The next morning arrived quietly.
As always, Yuan Chen found himself wrapped in the familiar warmth of his mother's embrace. Lin Yao was still asleep, her breathing steady and calm. He didn't move. Instead, he stared at the ceiling for a moment before opening the system panel in his mind.
A new notification hovered clearly before him.
[New Task]
Raise your cultivation by two major realms within one day.
Yuan Chen blinked.
Then… he felt nothing.
"…That's it?"
To him, the task was absurdly easy.
For the past three years, Yuan Chen had never cultivated seriously—not even once. His Chaos Body passively absorbed spiritual energy day and night, refining it naturally. His foundation had been built steadily, flawlessly, without urgency or effort.
This task was nothing more than finally allowing himself to advance.
After making up his mind, Yuan Chen carefully slipped out of his mother's arms, making sure not to wake her. He washed, dressed, and joined breakfast as usual, acting no different from any other day.
Afterward, he went alone to the quiet courtyard.
The morning sun was gentle.
Yuan Chen sat cross-legged beneath the ancient tree and closed his eyes.
"This will be my first real cultivation session in this world," he murmured softly.
He calmed his breathing.
Then—
He began operating the Chaos Dao Scripture.
The moment it activated, the world seemed to pause.
Deep within his dantian, a black hole suddenly formed—silent, profound, terrifying. It spun slowly at first, then faster and faster, devouring spiritual energy from the surroundings like a starving abyss.
The air trembled.
Spiritual qi from the heavens and earth rushed toward him in torrents, flowing violently through his meridians, bones, blood, and organs. His Chaos Body refined everything instantly, without resistance or impurity.
His cultivation surged.
First stage of Lingdong Realm.
Peak Lingdong Realm.
No bottleneck.
No resistance.
The black hole expanded.
First stage of Yuanhai Realm.
Peak Yuanhai Realm.
The ground beneath him cracked slightly.
His aura continued to rise.
Finally—
Early stage of Fusion Realm.
Only then did the black hole stabilize, slowly shrinking back into a dormant state.
The courtyard returned to silence.
Yuan Chen opened his eyes.
"…So this is cultivating," he said calmly.
He stood up and assessed himself.
"If I go all out," he thought, "I should be able to defeat an early—or even mid-stage—Yuan Sheng cultivator."
And this wasn't an ordinary Yuan Sheng.
It would be a genius—someone capable of fighting above their realm.
A gap of more than two major realms.
Yuan Chen exhaled softly.
"That's… acceptable."
Just then—
Ding.
The system notification rang.
『Task completed successfully.』
『Do you wish to claim your reward?』
Yuan Chen stared at the system panel, speechless.
"…What, you want me to let it rot in system space?"
He waved his hand mentally. "Claim it. Now."
Ding.
🎉 Congratulations! You have obtained—
Nine-Colored Ancestral Phoenix Bird.
Before Yuan Chen could even react, a pillar of radiant light descended before him.
Boom—
The temperature of the surroundings rose sharply. The spiritual energy in the courtyard became restless, as if bowing to an ancient sovereign. Heat waves distorted the air, yet strangely, nothing was damaged—everything felt controlled, restrained by an invisible will.
Little White was the first to react.
Her ears perked up, and she instantly leaped to Yuan Chen's side, her nine tails flaring slightly in vigilance.
Then—
A clear, melodious chirping sound echoed.
It was not loud, yet it felt as though it came from beyond space and time, like an echo from the moment the universe itself was first born. The sound tore gently through the void, resonating across heaven and earth.
The light slowly faded.
When everything finally subsided, Yuan Chen's eyes widened slightly.
Floating before him was a small phoenix, its feathers radiant and flawless, shimmering with nine different colors—red, gold, blue, violet, white, black, green, silver, and an indescribable hue that seemed to shift constantly.
Despite its majestic aura, the bird tilted its head and looked at him innocently.
Yuan Chen didn't hesitate.
He reached out and gently lifted the phoenix into his arms.
The bird let out a soft chirp and settled comfortably.
Little White froze.
Then—she puffed up slightly, her gaze clearly displeased.
"…Hey," Yuan Chen said calmly. "Behave."
He adjusted his posture and held both of them—Little White on one side, the phoenix on the other.
Looking at their innocent expressions, Yuan Chen couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
"…You're both kind of cute."
The jealousy in Little White's eyes eased slightly.
Only then did Yuan Chen remember something.
"I haven't checked your information yet."
He opened the system panel.
"System."
Ding.
『Nine-Colored Ancestral Phoenix』
『An existence born at the dawn of chaos.』
『One of the supreme ancestral beings, alongside the Ancestral Dragon, Qilin, and Tianwu.』
『In this era, only one true Ancestral Phoenix exists—currently resting in the Celestial Realm.』
Yuan Chen blinked.
"…Wow."
He looked genuinely surprised.
"You're actually impressive this time."
『Of course.』
The system replied smugly.
『I am invincible. It is your luck to be bound to me.』
Yuan Chen ignored it.
He lowered his gaze to the phoenix in his arms and thought for a few seconds.
"You need a name too."
The phoenix looked at him expectantly.
"…Little Red."
Silence.
The phoenix stiffened.
Little White burst into obvious amusement.
『HAHAHAHA—』
Even the system laughed openly.
The phoenix looked utterly shocked.
Yuan Chen nodded seriously. "Perfect."
He gently patted its head. "Little Red it is."
The phoenix let out a helpless chirp.
Decision finalized.
After that, Yuan Chen stood up.
He took out a hotpot, placing it neatly in the courtyard, then casually pulled out an LCD television as well, setting it up as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
He waited.
As evening fell, Lin Yao and Yuan Xueyin returned.
The moment they entered—
"…Another one?" Lin Yao said slowly.
Their eyes locked onto Little Red.
For a second, both women were stunned.
Then—
Jealousy returned.
Again.
"So now there are two?" Yuan Xueyin asked calmly, though her gaze sharpened.
Yuan Chen calmly sat down. "Dinner's ready."
The argument stopped instantly.
Soon, the courtyard was filled with warmth—steam from the hotpot, the glow of the television, and the faint sound of a movie playing. Lin Yao and Yuan Xueyin sat beside Yuan Chen, eating while watching, though both occasionally glanced at the two small creatures in his arms.
Jealous.
But peaceful.
Under the quiet night sky, Yuan Chen leaned back slightly.
This life…
Really isn't bad.
This life… really isn't bad.
Yet as the thought settled, something else surfaced—quiet, heavy, and familiar.
Guilt.
Yuan Chen's gaze drifted upward, toward the darkened sky beyond the courtyard. For a fleeting moment, the warmth around him faded, replaced by the memory of another night, another world.
His mother from Bluestar.
Her tired smile.
Her rough hands.
The way she tried to stand tall even when life crushed her again and again.
He had died saving her—but that didn't erase the regret.
"…I still owe you," Yuan Chen murmured inwardly.
The system's words echoed faintly in his memory.
If you are powerful enough, you can change cause and effect. Rewrite past and present.
Bluestar was nothing more than a weak mortal planet. Fragile. Bound by simple laws. Compared to this cultivation world, it was like dust drifting in the void.
It won't be hard, he thought calmly. Not for me.
"If I have the strength," Yuan Chen reflected silently, "then changing her destiny is only natural."
Letting her live freely.
Letting her chase her dreams.
Letting her grow old without suffering.
Even if it meant touching the past.
Even if it meant influencing the future.
"…Of course," he added inwardly, almost amused, "I won't destroy the world or anything."
It wasn't arrogance.
It was certainty.
This wasn't obsession. It wasn't denial of the present.
It was simply this—
I never forget my roots.
His gaze shifted.
Lin Yao's laughter earlier that evening surfaced in his mind. Yuan Xueyin's quiet, unwavering presence. The way they hovered around him without asking for anything in return.
Come to think of it…
"…I like this family too," Yuan Chen admitted silently.
Just a little.
Their love wasn't perfect. It wasn't gentle all the time. Sometimes it was overwhelming, sometimes inconvenient—but it was unconditional.
And that was something he hadn't known before.
The tension in his body slowly faded.
Little White shifted closer, her tails brushing against his arm. Little Red chirped softly, tucking her head beneath a wing.
Yuan Chen leaned back.
His eyelids grew heavy.
"For now," he thought as consciousness drifted away, "this is enough."
The courtyard remained quiet.
And under the vast, indifferent heavens—
Yuan Chen fell asleep peacefully.