MTL - Swallowed Star - v2 Chapter 11 Micro level

As a professional and amateur of astronomy, every time I look up at the billions of stars in the night sky, it is hard to imagine that among these huge numbers, human beings live alone in the universe.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already in a magical world based on the eight powers of knowledge, power, authority, faith, wealth, dexterity, perception, and mystery.

Looking up at the starry sky in another world, is my hometown among these billions of stars?

Searching for a possible way home. It may take a lifetime, it may be ten, but it is always a hope.

- Description from novelbuddy

Cheng Zhu, a young and accomplished individual, stumbled upon a question online: 'If you had the chance to be reborn and go back to the past, would you take it?'As someone recognized in his circle for having the most 'spirit', Cheng Zhu scoffed at the thousands of comments from people wishing for rebirth.He responded with a simple 'No', alongside a screenshot of his impressive bank balance.But in the next moment... he was reborn!

In the world of cultivation, countless tales follow righteous protagonists, fated heroes blessed by destiny, or those chosen by heaven to walk the path of immortality.But what of those who stand in their way?What of the villains? The so-called obstacles to the hero’s journey—do they not bleed, dream, and struggle as well?Xiao Ning was never meant to succeed.From the very beginning, the Grand Dao wove him as a stepping stone—a necessary sacrifice to elevate another. His path, like that of all designated ‘villains,’ was doomed to failure by design.But what happens when that design is defied?After death, Xiao Ning awakens—not in the cycle of reincarnation, but in the cold silence beyond it. There, he is offered the Eternal Paradox Codex—a forbidden artifact containing the hidden truths of the Grand Dao System itself.Rules. Loopholes. Vulnerabilities.Knowledge not meant for those like him.With this power, Xiao Ning is granted a single, impossible choice: accept oblivion, or step outside the Grand Dao entirely—to abandon fate, sever karma, and cultivate a path unbound by heaven or law.It is Xiao Ning’s journey, from ashes to something beyond comprehension.Not to become an Immortal among men.But something even the heavens dare not bind.If fate is a chain…Then let him forge his own path in the void beyond.Welcome to this humble tale.The cultivation world is vast and unkind.Let us begin again—on our terms.