Halfway up Qingyun Mountain, at the outer sect disciples' residence.
In the most remote wooden cabin, a light burned all night without extinguishing.
The floor was littered with scattered blueprints, rusty iron plates, and broken wooden gears.
The air was thick with the heavy smell of oil smoke and sawdust.
Zhang Hao squatted on the ground, staring unblinkingly at the half-man-tall iron lump in front of him.
It had been exactly three days.
He didn't eat or drink, didn't sleep or rest, just squatted there, staring intently at the dancing flames in the boiler, listening to the dull clank clank sound of the piston.
His eyes were bloodshot, his beard was scruffy, and his clothes were covered in oil stains. He looked incredibly haggard.
Not right... still not right...
He muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously scratching the ground.
Why is the power of steam so small?
Why can it only push such a little bit of weight?
The Sect Master said this thing could replace hundreds or thousands of laborers, and could pull thousands of pounds of goods across the world.
But right now, it couldn't even push a stone mill.
Suddenly.
The steam in the boiler violently sprayed out, letting out a sharp hiss.
The piston lunged forward abruptly, driving the gear to turn half a circle.
That was it!
Zhang Hao's pupils suddenly contracted!
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck through his mind!
All his chaotic thoughts instantly connected at this moment!
I understand! I finally understand!
He jumped up violently, trembling with excitement, his voice quivering.
Steam! It's the pressure of the steam!
It's not pushing directly with steam, it's boiling water in a sealed boiler to let the steam generate immense pressure!
External force! This is external force! A power that has never existed in heaven and earth!
Plus pulley blocks to save effort, gear sets to change speed, connecting rods to transmit power...
Yes! That's it!
He grabbed a charcoal pencil from the floor and began drawing frantically on the wall.
A new boiler structure, a new piston design, a new gear transmission system...
Lines of formulas and sheets of blueprints flowed from his pen like a spring.
His eyes grew brighter and brighter, and his body emitted an unprecedented radiance.
...
Meanwhile.
Tens of thousands of miles high in the sky.
In the unknowable depths of chaos.
This was the birthplace of the Great Daos, the source of the rules of heaven and earth.
For billions of years, countless ancient Great Daos slumbered here.
The Dao of Sword, Dao of Alchemy, Dao of Martial Arts, Dao of Talismans, Dao of Formations...
Each Great Dao was as thick as a pillar of heaven, exuding an eternal and unchanging coercion.
They had witnessed the rise and fall of countless eras and had long grown accustomed to the silence of this chaos.
But at this very moment.
All the slumbering Great Daos violently trembled at the same time!
An extremely faint, yet incredibly unfamiliar fluctuation suddenly exploded in the depths of the chaos!
Hmm?
What is that?
Such an unfamiliar aura... It's not any known Great Dao...
Ancient wills awakened one after another, looking towards the direction of the fluctuation with deep confusion.
Among the gaps between the countless thick Great Daos...
A thin, silvery-white Great Dao was born out of thin air!
It was as thin as a silk thread, its light as faint as a candle in the wind, looking as if it might extinguish at any moment.
Compared to the ancient Great Daos around it that resembled heaven-supporting pillars, it was as insignificant as dust.
Yet, it was exceptionally resilient.
Little by little, slowly but firmly, it took root in the chaos.
It held no aura of slaughter, no secret of immortality, only a cold, precise, and never-ending intent of operation.
All the ancient Great Daos fell silent.
They had lived for billions of years and had never seen such a Great Dao.
It did not pursue individual strength, nor did it explore the mysteries of heaven and earth.
What it pursued was efficiency, mass production, and leveraging the power of heaven and earth using mortal wisdom.
Hmph, just a heterodox path.
The Great Dao of Sword snorted coldly and closed its eyes again.
It will never amount to anything.
The Great Dao of Alchemy also shook its head disdainfully.
Not a single ancient Great Dao took this newborn little thing seriously.
At the peak of Qingyun Mountain, in the back garden.
Lin Yan was leaning on a recliner, enjoying the immortal-like days surrounded by three beauties.
Suddenly.
A rapid string of system notification sounds exploded in his mind!
[Ding! Detected that disciple Zhang Hao has comprehended a brand new rule of heaven and earth!]
[Ding! Congratulations Host! Disciple Zhang Hao has become the first comprehender of the Dao of Machinery in the myriad heavens and realms!]
[Ding! The Great Dao of Machinery is officially born!]
[Ding! Sect Points +10000!]
Lin Yan sat up abruptly!
The grapes in his hand fell to the ground.
Holy shit!
He couldn't help but curse out loud.
That kid Zhang Hao!
He actually caused such a huge commotion!
He directly created a new Great Dao!
The Great Dao of Machinery!
Damn it, he's not going to invent Transformers, is he?
Zhao Xiangru's jade-like hands paused, and she looked up, blinking her large eyes.
Um... Master, what's wrong?
Nothing! Lin Yan waved his hand.
Oh!
...
Meanwhile.
At the foot of Qingyun Mountain.
Incense curled around the Ant Tomb, with green smoke rising, as countless commoners spontaneously came to pay their respects and pray for the protection of the Tianyan Sect.
Not far away, a long queue had formed outside the Heart-Questioning Pavilion, stretching from the foot of the mountain all the way to the halfway point, filled with rogue cultivators and youths who had come out of admiration to join the sect.
Voices buzzed with excitement, making it incredibly lively.
But on the edge of this clamor, in a remote mountain hollow hidden by rubble and weeds, a completely opposite scene was unfolding.
Han Lie knelt on the ground, his hair disheveled, roaring like a madman.
Kill me! Kill me if you have the guts!
Hahaha! You can't kill me! You simply can't kill me!
Give me a quick death! I beg you, give me a quick death!
...
He cried one moment and laughed the next, alternating between hurling abuse and kneeling to beg for mercy.
The once high and mighty Nascent Soul True Lord of the Han family had his mindset completely shattered at this moment.
Stop wasting your effort!
Han Lie panted heavily, his face full of a ferocious smile.
Even if this old man kneels motionless and lets you stab, you still can't break my protective astral qi!
An ant at the third level of Qi Condensation wants to kill a Nascent Soul True Lord? Dream on!
Wait, wait, wait, little brother, don't stab there!
You mustn't, you mustn't!
Ahhh! Kill me! Kill me!
...
Mo Wentian ignored Han Lie.
He was expressionless, his eyes hollow, like an emotionless killing machine.
The iron sword in his hand was raised, then lowered, raised again, and lowered again.
The movements were mechanical and repetitive, terrifyingly precise.
Sword strike after sword strike...
Suddenly, his hand paused.
The sword stopped in mid-air and did not fall.
His brows furrowed slightly, as if he was thinking about something.
Then, he slowly thrust out the next sword strike.
This strike was very slow.
As slow as an old ox pulling a broken cart.
The tip of the sword advanced inch by inch, drawing a visible trajectory in the air.
Han Lie was still mocking.
What's wrong? Out of strength? I told you that you couldn't kill me, but you refused to believe it. Can a little ant at the third level of Qi Condensation pierce my skin? What a joke!
Suddenly, Han Lie's voice came to an abrupt halt.
A bone-piercing chill rushed towards his face from that slowly thrusting iron sword.
His Nascent Soul actually began to tremble uncontrollably at this very moment!
"What?!"
Han Lie's expression changed drastically, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks.
Impossible!
This is absolutely impossible!
How could a mere ant at the third level of Qi Condensation make him, a Nascent Soul True Lord, feel threatened?
He wanted to move, to circulate his spiritual energy for protection, to raise his hand and parry the strike.
But he was firmly pinned to the spot, unable to move even a single finger.
He could only watch helplessly as that impossibly slow sword inched its way toward his chest.
Squelch—
A soft sound rang out.
The tip of the sword pierced into Han Lie's chest by exactly half an inch, no more, no less.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Han Lie lowered his head, staring blankly at the iron sword lodged in his chest.
Blood slowly dripped down the blade.
His Nascent Soul protective astral aura, the golden barrier of light that had once blocked the attacks of countless Golden Core cultivators, had been effortlessly pierced by this sword as if it were made of mere paper!
"Sword... Sword Intent?"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
