took in Li Chen – his modern clothes, his bewildered expression, and the lingering, almost visible distortion in the air around him.
"You," she stated, her voice crisp and carrying a note of disbelief, "are either the luckiest fool or the unluckiest genius I've ever seen. That was a Voidscarred Shadowstalker. They hunt Foundation Establishment experts for sport." Her gaze sharpened, scanning him with an intensity that felt like it peeled back layers. "What... are you? And what did you just do to the flow of time?"
Li Chen met her gaze, the System's silent hum a constant presence in his mind. He offered a weak, lopsided grin. "Honestly? Right now? I'm mostly just confused, incredibly hungry, and apparently in way over my head." He gestured vaguely at the spot where the wolf had vanished. "As for the time thing... let's call it a system glitch."
The woman didn't smile. Her hand rested lightly on the hilt of a slender sword at her waist. "A 'system glitch' that bends seconds like cheap wire?" She took a cautious step forward. "You reek of impossible power and utter ignorance. That makes you dangerous. To yourself. And to everyone around you."
System Notification (Private):
Entity Designation: Bai Xue
Cultivation: [Early Stage Foundation Establishment]
Affiliation: Verdant Spring Sect (Disciple)
Threat Assessment: Low-Moderate (Caution: Observant. Potential Ally/Enemy?)
Warning: Host's Reality Distortion Signature Detected by Local Entity. Escalation Probability: Increasing.
Li Chen's grin faltered slightly. Escalation. Of course. He looked at Bai Xue, then back into the unnaturally silent, vibrant forest. His busted system had thrown him into the deep end, and the deep end had just grown teeth, claws, and a taste for chronal anomalies. His first taste of power was exhilarating... but Bai Xue was right. He was dangerous. And the world, it seemed, was already adapting, preparing to push back.
"Alright, System," he thought grimly, watching Bai Xue's wary stance. "Survival Protocol is a go. What's the next move in this insane game?" He met the cultivator's intense gaze. "So... Verdant Spring Sect, huh? Any chance you guys serve lunch?"