The moment the screen lit up—
Su Wan's breathing faltered.
Not from fear.
But because she finally understood.
At the bottom of the interface, a single line of text rested quietly. No glow. No notification chime.
Yet it was more shocking than any system announcement.
[Civilization Source Code: Activated][Authority Origin: You]
"…You."
She murmured the word.
And in that instant, every strange detail from the past finally aligned.
Why her phone was always fully charged.Why it never needed signal yet worked across worlds.Why even the rules of the Immortal Realm and the Primordial Domain could be queried, analyzed, and delayed.
Because from the beginning—
It had never been a cheat.
It was a launcher.
She had never been a traveler from another world.
She had been the activation key.
Su Wan slowly lifted her head and looked at Xiao Xuanyin.
"Your Majesty."
Her voice was steady.
More serious than ever before.
"I didn't stumble into this world."
"I was activated."
"Activated…?"
The words spread across the hall like thunder.
"Do you know what that means?" someone whispered.
"The Primordial Domain only confirms three kinds of entities with that title."
"One—Destroyer."
"Two—Successor Administrator."
"And the third…"
A voice trembled.
"…The beginning of a civilization."
Which meant one thing.
If Su Wan confirmed the role—
The Human Realm would no longer be an auxiliary world.
It would become a recorded civilization node.
Recognized.
Cataloged.
Allowed to evolve independently.
At that moment—
Every gaze in the hall fell on Su Wan.
And her phone interface transformed again.
The screen dissolved into something entirely new.
An Administrator Console.
New permissions unfolded slowly.
[Launcher: Civilization Initialization Authority][Rule Conflict: Possesses Veto Privilege][Dual-Core Stability Detected]
Then one more line appeared.
Su Wan's fingers trembled.
[Core Two: Rule Bearer — Xiao Xuanyin]
She finally understood.
Why the Primordial Domain had not forced the rollback.
Why the "Rejection Invalid" prompt had glitched.
Because this world had never been a single-variable system.
It had two cores.
One to ignite the civilization.
One to carry its rules.
Immortal Realm
Silence swallowed the council hall.
Someone muttered hoarsely:
"…I thought this was a world of cultivators."
"What is a civilization-level configuration doing here?"
"What even is this mess?"
Su Wan let out a short laugh.
"Well."
"I don't know how things turned out this way."
"But the decision power is mine."
She raised her hand.
And opened an option that had never appeared before.
[Enable Non-Efficiency Growth Mode]
No explanation.
No warnings.
But she knew exactly what it meant.
The authority over human growth itself was now in her hands.
She pressed Confirm.
At the bottom of the screen, another message flickered quietly.
[Open New World Branch?]
Su Wan looked up at Xiao Xuanyin and grinned.
"Your Majesty."
"…Looks like it's time to launch the server."
The Trial World Opens
When the gateway opened—
There was no pillar of light.
No grand world-descending spectacle.
Everything simply…
Changed.
The first person to step inside was a blacksmith.
His name was Zhou Tieshan.
He had never seen grand battles.
His only pride was a hammer he had forged with his own hands for twenty years.
When his boots touched the ground of the Trial Realm—
His first thought was simple.
It's quiet.
The sky hung low, as if pressed downward.
The ground felt rough, real beneath his feet.
The air carried spiritual energy—
But wild.
Untamed.
This place wasn't the Immortal Realm.
And it wasn't the Human Realm either.
It felt like a world that had never been civilized.
Zhou Tieshan glanced back.
The gateway remained open behind him.
He knew he could return anytime.
But he didn't.
Because here—
He could prove he existed.
He swallowed.
"…My turn."
Trial Realm — First Rule Appears
Once the first wave fully entered—
Golden text slowly appeared in the sky.
[Rule One: Death allows return, but all gains will be lost]
Everyone's breathing paused.
Win — keep everything.Lose — reset to zero.
A soldier muttered:
"That's simpler than cultivation."
"Feels more like gambling."
"But at least the numbers don't lie."
First Monster
It appeared without warning.
No roar.
No signal.
Just grass bending under weight.
Then—
A wolf-like creature with bone spikes burst from the forest.
Fast.
Too fast.
It lunged toward the nearest target.
"Scatter!"
The soldier shouted instinctively.
Too late.
The beast was already in front of Zhou Tieshan.
His mind went blank.
He wasn't trained.
He wasn't a fighter.
He had no instincts.
He only had one thing.
His hammer.
"SCREW YOU!"
The shout tore from his lungs.
Zhou Tieshan swung with every ounce of strength in his body.
CLANG!
The hammer slammed into bone spikes.
Sparks exploded.
No damage.
The recoil numbed his hands.
I'm dead.
The thought barely formed—
Before the beast's bite missed.
Not because Zhou dodged.
Because the wolf slowed.
Just a fraction.
Zhou Tieshan didn't know—
But the Trial Realm had recorded something.
[Behavior Evaluation: Active Engagement][Adjustment: Hostile Reaction Delay +3%]
That half-second—
Saved his life.
"Don't stop!"
The soldier charged in and slashed the beast's neck.
No flashy skill effects.
Just blood.
Real blood.
"It feels pain!"
Someone shouted.
"It's not fake!"
Fear changed instantly.
From:
I'm going to die here.
To:
If it doesn't die, I will.
First Kill
Zhou Tieshan didn't know how many times he swung.
By the final blow—
His arms weren't even listening anymore.
CRACK!
The bone spikes shattered.
The wolf collapsed.
Dead.
Silence.
Then notifications flooded everyone's vision.
[First Kill Achieved]Target: Low-tier Bone WolfPrimary Contributor: Zhou TieshanReward Calculating…
Zhou Tieshan stared blankly.
"…Me?"
Suddenly warmth burst through his chest.
Not explosive spiritual energy.
But stability.
Strength.
[Strength Adaptation +5][Fear Resistance +10][Passive Skill Acquired: Heavy Strike Insight]
Zhou looked at his hands.
Hands hardened by years of forging.
Now steady.
Unshakable.
"…My body feels stronger."
Mortal Sect — Observation Deck
Su Wan watched the real-time data feed.
Her eyes gleamed.
"Beautiful."
Shen Yan swallowed.
"That was only the first monster."
Xiao Xuanyin said nothing.
He watched the screen quietly.
The blacksmith stood there—
Still breathing heavily.
"That's not talent."
Xiao Xuanyin said calmly.
"That's survival instinct."
The Trial Realm Changes
No cheering.
No celebration.
But everyone's posture changed.
The soldier licked his lips.
"Next one."
"Who's up?"
Zhou Tieshan tightened his grip on the hammer.
His hands trembled.
But he didn't step back.
"…Me."
At that moment—
He understood something.
Cultivation wasn't just about becoming stronger.
It was the moment you realized—
You had the right to step forward.
Just as the team prepared to advance—
Another rule appeared in the sky.
[Warning: High-Risk Zone Ahead]
Deep in the forest—
Something was waking.
Not a low-tier monster.
A true predator.
Far beyond the world—
An ancient existence finally leaned forward.
"…Interesting."
Outside the gateway—
Xiao Xuanyin stood with quiet gravity.
His voice carried across the world.
"Remember this day."
"From this moment on—"
"Human progress will no longer depend on permission."
"We will fight for every step ourselves."