Misplaced Sandwich
Lin Qi, now leading a life of peaceful, comfortable anonymity, was enjoying his afternoon routine: sitting under a large tree, using his rough straw pillow for back support, and eating a simple, massive peasant sandwich filled with cured meat and cheese.
Unbeknownst to Lin Qi, high above the mortal realm, two colossal entities—the Emperor of Celestial Order and the Lord of the Chaotic Starfield—were engaged in their millennia-long conflict. This conflict was often resolved through the Grand Celestial Chess Match, a symbolic struggle where the outcome determined the fate of several minor mortal realms.
The current game was at a terrifying deadlock. The Emperor of Celestial Order had one final, critical move: advancing the Pillar of Destiny to protect the Throne of Ages.
The Problem of the Predicament
The Emperor of Celestial Order was focused, holding the massive, glowing spiritual chess piece—the Pillar of Destiny—over the board. His decision would determine the stability of the cultivation world (which was still reeling from Lin Qi's accidental antics).
At that exact moment, Lin Qi, sitting far below, realized his large, juicy sandwich was getting a bit sticky. He didn't want to get his hands dirty, nor did he want to set the sandwich directly on the ground.
Lin Qi instinctively reached out and placed his sandwich—meat, cheese, and all—onto the closest, most convenient flat surface: the smooth, round top of the Void-Sealing Water Conduit Bucket (Chapter 11), which was resting beside him.
The Void-Sealing Water Conduit Bucket, still containing the sealed Spiritual Knot of the Spatial Seam, was a permanent, powerful Anchor of Dimensional Fixation tied to Lin Qi's chaotic destiny.
The Cosmic Interference
The moment Lin Qi placed the sandwich onto the bucket, the sealed Core of Infinite Density registered the pressure and weight. It registered the simple act as one of supreme confidence and placement.
This triggered G-EVS's original, ultimate power: the Dao of Predetermined Outcome. The sealed power instantly reached across the dimensional gap and subtly interfered with the spiritual energy influencing the Grand Celestial Chess Match.
The Pillar of Destiny, hovering over the Emperor's hand, was not moved to the intended square. Instead, the cosmic influence caused the Emperor's hand to twitch by a single, accidental inch.
The Pillar of Destiny was dropped one square over from the Throne of Ages, landing precisely on the square that represented the Destiny of the Chaotic Starfield's Vanguard.
K-C-H-U-N-K.
The Emperor's intended move was completely ruined. The entire structure of the Celestial Order's defenses immediately crumbled.
The Lord of the Chaotic Starfield, who had been on the brink of defeat, stared at the board in utter astonishment. The unexpected move instantly granted him victory in the most critical phase of the game.
"A brilliant, incomprehensible move!" the Lord of Chaos roared in triumph. "The "Sacrifice of the Vanguard's Destiny"! My opponent has sacrificed the central pillar to achieve an unseen, ultimate stability! A move of supreme contempt for winning!"
The Emperor of Celestial Order stared at his hand, then at the board, utterly bewildered. He had no memory of making that move.
The New Balance
The immediate cosmic consequence was the total destabilization of the previously established Celestial Order over the mortal realms. However, because Lin Qi was the source of the chaos, the result was not destruction, but a new, baffling Lin Qi-centric stability.
The cultivation world, and specifically the Shrine of the Empty Seat, felt a massive, positive influx of unpredictable, chaotic spiritual energy.
Sect Master Wu felt the sudden boom in energy. He immediately recognized the signature of his ascended Master.
"The Master has spoken!" Wu cried, falling to his knees before a statue of Lin Qi (which was just a generic, clumsy-looking statue). "He has once again demonstrated the Dao of Strategic Irrelevance! He sacrificed the stability of the high realms to infuse our humble sphere with the power of Chaos Made Manifest!"
Princess Lianhua, instantly perceiving the deeper meaning, wrote a new treatise: The act of placing a simple, sustaining food item onto the Vessel of the Void demonstrates that the highest form of sacrifice is simply feeding the soul.
Lin Qi, finally satisfied, finished his sandwich. He wiped his hands on a nearby leaf and picked up his bucket, completely unaware that he had just single-handedly won a celestial war for the side that represented chaos, merely because he didn't want sticky fingers.