Plot Collapse!

Wang Xuan opened his eyes to find himself in a forest. The trees were tall and dense, and the air carried a damp scent of grass and leaves mixed with the earthy tang of soil. Breathing it into his lungs felt rather refreshing.

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

In the previous world, there had at least been the clearly defined timeline of Ding Dian being trapped in Death Prison. He had known how to quickly enter the plot and gain the greatest possible benefits.

He planned to leave the forest first and find someone to ask what year and month it was. He needed to get a grasp on the timeline.

The moment he moved, a ding rang in his mind.

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

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

[Plot character: Gu Santong, the Unvanquished Child, confirmed dead!]

[Plot character: Zhu Wushi, the Iron-Courage Divine Marquis, confirmed dead!]

[Plot character: Cao Zhengchun, Chief Overseer of the East Depot, confirmed dead!]

[Plot character: Duan Tianya, Number One of the Heavenly Rank, deceased.]

[Plot character: Zhengde Emperor, deceased!]

[Plot character: ...]

[Side Quest chain has collapsed... Hidden correction mechanism activated...]

[Main Quest altered!]

[New Main Quest: Survive for one year.]

[Quest description: Survive for three hundred and sixty-five days in this Plot World. Quest failure: Death. Quest success: Obtain a basic completion rating and forcibly return.]

Wang Xuan stared at the string of "deceased" notices on the System Panel, and his eyelid twitched.

Gu Santong was dead. Zhu Wushi was dead. Cao Zhengchun was dead. Even the emperor was dead.

What the hell? I just got here! The plot hasn't even begun, yet the protagonist, supporting characters, and villains are all gone? How am I supposed to play this damn World's Number One?

"Survive for one year..." Wang Xuan rolled those four words around in his mouth, and a chill shot up from the soles of his feet, crawling along his spine to the back of his head.

Had something gone wrong with the Heavens Tower?

Impossible. The textbooks stated it clearly: the Heavens Tower's rules had remained unchanged for ten thousand years. It had never made such a basic mistake.

Then there was only one explanation: someone outside had overturned the foundations of this world.

"If the Royal Clan didn't have a hand in this, I'd refuse to believe it even if you beat me to death!"

"Fine." Wang Xuan exhaled, and the violence in his chest surged forth.

The images of Zuo Feng and the others having their necks twisted flashed through his mind before finally becoming a blaze that scorched his heart.

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

With a thought, he brought up the System Panel. In the most conspicuous spot lay two cards—[Specified Divine Arts Card (Second Layer)] and [Specified Divine Weapon Card (Second Layer)]. They were rewards from his SSS rating in the world of Secret of the Linked Cities, and he had never been willing to use them.

Wang Xuan focused his thoughts on the Divine Arts Card. "Use it."

An input box appeared on the System Panel. Without hesitation, he entered four words: Energy Absorption Technique.

The card melted from its edges, turning into a fist-sized ball of white light. It bobbed in the air before abruptly drilling into his glabella.

The circulation routes of the meridians, the methods of moving True Qi, the acupoints that guided suction force, the secret art of seizing another's power from afar... Every hurdle, mnemonic, and technique of the Energy Absorption Technique was branded deep into his consciousness.

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

Wang Xuan silently said, "One-Click Max."

A scorching current exploded from deep within his dantian, as though someone had lit a fire there and then poured a bucket of oil over it. Flames raced outward through his meridians, burning through the twelve regular channels and the eight extraordinary meridians before spreading to every limb and bone.

The pure Xiantian True Qi of the Divine Illumination Scripture instantly boiled under that heat!

His cultivation began to soar. Xiantian Third Layer... Fourth Layer... Fifth Layer... Sixth Layer... It barely paused as it surged past the threshold of Xiantian Ninth Layer and slammed hard into the barrier of the Grandmaster realm.

The originally robust Xiantian True Qi underwent a qualitative change the instant it broke through the barrier. It became purer, vaster, and faster in circulation.

Grandmaster First Layer.

The scorching current continued to surge. The Energy Absorption Technique's cultivation experience and comprehension of the art washed over his mind and consciousness like a tide. Wang Xuan possessed the "Three-Unity Great Xiantian," with essence, qi, and spirit all entering Xiantian together. His "spirit" had already far surpassed that of ordinary Xiantian martial artists, enough to rival a newly initiated Grandmaster. As the technique was pushed to its limit, his spiritual intent rose accordingly.

Grandmaster Second Layer, Third Layer, Fourth Layer... It finally stabilized firmly at Grandmaster Fifth Layer.

He opened his eyes and looked at the System Panel.

[Energy Absorption Technique (Maximum)]

[Characteristic One: Absorb Mountains and Shake Peaks; use one's internal energy as a guide to draw upon the suction force of heaven and earth together with the technique's own force, forming an invisible force field capable of seizing objects from afar and pulling enemies.]

[Characteristic Two: Seize Meridians and Merge with Dao; forcibly plunder an opponent's martial arts inheritance and the essential points of their meridians. Absorb them in a single day, and master all their arts.]

[Characteristic Three: Devour Blood and Seize Essence; devour the power of blood and qi, while also plundering the source of the opponent's flesh and blood and the essence of their vitality, transforming it into one's own foundation of blood and qi.]

[Characteristic Four: Swallow Qi and Return to Mystery; devour an opponent's palm force, finger force, and True Qi, dissolving all offensive power into nothingness before converting it into one's own True Essence.]

[Characteristic Five: Seize Origin and Corrode Spirit (Immune); when devouring another's power, there is a chance of being tainted by their mental impurities and memory fragments, resulting in a disturbed temperament and mental disorder. (Immune)]

Five characteristics, each more tyrannical than the last. Especially the final one, with the word "Immune" glaring brightly after it.

Wang Xuan was not surprised in the slightest. There was no way a shortcut technique like the Energy Absorption Technique could lack side effects.

Absorbing another person's power also brought in their spirit and flesh, and even their martial insights. There were bound to be all kinds of problems, including mental contamination. Anyone who kept doing it for long enough would be lucky not to go mad.

When Strange Hero of Heavenly Pool created this technique, he had probably discovered the problem as well. That was why he had paired it with the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill, using the mixed True Qi he absorbed as fuel to temper his body. It solved the side effects while also creating the world's greatest defensive Divine Arts.

Two birds with one stone.

Seeing the word "Immune," Wang Xuan felt reassured.

That was how unreasonable a Unique Rank talent was. It directly erased the technique's flaws.

Others had to practice the Energy Absorption Technique with constant fear of backlash. He did not. He only needed to absorb and use it, leaving the rest for his talent to handle.

He closed the System Panel and looked around.

Gu Santong was dead, so the clues to the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill might have been cut off.

Zhu Wushi was dead. He did not know whether Dragon Protection Villa still existed.

Cao Zhengchun was dead. The East Depot might already have a new leader.

The emperor was dead. Who was in charge of the Great Ming court now?

"The quest wants me to survive for one year," Wang Xuan muttered. "That means someone will keep trying to kill me throughout this year."

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