Chapter 4: The Forbidden Algorithms
Chapter 4: The Forbidden Algorithms
Erevan stood at the gates of the Quantum Sect's inner sanctum, the symbol of his new rank glowing faintly on his wrist. The Quantum Disciple insignia wasn't ink or metal—it was pure coded energy, shifting and rewriting itself in real-time. He could feel it pulsing with potential, a key to unlocking the true power of the Quantum Dao.
The three figures who tested him had vanished, but their words lingered.
"You are unorthodox, but your abilities are unique."
"He lacks refinement, but he adapts quickly."
"Chaos suits him."
Erevan smirked. Chaos was where hackers thrived.
Now, he had a new mission—to uncover the secrets of the Quantum Sects.
As he stepped forward, the temple's massive entrance split apart, revealing a floating city of neon-lit pagodas, cybernetic towers woven with golden Dao inscriptions, and endless pathways of shifting code.
Cultivators in long flowing robes of living data meditated in mid-air, surrounded by glowing runes that spiraled around their bodies. Others sparred, their movements blurring reality, their strikes warping the air as if existence itself was struggling to keep up.
But Erevan wasn't here to watch.
He needed power.
The Forbidden Archives
A new notification pulsed in his vision.
[New Location Discovered: The Quantum Disciple Hub]
[Mission Updated: Learn a Quantum Dao Technique]
A holographic guide materialized beside him—a glowing sphere of information.
"Welcome, Disciple Kane. You are authorized to learn your first Quantum Dao Technique. Please proceed to the designated training halls."
Erevan ignored it.
Training halls? No thanks.
He had no interest in entry-level skills or sect-approved techniques. What he wanted was the real power—the forbidden techniques, the ones too dangerous to teach openly.
And he had already found a lead.
Through the cracks of the shifting cityscape, Erevan's Quantum Hack ability picked up something off-limits. A hidden structure beneath the surface—encrypted and locked away, its code shifting erratically as if it didn't want to be found.
The Forbidden Archives.
Erevan's smirk widened. "Bingo."
Breaking into the Quantum Core
He moved fast, blending into the crowd of disciples before slipping into the lower levels of the temple. The air grew colder, the lighting dimmed, and soon, the energy signatures of normal disciples vanished completely.
He was in a restricted zone.
The entrance to the Forbidden Archives loomed ahead—a massive golden gate covered in quantum chains, pulsing with defensive algorithms.
A notification popped up.
[WARNING: Unregistered Access Detected. Initiating Defense Protocols.]
"Shit."
Without warning, two cybernetic guardians materialized. Towering humanoid constructs, each wrapped in glowing runes, their eyes burning with data-fire. Their hands transformed into blades, their bodies humming with defensive Qi circuits.
One of them raised an arm.
"Unauthorized entity. Stand down or be deleted."
Erevan cracked his knuckles. "Let's see how tough your firewall is."
Hacker vs. Quantum Guardians
The first guardian lunged—its blade-arm slicing through the air at inhuman speeds.
Erevan activated Glitch Step, his body fragmenting into pixels, shifting behind the construct in an instant. His hand flared with golden Cyber Qi, and he slammed his palm into the guardian's back.
[Quantum Hack: Exploiting System Weakness…]
[Security Overload Detected.]
The guardian shuddered violently, its movements glitching, lines of corrupted code racing across its form.
The second guardian fired a barrage of energy beams.
Erevan spun mid-air, activating Cyber Qi Integration. Instead of dodging, he absorbed the energy—his Qi circuits rewiring the attack into fuel for his own abilities.
The beams dissipated, and his body surged with power.
"Time to shut this place down."
He extended both hands, golden hacker scripts flashing in his palms.
[Quantum Hack: Forced System Override]
The guardians' eyes flickered. Their bodies locked in place.
Then, they collapsed.
The gate's defenses deactivated.
Erevan dusted off his coat. "Too easy."
With a single step, he walked into the Forbidden Archives.
The Forbidden Algorithm: A Lost Dao
The chamber was massive, filled with floating data tablets, ancient scrolls that pulsed with hidden knowledge. The air thrummed with energy, as if reality itself was holding its breath.
Erevan reached out, his fingers brushing against a tablet covered in fragmented code. The moment he touched it, a dark surge of energy flooded his mind.
A voice echoed from within.
"You should not be here, hacker."
The tablet's code began rewriting itself, forming a new technique, a Dao unlike any he had seen before.
A notification flashed.
[Forbidden Technique Acquired: The Quantum Phantom Code]
- A lost Dao technique that allows the user to completely detach from the system's laws, becoming an untouchable anomaly.
- Warning: This ability is unstable and may corrupt existing cultivation paths.
Erevan grinned. "Now this is my kind of power."
But before he could study it further, the room trembled.
The air rippled, and an overwhelming presence descended upon him.
A figure stepped out from the shadows—an elder cultivator, his robe woven with shifting stars, his cybernetic eyes glowing with raw data.
"You've gone too far, disciple," the elder said, voice like crackling thunder. "Do you even know what you've just stolen?"
Erevan clenched his fists, feeling the power of the Quantum Phantom Code pulsing inside him.
"I guess I'm about to find out."