[Additional mission failed.]
The instant he saw those words, Qin Wangchuan jerked his head up. The first thought that crossed his mind was:
"Did I not hit him hard enough?"
"Tsk. And how come I don't know I've been humiliated?"
On second thought, it was only natural that a defective system would do defective things.
He shook his head.
His gaze shifted to the words "Sign In" on the system panel.
[Sign in at different locations to randomly receive rewards such as Simulation Count, cultivation techniques, items, and Spirit Stones.] (Note: Considering the gap between the host's current strength and the difficulty of the missions, this system has specially unlocked the [Sign-In Function] as an auxiliary mechanism. This function is intended to provide the host with an additional path to growth, helping the host accumulate resources and improve strength more quickly.) (Please use it with a grateful heart!)
How thoughtful.
It had given him a sign-in function in case he couldn't complete the mission, letting him claim rewards while lying around.
But System, why don't you get yourself treated?
Guess how I unlocked this function?
If he hadn't gotten used to it by now, he would've been laughing with anger.
"Sign in."
Qin Wangchuan softly called out in his heart.
[Congratulations, host. You have received a ninth-tier reward: Supreme Dao Heart!]
The system's notification rang out, and in an instant—
A vast power, as boundless as a galaxy, erupted from within Qin Wangchuan.
The Supreme Dao Heart coalesced in his chest, forming a dazzling golden core of light. Like a miniature blazing sun, it slowly revolved.
--The Supreme Dao Heart, source of all techniques!
Cultivators in this world could only use Spirit Arts at lower levels.
At higher realms, they had to fuse their own Dao into those arts, transforming them into Dao Techniques.
Thus, battles between the powerful were also known as "duels of the Dao."
Yet above Dao Techniques stood the Supreme Dao Techniques, towering over all!
The Supreme Dao Heart was the foundation for wielding Supreme Dao Techniques.
Even an identical move, when driven by a Supreme Dao Heart, could transform a Dao Technique into a Supreme Dao Technique. The difference in power was like the gulf between heaven and earth.
More terrifying still, the Spiritual Power stored in a Supreme Dao Heart was ten or even a hundred times that of an ordinary person's—almost inexhaustible!
It was an innate gift impossible to cultivate after birth.
A blessing bestowed only upon those favored by the Great Dao!
"Argh—!" Qin Wangchuan suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Beneath the tender skin of the five-year-old child, countless Golden Dao Patterns writhed like living creatures.
With every inch those patterns spread, great chunks of flesh turned to glass and shattered, only to reform amid Chaos Immortal Light.
As his body regenerated, his aura climbed higher and higher. Golden Dao Patterns even surfaced faintly around him, twisting like dragons and serpents, profound and mysterious.
"Boom—!"
The instant the Supreme Dao Heart finished fusing and awakened, the skies changed color and the world resonated!
A massive pillar of Chaos Light burst from Qin Wangchuan's crown, illuminating the skies above the Qin Clan Ancestral Grounds as if nine Great Suns had risen together.
Faintly visible within the pillar were thousands upon thousands of Dao Patterns in motion. Each strand contained an aura that made the soul tremble.
"Young Master?"
In the courtyard of Wangchuan Pavilion, the Paulownia Zither in Ye Jianwei's hands snapped a string with a twang.
She had no idea that Qin Wangchuan was clutching his chest and kneeling at the center of the pillar of light.
The flesh all over his body was continually disintegrating and regenerating, while behind him an indistinct phantom appeared, wearing an Emperor's crown.
This strange phenomenon naturally alarmed everyone else as well.
Everyone in the Qin Clan—whether Old Ancestors, elders, or young disciples in the middle of cultivation—looked toward the sky, shaken by the earth-shattering spectacle!
"This... is this the aura of a Supreme Dao Heart?!" Qin Taiyi's eyes flew open, and a look of shock flashed through them.
"Who is it? Someone in my Qin Clan has awakened a Supreme Dao Heart?!"
His gaze pierced through layer upon layer of obstacles, following the aura to its source.
The next moment, his confusion turned to delight.
"Wangchuan awakened a Supreme Dao Heart?"
Forget everyone else—even Qin Fuhai, his grandfather, had his eyes wide with disbelief.
His face was full of shock.
Even he hadn't expected his grandson to be so heaven-defying.
An Immortal Body and an Immortal Bone, and now a Supreme Dao Heart on top of that.
Wouldn't he be trampling all those Prodigies underfoot in the future?
"Such a thing would be unthinkable if it happened to anyone else, but if it's the Ninth Young Master... well, it's only natural."
Qin Wenhe stroked his beard as he watched. As Qin Wangchuan's teacher, he wasn't all that surprised.
After all, the truth was, he'd already seen far too much.
He'd become Qin Wangchuan's number-one flatterer!
Qin Wudao and Qin Xuanji had sensed the change in aura early on. They'd gone to a high vantage point in the distance to look over.
"See? I told you it was a great omen."
"Supreme Dao Heart... Mm... It truly is extraordinary."
Some of the well-informed knew this was the phenomenon that appeared when a Supreme Dao Heart awakened, but ordinary disciples had no idea.
"That direction... isn't that the Ninth Young Master's residence?!"
"Good heavens! Has the Ninth Young Master broken through?!"
"Even a breakthrough causes such a huge stir. As expected of our Qin Clan's precious darling! He really is going to defy the heavens now!"
The Qin Clan members weren't jealous at all. One by one, they were beaming with joy, as if they were happier for him than they would have been to receive a fortuitous opportunity themselves.
They simply didn't know.
What was happening to Qin Wangchuan at that moment was far more heaven-defying than a breakthrough.
Over the next few days, Qin Wangchuan's pavilion was swarming with visitors. They nearly trampled the threshold flat!
And every single one of them was a big shot.
There was no other reason.
The Supreme Dao Heart might not compare to the Longevity Immortal Body, but on its own, it still counted as a heaven-defying physique.
It even ranked among the top twenty of the Three Thousand Physiques!
Incidentally, the Longevity Immortal Body ranked in the top ten.
Even without the Longevity Immortal Body or the system, this one heart alone would be enough for Qin Wangchuan to reign supreme over the Three Thousand Dao Provinces!
And he'd be unrivaled throughout Heaven Above and Earth Below!
It was exceedingly rare for two heaven-defying physiques to appear in one person, which was why so many people came to visit.
Naturally, he had to explain things more than once.
Fortunately, he was still young. Even when he couldn't explain himself, acting cute was enough to get him off the hook.
No one would press him further.
The Old Ancestor and his grandfather were naturally overjoyed. The two took turns giving him a huge pile of rewards.
His little treasury grew even larger.
As things stood, if Qin Wangchuan's little treasury were considered on its own, even the Holy Lands among the Upper Thousand Provinces, with their ten-thousand-year inheritances, would turn green with envy!
At last, after everything finally settled down,
Qin Wangchuan sat alone in the Quiet Room and slowly breathed out a mouthful of stale air.
"I can start the second simulation."
He murmured, his gaze falling on the simulation button on the system panel. "Ye Jianwei... I wonder what kind of changes bringing her back to the Qin Clan will bring to the future."
With that, he decisively pressed the simulation button.
It lit up at once, radiance flowing across it.
A glimmer of anticipation appeared in Qin Wangchuan's eyes.
[Second simulation. Lifespan consumed: 50 years.] [Simulation begins.] [Year 0] You were born into a poor cultivating family in the Xuanming Realm of the Upper Thousand Provinces—the Han Clan. Though the Han Clan was poor, its members were close-knit, and life was fairly comfortable. When you were born, a light snow fell from the sky. Your father named you Han Han. [Simulation paused.]
Qin Wangchuan stared at the Light Screen in front of him, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"..."
He took a deep breath, suppressing his exasperation, then raised a hand to open the system's instructions.
"System, come on. Read this part to me properly." Qin Wangchuan pointed at the words on the Light Screen and read them out, one word at a time. "Once a day, consuming Simulation Count and a certain amount of lifespan to simulate and deduce the host's future."
After he finished, he paused pointedly, his tone clearly challenging. "'Simulate and deduce the host's future'—does that mean the host is called Ye Jianwei one moment, then turns into Han Han the next?"
He thought back to the previous simulation.
Although the system had bound itself to the wrong person and was stubborn as a mule,
It couldn't be said to be completely useless.
By keeping Ye Jianwei by his side, he could simulate her future and use it to deduce his own.
But what about now?
One moment it simulated this person, the next that person.
Tell me, how was he supposed to use that?
Qin Wangchuan felt his temples throbbing.
[Ding! System self-check in progress... No errors detected.] [The host was already informed that the probability of this system making an error is infinitely close to zero.]
"You'd better not have bound yourself to the wrong person, then randomly bound yourself to someone else to play dumb after the original host died."
Qin Wangchuan rubbed his brow, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness. "Otherwise, you're not just dumb enough to be contagious, you're stubborn as hell, too!"
"If you can get treated, do it soon. At this rate, you'll be drooling before long."
After speaking, he let out a heavy sigh and looked back at the Light Screen.
What else could he do? He'd already used up the simulation count.
Might as well keep going.
Before you continue