Fire blower

. .. ... .... ..... .... ... .. .

[The 'Token of Death' has been activated, granting you a temporary identity of some sort.]

[You can now enter the scene with credibility.]

[This sequence has never encountered such circumstances before.]

[Let's see what unfolds next.]

The text gathered and then it vanished into the void.

Shortly after, the barracks door creaked open, and an unfamiliar figure entered, clutching a torch.

The flickering flame cast light into the barracks.

"Good to see you're recovering" the newcomer greeted with a smile, though their expression hinted at unfamiliarity with Liu Ping.

—Where have the former Qi refiner and his uncle disappeared to?

Liu Ping was not injured, offering a grateful smile as he clasped his fists "Thank you for your assistance, fellow Daoist."

The practitioner waved dismissively, "It wasn't my doing. You've been unconscious for three days and nights. Luckily, this vial of rejuvenation powder worked, otherwise, you'd be in trouble."

He gestured towards the bottle containing the medicine.

Liu Ping glanced at the newcomer before speaking "Are you alone here, friend? Where is everyone else?"

"They've all headed to the frontline. Word has it that something big has occurred" the practitioner replied.

"What could that have been?" Liu Ping inquired.

"I'm not sure. If you go to a crowded place and ask, you might be able to find out something".

"...No, I'm still a little disoriented" Liu Ping groaned.

The practitioner was stunned for a moment, then thought and inserted the torch in his hand into the open space before Liu Ping's stretcher.

"Then you rest for a while, and when you want to come out, come out with this torch." finished speaking, he turned around, and left.

silence returned within the barracks again.

Liu Ping glanced at the blazing torch, then turned to look at the void.

Lines of small texts were displayed there:

[Act 1.]

[This is the beginning act, and the beginning of your path.]

[Synopsis:]

[The war is coming to an end. You unexpectedly woke up in a graveyard and are facing a choice of fate.]

[Based on the existing strategies:]

[Those who report to the vanguard camp will gain military merit, thus winning fame, skills, and wealth]

[Those who go to the Xiaoqi camp will get to know disciples of various sects]

[Those who arrive at the armory have a certain chance of obtaining treasures.]

[—You need to compete with others.]

[The practitioner in charge of this place will decide the direction you will go based on your performance.]

[After your direction is decided, there will be follow-up plot prompts.]

Liu Ping read it quickly and asked in his mind: "Why didn't you tell me when we came here last time?"

[Reminder!]

[The writing of this sequence is in a cool Blazing font. It is unique and cannot be faked.]

[Those crooked, ugly words are not of this sequence.]

[It's the Token of Death you got.]

Liu Ping's eyes narrowed.

"I see. Everything in the world of Cultivation is set up. If people from outside come in, there are even detailed guides. They only need to follow the guides to move to the corresponding plot and gain something. It indeed seems like a play"

Suddenly, lines of burning small texts appeared in the void again:

[Reporting a special situation.]

[The current hidden Space-Time has been discovered, and an unknown entity is about to invade!]

Liu Ping immediately stood up, and took out the double-barreled shotgun, loading it with two sacred bullets. He pointed forward and looked around cautiously.

A female voice suddenly sounded:

"Calm down, it's me."

The void spread out in all directions like a broken curtain, and then, a little girl with shawl-long hair walked in. She had a pair of blood-red gem-like pupils. She stared at Liu Ping up and down a few times and waved to him without looking back. The void closed behind her.

"So it's you" Liu Ping said. He had no grievances with her, and even gave two poisonous monster corpses for the other her to eat. She had also told him some secrets.

'What does she want this time.'

"When we first met, I told you that the world of cultivation is just a show" the little girl said.

"Indeed" Liu Ping said.

"The first act is the chosen starting point. A person can only come once, but you have appeared here for the second time - this is an unexplainable paradox for the world" the little girl added.

"I'm just a little cultivator, how can I have such an impact?" Liu Ping said with a smile.

"Because you are an exception" the little girl said.

"Exception?" Liu Ping asked.

The little girl nodded and said, "Yes, even those practitioners who have reawakened or seized their bodies, and even those who resisted, think they are free, but in fact they are just a part of the plot."

"You on the other hand are an exception!"

Liu Ping thought of the cultivators who had helped him before. There was also Senior Sister Li who wanted to take him away for "cultivation".

If everything is a woven play... then...

"They're all under control... what about me? What am I?" he asked.

"You are a person who is not in the plot at all. You have come back to life and can have an impact on the plot. This impact can be big or small. The key lies in... your role" the little girl said.

"I would like to hear the details" Liu Ping said.

The little girl said, "If you stand on the side of the living, then follow the plot prompts produced by the living world. In this case, the plot of the Cultivation world will not change in any way, and some mistakes caused by you will gradually become less important and become negligible."

"What if I stand on the side of the world of cultivation?" Liu Ping asked.

The little girl looked around, stepped forward, and gently raised the torch left by the man. The firelight illuminated her face.

"You already have a formal status in the living world. If you stand on the side of the living world, you can save yourself. From now on, as a living person, in order..."

"To let light illuminate the earth, to save the living, and to get rid of the eternal night. Fight the darkness" the little girl said calmly.

"What if I side with the world of cultivation?" Liu Ping asked again.

"No one knows what will happen, but one thing is certain" the little girl said.

"What?"

"The plot of the world of cultivation will collapse because of you. Although it will take some time, this is an irreversible point."

The little girl handed him the torch.

"Choose the living world, go out with this torch, connect with the practitioner, and get various benefits according to the plot."

"If you choose to practice in the world, do something else—anything will do."

The little girl took a few steps back and looked at Liu Ping seriously.

Time passes slowly.

Liu Ping thought for a while and said:

"I once saw a cultivator who jumped off the same cliff many times in a row and was killed by various traps according to the destiny or role he was given."

"It has nothing to do with my position, I just think——"

"If this is light, then light is what I despise."

"No one should be controlled by someone else."

The little girl listened carefully, her eyes gradually becoming darker.

"So, what's your decision?" she asked.

Liu Ping summoned up his spiritual power and blew hard at the torch.

The fire suddenly went out.

The light faded.

Darkness enveloped everything.

"Just make it unpredictable" Liu Ping said calmly.