Prologue
The scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, thin and bitter like the aftertaste of death. Machines beeped with mechanical precision, marking time that XiYu no longer had. Outside the hospital window, neon lights of the Earth's twilight city blurred into distant stars. Inside, a pale young man sat cross-legged on his bed, wearing a worn-out hoodie and oxygen tubes in his nose.
His bony fingers danced across the keyboard.
> [Boss Raid: Fallen Dragon Sovereign - Level 230]
[Time Remaining: 03:28]
"I should've killed this Boss by now," XiYu muttered. His voice, though thin, held grit. The virtual world of TianLoong Online pulsed vividly across his screen—a game he had dedicated the last three years of his short, crumbling life to. In this vast MMORPG, he was Ying MeiYue, an invincible legend armed with maxed stats, god-tier loot, and a sword forged from the tears of a dragon god.
The boss roared.
The sky above the digital battlefield turned crimson. Blades of spatial light rained from the heavens. XiYu's screen flickered with red.
> [HP: 7%]
[Warning! Soul Corruption - Fatal Strike Incoming]
"No, no, no—damn it!"
A final blast landed. Ying MeiYue fell.
> [You have died.]
Silence.
XiYu leaned back, wiping cold sweat from his brow. His breathing turned erratic. The familiar tightness in his lungs returned, sharp and unrelenting.
He coughed once—then again. Blood splattered his keyboard.
A third cough dropped him to the floor.
His fingers trembled as he reached for the emergency button, but something was wrong.
[SYSTEM LOADING...]
Golden characters shimmered before his eyes, glowing in the air like ethereal fireflies.
> [Welcome, XiYu. You have been selected.]
[Role: NPC Integration - Active]
[Please choose your Avatar.]
"What... the hell?"
His body convulsed. The pain wasn't normal. It wasn't the cancer anymore—it was something else. Cold invaded him from every direction. His vision blurred, flickered, pixelated.
> [AVATAR SELECTED: Ying MeiYue - Royal Bloodline of YingLoong]
> [Maximizing Attributes…]
[CHARM: 10]
[CHARISMA: 10]
[STRENGTH: 10]
[AGILITY: 10]
[SPIRITUAL TALENT: 10]
[AURA LEVEL: 10]
> [ERROR—ERROR—ERROR]
[Non-Player Entity Cannot Hold These Values]
[Stability Breach Detected]
A vortex of golden particles spiraled from the screen, swirling into the real world like data gaining form. XiYu screamed as he was pulled into the digital void.
Then came the darkness.
And the pain stopped.
A soft rustle stirred him awake.
He sat up, slowly, breathing in deep. The air was fragrant—clean, sweet, and alive. No oxygen tube. No weight on his chest.
He blinked.
He was in a luxurious chamber adorned in silvers and blues. Polished jade walls, embroidered drapes, and furniture carved from starlight wood. A lake shimmered beyond the large glass window. It wasn't Earth.
XiYu looked down.
This wasn't his body.
This body was lean, tall, yet filled with energy—his skin radiant with vitality, his hands strong and callused, his heartbeat steady and powerful.
"I'm… not dying?" he whispered.
> [System Reconnection Complete]
[Welcome, Ying MeiYue.]
[You are now integrated as a Living NPC of the World: TianLoong.]
> [Objective: Reach the Final Ending.]
[Reward: Eternal Life, God-Tier Abilities.]
The voice was gentle and mechanical.
XiYu—now Ying MeiYue—stumbled toward the mirror. His reflection showed a young man with long silver-black hair, sharp eyes of twilight hue, and a quiet nobility embedded in his features. He looked like a prince.
"Reincarnation..." he muttered.
He remembered all those web novels he used to read in the hospital bed. Cultivation realms. System cheats. Body swaps. This was exactly like them. Except…
This wasn't a novel.
This was real.
> [Current Location: YingLoong Imperial Estate]
[Title: Heir of the Ying Household - Status: Mysterious, Sealed Potential]
He glanced around.
A knock.
Then—
Soft, melodic singing.
He turned to the balcony. A girl stood by the edge of the nearby lake, her blue hair trailing like silk in the breeze. Her silver eyes were radiant under the twin moons of this world.
She raised her head and smiled at him.
"Gege…"
That voice.
Ying Yue stepped onto the balcony in stunned silence.
> [Name: Ying Xin Zhu]
[Age: 15]
[Trait: Affectionate Younger Sister - High Bond]
The girl spread her arms and flew.
Literally flew.
Azure light wrapped around her as she soared across the lake like a spirit of ice, landing gently into his chest.
"Gege! You're finally awake! I was so worried!"
Her arms wrapped around him tightly, her cheeks brushing against his chest.
The embrace was warm. Real.
But Ying Yue—XiYu—stood frozen.
He remembered another girl. In another world. Also fifteen. Also bright. Also warm. But she was long dead—crushed by a speeding truck when she had pushed her brother out of harm's way.
That sister had died because he lived.
His arms moved on their own.
He hugged Ying Zhu back.
"…Thank you."
"Huh?" she tilted her head.
He quickly stepped away. "I mean—why are you here?"
Ying Zhu pouted. "Don't tell me you forgot?! Tomorrow's your Heavenly Awakening! I came to give you strength!"
The system chimed softly.
> [Note: The NPC Ying MeiYue was fated to awaken tomorrow. You have inherited his destiny.]
Ying Yue smiled faintly. "Of course. I haven't forgotten."
Ying Zhu beamed. "Gege, you're acting weird today. But I like this side of you!"
Before she could bounce off again, a soft knock came from the door.
An elegant maid with jade earrings stepped in, bowing.
"Master Ying, Lady Ying Xin Zhu, your presence is requested in the Ying Family Grand Hall. The elders await your attendance."
> [Name: Yinuo]
[Loyalty: 100%]
[Position: Personal Maid of Ying MeiYue]
She looked at Ying Yue with awe and devotion, something deep and unspoken in her gaze. It made XiYu… uncomfortable.
"Let's go," he said finally.
The grand hall of the Ying Family Palace was built like a shrine to stars. Marble floors gleamed with celestial sigils, and high above, the ceiling reflected constellations that moved slowly in real time.
Dozens of figures sat in a circular formation.
Elders, generals, cultivators, mystics.
And at the center—an empty throne with the Ying insignia, awaiting the Heir of the Royal Line.
MeiYue stepped forward, his sister beside him, her small hand gripping his sleeve.
Gasps rippled across the room.
"He looks… different today."
"His aura is—calm, but deep. Unfathomable."
"The boy who never spoke a word for years… now walks like a Sovereign?"
Ying Yue ignored them.
His gaze rose upward.
To the crest of the YingLoong—the mark of his new destiny.
That night, he stood alone again in his chamber, watching the lake shimmer with the reflection of twin moons.
He didn't understand how this happened.
But he had no intention of wasting it.
XiYu had died once.
But Ying MeiYue—he was going to live.
Live everything.
Until the very end of the tale.
Until the final dragon fell.
Until the moon was shattered.
Far beyond the sky, unseen to the people of TianLoong…
A ripple passed through the surface of the second moon.
Its silver shell trembled.
A great eye—black as the void and endless in depth—opened a sliver.
Watching.
Waiting.
Author's Note:
Cultivation Stages of TianLoong:
1. Qi Gathering (Gathering cosmic essence)
2. Dantian Formation (Creating the spiritual core)
3. Mana Heart (Condensing pure mana essence)
4. Aura Wielder (Projecting force through will)
5. Sea Wheel (Harnessing inner ocean of energy)
6. Grandmaster Realm (Master of spiritual law)
7. Avatar Master (Externalized divine manifestation)
8. Earth Realm (Connected to world laws)
9. Divine Wheels (Wielding fate's power)
10. Tianqi (Ascendant Realm—Touched by the Heavens)