"Brother."
"What is it, Moli?"
"The melon today... is very sweet."
"Is that so? If you like it, have some more."
The crescent-shaped melon flesh was fresh and glossy, with a soft, powdery texture. Juice dripped down the girl's fingers as she held it.
A gentle bite.
A soft chew.
She glanced at Xu Xi sitting beside her.
Then at the bustling ceremony below.
Finally, she looked around at the familiar scenery, including the distant Forest Sword Peak from her memories.
Gradually.
The girl slowed her pace of eating the melon.
Holding the watermelon with both hands, her feet swayed slightly, tracing invisible, gentle curves in the air.
So familiar...
The girl thought.
Everything before her seemed to return to how it once was—the companionship of siblings in childhood, followed by their journey to the Heavenly Sword Sect in their youth.
Long-gone memories, carried by the breeze and the waves of green leaves.
Reflected once more in her eyes.
"If back then... I hadn't been cursed by the heavens, could I have lived peacefully with you, Brother?"
Xu Moli sat there, her gaze still fixed on Xu Xi, but her heart drifted to a distant boundary.
Like a fluttering butterfly, lost in a storm.
She thought.
It should have been possible.
Xu Xi possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root, his cultivation speed was astonishing. Even if he couldn't ascend to immortality, he would have thrived in the cultivation world.
That kind of brother should have been dazzling.
Not someone who endured all kinds of pain to save her.
"Moli, what are you thinking about?"
Xu Xi noticed the girl's distraction and asked curiously.
"Nothing, Brother."
Xu Moli shook her head gently. "I was just thinking... I caused you so much trouble back then..."
"Is that all?" The man chuckled. "It wasn't any trouble at all."
His tone was calm.
Gentle and natural.
Like a light bird skimming over the treetops, blending into the rustling wind, bringing a sense of peace. "To me, Moli is someone very important."
"If I had ignored you, that would have been truly strange, wouldn't it?"
Laughing, speaking.
Xu Xi's words made the girl pause.
"Brother, you've learned to sweet-talk. Where did you pick that up?" Xu Moli smiled, taking another bite of the melon.
It was juicy, and very sweet, seeping into her heart and soul.
"Did I?"
"I was just telling the truth."
Xu Xi looked puzzled, then also started eating his melon, watching the ceremony below as a mere spectator.
The light was radiant, the sweet fragrance lingering.
The two figures sat side by side, in a lazy and serene atmosphere, eating melon while waiting for the ceremony to end.
The process held little meaning.
For both Xu Xi and Xu Moli, the Heavenly Sword Sect was already a thing of the past.
The reason they stayed until the end was more to witness Li Wanshou's fulfillment, to see the old man happily return to the sect.
"Brother, I'll be leaving now."
Time passed slowly.
Once she finished her melon and the ceremony concluded, Xu Moli bid farewell to Xu Xi with a smile.
Saying she would continue her journey to sever worlds, so they could reunite sooner.
"Alright, go ahead."
Xu Xi was both amused and exasperated.
This departure would undoubtedly bring chaos to countless worlds, but fortunately, his sister had restraint and wouldn't harm innocent beings.
"Well, I should get back to my own tasks too."
...
This trip out.
Aside from attending the Heavenly Sword Sect's founding ceremony.
Xu Xi had another purpose—to investigate the records at the Capital Supernatural United Bureau.
"The matter of the life simulator is still unclear."
"But regarding Earth's Spiritual Energy Revival, I can look into it."
Xu Xi pondered.
He had already asked his sister, the witch, and the princess.
Three girls, three supreme beings, had secretly brought many worlds into Earth to facilitate its ascension.
However.
None of them knew the origin of the initial Spiritual Energy Revival.
Even with their supreme powers, when they tried to trace back time and examine the past, they found nothing unusual.
It all seemed natural, seamless, as if Earth itself had always possessed supernatural abilities.
"Could it be Ailei?"
"No, probably not."
"In the initial disaster, although there were intelligent machines involved, most of it was supernatural power."
"This outcome clearly conflicts with Ailei's nature."
Xu Xi thought as he flew toward the Capital Supernatural United Bureau.
Along the way.
He obtained the highest authority from Li Wanshou.
Even now, Li Wanshou remained the head of the Supernatural United Bureau, his True Immortal realm intimidating countless Boundary Ruins.
"Hmph, you ungrateful disciple, take it!"
Li Wanshou glared at Xu Xi with a mix of frustration and fondness.
He snorted loudly.
And tossed the key representing the bureau's highest authority to Xu Xi.
"Thanks, Master," Xu Xi said with a smile, offering his congratulations once more to his soft-hearted but sharp-tongued master on becoming the sect leader.
"At least you have some conscience. Now get out of here."
The old man laughed and scolded, waving his sleeve to shoo Xu Xi away.
...
With the key in hand, Xu Xi wasted no time. Using spatial laws, he teleported into the Supernatural United Bureau.
The place was as familiar as ever.
The silver-white, sci-fi-style corridors.
The countless supernatural beings bustling about.
A mechanical puppet approached Xu Xi, respectfully guiding him to the archives.
"Mr. Xu, all the documents you requested are in this room. Please feel free to browse."
"If you need anything, just call for me."
The wooden puppet's voice was eerily human-like.
Xu Xi nodded, scanning the vast archive room filled with both paper-bound secrets and electronic servers.
"How long can I stay here?"
"With your highest authority, there is no time limit."
Hearing this.
Xu Xi couldn't help but sigh.
See, this is the benefit of having connections... or rather, relying on a powerful master.
Having a True Immortal as a mentor sure made life easier.
With this thought, Xu Xi ventured deeper into the archive, searching for the files he needed—all the information from the first year of the Spiritual Energy Revival.
At the time, these were top-secret documents.
But now.
With the supernatural system fully developed.
Few paid attention to them anymore.
Only Xu Xi, driven by his curiosity about the origins, would dig through these dusty, ancient records.
"So, the supernatural disasters in the country happened simultaneously back then."
"The spiritual energy of cultivation."
"The elemental energy of magic."
"The vital energy of martial arts."
"These vastly different supernatural forces appeared on Earth at the same time, triggering the supernatural disasters."
"Was there a mastermind? No, probably not. It seems more like an unexpected upheaval."
Xu Xi walked slowly, flipping through the old records.
Suddenly.
Something else caught his attention.
Not about the Spiritual Energy Revival, but a recent intelligence summary.
It stated that a large number of wandering civilizations had recently sought refuge on Earth, claiming to be refugees from other universes.
Fleeing the judgment of a supreme arbiter.