Two "Worlds"

The sea breeze was shut out beyond the windows. Inside, only the low hum of the central air-conditioning system and the faint freshness of circulating air remained. Di Tian's "safe house," located high above the Seaside District of Aolai City, had a spacious, brightly lit living room. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay a shimmering expanse of sea, yet the furnishings within blended strangely well with the modern view.

Huo Yuhao looked around. Rather than a human residence, this place resembled a miniature "soul beast civilization exhibit." A thick, soft silver-gray carpet covered the center of the living room, its patterns resembling both rippling water and drifting clouds. It felt exquisite beneath the feet and was a high-end home product from Emerald Court's furnishings line, said to embody Bi Ji's understanding of softness and healing. Several lush potted plants sat in the corners and atop the coffee table, none of them ordinary varieties. The leaves of a Starlight Orchid glimmered faintly under the indoor lighting, as though they had gathered the night sky within them. Another Serenity Vine wound upward, naturally purifying the air and releasing a faint fragrance that calmed the mind. They were clearly improved varieties developed by Myriad Demon King's Forest Life Chronicle laboratory, bringing the spiritual energy of soul beast forests into human homes in a more livable form.

A whole wall was occupied by a row of steady black walnut bookshelves, their edges trimmed in dark gold metal. The design was simple yet full of force, bearing the distinct style of the Dark Gold Mountainforge Workshop, though Di Tian had polished away its sharpness, leaving behind only a sense of weight. Besides a small number of human books, the shelves held more internal soul beast technical materials, design blueprints, and several exquisite metal ornaments—a cute little dark gold bear with clearly defined muscles, likely one of Bear Lord's early practice pieces, as well as a miniature ornate Western rapier displayed beside an equally small Chinese dagger, undoubtedly the result of Zi Ji and Bi Ji competing with each other.

Most eye-catching of all was the soul-guidance screen that nearly covered the opposite wall, along with the matching audio equipment, sleek as obsidian. The entire entertainment system bore the matte-black logo of Deep Space Dragon Domain, and its technology far surpassed ordinary products on the market.

At that moment, Di Tian slumped dejectedly into the sofa—also a Deep Space Dragon Domain product. Its ergonomic support cradled him, but he had no intention of enjoying it. He simply stared at the ceiling, muttering repeatedly, "Why? Why?" The mighty Black Dragon King now looked like a baffled young man unable to solve a difficult problem. "Even if the main body of my lord personally infiltrated that boy's side, I could understand it. That would be strategy! But why... why separate out such a... weak part, one that seemed to have even forgotten her power? Has my lord... truly become a fool?" This was far too different from the all-calculating, majestic, powerful Silver Dragon King in his mind, leaving him with a deep sense of helplessness.

Demon Spirit sat obediently on the carpet, watching her two elder brothers fret. She blinked, remembered something, and repeated to Di Tian Huo Yuhao's earlier analysis of the Silver Dragon King from the soul-guidance train.

"Oh, right, Uncle Di Tian. Brother Yuhao and I guessed on the train before... the Golden Dragon King received this kind of 'unexplained enhancement' within the Divine Realm seal, gaining wisdom and the ability to learn rules that did not belong to it. Could that mean... some kind of balance was broken? For example, could the corresponding other side have been weakened?"

"Oh? Is that so..." Di Tian pondered after hearing this, and his tightly furrowed brows eased slightly. He felt somewhat better. At least logically, it seemed to barely explain this abnormal decision.

He turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao and asked the question that had long lingered in his mind. "Huo Yuhao, you've always emphasized that the Golden Dragon King's God Core must be stripped from Tang Wulin's body in the future. I understand that it's to eliminate hidden danger. But as far as I know, if the Golden Dragon King's remaining consciousness inside the God Core could be completely destroyed, allowing Tang Wulin to absorb and fuse with that power to become a new Golden Dragon King or something similar, wouldn't that be the stronger choice? Don't you humans also say that power itself is neither good nor evil?"

Huo Yuhao sighed and sat beside Di Tian on the single sofa, looking equally exhausted. The sofa softly supported him. "The problem lies with that 'consciousness,' Di Tian." He raised his right hand, palm upward, and a tiny strand of dark gold energy appeared. Like a small living dragon, it radiated a heart-palpitating aura of brutality and immortality, yet seemed restrained by more intricate and delicate rules.

"I've been trying to analyze it these past few days. The result was that its 'enhancement' far exceeded expectations. It contained a difficult-to-understand, almost instinctive ability to learn combat and imitate laws. It may even... have touched upon part of the Dragon God's concept of 'authority.' Even the Creator God's strike failed to completely annihilate it. To safely inherit that power, its consciousness must first be thoroughly erased. But this enhanced consciousness is extraordinarily tightly bound to the God Core. A simple separation or destruction could very likely trigger unpredictable mutations or backlash." He withdrew the energy, his face carrying exhaustion and helplessness entirely opposed to the nature of that power. "Separation is the safest approach for now, but how to do it safely, I... still have no idea."

Watching Huo Yuhao, who was usually always confident, and the imposing Uncle Di Tian wilt on the sofa like two big children trapped by a difficult question, Demon Spirit sat on the carpet between them and rolled her amber eyes. Suddenly, she imitated them and threw herself backward with a plop, sprawling across the carpet with all four limbs spread out. Deliberately drawing out her voice, she cried in an adorable tone, "Ah—! I'm tired! I'm not doing this anymore either—!" Afterward, she stuck out her little tongue mischievously and blinked at them.

This sudden "impression show" and silly expression instantly broke the gloomy atmosphere in the room. Di Tian froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth rose at Demon Spirit's impish appearance. The heavy knot in his heart seemed to lighten somewhat. He reached out, his large palm gently covering the top of her head, and rubbed it softly. His deep voice carried a rare, completely relaxed gentleness. "Fine, fine... Let's put those headaches aside for now."

His gaze grew distant, as though he could see through the walls to the companions scattered across the continent, each striving to "live" in their own way—Bear Lord immersed in forging, Crimson King researching perfume, Myriad Demon King cultivating plants, Bi Ji and Zi Ji competing fiercely in the fashion world... and this little Demon Spirit before him, who had created games that swept the continent and smiled without a care in the world.

"As long as you all..." Di Tian's voice was quiet, yet it carried immense weight, "can live happily and peacefully like this, that's enough. As for everything else, we'll slowly find a solution."

"Hehehe." Demon Spirit could feel the warmth from Di Tian's palm and the tenderness he rarely showed. She laughed happily. A soft glow spread over her body as she shrank and transformed into her small beast form, fluffy as though condensed from moonlight. With a light leap, she accurately burrowed into Di Tian's arms, found a comfortable position, and affectionately rubbed against him, letting out a contented purr. Di Tian naturally adjusted his posture as well, wrapping an arm around the warm little bundle and absentmindedly stroking her smooth fur.

Huo Yuhao watched the scene, and warmth rippled through his ice-blue eyes as well. He turned his attention once more to the enormous soul-guidance screen. It was currently broadcasting a live feed from the finals of some top fashion design competition. Bi Ji and Zi Ji, two queens of entirely different styles but equal brilliance, were calmly answering the judges' questions onstage, while camera flashes sparkled below like a river of stars.

"By the way," Huo Yuhao said, pointing at the screen, "isn't the signal reception on your Deep Space Dragon Domain television a little too good? I remember this Universal Fashion Summit Showdown was a closed final. Only a few invited media outlets and internal networks were allowed to watch, yet you've got a high-definition live broadcast. You didn't... conveniently tap into their internal signal source again, did you?" As he spoke, he settled comfortably into the sofa just like Di Tian, who was holding the little beast, and took out his soul-guidance phone. Demon Spirit also poked her little head out from Di Tian's arms and waved a paw. Her personal phone floated over as well.

"...Sigh, fine, you caught me." Di Tian glanced at the screen and admitted it without much guilt. "Bear Lord is busy hammering iron, Myriad Demon King is holed up in the laboratory, Crimson King is searching the continent for spices, and Zi Ji and Bi Ji compete over beauty every day... I'm the one who seems the most 'idle.' Every so often... just every so often, when I'm bored, I take a look at what they're doing." His tone made him sound exactly like an old father keeping track of his children but too embarrassed to say it outright. He took out his own phone, and its screen lit up to display a login page. "Logging in?"

"Come on, come on!" Huo Yuhao immediately perked up. The games popular in this era had always seemed rather dull to him. Feeling that he lived in a "gaming wasteland," he had handed this "major task" to Demon Spirit several years ago, when she had been deeply curious about electronic entertainment in human society. Unexpectedly, Demon Spirit displayed astonishing talent in this area.

"Spirit Bonding All Things, Records of Unusual Containment, Echoes of the Spirit Realm, Contract Battlefield... Which one are we playing?" Demon Spirit transformed back into human form and squeezed herself between the two of them, her little face full of pride. "All four games are pretty good, right? Stable operation, great player feedback!" The Demon Spirit Gameworks she founded had swept the continent in just three years with these four stylistically distinct and innovative games. Their profits could even support other soul beast industries, making them her proudest achievement.

Di Tian looked at the four exquisite icons on the screen and praised her without hesitation. "They really are impressive. Especially the core ideas of 'bonds' and 'contracts' in Spirit Bonding All Things, as well as the vast 'anomaly' system and player trading ecosystem built by Unusual Phenomena Archive... Just as expected of you, Xiaoling." He was not merely being polite. He truly admired the unique understanding of power, bonds, order, and chaos contained in these games. Perhaps that was the different kind of spark that the soul beast perspective brought to human entertainment.

"Hmph, I'm playing Containment Records! My national server ranking is about to fall out of the top ten!" Huo Yuhao rolled up his sleeves and directly opened the app marked with a mysterious document case.

"Tenth?" Di Tian was somewhat surprised. As he logged into his own account and organized the various "containment items" and "investigator equipment" in his virtual storage, he asked, "You mean... the city rankings?"

"The national rankings." Huo Yuhao spoke casually and displayed the brilliantly glowing badge on his game character's profile: "National Server's Ninth Strongest Containment Specialist." The glow nearly flashed Di Tian's eyes.

"Not bad!" Di Tian was genuinely impressed. The game was immensely popular, and competition in the national rankings was extremely fierce. "But why didn't you go for first place? With your ability, you should have been able to."

"First?" Huo Yuhao pulled up the server-wide rankings and pointed at the ID at the top—"Xie Xie." "There. That guy's family isn't merely wealthy. Legend says they manufacture top-grade mechs. The rare items he buys with money and the professional teams he hires can practically pile up an entire 'anomaly museum.' Can't beat him, can't beat him." There was no dissatisfaction in his tone. He was merely stating a fact.

Di Tian glanced at the name and found it somewhat interesting, but did not think much of it. Soon, the three formed a party and entered the thrilling Joint Containment Operation instance.

In less than a minute, the formerly quiet, cozy living room was filled with intense game effects and the three of them shouting over one another.

"Huo Yuhao! Where's your Silence Field for crowd control? Cast it, quickly! The monster wave is coming! It's in my face! Ah—!"

"Di Tian! Your Area-Sealing Scroll! Throw it! Throw it accurately!... It went wide! You hit me! My shield points! Wah!!"

"Ah—! Uncle Di Tian! Brother Yuhao! You're so loud! My ears!" Demon Spirit complained while covering her ears, but her hands never stopped moving. Her support character precisely released healing waves across the screen.

"...Sorry." "My fault." The two men, who had been utterly dejected just moments ago, now focused completely on the game and apologized in a rush, their eyes still locked firmly on the screen as the battle raged on.

Entirely different from the lively, passionate, down-to-earth commotion on their side.

In a fourth-year classroom at Red Mountain Academy, the afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass windows, casting bright patches across the desks. The teacher's voice from the podium seemed to come through a curtain of water, indistinct and blurred. Na'er sat perfectly straight, her purple eyes fixed on her textbook, but she had not taken in a single word.

Irritation.

An unfamiliar yet powerful emotion coiled around her heart like dense vines, tightening more and more. The glimpse she had caught at the school gate that morning—the mental fluctuation from Di Tian aimed precisely at her—was like a boulder dropped into a lake. The ripples it had stirred had yet to settle.

Why was Di Tian here? This question circled repeatedly through her mind. The core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, especially him, should be under the strictest indirect surveillance of the Spirit Pagoda and every major force, shouldn't he? Even if he infiltrated in disguise, he should have kept an extremely low profile. How could he appear so... conspicuously at the entrance of an ordinary academy selling grilled fish? This completely contradicted Di Tian's usual cautious, even conservative style. It also did not fit the soul beasts' current major policy of "learning to integrate." Unless... something more urgent had forced him to come personally, even at the cost of exposing himself to a certain degree.

What had he discovered? Was his target me, or... Wulin?

At the thought of Tang Wulin, a trace of icy worry mixed into her irritation. Di Tian's appearance meant a variable, meant that the peaceful observation period she had so carefully maintained might be broken. If Di Tian noticed the secret inside Wulin's body... the consequences would be impossible to predict.

The bell for recess sounded like salvation. Na'er rose almost immediately, avoiding her classmates as she quickly made her way to a public communications booth in a secluded part of the school building. After closing the door and shutting out the noise beyond it, she took a deep breath and, with slightly cold fingertips, entered a complicated soul-guidance communication code she had memorized by heart.

After a brief waiting tone, the call connected. There was no sound from the other end, but she knew Gu Yue was listening.

"It's me." Na'er kept her voice low, yet it carried unquestionable certainty. "Di Tian is in the human world. I encountered him. In Aolai City." She stated it concisely, her heart beating a little faster in her chest.

However, the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

What would Gu Yue—the main body—think? Would she come here personally? If she came... with her personality and power, could the situation still be controlled? More importantly—

How did I forget?! Tang Wulin is here too!

The thought exploded like thunder. She had only thought of reporting the anomaly, instinctively avoiding this most crucial issue. The identity of Na'er was a "pure perspective" separated by the Silver Dragon King to observe humans, especially the special Golden Dragon King's God Core vessel. Meeting Tang Wulin, being adopted, and living together had been an accidental development outside the plan, yet one that had unfolded naturally. It had also become the "accident" she found hardest to explain and most wanted to hide.

How would Gu Yue view this "accident"? Would she think Na'er had been influenced by human emotions? Would she directly take action against Tang Wulin?

Her turmoil grew wildly like weeds. Her earlier worry, her current regret, the uncertainty of the future, and her faint fear of losing this ordinary yet warm life before her... all those emotions mixed together, suffocating her with irritation.

"Hmph. If you don't believe me, come see for yourself." In the end, she added stiffly into the communicator. Then, without waiting for a response from the other side, she quickly ended the call. Leaning against the booth's cold metal wall, she closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing, but achieved little.

During the following classes, she was even more unable to concentrate. The teacher's gaze swept over her clearly distracted face several times. Finally, after asking her a question and receiving no answer, the teacher stopped lecturing.

"Na'er," the teacher said, her voice carrying dissatisfaction and concern, "please stand up. Repeat the key point I just explained."

Na'er rose mechanically, her mind completely blank. Her purple eyes held only lingering irritation and confusion. She opened her mouth, but could not say a single word.

Whispers rose through the classroom. The teacher's brows furrowed even more tightly, and she began a serious lecture that made Na'er feel as though she were sitting on pins and needles. Those words about "paying attention in class" and "cherishing learning opportunities" sounded especially grating at that moment.

Ah—! So annoying! Just destroy everything!

An almost violent impulse flashed through her heart before she forcibly suppressed it. She lowered her head, silver hair falling to hide the side of her face. Only the hand beneath the desk quietly clenched, her nails nearly digging into her palm.

The sunlight outside remained bright, and time in the classroom flowed calmly onward. Yet in Na'er's world, dark clouds had already gathered, and a storm was approaching. On the other side of the city, in a high-end apartment, the sounds of gaming battles and laughter continued, as though they belonged to two entirely unrelated parallel worlds.