Three women stood beneath rustling leaves in a dark, moonlit forest. Their giggling voices mixed with the sound of the wind and the distant calls of nocturnal creatures. Each wore a playful smile, their eyes glinting under the canopy of stars. A soft glow emanated from a hologram held by the tallest of the trio, casting a silvery light over their faces. Her dark skin, illuminated by the hologram's gentle radiance, was a striking contrast to the pale, moonlit complexions of her companions. With a gleam of mirth in her eyes, she lowered the hologram, the ethereal image flickering as she turned her gaze.
Beside her, the second woman stood with an air of quiet confidence, her long hair pulled into a sleek ponytail that swayed gently with her movements. A form fitting navy-blue hanfu adorned her, highlighting her figure. Embroidered with delicate patterns that shimmered faintly in the dim light. Her expression was calm, but her eyes danced with playful energy, a subtle smirk tugging at her lips.
The third woman, shorter and with a more delicate frame, wore a bright pink robe that was slightly loose but no less charming. On her chest was an embroidered bear, its design simple but cute, adding an almost childlike innocence to her attire. Her smile was the widest of the three, eyes gleaming with delight as she basked in the shared amusement of the moment.
Across from them, a handsome young man stood, partially hidden in the shadows of the trees. His gaze was soft, his expression warm as he watched the women with affection. His smile grew as the tallest woman's eyes met his. A quiet sense of contentment and joy radiating from him, as if being a part of their world, even from a distance, was more than enough.
A blue, shimmering screen hovered near the young man's head. It was completely silent, until a loud boom echoed out from within, the sound only audible to him as it played directly into his mind.
He turned to the screen and saw nothing but an enormous cloud of black smoke covering the man who had been on the other side.
A cough resounded, and with a single swipe of his hand, the man waved away the cloud. His already dark complexion now made even darker by the soot smeared across his face.
"What happened to you?" Liang Wu asked with a barely suppressed laugh.
"Ugh, a failed experiment. I'm trying to incorporate small explosive darts into a sword without the use of the space element. The explosives I am using seem to be too volatile." Tian Long said as he grabbed a towel to wipe the soot off his face.
"What is the point of continuing to craft those devices? Now that you and your sister have achieved the God Realm, your bloodline shouldn't have a weakening effect on your bodies any longer."
Tian Long and Tian Feng were the offspring of a dragon father and phoenix mother. Because dragons and phoenix are completely different species, they normally can't conceive children, so Long and Feng being born was a pleasant surprise for their parents. However, they were both born with genetic defects in the form of weak physiques. To offset their weakened physiques, the twins learned skills that didn't rely on brute strength. Tian Long learned the art of weapon crafting, and his sister learned formation arts. Together, they combined their knowledge and began making devices that would allow them to compete with those stronger than themselves.
"Just continuing to do what I enjoy. How about you? Why did you change the world, seal your cultivation and begin traveling the world again?"
"Didn't I tell you the last time we talked?"
"No, all you said was, 'You two are in charge of the dungeon system. I'll call you the Dungeon Masters. The System Helpers will explain the rest.' and then you ended the call. We didn't even know you were the one to change the world until our System Helpers told us."
"Oh? Did I? I don't remember. Well anyway, I just did it because I was bored. Also, it helped achieve my goal."
"Your goal…? Oh! Allowing everyone to cultivate. That is a noble goal, and it seems you've achieved it in some sense."
"I'm sure that when everyone gets used to the changes in a few years, they will all begin cultivating. Then we will have a world filled with cultivators, and no one can die from disease and famine again!" Liang Wu said. He began talking softly, but as he continued, his voice filled with a crazed passion, before ending in a shout, showing his heightened emotions.
The three women who had been conversing amidst laughter glanced over at him when they heard him shouting to himself. They gave him concerned looks.
"Haa… he's losing his mind again." Chen Li Li said while shaking her head.
"He hasn't lost his mind yet. Well, maybe a bit. He's talking to my brother right now, which reminds me. I have to go check the dungeon you all just left." Tian Feng said as she dispelled the hologram. "You guys go back and rest. I'll go check out the anomalies in the Crystal Caverns."
Tian Feng turned around and disappeared, leaving the other two women in shocked silence.
Neither of the two had given any deep thought to how or why Tian Feng had appeared in the middle of this forest. Their distraction prevented them from noticing the bizarreness of her sudden appearance. It wasn't until she vanished when they had the realization that something was wrong.
"Wha—! She just vanished!?" Chen Li Li gaped in shock.
Daiyu tilted her head thoughtfully. "I didn't think about it before, but she appeared here in the middle of this forest claiming to be Liang Wu's friend. Maybe she really is a goddess. Otherwise, how would she have known where to find us and reach us instantly?"
Chen Li Li crossed her arms, still unconvinced. "Just because she can appear and disappear doesn't mean she's a goddess. Maybe she's just a powerful cultivator."
Daiyu shrugged, undeterred. "Isn't a god just the most powerful cultivator? After all, there are God-Grade techniques. The ones that made them must have been gods themselves, right?"
Chen Li Li frowned, considering the idea for a moment. "Uhh… I guess that makes sense?" Her expression quickly hardened again. "But why would a goddess be friends with that lunatic?" She pointed to Liang Wu, who was talking to Tian Long. To her, it looked like he was talking to himself since they couldn't see the system screen.
"Didn't he say that he is a god as well?" Daiyu asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
"I'd rather believe that pigs can fly than believe he's a god," Chen Li Li replied, shaking her head in disbelief.
Chen Li Li and Daiyu continued going back and forth. Daiyu believed that Liang Wu was a god, as he said, and Chen Li Li refused to believe. Eventually, their back and forth transitioned into a heated argument.
Liang Wu heard their arguing and shut the video call off with Tian Long to check on them. When he stepped close enough, he could hear them arguing about gods and himself.
"I refuse to believe that the man I might like is some million-year-old god!" Chen Li Li screamed, her voice echoing through the forest.
Her heart pounded in her chest as the echoes faded into the night, and for a brief moment, she stood frozen. Did I really just say that out loud? Heat rushed to her face, her mind scrambling to find a way to undo the words. "I-I-I didn't mean that!" she stammered, spinning around in an attempt to flee from her embarrassment.
But as she turned, her eyes met Liang Wu's. He was standing behind them, his expression unreadable. Her face turned beet red, feeling like it was on fire. Without another word, she quickly mumbled, "I'm going back," and hurried off into the trees, her heart still racing from her unintended confession.
Liang Wu watched her walk off, then he asked Daiyu. "Who is this million year old man she's talking about?"
She looked at him with a bewildered gaze. "You."
"Me? But I'm not a million years old. Technically, this body is only three, and my true body is less than two thousand years old. I was the youngest God Realm cultivator in history at only five hundred years old."
"Are you not going to check on her?"
"No? Why should I check on her? She can make it back fine on her own."
"She just confessed that she likes you though. Aren't you curious why she likes you?"
"No, hundreds of women have given me confessions. So why should I be worried about one more?"
"Humph! Idiot!" Daiyu huffed and gave him an angry glare before storming off in the direction Chen Li Li had left in.
"What's wrong with them?" He asked aloud to no one in particular.
"You really are an idiot." His System Helper responded.
"What? How am I an idiot?" He asked, but his System Helper refused to respond again. "Hey! Explain why I'm an idiot!"
—
Meanwhile, Tian Feng was inside the Boss chamber where the trio had fought the Crystal Guardian. She was tinkering with a flat device that resembled a tablet. It was the device she had called an aura-gathering tool earlier. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the readings on the screen.
"These readings can't be right. There should only be four auras here. Even if there were five, they should belong to five different things. However, two of these auras belong to Liang Wu…"
She paused, her eyes narrowing. "How is that even possible?"
The faint hum of the device filled the silence as Tian Feng glanced around the chamber, suspicion gnawing at her. "Something… or someone else is interfering."