After setting out onto our journey Chao Fan became much more reverent to me and did everything I asked without question... which was annoying

Lance: Hey Chao Fan, why are you being so submissive towards me?

Chao Fan smiled slightly

Chao Fan: When addressing a senior the younger generation must show respect

Lance: 'Ironic coming from the man who basically told the patriarch of his family to piss off'' I understand your point Chao Fan but you're thinking about this all wrong. while it's true that I am the senior of you and everyone else in the multiverse, I also need you to stand on equal footing with me. only then could you manage to break the seal limiting me and the rest of your world. In my eyes that makes us partners.

Ruo Hong and Yun Lan also nodded from inside Chao Fans consciousness 

Ruo Hong: We are also your partners, Martial Spirits don't exist as servants nor do they exist as existences to be worshiped. 

Yun  Lan: This deity will allow you to treat me as a partner until we accomplish our journey.

Chao Fan was taken aback as he had never experienced what it was like to be treated as an equal, let alone an equal to unparalleled beings 

Chao Fan nodded with his face full of conviction

Chao Fan: Then this Chao will not mince words with seniors, no- my friends

This kid really had a way with words, I had to say something at moments like these to enforce that I'm like the elder brother in this friendship

Lance: Calling us friends?! BWAHAHAHAHA! if any being on the upper worlds heard you they may very well destroy your world for such impudence... but I personally like a brat with a bit of spine

this wasn't untrue. Not only was the prideful youth extremely entertaining like Yang Kai or Luo Zheng, but this type of person was who I got along with best in the real world before I had my pride shattered. as the firstborn promising son of the "Khan of Industry" there was no lack of boot-lickers who tried to befriend me. 

Ruo Hong: Friends?! YEAH! Let's grow together!

Yun Lan: Since Lord Hei Jian has allowed you to speak to him in this way I shall allow you to speak to this deity in a similar manner.

Chao Fan had never been outside the main complex of his family's house so he was just slowly enjoying the feeling of the chill fall air, he smacked his lips together and breathed in deeply almost as if he would never breathe again. This made for quite a scene 

Ruo Hong: What are you doing?

Chao Fan: Breathing... The air just feels so much more pure out here!

Yun Lan: What do you mean? according to my senses there has been no higher concentration of world energy.

Chao Fan: Have you tried it?

Lance: Breathing? of co-

Now that I thought about it ever since coming into this world I had no physical form, nor did I have any need for oxygen, sleep, or sustenance. I wonder if Ruo Hing and Zi Lin needed it

Ruo Hong: Breathing? why would we do something as inefficient as that?

Yun Lan: Martial Spirits have no need for any form of inefficient upkeep besides the energy of their wielder. Breathing is a waste of time and autonomic functions.

 Chao Fan looked confused when we said this

Chao Fan: But I though the very basis for cultivation was breathing? If you don't breathe and become one with the world then how could you grow to understand the martial dao?

He made a point, however what was the point of the strongest beings to cultivate?

Lance: We don't need to cultivate, as you ascend we will naturally unlock our powers

Chao Fan: How did you all get so strong in the first place? I'm afraid I'm still ignorant about these matters.

Ruo Hong: We weren't born. one day we just appeared due to an extremely high concentration of certain types of elemental qi. we became embodiments of our elements to stabilize the chaotic abyss that would become all of creation. when we all interacted we shaped what nature would become. 

Chao Fan: Wait? so if you all created the world doesn't that mean you can shape the world energy or world principles?!

Yun Lan: No, we can control our types of elemental qi but world energy was created using all of us combined.

Chao Fan: Amazing! what about you master Hei Jian? how did you come to exist

Oh Damn... I knew he'd ask this but I have literally no idea where this Hei Jian comes from, all I did was design him... THERE WAS NO BACKGROUND! I started racking my mind in order to try and piece together what his origins could be using the information I had already gathered

Just as I was worrying though I noticed something, everyone stopped moving and talking mid sentence

Lance: Time Freeze?

As I said this a screen popped up in front of me while radiating a golden light with a purple border

Lance: "Background/Personal History?" 

It looked like this was a way for me to develop my characters history. The only problem is that Ruo Hong and Yun Lan must be aware of the real history of the "Void King" and there's no way that they could believe some half assed story I make.

Lance: shit... ok what do we know about this body, it exists beyond time and space so it's extra dimensional, it lives in a grand palace in the void... I think? I don't know what's real there or what I created with my-

Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning, it seemed that it was so simple this whole time. I didn't need to create an exact backstory from scratch with no information; I already had a character that was similar enough that the rest would just be me filling in the blanks. 

Lance: 'To create a background one needs to know what a character wants or what their actions show them as. but thinking back to Ruo Hongs story it's clear that there was a primordial creation in that big bubble outside the palace and that they just shaped it... but how did that energy get there in the first place? according to what I know, everything in the void can only exist by the will of the "Void King" meaning that creation couldn't have just popped up out of nowhere unless "I" allowed it and created it. so there's only one backstory I can go with"

I typed in my background and the floating screen paused for several seconds before showing a loading screen

The Screen read "CONGRATULATIONS! your background is 73% accurate to the original King of the Void! For this unexpected achievement you will be approved to unlock three level 1  Void Skills!"

I was obviously excited and curious by this message and grinned widely in pride. being able to guess 73% of God's background is no small feat after all. My grin soon faded however as the words changed and filled me with shock

"Remaining 27% of the story has been altered for your convenience to match your story"

This was shocking for one reason. I'm almost positive that the part which was correct was that the Void King created all of the 10 million realms meaning he's essentially God here... but someone or something else could alter his creation and me in order to create a new narrative against my will

I didn't have much time to ponder over this though as Chao Fan and the others unfroze and were expectantly waiting for my answer

I cleared my throat and started on my story

Lance: At first there was nothing, nothing but the void. and in the void there existed nothing besides the void. it was more empty than the abyss of space. For countless eons the void was all there was with no colors, no sound, no light, no time, no space. eventually though the void had managed to develop sentience, and this sentience grew bored with nothing and decided to create everything. using the void where nothing existed, everything was created. I named myself Hei Jian and created a bubble of what would be known as time and space; then I got to work on what I wanted and created the elemental energies that would eventually become Ruo Hong, Yun Lan, and their siblings.

Chao Fans eyes bulged in amazement while Ruo Hong and Yun Lan nodded with pride written on their faces

Lance: Don't ask me for anything more than that though because I honestly can't remember the tiny details.

Chao Fan: I'm even more proud to have you as a friend and master now! 

Chao Fan said that in a servile manner but it was clear to see from the wild grin on his face what he was proud of was that he had managed to capture my attention and was excited for his future possibilities

While Chao Fan was working out potential glorious futures though, I got to work trying to find out what these "Void Skills" were

Lance: 'Helper, I got access to three void skills. how do I use those?

Helper: 'Void Skills are abilities you possess but are currently locked due to binding your soul to a lower being, more trivial skills are ranked level 1 while more transcendent skills are ranked level 10 . would you like to see the list?'

Lance: 'Yeah, I want to reach the best game scenario as quickly as possible which means Chao Fan needs all the help he can get'

As soon as I communicated these words to my Helper however a large screen appeared in front of me with tabs listed "Level 1" to "Level 10" The 820 skills in level 1 showed an unlock symbol over them while every other tier was firmly locked with no information. I browsed through the ridiculous amount of Level 1 skills and noticed one pattern... they were all extremely strong. I get that they were called trivial but some of these skills would make great forces on mid level worlds salivate and be willing to lose their entire foundation for them. even upper world great forces couldn't scoff at these great skills. after careful consideration as to what would be most useful right now I picked the three skills that were easiest to learn for Chao Fan and the others and would be the most useful.

Lance: Chao Fan, what realm are you?

Chao Hong: Spirit Core realm 1st rank 

Lance: Perfect... I'm about to teach you how to teleport!

 

 

AN: That's a wrap everybody. sorry for the long delay but my sister got married and invited me and my family to Colorado in the mountains for a week for it. Let's just say they had really bad internet. then when I got back it just completely slipped my mind to do a chapter and I forgot about it until last night... I'm the dumbest genius you'll ever meet. or won't meet. anyways this was a fairly long chapter at 1872 words and as always thanks for reading and please let me know of any criticism or what you want to see