The vast plains lay silent, a gentle breeze stirring through the lush forest. Suddenly, a radiant light flickered within the dense greenery, and a lone figure materialized out of thin air.
Dressed in white, with flowing silver hair cascading down his back, the figure bore a strikingly handsome face filled with confusion. His keen eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the unfamiliar landscape.
"Where… am I?"
This was none other than Chen Xiaoming, who had just traversed realms through Boundary Break. Yet, at this moment, he was utterly bewildered by his new environment. The system had unceremoniously flung him into a random realm without offering any selection options. That wasn't very considerate.
Ding!
[You have taken a breath. Experience +100,000.]
Just as Chen Xiaoming was lost in thought, the system's notification echoed in his mind. Seeing the abrupt increase in his experience points, he was momentarily stunned.
"Wait… 100,000? Wasn't it supposed to be 1,000? I didn't even take a deep breath!"
Ding!
[You have taken a breath. Experience +100,000.]
Another notification followed, confirming what he had just heard. He hadn't imagined it—it really was 100,000.
Ding!
[You have taken a deep breath. Experience +500,000.]
A tentative test confirmed it. The notification rang in his ears, and realization dawned upon him. It wasn't an illusion—his experience gain had genuinely skyrocketed.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Chen Xiaoming forced himself to focus. The situation was unclear, and he needed to think things through carefully.
"Hmm? What happened to my divine power?"
His brows furrowed. A moment ago, he had attempted to extend his divine sense to probe his surroundings, but the moment he activated his divine energy, he felt a strong repelling force.
Narrowing his gaze, he focused ahead. Gathering his spatial divine power, he unleashed it forward.
"Buzz..."
The air before him trembled slightly, tearing open a minuscule rift. However, his divine power dissipated almost instantly, like water without a source, failing to exert its usual might.
"Something's not right."
Chen Xiaoming quickly sobered up. The exhilaration from his system's generous experience boost faded slightly. His power was being suppressed—a development that was far from ideal.
"Let's try my bloodline's core power."
His eyes gleamed as he activated his bloodline abilities. Instantly, a brilliant silver light erupted from his body. He threw a punch, causing the space before him to tremble violently before shattering apart.
"Phew… Seems like my bloodline power isn't affected much."
Breathing a sigh of relief, he felt reassured that his bloodline's core strength hadn't been rejected by this realm.
As for the suppression of his divine power, a theory formed in his mind.
The myriad realms each had their own unique rules and governing laws. His spatial divine power originated from the Douluo Plane, meaning it was fundamentally incompatible with the laws of this unknown place.
"Sigh… So traversing realms comes with this kind of hassle."
He sighed lightly. If he had to deal with such suppression every time he entered a new realm, traveling through the heavens would become quite a headache.
Bringing up the system panel, Chen Xiaoming decided to check if there were any solutions available.
With a flash of light, his status window appeared:
Host: Chen Xiaoming
Age: 35
Cultivation: None (+) 896 billion / 1 million
Divine Power: 1st Class God (+) 896 billion / 30 billion
Refinement: 10 billion
True Form: Azurewood Tree
Bloodline: Hollowheart Willow (Mid-tier) (+) 896 billion / 1000 billion
Equipment: Hundred-Thousand-Year Divine Gear (+) 896 billion / 200 billion
Boundary Break: 10 billion
Experience Points: 896 billion
His status panel had undergone significant changes. There was now a cultivation section, which was currently set to "None." The first upgrade required 1 million experience points, which surprised him.
Experience point requirements typically scaled with cultivation level. The higher the level, the more experience was needed. But to progress from nothing to something, the very first upgrade already demanded 1 million points.
"This world's power system is far superior to the Douluo Plane."
The thought settled in his mind. However, he refrained from immediately upgrading. A new "Refinement" function had appeared beneath his soul rings, requiring a staggering 10 billion experience points—equivalent to Boundary Break.
Uncertain of its effects, he decided against hastily activating it.
"Let's check the cultivation system first."
Boundary Break still displayed the same 10 billion experience points requirement but provided no details about the specific realm he had entered. Searching the entire system panel, he found no information about his current location.
With no other option, he tapped on the cultivation section to see if he could glean any clues.
Some worlds had unique cultivation systems—perhaps this one would be familiar to him.
"Swish."
As his finger made contact, he felt a peculiar force surge into his body, traveling through his meridians until it reached his lower abdomen. There, it suddenly exploded.
Through his inner vision, he witnessed a boundless sea forming within his lower abdomen, with a mysterious tree-ring-like structure at its core.
"What… is this? Why have I never noticed it before?"
For a moment, he couldn't determine whether this phenomenon had always existed but had remained dormant, or if the force had triggered its creation.
Regardless, his body was undergoing a complete transformation. The tree-ring structure was now radiating immense vitality, forging a vast, pitch-black lake within him.
Puzzled, Chen Xiaoming refocused on his status panel.
Cultivation: Wheel and Sea Realm (Sea of Bitterness) (+) 896 billion / 1 million
"Wheel and Sea Realm… Why does that sound so familiar?"
He furrowed his brows, deep in thought. After a moment, his eyes flickered with recognition.
"Wait… Could it be…?"
Forcing himself to remain calm, he tapped the upgrade option once more. Instantly, within his newly formed Sea of Bitterness, a spring erupted, connecting to the cycle of life. A divine fountain began to flow, enshrouded in a mystical mist.
A surge of overwhelming power erupted from within him, the sheer pressure causing the ground beneath his feet to crack apart.
Sensing the transformation in his strength, he turned his attention back to his status panel.
Cultivation: Wheel and Sea Realm (Sea of Spring) (+) 896 billion / 1 million
"Sea of Bitterness, Sea of Spring, Divine Bridge, Paramita—the four great stages of the Wheel and Sea Realm…"
Chen Xiaoming muttered to himself. The familiar terminology, combined with the changes occurring within his body, pointed to one undeniable truth.
He had entered a world that had astonished countless people—a world of unparalleled grandeur.
Gazing upon the vast continent stretching before him, he could almost see the towering figures looming over the horizon—beings who could shroud the heavens with a single hand, shouldering the fate of countless lives, standing as the guardians of their world.
"This… is Shrouding the Heavens!"
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