The night was thick as ink, wrapping Qingyun Sect's outer district tight. The moon was hidden behind heavy clouds, not even stars visible, only scattered oil lamps in outer disciple rooms glowing like fireflies.
When Li Ming returned to his room, Zi hour was still a quarter away. He didn't light a lamp, sitting on the bed in darkness, hand pressed on his dantian. The spiritual power there was restless, like a beast caged, desperately trying to break free. Each impact pulled at his meridians, bringing faint stinging pain.
[Status] Foundation unstable (collapse risk 31%)
The risk rose another 1%. Today's battles consumed too much. Though the code sealing technique worked well, each use drained his foundation.
"Nineteen days..."
Li Ming murmured, voice clear in the dark room, stretched thin. He pulled out that burning jade slip Lin Xue gave him. Its surface was covered in fine cracks, like it might shatter anytime, pale green light leaking through the cracks, glaring in darkness.
"Library third floor, Zi hour."
Elder Wang's words still echoed in his ears, like someone chanting in his brain. Zhang Tao was a Cleaner, an Administrator avatar, would act tonight. After tonight, either he died or Zhang Tao died—no third possibility.
"Damn."
He cursed again, stood up, hung the wooden sword at his waist. This sword had accompanied him three months. More notches on the blade, the cloth wrapping on the hilt worn thin. He gripped the hilt, feeling the sword's weight, heavy, like reminding him—tonight was a life-or-death battle.
Pushing open the door, cold wind poured in, blowing his clothes rustling. The outer district was terrifyingly quiet, not even patrol disciples in sight. Like... someone had cleared the field? Those Law Enforcement Hall disciples usually wandering the streets—none visible.
Li Ming walked along the wall base, choosing shadows. His cultivation was only Layer Two, foundation still unstable. Facing Zhang Tao head-on at Layer Five, his odds were less than thirty percent. Not to mention Zhang Tao was an Administrator avatar, had system blessings.
"Must rely on code."
He touched the jade slip in his robes, that *Game Rules* book also there. The sentence "The administrator is yourself" stuck like a thorn in his heart. He thought all the way, couldn't understand—administrator was himself? Then how to kill the administrator? Suicide?
Reaching the library, Zi hour arrived.
The pavilion loomed in the night like a sleeping beast, gray tiles and red pillars, upturned eaves. The stone lions at the entrance were missing an ear, looking eerie in moonlight. First and second floor windows were dark, only the third floor... lit?
Weak light filtered through third floor rice paper, conspicuous in darkness.
"He's waiting for me."
Li Ming drew a deep breath, mounted the stairs. Wooden boards creaked, each step like stepping on his heartbeat. Thump thump thump, heartbeat and footsteps mixed, indistinguishable. At the third floor door, it was ajar, dim yellow light inside, like waiting for someone.
He pushed open the door.
Elder Wang stood by the bookshelf, holding that wooden staff, the stone at its tip emitting faint blue light. His face was worse than daytime, like... aged ten years? Deeper wrinkles, whiter hair, eyes carrying exhaustion.
"Here." Elder Wang said, voice soft.
"Where's Zhang Tao?"
"There." Elder Wang pointed to the room's center.
Zhang Tao sat in a chair, playing with that jade pendant, golden disciple robes shining glaringly under the light. He relaxed against the chair back, like on his own sofa, completely without tension. Seeing Li Ming, he smiled, something like... pity in the expression?
"Li Ming." Zhang Tao said. "You really came."
"Waiting for you." Li Ming said, hand touching the wooden sword at his waist, fingers tightening on the hilt.
"Don't be nervous." Zhang Tao stood up, threw the jade pendant on the table, crisp sound ringing. "Tonight isn't a death match, it's... sparring."
"Sparring?" Li Ming frowned.
"Yes." Zhang Tao said. "Outer sect tournament finals, haven't been fought yet, right?"
Li Ming's heart tightened. Today's tournament, he won against Zhao Si, won against Chen Ping, but the finals... hadn't been fought? He remembered winning against Zhang Tao? Zhang Tao fell down, referee announced his victory.
"You..."
"You won against my... avatar." Zhang Tao said, tone flat. "The real me, always waited here for you."
Li Ming looked at Elder Wang.
Elder Wang nodded: "The daytime one... was indeed an avatar. Zhang Tao's true body, always hid in the library. That's why I had you come to the library—this is Node 1, has array protection, he can hide here undetected."
"Why?"
"Because..." Zhang Tao paused, eyes turning playful. "Because I want to give you a chance."
"Chance?"
"Chance to surrender." Zhang Tao said. "Join Cleaners, become an Executor. I can... save your life."
Li Ming smiled, corner of his mouth twitching.
"Save my life?"
"Yes." Zhang Tao said. "Your foundation is unstable, will collapse in nineteen days. But becoming an Executor... can reset foundation. Though you'll lose humanity, at least... can survive."
"Price?"
"Lose humanity." Zhang Tao admitted, no hesitation. "Like Chen Feng, like... Elder Wang."
Elder Wang's hand trembled, staff nearly falling.
"I won't." Li Ming said, voice soft but firm.
"Then..." Zhang Tao sighed, like disappointed. "Can only die."
The moment words fell, Zhang Tao's aura surged.
Not spiritual power—it was... permissions?
Li Ming felt pressure rushing toward him, like... the system directly suppressing him? That feeling was strange, like someone pressing his shoulders, pushing him down.
[Warning] Administrator permission suppression detected
[Recommendation] Flee or... counterattack
"Counterattack?"
Li Ming laughed bitterly.
Layer Two against Administrator avatar? How to counter? The other's permissions were who knew how many levels higher, like an intern arguing with the CEO—not the same level at all.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Don't struggle." Zhang Tao walked over, reaching out. "Your code... written well. But before me..."
"Like hello world facing an operating system."
The moment palm nearly touched his forehead, Li Ming moved.
Not dodging—attacking?
He pressed his hand on Zhang Tao's wrist, then... injected spiritual power?
But not ordinary spiritual power—it was... virus-carrying spiritual power? He injected his own foundation bug, a segment of unstable code, into Zhang Tao's meridians?
"You..." Zhang Tao's expression changed, something like panic flashing in his eyes. "What is this?"
"Bug." Li Ming said. "The bug in my foundation..."
He closed his eyes, began calling up the code view, fingers tracing through empty air.
```
[Code Sealing Technique, version 0.5]
def seal():
# inject unstable factor
target.foundation.risk += 50%
# target foundation risk increases 50%
# if target risk exceeds 80%, trigger collapse
return True
```
The moment code modification completed, Zhang Tao's body froze.
"You... mad?" Zhang Tao said, voice carrying fear. "You're... self-destructing?"
"Not self-destructing." Li Ming said. "It's... mutual destruction."
His foundation risk jumped from 31% to 81% in an instant. Pain struck, like someone tearing his meridians open, then sprinkling salt. Pain nearly made him cry out, teeth biting metallic blood taste.
But he didn't let go, continued injecting spiritual power. The bug spread like a virus along Zhang Tao's meridians, attacking Zhang Tao's code structure.
"Stop!" Zhang Tao shouted. "You'll die! Foundation collapse, you'll die!"
"I know." Li Ming said, voice trembling. "But you... will too."
Zhang Tao's body began flickering, like... a video with bad signal? Sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, sometimes showing flowing code inside.
"Damn." Zhang Tao cursed. "You're really a... madman."
Then, his body... shattered?
Not physically shattered—it was... decomposing into code?
Lines of characters drifted in the air, like... fireworks? Each character glowing, floating in darkness, then slowly dissipating.
Elder Wang walked over, watching those drifting codes, eyes complex.
"You... won." He said, voice soft.
"Won?" Li Ming let go, knelt on the ground, gasping heavily, lungs like ready to explode. "My... foundation..."
He called up the system interface, checking his status.
[Status] Foundation unstable (collapse risk 85%)
[Time remaining] 18 days 23 hours 59 minutes
"Eighteen days..."
Li Ming laughed bitterly, stronger blood taste in his mouth.
Using nineteen days of lifespan, exchanged for one avatar? Worth it? He didn't know. But he knew, if he didn't do this, tonight the one dying might be him.
"Worth it?" Elder Wang asked.
"Don't know." Li Ming said, pushed himself up, legs still trembling. "But... at least tonight... survived."
Elder Wang was silent several seconds, then pulled a small bottle from his robes, very exquisite, like jade.
"This is... Foundation Establishment Pill." He said. "Can stabilize foundation, but... only lasts ten days. After ten days, medicine effect fades, foundation will... accelerate collapse."
"Ten days?"
"Yes." Elder Wang said. "Within ten days, you must... find the other three players. Find them, then seven nodes activate together, reset game. Only reset can... save your life."
"Found then what?"
"Seven nodes activation needs seven players." Elder Wang said. "After activation... can... reset game. After reset, everyone's status will be restored, including your foundation."
"Reset..."
Li Ming remembered the words in that book.
"After reset... we... can still live?"
"Don't know." Elder Wang admitted, shaking his head. "But... better than... being cleared."
Li Ming took the bottle, swallowed the pill. Medicine melted upon entry, warm flow surging from dantian, meridian pain lessened somewhat.
[Status] Foundation unstable (collapse risk 75%)
[Time remaining] 10 days (medicine effect period)
"Ten days..."
Li Ming stood up, legs still trembling, but better than before.
"Then..."
"Start tomorrow." Elder Wang said. "Find the other three players."
"Where are they?"
"Law Enforcement Hall, back mountain dense forest, and..." Elder Wang paused. "Inner sect main hall."
"Inner sect?"
"Yes." Elder Wang said. "Player 078... is in inner sect."
"How to enter?"
"Inner sect assessment." Elder Wang said. "Still eighteen days."
"Eighteen days..."
Li Ming calculated.
Ten days medicine effect, eighteen days assessment.
"Time... not enough."
"So..." Elder Wang said. "You must... break through early."
"Break through?"
"Qi Refinement Layer Three." Elder Wang said. "Only Layer Three can... enter inner sect assessment."
"But my foundation..."
"So you must... use code." Elder Wang said. "Like... tonight. Though foundation will be more damaged, no choice."
Li Ming fell silent.
Use code to break through, foundation would be more unstable, might only have three or five days left. But... no choice. Either break through, then find other players, reset game. Or, do nothing, wait for foundation collapse.
"Fine." He said, drawing a deep breath. "I'll try."
"Then..." Elder Wang turned to leave. "Be careful."
"Careful of what?"
"Zhang Tao... wasn't the only avatar." Elder Wang said. "There are... more. In Qingyun Sect... at least... ten."
Ice ran down Li Ming's back, like someone blowing cold air on his back.
"Ten..."
"So..." Elder Wang paused. "You tonight... only... passed first level."
Then he vanished at the stairway, footsteps soft, quickly inaudible.
Li Ming stood there, watching those drifting codes, palm covered in cold sweat.
"Ten..."
He clenched his fist, nails digging into flesh, palm bleeding.
"Then... one by one... kill."
He turned to leave.
Reaching the door, he heard—
"Wait."
Elder Wang's voice came from downstairs, soft, like from far away.
"Also... one more thing."
"What?"
"Before Zhang Tao died... left... a segment of code." Elder Wang said. "You... better look."
"Code?"
Li Ming turned back, Elder Wang threw over a jade slip, arcing through the air.
Li Ming caught it, calling up code view.
```
[Zhang_Tao_Log.py]
def last_message():
# Zhang Tao's last words
print("Game... about to... reset.")
print("Administrator... is not... you.")
print("Is...")
```
Behind... was cut off?
"Is..."
Li Ming frowned, staring at that cut-off line of code.
"Is what?"
He continued examining, trying to repair that code. But the jade slip suddenly... shattered?
Like remotely crushed from afar, powder flowing through fingers.
"Damn."
He cursed, watching the powder in his hand.
"Self-destruct program." Elder Wang said, voice from downstairs. "Seems... someone... doesn't want you... to know."
"Who?"
"Don't know." Elder Wang said. "But... definitely... higher level. Higher than administrator... existence."
Li Ming gripped the jade slip fragments, powder flowing through fingers, leaving nothing.
"Administrator... is not you..."
"Then... who?"
No one answered. Night grew thicker, even Elder Wang's voice vanished.
Li Ming walked down from the library, returned to his room.
He lay on the bed, closed his eyes, but couldn't sleep. Spiritual power restless in his body, foundation trembling, like warning him—time was running out.
System interface appeared before him, pale green text flickering in darkness:
[Cultivation] Qi Refinement Layer Two 15/400
[Status] Foundation unstable (collapse risk 75%)
[Time remaining] 10 days (medicine effect period)
[Mission] Find other three players
[Warning] Cleaner avatars: 9 remaining
"Ten days..."
Li Ming clenched his fist.
"Then... ten days... break through to Layer Three."
He began circulating the technique.
But not the *Foundation Qi Circulation Technique*—his own written... "breakthrough code"? A very long code, directly modifying breakthrough threshold logic.
```
def breakthrough():
# force breakthrough
while True:
absorb_energy()
if energy >= threshold:
# skip normal process
bypass_check()
direct_breakthrough()
```
Spiritual power flowed through meridians, but each flow, he could feel... foundation... loosening? That feeling was subtle, like something slowly cracking inside his body.
"Hold on..."
He clenched his jaw, teeth grinding.
"Can't... give up..."
Suddenly, a crisp sound came from within his body.
Like something... cracked? Not small cracks, big cracks?
[Warning] Foundation crack detected
[Hint] Crack expansion may cause... early collapse
[Recommendation] Stop cultivation
"Stop?"
Li Ming laughed bitterly.
"Can't stop anymore."
He continued circulating, spiritual power continued flowing. Cracks continued expanding, foundation risk kept rising.
[Collapse risk] 75% → 80% → 85% ...
"Fast... fast..."
Li Ming shouted in his heart, voice trembling.
"Faster... a bit more..."
Suddenly, a loud sound came from within his body.
Like... explosion?
Boom—
[Ding! Host detected breakthrough]
[Cultivation] Qi Refinement Layer Three 1/600
[Status] Foundation cracked (collapse risk 90%)
[Time remaining] 5 days (medicine effect acceleration)
"Five days..."
Li Ming relaxed, then...
Spat out a mouthful of blood.
Blood was black, like... poisoned? Carrying a fishy stench, choking him wanting to vomit.
"Damn."
He cursed, voice extremely hoarse.
Then...
Passed out.
In the final moment before losing consciousness, he heard a voice, like coming from far away, or emerging from deep in his mind:
"Player 1025, breakthrough successful."
"But... price has been paid."
"Your foundation... has approached... critical point."
"Five days later..."
"You will... pay... price."
Then, nothing.
Darkness swallowed him.
What Li Ming didn't know was that after he collapsed, the system interface automatically appeared before him, new code being written, red, glaring in darkness:
```
[Li_Ming_Status.py]
def foundation():
status = "CRITICAL" # critical state
collapse_risk = 0.9 # collapse risk 90%
estimated_collapse = "5 days" # estimated collapse in 5 days
```
Five days.
Time to find the other three players.
And outside the room, a dark figure stood behind a tree, watching Li Ming's room, eyes complex.
It was Chen Feng.
He leaned against the trunk, arms crossed, face unreadable.
"He... really broke through." Chen Feng said softly, voice carrying surprise. "Mad... completely mad."
He paused, shaking his head.
"But... that's good too."
"Only madmen... can... clear."
Then he vanished into the night, quickly out of sight.
And farther away, in Qingyun Sect's inner sect main hall, a person in elder robes opened his eyes, looking at the jade slip in his hand, corner of mouth curling into a smile.
That smile was eerie, like... expecting something.
"Player 1025..."
"You... finally... came."
"Game..."
"Has just... begun."
