Chapter 12: Fantasy Appears in Reality: Holder of Multiverse Character Templates

Hangcheng No. 3 Middle School.

“Heaven and Earth Sword! Wang Quan Sword Intent!”

“Did you obtain the Wang Quan Sword? Or did you assimilate the template of someone from the Wang Quan family who can wield the Heaven and Earth Sword?”

Zhang Yu finally couldn’t hold back and shouted out, his voice trembling with disbelief.

The image of that sword strike kept replaying in his mind, his expression utterly uncontrollable.

No wonder Ye Xuan told him to guess boldly—he hadn’t awakened a power at all, but had obtained a Multiverse Artifact. But who the hell could guess that? That’s a Multiverse Artifact!

How many Multiverse Artifacts are known to exist across all of Daya and the entire world? Even combined, fewer than ten thousand people among billions have obtained them.

And most of those are easily identifiable artifacts like Devil Fruits.

Ye Xuan obtained a Multiverse Artifact—and possibly even a Multiverse Template, something only Zhong Lao of Daya is known to possess. It’s simply unimaginable.

Zhang Yu’s voice was loud and emotional; those around him heard it. Students who had been stunned turned to look at Ye Xuan, their gazes filled with awe, envy, and even a touch of jealousy.

“Multiverse Artifact. So that’s it!”

“No wonder that sword strike was so powerful—it’s the power of a Multiverse Artifact!”

“Heaven and Earth Sword… Wang Quan?”

“I didn’t feel anything from the news, but now that this kind of power stands before us, I suddenly feel a little fear for the future.”

“If someone with a Multiverse Artifact turns evil against humanity, can we really resist?”

Their words grew deeper, their expressions slowly turning hazy.

They weren’t unaware of the changing times—if they were, why would they wear outfits of their favorite anime characters, speak their lines, and mimic them all day?

But compared to the near-impossible prospect of obtaining templates of their favorite characters, they mostly just let themselves relax and enjoy themselves.

After all, they were students—students who had endured the brutal high school entrance exam and would soon face the even more brutal college entrance exam. They knew better than anyone how minuscule the odds were of obtaining a Multiverse Artifact or a Multiverse Template.

They harbored fantasies, but also had self-awareness.

Although some at school had awakened powers, since those powers were weak, even if they were envious, they could still accept it.

The times had changed, but for them, the change hadn’t been that great.

But now, when the power from their fantasies truly appeared before their eyes, they were stunned to realize what this changing era truly meant.

It was power beyond human limits, the helplessness of being weak, the refusal to accept one’s own mediocrity, an unprecedented upheaval for everyone.

They had no conceptual understanding before because they had never seen or felt this power far beyond humanity. Now that they had seen it, they understood their own weakness beneath it—and unconsciously, they yearned for such strength.

Not for any other reason—just to feel a little safer.

Time passed slowly. On the playground, chatter gradually faded. Under the teacher’s guidance, the students returned to their classrooms and resumed lessons.

The teacher said nothing about the earthquake, the appearance of the “mutant rats,” or Ye Xuan’s displayed power—just taught as usual, as if nothing had happened.

Yet Ye Xuan could still clearly sense the change in the eyes of his classmates and even his teacher toward him.

This change wasn’t good or bad—but Ye Xuan didn’t like it.

He had assumed that in this special era, revealing his power would only bring pure envy and jealousy. But now it seemed they hadn’t fully accepted the changes brought by the return of spiritual energy and dimensional invasion.

For power beyond their understanding, and for those who wielded it, they still instinctively felt alienation.

Was it because too few people had obtained Multiverse Artifacts? Or because the mutant creatures were too weak?

Was that why they still hadn’t grasped the future direction of this era?

After school, Ye Xuan, Chen Hao, and Zhang Yu walked together to the school gate, backpacks on their shoulders.

“For some reason, I have this feeling you won’t be coming to school anymore.”

Zhang Yu stared at the sunset and suddenly spoke.

His tone carried a touch of melancholy; the atmosphere around them grew quiet.

The last rays of the sunset fell upon them, stretching their shadows long.

“What? Is the school expelling Ye Xuan?”

“It’s just some peeling paint—I’ll pay to fix it, isn’t that enough?”

Chen Hao first looked at Zhang Yu in confusion, then seemed to understand, his tone tinged with annoyance as he turned to comfort Ye Xuan:

“Ye Xuan, don’t worry—it’s just a small thing. I’ll call my dad. A little paint? What’s there to argue about?”

“Hawkeye, you fucking—”

“Sometimes I really want to kill you.”

Zhang Yu glared at Chen Hao, his fists clenched until they cracked.

He had wanted to have a deep, cinematic conversation—he’d even set the mood—and Chen Hao ruined it with one sentence.

“Didn’t you say it yourself?”

Chen Hao looked utterly baffled. He’d said it himself—why was Zhang Yu blaming him now?

Ye Xuan watched the two and couldn’t help laughing.

“Enough, you two. Stop messing around.”

“But I probably won’t come to school much anymore.”

“Not just me—you two might be the same.”

“Remember to protect yourselves.”

“If you run into serious trouble, let me know.”

Ye Xuan hadn’t expected something like this to happen the day after his system awakened. Life was unpredictable—he’d wanted to enjoy campus life properly.

But in the end, it was his own choice.

And it wasn’t just him—Chen Hao and Zhang Yu, as awakened power users, would surely be contacted after this.

Not just because of their powers, but possibly also because of him.

Though this sounds boastful, in Ye Xuan’s view, as the second “Multiverse Template” holder in Daya, he had this value.

On his way home, Ye Xuan bought some vegetables from a roadside stall.

Although he hadn’t started life as an orphan like other transmigrators, his parents had divorced long ago due to incompatibility; he hadn’t chosen to live with either. He’d never felt deeply connected to family as a child—living alone suited him better.

It was the same in his past life, and the same in this one.

As long as he had money, he’d never live poorly—and luckily, his parents never lacked it.

(End of chapter)