Cultivation Black Tech: The System Makes Me Play the Pig to Eat the Tiger

When Lu Zhao was reborn in his high school classroom, chalk dust was coalescing into the ancient forbidden spell, the Nine Nether Soul-Sealing Art.

In his previous life, he was executed on the Heavenly Punishment Platform by the leader of the righteous path. In this life, the tattered Heavenly Dao System bound to him is even more dangerous: each person whose cultivation he devours makes the quantum golden core in his dantian shine brighter, but the rift to the demonic abyss beneath the classroom is also quietly widening. When the campus belle and class monitor is dragged into a crack in the ground by a cybernetic beast, he crushes a crystal-energy flying sword with his bare hands to save her. But the System's warning chills him to the bone:

“Nine Nether Evil Emperor awakening progress: +5%. Host's remaining lifespan: 30 days.”

Array genius Su Mingyue pushes up her goggles and sneers, “Every time you play the pig to eat the tiger, the demonic abyss's acidic fog eats away at three blocks.” The sword of ancient martial arts heir Ye Hongshuang presses against his throat. “You carry the scent of Zhuyin's mortal enemy.” And the Dao Alliance leader Lin Xuan has already locked onto his soul with the Heavenly Law Ruler. “This boy must die.”

Clutching a credit card that lets him borrow against his fortune, Lu Zhao grins as he rakes in face-slapping points on a Douyin livestream. He knows that when Wall Street starts shorting “Nine Nether Revival Concept Stocks,” when electronic spirit beings breach the heavenly realm's firewall, and when Chen Xiaodao's aura of misfortune sets off a quantum nuclear bomb...

The biggest trap in this game of chess is making every hunter believe they're the one moving the pieces.

“System, if I devour myself,” the boy says, spreading his arms amid the tribulation lightning, “which of you and the Nine Nether will die first?”