At ten at night, the streetlights stretched Chen Xing's shadow out long across the pavement. He dragged his legs, which felt like they'd been filled with lead, down the sidewalk. His tie hung loose around his neck, and the red veins in his eyes looked like spiderwebs. He'd just pulled three all-nighters in a row finishing up a project, finally wrapping it up right before the deadline.
Right now, he had only one thought in his head: get home and collapse into bed.
Out of nowhere, the earsplitting screech of brakes exploded next to him. Blinding light swallowed him whole, so bright he couldn't even open his eyes. All he could do was throw up his hand to block it.
Through the haze, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw... an Optimus Prime-looking thing holding up its fist, saying to him, "Yo, bro, time to get isekai'd to another world."
The moment those words left its mouth, Chen Xing felt some force yank his soul hard, like he'd been stuffed into a washing machine and spun around eight hundred times.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind: [Congratulations, host Chen Xing, you have successfully transmigrated into the world of the novel "Ruthless Immortal Sovereign."]
[This is the Plot Closure System, dedicated to completing abandoned and unfinished novels.]
[Host's mission objective: Complete the plot of "Ruthless Immortal Sovereign," survive until the grand finale, and you may return to Earth with your current cultivation level.]
"That's it? That simple?" Chen Xing asked, completely confused.
[Yes, the host only needs to follow the original plot's development to safely reach the ending.]
[The system will score based on the host's Plot Completion Rate and Plot Participation Rate, then distribute rewards accordingly. The higher the score, the better the rewards.]
Chen Xing said proudly, "Ha! How hard can following a plot be? Not to brag, but my acting skills at the company are second to none. Every day I put on a show for my boss, making it look like I'm working hard when most of the time I'm just slacking off."
[...]
[Ding, please accept the original plot.]
A glowing white orb drilled into his mind. Countless words and images came flooding in like a tidal wave.
"Ruthless Immortal Sovereign" was your typical ensemble-cast fantasy novel. Besides the main character Lin Feng, it told the stories of one chosen one after another, eventually having the whole protagonist crew team up to fight off demons from beyond the realm.
But when he saw clearly what role he'd been given, Chen Xing's laughter came to a screeching halt.
He, Chen Xing, hadn't transmigrated as some random NPC or minor side character. He was the cannon fodder minor villain who didn't even make it past chapter seventy!
How pathetic was this villain? After breaking off his engagement with the chosen one Wen Xilan, he got his revenge beating and had his Dao heart shattered. Then his own master sent him off to explore a secret realm. It just so happened that because Chen Xing's Dao heart was damaged, a demon from beyond the realm that had been sealed in the secret realm took the opportunity to possess his body.
And before that demon even made it out of the secret realm, Wen Xilan, who apparently had a nose like a bloodhound, caught a whiff of the otherworldly demon's scent.
She straight up blasted him to ashes with a Phoenix True Fire, and Chen Xing ended up completely obliterated, body and soul.
[Host, please do your best.]
"Shit!"
...
Heavenly Essence Continent, Central Plains, the Chen family estate.
Chen Xing was born into the Chen family, one of the top aristocratic clans in the Central Plains. His father was none other than Chen Yanshan, the head of the Chen family.
While still in the womb, he'd already figured out three strategies that should let him survive to the grand finale:
First, stick as closely to the original plot as possible. The system itself said following the original plot would let him safely reach the ending.
Second, get on the good side of the chosen ones. Even with the system, he might not be able to compete with them, so playing the lapdog seemed safer. Most of the chosen ones in "Ruthless Immortal Sovereign" were actually pretty decent people.
Third, get stronger himself, rack up system rewards, and train hard. Otherwise, one of the chosen ones might accidentally squash him like a bug on the side of the road.
Wen Xilan of the Wen family possessed the Crying Phoenix Divine Body, and when she was born, hundreds of birds came to pay their respects.
The head of the Chen family and the head of the Wen family were old friends, and since Wen Xilan was only a year younger than Chen Xing, they privately arranged an engagement between the two children.
Chen Xing went to great lengths to build a good relationship with Wen Xilan.
Starting at age three, he got up before dawn every day to train with the Chen family's martial instructors, tempering his body to build a foundation for cultivation.
In the original novel, he shouldn't have had many chances to see Wen Xilan, but Chen Xing was ruthless with himself. He secretly trained extra at night, drastically shortening that timeline.
Starting at age six, he used his free time to have Uncle Fu take him to visit the Wen family.
"I'm basically a time management master," Chen Xing liked to say about himself.
At thirteen, Chen Xing was sent to the Myriad Arts Sect to cultivate.
According to sect rules and family arrangements, he could only return to the Chen family once every three years. Every time he came back, he'd immediately go find Wen Xilan, listening to her talk about interesting things from the past three years and telling her about the fresh happenings at Myriad Arts Sect.
At Myriad Arts Sect, under the pressure of survival, Chen Xing trained hard day after day. Combined with the massive resources provided by the Chen family, he'd already reached the Golden Core realm and held the position of Chief Disciple of the Sword Peak Outer Sect at Myriad Arts Sect.
Now he was twenty-two years old, and on the very day he returned to his family, his system, which had been silent for twenty-two years, finally made a sound.
[Ding, host, long time no see.]
[Detected that host has entered plot. Plot Closure System activated. Current novel progress: Chapter 12 - Breaking Off the Engagement.]
...
Inside the Chen family ancestral hall.
The various elders of the Chen family furrowed their brows, hesitating over whether to break off the engagement.
The Chen family was one of the top powers in the Central Plains, ranked among the "Four Sects, One Tower, Three Clans." Meanwhile, the Wen family was just a second-rate clan. If it weren't for Wen Xilan's innate divine body, the Wen family would've been way out of their league.
But three years ago, Wen Xilan went out exploring a secret realm and got seriously injured by demon beasts. Her meridians were completely severed and her divine body was ruined.
Even when the Chen family's Second Ancestor personally went to examine her, he could only say "medicine is powerless to help." Her cultivation would probably never advance another inch for the rest of her life.
Chen Yanshan, head of the Chen family, sat in the rosewood main seat, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the cloud-pattern carvings on the armrest. His normally stern face now looked like it was shrouded in a thick fog.
The ancestral hall fell silent. After a long while, Chen Yanshan looked up at Chen Xing.
"Chen Xing, take a batch of supplies and go to the Wen family to break off the engagement."
In the original novel, Chen Xing was arrogant and unruly, and had never even met Wen Xilan.
Already looking down on the Wen family, he not only went to break off the engagement but also insulted them, causing Wen Xilan tremendous harm.
After Wen Xilan grew powerful, the first thing she did was hunt down Chen Xing for a duel. With one punch, she shattered Chen Xing's Dao heart, which set up the foreshadowing for original Chen Xing's death.
Chen Xing quickly said, "About breaking off the engagement... the Chen family is the one in the wrong here. Doesn't the family treasury have a piece of Phoenix Wood? I've heard it can nourish meridians. I want to ask for it to give to her. Even if it can't restore her divine body, at least don't let her feel like these years of engagement meant absolutely nothing."
"Absolutely not!" the Great Elder of the Chen family cried out.
"Phoenix Wood was refined from the essence blood of an ancient phoenix. Now that divine beasts have vanished, whether there's even a second piece of Phoenix Wood in the world is questionable. How can we just give it to someone who's half-crippled!"
Chen Xing's expression didn't change as he said in a steady voice, "Phoenix Wood may be rare, but it's been locked away in a corner of the treasury all these years. It can't help clan disciples break through realms, and it can't be used to make pills. For the family, it's just a decorative collectible gathering dust."
He cupped his fists and said, "I know Phoenix Wood is precious, and I know it's against the rules to give family treasures to outsiders. But I can't let Xilan suffer this injustice for nothing. I'm willing to trade all my resources for the next three years as compensation—whether it's cultivation techniques and secret manuals distributed by the sect or cultivation materials allocated by the family, I won't take a single thing. I just ask that the family be flexible and let me give her this compensation."
The Great Elder sat in a pear wood chair to the side, his jade prayer beads that had been spinning around his fingers suddenly got stuck between them with a "click" when he heard Chen Xing's words.
The Great Elder slammed the beads down on the table, his voice full of disappointment: "What do you know! Without those three years of resources, your cultivation progress will lag behind others by at least half! When it comes to sect tournaments and secret realm explorations, how will you compete with the real prodigies? You'll never catch up for the rest of your life!"
"I'm sorry, Great Elder, but my mind is made up."
"Fine, fine." He let out a long sigh, his voice weary. "You're just like your grandfather, kid. Stubborn as a mule."
With that, he untied a bronze token engraved with the character "Chen" from his waist and placed it on the table. The token clinked lightly against the wood. "Take this token to the treasury to get the Phoenix Wood. But Chen Xing, remember this: today you're trading three years of resources for peace of mind. Don't you dare regret this decision later when you're struggling on the cultivation path."
Of course, Chen Xing wasn't going through all this trouble just to compensate Wen Xilan. Having read the novel, he knew that Wen Xilan's Crying Phoenix Divine Body needed phoenix essence blood to be reconstructed.
Right now, Chen Xing wasn't asking for Phoenix Wood—he was asking for his own lifeline.
He wasn't looking to get rich or anything. He just hoped that in the future, Wen Xilan might show him some mercy.
You took my Phoenix Wood, so you can't beat me up later, right?!
...
The Wen family estate.
Back when Wen Xilan was still the divine body prodigy everyone in the clan envied, she used to loosely pin up her black hair with a silver lotus hairpin, letting a few strands fall by her cheeks. Her features were delicate and refined, with the corners of her eyes slightly upturned—but not in a harsh way. Instead, it made her almond-shaped eyes look bright, like they were soaked in starlight. When she smiled, soft under-eye creases would appear, and even the faint golden divine mark between her brows would seem to glow along with them.
Now Wen Xilan's face always carried a sickly pallor. Only her lips still retained a hint of pale pink, though they'd lost their former luster.
The rain outside had been falling for three days. Ever since her divine body was ruined, her father Wen Tingyuan had been running around looking for medicine day and night.
Only a few old servants were left to look after Wen Xilan, and even a constantly lit lamp was rare to see.
"Miss, people from the Chen family are here. From the looks of it, I'm afraid..." the old servant said, his voice mixing anger with hesitation.
Wen Xilan's heart sank. Her fingers clutching the warming jade unconsciously tightened until her knuckles turned white. "What's coming will come."
She ran her fingertips over that small piece of warming jade—something Chen Xing had given her as a child, saying it would calm her mind. Wen Xilan casually put it away in a dusty brocade box, threw on an outer robe, and slowly walked toward the Wen family's reception hall.
"The young miss is here," someone from the clan quietly reminded Chen Xing.
Here we go. Don't underestimate a transmigrator's acting skills!
Chen Xing suddenly looked up, his gaze landing on Wen Xilan. In his eyes wasn't the concern she'd hoped to see, but only thick, heavy guilt, pressing down on her like a boulder until she could barely breathe.
The head of the Wen family—Wen Xilan's father, Wen Tingyuan—stood up, his voice hoarse. "Xilan, come here."
Two oil lamps burned on the Eight Immortals table in the reception hall. The dim yellow flames flickered gently in the draft, making Wen Xilan's face look bright one moment and dark the next.
She'd barely gotten settled when she heard Chen Xing speak, each word stabbing into her heart like an ice pick: "Xilan, I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Wen Xilan froze for a moment, the corner of her mouth forcing up a weak smile. A last shred of hope lingered in her heart. "Are you here to bring me medicine? My injuries are much better now, you don't need to..."
"It's not medicine." Chen Xing cut her off. "It's about our engagement. The family has decided that this marriage... needs to end."
The smile on Wen Xilan's face instantly froze. She looked at Chen Xing in disbelief, then turned to look at her father. Wen Tingyuan turned his face away, unable to meet her eyes, only letting out a heavy sigh.
Chen Xing lowered his voice, saying helplessly, "I'm sorry, but I can't go against the family's decision. This chest contains compensation from the family—100 Spirit Gathering Pills, 10 third-tier demon beast cores, cultivation technique manuals... and Phoenix Wood that I specifically chose for you."
Wen Xilan looked at the chest, then at Chen Xing, suddenly feeling her throat tighten. Even breathing hurt.
The candle on the offering table continued to flicker, but the light in her heart went completely dark in that moment.
She took half a step back, her voice so soft it seemed like the wind might blow it away: "No need, Young Master Chen. The engagement is broken, and that's that. The Wen family can't accept anything from the Chen family." Then she turned and ran toward the door.
Watching Wen Xilan's retreating figure, Chen Xing's mind went "buzzzz," like a hundred bees were throwing a party in there.
Good news: it matched the plot perfectly.
Bad news: it matched the plot perfectly...
The Phoenix Wood contained phoenix essence blood that could reconstruct her divine body. In the original novel, she only got this opportunity after jumping off a cliff. Now here he was, carrying a ready-made "revival armor," and she actually said no!
Chen Xing was stomping his feet internally: If he revealed the Phoenix Wood's secret, the Chen family definitely couldn't break off the engagement, and who knows what the plot would turn into.
But now look—the engagement was getting broken off, but the favor couldn't be delivered!
Chen Xing felt like crying: I'd give myself an 8.6 out of 10 for this performance, because apparently I screwed up by 1.4 points.
When Wen Xilan eventually found the Phoenix inheritance on her own and remembered his "heartlessness" today, she'd definitely chase him down three streets spewing Phoenix True Fire. Then he'd probably die the same way as in the original novel!
"My apologies, Young Master Chen. Xilan isn't feeling well today, and I have matters to attend to, so I won't see you out." Wen Tingyuan waved his hand, his face weary, without saying much more.
Chen Xing opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, like "Elder Wen, please wait, I actually have a treasure that can save your daughter," or "How about I wait a bit longer until Xilan comes back so I can give this to her myself?" But the words got stuck in his throat, choked back by the "stick to the plot" constraint.
He stood there frozen, his eyes glazed over, like a robot that had been hit with the pause button. Even the curve of his lips radiated "life has no meaning anymore."
In the end, Chen Xing was pushed and dragged out of the Wen estate by his attendant Uncle Fu like a wooden puppet.
'Ah, the young master and Miss Xilan are childhood friends. The two of them must have developed feelings for each other long ago. Today's events must be really hard on the young master. Usually he walks like the wind, but now look at him—like a wet noodle. I've got to drag him along.'
[Congratulations, host, on completing Chapter 12: Breaking Off the Engagement. Plot Completion Rate: 100%, Plot Participation Rate: 100%.
Evaluation: Host has some skills. You violated the plot from childhood to cultivate feelings with Wen Xilan, just so you could deal critical damage to Wen Xilan when breaking off the engagement, right!
Since the host performed so excellently on the first try and exceeded plot expectations, an extra 20 points will be added.
Final Score: 120 points.] The system's somewhat gleeful voice echoed in his mind.
Chen Xing slapped his hand against his forehead with a smack.
"System buddy, at this point, surviving through the plot is pretty much hopeless. Let's pack up and call it quits."