The descent was anything but smooth.
Zhen's body plummeted through endless layers of light—silver grids, ethereal runes, fragments of star maps and glowing sigils. It wasn't falling, not quite—it was like being unraveled and rewritten in the fabric of another existence. When his feet finally touched solid ground again, the System chimed coldly:
> [Welcome to World #2347: Yunjing Realm]
World Tier: C+
Dominant Energy Signature: Dual Flow – Spirit Qi & Tech Essence
Primary Laws: Cultivation – Technomancy – Dimensional Anchoring
World Rule Modifier: "Harmony Through Conflict"
Note: This realm resists direct System interference. Proceed with caution.
Zhen opened his eyes.
The sky was violet—deep and metallic, crisscrossed with flowing spirit veils that looked like data streams. Floating islands hovered above an endless jungle of silver-leafed trees and angular towers that pulsed with runes. It was a world caught between tradition and machinery. Ancient sects and cyber-mechs coexisted. And Zhen… was an intruder here.
His first breath was like inhaling static and incense.
"Where the hell…" Zhen murmured. His hand instinctively reached for his waist. Good—the Nightcut Blade was still there, humming with latent bloodlust. His robes had changed too, morphing into something adaptive—half high-cultivator garb, half battle-ready armor, sleek and runed.
Then came the real test.
> [World Quest Activated]
Objective: Win the favor of either the Celestial Mechanica or the Nine-Dao Harmony Sect within 10 days.
Reward: Access to Core Systems of Yunjing Realm, Regional Map Unlock, and +500 Rank Points
Failure Penalty: Marked as a Rogue Intruder – Local Enforcement Units will target on sight.
Zhen's eyes narrowed. "Choice-based quest already?"
He looked around. In the distance, two citadels floated above the jungle canopy. One glimmered with neon hexagons, exuding sharp, technological dominance. The other resembled a lotus mountain temple drifting on a cloud, with cascades of spirit mist trailing behind.
---
▣ First Contact
Before he could make a decision, a rustle came from the undergrowth.
Something was watching him.
In one swift motion, Zhen activated Phase Step, vanishing into a blur and reappearing behind a twisted chrome tree. A second later, a spear of golden light shot past the place he stood.
From the bushes emerged a girl—tall, armor-clad in a strange fusion of traditional robes and exoskeleton plating. Her hair was white with a streak of cyan, and she carried a plasma-blade shaped like a guandao. But what caught Zhen's attention were her eyes—cold, calculating, and marked with a faint triangular rune.
> [Analyzing Target...]
Name: Shen Lian
Affiliation: Celestial Mechanica – Outer Core Division
Cultivation Stage: Spirit Refinement Tier 6
Tech Sync Level: 78%
Threat Rating: B+
She saw him instantly.
"You're not from here," she said, leveling the blade at him. "But you're not native System-born either… interesting."
Zhen didn't answer. His stance shifted slightly, his energy weaving in the air around him. Her pupils dilated slightly. She noticed.
"You're not suppressing your essence," she said. "Is that arrogance… or confidence?"
Zhen smiled faintly. "Neither. I just don't see a reason to hide in front of someone who already lost the moment they attacked."
A pause.
Then she lunged.
---
▣ Clash of Spirit-Tech
Their blades met mid-air—her guandao lit with volatile tech energy, his Nightcut Blade wrapped in shadowfire.
Zhen spun, deflected a power thrust, and countered with a downward arc that cracked the ground. She kicked off a tree, activated a back-thruster, and launched a barrage of plasma spheres.
> [Skill Activated: Vector Breaker Slash]
Zhen cleaved through the barrage, the System translating his strike into an offensive geometry: every slash bending the vectors of incoming attacks.
She landed, breathing slightly heavier. "Your movement… it's not native. It's extraplanar."
Zhen tilted his head. "You're sharp."
Her expression changed. "You really are an outsider. Then I'll take your data before the Enforcers find you."
But before the next attack could land, a sudden screech tore through the sky.
An enormous bird-like drone—serpentine in form and covered in shifting hexagonal plating—descended, releasing a sonic pulse.
> [Warning: Dimensional Sentinel Detected]
Rank: A-Class World Guardian]
System Permission Temporarily Revoked in 200-Meter Radius
Recommendation: Retreat or Conceal
Zhen and Shen Lian both froze.
"Not good," she muttered. "It's reacting to your entry signature."
"I noticed."
Zhen glanced up at the drone. It was scanning the forest, preparing to purge.
"I'll draw it off," she said suddenly. "You… vanish."
Zhen blinked. "You're helping me?"
She frowned. "I don't like outsiders. But I hate losing data more."
With that, she launched herself skyward, flaring her core energy and shooting beams at the drone. It chased instantly, focusing on her.
Zhen vanished into the jungle shadows.
---
▣ A Place to Hide
He found an abandoned enclave deep within the jungle—stone ruins interwoven with circuit vines, a fusion of the past and future. Here, he meditated, letting his core settle.
The System returned with updates:
> [System Sync 92% Achieved in Yunjing Realm]
[New Passive Skill Unlocked: Spirit-Tech Adaptation]
- Allows temporary integration with foreign tech-cultivation systems
- Energy conversion rate: 65% efficiency
[Temporary Map Fragment Obtained]
- Showing location of: Nine-Dao Harmony Sect Outer Trial Grounds
Zhen stood, eyes narrowing. "So now the real game begins."
Two powers. Two paths.
But he would not bow to either.
---
▣ Meanwhile…
Far above the floating isles, in a chamber lit by arrays of spiritual circuitry, an old man observed a crystal sphere.
"The intruder has arrived," he said. "And already tangled with Shen Lian."
Behind him, a masked figure stepped forward. "Shall we send the Azure Core?"
"No," the old man said. "Let him rise a little first. Sometimes, the most dangerous prey… must be allowed to hunt."
---
Zhen didn't know yet, but the game in Yunjing Realm wasn't just about choosing sides.
It was about rewriting the rules.
And he had every intention to do exactly that.