In the quiet of his modest room, the air heavy with the lingering scent of burnt incense, Xiao Yao sat cross-legged on his creaky wooden bed. His ragged brown robe hung loosely from his thin frame, but his eyes—oh, those eyes—shone like twin stars, locked onto the glowing, translucent blue screen floating before him. The warm hue from the interface cast a faint glow across his youthful, sharp features. His expression was a cocktail of amazement, ambition, and something far more dangerous—fanaticism.
[Stats -]
Name: Xiao Yao
Age: 12
Dou Qi: Dou Zhi 5th Stage
Soul: Spirit Realm
Attributes:
Talent: 28
Physique: 14
Comprehension: 41
Charm: 84
Perception: 48
Dou Qi: 40
Soul: 8
Bloodline: 0 (Not Available)
Constitution: 15
Physique: None
Techniques: (Tap to see)
Skills: (Tap to see)
Looking at the dazzling panel filled with numbers, stats, and potential, a wide grin split Xiao Yao's face. It wasn't just joy—it was triumph. Destiny had finally given him the edge.
"So this is my golden finger… not bad, not bad at all," he whispered, voice trembling with excitement. "With this, even the heavens will have to kneel."
He gently waved his hand. The screen shimmered, shifted, and brought forth another panel—Secondary Functions.
His eyes practically burned with greed as he skimmed through them.
The Shop—a literal trove of divine-level resources. Cultivation techniques that could crush mountains, pills that could grant sudden breakthroughs, beast cores from extinct species, and even the blueprints to ancient sect formations. All purchasable—with Soul Points.
Then came the Attributes Upgrade Panel, where one could directly enhance stats with Sky Points—something only the heavens should've had the right to do. He could become smarter, stronger, more talented—instantly.
But the function that made his heart beat the loudest, the one that had just unlocked, was something that defied even the rules of cultivation—The Devouration Plug-In.
Without hesitation, his finger tapped it.
---
[Devouration Plug-In: Active]
Function: Allows host to devour any object, beast, or human. Each devouring yields:
Primary Reward (Guaranteed)
Secondary Reward (Randomized Tier)
Third Reward (Rare Chance: High-Grade Skill/Attribute/Item)
---
Xiao Yao's breathing grew shallow. This wasn't just a cheat—it was godlike. The idea of absorbing the strength and essence of everything in his path, of molding himself through their sacrifice… it was poetic in the most twisted way possible.
"It's so amazing!!" he muttered, eyes wild with anticipation. "Just like a cheat code straight out of a webnovel! No… better than that!"
Sliding the screen away, he leaned back against the chipped wall, hands behind his head, grin still etched into his face. His mind spun with possibilities.
"My next target… should be Yao Chen's ring," he thought silently, the mere idea sending a cold gleam through his gaze.
The ring that held the soul of Yao Chen, the Medicine Emperor—an ancient, nearly omniscient alchemy god. A soul that guided Xiao Yan to greatness in the original timeline. But now… things were different. He was different.
"I could devour it," Xiao Yao admitted to himself, fingers tapping against his knee rhythmically. "But why devour a divine teacher when I can own him?"
If he played his cards right—if he intercepted the moment Yao Chen awoke, showed talent, loyalty, and cunning—then he might just earn his guidance permanently. And with that guidance, all of Xiao Yan's future… would be his.
"The world always favored Xiao Yan? Tch. Not this time."
The screen shimmered out of sight, and he shut his eyes, letting the silence of the room pull him into thought.
But peace didn't last long.
"Alright, let's think about it later," he muttered. "But now—how should I improve my strength quickly?!" His voice was tinged with urgency. He wasn't content with just knowing the future. He needed power—now.
And then, like lightning, the idea struck.
"The Magical Beast Mountain Range!"
With a sudden leap, he was off the bed and out the creaking wooden door. The sky was just turning blue, streaks of gold breaking across the horizon. His crude Dou Qi flowed through his meridians—unrefined, chaotic—but enough for a small burst of speed.
He didn't care. Every step he took pounded with resolve.
—
A few hours later…
Dust flew up from his heels as Xiao Yao sprinted through the forested foothills of the Warcraft Mountain Range. His breathing was rough, yet steady. The trees blurred past him, and his senses sharpened as he entered the territory of wild beasts.
Suddenly—growls. Snarls. Movement.
Three infant-level magical beasts burst from the underbrush, baring their small but sharp fangs. They were only Level 1, barely stronger than mortals—but to an ordinary Dou Zhi, they were still threats.
But Xiao Yao? He wasn't ordinary.
He grabbed a rusted iron dagger from his side, his Dou Qi coating the blade in a pale red hue. One swift strike. Then another. Blood sprayed across the grass.
Three monsters down in moments.
"System!" he barked. "Devour them!!"
Dark red-black mist erupted from the corpses, swirling like a living shadow before engulfing the remains. Then—ding, ding, ding!—system messages fired off like fireworks.
---
[Congratulations to host for obtaining Fire attribute Qi x5]
[Congratulations to host for obtaining Wood attribute Qi x8]
[Congratulations to host for advancing to Dou Zhi 7th stage]
[Congratulations to host for obtaining Beast Taming Technique]
[Congratulations to host for advancing to Dou Zhi 8th stage]
[Congratulations to host for obtaining Pure Fire Wood Sword]
[Congratulations to host for obtaining Sword Immortal Flying Technique]
[Congratulations to host for learning Divine Dimension Technique (Part 1/??)]
---
Golden light exploded between his eyebrows.
He blinked—and found himself standing within a vast, ethereal 10 cubic meter space. A separate realm nestled inside his soul.
Floating inside were treasures: a glowing jade slip, the Pure Fire Wood Sword humming with crimson and emerald energy, several beast cores pulsing with elemental power, and more.
---
[Divine Dimension - A fragment of the Dimensional Divine Technique. Capable of storing items, treasures, and spiritual objects. Space expands with mastery.]
---
Xiao Yao's lips parted in awe. His eyes trailed across the hovering items in his newly gained inner world.
"This… this is like having a legendary storage realm inside me," he whispered. "With this, I won't need a storage ring ever again."
He stared at the Pure Fire Wood Sword, then at the jade slip containing the Sword Immortal Flying Technique, then to the faint swirl of wind surrounding his legs from the beast taming aura.
He chuckled lowly, dark amusement in his tone. "I just killed three baby beasts… and already got stronger than people who've trained for years."
The plug-in was broken.
And he loved it.
"The mountain range will be my playground… and every beast, a stepping stone."
With blood on his hands and light in his eyes, Xiao Yao stepped deeper into the forest, no longer running—but hunting.