After consuming the "Rumble-Rumble Fruit," Bai Yun immediately entered a state of introspection.
He could sense something dormant within the devil fruit, lying silent until it entered his stomach, where it seemed to awaken suddenly. A brilliant, lightning-infused energy began emanating from his core, spreading outward.
The energy surged into his dantian, stirring his profound energy into a frenzy as it circled endlessly. Then, it burst forth, coursing through his meridians and veins, infiltrating his bloodstream, and finally penetrating his very cells.
Crackle!
Terrifying lightning danced across Bai Yun's body, illuminating the space around him.
After more than an hour, the raging energy within him suddenly converged, rushing straight into his sea of consciousness.
Boom!
Though there was no actual explosion, Bai Yun felt a deafening roar echo within his mind. The shock overwhelmed him, and he fainted on the spot.
"Ugh…"
Much later, Bai Yun slowly regained consciousness.
Crackle!
"This feels incredible!"
He stretched lazily, his body crackling with the static of electricity, and couldn't help but groan with satisfaction. Then, he delved back into introspection. What he saw this time left him stunned.
His blood, bone marrow, meridians, and muscles all shimmered faintly with threads of lightning.
Bai Yun practiced a lightning-based technique, so his dantian's profound energy already carried a trace of lightning. But now, the energy in his dantian was no longer just infused with lightning—it seemed entirely composed of it, spinning slowly in a vortex.
With a thought, Bai Yun activated the "Profound Thunder Technique." Instantly, the vortex accelerated, its power responding to his will as naturally as if it had always been a part of him.
Bai Yun stood up, activating his "Thunder Step" in one swift motion.
Whoosh!
His speed was astonishing—he appeared before a large tree dozens of meters away in the blink of an eye. Without hesitation, he formed a ball of pure lightning in his hand and hurled it forward.
Boom!
Bai Yun watched the scene before him in shock, which quickly turned into overwhelming joy.
The lightning ball had pierced through the tree, leaving a gaping hole. Then, with undiminished force, it crashed into the grove behind it, sending trees flying in all directions.
"Mid-tier Profound Master?"
In one leap, Bai Yun's cultivation had ascended an entire realm, from mid-tier Profound Disciple to mid-tier Profound Master.
"Hahaha!"
Bai Yun burst into laughter, his elation uncontrollable. This felt like a dream—a surreal leap in power within less than a month. Such progress was nothing short of monstrous, far surpassing even the most prodigious of talents.
Fueled by newfound confidence, Bai Yun felt that even facing a Profound King, he could now hold his ground for hundreds of exchanges.
Once his excitement waned, he entered the "Cosmic Evolver" space to assess his updated stats.
Character: Human (Cosmic Evolver)
Bloodline: Rumble-Rumble Fruit
Skills: Profound Thunder Technique (Mid-tier Profound Master), Thunder Step (Intermediate), Shadow Cloak, Breath Concealment
Combat Strength: 967
Lifespan: 82 years
Evolution Points: 1,000
"Does the devil fruit count as a bloodline?"
Bai Yun felt a moment of confusion before quickly coming to terms with the idea. Given that the lightning energy had fused with his very cells, it was likely that any descendants he had in the future would be born with innate lightning abilities.
While he had no idea how combat strength was calculated, the numbers clearly indicated that he was now three to four times more powerful than before. His lifespan had also increased by 11 years, though this detail mattered little to him at the moment.
For now, Bai Yun knew it wasn't practical to purchase advanced cultivation techniques. They were prohibitively expensive, and their effects took too long to manifest. The most basic cultivation manuals cost around 100,000 evolution points—a sum far beyond his reach even if he sold off every last year of his life. As for the most elite techniques, he didn't even bother looking at the endless string of zeroes in their price tags.
Meanwhile, at the site where Bai Yun had slain the Enforcement Elder with the "Five Thunders Annihilation Talisman," a dignified middle-aged man stood solemnly, examining the elder's lifeless body in the crater. Behind him, a group of young disciples wore expressions of stunned disbelief.
"Return and report to the Sect Master immediately. Summon everyone in the sect to this location," the man ordered, his brows furrowed deeply.
"Yes, Vice Sect Master!"
The disciples quickly collected themselves, bowing respectfully before flying off toward the Xuanming Sect.
"This Bai Yun—there must be an earth-shattering secret hidden on his person. For him to kill even a lower-tier Profound King… it's utterly terrifying."
The middle-aged man, none other than Luo Bayun, the Vice Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect and a high-tier Profound King, gazed at the corpse in the pit, his expression growing darker by the moment.
"We must capture him and uncover his secrets."
At that moment, a system notification echoed in Bai Yun's mind:
Main Quest: Survive the Xuanming Sect's full-scale pursuit for one month.
Reward: 10,000 Evolution Points
Failure Penalty: Half of your remaining lifespan.
Time Limit: 15 days.
Range: A 50-kilometer radius centered on the Xuanming Sect.
Side Quest 1: Kill 30 Xuanming Sect disciples.
Reward: 2,000 Evolution Points.
Penalty: None.
Side Quest 2: Kill 50 Xuanming Sect disciples.
Reward: 5,000 Evolution Points.
Penalty: None.
Side Quest 3: Kill the Xuanming Sect Vice Sect Master.
Reward: 3,000 Evolution Points.
Side Quest 4: Kill the Xuanming Sect Sect Master.
Reward: 5,000 Evolution Points.
Bai Yun stared blankly at the notifications, his emotions a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Yet, as he considered the Xuanming Sect's numbers—several hundred outer disciples, nearly a hundred inner disciples, and over fifty elders—he felt a shiver run down his spine.
Thankfully, the main quest was survival, not annihilation. Otherwise, he would have fled immediately, accepting failure and the penalty of halving his lifespan without hesitation.
Still, the sheer number of side quests tempted him greatly—those glittering evolution points were hard to resist.
With greed glinting in his eyes, Bai Yun immediately spent his remaining points on two "Earth Escape Talismans." After all, survival was the foundation of all endeavors.
Leaving the "Cosmic Evolver" space, Bai Yun took a deep breath, formulating his strategy.
The Shadow Cloak and Breath Concealment techniques were ineffective against opponents an entire realm stronger than himself, severely limiting their utility. This left him reliant on his own power, the "Earth Escape Talismans," and his ultimate trump card—the "Quest Radar Detector."
The radar displayed "quest targets" as red dots, with their size indicating relative strength. This would allow him to avoid the strongest enemies and focus on weaker ones for the side quests, steadily accumulating evolution points. Once he amassed enough, he could confront the "boss-level" targets on more equal footing.
Grinning to himself, Bai Yun felt a surge of confidence.
"Exploiting the system's loopholes is truly exhilarating!"