I Can Only Cultivate In A Game

Victor floated in a half-lotus position within the depths of the Azure Moon Seclusion Chambers with his body utterly still but his expression blank.

A notification floated into his sight:

> [Bloodline Unlocking Process Initiated... Status: 4%]

His skin prickled as a numbing sensation spread through his limbs as a warmth began to rise from the depths of his core, spreading like wildfire across his entire body.

Then the pain from earlier returned.

It was unlike any physical injury—no gash or stab or bone fracture could compare. It was as if his very existence was being rewritten. His blood boiled, not metaphorically, but literally—as the dormant essence within his veins awakened.

Another notification chimed.

<[ Void Emperor Bloodline — Awakening at 10% ]>

<[ Qi nodes strengthening... ]>

<[ Spatial core beginning to form... ]>

Victor clenched his fists. His fingernails dug into his palms as small arcs of silver light cracked across his skin, tracing lines that didn't exist before. His hair fluttered even though there was no wind.

His heartbeat slowed.

<[ 20%... ]>

<[ Vitality enhanced... ]>

<[ Bone density increasing... ]>

<[ 35%... ]>

<[ Qi circulation modified... ]>

<[ Spiritual sense expanding... ]>

A whoosh of pressure exploded outward from his chest, bending the space around him slightly. Objects in the room vibrated.

Suddenly, his mind was no longer his own.

A vast black cosmos unraveled before him. Endless galaxies collapsed into themselves, folding into a singularity of nothingness. Stars were consumed, planets shattered into drifting fragments of light.

In the midst of it all stood a figure—tall and faceless—cloaked in an endless black mantle that looked like it was stitched from the very void itself. His eyes glowed like twin abyssal wells.

The man spoke only one word.

"Awaken..."

The cosmos imploded.

<[ 50%... ]>

Memory synchronization initiated…

Partial access granted to: "Emperor's Grasp."

Victor's eyes snapped open, though only in the vision. Before him, memories—visions not of his own past but of the figure's—rushed into his mind.

Battles across the stars. Time fractured and stitched again. Space bent to will, and armies turned to dust at a single gesture.

The figure was none other than the originator of the Void Emperor Bloodline—the ancient, eternal entity known simply as the Void Emperor.

The visions showed Victor what the bloodline could do at full power—not simply wield time and space as elements, but treat them as extensions of the self.

To slow moments into eternity. To teleport through the folds of space with a thought. To trap enemies in temporal loops or erase them from a single spatial anchor point.

Victor's body convulsed. A spiraling ring of silver qi burst from his back, branding itself into the air

His once black-streaked hair grew longer, cascading down to his back, and turned entirely white—like moonlight woven into threads.

The texture of his skin grew pale, smoother, almost translucent. But beneath it, veins of silver occasionally flickered with energy that didn't belong to the world.

Spiritual energy danced chaotically within the Azure Moon Seclusion Chambers. The circular formation beneath him trembled. The runes etched into the walls glowed with fluctuating brilliance, occasionally flickering like they might short-circuit.

The spatial force emanating from his body was intense enough to warp the floor beneath him in waves.

[ 65%...]

<[ Temporal perception calibration underway... ]>

Victor saw the faceless Void Emperor decimating armies, warping time to paralyze foes mid-step, dragging entire realms into spatial loops, unmaking techniques with a mere gesture.

<[ 75%... ]>

<[ Bone marrow restructuring. Qi conductivity enhanced... ]>

<[ 85%... ]>

<[ Spatial sensitivity unlocked. External energy now traceable. ]>

Even his sense of direction felt different. He could feel the room. The walls. The very pressure of the palace stones that encased the chamber. He knew where the smallest crack in the array formation was without even opening his eyes.

<[ 95%... ]>

Warning: Spatial Qi unstable. Calibration commencing.

The chamber shook.

The guards outside reportedly felt it—a strange emission that bent sound and made their ears pop. Even their talismans quivered slightly.

And then, at long last…

<[ 100%... Void Emperor Bloodline Awakening Complete ]>

<[ Congratulations. You have inherited the essence of the Void Emperor ]>

Notifications lined his vision.

[+20 attribute points]

Passive Perks unlocked:

[+Void Resistance (Passive)]

[+Spatial Sense (Passive)]

[+Temporal Drift - Lv. 1 (Active)]

[+Spatial Mantle - Lv. 1 (Active)]

[Qi Efficiency Increased]

[ Lightfoot Void: Weight reduction of 60% ]

[ Spatial Perception: Passive awareness of nearby space fluctuations ]

Active Techniques Unlocked: [Void Cloak], [Void Rift], [Chrono Echo]

Victor's eyes opened.

They weren't the same eyes anymore.

They were silver—like moonlit mirrors reflecting a depthless sky. He looked at his hand.

A faint trace of white-blue energy shimmered along his palm. He felt no pain anymore. Only power. His bones, muscles, and meridians felt... refined, perfected. Everything was lighter. Sharper. Clearer.

The term light as a feather had never held more meaning. His feet barely made contact with the stone floor as he stood, and yet he didn't feel ungrounded.

He reached for the water jug he had accidentally knocked over during the process. As he wrapped his qi around it—

Shloop.

It vanished.

Victor blinked.

The jug hadn't teleported. It was still there. But somehow, it had become cloaked in a layer of spatial qi. Invisible. Untraceable.

His brows raised in curiosity.

"A hidden phase state?" he muttered.

[ Spatial Cloak Triggered: Objects or individuals enveloped in Spatial Qi will temporarily become invisible to natural vision ]

Victor nearly burst into laughter.

He hadn't even meant to activate anything yet!

He willed it back, and it reappeared with a gentle shimmer.

A final notification appeared.

> [You have successfully awakened the Void Emperor Bloodline.]

Time Elapsed: 2 Days, 17 Hours

Realm Impact: Medium — 1.3% global cultivation ripple registered in Blueflame City

Unique Title Gained — [Heir of the Void]

A sudden thud echoed outside the seclusion chamber, followed by hurried footsteps.

They had most likely sensed the massive spiritual fluctuations and spatial anomalies.

Victor eyes narrowed.

He still had no idea why they tried to ambush him earlier.

"Guess its time to ask them what that was all about..."

He soon spotted another notification at the corner of his sight.

[ Void Emperor Bloodline Integration And Refinement: 3% ]

[ Your body will continue to develop passively over time ]

Just 3%? He couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course it wouldn't be that easy…"

He already understood from this that he could only use 3% of the Void Emperor Bloodline's Power.

But even 3% gave him more power than he'd ever possessed before.

He'd have to raise the integration and refinement level to be able to use more and unlock more of his bloodline related techniques in the future.

Just as Victor stood and adjusted the folds of his robe, the entrance to the chamber hissed open.

Three palace guards entered. The lead one gave a respectful bow. "Honored Guest Fang Chen… the City Lord has summoned you."

Victor arched an eyebrow slightly. "I figured he would."

The guards remained still, waiting for him to follow. But as Victor took one step forward, a sudden realization struck him.

A blinking icon at the edge of his vision, drew his attention.

[Player has remained logged in for 91 hours 46 minutes 12 seconds.]

He frowned.

Ninety-one hours?

He had been logged in for nearly four full days in game time.

His mom. His body. His responsibilities. He couldn't afford to spend that long in the game without checking in on reality.

Although during the time he was trapped in the serpent hollow, he had checked up on her a few times, but since he escaped there and attended the City Lord daughter's party he hadn't been able to. Especially during the phase of his bloodline unlocking.

He exhaled slowly while glancing toward the guards.

"I'm sorry," Victor held up a hand, "I need to log out—now."

The guards blinked in confusion. "The City Lord gave us direct orders—"

Before the sentence was complete, Victor's finger moved to the logout prompt floating in front of his eyes.

[Logging out...]

The guards gasped as his body glittered with light, then vanished before their eyes like a bubble popping into nothingness.

The lead guard stiffened. "He vanished. Like a ghost."

"We're in big trouble," one of the others muttered.

---

Reality hit Victor like a breath of fresh wind.

He opened his eyes slowly as the sound of the VR helmet powering down, faded from his ears.

His body felt a little sore from being in the same position for too long, but his mind was sharper than ever. Slowly, he sat up and pulled the helmet off his head.

His fingers brushed past strands of his hair, and for a moment, his brows furrowed.

It felt... different.

He blinked and shuffled across the room before stepping in front of his mirror.

The sight that greeted him made him freeze.