The world was too quiet.
Way too quiet.
The kind of silence that made him wonder if Heaven itself was holding its breath, waiting to see whether he would explode.
He didn't.
Pity.
Inside his chest, the Chaotic Qi coiled and hissed hungry, restless, alive.
It searched for something to destroy.
It found his heart first.
"Ah," he muttered between clenched teeth, "so this is what it feels like when creation forgets which way is up."
Every vein became a battlefield, fire freezing, ice burning, light devouring itself. His bones sang like bells. His mortal body was not made to host the chaos of creation, and it showed.
Then the System whispered.
(Warning: Host integrity -27%)
(Recommendation: Establish inner axis… or perish.)
Instinct took over. Yue Zihan pulled his consciousness inward, forcing his will into a single point.
A black-and-white star bloomed within his dantian, spinning lazily against the screaming current.
The chaos around him hesitated, as if confused by the audacity of order.
"See," he said with a strained smile, "even chaos respects confidence."
The Qi slammed into the star again and again, but with each impact, it spun faster stronger.
The storm had found its center, and that center was him.
He guided a single thread of chaotic Qi through his arm. It ripped muscle, shattered bone, and poured fire and ice through the gaps. He laughed a raw, wild sound because somehow, the agony felt right.
When it was over, his flesh knitted itself together stronger, smoother, streaked with silver lines that pulsed like living runes.
"So, Chaos Qi is the chisel," he said breathlessly, flexing his hand, "and I'm the masterpiece. How poetic."
Next came the soul.
He sank deeper, descending into the void within himself until even his thoughts began to fray. Chaos greeted him like an old friend who'd always wanted to kill him.
He didn't resist. He matched its rhythm collapse, rebirth, collapse again until the heartbeat of the storm became one with his own.
(Soul Synchronization: 63%)
(Commentary: unlikely.)
"Unlikely" he echoed with a grin. "My favorite word."
At his core, the chaotic energies folded together, condensing into a gray sphere that drank both light and law alike. Around it, underdeveloped spiral meridians rewove themselves, feeding the newborn core from every direction.
The world shivered.
[Chaotic Core – Formed]
[Stage: Fragment of Disorder – Complete]
"So that's it," he whispered. "Heaven says I shouldn't exist… yet here I am. Still breathing. Still laughing."
He bit his thumb, pressed his blood against the spinning sphere, and carved his will into it.
"This chaos bears my name."
The storm inside him stilled instantly.
The universe seemed to realize who was in charge.
The gray glow steadied. His shadow lengthened and bowed.
[Primordial Chaos Body – Stable]
[Sin Points: 180]
[Erosion: 8% Controlled]
He exhaled. The air bent around him, rippling like disturbed glass.
"Stabilize," he said softly to the darkness, voice dripping with mock gratitude. "Thank you, Heavens, for not interfering. I'd hate to break you early."
The void offered no answer.
He smiled anyway.
It was madness but he loved it