The Plot Collapses!

Wang Xuan opened his eyes to find himself in a forest. The trees grew tall and dense, and the air held a damp, earthy scent of vegetation mixed with the raw smell of soil. Taking a breath into his lungs, it felt surprisingly fresh.

"So this is the world of World's Number One? Why wasn't there a fixed plot timeline before I entered?"

In the previous world, at least there had been an anchored timeline—Ding Dian trapped in the Death Prison—which made it clear how to quickly integrate into the plot and secure the greatest benefits.

He decided to leave the forest first and find someone to ask what year and month it was; he had to get a clear grasp of the timeline.

Just as he moved his feet, a "ding" sounded in his mind.

[Main Quest Initiated: World's Number One!]

[Side Quest... Error! Abnormal status detected for key plot characters!]

[Plot Character: Invincible Urchin Gu Santong, confirmed dead!]

[Plot Character: Iron-Gall Godly Marquis Zhu Wushi, confirmed dead!]

[Plot Character: East Depot Superintendent Cao Zhengchun, confirmed dead!]

[Plot Character: Heaven-Rank Number One Duan Tianya, confirmed dead.]

[Plot Character: Zhengde Emperor, confirmed dead!]

[Plot Character:...]

[Side Quest chain collapsed... Triggering hidden error-correction mechanism...]

[Main Quest changed!]

[New Main Quest: Survive for one year.]

[Quest Description: Survive in this plot world for three hundred and sixty-five days. Quest failure: Death. Quest success: Obtain basic clearance evaluation and forced return.]

Wang Xuan stared at the string of "confirmed dead" on the panel, his eyelids twitching.

Gu Santong is dead, Zhu Wushi is dead, Cao Zhengchun is dead, and the Emperor is dead too.

Wait, I just got here, didn't I? The plot hasn't even started, and the protagonist, supporting cast, and villains are all gone? How am I supposed to play "World's Number One" like this?

"Survive for one year..." Wang Xuan chewed on those four words, and a chill surged from the soles of his feet, crawling up his spine to the back of his head.

Did the Heavens Tower malfunction?

Impossible. The textbooks state clearly that the rules of the Heavens Tower haven't changed in ten thousand years; such a low-level error has never occurred.

That leaves only one explanation: someone on the outside has overturned the foundation of this world.

"I refuse to believe the Royal Clan didn't have a hand in this!"

"Fine." Wang Xuan exhaled, a surge of ferocity churning in his chest.

The image of Zuo Feng and the others having their necks snapped flashed through his mind, eventually coalescing into a fire that burned hot in his heart.

"Perfect. I'll just kill to my heart's content in this world."

With a thought, the panel popped up. In the most prominent position lay two cards—[Designated Divine Skill Card (Second Tier)] and [Designated Divine Weapon Card (Second Tier)], the rewards for his SSS evaluation in the Secret of the Linked Cities world, which he had been saving.

Wang Xuan focused his intent on the Divine Skill Card. "Use."

The panel displayed an input box, and without hesitation, he entered four words: Energy Absorption Technique.

The card began to melt from the edges, transforming into a fist-sized ball of white light that drifted upward before diving straight into the center of his brow.

The meridians' circulation routes, the methods of internal energy manipulation, the acupoints for guiding suction, the secret techniques for stealing power from a distance... every bottleneck, mantra, and technique of the Energy Absorption Technique was branded deep into his consciousness.

A new line appeared on the panel: [Energy Absorption Technique (Not Yet Initiated)]

Wang Xuan recited silently: "One-Click Max."

A hot current exploded deep within his dantian, as if someone had lit a fire inside and poured a bucket of oil on it. The flames surged along his meridians, burning through the twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary vessels, spreading all the way to his limbs and bones.

The pure Xiantian internal energy of the Divine Illumination Scripture boiled instantly under the heat of this fire!

His cultivation began to skyrocket. Xiantian Third Stage... Fourth... Fifth... Sixth... With almost no pause, he charged past the threshold of the Xiantian Ninth Stage and slammed hard against the barrier of the Grandmaster Realm.

The originally thick Xiantian internal energy transformed the moment it broke through the barrier, becoming purer, more majestic, and circulating at a much faster speed.

Grandmaster First Heaven.

The hot current continued to surge. The cultivation experience and understanding of the Energy Absorption Technique washed over his spirit and consciousness like a tide. Since Wang Xuan was a "Three-Unity Great Xiantian" who had entered the Xiantian realm with his essence, energy, and spirit all at once, his "spirit" was already far stronger than an ordinary Xiantian practitioner, comparable to a novice Grandmaster. As the technique was pushed to its limit, his mental intent rose accordingly.

Grandmaster Second, Third, Fourth... finally, it settled steadily at the Grandmaster Fifth Heaven.

He opened his eyes and looked at the panel.

[Energy Absorption Technique (Limit)]

[Trait 1: Mountain-Shaking Suction; uses one's own internal energy as a guide to draw upon the suction of heaven and earth combined with the technique's own, forming an invisible force field capable of manipulating objects and pulling enemies from a distance.]

[Trait 2: Dao-Merging Theft; forcibly plunders an opponent's martial arts heritage, meridian secrets, and acupoint techniques, mastering their arts instantly upon absorption.]

[Trait 3: Blood-Devouring Essence; devours blood and energy, and can even plunder the opponent's fleshly origin and vital essence, converting them into one's own foundation of blood and energy.]

[Trait 4: Qi-Swallowing Return to Mystery; swallows an opponent's palm power, finger force, and internal energy, dissolving all offensive force into nothingness and converting it into one's own true essence.]

[Trait 5: Soul-Eroding Spirit-Theft (Immune); when devouring another's cultivation, there is a chance of becoming contaminated with their mental impurities and memory fragments, leading to mental instability and insanity. (Immune)]

Five traits, each more overbearing than the last, especially the final one, which clearly displayed the word "Immune" behind it.

Wang Xuan was not surprised at all; it would be strange if a shortcut like the Energy Absorption Technique had no side effects.

Absorbing someone else's internal energy inevitably drags in their spirit, flesh, and blood, along with their martial insights. Such a process must inherently involve issues like spiritual contamination, and it would be a miracle if one didn't go insane after a long period of time.

When the Strange Hero of Heavenly Pool created this technique back then, he likely discovered these problems, which is why he developed the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill as a companion piece. By using the chaotic, absorbed true qi as fuel to temper the physical body, he not only resolved the side effects but also cultivated the World's Number One defensive divine skill.

Killing two birds with one stone.

Wang Xuan looked at the word "Immune" and felt at ease.

A Unique-level talent is just that unreasonable; it directly erases the flaws of a cultivation technique.

Others have to live in fear of backlash when practicing the Energy Absorption Technique, but he does not. He only needs to absorb and use; he leaves the rest for his talent to handle.

He closed his panel and looked around.

Gu Santong is dead, so the trail to the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill might be broken.

Zhu Wushi is dead, and it is unclear if the Dragon Protection Villa still exists.

Cao Zhengchun is dead, and the East Depot might have already changed leadership.

The Emperor is dead, so who is in charge of the Great Ming court now?

"The mission requires me to survive for one year," Wang Xuan muttered to himself. "That means someone will be coming to kill me incessantly throughout this year."

If you cannot find the book title, try searching for the author; perhaps the title has simply been changed!