Chapter 2: The Weaver of Void and the Shattered Pride
The first rays of dawn pierced through the silver mist of the Hidden Dragon Mountain, but for Li Ming, the world no longer looked the same. As he stepped out of the cave where his destiny had been rewritten, his vision was overlaid with a translucent, golden lattice. The trees, the rocks, and even the flowing stream nearby weren't just physical objects anymore; they were shimmering clusters of data. He could see the "structural integrity" of the cliffs and the "energy density" of the mountain air.
Inside his chest, the new Grey Core spun with a low, rhythmic hum. It didn't feel like the turbulent, burning Qi he had seen in the clan's geniuses. It felt like a silent, bottomless abyss—a "Zero State" that was waiting to be programmed.
[System Notification: Optimization of the Host's Physical Vessel is at 15%.]
[Current Status: Rank 1 Creator (Foundation Phase).]
[Resource Alert: Low Energy. Acquisition of 'Creation Essence' is required for further evolution.]
Li Ming looked at his hands. The skin was now smoother, almost like polished jade, but underneath, he felt a density of muscle and bone that defied his lean frame. He needed to test this power. He walked toward a massive ancient oak tree, its trunk thick enough that three men couldn't encircle it. In the traditional path of cultivation, a disciple would need to spend years refining their strength to damage such a tree.
Li Ming simply placed his palm against the bark. "Dismantle," he commanded.
He didn't strike it. Instead, he felt the Grey Core in his chest pulse. Thousands of microscopic grey threads erupted from his fingertips, weaving into the cellular structure of the tree. To an outsider, it would have looked like the tree was simply fading out of existence. In reality, Li Ming was deconstructing the wood into its primal elemental components.
[Acquired: 15 Units of Wood Essence.]
[Acquired: 2 Units of Vitality Fragment.]
[Refining... Physical Strength increased by 1.2%.]
As the gargantuan tree vanished into thin air, leaving not even a leaf behind, Li Ming felt a surge of warmth flowing through his meridians. His muscles tightened, and his senses sharpened. He wasn't just getting stronger; he was "rebuilding" himself using the essence of the world. He spent the next few hours systematically deconstructing boulders and rare flora, his movements becoming faster and more fluid with every "deletion."
---
While Li Ming was rewriting his existence, a storm of a different kind was brewing at the foot of the mountain.
Li Han, the newly crowned genius of the Li Clan, was leading a small group of disciples up the winding mountain path. He was dressed in ornate crimson robes, his Grade Six Fire Talent making him the pride of the younger generation. Beside him were two sycophants, Li Feng and Li Bao, who followed his every word like loyal hounds.
"Are we really going to waste our morning looking for that trash?" Li Feng grumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead. "The guards said he climbed up here during the storm. He's probably a frozen corpse by now."
Li Han's eyes flashed with a cold, cruel light. "My father, the Elder, noticed that the boy was still wearing his mother's jade pendant during the evaluation. That pendant is a family relic that was supposed to be returned to the main treasury years ago. I'm not here for the boy; I'm here to reclaim what belongs to the clan. If he's dead, I'll take it from his cold neck. If he's alive... I'll teach him the price of running away."
They reached the high ledge near the ancient cave just as the sun hit its zenith. Li Han stopped abruptly. He expected to find a shivering, broken boy. Instead, he saw a young man standing at the edge of the cliff, looking out over the empire with a terrifyingly calm expression.
"Li Ming!" Li Han barked, his voice laced with arrogance. "I see you've found a nice place to hide. But the fun is over. Hand over the jade pendant and crawl back to the clan. If you beg for mercy on your knees, I might convince the Elder to give you a lighter shift in the mines."
Li Ming turned slowly. His eyes, which used to be filled with fear and resentment, were now as calm as a deep, grey sea. To his vision, Li Han was covered in flickering red warnings.
[Target: Li Han. Cultivation: 4th Stage Body Tempering. Status: Unoptimized. Energy leakage detected in the right shoulder.]
"The pendant belongs to me," Li Ming said, his voice carrying a resonance that made the air vibrate. "And the Li Clan no longer has the right to command me. Go back, Li Han. This mountain is no longer a place for children playing with fire."
Li Han's face turned a deep shade of purple. "You dare... you dare speak to me like that? A 'Broken Vessel' with no Qi thinks he can stand tall because he survived a storm? I'll break every bone in your body!"
Li Han lunged. His movements were swift, a testament to his Grade Six talent. He channeled his Fire Qi into his fist, creating a swirling vortex of orange flames. This was the "Blazing Tiger Strike," a technique that could shatter stone.
"Die, trash!" Li Han roared, his flaming fist inches away from Li Ming's face.
Li Ming didn't dodge. He didn't even flinch. To the onlookers, it looked like he was frozen in fear. But in Li Ming's mind, the world had slowed to a crawl. He saw the "script" of Li Han's attack, the messy flow of energy, and the glaring "Bug" in his technique.
Li Ming raised a single finger and touched the center of Li Han's flaming fist.
*Clink.*
The sound was like a crystal glass shattering. The moment Li Ming's finger made contact, the flames didn't explode—they turned a dull grey and dissolved into nothingness. Li Han felt an agonizing emptiness as the Qi in his arm was instantly deconstructed and absorbed by Li Ming's core.
"What... what did you do?" Li Han gasped, his momentum coming to a crashing halt. His arm felt heavy, as if the very concept of fire had been erased from his veins.
"I simply deleted your attack," Li Ming said coldly. "It was full of errors."
With a flick of his wrist, Li Ming struck Li Han's chest with his open palm. He didn't use Qi; he used a pulse of "Void Force." The impact sent Li Han flying backward through the air, his body crashing through a thicket of trees before he hit a rock wall with a sickening thud.
Li Feng and Li Bao stood frozen, their mouths agape. Their "genius" leader, a 4th Stage cultivator, had been defeated by a single finger from the clan's biggest failure.
Li Ming stepped toward them, his shadow looming over them like a dark god. "Take your 'genius' and leave. Tell the Patriarch that Li Ming is no longer a servant of the Li Clan. I am the architect of my own destiny now."
The two followers scrambled to pick up the unconscious, bleeding Li Han. They fled down the mountain as if the devil himself were chasing them.
Li Ming stood alone on the cliffside, but he felt no joy in the victory. He knew this was only the beginning. The Li Clan would not take this humiliation lightly. They would send the Elders next, perhaps even the Patriarch himself.
[Warning: Host Energy Levels depleted to 30%.]
[New Quest Generated: The Path of the Weapon.]
[Objective: Deconstruct a Rank 1 Spirit Beast to unlock the 'Materialization' module.]
Li Ming looked deeper into the mountains, toward the dark, fog-filled valley known as the Veridian Abyss. "If I am to face the Elders," he whispered, "I will need a weapon that can cut through their laws."
He turned his back on the clan and vanished into the
shadows of the forest, his journey into the heart of power truly beginning.