Morning light slipped through the cracks in the wooden walls.
Vihaan Wei opened his eyes.
Wu Tan City.
Two systems.
Two years before everything begins.
"…Let's move."
He sat up and called out calmly:
"System."
The Auction System
A structured interface unfolded.
[Auction System]
[Auction Houses: 0 / 1 Deployed]
Vihaan's gaze sharpened.
"…So it has to be placed first."
Information flowed into his mind—clear and complete.
🏛️ Auction House Mechanics
Initial limit: 1 Auction House
Must be physically deployed in the real world
Location must be accessible to all cultivators
Once placed → becomes a public auction facility
🧱 Auction House Features
A grand auction building manifests instantly
Includes:
Main hall
VIP rooms
Storage vaults
Full staff
🛡️ Absolute Security
2 Dou Zong
100 Dou Huang
1000 Dou Wang
Restriction:
Cannot leave a 100-mile radius
🧠 Realization
Vihaan went silent.
Then—
His eyes widened slightly.
"…In the Jia Ma Empire…"
From his memories of the world of Battle Through the Heavens—
Dou Zong?
Almost unheard of.
Even Dou Huang—
"…Only a few exist."
Yet here—
He would control:
2 Dou Zong
100 Dou Huang
1000 Dou Wang
He exhaled slowly.
"…This can shake the entire empire."
For a moment—
Excitement flickered.
Then vanished.
"…Too early."
He closed the panel.
The Second System
"Sign-In System."
A simple interface appeared.
[Daily Sign-In Available]
No hesitation.
"Sign in."
First Reward
[Ding!]
[Sign-In Successful!]
[Reward: Devouring Physique]
"…A physique?"
The next second—
Pain.
Transformation
"—AHH!"
A violent surge erupted inside his body.
Not energy.
Not heat.
Something deeper.
It felt like his body was being torn apart—
And rebuilt.
Bones trembled.
Veins burned.
Every cell screamed.
He collapsed onto the ground, clutching his chest.
"…What… is this…!"
The pain didn't stop.
It intensified.
Like something was devouring him from the inside—
And replacing him.
His vision blurred.
His consciousness faded.
Darkness
Silence returned.
His body lay motionless on the cold floor.
Time passed.
Minutes.
Hours.
Awakening
"…ngh…"
Vihaan's fingers twitched.
Slowly—
He opened his eyes.
The pain was gone.
Completely.
He sat up, breathing steadily.
"…I'm alive."
The Change
Something was different.
Very different.
He looked at his hands.
Flexed them.
Then—
Paused.
"…What is this?"
The Devouring Begins
The air around him moved.
Subtly.
Almost invisible.
But clear to him.
Energy—
Was flowing toward him.
Drawn in.
Absorbed.
Without effort.
Vihaan's eyes sharpened.
"…So this is the Devouring Physique."
He didn't move.
Didn't circulate anything.
Yet his body was already cultivating.
Automatically.
System Info
[Devouring Physique:]
Absorbs all forms of energy
Converts directly into cultivation
Passive + active modes
No compatibility restriction
Realization
He closed his eyes.
Focused.
Instantly—
The absorption speed increased.
Energy flooded in faster.
Cleaner.
More efficient.
He opened his eyes again.
Calm.
But deeper.
"…This changes everything."
Final Thought
He stood up and walked toward the window.
Wu Tan City looked the same.
But for him—
Everything had changed.
"Auction system for resources…"
"Devouring physique for strength…"
A faint smile appeared.
Controlled.
Confident.
Ending Line
Vihaan Wei whispered softly:
"Now… I'm ready to begin."