Outside the chaos.
Five colossal figures, each dwarfing entire universes, sat arrayed around an immense mountain, their auras concealed in the lightless void beyond the chaos' boundaries. Only indistinct, looming shadows hinted at their unfathomable presences.
"You can feel it, right?" One resonant voice broke the silence.
"Yes, someone has destroyed the chaos," another responded, its tones an ominous rumble.
"Only a creator is capable of such an act."
"How is that possible?" A third boomed with disquiet. "Only the five of us are creators, and we have kept vigil over one another long before the chaos came into existence."
A measured cadence replied, "Do not be so quickly unsettled. The chaos still remains."
"Then how can it persist if it has already been destroyed?"
"It seems someone is manipulating the very currents of time itself."
The single word "Time?" rippled through the cosmic congregation as the titans began murmuring amongst themselves, their voices rising in an incomprehensible crescendo as each sought to be heard. Yet the continuous, overlapping discourses did not appear to faze them, almost as if they could seamlessly grasp every thread of the multitudinous exchange.
After an indeterminate span, a slow, quaking intonation rang out. "Let us all calm ourselves." The susurration instantly fell silent as the others yielded to that trembling voice. "I have called you here not merely to discuss this matter of interference with the temporal stream, but also to address an uncontrollable variable that has manifested within the chaos."
...
Heavenly Palace, Hall (A rank-one sect)
"Is it done?" A crude, sharp voice reverberated through the immense hall.
The speaker was none other than Liu Jian, Sect Master of the Heavenly Palace, seated upon an imposing golden throne at the chamber's far end. Before him knelt a middle-aged man swathed in black - Zhang Wei, an elder of the sect.
"It went perfectly, Sect Master. The Chen sect has been completely wiped out. Only the Chen family's useless young master, who was away on a mission, survived. But have no concern; I have already dispatched my men to deal with the matter. They should be returning any moment now..."
Before Zhang Wei could finish, the doors burst open, and a figure stumbled through, gasping for breath.
"Elder Zhang, something happened..."
...
Two hours earlier, Chen Sect grounds.
"Since you're already here, why don't you show yourselves?" Chen Mo's calm words sliced through the lingering silence.
"Hehehe, the Chen family's young master impresses, even now. Or should I call you Sect Master Chen?" A brash, cocky voice taunted as two figures shimmered into view.
"To see through my concealment technique without any cultivation - as expected of a former genius. Too bad you're going to die here today," the other sneered, both men drawing their swords menacingly.
Chen Mo's expression remained impassive despite their provocations. "Who are you?" His soft inquiry belied an inner calm.
'I was just thinking of testing my new abilities. It seems the heavens have provided such fine specimens.'
"A dead man doesn't need to know that!" One assailant bellowed, charging forward with a sword arcing toward Chen Mo's head.
With preternatural poise, Chen Mo simply bent down, avoiding the lethal slash as he extended his hand toward the man's midsection. 'Activate skill [OpenSource].'
Sensing imminent danger, the attacker instantly backpedaled away.
"Senior Brother, why are you going easy on him?" The other man's irritated query cut through the tension.
"Hahaha, I simply wasn't paying attention," the first blustered, striving to regain his composure though his thoughts betrayed alarm. 'I clearly used my full power. How could he dodge so effortlessly? He has no cultivation, yet I've reached the peak of Qi Gathering!'
Chen Mo slowly retracted his hand, contemplating his newly acquired insights. 'So this is cultivation. I understand now. Manipulating the infonts around myself allowed me to evade that attack, but this method consumes far too much stamina. If I could attain proper cultivation, it would increase my limits, letting me utilize my skills more freely.'
'Activate skill [Scripting] – script: {
Use skill [Existence] to analyze the cultivation data from skill [OpenSource];
Use skill [Memory] to save the processed infonts;
Use skill [Update] to integrate the cultivation infonts into my body;
}'
[Script Loaded]
[Executing Script]
[Script Executed Successfully]
Name: Chen Mo
Species: Human
Cultivation: Qi Gathering 9th Rank
Job: Programmer
Skills: ...
'That's more like it. The difference between cultivators and non-cultivators is like heaven and earth. Now that I'm a cultivator, I can easily utilize my abilities. I don't need physical contact to affect others - I can simply extend my qi.'
'Activate skill [Existence].'
[
Name: Mo Fu
Cultivation: Qi Gathering 9th Rank
Information: Disciple of the 10th elder of the Heavenly Palace. Ordered to kill you.
]
[
Name: Mo Zu
Cultivation: Qi Gathering 9th Rank
Information: Disciple of the 10th elder of the Heavenly Palace. Ordered to kill you.
]
'My assumptions were correct. While formidable, my powers are constrained by how many infonts I can process. As I am now, I cannot handle much and would lose against a high-level cultivator. I need to gather greater cultivation and absorb more infonts to upgrade my processing capacity. Though I have cultivation now, I lack any innate talent, so I must find other cultivators to copy data from in order to elevate my current state.'
From the infonts he had gathered, Chen Mo learned there were ten major cultivation realms, each divided into nine ranks. One had to reach the ninth rank of each realm before breaking through to the next higher plane.
The realms were: Qi Gathering, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Void Traversing, Soul and Body Integration, Tribulation Transcendence, and finally, Mahayana.
"What are you just standing there in a daze for? Let's attack him together!" Mo Zu's shout shattered Chen Mo's reverie as the two assailants charged, swords leading the way.
'Oh, I forgot these two were still here.'
'Activate skill [Development].'
A long sword materialized in Chen Mo's grasp. 'Though I'm not proficient in weapon crafting yet, generating a sword design from my memory isn't too taxing, despite the considerable spiritual energy cost.'
Having already absorbed their sword skills and techniques when he scanned them earlier, Chen Mo swiftly dispatched the brothers, his newly acquired abilities granting him the upper hand.
"You, the one concealing yourself - go tell your sect master to prepare his neck," Chen Mo called out, turning to enter the sect building.
'How did he notice me? My concealment technique is one of the most accomplished among the junior disciples. Even a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator would struggle to pierce it.'
...
Heavenly Palace Hall
"So that is what transpired." The Tenth Elder's proud tones rang out, undisturbed. "It seems the Chen family's young master has found a way to recover his cultivation, but it is no great matter. We need only send someone stronger to kill him. Even if he has regained his cultivation, he can be at most an early-stage Foundation Establishment, nothing more."
"Then how did he discover my concealment technique?" the disciple asked the elder.
"There are always geniuses in each generation," the elder replied, patting the disciple's head in a gesture of paternal reassurance. "Use this as motivation to improve your cultivation. If he were truly that powerful, why did he not kill you when he had the chance? He must have expended the extent of his strength dealing with those two brothers."
The disciple nodded, relieved by the logic of the elder's words. "That makes sense. I will do as the elder instructs." Cupping his fist in a bow, he turned and exited the hall.
"Good, good." A sinister smile crept across the Tenth Elder's features as he murmured to himself. "Chen family, this grudge will be paid for in blood."