Lightning fell, bathing the darkness, created by thick black clouds that blotted out the sun, in its glow before striking the ground that hid Qin Yun in its embrace, bypassing the natural formation as if its existence was meaningless.

Stone shards chipped off the boulder as its exterior was charred by this conduit of energy before being blasted apart as it couldn't resist its might, shattering into countless pieces as the boulder exploded from its core, raining its remnants over the plains while a thick mist of dust hung in the atmosphere before being blown away by the breeze, leaving nothing but the charred remains of its existence behind.

Still, the ground absorbed most of the shock, only slightly caving in on itself as most of its might was spread outward from the blast. This created only a slight quake in its wake, something Qin Yun barely felt as he was still in the midst of cultivation, deep in trance.

A storm brewed overhead as the world prepared for another strike. A heavy silence hung over all things in anticipation before an explosion occurred, filling the world with light as an even greater might fell.

This time, the ground shattered as they collided, creating a gigantic crater as if a meteor had fallen, easily changing the surrounding geography. Fortunately, as this area was barren, no life had to witness such destruction—none except for Qin Yun.

He woke from his trance as his makeshift shelter of dirt was blasted apart, rendering him bare to the elements. A strong gust of wind assaulted his skin, and dirt and stones fell to the ground around him.

He rose to his feet, dusting his robe, and calmly looked overhead, feeling slightly conflicted at the sight. The heavens had once again presented itself, enforcing its will upon Qin Yun, leaving him no choice but to relent and abide by its will or be destroyed where he stood.

Lightning crackled on the clouds, illuminating the world as thunder was overbearing as if wishing for Qin Yun to lower itself and accept its will—something he refused to do.

“My path is my own!” he yelled to the clouds above, yet the only recognition he received was a bolt of lightning falling less than twenty meters from his location, shattering the ground a second time. “What do you want from me?”

Yet, as soon as the words left his mouth, Qin Yun already regretted it. He acted impulsively and couldn't help but resent himself for it.

Explosions occurred in the clouds, filling the world with unending noise. Although unintelligible, those sounds were filled with significance, as if driven straight into Qin Yun's brain, giving them meaning.

YOU ALREADY KNOW...

Qin Yun’s head buzzed as if the sounds themselves came from a higher realm of existence than his own, enabling him to understand purely to drive home a point: he was powerless to resist.

Indeed, he knew why, yet he couldn't bring himself to accept this. If he were, his path would be bound to this world, and breaking away from it would become much more tedious.

“Why me?” he asked, but this time much more calmly. “Why should I be your champion? I’m sure there must be others who would jump at the opportunity.”

The world grew silent once again, and Qin Yun waited for the answer. Still, it took longer than the first time, so much so that he even thought he might have been ignored. However, as he was about to give up hope of an answer, it came regardless.

Contingency...

Somehow, the word felt much weaker, as if the world had to strain itself to articulate it. Still, Qin Yun knew that it might have only been his imagination. After all, it was only a cacophony of noise, barely able to be translated by hijacking his brain; making a mistake in translation wouldn't be unexpected.

Still, contingencies... Meaning, I may not be the first one to receive the world's favour and probably not the last. It seems the situation is much more dire than I first anticipated. Should I go along with this, or...

Qin Yun was conflicted. On the one hand, his first instinct was to refuse this boon, opting to walk his own path, however long it might take if only to remain free from heaven's hold. However, did he have the time to do so?

Somehow, his mind always returned to his small shack in the corner of the Qin clan, where he spent most of his days idly, simply watching the woman he called his wife practice her swordsmanship. Her blade cutting through the air, her blue dress fluttering in the breeze, and her piercing gaze, as she strove forward to regain what she had lost, were engraved into his mind.

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He knew that if the world's end was upon them, Yun Jingfei would be the first to act, if only to prove her path. This was simply who she was. Even with broken spiritual roots, she never backed down from the challenge, even if this would lead to her inevitable doom. Qin Yun couldn't let her walk this path alone; her smile was the only thing on his mind at that moment.

With a deep sigh, Qin Yun closed his eyes and sat back down among the rumbles of his destroyed shelter, awaiting what was to come. He returned to his cultivation state, opening himself to the outside world as he began absorbing all he could, even if it were to flow right back out without leaving anything behind.

He didn't have to wait long as lightning crackled overhead once again, but this time, it felt much more gentle in its approach, yet the might laced within those clouds only grew, making all existences feel pitiful in contrast. Qin Yun was but an ant against its majesty. Its will was king, and Qin Yun could only relent if only this time. He buried feelings of resistance deep in his heart, patiently waiting for the day of their resurgence—a day he knew would come eventually.

He felt a surge of strength as heavenly might struck his head, coursing through his meridian as they flooded with the purest of qi, transforming them, if ever so slightly, into something more than they were.

As the qi flooded into his core, feeding the seed nestled into its depth, Qin Yun could feel it wriggle slightly—something that seemed impossible for most cultivators, as the process was much lengthier for others than in Qin Yun's case.

A manifestation of this seed appeared above his head, its form ethereal as it rotated slowly on its axis. Qin Yun felt his realm increase, feeling the seed grow bigger as he passed the threshold of each realm until he reached what most would consider the peak of the Qi Refining realm in one leap. Yet, the seed made no indication of stopping its growth.

The reason was simple. Usually, the seed's growth couldn't exceed what the vessel could bear. However, in Qin Yun's case, the vessel could be considered perfect, only reaching the threshold of what this world could contain. Therefore, the seed had no limiting factor to its growth—or close to none.

Coupled with the highest quality qi available, Qin Yun’s seed grew with no end in sight, unhindered by even space itself. In fact, the seed above Qin Yun’s head was more than what cultivators imagined. They believed it was merely an illusion displayed by the lotus as its strength was sought after, while the truth wasn’t quite that simple.

Qin Yun clearly felt that the seed's size had exceeded the physical limits of his qi centre, becoming something it shouldn't be able to contain, and yet, the truth was before his eyes, hovering about a metre above his head.

Even considering his various previous lives in this world, none had felt something similar, as none had wished to follow this path, opting for something more orthodox. This was uncharted territory, and he also had to consider heaven's involvement.

Yet, even the seed expansion had a limit—a limit he could clearly feel, and he soon reached it. However, that limit wasn’t reached because of how confined it was, but simply because of a lack of qi. Even the world’s might itself wasn’t enough to satiate its thirst.

Qin Yun’s eyes snapped open, and he raised his chin, looking up at the sky, only to see the clouds recede as if they had delivered all they could. They felt somewhat feeble as they dispersed back into the atmosphere.

Seeing this, Qin Yun closed his eyes again, feeling regretful that this wasn't enough. He now had another choice to make: whether to proceed to the next stage or hope to find something that could help bridge this gap.

Qin Yun gazed upon the seed slowly rotating in his core. It was plump, yet it seemed obvious something was missing. As he had expected, its colour was dark brown, denoting the element he was most compatible with. Yet, there were also gold lines on its surface, flowing as if spiritual veins—the same kinds of veins found deep within the earth, forming a huge flow that cultivators usually tapped into.

Is this intentional, or simply a stroke of luck? I can never tell... If so, then its intentions are apparent. However, the path to reach it seems almost impossible... Contingency, isn't it? Indeed, if all else fails, this might be the only path available. However, there is one thing it failed to consider, or maybe it was its intentions all along... who knows?

Qin Yun rose with a smile on his face. Playing a game of chess with the world itself seemed interesting enough. Would he be but a mere pawn and be used in a war, not of his own choosing, or be able to shatter the board entirely? Only time would tell.

Still, the threat was real and not something he could ignore. After all, even if he was a pawn, he wasn't ungrateful enough to dismiss the favour he had been granted. Besides, to let the world die would leave a bad taste in his mouth, and he still had things he cherished.

After this trip, it might be worth investigating the world's other agents. If they prove to be enough, I may not have to get involved directly.

A thought struck him. Looking back, he always felt there was something special about Liao Cheng, yet he never thought much of it. After all, geniuses were a dime a dozen. Although mind-blowing to most, in the grand scheme of things, his current cultivation wasn't anything special, and yet, the heavens made its presence known, only for the two of them to finally meet. Maybe he was putting too much thought into it, or maybe there was something to it. Either way, it was worth investigating.

With countless thoughts on his mind, Qin Yun chose to test his current strength, if only to know how to proceed forward. After all, he had never chosen a cultivation technique and only absorbed as much qi as possible. Whether he could use all that qi remained to be seen.

He clenched his fist and separated a small amount of qi from the source, letting it flow through his body and infusing his muscles with strength. Just as there were golden lines on the lotus seed, runes of a similar colour appeared on his skin, glowing ever stronger the more qi he infused into his body.

Not wishing to be reckless in his first time using it, the amount he used was but a fraction of the whole, and yet, it filled his body with strength—a strength he could scarcely believe could belong to someone in the Qi Refining realm, yet his body could handle with ease.

A slight smile appeared on his lips as he faced a mountain of compacted dirt standing before him, then punched.