Qin Hao, soon you will be mine.

Majestic power washed through Liu Ruyan's meridians, reshaping her Dao foundation. An unimaginably massive flood of memories, like a bursting galaxy, ruthlessly surged into her sea of consciousness!

These were memories of her past life—no, her past several lives.

Countless scenes intertwined in her mind: her slaughtering through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the unspeakable desolation after reaching the absolute pinnacle, and the obsession of reincarnating lifetime after lifetime yet never waiting long enough to see that one figure.

After the nine-colored halo behind Liu Ruyan circulated for eighty-one major cycles, it slowly retracted like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. Ultimately, it transformed into a brilliant nine-colored mark that quietly sank into her glabella and disappeared.

Liu Ruyan slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes were as clear as ever, yet they seemed to have accumulated the starlight of eternity, becoming far more profound and translucent than before. It was as if she could see through human nature and perceive the truths of the world.

Noticing the change in Liu Ruyan's gaze, Qin Hao's heart tightened. He paused for a moment before tentatively asking,

"Ruyan, how do you feel right now?"

Liu Ruyan blinked. The profundity in her eyes vanished, replaced only by the familiar dependence and innocence that Qin Hao knew so well.

"Brother Qin Hao..." Liu Ruyan's voice was soft, laced with a hint of uncertainty.

"I feel like I have so much more strength in my body, and it's all warm. Is this cultivation?"

Saying this, she stood up and stretched her limbs, her face revealing just the right amount of pleasant surprise and a tiny bit of apprehension toward this unknown power.

"Is that so? Aside from that, do you feel anything else different? For example, extra scenes or memories popping up in your head?"

Liu Ruyan blinked her large eyes and shook her head in bewilderment. "No. I just feel my body is lighter, my strength is greater, I can see further, and I can hear more clearly."

Lowering her head, she asked pitifully,

"Brother Qin Hao, did I not do a good enough job?"

Her demeanor, tone, and gaze were completely flawless.

Looking at Liu Ruyan's innocent, dependent, and flawless appearance, Qin Hao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the current Liu Ruyan was still just a young girl who had newly stepped onto the path of cultivation, having not awakened any memories.

With a gentle tone, Qin Hao ruffled her hair.

"You did very well, even better than I imagined. Don't always doubt yourself; you are excellent."

Liu Ruyan tilted her small face upward, her eyes full of trust and joy. "Mhm! I will definitely work hard and won't let down Brother Qin Hao's expectations."

Qin Hao failed to notice a flash of slyness that darted across the depths of Liu Ruyan's eyes.

"Qin Hao, you won't be able to escape this time. I will have you before those other sisters do!"

In the days that followed, Qin Hao meticulously taught Liu Ruyan, covering everything from the most basic Qi drawing, energy circulation, and the execution of divine abilities, to practical combat techniques and life-saving methods.

Liu Ruyan was very clever. No matter what Qin Hao taught her, she understood it immediately and could even draw inferences from a single instance. Seeing this, Qin Hao was secretly astonished. Was he sure she hadn't awakened her memories? He felt like an idiot in front of her.

Liu Ruyan made rapid progress, her cultivation advancing a thousand miles a day. At the same time, her reliance on and closeness to Qin Hao grew daily. She always followed by his side, constantly calling out "Brother Qin Hao" this and "Brother Qin Hao" that, like a clingy little kitten.

Qin Hao was extremely patient and protective of her. Aside from cultivation, he would also tell her amusing stories from the outside world and take her to admire the scenery near the valley.

She especially treasured the small trinkets Qin Hao personally refined for her, carefully storing them away as if they were peerless treasures.

In a flash, a month passed.

Qin Hao was meditating on a bluestone when he couldn't help but call out to the System.

"Hey, dog System, explain this to me. It's been a month, so why hasn't the rental period ended yet? I could see when the rental period ended for all previous orders. Why can't I see it this time? Are you bugged?"

[Dog Host, rest assured. Even if you bug out, this System will never bug out.]

[Dog Host, this System recommends that you cripple your cultivation and start over. The Great Dao in your era is fragmented. Even if you cultivate to the Immortal Emperor realm, your true combat strength probably wouldn't match an Immortal King of this era.]

[It's better to cripple your cultivation and restart. Your current cultivation base isn't that high anyway, merely at the peak of the Soul Formation stage. Bearing multiple top-tier physiques and possessing endless cultivation resources, it will only take you a month or so to cultivate back to where you were.]

Qin Hao curled his lips. "Cripple my cultivation? Dog System, are you trying to cause trouble? This valley is full of demonic beasts. Without my cultivation, how am I supposed to protect myself and Ruyan?"

[Ding! Issuing one Immortal Experience Card (Valid for 24 hours. Unused time can be saved).]

[Cowardly dog Host, you shouldn't be afraid of dying now.]

Qin Hao raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, not bad. Since when were you so kind-hearted? But this is useless, isn't it? Even if I cripple my cultivation and restart, won't I still have to return to my original timeline when the mission ends? I'll still be cultivating in an era with a fragmented Great Dao. At most, my foundation will just be a bit more solid."

[Ding! If the Host can obtain a ten-star rating upon the completion of this rental order, this System will issue an Immortal Emperor Experience Card with a time limit of two hours.]

Hearing this, Qin Hao's body trembled. An Immortal Emperor Experience Card?

Although it was only for a short two hours, he could absolutely rely on the power of an Immortal Emperor to imprint the complete Great Dao of this timeline into his body.

When that time came, even if he went back, he could still cultivate the complete Great Dao!

"Dog System, you aren't trying to scam me, are you? You're treating me a little too well; I find it hard to believe."

[Dog Host, please rest assured. This System naturally has its own motives.]

Qin Hao pondered for a moment and ultimately chose to follow the System's suggestion to cripple his cultivation and start over.

The gap between a complete Great Dao and a fragmented one was simply too massive. A Golden Core stage cultivator in this timeline could rival a Nascent Soul stage cultivator of the future. The further one progressed, the wider the gap would become.

Since there was hope to complete his Great Dao, he naturally couldn't miss this opportunity. Anyway, with his talent and massive amount of resources, cultivating back to his original level wouldn't delay him for long.

As for the System's motives, who cares? Everything he had now relied on the System. If it truly wanted to harm him, Qin Hao had no way to fight back anyway.

Even if he wanted to break free from the System in the future, he would need absolute strength to turn the tables. Otherwise, it was all just empty talk.

Qin Hao failed to notice that while he was debating whether to cripple his cultivation and restart, Liu Ruyan had already changed into a snow-chiffon dress of the softest texture.

Under the moonlight, the hem of the dress fluttered gently in the wind, outlining her exquisite and curvy figure.

At this moment, the usual innocence and dependence in Liu Ruyan's eyes were long gone, replaced by an indescribable desire and shyness.

Liu Ruyan quietly watched Qin Hao, who was cultivating with his eyes closed. Her gaze lingered on his handsome face, as if she wanted to deeply brand his current appearance into the depths of her soul.

Liu Ruyan licked her alluring red lips, the corners of her mouth curling upward slightly:

"In my past lives, Qin Hao always chose to cripple his cultivation and start anew on this very day. That will be when he is at his absolute weakest. At that time, he will be entirely at my mercy."

"Qin Hao~ Very soon, you will be mine."