Chapter 12: The First Stream – "A Mortal in the Nine Firm"aments
Scene 1: The Fallen Star – Awakening in Vermilion Bird City
The air in Vermilion Bird City reeked of charred spirit beast meat and desperation. Luo Fan lay crumpled in a rain-soaked alley, his once-glowing tattoos now dull scars. His robes—threadbare and stained—blended with the mud. A gang of street urchins circled him, their leader, a scar-faced boy named Erhu, toeing Luo Fan's ribs with a broken boot.
Erhu (snarling):
"Look at this trash! Not even a copper coin on him!"
Urchin 2 (snatching Luo Fan's cracked mirror shard):
"Oho! This thing's got some shine! Maybe trade it to Old Feng for a meal!"
Luo Fan's hand shot out, gripping the urchin's wrist. His voice was a rasp, but his eyes burned.
Luo Fan:
"That's mine."
The mirror shard flared—a pulse of golden light throwing the urchins back.
**[Ding! Celestial Streamer System Reactivated.]**
**[Emergency Quest: "Gain 100 Subscribers in 1 Hour" → Reward: Qi-Threading Cultivation!]**
**System Screen**:
- **Subscribers**: 0
- **Spirit Coins (SC)**: 0
- **Karma Algorithm**: *Inactive*
Erhu (scrambling away):
"Demon! He's a demon!"
Luo Fan staggered to his feet, clutching the shard. The system's voice echoed—a blend of his mother's warmth and mechanical coldness.
Shen Li's Echo:
"Fan'er… rebuild what was broken."
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Scene 2: The First Stream – Street Fight Spectacle
Luo Fan limped into the Sunset Market, where merchants hawked counterfeit cultivation pills and rusted swords. A holographic billboard loomed overhead, broadcasting the Heavenly Jade Dominion's emblem—a jade dragon devouring stars.
Luo Fan (muttering):
"New realm, same tyrants."
He activated his first stream, the mirror shard projecting a holographic interface.
**[Stream Title: "From Zero to Hero: Watch Me Survive the Nine Firmaments!"]**
**[Viewers: 1 (User: WanderingCultivator42)]**
**WanderingCultivator42**: *"Is this a joke? You're a mortal!"*
Luo Fan (grinning at the camera):
"Stick around. It'll be fun."
A commotion erupted—a Dominion enforcer, Elder Mu Qing's disciple, demanding "taxes" from a noodle vendor. Luo Fan shouldered into the fray.
Luo Fan (taunting):
"Hey, Jade Lackey! How's your master's karma? Still stealing candies from babies?"
The disciple lunged, fists crackling with Qi.
**[User [DemonQueen666] Donated 50 SC: "Punch his face! I'll double it if you win!"]**
Luo Fan dodged, the system translating SC into a temporary buff.
**[Rusted Iron Fist Technique Unlocked!]**
His punch connected, the disciple sprawling into a spice cart.
**[Subscribers: 45 → 102!]**
**[Reward: Qi-Threading Cultivation (Early Stage) Acquired!]**
Luo Fan (to the camera, breathless):
"Told you it'd be fun."
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Scene 3: The Disciple's Shadow – Xiao Ling's Plight
As the crowd cheered, Luo Fan spotted a girl—Xiao Ling, 14, her wrists chained and face bruised—being dragged by a slaver toward the Abyssal Auction. Her eyes met his, flashing defiance.
Luo Fan (muttering):
"Glitched meridians… just like mine."
He intercepted the slaver, his new Qi humming.
Slaver (snarling):
"Interfere, and the Dominion will flay your soul!"
Xiao Ling (spitting blood):
"Let him try. I'll bite his fingers off first."
**[User [CelestialPeach] Donated 100 SC: "Save her! I'll subscribe forever!"]**
Luo Fan's fist glowed. The slaver's nose shattered.
**Luo Fan** (freeing Xiao Ling):
"Name's Luo Fan. You've got guts, kid."
**Xiao Ling** (rubbing her wrists):
"Guts don't fill bellies. Why help me?"
**Luo Fan** (tossing her a stolen bun):
"Because someone once saved me too."
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Scene 4: The Jade Princess's Gaze – A Holographic Threat
As Luo Fan and Xiao Ling fled, the market's holographic billboard flickered. Jade Princess Lian materialized—her beauty icy, her voice a blade.
Jade Princess Lian (broadcasting):
"Citizens of Vermilion Bird City. Report the rogue streamer 'Luo Fan,' and receive a Heavenly Jade Token. Fail, and your district burns."
The crowd turned, eyes hungry.
Xiao Ling (grabbing Luo Fan's arm):
"Time to go, hero."
**[Subscriber Milestone: 150! Reward: "Shadow Step" (Basic Movement Technique)!]**
They vanished into an alley as enforcers closed in.
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Scene 5: Voidspire's Whisper – A Sect's Birth
They regrouped in a crumbling shrine at the city's edge. Xiao Ling traced the faded murals—depictions of the Starborn Sage forging realms.
Xiao Ling:
"Who are you? The Dominion doesn't hunt nobodies."
Luo Fan (activating the mirror shard):
"I'm the guy who's gonna burn their jade palace to ash."
The shard projected a map—Voidspire Peaks, a mountain veiled in storm clouds.
Shen Li's Echo:
"Your sect begins here, Fan'er."
Xiao Ling (smirking):
"Great. More climbing."
**[System Alert: "Sect Management Interface" Unlocked!]**
- **Disciples**: 1 (Xiao Ling – Mortal, Glitched Meridians)
- **Sect Rank**: *Fleabitten*
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Scene 6: The First Ambush – Dominion's Wrath
At dawn, enforcers surrounded the shrine. Their leader, Captain Hong, sneered.
Captain Hong:
"Princess Lian wants your head, streamer. She's offering a bonus if you scream."
**Luo Fan** (whispering to Xiao Ling):
"Ever used a sword?"
Xiao Ling (grabbing a rusted blade):
"First time for everything."
The system's Karma Algorithm flared, highlighting Captain Hong's sins: 1,892 lives drained.
**[Passive Skill: Divine Retribution Activated!]**
Luo Fan's fist ignited with hellfire frost Qi.
As Captain Hong lunged, a holographic message flashed:
**[User [WanderingCultivator42] Donated 500 SC: "Behind you!"]**
A shadow descended—a Dominion Assassin with a blade aimed at Xiao Ling's heart.
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