Wagge City, with its towering steam towers piercing through the clouds, resembled a peculiar steel volcano, spewing out a mist that enveloped the entire city.
The engines roared, and gears spun rapidly.
Bullets streaked across the dark night sky.
Bright magic illuminated the dim stars.
At night, the resounding toll of a giant bell echoed through the steel metropolis, dispersing layers of mist and driving away the lurking shadows hidden in the darkness.
At this moment, fifteen hours had passed since Xu Xi fell asleep in the meditation chamber.
The instinctive thirst from his body stirred him awake.
He slowly opened his eyes, taking in the familiar surroundings of the meditation chamber. Glancing at the mechanical clock on the wall, Xu Xi couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"It's no surprise, though. After all, I worked non-stop for nine days and nights," he muttered to himself.
Gulp.
Gulp.
Summoning a large mass of water, Xu Xi rehydrated himself while stretching his slightly stiff body.
Overall, he was quite satisfied with the effects of this sleep.
Not only had all physical fatigue been eliminated, but his previously sluggish spirit had also been restored.
"It's time to move on to the next step. After going through so many historical records, I finally have some leads," Xu Xi said, turning his gaze to the corner of the meditation chamber.
There, on a temporarily laid magic stone slab, a silver-haired girl named Krisha lay in deep slumber.
Xu Xi walked over.
After a quick check, he confirmed that Krisha's vital signs were still stable before returning to his work desk and focusing on the stacks of handwritten notes.
The writing was meticulous and densely packed.
They contained detailed information on various classifications of demons.
It could be said that Xu Xi had now reached a profound level of understanding regarding demon-related knowledge.
Some obscure or incomplete knowledge had also been deciphered and supplemented with the help of the two entries: [Observer] and [Mortal's Wisdom].
"The term 'demon' is a definition created by humans. Strictly speaking, they should be called the Ancient Race or the Primordial Ones," Xu Xi mused.
The meditation chamber felt even more serene in the dead of night.
Xu Xi sat back down.
From the bottom of the pile of papers, he pulled out a fresh blank sheet and began jotting down new points.
"The theory of gods creating the world is clearly incorrect."
"If the gods truly possessed such power, they wouldn't need the faith of mere humans."
"Therefore, the correct history should be as written in *The Biography of Mage Lebogevo*: the world was born from chaos, and elements gave rise to all things."
"And the so-called demons are the first beings of this world."
"They possess unimaginably powerful physical bodies, innate abilities bestowed by the world, and from birth, they surpass other races with their extraordinary strength. The strongest among them can even rival gods."
"The only flaw is that pure-blooded demons have extremely unstable emotions and desires, which completely cut them off from the path of mage cultivation."
"Only exceptions like Krisha, who have diluted demon blood and broken emotions, can learn magic without being affected."
Steam surged, occasionally pushing open the copper lid.
It created a rhythmic clattering sound.
Accompanying it was the soft, delicate rustling of the pen tip rapidly gliding across the paper, like a gentle breeze brushing through countless leaves.
Looking at the demon-related information he had recorded, Xu Xi fell into deep thought. Perhaps the flaw of the demons wasn't an accident.
The development of things.
The development of the world.
Always follows the most fundamental law.
That is, from nothingness to existence, from chaos to order.
When the magical world was first born, even the world itself was incomplete. The so-called demons were, in fact, a manifestation of the world's disorder.
This is also why demons were later replaced by gods.
Because gods symbolize order, rules, and the personification of the world's orderly operation.
"Looking at it this way, the reason for Krisha's coma becomes clear."
Xu Xi put down his pen.
Gazing at the still-wet ink on the paper, he slightly raised his head and stared at the dim, unlit ceiling, letting out a sigh.
It wasn't an illness, nor was it a curse.
The reason for the witch's coma was the conflict between her demon blood and her mage's spiritual power, representing disorder and order respectively. They were incompatible, unable to coexist.
In the past, Krisha was weak, pitiful, and helpless, with a frail body and a sluggish spirit, so such concerns were unnecessary.
But the upheaval in Allenson City, the influx of sorrow and despair, activated her demon blood.
After advancing to an elite mage, her spiritual power also achieved an unprecedented breakthrough.
Thus.
Body and spirit, disorder and order, demon and god.
Two fates symbolizing different paths clashed fiercely within Krisha's body, sometimes slow, sometimes intense, causing her to oscillate between coma and wakefulness.
The absence of immediate danger didn't guarantee future safety.
"This is troublesome..."
Rubbing his throbbing temples.
Xu Xi's expression was complex.
Although he now understood the cause of the coma, how to resolve it and what to do remained a monumental challenge.
Frankly, matters involving gods and demons were somewhat advanced even for a grand mage.
But the entities within Krisha weren't true gods or demons, and Xu Xi wasn't an ordinary grand mage. With the power of his entries, there was still a glimmer of hope.
...
[You have uncovered the truth behind the witch's coma.]
[Your understanding of the magical world has deepened.]
[You have grasped the truths of the world.]
[Your outstanding performance and keen observation have slightly enhanced your Observer entry. The scope of your observation has expanded.]
[You begin to ponder how to correctly and effectively save the witch. In doing so, you conceive two methods.]
[The first method: strengthen either the demon blood or the spiritual power alone, allowing it to completely consume the other. This way, without opposition, the witch would awaken.]
[The second method: balance disorder and order, allowing the powers of demon and god to coexist within the girl's body.]
[After much deliberation, you ultimately chose the second method.]
[For the witch, for Krisha Christina, both body and spirit are indispensable. Losing either would cause her immense harm, and you cannot bear to witness such a tragedy.]
[Mortal's Wisdom is activating... Observer is activating...]
[You begin to explore the essence of balance.]
[You joyfully discover that, in her unconscious state, Krisha instinctively harmonizes the two forces, causing them to intertwine. This is why her eyes have evolved into a rotating pattern of black and gold.]
[Without hesitation, you set up a unique magic array within the meditation chamber to suppress Krisha's demon blood.]
[Simultaneously, you burn Clear-Mind Grass to awaken the girl's dormant consciousness, allowing her to take control of her spiritual power and guide, dominate, and manipulate the neutralization of the two forces.]
[The path to balance lies within.]
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
