Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 166: Author’s Mistake

Chapter 166: Author’s Mistake

Jun Wu Xiao was living peacefully when, out of nowhere, catastrophe struck. Everything around him collapsed at once.

And by everything, it wasn’t just his planet—it was the entire universe he existed in.

All of it vanished.

Now, he stood alone in the void. His friends, his enemies, everything he had ever loved or hated—all erased from existence.

Strangely, his expression wasn’t one of shock or despair. Instead, his presence exuded an aura of absolute supremacy, like that of a being far beyond mortal comprehension.

"Hm? What the hell is this?"

He quickly surveyed his surroundings before muttering those words.

Soon after, his face twisted in displeasure. Clenching his teeth, he spat out:

"My journey. My emotions. My joy. You worthless fool, The Character, come here right now."

The void trembled. A vortex of time and space emerged in the emptiness.

From within, a young man in an ethereal, ghost-like form appeared, clutching a laptop.

Jun Wu Xiao—no, at this moment, it would be more accurate to call him the Almighty—was far from amused.

His gaze locked onto the author before him, a look so infuriated that it seemed to invite violence.

"You better start explaining. Now."

Dragged into this situation without warning, the author was utterly bewildered. Blinking in confusion, he asked,

"Huh? Big brother, why’d you call me here?"

"Don’t try to dodge the question. Answer me—why the hell has everything turned into this?"

The Almighty was growing impatient. Any more stalling, and he might actually resort to violence.

I felt incredibly wronged and stammered,

"W-Well... technically, this is my fault, but—"

I wanted to explain, but the words died in my throat. In the end, I could only shut my mouth.

The Almighty’s voice rang out once more,

"But this was still your doing, wasn’t it?"

"Uh... yeah."

I answered on reflex.

The moment I did, He smiled.

That smile sent chills down my spine.

Then, out of nowhere, an enormous tennis racket appeared in His hand.

Before I could react, He swung it with all His might, launching me into the cosmos like a shooting star.

"AAAH!"

I screamed.

This speed was absolutely absurd. I had ridden roller coasters before and thought they were fast, but compared to this? A joke.

Out of nowhere, an enormous net materialized in the void, bringing my momentum to an abrupt halt. My face smacked into it, leaving deep imprints on my cheeks.

At such an insane speed, the impact sent me rebounding straight back to Him.

And yet, He showed no signs of stopping. With another swing of the racket, He struck me again.

Whoosh!

"AAAH!"

Whoosh!

"AAAH!"

Whoosh!

"AAAH!"

.....

The nightmare cycle continued, repeating over and over until, at some point, my mind had been pummeled into oblivion.

Finally, He stopped and asked:

"Do you remember your duty?"

Dazed and swaying on my feet, I mumbled:

"I do. It’s to provide Big Brother with the most immersive experience possible."

"Good. Then explain to me—why the hell was I in the middle of enjoying my journey when my entire world collapsed?"

Hearing that, I felt extremely awkward. But in the end, I came clean,

"I wanted to focus on my studies, so I... deleted the file containing Big Bro’s adventure. But, uh, my memory sucks, so now... the entire world is gone."

What rotten luck. I deleted the file to focus on studying, only to forget the content and fail my exams.

He nodded, digesting my explanation, before coolly asking:

"And the solution?"

"...Solution?"

I blinked in confusion. If I had a solution, wouldn’t I have mentioned it already?

At that moment, His expression twitched slightly. Then—

Whoosh!

"AAAH!"

Once more, my face met the net. Once more, I was flung back. If I weren’t in my soul form, my bones would’ve been shattered beyond repair by now.

Staggering to my feet, I groaned:

"Big Brother, you gotta tell me what you want before I can come up with a solution."

He shot me a glance, his voice as indifferent as ever:

"I want to continue my journey."

At that, I broke into a cold sweat.

I couldn’t do that.

Feeling utterly helpless, I hesitantly asked,

"Uh... is it possible to lower the standard just a bit, Big Brother?"

He fell into deep thought for a moment before nodding.

"Fine. As long as I have something entertaining, I’ll let it slide."

Hearing that, my eyes lit up.

"No worries, Big Brother! That’s easy! I can send you to another world right away. But, uh... where are we gonna get the resources?"

The moment I brought up the issue of resources, I was once again sent flying through the void with a tennis racket.

After my tour of the abyss, He looked at me and said,

"Resources? I already gave you everything from the beginning. Stop wasting time and get to work."

Hearing that, I could only nod repeatedly and reply:

"Yes, yes, yes! Big Brother is always right. If Big Brother says it’s black, it’s black. If Big Brother says it’s white, it’s white."

Without further delay, I pulled out my laptop and got to work. I needed to draft the framework for the next adventure in the shortest time possible.

Not long after, I had the results. A new journey, hastily put together, was presented for His review.

He skimmed through the outline and said:

"So this time, I’ll be called Nora? Explain this identity to me."

Immediately, I stepped forward with the humble demeanor of an author before his reader,

"Allow me to explain! Nora is a character who lost his parents at a young age. His talent is decent—not overwhelming, but high enough to stand out in his world. In the first timeline, he and humanity were completely defeated by the demon world. However, he was granted a second chance by the Heavenly Book of Reincarnation to rewrite his fate."

Hearing that, He became intrigued:

"Reincarnation? That means I’ll get to experience multiple worlds, doesn’t it?"

Seeing His interest, I beamed and flattered Him shamelessly:

"Exactly! Big Brother truly has unparalleled wisdom. I’ve designed an extensive adventure for you—one so long that you’ll never run out of things to do!"

Satisfied, He nodded approvingly:

"Good. I like this attitude. Keep it up."

I was just about to celebrate when His tone suddenly turned serious:

"But this time, you guarantee there won’t be any... mistakes?"

At that, I swallowed nervously. But after a brief hesitation, I steeled myself and declared:

"I swear on my life! For Big Brother and all our handsome and beautiful readers, I’ll dedicate myself entirely to this. No more running away midway!"

He nodded in acknowledgment but still shot me a sharp glare—a silent warning.

Then, with a wave of His hand, He sent me hurtling back to my desk.