Chapter 1

"Look up at the sky! Linyuan Academy's recruitment team is back!"

"The people on the Blazing Demonic Birds must be this year's new students, right? Good heavens, I'd love to see what those geniuses look like!"

"Who wouldn't? That's the Continent's Number One Ability Academy! They say anyone who graduates from Linyuan Academy will become a powerful figure on the continent. I tried out for the selection process years ago, but I was eliminated in the first round!"

"We all have two eyes and one mouth, so why is there such a vast difference between people? If only I had that level of Ability..."

"Dreaming again. How can talent that's one in a million be common? We're living quite happily as it is. Those geniuses who slave away in cultivation might not even enjoy their wine as much as we do."

"Haha, you're right, brother. I heard there's been a new Abyss outbreak in the Three Great Empires recently, causing so many deaths. But we're still peaceful here, all thanks to Linyuan Academy. I just hope they recruit even more geniuses and talented individuals this time, and that they can long defend the northern Abyss. Only then can we enjoy lasting peace, with meat on our plates and good wine in our cups every day!"

On the second floor of the tavern, several glasses clinked together. The boisterous laughter of a few close friends mingled with the bustling noise from outside, piercing through the vibrant city and soaring toward the clouds.

Screech!

A colossal crimson bird let out a piercing cry, its ten-meter-long wings beating as it soared toward a specific direction within the city.

The wind howled fiercely between the snow-white clouds. From this vantage point, the majestic city below appeared like a collection of intricately crafted miniatures. Carriages and people bustled through its streets, creating a scene of endless vitality and grandeur.

Yet this vibrant life only made the abrupt darkness in the distance stand out all the more starkly.

A darkness that seemed to cleave the city in two and bisect the mountains, a void so absolute that even light could not penetrate it. In any other place, it would have been a symbol of disaster, but here, its inhabitants had grown accustomed to coexisting with it.

Closer now, ever closer.

As the Blazing Demonic Bird flew forward, the darkness before them gradually expanded, revealing a magnificent academy. Its towering, solemn buildings and myriad halls stood like a city within a city, or an insurmountable wall separating the darkness from the city-state.

A young man with simple clothes and handsome, heroic features gazed at the scene before him. The sounds of the world faded into a distant hum, leaving only the frantic pounding of his heart.

Dad, Mom...

Qin Fenglin clutched a brocade pouch, praying silently in his heart.

I passed the test and arrived at Linyuan Academy.

How I wish you could see this today.

I'll become strong here...

He opened his eyes, revealing two ink-black pupils that seemed to hold a cold glint.

He secretly swore:

I will become strong, and then I will avenge you!

The Blazing Demonic Bird's crimson wings, trailing streaks of light, descended from the sky.

The gale whipped up the pale blue ribbon in the young man's hair, like the prologue to a legendary tale.

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Meanwhile, at Linyuan Academy...

A youth strolled in from the city-state and stepped through the academy's protective barrier.

The boy appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen, with snow-white hair cascading to his waist. His violet eyes were as clear as water, and his features were strikingly handsome, making him instantly unforgettable.

Most notably, he wore a white uniform, but it wasn't the standard school uniform. At Linyuan Academy, only freshmen dressed this way.

The guard rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Strange, I distinctly remember the recruitment team hasn't returned yet..."

If the recruitment team hadn't arrived, how could there be a lone freshman here?

Stationed by the Abyss, the guards of Linyuan Academy were exceptionally vigilant. Once suspicion arose, they wouldn't let it go easily.

Just as he was about to question the boy, his colleague beside him stopped him, signaling that he had already pulled up the youth's Entry Token information.

"Don't bother. He's a Special Recruit. They don't return with the recruitment team."

The guard returned to his post. "I see. That's quite rare. We actually ran into one."

"You'd see it more often if you stood here for another three to five years!" his colleague scoffed. "But that young man's appearance is indeed remarkable. Even I was momentarily stunned. No wonder you paid special attention to him."

With his guard down, the young guard showed his youthful energy and turned gossipy. "Hey, tell me about it. I've only heard about Special Recruits, but I don't know what the requirements are at Linyuan Academy."

"There are just two. Either your parents were heroes who died in the War of the Abyss, or you're a genius among geniuses. From what I saw, that young man was likely..."

The guards' discussion faded behind him as Gu Huai walked calmly to the sparsely populated lakeside and finally exhaled in relief. "What bad timing. I almost alerted the guards..."

A robotic voice echoed in Gu Huai's consciousness: "Host, do not worry. Your identity was personally handled by the System and can withstand the most rigorous scrutiny. You won't be in any trouble, even if you're questioned!"

Gu Huai said helplessly, "Even so, given our current situation, it's best to keep a low profile."

The System was about to say something more when the surroundings darkened. A flock of colossal birds soared across the sky toward the back mountain, their fiery feathers shimmering with iridescent light, creating a spectacle utterly impossible on Blue Star.

As they flew past, a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the Darkgold plaque of the World's Number One Ability Academy. For a moment, it gleamed with golden light, radiating countless auspicious rays.

From Gu Huai's perspective, the plaque displayed a brief motto:

"Standing at the abyss as a shield, protecting all life."

The characters were bold and powerful, as if imbued with a faint pressure that immediately inspired awe.

Gu Huai averted his gaze and gave a faint smile.

The Continent's Number One Ability Academy... Ah.

And he, the one without any Abilities, had actually managed to get in.

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Just one day ago, Gu Huai was still a native of Blue Star.

His homeland had no Abilities, no magic, only technology. Humanity, relying on its ingenuity, had built bustling cities and a brilliant civilization that rivaled those of the magical world.

Tragically, when Gu Huai was eleven years old, it all crumbled in the invasion of the Abyss.

No one knows what the Abyss is; perhaps it's merely an extremely malevolent natural disaster.

A faint black mist seeps from spatial rifts, gradually devouring all life in its path.

First, it consumes the green of vegetation, then the brown of the earth... Finally, when even light is devoured, the land becomes a lightless void. Space twists and tears open, and Demonic Beasts pour forth, claiming the territory as if patrolling their domains.

There is only one way to destroy the Abyss: shatter the Space Crystal within it.

But conventional weapons are almost useless against Demonic Beasts. How can humanity destroy the Space Crystal in the lightless, supply-deprived depths of the Abyss, swarming with Demonic Beasts?

In the first year of the disaster, civilization's order collapsed completely. Every day since has been a blur of blood and war.

The survivors struggled to regroup, fighting and retreating but never giving up. Only when they finally deciphered the Demonic Beasts' Abilities through technological analysis and crafted special weapons from their flesh and blood did the tide of the brutal War of the Abyss begin to turn. Humanity slowly began to reclaim its lost territories.

Gu Huai died in the fourth year of the dawn, his greatest satisfaction in his final moments being that he had taken a loathsome spatial-type Demonic Beast down with him.

But, unexpectedly, that wasn't his end.

During that final battle, his soul had been chosen by the Civilization Continuation System.

The System recognized his capabilities and offered him a contract: if he agreed to transmigrate to another world called the God-Fall Continent, help its chosen heroes resist the Abyss's invasion, and prevent the world's destruction, he could live there forever.

How could Gu Huai refuse such a generous offer?

He had already lost all his loved ones in the war. Fighting the Abyss in a different place, and even getting a second life for free—it was a deal too good to pass up.

The only problem was that the God-Fall Continent was a world where Abilities were commonplace, and Gu Huai's soul, as a complete outsider, lacked the aptitude to awaken one.

To obtain an Ability, Gu Huai had to find a way to establish his own anchor point on this world.

If he could befriend the Children of Destiny who would determine the continent's future and make them believe he possessed some Ability, he could truly gain that power.

This Cheat was even more broken than directly granting an Ability; it all depended on how one used it.

Normally, the System would give the host a buffer period to familiarize themselves with the new world and create opportunities to acquire an Ability.

However, Gu Huai had landed directly at the Continent's Number One Ability Academy, a perilous location, because the System had chosen an unfortunate time to find this continent.

The continent's greatest legend—Qin Fenglin, the male protagonist and a Child of Destiny—had just passed the Linyuan Academy assessment after his family was destroyed and he'd fled for his life across a thousand miles. He was now being specially recruited into the Continent's Number One Ability Academy.

This marked the beginning of his legendary path.

He, along with his companions, were the prodigies Gu Huai needed to find. This was the best time to befriend them, and he couldn't afford to waste a moment.

Thus, Gu Huai lost his development time.

If he wanted to acquire an Ability quickly, he had to venture into the Continent's Number One Ability Academy during his most vulnerable, ability-less stage.

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Registration Hall.

The teachers at Linyuan Academy had been busy all morning, finally finishing the registration of most of the new students and gaining a moment's respite.

This year's cohort of new students was exceptionally talented. Even with their vast experience, they were astonished by several of the unique Abilities they encountered.

One time-manipulating Ability, in particular, was utterly unprecedented. Although severely restricted, the student had still been admitted as a Special Recruit to Linyuan Academy based on this power.

As teachers of Linyuan Academy, their spirits were naturally buoyant.

"This has been a truly fruitful year," one teacher remarked.

They hoped that these children would all grow to become pillars of the God-Fall Continent's resistance against the Abyss. Perhaps then the academy elders could worry a little less about the increasingly active Abyss.

The registration hall gradually emptied. He glanced at the time, thinking his day's work was nearly done. Just as he was lost in thought, a white-haired, purple-eyed youth materialized before him.

The youth's appearance was as ethereal as a ghost's, his features as stunningly beautiful as a dream spirit. The registration teacher initially thought he was dreaming until the youth handed him a document, jolting him back to reality.

The file was thin, containing only the most essential information, so concise it was astonishing. But it bore the official seal of Linyuan Academy, leaving no room for doubt.

As the registration teacher read through it, his expression grew increasingly peculiar.

Name: Gu Huai... Special Recruit.

Reason for Special Admission: Parents sacrificed in the War of the Abyss; detected exceptional Ability aptitude; invited to enroll at Linyuan Academy.

So far, everything was understandable.

According to the records, Gu Huai's parents, while not globally renowned figures, had made memorable contributions in a past war against the Abyss. Linyuan Academy, after all, was founded to combat the Abyss, and the institution held deep respect for such heroes. It was a long-standing tradition to send enrollment invitations to orphaned children with promising Ability aptitude encountered by school personnel during overseas support missions.

However, the next item on the file made him uneasy.

There, Gu Huai's Ability was clearly stated as... Storage Space??