Jia Ma Empire, Wutan City, Xiao Family.
In the Xiao Family's reception hall, the three elders wore broad smiles as they carefully fawned over a middle-aged man.
Xiao Zhan, seated at the head of the table, had long since lost his usual air of authority. Instead, his face held a hint of nervousness.
"So this is Gu Xun'er, the future number-one beauty of the Dou Qi Continent?"
In a corner of the reception hall, Xiao Chen's gaze settled on the young girl standing nervously beside the middle-aged man, who was dressed in an air of nobility.
Though Gu Xun'er was still a child, she already had the makings of a natural beauty, along with an ethereal air.
Even Xiao Chen, who had seen countless beauties online in his previous life, couldn't help but admire her. "Tudou truly didn't lie to me!"
And compared to those so-called "beauties" online in his previous life, whose looks depended entirely on filters and skin smoothing, how many times better was a natural beauty like Gu Xun'er?
As if sensing Xiao Chen's gaze, Gu Xun'er peeked out from behind the middle-aged man and looked at him.
The instant their eyes met, a mechanical yet ethereal voice suddenly rang in Xiao Chen's mind.
[ Ding! Important character "Gu Xun'er" detected. Life Simulator binding in progress... Binding complete! ]
Xiao Chen suppressed the urge to jump up from his seat. He smiled and nodded at Gu Xun'er, then looked away, eyes lowered, and silently communicated with the system in his mind. "How does this simulation work?"
[The host can choose an important character in this world and simulate their life. As long as you change their life's trajectory during the simulation, you can earn rewards!]
[Rewards will be issued according to the achievements in the life that follows the changes made to the character's trajectory!]
[Reminder: If the achievements in the life that follows the change are lower than before, no rewards will be given!]
[Currently available character: Gu Xun'er!]
"That's it? You call that giving me a choice? There's only one option! You want me to simulate Gu Xun'er?"
Xiao Chen stared at the solitary option on the system interface, barely able to keep it together. If the system had a physical form, he'd have given it a couple of punches.
Who was Gu Xun'er? The daughter of the Ancient Clan Chief—Gu Yuan, a Nine-Star Dou Saint. The Ancient Clan's little princess, with a divine-grade bloodline, and an unmatched prodigy among the billions of people on the Dou Qi Continent!
He was supposed to simulate the life of a peerless prodigy like her, and change her life's trajectory on top of that.
And the achievements in her changed life couldn't be lower than before. How the hell was he supposed to pull that off?
"Ha! Useless system. What do I need you for? I might as well keep lying around and wait to cling to Xiao Yan's coattails!"
Xiao Chen curled his lip and slumped into the chair behind him, his whole body radiating laziness.
He had been in this world for eight years. Since he had been born into it, he was only eight now.
At his age, even with the worst aptitude, he should have been able to condense Battle Qi. But Xiao Chen had never been able to sense its presence, and after a while, he'd simply given up.
So now he could only pin his hopes on Xiao Yan, waiting for Yao Lao to absorb Xiao Yan's Battle Qi and turn him from a genius into a waste.
Then he would shower Xiao Yan with unstinting care. Given Xiao Yan's loyalty and sense of gratitude, once he ascended to the Great Thousand World, he would surely do everything in his power to solve Xiao Chen's inability to cultivate.
[Don't be like that, host! Give it a try. It doesn't cost you anything. You never know!]
"Fine. I'll give it a try when I have time."
Truthfully, Xiao Chen didn't expect much from the system. Changing Gu Xun'er's life trajectory was far more difficult than clinging to Xiao Yan's coattails.
He really couldn't think of what kind of change could help Gu Xun'er achieve even more.
While Xiao Chen was communicating with the system, Xiao Zhan finished his conversation. He beckoned Xiao Yan over and said, "Yan'er, come here. Take Miss Xun'er for a walk and show her around the Xiao Family so she can get familiar with the place!"
Xiao Zhan had clearly done this for his own reasons, but nobody present dared object. Not even the three elders. They could only watch Xiao Yan with envy.
"Father, I'm going to cultivate in a bit. If Miss Xun'er needs someone to show her around, you should pick someone else."
Xiao Yan frowned at his father's words and waved his hand, impatiently turning down this windfall that had fallen right into his lap.
Seeing Xiao Yan refuse, the First Elder's eyes lit up. He hurriedly spoke up. "Senior, Patriarch, since Third Young Master is busy, how about letting Xiao Ning show Miss Xun'er around?"
At the First Elder's words, regret filled the faces of the Second and Third Elders. They cursed themselves for being too slow. If the middle-aged man weren't still there, they might have slapped themselves across the face.
"No need, young friend. Would you be willing to show my daughter around the Xiao Family?"
The middle-aged man smiled and waved away the First Elder's suggestion, then turned to Xiao Chen.
He had noticed the boy secretly sizing him up from the start. That was right—he was looking at him, not Gu Xun'er.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt the boy seemed to know something, which left him rather puzzled.
By rights, the Xiao Clan had fallen so far that nobody should still know his identity.
That only made him more curious about Xiao Chen. This was a good opportunity to test him.
"Huh? Me? You mean me?"
Xiao Chen had never dreamed the middle-aged man would suddenly say something like that. His face was full of bewilderment.
"Indeed. Would you be willing to do me this favor?"
As he spoke, the middle-aged man flipped his hand, and an ancient, pitch-black token appeared in his palm. "Of course, I won't waste your time for nothing. This is for you." With that, he flicked his hand, and the ancient, pitch-black token landed in Xiao Chen's hands.
The moment it touched his palm, a cool sensation enveloped him. Xiao Chen had no idea what the token was made of. It seemed neither gold nor jade, and it was surprisingly heavy in his hand.
What truly surprised Xiao Chen was the character "Gu" engraved right in the center of the token. Seeing it, and considering Gu Xun'er's attitude toward the middle-aged man, there was no doubt about his identity.
The current Ancient Clan Chief, the Nine-Star Dou Saint—Gu Yuan.
"I can't believe he actually came in person to bring Gu Xun'er here!"
Xiao Yan might have boundless potential in the future, but for now, he was nothing more than a child at the Dou Qi Second Stage.
The man before him, on the other hand, truly stood at the peak of the entire Dou Qi Continent. Xiao Chen suspected the man could blow him to smithereens with a single breath.
For someone like that to specifically ask Xiao Chen to show his daughter around left him completely baffled.
But whatever Gu Yuan's reason, Xiao Chen wasn't in a position to refuse, nor did he have any reason to.
With that thought, Xiao Chen took a deep breath, cut off his stray thoughts, and tucked the token into his clothes. He rose and bowed respectfully. "I dare not refuse a gift from an elder. Since you trust me, Senior, I'll take Miss Xun'er around the clan and help her get familiar with the place!"
Before you continue