"The Sect of Dark Void" is situated in the northern region of Xuantu Continent and is classified as a high-tier sect. It is one of the three major affiliated sects of the celestial-tier sect "Xuan Shen Sect."
As the sun sets behind the mountains, a group of disciples in the training square of the Sect of Dark Void gathers in a corner, forming a circle around something. The sounds of fists and feet striking, mixed with the shouts of a young man, echo from within the circle.
"Useless fool! How dare you provoke Junior Sister Yu Shuang? Do you have a death wish?"
Within the circle stands a man dressed in resplendent clothes, exuding an air of superiority. He berates and mocks a young boy curled on the ground, his hands and feet cruelly landing blows upon him.
"Hmph! I'll spare you for today. But next time, if I catch your eyes on Junior Sister Yu Shuang again, it won't just be a beating."
The man, looking down from above, speaks with a cold and arrogant tone, as though delivering a divine decree.
"How could the Sect of Dark Void accept such trash? Truly a misfortune for our sect," he mutters as he walks away.
The surrounding disciples, like spectators at a play, disperse as soon as the main actor leaves.
After a while, the boy, still curled on the ground, slowly stirs and struggles to stand. His back hunched from injury, he stands motionless in the corner, a pitiful sight. His grey, rough cloth robe is covered in black shoe prints, his whole body in a state of utter disarray. After a long pause, he begins to limp away toward the sect gate.
Walking slowly along the edge of the square, his steps stagger as if he were a soulless being. Eventually, the poor boy reaches the sect gate and vanishes from the view of the disciples.
Beyond the gates lies a range of mountains. The boy steps into a valley and stops, standing still as if lost in thought.
"Ah~~~~! Ah~~!! Ahhhhh!"
After a long silence, the boy suddenly clenches his fists and lets out a roar that echoes through the mountains, stirring the wild beasts. His scream is filled with repressed anger and unfulfilled desire.
"Ding!"
As the boy continues to scream, a mechanical voice suddenly rings in his mind, but his rage blinds him, and he does not notice.
"Bang!"
Exhausted, the boy collapses onto his back, staring vacantly at the sky. His eyes are hollow, filled with despair and a deep, almost lifeless emptiness. A storm of darkness churns within his heart.
His name is Bai Yun, the most infamous waste of the Sect of Dark Void. Having entered the sect five years ago, he is still trapped at the level of a Low-tier Xuantu disciple. Recently, he has even lost his qualification to receive cultivation resources, and rumors suggest he may be relegated to the role of a menial disciple.
Had Bai Yun been born into this world, perhaps he wouldn't feel so bitter and helpless.
Reflecting on his two lives, his heart is filled with a sour sadness. The only consolation, or rather the cruel irony, is that both his past and present parents have passed away.
This means that Bai Yun no longer has to worry about them, and his thoughts of them are his only filial duty.
In the years since he arrived in this world, he has strived, fought, failed, fought again, despaired, and lost hope. That has been his entire existence—a taste as bitter as gall mixed with wild herbs.
Today, he merely glanced at the true disciple Yu Shuang. Who could have imagined it would lead to such torment? Yet, the suffering in his heart... how could mere physical pain compare?
Bai Yun is certain that Yu Shuang's frown was not due to his impolite gaze, but she simply hadn't noticed him at all. However, the elegant man saw things differently. He interpreted her frown as disgust towards Bai Yun, and with such an opportunity, he wasted no time in taking his chance to punish Bai Yun, hoping to gain her favor.
A surging tide of hatred fills Bai Yun's chest. He loathes that man, even the entire Sect of Dark Void, but more than that, he despises the world that has condemned him to this fate.
"Curse you, heavens! You brought me here to this world, only for me to endure such humiliation?!"
As his shout fades...
"Initializing Cosmic Evolver System..."
"Please wait! Please wait."
A cold, mechanical voice rings through his mind, startling Bai Yun. He snaps his eyes open and looks around in confusion, but there is nothing in sight.
Moments later, just as Bai Yun begins to doubt his senses, another voice fills the air.
"The Cosmic Evolver has been successfully bound. Identity binding complete. ID number 256. May you evolve successfully."
With that, the world around Bai Yun darkens. As if falling into a void, everything spins before him. When the dizziness fades, he finds himself in a pitch-black space. A faintly glowing interface stands before him.
"Task Initialization... Success."
"Main Task: Kill Hua Tian. Success Reward: 3000 Evolution Points. Failure Penalty: Halving of Life Force. Time Limit: 24 hours."
Bai Yun stares, stunned by the words that echo in his mind.
Cosmic Evolver? Tasks? Kill Hua Tian? Evolution Points? Life Force?
Confusion fills his mind, but there is also a flicker of hope. He feels that a potential turning point is within reach.
Suppressing his excitement, Bai Yun begins to examine the interface before him.
The interface feels both familiar and foreign, resembling a product interface in an online game from Earth. At the top, there are buttons for "Character," "Shop," "Inventory," "Tasks," and "Passages."
Bai Yun clicks on the "Character" button. A black box appears with some glowing text.
Race: Human (Cosmic Evolver)
Bloodline: None
Skills: Xuanming Art (Low-tier Xuantu), Basic Swordsmanship (Proficient), Basic Fist Technique (Proficient), Basic Agility (Proficient)
Combat Power: 67
Life Force: 72 years (1 year of life can be exchanged for 10 Evolution Points)
Evolution Points: 100 (Newcomer Bonus)
"Is this really the state of my body? This is amazing!" Bai Yun mutters in awe after reviewing the information. He clicks on the "Shop" tab.
The interface changes again, revealing labels under "Shop" such as "Bloodline," "Skills," "Items," "Technology," "Special," and "Characters."
Curious, Bai Yun clicks on the "Bloodline" tab. Numerous pictures and descriptions of various bloodlines appear before him.
Low-tier Vampire: 10,000 Evolution Points. "Enhances physical strength and healing abilities. Skills include 'Contract Magic,' 'Hypnosis,' and 'Blood Summoning.' As power increases, new skills such as 'Bat Transformation,' 'Soul Capture,' 'Defensive Barrier,' and 'Telepathy' become available."
Low-tier Tanta: 10,000 Evolution Points. "Innate divine strength. Skills include 'Hardening,' and upon reaching the Golden-tier, the user can grow to a height of several dozen meters."
Ghost Clan: 10,000 Evolution Points.
"10,000?" Bai Yun exclaims inwardly, astonished and excited.
He spends the next few hours browsing the various categories in the shop, discovering a wide array of magical skills, potions, weapons, and even high-tech products from Earth.
After a thorough exploration, he learns that items from Xuantu Continent are sold at half price.
For example, the most powerful technique on the continent, the "Xuan Lei Art," is priced at 1,000 Evolution Points, but Bai Yun can purchase it for only 500.
However, the most exciting feature is the "Passages" section, which offers teleportation to various planets, including Earth. However, teleporting costs 50,000 Evolution Points per trip.
The "Inventory" section reveals 20 empty squares for storage.
The "Tasks" tab shows the progress of his mission. Currently, the screen displays a red flashing countdown, showing that Bai Yun has 20 hours, 7 minutes, and 38 seconds left to complete his task.
As he reads the mission details, Bai Yun's gaze darkens. It's a matter of life or death—either Hua Tian dies, or Bai Yun does.
Putting aside his confusion about the new space, Bai Yun begins to contemplate how he might complete the task. A direct confrontation is out of the question—there is a vast difference in strength between him and Hua Tian. Bai Yun stands no chance.
Moreover, he must kill Hua Tian without alerting the Sect of Dark Void and then escape undetected.
With the 100 Evolution Points and 72 years of life force he has received, Bai Yun starts searching for affordable items in the shop that could aid him in his mission.
After much searching, Bai Yun settles on a few items:
Fine Iron Dagger: 5 Evolution Points (half price)
One-time Human Skin Mask: 50 Evolution Points
Soul Disruption Grass: 10 Evolution Points (half price)
Soundproof Talisman: 50 Evolution Points
After spending all his Evolution Points and exchanging over a year's worth of life force, Bai Yun finally acquires the items.
Exiting the Cosmic Evolver space, Bai Yun gazes coldly at the Sect of Dark Void, now veiled in the darkness of night.