"In the advancement of the magical system, mental strength and knowledge are particularly crucial."
"The former is the key for a mage to connect with the world, while the latter is the manifestation of a mage's understanding of the world."
"The combination of the two, catalyzed and released with magical energy as the source, is what is commonly known as magic."
"Right now."
"I still have a long way to go on this extraordinary path of magic."
Allenson City, Mage Association.
After exchanging for the items he needed, Xu Xi gently ran his hand over the cover of a magical book, feeling its sandpaper-like texture, and couldn’t help but sigh.
No extraordinary path is easy to walk; both luck and talent are indispensable.
Fortunately, he had the help of a simulator.
As long as he lived to a natural old age, even if he didn’t become a god, he could at least achieve the rank of a Saint-level Archmage.
Thinking this,
Xu Xi stored the extraordinary materials and magical books into his spatial ring. As he turned around, he noticed the exquisite walls adorned with candles burning a rare incense from the distant south.
The scent was pleasant, similar to Clear Spirit Grass, refreshing the mind.
At the same time, he could faintly hear a melodious female voice drifting down from the second floor of the association, captivating and enchanting.
The voice was beautiful.
It was likely that the noble mages were holding a banquet.
Xu Xi paused his steps, not because he was drawn to the voice, but because it reminded him of a girl who was waiting for him at home.
"Krisha must be cleaning right now, isn’t she?"
"I can’t help but feel a little worried…"
"Before heading back, I’ll buy her a New Year’s gift. After all, she’s been training so hard in magic,"
Xu Xi turned back.
He walked once more to the transaction window of the Mage Association.
After careful selection,
he chose a necklace that was white on the outside and blue on the inside. The silver outer ring gleamed brightly, with fragments of Starstone embedded at regular intervals, making it quite eye-catching.
The inner groove held a deep blue Aquamarine Pearl, an extraordinary material from the Lesser Britannia Sea, radiant and dazzling.
When light hit it, it shimmered like real waves, rising and falling with a mesmerizing glow.
"I hope Krisha will like it," Xu Xi said, looking at the necklace in his hand.
From his perspective, he felt the necklace suited a witch perfectly. It would look beautiful when worn, and the water-attribute Aquamarine Pearl would also provide some water magic enhancement, a very useful effect.
But when it comes to gifts,
whether it’s liked or not ultimately depends on the recipient.
……
After paying the gold coins for the necklace, Xu Xi left the Mage Association. Someone invited him to join the banquet happening on the second floor, but he politely declined.
Then, Xu Xi headed toward the market.
He planned to buy some ingredients and other daily necessities.
"Hum—"
"Hum—"
The hiss of steam and the howl of cold wind filled the air.
In this harsher-than-usual winter, Allenson City’s steam equipment was operating at a faster pace.
It sounded like thousands of birds were screeching as steam collided with the cold air, forming massive clusters like clouds.
However, it wouldn’t be long
before these clusters were scattered by the massive steam airships or torn apart by high-flying mages.
"Steam and magic flourishing side by side—it’s truly marvelous."
"I wonder how the humans of this world embarked on such a strange and coexisting path."
Xu Xi mused to himself.
He layered himself with multiple protective spells
and used the Wind Riding Technique to fly toward the central market.
He moved quickly, and soon all the items he needed were purchased. He then turned and flew in the direction of his home.
Upon landing,
a small figure had already been waiting for some time.
"Master, welcome back," said the girl with silver-gray hair, standing on her tiptoes to help Xu Xi remove his large robe. She patted it a few times to shake off the snowflakes.
Her expression was serious, as if she were handling a matter of great importance.
"Yes, I’m back," Xu Xi replied with a smile.
……
[This world is vast, vast enough to accommodate even the gods.]
[This world is small, so small that in Krisha’s eyes, there is only you.]
[After finishing the house chores, the young witch stood at the entrance of the courtyard, waiting for your return.]
[She waited for you as she wished, helped you remove your robe, prepared your slippers, and took the ingredients from your hands to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner on her own.]
[You thought for a moment and stopped the girl.]
[After all, the girl had only recently started trying to cook, often making mistakes. Normally, you wouldn’t mind, but tonight was New Year’s Eve, and you felt it necessary to ensure the safety of your stomach.]
[You entered the kitchen at just the right moment, successfully preventing a kitchen explosion.]
[You began to cook yourself.]
[The Wisdom of Mortals activates… The Observer activates…]
[You grasped the entirety of the recipe, you observed the details of the ingredients. From now on, the pots and pans bowed to your will, and your culinary skills ascended to the master level.]
[You asked the girl what she liked to eat, and her reply was, “I like whatever you make.”]
[You shivered inexplicably, feeling as if some gaze was watching you from the unseen.]
[You ignored it and continued cooking. Soon, you prepared a fragrant meal of four dishes and a soup, with a faint golden glow when the lid was lifted.]
[Culinary skills improving further—]
……
Nighttime.
In the winter streets of Allenson City, there were few pedestrians.
A cold mist enveloped everything, obscuring the world, but the laughter and celebratory joy of people were still connected.
"Praise the God of Fire…"
"Praise the God of Blacksmiths…"
"Praise the Goddess of Harvest…"
"His glory, His deeds, His radiance, all gather here, in gratitude…"
Led by the three divine churches in the city,
praises rose from all corners of Allenson.
In stark contrast was the quietness in Xu Xi’s home, empty and cold, with every corner filled with the chill of winter.
Only the dining table, laden with delicious food, held a hint of life.
Xu Xi sat at the head of the table, Krisha to his right. A few glass lamps cast their light, illuminating the glistening surfaces of the dishes and the intricate textures of the large table.
"Another year has passed. Next year will be the seventh year in this simulated world."
Suddenly, Xu Xi felt a sense of disorientation.
The life simulation was too real.
Although he still had memories of the real world and his first simulation in his mind, and he could summon the simulator interface at any time,
having lived in Allenson for so long, Xu Xi often subconsciously forgot that this was a simulation.
"It’s not necessarily a bad thing."
"As a child, I always dreamed of crossing worlds. Now, in a way, that dream has been fulfilled."
Xu Xi exhaled lightly, his expression relaxed and content.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
