The Witch is Still Godlike

Sunlight filtered through the glass cabinet doors, refracting the sediment of bygone days.

Mottled light and shadow.

A gentle warmth.

It bestowed upon the five neatly arranged items inside the cabinet a delicate, lifelike texture.

A long time had passed since the first simulation ended, yet Xu Xi still vividly remembered the complicated emotions he felt when he first obtained the sugar jar.

Later, a wand was added to his collection.

As the number of simulations increased, Xu Xi had no choice but to purchase a display cabinet to better store these items—keepsakes that embodied precious memories and cherished bonds.

"Honestly, if I squeezed things in, the cabinet could hold more."

"But moderation is best."

"Too many items would just make it look cluttered."

A slanted beam of golden sunlight brushed against Xu Xi's face, outlining his sharp features and the faint smile on his lips.

He took a few steps back.

Surveying the arrangement of his display cabinet with a broader view, Xu Xi nodded in satisfaction.

Yes, it looked good.

As expected of him.

"Well, I should get back to my own affairs."

"The qi of cultivation, the divinity of magic, the essence of martial arts, and the soul of a wizard."

"Augmented by the high-dimensional observations of sci-fi."

"The power systems within me complement and intertwine with one another. It's time to break through to a higher realm."

"And spare my old master the nagging..."

He turned slightly.

Gazing out the window at the rustling leaves and flowers in the courtyard, Xu Xi's eyes reflected Earth's ascendant transformation.

Soon.

It wouldn't be long before Earth completed its ascension, becoming the true center of the multiverse, transcending the universe it resided in.

"Truly something to look forward to..."

Chuckling at the thought of such a future, Xu Xi strode out of his bedroom and toward the training chamber deep in the courtyard.

Tap—

Tap—

His footsteps faded.

The room returned to silence.

Yet faintly, the whispers of several supreme wills could be heard, their words cryptic and laced with strange phrases like "here we go again," "defend the home," and "ambush."

Upon entering the training chamber, Xu Xi laid out his cultivation materials along with the corresponding supreme-grade "soft rice."

"I have a significant advantage now."

"With the god-tier magic system as the core, it drives progress in the lagging cultivation, martial arts, and wizardry disciplines. Their advancements, in turn, propel magic forward."

"This cycle repeats, amplified by various tenfold multipliers."

"And most crucially—"

Xu Xi extended his hand, invoking the supreme crown to wield the intricate and obscure laws of time.

"Time acceleration—the most suitable method for secluded cultivation. In countless tales of passion and heroism, it's the protagonist's go-to breakthrough method. Its only two drawbacks are the erosion of lifespan and sanity."

"Lifespan isn't a concern for me."

"And as for sanity, unless I train continuously for tens of thousands of years, it won't be an issue either."

Clasping his palms together, ripples of temporal power spread out, accelerating time within the confines of the training chamber.

The cultivation session began.

His god-tier spiritual power served as the sturdiest lever, propelling the other systems forward at a frenzied pace.

Eternal Tear, Supreme Crown, Stardust Radiance, and Stardrop Blossom—four flavors of "soft rice"—now condensed into a single word: Persevere.

"Break for me!"

Time bore witness to Xu Xi's efforts; sweat testified to his growth. Under extreme temporal acceleration, he shattered through successive realms.

The cultivation system's mana was the first to break through.

Immortal radiance descended; golden lotuses bloomed from the earth—True Immortal realm!

Next came the martial arts system's vital energy.

Void shattered; worlds emerged—Transcendent realm!

Finally,

the trinity of essence, energy, and spirit.

With essence as the foundation, energy as the driving force, and divine will as the conduit, his soul underwent a convergence of truth, reaching the pinnacle of indestructibility.

Seventh-Circle Wizard—instantaneous breakthrough!

"No heavenly tribulation?"

Xu Xi paused his cultivation, looking up at the dark stone ceiling with a hint of disappointment.

Cultivation without enduring heavenly lightning felt like something was missing.

Still, he understood—even the most naive planetary consciousness knew better than to provoke a supreme being's dwelling.

"Ascended to immortality, ascended to godhood, transcended martial limits, achieved soul immortality."

"Now, I lack nothing."

Multiple forms of supreme power swirled around Xu Xi. A mere lift of his hand caused spacetime to fracture, brimming with an ineffable, mysterious aura.

When he pressed his palm down, spacetime seamlessly mended itself.

"This is the power of perseverance."

Xu Xi nodded in satisfaction, pleased with his growth. It felt as though the radiance of countless stars now rested in the palm of his hand.

"Compared to the supreme beings, I’m still far inferior."

"But against ordinary immortals or gods? Absolute domination."

His eyes gleamed.

The fivefold convergence of his existence warped reality itself, causing even the laws of time acceleration to collapse and revert to their primordial state.

After meditating for most of the day, Xu Xi barely managed to control his surging power.

However,

it wasn’t yet time to leave seclusion.

A vast, ocean-like surge of soul energy dragged a fragment of the underworld, swaying unsteadily before landing in Xu Xi’s palm.

"Thinking about it..."

"The laws of the underworld hold little relevance to me."

"Better to repurpose this fragment for something else."

Neither sword nor staff,

a weapon forged from the World Tree materialized before Xu Xi, shimmering with a faint green light.

In the past, he had been unable to refine the World Tree perfectly.

But now,

his power was more than sufficient. He prepared to meld the underworld fragment into it, forging a new weapon.

"Sword, come!"

Xu Xi beckoned, and raging immortal flames scorched the void, refining the World Tree until its jagged, rough surface transformed into the shape of a sword.

"Boundary’s End!"

The underworld fragment disintegrated, dissolving into pure principles of the Dao.

They merged entirely into the sword’s edge.

A cold, ghostly light flickered.

When Xu Xi gripped the hilt and channeled immortal energy, celestial runes and Dao patterns spontaneously manifested.

When he infused it with divine magic, the World Tree Immortal Sword shifted form, becoming an elongated, archaic staff.

After repeated adjustments,

the weapon settled into its final form—a sword-staff hybrid, matching Xu Xi’s preferred style.

"Finally done."

Xu Xi stored the sword-staff and strode toward the training chamber’s exit.

As he pushed open the door,

the blazing summer sunlight, unchanged from before his seclusion, made him squint instinctively.

The sound of his footsteps sent a few insects scurrying away in alarm.

"The laws of time..."

"Truly wondrous."

"Inside, I trained for what felt like ages, yet the outside world has only progressed three or four days."

Xu Xi marveled at the stark contrast, gazing at the sun-scorched courtyard with a profound sense of temporal dissonance.

"Master, congratulations on your breakthrough."

Down the radiant corridor,

the witch Krisha approached, her tone even as she offered the first words of blessing upon his emergence.

She also handed him a cup of steaming tea.

"Thanks, Krisha."

Xu Xi accepted the tea, about to ask how she knew he had left seclusion.

Then it struck him—

the time law he had used was a gift from her.

One step ahead, always ahead.

The witch was still surpassing divinity itself.