Chapter 36: Version Fluctuation Value and Replacing Heaven with Man

Throughout On the Dao of Heaven, every single word revolved around conjectures and deductions about the alternation of the Heavenly Dao. To most others, it was utter nonsense.

After all, in the cultivation world, countless living fossils had watched dynasties rise and fall, seas turn to mulberry fields, and epochs pass. If the Heavenly Dao truly changed, would those ancient cultivators not have noticed?

The orthodox Dao lineages had been passed down since the ancient era. Although great calamities had occurred throughout history, the threads of lineage remained clearly traceable. If the Heavenly Dao had ever truly changed, such lineages would certainly have been disrupted.

But judging from history, the so-called alternation of the Heavenly Dao had never occurred. Precisely because of this, cultivators regarded such ideas as absurd.

What’s more, the higher one’s cultivation, the closer one aligned with the Heavenly Dao—yet also, the more deeply one was bound by it. The implication that the current cultivation system itself was flawed bordered on heresy.

Such a concept could only be considered outright blasphemy. It was no wonder the author was regarded as a madman.

But to Lu Yan, this was all seen from another perspective.

Having experienced several version updates, Lu Yan understood very well—whenever a version update occurred, everything within the world, except for the Unchanging One, would be altered. Even the fundamental laws of the world could not escape the shift.

Everyone was caught inside the game board. No one could escape its constraints; they could only follow along with the ever-shifting evolution brought by each version. Was that not precisely what On the Dao of Heaven called the alternation of the Heavenly Dao?

Even that would have been fine.

But what truly shook Lu Yan was the final hypothesis presented by the book’s author:

“If one can remain unchanged amid change, one may influence the transformation of the Heavenly Dao—replacing Heaven with Man!”

It was an insane notion. But now, for the first time, Lu Yan could glimpse the possibility.

As the only Unchanging One in the world, he could already influence the direction of the next version update to some extent. But that alone could hardly be called replacing Heaven.

All he could do was choose from among three preset options. Ultimately, the world still followed the rules dictated by the version update system.

The true foundation of replacing Heaven with Man—lay in the version fluctuation value.

“Each version represents a Heavenly Dao—a trajectory of the world’s evolution. Everything originally operates within the framework set by that Dao.

“But as the Unchanging One, I carry powers and knowledge that originate outside the current version. When I manifest these external abilities within the current version, I disrupt the original Heavenly Dao.”

“In the mundane version where no supernatural power existed, I cultivated and became the only immortal cultivator in that world—earning a 3% version fluctuation value.”

“In the apocalypse, I slaughtered over a hundred thousand zombies. While that wasn’t much compared to the entire world, I severed their souls with the Hundred Soul Banner—undermining the very foundation of the apocalyptic world. That brought me a 0.2% fluctuation value.”

“These worlds have already changed under my influence. If the version fluctuation value reaches 100%, does that mean I’ve rewritten the rules—creating an entirely new version?”

“If so… wouldn’t that qualify as replacing Heaven with Man?”

Staring at On the Dao of Heaven in his hand, Lu Yan’s heart surged with emotion.

The reason he had kept diving into various versions and doing everything possible to increase his strength was because of the looming crisis of version instability.

In the face of such a monumental force, individual power seemed insignificant. Even being allowed to choose one of three options couldn’t guarantee safety.

Especially now—after multiple updates—Lu Yan had realized that the complexity of new versions far exceeded his initial estimations.

Just a few updates had already introduced bizarre and dangerous versions like the Mysteries, Martial Gods, and Urban Legends.

Imagine if the next update presented a choice between Daoguai, Urban Legends, and Supernatural Revival—with his current strength, Lu Yan would be doomed no matter where he went.

Lu Yan wasn’t afraid of powerful systems. What terrified him were chaotic, uncontrollable versions.

But now, with this idea of “replacing Heaven with Man” and the system of version fluctuation values, he finally saw a path—one that might allow him to grasp the truth behind version updates themselves.

He flipped to the front of On the Dao of Heaven and saw the author’s name:

Zhao Huowang.

An utterly ordinary name.

According to He Dongsheng, Zhao Huowang was just a common man from a mortal dynasty, once dismissed as a lunatic after writing On the Dao of Heaven.

But Lu Yan believed otherwise.

Zhao Huowang had definitely sensed something—some subtle truth—and penned this seemingly heretical scripture.

“As the book says, the more powerful a cultivator becomes, the more they’re constrained by the Immortal Cultivation Version—making it harder to perceive the nature of version updates.

“Instead, it’s someone like Zhao Huowang—a mere mortal—who may have been better positioned to glimpse the truth.”

“Madman? Genius? Perhaps there’s only a thin line between the two.”

With that thought, Lu Yan gently stored On the Dao of Heaven into his pouch.

Although he now had a direction—this path of replacing Heaven with Man—it wasn’t feasible in the Immortal Cultivation Version.

This version operated at a very high power level. A Golden Core expert could obliterate a city with a flick of the wrist, and even Lu Yan’s cultivation foundation was born of this world.

At his current level, he couldn’t possibly influence this version’s trajectory. His actions were too minor to shift the world.

His only real hope was still in the Mundane Version. That was the true stage for him to enact change.

But before that, Lu Yan had to make full use of his time in the Immortal Cultivation Version—to patch up his weaknesses and boost his strength.

He opened Compendium of First-Rank Spells and began to study the foundational techniques within.

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Half a month later, within Lu Yan’s mid-grade cave residence, a streak of green light zipped back and forth through the room—so fast it was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Wherever the light passed, it sliced through stone with ease, leaving deep gouges in the walls.

In the center of the cave, Lu Yan raised his right hand, and the green light instantly flew back into his palm. On closer inspection, it was a finely-crafted, jade-colored miniature sword.

Lu Yan had spent the past two weeks in secluded cultivation.

When hungry, he’d consume cheap three-stone Fasting Pills. When thirsty, he’d conjure water with the Condensation Technique. Every ounce of remaining energy was poured into spell study.

Thanks to his three months of cultivation in the Apocalyptic Version—where he absorbed moonlight and strengthened his soul—Lu Yan’s control over spiritual power far surpassed that of most Qi Refining cultivators.

Moreover, the Compendium of First-Rank Spells was largely composed of convenience-oriented techniques—mostly low- and mid-grade First-Rank spells, with not a single high-grade one in sight.

For Lu Yan, there was practically no barrier to mastering them.

In just two weeks, he had already internalized the most practical spells.

Additionally, Lu Yan spent a few days refining the mid-grade flying sword he had found in the storage pouch.

Originally, he’d planned to sell it. But after realizing it might bear ties to the Red Lotus Devil Sect, he decided against it.

Besides, aside from the Hundred Soul Banner, Lu Yan lacked a proper offensive tool.

The spells from Compendium of First-Rank Spells were too low-level to be effective in real combat. Thus, he decided to refine the flying sword as a backup weapon.

“After all, I can’t just rely on the Hundred Soul Banner to massacre everyone on the scene every time I run into danger, right?”

(End of Chapter)