I Am Not a God

In truth, the vast majority of people in this world had long grown accustomed to that eternal fireball hanging overhead, so much so that they habitually overlooked its beauty.

But for Hua Xi, who had grown up in the Wasteland since childhood, it was truly beautiful.

On the Training Ground.

Lin Tuo fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then cleared his throat, withdrew his gaze from the east, said "Follow me," and led Hua Xi into the bedroom.

After briefly demonstrating how to use the fixtures in the bathroom, he said:

"Wash up first. It's summer here right now, very hot. I'll find you some clothes—well, I don't have anything in my place that'll fit you. I'll take you out to buy a set later."

With that, Lin Tuo turned and walked away, leaving the bathroom to the young girl.

Hua Xi followed his instructions. Though brimming with curiosity, she said nothing, only nodded.

Only after Lin Tuo had left did she carefully peel off her thick, filthy cotton coat piece by piece, slip into the bathroom, and awkwardly twist open the showerhead.

"Whoosh..."

Hearing the sound of water from the bathroom, Lin Tuo silently let out a breath, opened the wardrobe, and pulled out a pair of shorts he'd bought before but never worn.

He also picked out the smallest shirt he could find and grabbed a pair of slippers.

"Just make do for now," he muttered under his breath, placing the clothes by the bathroom door. "Clothes are here. Change into them when you're done."

"Okay."

Hearing the reply, Lin Tuo turned and went back to the study. He checked the Potted Plant, confirmed it was calm for now, then released his Avatar, swapped out his down jacket, and returned to the bedroom, leaving his main body in the study.

"I'm done washing."

When Lin Tuo, now dressed in summer clothes, re-entered the room, he heard Hua Xi's voice. A small figure slowly walked over.

Her messy hair was damp.

Her upper body was draped in a loose shirt, its hem nearly covering her shorts. Her feet were in Lin Tuo's slippers, her toes, rubbed red, curling nervously.

Lin Tuo froze for a moment, then frowned deeply, taken aback.

He hadn't expected... Hua Xi to be so thin and small.

He'd known she wasn't tall back in the Wasteland, but wrapped up in layers, she'd only seemed a bit short and stout.

Now, stripped of those old clothes, Lin Tuo finally saw how gaunt Hua Xi truly was... her frame tiny, clearly from starvation.

Sensing the shift in Lin Tuo's gaze, Hua Xi grew visibly more nervous.

A full few seconds passed before Lin Tuo let out a soft breath. He turned and handed her the cap and sunglasses in his hand:

"Put these on too. I'll take you... teleport to a nearby city for a walk. Remember, the language here is different from what you know, and the rules are different too.

So look more, talk less. If there's something you don't understand, ask me quietly."

After giving his instructions, Lin Tuo led Hua Xi through the Evolution Sandbox, directly "teleporting" to a secluded alley near Yang City's commercial street.

"Beep beep!"

When the two figures—one tall, one small—stepped out of the alley, the city's clamor—car horns, voices—rushed at them, engulfing Hua Xi entirely.

It was morning, rush hour. The streets were thick with traffic, pedestrians hurried past, and shops along the road were opening one by one. The whole city was suddenly awake.

This scene filled Hua Xi's eyes to bursting, overwhelming her.

She could only cling tightly to Lin Tuo, eyes wide, ears pricked, desperately trying to make sense of this world using her past experience.

"City..."

The word wasn't unfamiliar to Hua Xi.

She'd been to Black Stone City near Mine Town many times, for instance.

There were shops there too, vehicles and people on the streets. In her original understanding of the world, Black Stone City had already been a very "prosperous" place.

But compared to the "city" she was in now, the two hardly belonged to the same concept.

Those vehicles, controlled solely by the Burning Fire Company and only used when absolutely necessary, were so numerous here she couldn't even count them, their shapes strange and varied.

The towering skyscrapers rising from the ground made her tremble instinctively.

Yet more than all this, what struck her hardest were the people.

The humans on the streets—hurrying, dressed in all sorts of styles, yet every single one of them normal in build, tall and straight.

In the Wasteland, Evolvers were few; most were hunched, deformed, or afflicted refugees.

But here, none of that seemed to exist.

Those people, speaking a language she didn't understand, busied themselves, or poked and prodded at strange palm-sized objects.

Occasionally, someone glanced her way, but their gazes lacked the Wasteland's savagery, and they quickly looked away.

Everything here was so new.

"Are they... all Evolvers?" Walking along, Hua Xi finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"No... actually, they're all ordinary people."

"They... don't seem to know you?"

"Yeah... it's a long story, but they really don't recognize me. In this world, I'm just one of the masses."

"Why don't they have weapons? Isn't there war here?"

"Of course there is. Wherever there are people, there's conflict..."

The two walked slowly along the street, asking and answering questions without pause.

Hua Xi's questions grew more complex and harder to handle:

"Why is that man wearing a skirt? And... stockings?"

"...Personal preference."

"Why does that woman have a tail?"

"Uh... her master's orders."

"?"

"Ahem, enough. Shut up for now and follow me inside to buy you some clothes. Don't talk, pretend you're mute." Lin Tuo forcibly ended the topic and led a bewildered Hua Xi into the mall.

After some time, under the slightly odd stares of the shop assistants, he bought the girl several sets of clothes. Then Lin Tuo fled out and headed toward a nearby park.

Along the way, he also checked on the spread of the "Azure Spirit Breath Technique."

These past few days, he'd been completely absorbed in the Wasteland and hadn't had the energy to pay attention to Yang City.

Occasionally checking through the Evolution Sandbox, he found that the number of cultivators had plummeted after an initial two-day peak, but then slowly started to grow again.

The logic was clear.

At first, many tried out of curiosity, but not everyone had talent. After a few attempts with no noticeable results, they naturally stopped.

Only those with decent talent, who received genuine positive feedback, persisted and spread it to friends and family—like word-of-mouth, creating slow growth.

For the whole of Yang City, the number of cultivators was still very limited.

"Can't rush it. Looking at the laws of development, as long as it's still growing, it'll eventually explode."

Lin Tuo circled the park and successfully spotted two old men sitting on benches, seemingly meditating with the Breath Technique. Satisfied, he left.

Then he took Hua Xi on a bus, aimlessly circling the city to help her adapt and teach her some common sense. The main principle: learn to keep a low profile.

They kept this up until noon, then found a buffet in the commercial district and ate heartily. As Lin Tuo put it:

"Eat as much as you can from this place, just don't burst yourself. You're too skinny—you need the nutrition."

Hearing "eat as much as you want," Hua Xi's eyes nearly turned red.

As she ate, she activated her ability, using the food to repair hidden injuries in her body.

By the end of the meal, not only had all the minor accumulated injuries healed, but she even looked radiant.

Of course... she was still very thin. That wasn't an injury—it would take time.

Considering Hua Xi needed time to digest everything, after lunch Lin Tuo took her back to Li Mountain. He didn't use "teleportation"—they took a bus so she could learn the route.

When they got off, carrying their purchased daily necessities, they walked through the town and arrived at the foot of Li Mountain. Even Lin Tuo felt exhausted.

Not physically—mentally.

"See that building on the mountain? That's where I live. You'll stay here too. When we get back, I'll buy you an online course to learn this world's language. That way, when you go out, you can communicate easily..."

They carried their bags up the mountain path under the summer sun. Lin Tuo talked as he walked; Hua Xi listened as she walked.

Since there was no one else around, they didn't have to whisper—they could speak freely.

Just as they were about to reach the Martial Arts Hall, Hua Xi, who had been silently listening, suddenly spoke:

"Can I ask that question now?"

Lin Tuo paused, then let out a soft sigh. "Go ahead."

He knew exactly what Hua Xi wanted to ask.

And over the course of the morning, he'd figured out how to answer.

"So, are you a god?" Hua Xi asked seriously.

On the mountain path.

Lin Tuo wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling the wind blowing in from the Taihe Mountain Range. He shook his head firmly and said frankly:

"I'm not a god. I'm just an ordinary person with good luck."