Ch. 3 - The Demon Shocks The World!

With a simple thought, Fang Yuan activated a system command that allowed him to view his status.

Name: Gu Yue Fang Yuan

Cultivation: None

Legacy: ????

Bloodline: Immortal Monarch Bloodline, Immortal Chaotic Void Bloodline

Physique: Heaven Refining Physique, Heavenly Divine Immortal Physique

Physical Strength: 200

Mental Strength: 800

Soul Strength: 4,200

Physical Defense: 200

Mental Defense: ?

Fang Yuan's gaze fell onto the legacy section, merely sparing it a glance before moving down the list of attributes. Since he did not know, he wouldn't trouble himself with trying to understand it without any information.

Besides, he had a few ideas about who it might be. Thus, he only paused briefly and glanced at it, doing nothing more.

"Erm... Excuse me, big brother over there," a sweet and childish voice rang through the forest. It neither startled nor confused Fang Yuan. Instead, he turned around and looked at the "ten-year-old" Xiao Hua.

"Yes?" he responded curtly, eyeing her up and down.

Xiao Hua was seemingly wearing red robes, looking like a cute little girl around ten years old. Her black hair fell down to her shoulder blades, and her dark brown eyes held a profound curiosity. In her left arm, she held a small ball, while in her other hand she carried a book.

"How did brother manage to get in here?" she asked, looking into Fang Yuan's dark eyes that seemed to draw her in.

"I was teleported here by an Elder from the Heavenly Continent. Sorry to intrude if this forest is yours; I had no idea where I would end up," he said, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Then, then, brother, since you are already here, why not play with Xiao Hua?" the little girl asked, jumping slightly with excitement.

"Sure, ah, and my name is Tian Zun. It's good to meet you, Xiao Hua," Fang Yuan replied, watching her walk a little farther and set down her book near a tree.

"Then, Xiao Hua will throw the ball to brother Zun!" she said with glittering eyes, proceeding to throw the ball at him, which he easily caught.

Soon, the merry laughter and giggling of the little girl rang throughout the forest as they continued to play for a little over an hour.

After getting used to his body within the first minute, Fang Yuan simply continued to play with Xiao Hua, wanting her to teach him the Heavens Secret Art and possibly become his servant.

However, after playing nonstop for an hour, he finally sat down on the grass and looked over at the puzzled Xiao Hua.

"Sorry, let me just catch my breath here. I'm not a cultivator, so I can't go that long without needing to rest a little," Fang Yuan said, his expression changing slightly to form an apologetic smile.

Xiao Hua seemed to understand and nodded her tiny head, responding, "Xiao Hua understands! After brother Zun rests, Xiao Hua and brother Zun can continue playing again!"

Then, Xiao Hua sat beside him, her eyes lighting up with unrestrained curiosity.

"Where is brother Zun from?" she asked.

"I am from a place called Earth, though you probably haven't heard of it," Fang Yuan replied, adjusting himself to lie more comfortably on the grass.

"Do you want to hear some stories from my homeland, Xiao Hua?" he suddenly asked, noticing her confused expression regarding Earth.

She quickly nodded, her eyes brightening. "Un. Brother Zun should tell me all the stories!"

Fang Yuan smiled gently. "Then, let's begin with... Lord of Mysteries."

He proceeded to narrate about the novel he had read in his past life, one of the top three web novels of all time, which he considered second in terms of enjoyability, with Reverend Insanity being the first.

After nearly an hour and a half, he had finished recounting the story up to the second volume before stopping.

"Brother Zun, tell Xiao Hua more! Continue, continue!" The little girl grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him with surprising strength, stopping a few seconds later.

"I have to leave soon, Xiao Hua, so I wanted to hear a story from you in return. Next time, I promise to tell you more of the story!" Fang Yuan said after catching his breath from the shaking.

The little girl merely pouted, crossed her arms, and after a moment's thought, gave a slow nod.

"Okay! Xiao Hua will read a story to Brother Zun!" With that, she grabbed her book and opened it, reading aloud its contents.

To anyone else, it might have sounded like simple gibberish that could cause severe headaches if heard for too long. However, for Fang Yuan, he simply sat through it and listened attentively.

It didn't take long before the gibberish transformed into clear words, and his mind entered a state of trance. In this trance, he heard the words and slowly recited them over and over again, becoming accustomed to them.

After seven minutes of her chanting, he was snapped out of his daze, staring at the screen in front of him which revealed the name of the cultivation technique—even though he already knew its name.

«You have learned Heaven's Secret Art»

"'Heaven's Secret Art'..." he muttered loud enough for Xiao Hua to hear.

Upon hearing him, Xiao Hua immediately stopped, looking shocked at Fang Yuan.

How did Brother Zun learn the technique that fast? What kind of talent is this?!

Suddenly, above the clear blue sky tinted with golden light, every player witnessed a historic moment as a system notice appeared for everyone to see.

«Player Gu Yue Fang Yuan has become the world's first player to have learned a Divine-rank Skill! Congratulations!»

The announcement shocked every player in the world at that moment, especially those who considered themselves the very best and reigned at the top, despite the game having only started recently.

The game had not been out for a full day, yet someone had already obtained a Divine-rank Skill.

A single thought ran through every player's mind: "Who is this Player Gu Yue Fang Yuan?!"

Meanwhile, Fang Yuan contemplated taking action, then relented and finally chanted within his mind in an ancient language known only to him.

Instantly, he felt an invigorating sensation as Qi in the large forest churned with delight and began to be absorbed into his body.

Without pause, a new notification appeared in front of him, accompanied by another notice in the sky that this time made every player frown and curse at him with envy and anger.

«You have learned the Order and Chaos Scripture.»

«Player Gu Yue Fang Yuan has become the world's first player to have learned a Primordial-rank Skill! Congratulations!»

«You have cultivated for the first time, unlocking Qi Experience.»

«1,000/5,000»

«2,000/5,000»

«3,000/5,000»

«4,000/5,000»

«5,000/5,000»

Fang Yuan's Qi Experience increased by a thousand per second as he cultivated. Once he activated his own technique, he felt himself becoming more relaxed, his breathing naturally calming down and becoming rhythmic.

Within just five seconds, Fang Yuan felt his entire body explode with a cool, refreshing sensation, almost as if he had been immersed in a pool of cold water that eased his aching muscles.

«You have succeeded in breaking through your mortal shackles, becoming a Spirit Apprentice!»

«All stats +100»

«6,000/10,000»

«7,000/10,000»

...

«10,000/10,000»

«You have absorbed enough Qi for a breakthrough.»

«You have reached Second Level Spirit Apprentice.»

«All stats +150»

«11,000/20,000»

...

«20,000/20,000»

«You have absorbed enough Qi for a breakthrough.»

«You have reached Third Level Spirit Apprentice.»

«All stats +200»

«21,000/40,000»

...

«40,000/40,000»

«You have absorbed enough Qi for a breakthrough.»

«You have reached Fourth Level Spirit Apprentice.»

«All stats +250»

«80,000/80,000»

«You have reached Fifth Level Spirit Apprentice.»

«All stats +300»

How difficult was cultivation? One could say it took hours, or even days for people without talent, to break through from one minor realm to the next. And as they progressed and entered new realms, the time required only increased.

For the talented, they might take at most a few minutes when starting their cultivation journey, but as they advanced, it would take much longer for them to achieve breakthroughs.

Yet, before Xiao Hua sat an individual who would make even the most talented cultivators cough up blood in disbelief at the rate of his growth.

Eighty seconds. That's all it took for Fang Yuan to break through to the Fifth Level Spirit Apprentice realm. Xiao Hua felt as if her entire perspective had suddenly shifted, though she quickly composed herself.

Fang Yuan decided to cease cultivation upon reaching the Fifth Level Spirit Apprentice realm. He opened his eyes, instantly greeted by multiple system notifications.

With a wave of his hand, he promptly dismissed the notifications and turned to the bewildered Xiao Hua, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"What's wrong, Xiao Hua?" he asked, fully aware of why she looked stunned, her jaw hanging open and eyes wide.

As soon as she heard him, she snapped out of her thoughts and exclaimed, "Brother Zun is truly gifted! What others normally take hours or even days to achieve, Brother Zun can do in seconds or minutes!"

"Congratulations on becoming a cultivator, Brother Zun," Xiao Hua added, appearing instantly before him, standing mere centimeters away.

"I'm just fortunate to have a physique that is well-suited for cultivation," Fang Yuan replied, moving back a few inches.

"Physique? What kind of physique does Brother Zun have?" Xiao Hua asked curiously. She knew her technique wasn't capable of accelerating his cultivation to achieve such power in just a little over a minute.

So she concluded that Fang Yuan must have used something, or perhaps possessed something, to accelerate Qi absorption.

What she didn't expect was to hear that it was his Physique!

"Un. My physique is called 'Heaven's Primordial Qi Vein Physique'. It accelerates my cultivation depending on the grade of the technique I use. Though I also have another physique called 'Primordial Celestial Refining Physique', of which I'm not quite sure of the effects," Fang Yuan explained with a bitter smile, scratching his head.

"Wow! So Brother Zun has two different physiques!?" Xiao Hua exclaimed, looking shocked beyond measure.

Her hands trembled, and her small eyes seemed to hold a mixture of surprise and relief. Of course, Fang Yuan had fabricated the names and powers of his physiques, or at least one of them.

Fang Yuan suddenly flinched slightly, touching his ear and nodding, then glanced at Xiao Hua who stared at him in confusion, wondering what he was doing.

"Sorry, Xiao Hua, I have to leave. Don't worry though, I'll be back by tomorrow," he said after a moment, wearing a sad expression.

Xiao Hua seemed a little down. She had wanted to play a little more after teaching Fang Yuan to cultivate, hoping it would help him recover faster from his exhaustion.

"Promise you'll play again once you're back tomorrow, Brother Zun?" she asked, receiving only a nod and an "Un."

"Then, Xiao Hua will give Brother Zun this necklace! Once you come back, you can use it to call Xiao Hua, and she will appear!" Removing a necklace from around her neck, she extended her hand and gave it to Fang Yuan.

"Alright, I will see you later, Xiao Hua," he said as he put it on, before willing himself to log off.

Xiao Hua stared at the spot where Fang Yuan had been sitting after he disappeared. Then, her expression suddenly changed; she smiled and her eyebrows relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Brother Zun... Brother Tian Zun. It was fun," she whispered. Her body broke down into tiny irregular lights resembling fireflies, which floated up into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.

«Congratulations! Player Gu Yue Fang Yuan has completed the world's first Hidden Quest!»

«Congratulations! Player Gu Yue Fang Yuan is the first person to have created his own Technique!»

«Congratulations! Player Gu Yue Fang Yuan is the first person to create a Primordial-rank Technique!»

Message after message illuminated the skies, sending players into a frenzy as they tried to find more information about the so-called 'Gu Yue Fang Yuan.'