The night stretched endlessly over Star City, glittering with artificial stars — neon lights, digital screens, glowing cars that hummed like metal beasts.
Lin Tian stood on the rooftop, the wind rustling through his hair. He closed his eyes and let his divine senses stretch outward.
Beneath the hum of machines, he felt it — a pulse. Weak, rhythmic, but alive.
Not natural qi, yet something similar.
[System Alert: Host has discovered Electro-Spiritual Flow — the hidden resonance within electrical currents.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Spiritual Perception (Level 1).]
"So, this world's cultivation flows through metal and light," Lin Tian murmured. "Mortals unknowingly built a network of power that spans the planet. Fascinating."
[Correction: Mortals built it for social media and cat videos.]
Lin Tian frowned. "Cat… videos? Are they some kind of sacred beasts?"
[…Close enough.]
He ignored the sarcasm and sat cross-legged at the edge of the rooftop. Closing his eyes, he began to meditate again — this time, not seeking heavenly qi, but the rhythm of energy flowing through the city.
Electric waves from nearby power lines and signals from glowing screens brushed his mind like whispers. He could almost see them — golden threads of energy flowing through steel veins.
He smiled faintly. "Perhaps I can refine this new essence — the Dao of Technology."
⚡ Digital Meditation
As dawn crept over the horizon, Lin Tian's phone buzzed beside him — the one the System had helped him unlock earlier. Its screen glowed with strange symbols: battery, Wi-Fi, messages.
He tapped the screen, curious.
[Host Interaction Detected. Initiating "Device Synchronization."]
A flash of light flickered across the screen. The device vibrated violently.
[Warning: Overload! You're absorbing too much current!]
But Lin Tian's eyes blazed with determination. "This energy… so pure, yet chaotic. I must tame it!"
Arcs of blue light danced across his fingers. The rooftop lamps flickered; the city block dimmed for a moment.
When it was over, Lin Tian exhaled and looked down. The phone's cracked screen now glowed with faint golden lines.
[System Update: Device successfully bonded as Spirit Tool – Level 1.]
[Name: Heavenly Communication Artifact.]
Lin Tian smirked. "Even mortal tools can be forged into spiritual weapons."
🧠 Earth's Knowledge
Later that morning, he walked into the university library. The place was quiet — shelves of books, glowing screens, and students lost in study.
Lin Tian ran his hand over the surface of a computer keyboard. "So much knowledge stored within a slab of glass…"
[System Suggestion: Learn the basics of computer operation before attempting enlightenment.]
He spent hours studying. Each click, each word, was another window into this strange civilization — data, codes, energy circuits.
As he read, something began to click in his mind. The binary language — ones and zeros — reminded him of the Yin and Yang principles of balance.
"Of course," he whispered, "even technology follows the laws of the Dao — existence and void, 1 and 0, light and dark."
[System Analysis: Host may be suffering from overinterpretation.]
"Silence," Lin Tian said calmly. "This mortal world may not know the Dao, but the Dao exists in all things."
He touched the computer again, and for a brief second, the screen flickered — displaying a pattern that no human eyes could see. A sigil of power, pulsing faintly.
[Warning: Unknown energy signature detected.]
"What is it?"
[Source: Non-human. Possibly extra-dimensional surveillance.]
Lin Tian's eyes sharpened. "So… someone, or something, is watching me."
🌑 A Shadow in the Network
Far away, deep within a hidden laboratory on the outskirts of Star City, a group of scientists stared at their monitors in confusion.
"Sir, there's a surge in the neural data grid," one of them said. "A digital anomaly forming symbols we can't decode."
The lead researcher frowned. "Is it a hacker?"
"No, sir… it's like the system itself is alive."
Behind them, a cloaked figure watched silently. His voice was low and cold.
"Found him… the reincarnated immortal has begun adapting to our world."
His eyes glowed faint crimson.
"Tell Master Mo Xuan… the hunt begins."
💻 The Test
Back on campus, Lin Tian returned to class. His mind was buzzing with new insights. He could now sense electromagnetic waves, trace data flows, and faintly manipulate small electrical fields.
The System chimed:
[Congratulations, Host.]
[Skill Unlocked: Data Manipulation (Level 1).]
[You can now interact with digital energy directly.]
Lin Tian smirked. "A mortal would need 'coding' for such feats. I need only thought."
When the teacher asked everyone to submit their assignments online, Lin Tian raised his hand slightly. His "Heavenly Communication Artifact" lit up, and his file uploaded instantly — without touching the keyboard.
Students gasped.
"Whoa! How did he do that?!"
"He didn't even type!"
Mengyao looked at him curiously. "Lin Tian, seriously — who are you?"
He smiled faintly. "A traveler seeking the true Dao… even among mortals."
⚔️ The Omen
That night, rain fell softly over the city. Lin Tian meditated in his apartment, his phone glowing beside him like a small sun.
He reached out with his senses again, merging his consciousness with the electric grid of the city. Images flashed through his mind — cameras, signals, towers, the pulse of a billion connections.
And then… a shadow. A pair of crimson eyes flickered across the network, watching him from afar.
"Found you," a dark voice whispered through the static.
Lin Tian's eyes snapped open. "Who dares trespass into my mind?"
[System Alert: Digital realm invaded! Unknown entity attempting synchronization.]
He drew the Azure Heaven Symbol in the air — lightning flared from his fingertips, striking the phone. The shadow screamed and vanished.
Lin Tian stood, chest rising and falling. "So… the demons of my past can travel even here."
[Quest Complete: 'First Digital Confrontation.']
[Reward: +10 Spirit Points, Skill Upgrade — Lightning Qi (Level 2).]
He looked out the window at the stormy night, eyes gleaming with renewed fire.
"Mo Xuan, you betrayed me once among the stars. This time, when we meet again — even the heavens won't save you."
Thunder roared across the sky, echoing his promise.
End of Chapter 3: The Dao of Technology