Haha… ha.
Liu Yang laughed, but it came out strained and shaky. You've got to be kidding me. How am I supposed to survive here if this body wasn't even meant to exist? What sector is this—an alternate world's first sector where Fang Yuren wasn't erased?
Why did I write parallel universes into this? If this is an alternate sector, half of what I remember is useless. Even if I speedrun, I might not clear the trial in time to reach the protagonist table—and that's assuming I'm even in the original timeline.
Then there was the location drafting I built into the system: characters who were close before the Eclipse might end up at the same table—if they were fast enough. But I also created a random separation factor, meaning even if two people stood side by side, there was still a sixty percent chance they'd be torn apart.
I designed it that way so one of the protagonist's party members wouldn't use his return token—forcing him to stay behind to search for his twin sister, who had to play to survive her terminal illness using essence.
He clenched his jaw and breathed deeply. Calm down. You can do this. It's impossible to die on the first trial. The real threat begins once I clear this and reach the Pavilion.
From there, it's a gamble: accept the table you're dealt, or go back to Earth and become a government science experiment. First—set a respawn point. If I die, I'll return here and can pick a better table for the second stage.
Floating bamboo slips hovered before him, glowing a soft green as they waited for him to inscribe his spirit.
[Mystic Bamboo Slips: These unique items act as your life support. Should you die, one will shatter and return you alive and whole to the location inscribed on the slip.]
He reached out and grabbed one.
[Would you like to inscribe this as your revival location?]
"…Yes," he muttered.
The slip glowed as ink spilled over its surface, forming the scene around him—the lake, the ancient bridge—a complete mural. Then its frame unraveled, the strings binding it loosening as the slip fractured into floating pieces.
The fragments shot outward, burying themselves into cracks and corners. Liu Yang sighed. I need to finish this before Live View goes active and get on the initial floor rankings.
He stepped back from the railing and picked up his bow. He nocked an arrow and drew the string, sculpting the bow into the shape of a full moon.
Swish.
The arrow sliced through the air. "I don't know much about archery, but that looked decent," Liu Yang muttered. He nocked another arrow—then paused.
He glanced at one of the nearby bamboo fragments. "Move forward."
The fragment slid a few inches, then froze.
[The Tower senses your ambition. You have not infused enough primal essence to command this slip past three meters. You also lack the essence required to retrieve the bamboo slip. Would you like the Tower to return the slip to you?] (Yes / No)
"Is this a one-time thing, or will you keep helping me if I can't bring it back?" he asked.
[These items were created by the Final Existence for their chosen players. To prevent theft or loss, each player may retrieve their slips indefinitely. There are no penalties.]
"So there's no drawback to throwing it and calling it back over and over," he said, smirking. I wrote so many exploits and penalties into this world… some I might still use. But for now, I'm glad this one won't kill me.
"Return."
The bamboo flashed and shot back to his side.
Three meters because I didn't infuse enough essence. If I pour more in, maybe it'll go farther.
He slung the bow over his shoulder, rolled the bamboo fragment against the tip of the arrow, and lined up a distant bronze bell floating over the lake. "Let's try something."
He inhaled and closed his eyes. Time to test the first exploit. He reached inward, shutting out the world.
The Final Existence said it clearly—the Tower was built for player growth. And here…
Essence was everywhere.
It drifted in the air like microscopic pillars—tiny cylinders of power, invisible until called upon. Most players could only refine what leaked naturally into their bodies.
But in the original story, Liu Yang had written a broken technique—a shattered martial secret found in a forgotten chest. It granted temporary power—but at a cost.
A crude limit breaker.
Liu Yang reached out—not with his hands but with intent—and seized the essence around him.
His breath slowed. One heartbeat. Two.
The essence stirred. It flowed toward him like dust caught in a whirlpool. He dragged it into himself—into his lungs, his blood, his flesh.
Pain flared beneath his skin. The moment the essence entered, it changed—its translucent silver darkening into liquid black, like ink spilling in water. It writhed beneath his flesh like a nest of worms—violent, resisting purification—corrupting as it merged with him.
Good.
He bared his teeth and pulled harder.
This wasn't normal refinement. This was brute-force absorption—stealing essence while ignoring purification. Instead of cycling it into his undeveloped core, he let it flood his body unrestrained.
It was the fastest way to gain power—
—and the shortest road to crippling yourself.
His veins bulged, webbing his arms like black roots. His pulse thundered. His vision trembled.
Backlash was building. He didn't stop.
More.
He pulled harder. Let the black essence swarm. Let it multiply. Let it eat him alive if it had to.
A chime rang in his head.
Status Panel – Unstable Awakening Detected
Name: Fang Yuren
Path: Mortal → ???
Essence: 13/100 (Corrupted)
Physique: 9 (Overloaded)
Condition: Refining Backlash (Time to Bodily Failure: 00:01:43)
Trait: Booster Technique (Incomplete)
True Physical Stats:
Strength 10 (Common) | Agility 11 (Common) | Stamina 11 (Common) | Intelligence 19 (Rare) | Endurance 12 (Common) | Luck 17 (Rare)
Disposition: Selfish Neutral
Equipment: Tutorial Bow, 3 Mystic Bamboo Slips (1 active respawn)
A thin smile cut across Liang Wei's face despite the pain.
Good. The timer had started.
He drew his bowstring—black veins crawling down his arm like snakes.
"Let's see how far you can fly."
He released.
The arrow streaked across the lake—but wobbled off course.
"Turn!"
The bamboo slip wrapped against the arrow pulsed with light. The arrow twisted midair, changing course and accelerating.
DONG!
The padded arrow struck the bronze bell floating over the lake. A faint red formation glowed across its surface. The shackle on Liu Yang's ankle reacted, pulsing with light.
"Bullseye," he grinned. "One down. Hit the rest, get the shackle off. Then deal with the door."
[Would you like the Tower to return the slip to you?] (Yes / No)
"Yes."
The arrow whipped back—
SPLASH!
Water exploded. A massive armored beast lunged from the depths, jaws wide as it snapped for the arrow.
Liu Yang's eyes widened. "No!"
He drew and fired instantly. WHOOMPH! The tip erupted into a cloud of blinding powder, stunning the massive carp.
But the beast had locked onto the arrow—and the slip was trying to return to Liu Yang. The monster was dragged toward him, thrashing and churning the lake into chaos.
Then…the water moved.
Hundreds of blood-red eyes opened beneath the surface.
They rose.
A frenzy erupted.
Razor jaws shredded flesh as Iron Scaled Carp swarmed their trapped kin, tearing it apart in a whirlpool of blood and metal.
Liu Yang froze. He didn't fire again. The lake devoured itself.
Moments later, only drifting iron scales remained… and two blood-smeared coins stamped with the face of the Final Existence.
[Hidden Quest Unlocked]
Empty Lake – The lake is filled with monsters that devour arrows and prevent escape. There is only one solution.
Eliminated Iron Scaled Carp: 1 / 25
Objective: Slaughter every Iron Scaled Carp in the lake.
Rewards:
• Bag of 20 Lower Essence Coins
• 25 Kill Essence Coins
• Automatic First Trial Clearance
• Unique Title