CHAPTER 200: 200- SYSTEM [1]

Back in his office, Fang Yuan sat alone with his gaze fixated on a long, lacquered box.

Its surface practically gleamed faintly, the royal seal burned into the wood like an ever-watchful eye.

His fingers tapped the desk once before he leaned forward, sliding the box open.

Inside lay a sword, old, weathered, its blade rusted almost beyond recognition.

Another rusted sword.

Fang Yuan’s lips curved faintly as he muttered,

"Du Juan’s sword was the same when I found her. Rusted, worn down... discarded."

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing.

"Is rusted sword getting popular lately?"

The words had barely left his mouth when the sword trembled violently.

—BAAM!

A blinding radiance burst forth, a pillar of light shooting straight through the roof.

The heavens themselves seemed to split, and for an instant, the brilliance was no less than that of a true Heaven-grade weapon’s awakening.

Except it was not one.

Fang Yuan’s expression twisted cold, venom dripping from every word as he glared into the torrent of light.

"So this was your plan all along, Crown Prince. To stage the birth of a Heaven-grade weapon here, in my territory, then let the greed of cultivators and opportunists descend to strike me down.

And when the dust settles, you unveil the true Heaven-grade treasure you’ve been cultivating in secret. The world calls you its savior while their resentment festers against me."

His voice dropped lower, sharper.

"Because cultivating a Heaven-grade weapon is not glory, it is a crime against humanity itself. It demands blood. Endless blood. Wherever one manifests, it is always built upon mountains of corpses."

His eyes burned crimson as the realization deepened.

"That was your design. To brand me as a blood-path cultivator, to paint me the villain. You strike me down, play the hero, and bask in the worship of the masses."

His teeth clenched, the fury in his gaze almost tangible.

"Very good. Very good! Then I am glad my brother seized that blade instead of you. Better it rests in his hands than be tainted by yours."

The furious light raged for several heartbeats before fading, leaving silence in its wake.

Fang Yuan’s expression never wavered, cold and furious on the surface.

But within, a sly smirk curled in the depths of his mind.

Tsk. Did you really think I wouldn’t see through your little scheme, Qin Hai? I know you’re watching me right now, listening through that cursed sword of yours. Go on, then. Why don’t you guess why I have never opened this ’gift’ of yours until today.

None of it reached his lips though.

Outwardly, he maintained his mask of anger, storming out of the chamber with heavy steps.

The moment the door shut behind him, the fury drained from his face.

His expression returned to that of a calm and then he lifted a hand and swiped the air.

A golden screen shimmered into existence before him.

[System Status]

Host: Fang Yuan

Realm: Initial Hollow Spirit Realm

Root: Heavenly Root

Hidden Physique: None

Martial Techniques:

Swift Step Footwork (Low-grade Black)

Golden Shell Armor (Mid-grade Earth)

Tyrant’s Light Sword (Low-grade Black)

System Points: 7,400

Faith Points: 46,000

[Faith System – Heavenly Mandate Scripture] (Saint Rank)

Current Rank: 1 / 9

Faith Exp Needed for Level 2: 100,000

Current Faith Exp: 12,666 / 100,000

Unlocked Abilities:

Authority Domain (Passive) – Foes within one meter will be instantly identified and locked under your cultivation aura.

[Fang Clan]

Head: Fang Yuan (Strongest cultivator in Coldwind City)

Vassal: Lin Clan

Clan Faith in Their Head: 75% (Medium)

Daily Generation: 600 Faith Exp, 4,000 Faith Points

Exceptional Believers (Faith 99):

Fang Chen – 500 Faith Exp, 1,000 Faith Points daily

Du Juan – 500 Faith Exp, 1,000 Faith Points daily

The golden screen shimmered before his eyes.

[Congratulations, Host. Reward for reaching Level 1 has been unlocked.

Would you like to claim now?]

Fang Yuan tapped Claim.

A heartbeat later, his knees buckled.

He crashed to the ground, his body wracked with agony.

An unbearable weight bore down on him, as though mountains pressed against his very bones.

As someone in a hollow Spirit Realm, he should have been granted inhuman pain tolerance, yet this pain tore past all defenses.

For two long minutes, he endured. Every breath was fire, every twitch of muscle a blade.

And then, release.

Gasping, drenched in sweat, Fang Yuan forced himself back to his feet.

His body trembled, but his eyes sharpened.

Something was different. His frame felt... lighter. Not weaker, lighter and free.

The golden screen pulsed once more.

[You have been infused with the Faith Dao Bone.]

Fang Yuan froze.

"...Wait. What?"

Dao Bone.

His breath hitched. A Dao Bone? In me?

And then he felt it, his dantian quivered, expanding and contracting as though it were a living lung.

His meridians burned, yet not with fire, this was something different, as though every vessel in his body was being carved anew by unseen chisels.

A vibration thrummed deep in his marrow, resonating with his very skeleton.

It was not spiritual qi, nor blood essence. It was something stranger, weightless yet oppressive, formless yet absolute.

Faith.

The collective belief of thousands, the intangible force he had been harvesting, now condensed into bone, becoming part of him.

His frame felt lighter, yes, but also unshakable, as though his body itself could anchor heaven and earth.

Every breath pulled with it whispers, not words, but echoes.

The faith of his clan.

Their reverence, their trust, their worship... it was flowing through him.

His hand trembled slightly as he lifted it before his eyes.

For the first time in his life, Fang Yuan felt the absurd illusion that if he willed it, the world would listen.

"...So this is the Faith Dao Bone." His voice was low, tinged with awe, but his eyes gleamed dangerously.

"The system truly plays with things beyond mortal comprehension."

The golden screen slowly faded away.

Fang Yuan exhaled, his lips curling into a faint smirk as he muttered,

"I wonder what the other rewards will be like... if the reward for level one was this amazing."