Outside, the sky had already begun to darken. The starlight barely shimmered over the clan's vast grounds, finally ushering in a new spring night.
Tie Kie Jan spoke briefly with Li Han, something that had become a routine at the end of the day. Li Han was a sincere and straightforward person in his words; even when he tried to hide certain things, some slipped past his lips. This was not a problem for Tie Kie Jan.
After all, it was only necessary to look at a person and know their information through the system's abilities.
Tie Kie Jan calmly walked back to his room as many thoughts began to collide in his mind.
"What new things will come with the update?" he thought calmly.
In just a few moments, memories from the past began to surface clearly in Tie Kie Jan's mind, recalling the important events that followed the system's update.
Initially, he remembered that the first time the system updated, the main requirement had been to kill two hundred lower-ranked Gu Masters. With only a rank 3 cultivation, such a task would have been difficult to carry out openly, but in those times, death was as natural as breathing air.
Variant humans mercilessly harbored killing intent toward the human race.
........
A middle-aged man, thin and with pale green hair, ran with all his strength. Sweat drenched his face and his breathing was ragged. The forest around him was shrouded in shadows, and the moonlight barely managed to illuminate his path.
"Damn it!" he muttered between gasps. "How could they find me so quickly?! I made sure to erase every trace that could reveal my location, even body heat!"
The next second, a stream of Qi surged through the wind, slicing through branches, trees, and even rocks.
From among the branches, a humanoid figure slowly emerged. It had pale skin, ice-blue eyes, and its aquamarine hair draped over an expressionless face. A "snowman"—one of the many variant humans wandering the world.
The pale green-haired man barely managed to turn his head when the stream of Qi struck him. A sharp pain tore through his body, and his right leg was ripped off in the impact. Blood burst forth immediately, staining the snow-covered ground a deep red.
He stared at his attacker for a moment and could only curse in silence. With his face twisted and his breath labored, he began to crawl, trying to drag himself away little by little.
"Human… oh, human. You've gone too far. You killed many Gu Masters of my tribe. Don't blame me—blame yourself for being weak." The snowman's voice dripped with deep hatred. "May your soul be forever trapped within the Gates of Life and Death."
Moments later, he raised his hand. A blade of ice formed instantly; a chilling wind wrapped around it and, with a single motion, he decapitated the green-haired man.
Luo Feng barely had time to perceive his life fading away in just a few breaths. Though his head had been severed, he was still capable of thought. In those final moments, a system screen appeared before him.
[The host has suffered a fatal injury]
DING!
[At the moment of death, good deeds offset karma]
[Would you like to use state recovery?]
[Yes / No]
Without hesitation, Luo Feng chose the option "Yes."
Outside, only a few seconds had passed. The snowman calmly observed the corpse before turning away. Moments later, the body began to glow with a golden radiance, soon enveloped in a cocoon of shifting colors.
A chill ran down the snowman's spine. His battle instincts forced him to retreat immediately.
From the cocoon emerged Luo Feng, fully restored. He checked his condition: no abnormalities, though he still struggled to grow accustomed to the sensation of revival. The pain of muscles reconnecting and nerves fusing stabbed through him like thousands of needles piercing his brain.
Even so, Luo Feng had no intention of giving up. He was on the verge of fulfilling the requirement for the next update. He had no time to waste, and his will surged into frenzy.
The snowman was stunned by the method of resurrection, but even more so when he lifted his gaze to the sky.
Tribulation Clouds!
In those few seconds of distraction, Luo Feng activated his Gu worms, channeling them with his Clear Silver primeval essence.
"Killer Move: Cutting Wind Flow!"
He swung his arm as if wielding a blade. A stream of compressed air shot forth, cleaving straight into the snowman. The impact detonated within seconds, leaving his body reduced to a shattered statue amid the snow.
At first, Luo Feng had fled because his primeval essence was exhausted and he had no more primeval stones to replenish it. The Gu Master pursuing him was among the strongest—rank two at peak stage, yet with strength comparable to rank three.
Now, after his recovery, all negative effects had vanished. His primeval essence was fully restored.
DING!
[Congratulations to the host for fulfilling the update requirement]
[The System has begun updating. It is recommended to remain in optimal condition for the next 10 seconds]
Luo Feng smiled, but soon his expression darkened as he looked at the remains of the snowman. When he raised his gaze to the sky, he could only mutter:
"Damn it!"
The once calm heavens quickly blackened. Dense dark clouds swirled into a spiral, warning of the wrath of heaven determined to descend upon the earth and its mortals.
A thunderous roar echoed above. The pressure emanating from the clouds was suffocating; each snowflake that fell froze mid-air, disintegrating into dust instantly.
Luo Feng looked up. The golden glow of his newly restored body contrasted sharply against the dark sea forming above him. His breathing grew heavy, as if a mountain had settled upon his chest.
"The first time I decide to use this, and trouble just keeps coming…" he complained inwardly.
The beat of a drum echoed from within the clouds, and small lumps of light began to gather rapidly, briefly illuminating the landscape. The air grew thick with electricity, and every hair on Luo Feng's body stood on end.
[Warning: The system is currently updating. Any external interference will affect the stability of progress.]
"Don't tell me…" Luo Feng muttered, gritting his teeth.
A deafening rumble cut through his thoughts. The next instant, a pillar of lightning descended, piercing through space like a divine spear.
The earth shook. Snow lifted in a shockwave, and scorching heat engulfed everything. Luo Feng barely had time to cross his arms and activate a defensive Gu in an attempt to resist; even so, the force drove him several meters underground, leaving his body buried within a smoking crater.
At the bottom of the crater lay unrecognizable fragments of a figure, reduced to charcoal. Luo Feng had died for the second time.
However, he had already anticipated such an outcome. As nothing more than a mortal rank three Gu Master, what chance did he have of surviving a heavenly tribulation? Even many legendary figures and immortals had perished beneath such strikes. But Luo Feng had revived once already… couldn't he do it again?
Before the lightning had completely destroyed him, he had left thoughts bound to the system. Thanks to that, he held the possibility of creating miracles and achieving the impossible.
A humanoid figure of charcoal rose within the crater, then dissipated seconds later into the wind, leaving no trace behind. Outside, Luo Feng appeared once more with his body intact. His cultivation had risen a minor level, advancing from rank three early stage to mid stage. The most noticeable change, however, was his appearance: in just a few breaths, he had gone from a middle-aged man to a hunched old man, his pale green hair cascading down his back.
DING!
[Congratulations to the host for fulfilling the requirement: "A New Rank, New Horizons"]
[Reward: +1 State Recovery]
Luo Feng calmly reviewed the reward. With so little lifespan remaining, his death was inevitable; wasting it again made no sense.
"Ten seconds… the update has started loading again."
This reward was only granted upon reaching the mid stage of a mortal rank. At the immortal level, the conditions were different.
In just a few moments, his stream of thoughts quickened. Looking up at the sky, he noticed the dark clouds expanding at great speed, while an endless chorus of drums thundered loudly. Luo Feng watched them with serenity. Though he lacked the strength to survive, his only goal was to endure long enough until the update was complete. If he died a third time, he would not waste the precious resource he still had left. After all, he only possessed one state recovery.
The system granted one each time he reached the mid stage of a higher rank, and he had already spent the ones he had received upon reaching rank one and rank two mid stage.
The heavens roared again. A second bolt of lightning was about to descend.
The fact that Luo Feng had fully recovered had not gone unnoticed. The golden radiance of his restored body further incited the wrath of Heaven's will. The tribulation clouds churned with fury, multiplying until they blanketed the entire visible sky above the plains.
The air grew heavy, thick with electricity and a bone-chilling cold. The thunder boomed like war drums, and every second felt eternal.
"Just… ten seconds…" he muttered through clenched teeth, panting heavily.
The system resumed the update process. With the points accumulated from his kills and missions in this life, Luo Feng purchased two Relic Gu from the system's shop, using them to forcibly push the growth of his cultivation. At the same time, he channeled his primeval essence into a new Gu worm.
A sharp pain tore through his back. He gritted his teeth as he felt his muscles ripping apart and fusing back together. Within seconds, a pair of dark, bat-shaped wings burst forth from his body.
His aura shifted instantly. The pressure of his cultivation surged without restraint, rising all the way to rank three peak stage.
Without wasting a single moment, Luo Feng unfurled the newly-formed wings and shot into the sky, dodging the next strike of the heavenly tribulation that crashed down exactly where he had just been.
The explosion rumbled behind him, raising hills of snow and leaving a scorched mark upon the ground.
A second bolt of lightning descended and grazed his side, scorching his skin. Another exploded in front of him, forcing him to twist sharply. His muscles burned, his body resisted, yet he pushed forward, refusing to fall.
The ten seconds felt eternal.
In that short span, Luo Feng had to split his focus in several directions: constantly using his healing Gu while deftly maneuvering his wings through the chaotic sky. The update process stretched longer each time Luo Feng suffered an injury and healed again.
Finally, amid the roar of thunder, a notification emerged in his mind:
DING!
[The system has completed the update process.]
A smile flickered across his face—brief and bitter.
"I did it…" he whispered in relief, before his expression turned grim.
The dark clouds grew brighter and louder to Luo Feng, disorienting him for brief moments. A barrage of tribulations descended all at once: lightning, flames, ice, and wind converged into a devastating storm.
Luo Feng spread his arms, too drained to dodge, and let out a hoarse laugh.
"So this is life…"
The world blazed with a blinding light. His body was reduced to ashes in an instant, erased beneath Heaven's Will fury.
When the rumbling faded, only smoke and scorched snow remained. The sky stayed dark for several minutes before finally returning to calm, as though nothing had ever happened.
Soon after, in that devastated plain, a young woman appeared in the sky. She wore a deep-blue robe, her hair as radiant as the Milky Way cascading delicately down her back, and her eyes shone brilliantly like stars in the night.
The beasts approaching the plain scattered at once when the woman appeared.
Aura of rank seven!
"For such a great tribulation to form here, something serious must have happened. There are no traces of an Immortal or anything of the sort, only dense dao marks of the fire, ice, lightning, snow, and wind paths…" the young Immortal spoke calmly after carefully analyzing every spot.
"…I don't understand why my master sent me here with such urgency. Everything is already devastated, but this too must be a destined work in my life, as he says. Only… I arrived late due to certain circumstances."
The young Immortal furrowed her brow deeply. Within her, a mix of emotions unsettled her as the aura of several Gu worms began to seep into the air.
"I wasn't able to achieve anything… I'm still not as skilled in the Wisdom Path as my master expects me to be," she sighed, before calmly departing, soaring through the sky like a shining comet.
...............
Luo Feng slowly opened his eyes, completely unaware of what had transpired after his death in that valley.
Darkness.
An ethereal space without limits or form, an endless void of blackness assaulted his senses. There was no cold, no heat—time itself seemed fractured and incomplete.
Before him, a translucent screen of pale blue light emerged, glowing with a soft radiance.
DING!
[System update has been completed.]
For a moment, Luo Feng didn't react. His lips barely moved, murmuring in a faint voice:"...I died again."
His gaze drifted into nothingness. The memories of those final moments pierced through him like needles—the pain, the helplessness, the lack of strength to endure in such a chaotic world. He clenched his fists, but soon loosened them with a bitter smile.
"Luo Feng" had already lived through countless lives. The cycle of dying and awakening in a new body was nothing unfamiliar. And yet, the feeling of constantly having his existence stripped away only fueled a deeper hunger—to fight harder in the next life, to push forward again and again, until the day he finally reached what he sought.
"There are still countless wonders left to uncover. I was once an Immortal… it's only a matter of time before I reclaim that again." He let out a quiet sigh.
"At least I achieved my goal. Ten seconds. That's all I needed."
The letters on the screen shifted, cutting off his train of thought.
[Update Benefit: Feature Unlocked! → Personalized Collection]
A radiant symbol expanded in the air, taking the shape of a small, dark chest. Its surface reflected scenes and fragments of life, as though memories were sealed within it.
[The Personalized Collection grants the user the ability to store packets of information, cultivation experiences, Gu worms, Gu recipes, and key moments of their life, right before death. These packets can only be claimed once the specific requirements set by the system are met.]
Luo Feng narrowed his eyes, studying the description intently. His breathing grew deeper, heavier.
"To store… cultivation knowledge and experiences?" he murmured, a strange gleam flickering in his gaze.
This was not something entirely foreign to him—he knew of Gu worms, recipes, inheritances. Yet…
At first, it seemed useless. But he couldn't completely trust his memory; if his soul were damaged, precious memories and experiences could be lost forever.
"This… this is utterly absurd…" he muttered, his voice trembling. "It's completely unlike anything I've ever seen. Truly, having a system is incredible. No wonder those people said possessing one was like cheating, defying the laws of the new world."
"It means that even if I die, as long as the system records it, nothing will be lost. This includes Gu worms and crucial cultivation resources. It's… as if I could accumulate entire lifetimes, one after another…" Luo Feng let out a disbelieving laugh, covering his face with his hand. "This is madness!"
Another notification cut through his thoughts.
DING!
[The user has received a stroke of fortune. A new path has been unlocked in the system shop!]
For a moment, Luo Feng's heart trembled violently. A flash of excitement coursed through him, but he soon lowered his head.
"Good fortune, huh?" he muttered hoarsely. "Every time the system gives me something, it's only because I nearly lost everything first. It's like feeding me carrots after beating me several times with a stick…"
He clenched his teeth.
"Even so… this is the only path I have! The only one…"
In the midst of the darkness, the chest of the Personalized Collection floated before him. Luo Feng gazed at it in silence, and deep within his mind, a spark of ambition burned fiercely.
"If I can store my lives…" he whispered with a trembling voice. "Then I can use them as stepping stones. Even if I have to die a thousand times, sooner or later… I will reach the peak."
His excitement faded as quickly as it had come.
"If it were in solitude, yes, I could cultivate in peace. But the system's rewards are only obtained through specific actions, where most often my life is at stake. I must feed my Gu worms. Living a quiet life is nearly impossible… humanity is destined to coexist and clash in order to progress."
DING!
[Path unlocked in the system shop: Path of Wisdom.]
A new notification appeared before Luo Feng. The Path of Wisdom was currently extremely rare in the five regions. Although he lacked the methods of that path, his vast experience and the hardships of his life had completely shaped his way of seeing the world—just as he had always expected.
Tie Kie Jan quickly recalled the experiences he had during the system's updates.
The first time, he unlocked "Personalized Collection." The second time, system-granted abilities were directly given to the host's body, all starting at level one: greater defense across his entire body, as strong as the effect of a Gu worm (Player's Body); smoother thought flow, hypercognitive abilities, and solid mental resilience (Player's Mind); along with a set of skills such as Observe, Health Manipulation, Plunder, among others.
Then came a third update, a fourth, and up to the present day, around eleven in total. That was why he was filled with expectations for the new one.
The first requirement had been to achieve an exact number of "Reincarnations," something he had accomplished long ago. The second was directly tied to the moments when he had survived several events until reaching the beginning of the story. The last: refining a Gu, the start of a new path.
He walked calmly through the corridors. Once inside his room, he closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall. Through the window, the dark sky stretched out like a blanket embracing the world. His eyes, serene but with a profound gleam, reflected the experience accumulated over countless lives.
"In this world, no one can have a journey without obstacles. Perfection is only an illusion," he thought, closing the window with a firm motion.
Then, he sat at the center of the room, his figure motionless like a rock defying the wind. His breathing grew slow, rhythmic, and the outside world gradually faded from his perception.
The aperture appeared in his mind like a unique microcosm: infinite and insignificant at the same time, a space protected by a luminous layer.
Inside, the sea of green copper primeval essence was calm. The water level had reached 79%, the limit of his B-grade, but Tie Kie Jan knew this wasn't everything.
"It's time," he murmured, his gaze falling upon the Bamboo Spear Gu resting in his palm.
At first glance, it looked like a withered piece of bamboo, with fine cracks running across its surface.
Tie Kie Jan held it firmly. There was no doubt within him; this Gu represented the final step, the last requirement to activate the new system update.