"Let the world reshape itself to match my mood."
---
The wind in his floating domain whispered like threads tugging at memory.
Xinglan lay half-sprawled in the curve of his altar, cloak draped loosely over one shoulder, the other bare to the starlight. His body still felt… strange. Solid. Soft in ways he wasn't used to.
But the weight of his existence pulsed steady now.
He wasn't just light anymore. He was something else. A presence. A name waiting to be spoken.
---
✦ Players, Distant and Chaotic
He could sense them, bumbling in the starlit forest he'd opened for them. Three threads tangled in frustration and confusion.
Jian Yi's emotions were a clenched fist of distrust. His instincts screamed to fight, to flee, but there was nowhere to go.
Ren was loud, both in thought and mouth—his emotional signals spiked every few seconds as he tripped over roots, screamed at floating tutorial messages, and asked the sky what kind of glitchy dream this was.
Caelus was quiet—but his resonance trembled, like a knight caught in a sanctuary that made him feel too much.
> [Player Adjustment: 41%.]
[Emotional Turbulence: High but within acceptable thresholds.]
[Affection Progress: Unknown.]
Xinglan exhaled softly, strands of his hair dancing in the breeze.
"They'll settle," he said, to no one in particular. "Or not. It's still entertaining."
---
✦ Realm Construction Interface Unlocked
The stars above his altar pulsed.
> [Primary Domain Functions: UNLOCKED.]
[Would Host like to initiate world-building protocols?]
A floating interface appeared—golden circles, options written in soft glyphs and shifting light. Xinglan's eyes lazily drifted across the list.
[Foundational Constructs Available]:
Floating Terrain (Island Core)
Divine Nest (Rest Point)
Soul Grove (Unawakened)
Astral Sky System (Cosmetic Only)
> [Resources: 0 Soul Seeds | 12 Pampering Points | 1 Core Fragment]
He tapped one rune with a flick of his finger. "Start with the floating terrain. Make it elegant."
---
✦ The Realm Responds
A gentle hum rippled outward. Stone lifted from the clouds. A massive landmass unfurled, ringed in soft trees with leaves like glowing feathers. Waterfalls formed midair, spilling into nothing, recirculating as if the world looped its own heartbeat.
Pavilions appeared in spirals of light—empty, waiting for purpose. A spiral walkway wrapped around a central tree with bark like quartz and leaves that shimmered with pale blue glow.
His altar drifted to the center of it all, resting like the crown of a dreaming god.
He stepped down for the first time, bare feet touching his own land.
> [Territory Registered: Xinglan's Cradle.]
[First Name Detected. Would you like to confirm?]
He paused.
"...Yes."
> [Name Locked: Xinglan (星澜)]
[Title Registered: Asterion, First Spark of the Starborne.]
He smiled to himself, something warm and strange blooming in his chest.
"That'll do."
---
✦ Private Thought
Creating something from nothing should have felt exhausting. But it didn't. It was… addictive. Every stretch of land was a reflection of his will. Every ripple of sky, a mood. He shaped the world like sculpting a dream, letting it bloom from instinct.
But the soul grove—that one, he left untouched.
> [Note: Soul Grove inactive until first creation.]
He looked toward it. The grove pulsed quietly, its buds unopened, each a whisper of life waiting to be born.
Later.
He wasn't ready for that part yet.
Not until his world felt like his.
---
✦ Back to the Players
The system pinged. Jian Yi had tried to punch a tree that zapped him back. Ren had thrown a stone into a glowing pond and nearly summoned something unintentionally. Caelus had been sitting for half an hour, staring at the floating sky.
Xinglan watched their progress from a hovering mirror made of starlight. He didn't interfere. Just… observed.
Amused. Curious.
A little pleased.
They were reacting like real people. His people now, technically. Chosen by instinct, summoned by a divine system—but still raw and unformed.
"I wonder who'll be the first to call me Master," he murmured.
The wind didn't answer. But the altar beneath his feet hummed softly.
---
✦ End of Chapter 3