> [System Notification]
Defeated Level 1 Demonic Spirit Worm ×20
Defeated Level 2 Poison Caterpillar ×13
Defeated Level 3 Sand Golem ×7
A faint hum echoed through the blood-smeared plain as Ye Tian's system screen flickered before his eyes. The battlefield was silent now — a wasteland of broken shells, oozing ichor, and shattered sand constructs that had once trembled with life.
He sat there, leaning against the jagged pile of monster corpses, eyes half-lidded and calm. His robe sleeves were torn, blackened with dust and faint streaks of glowing ichor. The faint violet in his pupils shimmered like dying embers.
The screen pulsed once more.
> [Notification]
You've surpassed the threshold.
Core Energy Gathering...
Leveling System Unlocked.
Ye Tian blinked once. Then twice.
And then, slowly, he froze — before his expression cracked into disbelief.
"Wait… wait… whaaaaaaat?!" His voice echoed through the ruins, breaking the eerie calm. "What did I just unlock…?"
He tilted his head, eyes wide, almost boyishly incredulous. "You're telling me I had a leveling system… and it was locked this entire time?!"
He ran a hand through his hair, chuckling helplessly. "I've been wondering since birth why I didn't have one — I almost gave up on it! And now— you tell me it's been hidden this whole time?"
He threw his arms up dramatically. "System, you're a godsend!"
A pulse of faint light flashed across the interface.
Ye Tian's grin grew wider — the sharp, wicked kind of grin that could shake the heavens themselves. Then, exhaling, he composed himself, leaning his head back against the cold stone.
"Maybe… it reacted to me killing those monsters," he murmured, tapping his chin. "If so, that's convenient."
His violet eyes curved into a crescent, a teasing smirk tugging his lips — the kind of smile that spelled danger and delight in equal measure.
With no hesitation, he jabbed at the glowing [Level Up] button.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Then faster.
And faster.
Like a madman possessed, Ye Tian began hammering the glowing symbol, laughing under his breath as numbers blurred across the screen — levels stacking one after another, his aura pulsing brighter with each surge.
"Faster—come on—yes, yes—!"
Another flash.
Another surge of divine light enveloped him.
Then—silence.
> [Notification]
Current Level: 16.
You've reached your maximum capacity.
More Core Energy required to level up.
Ye Tian froze mid-click, finger still pressed against the flickering button. Then, with a sigh and a playful grin, he leaned back again.
"Oooh, that's how it works, huh?" he mused. "Kill them, gather their core energy, and use it to ascend. Beautiful."
He chuckled softly. "So I just need to keep the corpses coming."
But before he could stand, a sharp pain stabbed through his skull — like a thousand needles burrowing into his mind. He hissed, clutching his head.
"Ah—! What… what's happening…?"
Then came a voice.
Faint at first. Distant.
Like an echo from somewhere outside the world.
> "Hey… ________ up."
His breath hitched. His surroundings trembled.
> "Hey… ________e up."
"Hey, kid… ________ up."
The sound grew clearer, closer, breaking through the noise of the battlefield.
> "Hey kid, wake up!"
His eyes snapped open.
The Dreamspace vanished.
He sat upright, breath shallow, eyes darting around.
Moonlight poured through the torn curtains of their resting hall. The others — Mu Qingyao, Lan Yuhua, Ling Feng, and Xiuying — were asleep around the dimly burning campfire.
For a moment, Ye Tian just sat there, listening to the soft rhythm of their breathing. It was night — quiet and utterly still.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Whose voice was that…?"
> [System Notification]
Finally, you woke up.
It was difficult to pull you out of that place.
Ye Tian's gaze flicked to the translucent panel that floated before him, his expression hardening.
"So, you do know about that place," he said quietly. "Those battlegrounds."
> [System Response]
It is the sole reason those with the Night Immortal Physique lose their sanity quickly.
Ye Tian raised a brow. "Why? I didn't feel anything strange."
> You're strange enough to unlock things while being inside.
That realm is… not ordinary. It's a battlefield woven into the fabric of higher dimensions — a crucible for the rarest of rare physiques.
You have a system, so you can track your progress. Others cannot.
Ye Tian leaned back, the faint smile returning. "So that's why it's called a Dreamspace. The mind becomes the arena."
> The more time you spend there, the higher the chance of your sanity eroding.
But…
The system paused. Then, with a flicker of digital hesitation, continued:
> Although I shouldn't say this — you should maximize your efforts there.
The leveling potential within that space far surpasses anything in this world. That battlefield… is touched by divine Qi itself.
For a long moment, Ye Tian said nothing. The campfire's light flickered across his face, half-shadowed, half-illuminated.
Then he smiled faintly, eyes gleaming like violet glass under the moonlight.
"…Understood. I'll make use of it," he murmured.
> That is all from me.
System offline.
The screen dimmed, fading into motes of light that disappeared into the night air.
Ye Tian sighed softly, stretching his limbs before turning toward the window. The city's faint lights shimmered in the distance — the City of Blades asleep under a blanket of stars.
His voice, low and calm, broke the silence.
"Ha… quite an eventful day," he said. "Almost too much for a man who hasn't even begun his conquest."
He stepped to the window, eyes tracing the cold gleam of moonlight across the rooftops. A breeze brushed his hair, carrying the scent of night rain and steel.
He whispered, almost to himself:
"The world is a stage of fools… dancing to a tune they cannot hear."
"I have seen the strings that move them — the petty dramas they call life."
"Power is not in wealth or bloodline… it is in the will to become the director of the play."
"To step out of the chorus… and decide the fate of the actors."
"And if the script calls for a tragedy…" — his lips curved into a faint, knowing smile —
"I will not hesitate to bring the curtain down."
Outside, the moon hung heavy and white — the only witness to his vow.
The night deepened.