The Ascension and Expansion of Earth

Xu Xi had moved to a new residence.

It wasn’t until he returned to Yanshan City that he realized it.

The house he had been living in previously had no land suitable for planting Dragon Blood Grass, let alone enough space for a larger storage cabinet he planned to purchase. The cramped bedroom was clearly insufficient.

“I guess I have to change houses,” he thought.

With a nostalgic glance at his old home, Xu Xi walked through each room, gathering the items he needed. Then, through the channels of the Supernatural United Bureau in Yanshan City, he quickly purchased a lush, green courtyard.

The new courtyard was slightly larger, featuring a serene vine-covered pergola, a tranquil pool, and vibrant flowers.

Water flowed down stone steps, creating a cascading waterfall.

The splashing droplets and the rhythmic sound of water reflected Xu Xi’s youthful face in the clear, translucent surface.

“This spot is perfect. I’ll plant the Dragon Blood Grass here,” Xu Xi said.

With a flick of his finger, he shot the seeds of the Sword Grass deep into the soil, followed by pouring in both Dragon Blood and Red Dragon Blood.

He separated the areas with a rockery stone.

Under the blazing sun, the blood-soaked land emitted a faint, peculiar odor, glowing with a pure crimson hue.

Xu Xi turned and left. The first step of planting the Dragon Blood Grass was complete. All that remained was to wait patiently for the seeds to absorb enough dragon blood and sprout on their own. Until then, he could leave them undisturbed.

—Bedroom.

—Study.

—Living room.

—Kitchen.

—Cultivation room.

Xu Xi entered his new home, using his psychic energy to rearrange the furniture according to his preferences.

At the same time, the numerous supernatural materials and items he had stored were neatly organized, sealed with spirit-locking formations to prevent the loss of their spiritual essence.

The wand and the sugar jar were placed in a larger storage cabinet, each occupying its own compartment, as planned.

Xu Xi arranged them in the order of his simulations: his sister’s sugar jar in the first compartment and Krisha’s wand in the second. Their presence made the cabinet feel less empty.

“A new life begins now,” he thought.

…………

Before the third simulation began, Xu Xi took a long break to slowly digest the gains he had made in the magical world.

He began his cultivation.

With his Saint-level psychic energy driving his progress in the Nascent Soul Realm, he experienced small breakthroughs every three days and major breakthroughs every seven. Combined with the tenfold cultivation effect of the Eternal Tear, Xu Xi’s progress was as smooth as eating and drinking.

He also began forging weapons.

In the cultivation room, Xu Xi retrieved a storage pouch gifted by Li Wanshou, extracting a wisp of Solar Essence Fire. He then combined it with a fire elemental spirit from the magical side to refine a branch of the Jianmu Tree.

Gradually, the wooden branch took root in the flames, slowly absorbing Xu Xi’s Wood Regeneration technique.

After half a month of nurturing, Xu Xi restored vitality to the Jianmu branch.

Another half-month of forging, using the techniques of the Withered Vine Sword, allowed him to establish a spiritual imprint and a mana connection with it.

“The Jianmu is incredibly hard,” Xu Xi mused.

“If it were my teacher, with the power of an immortal, he might be able to reshape it. But for me, just refining and using it requires all my strength.”

Staring at the peculiar-looking Jianmu branch, Xu Xi fell into deep thought.

He had originally intended to forge the branch into a flying sword.

But now, it seemed that wouldn’t work.

He decided to settle for its natural form, making slight adjustments to make it more aesthetically pleasing. After all, it wouldn’t affect its functionality.

With that in mind, Xu Xi quickly completed the refining process.

The result was neither a sword nor a staff, but something slightly elongated, resembling a rod.

When Xu Xi infused it with both cultivation mana and magical psychic energy, the results were unexpectedly good. The two supernatural systems merged seamlessly, allowing the release of both powers without interference.

“I knew combining cultivation and magic had potential,” Xu Xi said with satisfaction.

…………

With a reliable weapon in hand, Xu Xi’s only weakness was now covered.

He could attack when needed and defend when necessary, allowing him to cultivate with greater peace of mind.

Living alone in the courtyard, he spent most of his time in seclusion, only occasionally venturing out to enjoy some good food or deal with the New Boundary Ruins near Yanshan City.

It was worth noting that as Xu Xi’s identity as a Saint-level Archmage became established, Zhang Yaoguo, the head of the Yanshan branch of the Supernatural United Bureau, began speaking to him with a hint of reverence.

It was an invisible barrier.

Not intentional, not deliberate, but an unconscious shift.

Even though Xu Xi repeatedly emphasized that Zhang didn’t need to change his attitude, and Zhang did regain some of his former casual demeanor, the subtle sense of distance made Xu Xi realize that the old Zhang was gone for good.

“It feels a bit dull, doesn’t it?”

In the bedroom of his new courtyard home.

The window framed the sunlight streaming in, the golden rays illuminating the surroundings and faintly lighting up Xu Xi’s nose.

He sat on a wooden chair, his gaze shifting to the tall, brand-new storage cabinet.

More precisely.

He was looking at the sugar jar and the wand inside.

Unconsciously, images of his sister and the witch appeared in his mind, along with the memories of their time together.

“After spending so much time in the simulation worlds, I’ve grown unaccustomed to life in the real world,” Xu Xi muttered to himself.

The bright sunlight, the cool breeze, and the swaying branches outside the window carried his soliloquy.

In the first simulation, Xu Xi and Xu Moli had spent every day together.

In the second simulation, Xu Xi and Krisha had lived side by side.

Xu Xi had saved them, but in a way, they had also been his companions.

Now.

Having moved out of the small, secure old house and into this spacious courtyard alone, an inexplicable sense of loneliness washed over Xu Xi.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Xu Xi took out his phone and logged into Supernatural Home.

“Huh? Is Earth expanding again?”

As soon as he entered the site, Xu Xi noticed the latest report on the homepage.

It was an article from the headquarters, detailing how much Earth’s surface area had increased over the past week, along with the corresponding number of Boundary Ruins.

Earth was ascending.

Earth was growing.

This was the latest, earth-shattering yet expected discovery by the scientists of the Supernatural United Bureau.

The so-called Boundary Ruins were essentially fragments of other worlds.

With so many Boundary Ruins merging into Earth, how could it remain the same as before?

The answer was no.

The familiar blue Earth of modern humanity was now absorbing these fragments, transforming them into its own essence.

Every few days, it changed, its area rapidly expanding.

Along with this came a multitude of otherworldly creatures and supernatural materials never before seen.

The concept of Earth as the convergence point of all realms, once only found in fiction, now seemed to be becoming a reality.