Location: Black Rock Island — Exile District — Sector 4 Time: Late Night
The darkness of Black Rock Island was absolute, broken only by the faint, eerie violet glow of the nebula clouds drifting overhead. The wind howled through the cracked stone walls of Li Yun's cell, carrying the biting chill of the void.
Li Yun sat cross-legged in the shadows, his eyes fixed on the holographic interface that only he could see. His stomach cramped violently, a reminder that his biological clock was ticking down, but his mind was entirely focused on the digital architecture unfolding before him.
[ MARKETPLACE STATUS: ACTIVE ][ LISTING #001: Exploding Blood Talisman (x5) ][ SELLER: User 001 (Lu Chen) ][ PRICE: 20 Spirit Shards (per talisman) ][ SERVER LOAD: 5% ]
"He actually listed them," Li Yun whispered, his voice hoarse. "Banned items. If the Azure Cloud Sect knew an Outer Disciple was trafficking demonic consumables, they'd execute him on the spot. But here... on my server... he feels safe."
Li Yun tapped his finger against his knee. The listing was live, but a market with only one user was not a market; it was a warehouse. He needed a buyer.
"System," Li Yun subvocalized. "Scan for active nodes within the signal range. Expand search parameters."
[ ALERT: ENERGY CRITICAL. ][ CURRENT BALANCE: 3 WISPS. ][ EXPANDING RANGE REQUIRES: 2 WISPS. ][ PROCEED? ]
It was a gamble. If he spent the energy and found no one, he would be left with 1 Wisp—barely enough to keep the server running for another hour. He would starve, and the system would crash.
"Risk assessment," Li Yun muttered. "Staying static is a 100% chance of failure. Expanding is a variable probability."
He didn't hesitate. "Proceed."
[ COMMAND ACCEPTED. ][ SIGNAL BOOSTING... ][ RANGE INCREASED: 500 Miles -> 750 Miles. ][ PINGING CANDIDATES... ]
Li Yun watched the radar sweep. The grid expanded, pushing past the Azure Cloud Sect, reaching out into the chaotic debris belt known as the "Iron Graveyard."
Ping.
A red dot appeared on the grid.
[ SIGNAL DETECTED. ][ NODE ID: B-9 (Damaged Spirit Compass). ][ LOCATION: The Iron Graveyard (Drifting Debris Field). ][ STATUS: User in distress. Spiritual fluctuations chaotic. ]
Li Yun's eyes narrowed. "In distress? Perfect. Desperation is the best customer acquisition channel."
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The Iron Graveyard — 600 Miles East of Black Rock Island
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Old Ghost scrambled over a pile of rusted starship hull, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He was a Rogue Cultivator, a man who had spent forty years scraping a living from the trash of the Star Seas. He was ugly, scarred, and currently, he was bleeding from a deep gash in his thigh.
SCREECH.
Behind him, the metallic screech of an Iron-Hide Corpse Beetle echoed through the labyrinth of junk. The beast was the size of a cart, with mandibles strong enough to shear through spirit steel.
"I should have never come here," Old Ghost wheezed, sliding down a chute of twisted metal. He crashed into a small, enclosed pocket of debris—a dead end.
He checked his storage pouch. Empty. He had used his last healing pill an hour ago. His sword was broken. He had three Low-Grade Spirit Stones left, but you couldn't throw stones at a beetle and expect it to die.
The screeching got closer. The heavy thud of chitin against metal vibrated through the floor.
"Is this it?" Old Ghost gritted his teeth, clutching his broken sword hilt. "Dying in a trash heap?"
He looked around for a weapon, anything. His hand brushed against a shattered instrument panel from some ancient, destroyed vessel. Embedded in the panel was a cracked compass made of spirit jade.
As his bloody hand touched it, the compass buzzed.
Bzzzt.
Old Ghost flinched. "A trap?"
The compass glowed with a faint blue light. It wasn't the natural light of Qi; it was structured, sharp. Text projected into the air above the compass, flickering in the gloom.
[ CONNECTION FOUND. ][ WELCOME, USER 002. ][ DETECTION: You are bleeding. Heart rate critical. Adrenaline levels maxed. ]
Old Ghost stared at the floating text. "What kind of ghost is this?"
The text shifted rapidly.
[ QUERY: Do you wish to die today? ]
"No!" Old Ghost yelled at the light, the madness of impending death taking over. "I want to live, you damn spirit!"
[ SOLUTION AVAILABLE: THE MARKETPLACE. ][ RECOMMENDED ITEM: Exploding Blood Talisman. ][ EFFECT: Unleashes a burst of corrosive blood-fire. Effective against armored carapace. ][ PRICE: 20 Spirit Shards (0.2 Spirit Stone) + Transaction Fee. ][ DELIVERY TIME: Instant. ]
Old Ghost blinked. "Exploding Blood Talisman? That's... that's a demonic item. It's illegal."
CRASH!
The wall of debris behind him buckled. A massive, serrated mandible punched through the metal, missing his head by inches. The Corpse Beetle hissed, its multi-faceted eyes glowing red in the dark.
"Illegal?" Old Ghost laughed hysterically. "I'll take ten!"
He slammed his hand onto the compass. "How do I buy?! I have Spirit Stones!"
[ INSTRUCTION: Place Spirit Stone on the screen. ]
Old Ghost fumbled with his pouch, pulling out one of his three precious Low-Grade Spirit Stones. He slammed it onto the cracked face of the compass.
"Take it! Take it all!"
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Black Rock Island
Li Yun's interface exploded with data.
[ TRANSACTION INITIATED. ][ BUYER: User 002 (Old Ghost). ][ SELLER: User 001 (Lu Chen). ][ ITEM: Exploding Blood Talisman (x1). ][ PAYMENT RECEIVED: 1 Low-Grade Spirit Stone (from Buyer). ]
This was the critical moment. The logistics.
Li Yun was currently the middleman, but he was also the shipping company. He had to physically move an object from Lu Chen's inventory (500 miles away) to Old Ghost's location (600 miles away) instantly.
"Teleportation Protocol," Li Yun commanded. "Execute."
[ LOGIC SEQUENCE: ]1. DECONSTRUCT: Convert Matter (Talisman) at User 001's location into Data. 2. TRANSMIT: Route Data through Server Core. 3. RECONSTRUCT: Synthesize Matter at User 002's location.
[ ENERGY COST CALCULATION: ]
Item Mass: 0.05 kg (Paper Talisman).
Distance: 1100 Miles total vector.
COST: 50 Wisps of Qi.
Li Yun's eyes widened. "Fifty Wisps? I only have 1 Wisp left!"
But he looked at the payment Old Ghost had just slammed onto the terminal. 1 Low-Grade Spirit Stone.
A standard Spirit Stone contained roughly 1000 Wisps of raw Qi.
Old Ghost had overpaid massively because he didn't have small change (Spirit Shards). He just threw the whole stone.
"Jackpot," Li Yun grinned.
"System! Absorb the payment (Spirit Stone) at User 002's node immediately. Convert to Server Energy."
[ PROCESSING... ][ PAYMENT ABSORBED. +1000 WISPS. ]
The energy flooded Li Yun's body. The starvation headache vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of pure, electric power. He felt like he had just chugged a gallon of espresso.
"Pay the cost," Li Yun ordered.
[ DEDUCTING 50 WISPS FOR TELEPORTATION. ]
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Azure Cloud Sect
Lu Chen was sleeping with the black slate under his pillow when it vibrated violently.
He bolted awake. "What? Did the Elders find me?"
He grabbed the slate.
[ ALERT: ITEM SOLD. ][ REMOVING ITEM FROM INVENTORY... ]
Lu Chen watched in shock as the spatial distortion rippled from the slate. He had left the talismans under the loose floorboard, but the slate was connected to the "Virtual Inventory" concept.
Under the floorboard, one of the five red paper talismans simply... ceased to exist. It dissolved into blue motes of light and vanished into the slate.
[ SALE COMPLETE. ][ EARNINGS: 20 Spirit Shards. ][ ACCOUNT BALANCE UPDATED. ]
"It... it's real," Lu Chen gasped. "Someone bought it. Just like that?"
POV CHANGE: Old GhostLocation: The Iron Graveyard
The Corpse Beetle tore through the metal wall, its screech deafening. It lunged, mandibles wide, ready to snap Old Ghost in half.
ZING.
A beam of blue light shot out of the compass in Old Ghost's hand.
It didn't shoot at the beetle. It shot into the air, materialized, and solidified into a tangible object.
A red paper talisman drifted down, fluttering into Old Ghost's open palm. It was warm. It smelled of sulfur and fresh ink.
[ DELIVERY COMPLETE. ][ THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH SPIRIT WEB. ]
Old Ghost didn't ask questions. He didn't question the miracle. He grabbed the talisman, channeled his Qi into it, and threw it directly into the beetle's gaping maw.
"EAT THIS!"
BOOM!
A sphere of crimson fire and corrosive blood mist erupted inside the beetle's mouth. The creature didn't even have time to scream. The explosion blew the back of its carapace out, showering the debris field with green ichor and chunks of iron shell.
The massive carcass collapsed, twitching, inches from Old Ghost's feet.
Silence returned to the pocket of debris, save for the crackling of the magical fire.
Old Ghost slumped against the wall, panting. He looked at the dead beast, then at the cracked compass in his hand.
"I lived," he whispered. "I actually lived."
The text on the compass changed.
[ TRANSACTION SUCCESSFUL. ][ CHANGE DUE: 0.8 Spirit Stone (800 Wisps). ][ NOTICE: Physical change cannot be dispensed at this location. Funds have been deposited into your "SpiritPay" Digital Wallet. ][ CURRENT BALANCE: 800 Spirit Shards. ]
Old Ghost stared. "Digital... Wallet?"
He didn't care what it was called. He knew one thing: This little compass had just saved his life. And he still had money inside it.
He clutched the compass to his chest like it was his own child. "I'm keeping this."
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Black Rock Island
Li Yun exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders.
[ POST-TRANSACTION REPORT ]
Revenue: 1000 Wisps (1 Spirit Stone).
Cost of Goods Sold (Lu Chen's Cut): 20 Wisps (Held in digital escrow).
Shipping Cost (Teleportation): 50 Wisps.
Change Due to User 002: 800 Wisps (Held in digital wallet).
[ NET PROFIT (ADMIN FEE + HIDDEN SPREAD): 130 Wisps. ]
Li Yun did the math. He had essentially charged a massive premium for the "Express Delivery," but neither user would complain. Lu Chen sold contraband safely, and Old Ghost bought his life.
But Li Yun wasn't done.
He looked at the remaining energy balance. 930 Wisps (including the users' deposits).
He was theoretically rich in energy, but his body was still starving. He couldn't eat Wisps. He needed protein.
"System," Li Yun said, eyeing the Marketplace interface. "I need to purchase something. But there are no listings for food."
He paused.
"Wait. I am the Admin. I don't need a listing to manipulate matter. I just need a source."
He looked at the digital representation of Tu Gang, the bully from the morning. Tu Gang was currently sleeping in his hut, about 500 meters away.
Li Yun zoomed in on Tu Gang's location. He couldn't teleport Tu Gang himself (too heavy, biological resistance), but he could scan his belongings.
[ SCANNING AREA: Tu Gang's Hut. ][ OBJECT DETECTED: Dried Spirit Jerky (Beast Meat). ][ QUANTITY: 2 kg. ]
Li Yun smiled coldly.
"Tu Gang fined me two chunks of iron ore this morning. I think it's time to collect a refund."
"System. Initiate 'Admin Repossession Protocol'. Teleport 0.5 kg of Jerky from Tu Gang's stash to my location."
[ COST: 15 Wisps. ][ PROCEED? ]
"Execute."
Zzzzt.
On the straw mat in front of him, the air shimmered. A heavy, salty slab of dried meat materialized out of thin air.
Li Yun grabbed it. It was real. It was tough. It smelled delicious.
He tore into the meat with savage hunger, chewing thoroughly. As the food hit his stomach, his body finally stopped screaming.
"Phase 1 complete," Li Yun said, wiping grease from his mouth. "The Market is proven. The logistics work."
He looked at the nebula sky through the window.
"Now, to deal with the debt I owe to this island. Tu Gang... you have no idea what just moved in next door."
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Location: Black Rock Island — East Crater Camp Time: The Next Morning
Tu Gang woke up with a snarl.
The morning light on Black Rock Island was never bright; it was a bruised purple haze that filtered through the smog. Tu Gang sat up on his furs, scratching his chest. His stomach grumbled.
"Meat," he grunted.
He reached for the wooden box beside his bed where he kept his stash of Spirit Jerky. It was his greatest treasure. In a place where people ate moss and rats, dried beast meat was worth more than gold. It contained trace amounts of Qi, enough to keep his cultivation from regressing further.
He opened the box.
It was lighter than usual.
Tu Gang frowned. He stared into the box. Yesterday, there had been four large slabs. Today, there were three and a half.
"Who?" Tu Gang whispered, his voice dangerously quiet.
He stood up, his massive frame filling the small hut. He kicked the door open, marching out into the camp. The exiles were already awake, scurrying around like ants, afraid to make eye contact.
"Little Rat!" Tu Gang bellowed.
A skinny, hunched man with a missing ear scrambled over. "Yes, Boss Tu! Breakfast is ready, we have mushroom soup—"
Smack.
Tu Gang backhanded the man, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
"Someone stole my meat," Tu Gang announced to the camp. The chatter died instantly. "Someone entered my hut while I slept and took a piece."
The exiles trembled. Stealing food was a capital offense here.
Tu Gang's eyes scanned the crowd. He looked for guilt. He looked for a full belly. His gaze landed on the far edge of the crater, where the cripple, Li Yun, sat leaning against his cell wall, eyes closed, basking in the dim light.
Li Yun looked... better. Yesterday, he looked like a corpse. Today, there was a faint color in his cheeks.
Tu Gang narrowed his eyes. He stomped over.
"You," Tu Gang growled, his shadow falling over Li Yun. "Did you see anyone enter my hut?"
Li Yun opened his eyes. They were calm. Too calm.
"I slept soundly, Boss Tu," Li Yun said smoothly. "Perhaps it was a Spirit Rat? I heard scratching in the walls last night."
Tu Gang stared at him. The cripple had no cultivation. If he had tried to sneak into the hut, Tu Gang would have sensed him. It was impossible.
"A rat..." Tu Gang spat on the ground. "If I find out it was a two-legged rat, I'll cook them alive."
He turned and stormed off to beat his subordinates until someone confessed.
Li Yun watched him go. Internally, a window was open.
[ DAILY QUEST COMPLETED: "Survival Instinct" ][ REWARD: +10 EXP to Server Level. ][ CURRENT STATUS: Satiated. ]
"It wasn't a rat," Li Yun thought, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "It was the Admin Tax."
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Azure Cloud Sect — Outer Court Market
Lu Chen walked through the bustling market of the Outer Court, but he wasn't looking at the stalls. He was looking at the air in front of him, paranoid that someone could see the invisible interface of the Spirit Web.
He had 20 Spirit Shards (Credits) in his digital wallet.
It wasn't a fortune, but it was liquid capital he didn't physically possess.
"I need to reinvest," Lu Chen whispered to himself. "The Admin said the Market is for trade. If I can buy low here and sell high on the Web..."
He stopped in front of a stall selling "Trash Pills." These were alchemical failures—pills that had too many impurities to be sold as proper medicine, but still contained a tiny bit of energy.
"How much for the bucket of scraps?" Lu Chen asked the stall owner.
The owner, a fat disciple with grease on his chin, sneered. "Lu Chen? You have money? The whole bucket is 5 Spirit Shards. Take it or leave it. It's mostly ash."
5 Shards. For a bucket of failed pills.
Lu Chen touched the black slate in his sleeve.
[ ITEM SCAN: Bucket of Alchemical Waste ][ ANALYSIS: Contains 12% recoverable Medicinal Qi. ][ POTENTIAL: Can be refined if filtered. ][ MARKET VALUE (SPIRIT WEB): High demand for "Cheap Energy" among rogue cultivators. ]
Lu Chen's heart raced. The Web told him it was valuable. To the Sect, this was trash. To a desperate rogue cultivator like "User 002" (Old Ghost), any energy was good energy.
"I'll take it," Lu Chen said, slapping five physical copper coins onto the table (he didn't have Spirit Shards in real life, but copper was cheap).
He dragged the heavy bucket to a secluded alleyway. He looked around. No one was watching.
"Upload," Lu Chen commanded.
Flash.
The bucket vanished.
[ ITEM UPLOADED: "Unrefined Spirit Powder" (10kg) ][ LISTING CREATED. PRICE: 2 Spirit Shards per kg. ]
If he sold it all, he would make 20 Spirit Shards. He had bought it for pennies.
"Arbitrage," Lu Chen breathed. He didn't know the word, but he understood the feeling. "I'm going to be rich."
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Black Rock Island
Li Yun sat in his cell, monitoring the server traffic.
[ ALERT: NEW LISTINGS DETECTED. ][ ALERT: NEW USER DETECTED IN RANGE. ]
"Wait," Li Yun paused. "New user? I didn't scan."
He checked the logs.
[ CONNECTION SOURCE: User 002 (Old Ghost) has shared the "Spirit Compass" access with a third party. ]
Li Yun raised an eyebrow. Old Ghost had shown the device to someone? That was risky. Or brilliant.
He tapped into the visual feed of User 002's node.
[ VISUAL FEED: ON ]
The image was grainy, projected from the compass lens. Old Ghost was sitting in a cave in the debris field, looking cleaner than yesterday. Sitting across from him was a woman in tattered red robes—a fellow scavenger.
"I'm telling you, Red," Old Ghost was saying, waving the compass. "It's a secret realm store! I prayed to the God of Commerce, and he dropped a talisman from the sky!"
The woman, Red, looked skeptical. "You've finally lost your mind, Old Ghost. A God? Here?"
"Watch!" Old Ghost tapped the screen. "I have 800 credits left. I'm going to buy... this!"
He pointed to Lu Chen's new listing: Unrefined Spirit Powder.
"I need energy to heal my leg," Old Ghost muttered. "Buy 1 kg."
[ TRANSACTION COMPLETE. ]
A small leather pouch appeared out of thin air, dropping onto the cave floor with a heavy thud.
Red screamed and scrambled back, drawing a dagger. "Space magic?! A Storage Ring?!"
"Better!" Old Ghost cackled, opening the pouch and sniffing the powder. "It's pill powder! Low quality, but it works!"
Red stared at the powder, then at the compass. Her fear turned into a hungry, desperate greed.
"Ghost," she said slowly. "Can... can I talk to the God too?"
Li Yun, watching from his cell, smiled.
"Viral coefficient increasing," he noted. "Word of mouth is the best marketing. But I can't just let them share one account. I need unique user IDs."
He needed to manufacture more terminals. But he was stuck in a cell with no materials.
"Time for the first Feature Update," Li Yun decided. "If I can't build terminals, I'll make them build them."
He opened the Admin Control Panel.
[ CODING NEW PATCH: V1.1 "The Quest System" ]
THE SYSTEM UPDATE
Across the Fragmented Star Seas, on Lu Chen's slate and Old Ghost's compass, the screens suddenly flashed Gold.
[ SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: SERVER UPDATE 1.1 ][ NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: THE MISSION HALL ]
Old Ghost and Red froze. Lu Chen dropped his broom in the Sect courtyard.
[ MESSAGE FROM THE ADMIN: ]"The Dao is in all things. Even in trash. Serve the Network, and the Network shall reward you."
[ QUEST #001: The Expansion ]
Objective: Craft a "Spirit Terminal" (Receiver Node).
Blueprint: Take any piece of Jade or Spirit Conductive Stone. Inscribe the "Rune of Connection" (Diagram attached).
Reward: 10 Spirit Shards per active device activated by a new user.
Bonus: The crafter receives 1% of all future transaction fees from that device. (Passive Income).
Li Yun sat back. He had just introduced Pyramid Scheme Mechanics (MLM) to the cultivation world.
By offering a 1% royalty, he ensured that his users wouldn't just hoard the secret. They would actively try to recruit new members to build their own "downlines."
"Go forth, my sales representatives," Li Yun whispered. "Conquer the world for me."
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Azure Cloud Sect
Lu Chen stared at the "Passive Income" clause.
"1%... forever?"
He did the math instantly. If he made ten slates, and gave them to the ten richest disciples in the Outer Court... and they spent 100 stones a month...
"I won't have to work," Lu Chen realized, his hands trembling. "I can just... cultivate."
He looked at the blueprint. The "Rune of Connection" was complex, but the System provided a trace-over guide. He needed Jade.
He looked at the jade pendant hanging from his belt—a keepsake from his mother. It was the only valuable thing he owned physically.
He didn't hesitate. He ripped it off.
"Sorry, Mother," Lu Chen muttered, pulling out a carving knife. "This is for the greater good."
POV CHANGE: Li YunLocation: Black Rock Island
While his minions were busy expanding his hardware network, Li Yun turned his attention to his own software.
He had 130 Wisps of Profit. It was time to level up.
[ SERVER UPGRADE AVAILABLE ][ TARGET: TIER 1 (LOCAL AREA NETWORK) ][ COST: 100 WISPS. ][ BENEFITS: ]
Bandwidth Increase: 10 Mbps -> 100 Mbps.
Range: 1000 Miles.
New App Slot: Unlocked.
Host Upgrade: Body Refinement (Level 1).
"Upgrade," Li Yun commanded.
BOOM.
Inside his body, the Server Core spun. The 100 Wisps weren't just burned; they were integrated into his cells.
Pain shot through his limbs. His bones, brittle from malnutrition, cracked and knitted back together, infused with data-stream logic. His muscles tightened. The grey pallor of his skin flushed with health.
Black sludge—impurities—oozed from his pores.
Li Yun gritted his teeth, silent in the darkness. This wasn't normal cultivation. He wasn't absorbing Qi into a Dantian. He was becoming the hardware.
[ UPGRADE COMPLETE. ][ HOST STATUS: MORTAL -> BODY TEMPERING LEVEL 1. ][ PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 200 KG LIFTING FORCE. ]
Li Yun exhaled a cloud of foul-smelling steam. He flexed his hand. The weakness was gone. He wasn't a master yet—Tu Gang was probably Level 5 or 6—but he wasn't a helpless cripple anymore.
"New App Slot available," the System prompted.
Li Yun thought for a moment. He had a Market (Amazon/Ebay). He had a Forum (Reddit). What was the missing piece to glue them together?
He needed to control the narrative.
"Create App: 'The Daily Truth' (News/Media)," Li Yun decided.
"But I don't have reporters."
He smiled. "I don't need reporters. I have surveillance."
He opened a new file.
[ TOP HEADLINE DRAFT: ]"SCANDAL: Why is Outer Court Boss Tu Gang hoarding meat while his men starve? Exclusive photos inside!"
Li Yun looked at the remaining dried meat in his cell. He snapped a mental photo of it.
Then, he used the Visual Feed from Old Ghost's compass (who was currently bragging to Red) to take a snapshot of the "Outside World" freedom.
He combined them into a simple, brutal newsletter.
[ APP DEPLOYED: THE DAILY TRUTH ][ PUSH NOTIFICATION SENT TO ALL DEVICES. ]
The Fallout
On the Azure Cloud Sect, Lu Chen saw the news app pop up. He read the headline about Tu Gang (whom he didn't know), but he saw the second article.
"Secret Realm Found in the Iron Graveyard? Rogue Cultivators claim 'God of Commerce' is dropping loot."
Lu Chen gasped. "That's my listing! They are talking about my goods!"
Meanwhile, on Black Rock Island...
Li Yun didn't give Tu Gang a terminal. But he knew something about human nature. Secrets don't stay secret.
He needed one more user on this island. Someone who hated Tu Gang.
He scanned the nearby cells.
[ CANDIDATE FOUND: 'Little Rat' (The man Tu Gang slapped). ][ STATUS: Resentful. Holding a grudge. ]
Li Yun picked up a small rock from his cell floor. He injected 1 Wisp of energy into it, turning it into a temporary, disposable "Burner Phone."
He waited until the guards passed, then tossed the rock through the bars of his window. It skittered across the dirt and landed right next to Little Rat, who was scrubbing pots outside.
Little Rat looked at the rock. It glowed.
He picked it up.
[ READ THE TRUTH? Y/N ]
Little Rat pressed Y.
A holographic image projected into his mind. It was a picture of the meat stash Li Yun had stolen, but the caption read: "Tu Gang feeds his dogs better than you. Rise up."
Little Rat's eyes went wide. He looked at Tu Gang's hut. He looked at the pot of watery soup he was making.
Rage, hot and sudden, flared in his chest.
Li Yun watched from the shadows.
"Content is King," Li Yun whispered. "And I am the Kingmaker."
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Location: Azure Cloud Sect — Outer Court — Disciple Dormitories Time: Three Days Later
The spread was exponential.
Lu Chen had not slept in seventy-two hours. His eyes were bloodshot, his fingers raw from carving, but his spirit burned with the manic energy of a man who had discovered a gold mine.
On the small wooden table in front of him sat five freshly carved jade pendants. They weren't polished or pretty, but they pulsed with a faint, rhythmic blue light.
[ CRAFTING COMPLETE: Spirit Terminal (Standard Edition) x5 ][ QUALITY: Low ][ SYSTEM REWARD: 50 Spirit Shards pending activation. ]
"Done," Lu Chen wheezed.
He had already distributed three pendants to his closest friends—fellow failures of the Outer Court. He had watched their skepticism turn to shock, and then to addiction, as they accessed the Anonymous Forum.
Now, the Outer Court was buzzing with a strange, unspoken energy.
Disciples were no longer gathering in the tea houses to gossip in whispers. Instead, they sat in corners, staring at their waistbands or sleeves, giggling or gasping at invisible text.
Lu Chen picked up the five new pendants. "These... these go to the whales."
He had a plan. The "Passive Income" clause (1% transaction fee) meant he needed users who spent money. Giving a terminal to a poor disciple was charity. Giving one to a rich one was an investment.
He wrapped the pendants in silk cloth and stepped out into the sunlight.
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Azure Cloud Sect — The "Heavenly Fragrance" Pavilion
Han Feng was bored.
As the son of a wealthy merchant clan and a 6th Level Qi Condensation disciple, he had everything. He had servants, he had pills, and he had a guaranteed spot in the Inner Court next year.
Life was too easy.
"Senior Brother Han," a servant poured wine into his cup. "Would you like to hear a song?"
"Boring," Han Feng waved his hand. "The same songs. The same faces. Is there nothing new in this sect?"
At that moment, a nervous-looking youth in worn grey robes approached his table. The servant moved to block him, but Han Feng waved him off. He recognized the youth—Lu Chen, the guy who bought trash.
"What is it, Scavenger?" Han Feng asked lazily. "Found another broken sword?"
Lu Chen bowed low. "Senior Brother Han. I offer you not a sword, but a window."
Han Feng raised an eyebrow. "A window?"
Lu Chen placed a jade pendant on the table. It looked ordinary.
"This is a key to the Spirit Web," Lu Chen whispered, glancing around as if sharing a state secret. "It connects to a hidden realm where... certain 'rare items' are sold. And where the Fairies of the Inner Court share their secrets."
Han Feng's interest piqued. "Rare items? Inner Court secrets?"
He picked up the pendant. "If this is a joke, I'll break your legs."
"Please. Inject a wisp of Qi."
Han Feng channeled his energy. The pendant vibrated. The holographic screen projected into his mind.
[ WELCOME, USER 012. ][ TRENDING NOW ON DAOTUBE: ]
Video: "Secret Footage of the Inner Sect Alchemy Explosion!" (Views: 500)
Market: "30% Off Exploding Blood Talismans - Limited Time!"
Forum: "Senior Brother Han is rich, but is he actually skilled? Discuss."
Han Feng choked on his wine. "They are talking about me?"
He clicked the thread.
User 005: Han Feng just pays for wins. His sword form is sloppy.
User 009: Agreed. I saw him trip during practice.
User 012 (Han Feng): YOU COURT DEATH! WHO SAID THAT?!
Han Feng didn't realize he had just posted.
User 005: Lol, found the rich kid.
User 009: Post your stats or shut up.
Han Feng's face turned red. He slammed his cup down. "I'll buy everything! I'll show them!"
He turned to the Market tab. "Exploding Talismans? Buy! Rare ores? Buy! I'll buy it all and use it to crush these anonymous dogs!"
Lu Chen stood in the corner, watching Han Feng furiously tapping at the air.
[ ALERT: User 012 has deposited 50 Spirit Stones into SpiritPay. ][ COMMISSION (1%): 0.5 Spirit Stones (500 Shards) deposited to Lu Chen. ]
Lu Chen almost fainted. In five minutes, he had made more money than he had in five years of scavenging.
"The Admin," Lu Chen thought reverently. "The Admin is a god."
POV CHANGE: Li YunLocation: Black Rock Island
While Lu Chen was corrupting the youth of the Azure Cloud Sect, Li Yun was dealing with a hardware crisis.
[ SERVER LOAD: 85% ][ BANDWIDTH WARNING: High traffic detected from Node Cluster A (Azure Cloud Sect). ][ VIDEO STREAMING CONSUMING RESOURCES. ]
"Success is a disaster," Li Yun muttered.
He was sitting in the center of his cell, sweating. The Server Core was running hot. The sheer volume of data—mostly Han Feng arguing with trolls and watching low-quality videos uploaded by Old Ghost—was straining his Tier 1 connection.
If the server crashed, the illusion of omnipotence would break. Users would leave.
"I need to upgrade the infrastructure," Li Yun analyzed. "I need a Signal Tower."
He couldn't build a cell tower. But in this world, Formations acted as amplifiers.
"System, pull up the blueprint for a 'Spirit Amplification Formation'."
[ BLUEPRINT LOADED. ][ MATERIALS REQUIRED: ]
Spirit Conductive Ink (Blood of a Spirit Beast).
Anchor Points (4 High-Quality Spirit Stones).
Core Catalyst (A Void Shard or Spatial Crystal).
Li Yun checked his inventory. He had Wisps (Energy), but he didn't have physical materials. He couldn't just 3D print a Spirit Stone yet.
"I need to source materials locally," Li Yun said. He looked at the door.
It was time to leave the cell.
Since the "Meat Incident" with Tu Gang, the atmosphere in the exile camp had shifted. Tu Gang was paranoid, watching everyone. The "Little Rat" (User 004) was quietly spreading dissent, showing people the news articles on his burner phone.
Li Yun stood up. He felt the new strength in his muscles—Body Tempering Level 1. It wasn't much, but it was enough to walk without a cane. Enough to run.
He needed to get to the Trade Post on the far side of the island. Once every few months, a smuggling ship would dock there to trade with the exiles.
He checked the Daily Truth app.
[ SHIP TRACKER: The 'Black Eel' Smuggler Ship detected near Black Rock Island. ][ ETA: 2 Hours. ]
"Perfect timing," Li Yun noted. "The algorithm provides."
He pulled his hood up and stepped out of the cell.
"Hey! Cripple!"
A guard—one of Tu Gang's lieutenants—stepped in front of him. A burly man with a wooden club. "Where do you think you're going? Boss Tu said no one leaves the crater until the thief is found."
Li Yun looked at the guard.
[ SCANNING TARGET: Guard B. ][ STATS: Body Tempering Level 3. ][ WEAKNESS: Right knee injury (Old). Greed (High). ]
Li Yun didn't fight. He didn't run. He raised his hand, and a small, glowing object materialized in his palm. It was a Spirit Terminal (a smooth stone he had enchanted earlier).
"I'm going to the ship," Li Yun said calmly. "And if you let me pass, I'll give you this."
The guard squinted. "A rock? You think I'm stupid?"
"It's not a rock," Li Yun said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "It's a receiver for the 'Jade Palace'. Have you heard? They broadcast... images... of the demoness dancers from the Blood Sect."
The guard froze. Every man in the Star Seas knew of the Blood Sect demonesses. They were legendary.
"Images?" The guard licked his lips. "Moving images?"
"Crystal clear," Li Yun lied effortlessly. "Just hold it, inject a little Qi, and... enjoy."
He tossed the stone.
The guard caught it. He looked at Li Yun, then at the stone. Lust battled with duty. Lust won in a landslide.
"Make it quick," the guard grunted, stepping aside and clutching the stone. "If Tu Gang asks, I didn't see you."
Li Yun walked past him.
[ USER ACQUISITION: +1 (Demographic: Security Personnel). ][ NOTE: Sexual content is a high-conversion driver. Unfortunate, but efficient. ]
Li Yun moved into the fog. He had two hours to reach the ship, trade his digital currency for physical Spirit Stones, and build the tower before the server crashed.
POV CHANGE: Elder Mo (The Threat)Location: Azure Cloud Sect — Discipline Hall
The silence of the Discipline Hall was broken by the sound of shattering porcelain.
Elder Mo, a severe man with a long white beard and eyes like hawks, threw the tea cup against the wall.
"What do you mean 'untraceable'?!" he roared.
Kneeling before him was the Head Deacon. "Elder, we seized three of the jade pendants. We analyzed them. They... they are just jade."
"Just jade?!" Elder Mo grabbed one of the confiscated pendants from the desk. It was dark, inert. "Hundreds of disciples are distracted! They are trading forbidden items! They are spreading rumors about my beard!"
He channeled his massive Core Formation pressure into the pendant.
Nothing happened.
"It activates only for the registered user," the Deacon explained, trembling. "It seems to bind to the specific spiritual signature of the first person who touches it. For anyone else, it is a rock."
Elder Mo's eyes narrowed. "Blood binding? That is ancient technique. Who is behind this? The Blood Sect? The Shadow Pavilion?"
He paced the room. "And the items? Where are they coming from?"
"We don't know," the Deacon admitted. "Items vanish from the seller's hand and appear in the buyer's hand instantly. It uses... Void Spatial Laws."
Elder Mo stopped. Void Spatial Laws.
That was the domain of Nascent Soul Grandmasters. Or higher.
If a Nascent Soul Grandmaster was interfering with their sect, this was a catastrophe. But why would a Grandmaster sell trash pills and gossip with junior disciples?
"It makes no sense," Elder Mo muttered. "Unless... it is a test."
He looked at the inert pendant.
"Bring me a fresh one," Elder Mo commanded. "One that has not been used. I will enter this 'Spirit Web' myself."
The Deacon hesitated. "We... we haven't found a fresh one yet. The disciples hide them."
"Then find the source!" Elder Mo slammed his hand on the desk, cracking the solid wood. "Find the manufacturer! Someone is carving these! Find him, and bring him to the torture chamber!"
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Black Rock Island — The Docks
The Black Eel was a rusty, ugly ship that floated on anti-gravity formations. It docked at the edge of the island, extending a gangplank onto the rocky shore.
The crew—scars, tattoos, missing teeth—were unloading crates of moldy grain. The exiles were lined up, trading scrap metal for food.
Li Yun stood at the back of the line. He didn't have scrap metal.
He walked straight up to the Captain, a one-eyed man with a parrot (that was actually a skeletal bird) on his shoulder.
"Get in line, stick," the Captain grunted, hand on his saber.
"I'm not here for grain," Li Yun said. "I'm here to buy Void Sand."
The Captain paused. The crew stopped working. Void Sand was a rare material used for stabilizing spatial gates. It was expensive.
"You?" The Captain laughed. "You have Void Sand money? You look like you don't even have pant-money."
Li Yun raised his hand.
"I don't have gold," Li Yun said. "But I have information. Your ship... the Black Eel... has a micro-fracture in the anti-gravity keel, section 4. It will fail in approximately 300 miles. You will drop out of the sky and die."
The Captain's smile vanished. "Is that a threat?"
"It's a diagnosis," Li Yun said. "I can see the stress lines in the Qi flow of your ship."
It was the Server Eye. Li Yun could see the "Data Structure" of objects. The ship was poorly maintained; its code was full of bugs.
The Captain drew his saber, pressing the tip against Li Yun's throat. "If you're lying, I'll gut you."
"Check it," Li Yun said, unflinching.
The Captain motioned to his engineer. The engineer ran below deck. Two minutes later, he came back, face pale. "Captain... he's right. The keel is cracked. If we hit a void storm..."
The Captain lowered the saber. He looked at Li Yun with new eyes. A Master Appraiser? Here?
"Who are you?"
"A businessman," Li Yun said. "I fix the fracture. You give me 1 kg of Void Sand and four High-Grade Spirit Stones."
The Captain scoffed. "That repair is worth ten times that price."
"I know," Li Yun said. "Consider the discount a... introductory offer. I may need your shipping services in the future."
The Captain hesitated, then sheathed his saber. "Deal. Fix it."
Li Yun walked onto the ship. He didn't have tools. He didn't need them.
He placed his hand on the ship's hull.
[ SYSTEM INTERFACE: EXTERNAL HARDWARE DETECTED (CLASS: FLYING VESSEL). ][ DIAGNOSTIC: STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY 40%. ][ ACTION: REROUTE ENERGY FLOW TO BYPASS FRACTURE. ][ COST: 50 WISPS. ]
"Execute."
Blue light pulsed from his hand. The groaning sound of the metal stopped. The ship hummed smoothly.
The crew stared, mouths open. He fixed a keel fracture... with a touch?
"Done," Li Yun said, stepping back. "Payment."
The Captain didn't argue. He signaled a crewman, who brought a heavy lead box.
Li Yun opened it. Inside, shimmering like captured stars, was the Void Sand. And next to it, four stones glowing with blinding white light.
[ MATERIAL ACQUIRED. ]
"Pleasure doing business," Li Yun said.
He turned to leave.
"Wait," the Captain called out. "You... you have talent. Why are you rotting on this rock? Join my crew. We need an engineer."
Li Yun stopped. It was a ticket off the island. A ticket to safety.
But he shook his head. "This rock is perfectly positioned for my signal range. I'm not leaving. I'm expanding."
He walked back into the fog, the heavy box in his arms.
[ OBJECTIVE COMPLETE. ][ NEXT STEP: CONSTRUCT THE TOWER. ]
He had the materials. He had the energy. Tonight, the Spirit Web would go from "Local" to "Global."
And when Elder Mo finally logged on... he wouldn't find a small network of students. He would find a world he couldn't control.
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Location: Black Rock Island — The path to the East Crater Time: Dusk
The fog on Black Rock Island was corrosive. It ate at exposed skin and rusted iron in days. Li Yun walked through it, clutching the heavy lead box to his chest, his mind racing through architectural diagrams.
He was 500 meters from his cell. The Server Load was at 92%. The lag on the Spirit Web was becoming noticeable; users were complaining on the forums.
User 771: Why is the connection so slow? Is the Admin sleeping?
User 012 (Han Feng): I paid good money! Fix the lag or I sue!
"Hold on," Li Yun muttered, stepping over a jagged rock. "The infrastructure update is arriving."
He rounded the final bend that led to the crater's edge.
He stopped.
Standing in the middle of the narrow path, silhouetted against the violet nebula, was a massive figure.
Tu Gang.
And he wasn't alone. Two other exiles—including the guard Li Yun had bribed with the "porn stone"—flanked him. The guard looked shamefaced, staring at his feet. The bribe had bought Li Yun passage out, but fear of Tu Gang had bought his loyalty back.
"A box," Tu Gang said, his voice rumbling like grinding stones. He tapped his rusty saber against his thigh. "You went to the smuggler ship. You came back with a box."
Li Yun didn't retreat. [ Threat Assessment: Critical. ]
"It's just supplies," Li Yun said calmly, his grip tightening on the lead container. "Repair materials for the cell walls."
"Liar," Tu Gang spat. He took a heavy step forward. "The Captain of the Black Eel doesn't trade wall plaster. He trades treasure. Hand it over, Cripple. And maybe I won't break your other leg."
Li Yun looked at the three men.
[ ENEMY STATS ]
Tu Gang: Body Tempering Level 6 (Strength: 800kg).
Minion A: Body Tempering Level 3.
Minion B: Body Tempering Level 2.
Li Yun: Body Tempering Level 1 (Strength: 200kg).
A direct fight was suicide. Even with Combat Assist, the raw stat difference was too high. He couldn't dodge forever.
But Li Yun had something they didn't. He had the High-Grade Spirit Stones inside the box.
"You want the box?" Li Yun asked, his voice trembling slightly—a calculated affectation. "It... it's dangerous energy. You can't handle it."
"Give it to me!" Tu Gang roared, losing patience. He lunged.
Li Yun dropped the box.
CLANG.
The lead lid popped open.
Four High-Grade Spirit Stones rolled out onto the rocky ground.
The effect was instantaneous. In the dim, smoggy twilight of the island, the stones shone like miniature suns. The pure, dense Qi radiating from them cleared the fog in a ten-meter radius.
Tu Gang froze. The minions gasped.
High-Grade Spirit Stones. One of these could buy a small city in the mortal world. For exiles starving for energy, this was like throwing fresh steak to a pack of wolves.
"Heavens..." Tu Gang's eyes bulged. Greed, raw and overriding, deleted all caution from his brain. "Mine!"
He scrambled forward, diving for the stones. The two minions hesitated, then rushed forward too, trying to grab at least one.
They were all standing in a tight circle around the stones.
Li Yun took a step back. A cold, digital light flashed in his eyes.
"Trap Condition: Met," Li Yun whispered.
[ SYSTEM COMMAND: INITIATE 'SPIRIT AMPLIFICATION ARRAY' ][ POWER SOURCE: EXTERNAL (4 High-Grade Stones). ][ CONFIGURATION: OVERLOAD DISCHARGE. ]
Li Yun didn't need to draw runes on the ground. The Server Core allowed him to project the formation logic directly into the energy field.
"Activate."
HUMMMMM.
The four stones on the ground didn't just glow; they screamed. Beams of blinding white light shot up from them, connecting in the air to form a pyramid of pure energy.
Tu Gang, who was reaching for the nearest stone, suddenly felt the air around him turn into solid lead.
"What—?!"
[ GRAVITY PRESSURE: 500% ]
The unrefined energy of High-Grade stones was volatile. Normally, a formation would gently siphon it. Li Yun just opened the floodgates.
"ARGH!" Tu Gang was slammed face-first into the dirt. It felt like a mountain had been dropped on his back. The two minions collapsed instantly, foaming at the mouth, knocked unconscious by the sheer spiritual pressure.
Tu Gang struggled, his muscles bulging, veins popping in his forehead. He was strong. He tried to push himself up. "You... witch... craft..."
Li Yun stood outside the circle of light, the wind whipping his robes. He looked like a judge watching an execution.
"It's not witchcraft," Li Yun said softly. "It's bandwidth. You're standing in the middle of a fiber-optic cable, Tu Gang. You're blocking the signal."
Li Yun raised his hand.
[ COMMAND: MODULATE FREQUENCY. ]
The humming pitch rose to a piercing whine.
Tu Gang screamed as the spiritual pressure vibrated his very bones. His nose began to bleed. His vision went white.
"I yield!" Tu Gang howled, his face pressed into the sharp rocks. "I yield! Take it off! I'll die!"
Li Yun watched the readout. [ TU GANG HP: 40% (Falling rapidly). ]
He could kill him. It would be easy. Just hold the pressure for another ten seconds. Tu Gang's heart would explode.
But Li Yun paused.
If he killed Tu Gang, a new Boss would rise. Someone unknown. Maybe someone smarter. Tu Gang was predictable. He was greedy and simple. And now, he was terrified.
A terrified dog is better than a dead dog. A terrified dog can be trained.
"Tu Gang," Li Yun's voice was amplified by the formation, booming like a deity. "This Island is now Server Node 01. You are trespassing on sacred ground."
"I... I understand!" Tu Gang sobbed.
"Get out," Li Yun commanded. "And if you tell anyone about this... I will turn your blood to steam."
Li Yun snapped his fingers.
[ ARRAY STATUS: STABILIZING. ][ SWITCHING MODE: OFFENSIVE -> TRANSMISSION. ]
The crushing pressure vanished instantly.
Tu Gang gasped, sucking in air. He didn't look back. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed his two unconscious minions by their collars, and dragged them away into the darkness, running as if the devil himself was snapping at his heels.
Li Yun waited until they were gone. Then, he staggered.
His nose was bleeding too. Controlling that much external energy with a Body Tempering Level 1 physique was dangerous.
"Focus," Li Yun slapped his own cheek. "Install the tower."
He picked up the Void Sand. He poured the shimmering, purple grains into the center of the four Spirit Stones.
The sand floated in the air, swirling into a vortex.
[ CONSTRUCTING: SIGNAL TOWER (TIER 1) ][ SYNCING WITH SERVER CORE... ]
The vortex solidified into a pillar of translucent, purple crystal, about two meters high. It hummed with a stable, rhythmic pulse.
[ TOWER COMPLETE. ][ NETWORK UPGRADE: LIVE. ]
POV CHANGE: The NetworkLocation: Everywhere
Across the 500-mile radius, and expanding rapidly to 1000 miles, every connected device pinged.
[ SYSTEM NOTICE: NETWORK MAINTENANCE COMPLETE. ][ SPEED UPGRADED: 5G SPIRIT DATA. ][ NEW REGION UNLOCKED: THE INNER SECTS. ]
In the Azure Cloud Sect, Han Feng watched his video buffer instantly. The resolution sharpened from grainy 240p to crystal clear 4k.
"By the Gods," Han Feng whispered, staring at the screen. "I can count the pores on the Alchemist's face."
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Azure Cloud Sect — Discipline Hall
Elder Mo sat alone in his meditation chamber. On the table before him sat a confiscated Jade Pendant.
He had been staring at it for hours. He had tried to crush it. He had tried to burn it. But every time he applied force, the energy simply dissipated into the void.
"It is not an object," Elder Mo realized. "It is a portal."
Finally, curiosity defeated pride.
Elder Mo extended a finger. He carefully injected a thread of his Core Formation Qi—refined, potent, and sharp—into the pendant.
He expected a trap. He expected a backlash.
Instead, a soft chime echoed in his mind.
[ WELCOME, NEW USER. ][ DETECTING HIGH-LEVEL CULTIVATION BASE. ][ VIP STATUS: PENDING. ]
"VIP?" Elder Mo frowned.
The holographic screen bloomed before him. It was chaotic. Colorful. Noisy.
[ FORUM: "Top 10 Ways to skip Morning Practice." ][ MARKET: "Selling stolen panties (Fake?)" ]
"Filth," Elder Mo grumbled. "Degeneracy."
He was about to crush the pendant when a headline on the "Daily Truth" app caught his eye.
[ EXCLUSIVE: The Lost History of the Azure Cloud Sect. Why did the Founder really leave? ]
Elder Mo froze. The Founder's departure was the sect's greatest mystery. Only the Sect Master knew the truth.
"Heresy," Mo hissed. "Lies."
But his finger moved on its own. He clicked the article.
[ PAYWALL ALERT ][ TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO 'HISTORY MONTHLY'. ][ COST: 10 Spirit Shards. ]
"You dare demand money from me?" Elder Mo was insulted. He was an Elder! Everything in the sect belonged to him!
But there was no one to yell at. Just the blinking prompt.
He looked at the teaser text: "Ancient records discovered in the Iron Graveyard suggest the Founder didn't ascend. He was exiled because he stole the..."
The text cut off.
Elder Mo's heart hammered. He needed to know. If this was true, it could shake the foundation of the Sect. If it was false, he needed to punish the liar.
Grumbling, Elder Mo pulled out a Spirit Stone.
"Just this once," he told himself. "To gather evidence."
He tapped [ PURCHASE ].
[ PAYMENT ACCEPTED. ][ ARTICLE UNLOCKED. ]
Elder Mo leaned in, reading ravenously.
Minutes passed. Then hours.
By dawn, the Discipline Elder, the most feared man in the Outer Court, was not meditating. He was deep in a comment section argument with User 002 (Old Ghost) about the interpretation of a 300-year-old sword technique.
User 002: You old fogey, that style is outdated! The flow is too rigid!
User ??? (Elder Mo): You ignorant junior! Rigidity is the foundation of stability! Come to the Discipline Hall and I will teach you manners!
User 002: Discipline Hall? Lol. Internet tough guy. I bet you're a janitor.
Elder Mo was shaking with rage. "Janitor?! I will find you! I will trace your soul!"
He typed furiously.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: YOU HAVE BEEN MUTED FOR 10 MINUTES FOR 'TOXIC BEHAVIOR'. PLEASE REVIEW THE COMMUNITY GUIDELINES. ]
Elder Mo stared at the message.
"Muted?"
He, an Elder, had been silenced by a rock?
He sat back, stunned. But then, a terrifying thought occurred to him.
"I... I want to reply. I need to wait 10 minutes."
He stared at the countdown timer.
[ 09:59... 09:58... ]
The trap had snapped shut. The Elder was hooked.
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Black Rock Island — The Tower Base
Li Yun sat at the base of his new crystal tower. He was exhausted, bleeding, and hungry again, but he was smiling.
The interface showed a new notification.
[ ALERT: HIGH-VALUE TARGET ACQUIRED. ][ USER IDENTITY: ELDER MO (CORE FORMATION REALM). ][ STATUS: ADDICTED. ]
Li Yun laughed, a dry, raspy sound in the night.
"Checkmate," he whispered.
He had the Youth (Lu Chen). He had the Criminals (Tu Gang/Old Ghost). And now, he had the Law (Elder Mo).
The ecosystem was complete.
Now, it was time to introduce the Currency.
"System," Li Yun commanded. "Draft the whitepaper for 'SpiritCoin'. It's time to replace their physical stones with my digital numbers."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Location: Black Rock Island — The Tower Base Time: Midnight (The Witching Hour)
Li Yun sat before the humming crystal tower. The interface in his mind was a waterfall of numbers.
[ SERVER UPTIME: 99.9% ][ ACTIVE USERS: 42 ][ TOTAL NETWORK WEALTH: 154 Spirit Stones (Physical Estimate) ]
"Inefficient," Li Yun critiqued. "The economy is bottlenecked by physical logistics."
Currently, if User A wanted to buy a sword from User B, they had to upload the physical payment (Spirit Stones). This required teleporting heavy rocks back and forth, wasting Li Yun's precious server energy on shipping costs.
"I need to decouple the value from the matter," Li Yun murmured. "I need to introduce Fiat Currency."
He opened the Admin Console.
[ PROJECT: SPIRIT BANK ][ ACTION: MINT NEW CURRENCY -> "SPIRIT CREDITS" (SC) ][ EXCHANGE RATE: 1 Low-Grade Spirit Stone = 1000 SC ]
But why would cultivators, who trusted only the tangible energy in stones, switch to invisible numbers?
Li Yun smiled the smile of a predator. "Interest."
He drafted the notification.
[ SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Spirit Bank is Open! ][ DEPOSIT BONUS: Convert your physical Spirit Stones into Spirit Credits today! ][ FEATURE: "STAKING" ]
Leave your Credits in the Bank for 30 days.
Earn 5% APY (Annual Percentage Yield) in pure energy.
To a modern human, 5% is a standard bank rate. To a cultivator? It was defying the heavens. Stones in a pouch didn't multiply. In fact, they slowly leaked energy over time. Li Yun was offering a world where wealth grew by doing nothing.
"Where does the 5% come from?" Li Yun asked the empty air. "It comes from the transaction fees I charge the traders. I pay the savers with the money from the spenders. The cycle is closed."
He pressed [ LAUNCH ].
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Azure Cloud Sect — Dormitory
Lu Chen was counting his physical stones. He had made a fortune selling the terminals, but his room was now filled with glowing rocks. It was dangerous. If an Elder walked in, he would be executed for theft.
Ping.
[ NEW APP: SPIRIT BANK ][ SECURE YOUR WEALTH. EARN INTEREST. ]
Lu Chen read the terms. His eyes widened.
"It... it pays me to hold my money?"
He looked at the pile of stones. He looked at the "Deposit" button.
He was terrified. What if the numbers vanished? But he remembered the Market. He remembered the Map. The Admin had never lied. The Admin was powerful.
"If I keep these stones here, I might be robbed," Lu Chen reasoned. "If I give them to the Admin... only the Admin can rob me."
He picked up a stone. [ DEPOSIT ]. The stone vanished. [ BALANCE: 1,000 SC ]
He deposited another. And another. Within ten minutes, his room was empty of contraband, and his digital wallet held 50,000 SC.
He felt lighter. He felt... modern.
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Azure Cloud Sect — Discipline Hall
Elder Mo was still waiting out his 10-minute ban on the forums. He was fuming.
Ping.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: Suspicious Financial Activity Detected in Outer Court. ][ 50,000 SC moved in Sector 4. ]
Elder Mo blinked. "What? The System reports crimes to me?"
He didn't realize that Li Yun had flagged his account as "Moderator Candidate" (without giving him actual power yet). Li Yun was feeding him data to keep him engaged.
Elder Mo looked at the data stream. He saw the flow of wealth. He realized something terrifying.
"This network... it sees everything," Elder Mo whispered. "It knows who has money. It knows who is talking to whom."
He looked at the jade pendant in his hand with a mixture of fear and awe.
"If the Sect controls this..." Elder Mo's eyes shone. "We would be invincible. We could root out every spy, every traitor."
He stood up. The ban timer hit 00:00.
He didn't go back to arguing with Old Ghost. He opened a Private Message to User: Admin.
[ User (Elder Mo): Unknown Senior. I represent the Discipline Hall of the Azure Cloud Sect. We wish to discuss... jurisdiction. ]
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Black Rock Island
Li Yun saw the message.
"Jurisdiction," Li Yun chuckled. "He thinks he can regulate the internet."
He typed a reply.
[ Admin: The Spirit Web recognizes no borders. But... we are willing to offer a "Premium Enterprise Subscription" for the Azure Cloud Sect. ][ BENEFITS: Access to "Flagged User" lists. ][ PRICE: 10 High-Grade Spirit Stones per month. ]
Li Yun was selling Elder Mo his own disciples' data back to him.
"He'll pay," Li Yun predicted. "Control is the ultimate drug for authoritarian regimes."
Suddenly, the Server Core pulsed violently.
[ ALERT! ][ ALERT! ][ ANOMALY DETECTED. ]
Li Yun's smile vanished. The holographic room turned red.
"What is it? A server crash?"
[ NEGATIVE. EXTERNAL CONNECTION ATTEMPT. ][ SOURCE: UNKNOWN. ][ SIGNAL ORIGIN: THE DEEP VOID (COORDINATES: NULL). ]
Li Yun froze. The Spirit Web was a Local Area Network. He had just built the tower to cover 1000 miles. The Deep Void was millions of miles away. Nothing should be able to connect from there. The signal strength required would be god-tier.
"Analyze the packet," Li Yun ordered, his heart racing.
[ DECRYPTING... ][ MESSAGE RECEIVED. ]
A text box appeared on his Admin screen. It wasn't in the standard system font. It was jagged, archaic, like runes carved into ancient bone.
[ User ???: FOUND YOU. ]
Li Yun stared at the words.
[ User ???: THE SERVER KEY... BELONGS TO THE EMPEROR. RETURN IT, OR WE WILL PURGE THIS REALITY SECTOR. ]
[ CONNECTION TERMINATED BY SOURCE. ]
The red light faded. The hum of the tower returned to normal. Li Yun sat in the silence of Black Rock Island, the cold wind chilling the sweat on his back.
"The Emperor?" Li Yun whispered.
He looked at his hands. The Server Core wasn't just a random cheat ability he got from transmigration. It was a Key. And apparently, the previous owner wanted it back.
Li Yun looked up at the violet sky, past the nebula clouds. Somewhere out there, in the true depths of the universe, something massive had just turned its gaze toward this tiny, insignificant island.
"Let them come," Li Yun said, his voice hardening.
He swiped his hand, opening the Research Tree.
[ CURRENT PROJECT: CIVILIZATION BUILDING ][ UNLOCK NEXT TIER: "SPIRITUAL ARTILLERY" ]
"If they want to purge this sector," Li Yun said, tapping the button to begin research on magical railguns. "They're going to find out that this Server has a very aggressive firewall."