The Xiao Clan was ruthless.
More than with their enemies, more than with their allies, they were cruelest to their blood.
And yet, regardless of size or influence, every family longed to be part of them—to use their strength as a shield and their name as a weapon for their benefit.
The Feng family was no exception.
That was why they had no qualms about throwing their children into the Hidden Abyss Realm at the age of six.
Those who survived the torment of that world—filled with specters, corrupted creatures, and the horrors of survival—would be recognized as worthy descendants.
The weak, those unable to endure it, would either be sent back to their families or, in the worst case, eliminated before they could disgrace the clan.
Feng Rui had been born in that hell.
But in truth, he should never have existed.
Twins, instead of being an auspicious sign—like a dragon and a phoenix—were considered a curse in the Feng family.
An ancient shaman had once prophesied that twins born within the clan would grow to become legendary figures, but in doing so, they would bring great calamity upon their family.
So, when Feng Hua and Feng Rui were born into the main family, and only one of them was deemed a prodigy, they decided to dispose of the other during the clan's trial.
Even though they were only five years old. If their talent did not manifest itself at that age, it was already considered late for them.
Feng Hua possessed a unique exorcist constitution and an unparalleled talent in swordsmanship.
Feng Rui, on the other hand, was deemed worthless, a stain on the clan's bloodline.
So, his fate had already been decided.
Until everything changed.
At the beginning of the game all players, upon starting the game, could customize their character's traits: their age, lineage, and innate talent.
However, free-to-play users had strict limitations.
If he wanted to belong to a powerful clan, he had to start as a five-year-old child.
If he wanted to be older, with influence or status, he had to pay real money.
When Yun Chen started his journey, he had no choice.
He woke up in the body of Feng Rui, a five-year-old child without talent, ignored and abandoned at the top of a mountain.
The only reason he was still breathing was because his twin sister was too valuable for the clan to risk staining her reputation with a defective brother, so they had to cover up his "death."
Perhaps failing the test was an unforgivable crime for the Xiao Clan, but to the rest, it was just a test that was too merciless and harsh.
Therefore, it was better to raise him until then.
But on the first mission, everything changed.
The Xiao Clan's children were sent into the Hidden Abyss Realm.
Feng Hua, trained to be a cold, emotionless killer, faced her first true test.
She was a natural-born exorcist, a prodigy meant to eradicate corruption with her sword.
But at the end of the day, she was just a five-year-old child.
When terror and despair overwhelmed her, she came close to losing her life.
Had it not been for Feng Rui, she would have died there.
No talent.
No resources.
No hope of survival.
Feng Rui defied the fate that the world had imposed upon him.
He took control of his young body and saved his sister.
From that day forward, the twins became inseparable and their fates intertwined in an entirely new way.
In secret, Feng Rui taught her what it meant to be human, beyond just being a killing machine molded by the Xiao Clan.
And for Feng Hua, her brother became her only haven.
She learned to trust him, to be an accomplice, to allow herself to smile.
Years passed, and when they reached adulthood, they became the most dazzling young masters of their generation.
Feng Hua was a sword goddess, her icy beauty, and her aura of royalty made her untouchable.
Feng Rui, in contrast, was charismatic, and easy-going, with a confident smile and an authority that brooked no discussion. His justice was firm but never cruel.
The world called them the Celestial Twins.
But all of that was just a distant memory now…
If it weren't for the fact that his cute sister Feng Hua was about to be killed by the "heavenly demon" now, he would have left behind his memory.
The battlefield burned with clashing energies.
But to Feng Rui, none of it mattered.
Standing before him, gripping her frost-forged sword with both hands, was Feng Hua.
"Feng Rui…"
Her voice was a whisper, drowned beneath the roar of combat.
Blood rained down like crimson petals, yet she did not waver.
Only she could stop him.
Even though she couldn't understand why her once warm-hearted brother had succumbed to corruption, she would not abandon him in the darkness.
She would save him, even if it meant killing him.
Feng Rui wanted to speak, wanted to tell her that it wasn't him, that he didn't want to hurt her, but his body refused to obey.
The Celestial Demon had no room for emotions like love or family.
He only knew destruction.
His black spear shot forward at blinding speed, aimed directly at Feng Hua's heart.
She reacted instantly, crossing her sword in front of her chest, and blocking the attack with a burst of freezing energy.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the ground beneath them.
Feng Hua slid back several meters, but her gaze held no fear or hesitation.
"I always knew this day would come," she murmured, gripping her sword tighter.
"Still… it pains me to see you like this, brother."
The melancholy in her voice…
And the way she had called him brother…
It was so rare that it could only happen in an illusion like this.
His grip on the spear wavered.
As if an invisible chain snapped, his strength diminished.
And in the moment his weapon descended to strike her down…
He regained control of his body.
His heart stopped.
Had he hesitated a second later, Feng Hua would have died by his hands.
"Sister…"
His weapon clattered to the ground.
Feng Rui stood frozen, his horrified reflection mirrored in her icy gaze.
"Run," he whispered, "Before… before I lose control again."
But Feng Hua did not move.
"I can't do that."
The screams of battle continued to echo around them.
She channeled her energy, forming another blade of ice, and charged at him once more.
It was all or nothing.
But Feng Rui knew the truth.
She could never defeat the Celestial Demon.
She hadn't been able to before, and she couldn't do it now.
His "belief" wouldn't allow it.
This game, or system, calculated the possibilities based on the users' "beliefs."
The phrase "if you can believe it, you can achieve it" had never felt more real.
For this reason, it wasn't easy to deny one's beliefs.
Doing so would be like denying oneself.
He knew what would happen, but he couldn't stop it.
In the end, he could only immobilize his sister, preventing a fatal blow.
However, if she wasn't treated, she would die.
Feng Rui gritted his teeth. He didn't want to lose anyone else, not after the previous illusion of his family.
Then, at that moment "he" appeared.
A golden flash of light streaked across the air, landing just a few meters away.
The other Feng Rui.
The righteous one. The hero of the game.
The one who had received a second chance, who had never suffered the nightmare of zombies in real life.
His gaze brimmed with confidence.
"This is where it ends, Celestial Demon."
Feng Rui felt his sister freeze beside him.
"How…?"
And so, the final battle began.
The Celestial Demon knew that his defeat was inevitable. No matter how strong he became, no matter how many armies he built, he would always fall—just like Feng Rui.
It was a certainty.
The final confrontation was legendary—a battle that shook the heavens and fractured the earth.
The righteous Feng Rui poured all his power into sealing the Celestial Demon inside an eternal prison, a formation so powerful that it not only contained his body but also his soul.
He gave everything to contain him.
The Celestial Demon managed a bitter smile before being completely sealed.
But there was one difference from the original story—Feng Rui sealed himself along with the Celestial Demon.
He would fight him for eternity to ensure that he never escaped.
Here, he would remain alone forever—or at least until the illusion ended.
What he hadn't planned for was that his sense of existence would be shaken by "time" itself.
The previous illusion had lasted between five to seven years.
But in this one…
"Who… was I?"
His fragmented consciousness drifted, lost after so much time.
Locked inside the prison, the Celestial Demon was slowly consumed… until he nearly vanished.
Just when Feng Rui thought everything had ended, when he believed he was trapped in nothingness forever, the voices began.
At first, they came as distant whispers, but they quickly grew into a deafening chorus.
"Thank you for saving me. I will always remember Young Master Feng Rui."
"Why did you have to sacrifice yourself for someone like me? Your life was worth more…"
"You are a hero. We will never let your name be forgotten."
These words, full of gratitude and admiration, echoed in his mind, as if coming from Feng Rui the "righteous" had helped in his past life.
However, alongside these voices came others, filled with hatred and pain.
"Damn you! All you did was destroy us!"
"You became a monster… and because of you, I lost my family!"
"I hope you never find peace. May your soul rot in darkness."
These curses came from the victims of Feng Rui, the Celestial Demon, and the countless lives he had destroyed in his quest for power.
But the most unsettling were the voices that praised him, those who aspired to follow the dark path he had walked.
"He understood the true nature of this world."
"If I had that power, I would bring back the dead. We would be invincible."
"Feng Rui was a genius. It doesn't matter how history remembers him, his legacy will endure."
Feng Rui felt as if these voices were tearing him apart, each one pulling at pieces of his soul.
He clutched his head, trying to silence them, but they wouldn't stop.
He collapsed to his knees, his forehead almost touching the ground.
And in that moment, he smelled the scent of soil.
With that scent, a memory from the game resurfaced in his mind.
He had spent so much time training in that virtual world—where time could move faster or slower depending on how much money was spent—that the smell of soil had become his second home.
Thanks to his former companion, his spirit guardian, he had spent countless hours literally cultivating.
Planting and raising plants.
Desperate from his loneliness and pain, Feng Rui dug his hands into the dead earth and watered it with his blood.
A memory surfaced—a specific process he had learned in the game.
In the game, if you watered barren soil with blood, intention, will, and the right energy, you could cultivate a Soul Flower—a plant capable of purifying even the most malignant energy.
'Could it work… here too?'
A spark of hope ignited in his heart.
Feng Rui knelt on the black, lifeless soil around him.
The oppressive void loomed overhead, but he shut his eyes and began to focus.
He cut his palm, letting his blood drip onto the ground.
He poured his intention, his will, and his energy into a single purpose:
To create something that could bring light into this world.
At first, nothing happened.
So he repeated the process—over and over again.
Each time he wanted to give up, he forced himself to persist.
And then—
A tiny sprout emerged.
Fragile. Weak.
Struggling to survive in the darkness.
Feng Rui gazed at it with a mix of relief and wonder.
He channeled more energy, more intention, and more will.
His sole focus was to make life flourish in the void.
The sprout grew into a flower, glowing softly, illuminating the darkness.
At last, he had achieved it.
But Feng Rui didn't stop there.
Another bloomed, and then another.
A garden began to take shape, its radiance cutting through the oppressive blackness.
Each plant pulsed with energy, and as Feng Rui observed them closely, he realized something—each one represented a wish.
Some were prayers for hope.
Some were cries of regret.
As the garden grew, the barren land beneath him started to change.
The roots of the flowers spread, purifying the soil, and returning color to the world.
Vines sprouted from the corpses that littered the ground, wrapping around them, reclaiming them into the cycle of life.
The black rivers turned crystal clear, and their sinister aura was purified.
The gray sky cracked open, allowing beams of light to filter through, illuminating the world he had created.
Feng Rui took a step back, staring at his creation in awe.
A vast garden stretched before him, vibrant and full of life.
'This is it,' he thought. 'This isn't about becoming the "righteous" Feng Rui again or walking the path of the Heavenly Demon. It will just be me against the world. I will forge a new path, one that is mine alone.'
Ding!
[You have completed the Soul's Blessing.]
[Initiating contract with the Spirit Guardian.]