Chapter 218

My name is Su Lin; my physical age, excluding cultivation seclusion, is about twenty-three.

I'm temporarily residing in the chief professor's villa of the Silver Hand's Southern Continent headquarters, unmarried.

I am a cultivator, also serve as a Light God, and occasionally act as a spell instructor; these past few days I've been teaching until 6 p. m. every day before returning home.

I don't smoke, and I drink alcohol only in sips.

I sleep at six a. m. and wake at seven a. m., requiring exactly one hour of sleep daily.

Before sleeping, I cultivate for eleven hours, never postponing cultivation progress to the next day.

Psychologist Audrey says I'm perfectly normal.

"I reiterate once more: I am not ill."

Su Lin was packing his belongings in his room; he had stayed in this world long enough, and the chaos he'd caused on a whim had been largely resolved.

After this period of self-cultivation and tempering, he felt it better to reduce unnecessary karmic ties.

"My past self was terrible; my present self is a new me."

"My present self seeks only the Dao."

Indeed, what could be more important than the Dao?

Even if a crowd had blocked the way to his room, Su Lin could swear he had shed all base desires.

"You don't even use historical projection to slack off when cleaning or packing!" Kleen glanced at Su Lin's packed items and said, "You still claim you're not ill."

"I was merely too lazy before," Su Lin's expression remained unchanged, his face still wearing that faint smile. "Every movement, every pause, is part of nature. How can one perceive the essence of heaven, earth, and all things if one becomes too detached from reality?"

"Can I have the Gundam? After all, you're fully devoted to the Dao now," Lu Mingfei asked.

"Of course. That kind of external object holds no use for me." Su Lin considered it, then added, "It serves no real purpose—it's completely abnormal!" Lu Mingfei clapped his hands in conclusion.

Now, Su Lin felt like someone who'd just passed Labor Day—last week, he was still slacking off with you, same desk partner, same buddy, but suddenly he transformed: no more passing notes in class, no more going to internet cafes after school, studying seriously at home on weekends.

Though I know this is a good thing, it's like someone hit fast-forward—I can't understand the plot anymore.

"Snap out of it, Lao Su! The real you is the one lying in the historical fissure playing games, using historical projection to clean, commute, and even eat deceptive meals made of projections, waiting all day for entertainment to come to you!" Lu Mingfei clenched his fist, covering his mouth—Su Lin's current words and actions were too normal, too serious, too nauseating.

"The me of yesterday is not me; the me of tomorrow is not me; only the me of today is me," Su Lin showed no emotional reaction to Lu Mingfei's outburst, instead advising, "The path of cultivation is also the path of cultivating the heart and body."

"Senior Su Lin," Song Shuhang stepped forward and said, "What are your thoughts on Senior Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan's claim of defying heaven to alter fate, only to abruptly end his live stream during the capture of the Fallen Heart Flame at Jianan Academy and vanish without a trace since?"

"Really?" Su Lin showed a puzzled expression, then apologized, "Sorry, I haven't paid much attention to group chats lately—everyone's just chatting about daily life."

Su Lin thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan encountered some unexpected situation. I hope he's safe."

"No wonder you're Senior Su Lin," Song Shuhang stepped aside and whispered to Lu Mingfei, "This is serious!"

"Don't worry—I've already abandoned that cultivation method," Su Lin smiled. He heard Song Shuhang's voice clearly. "This misfortune turned into fortune—I'm just right now."

"Do you have anything else? If not, come with me to discuss cultivation with Zhongli and White Zunzhe."

"It may greatly benefit each of our cultivations."

"Sure," Song Shuhang agreed, then immediately changed his mind: "No, we'll just stroll around this world."

"Alright, stay safe," Su Lin nodded, finished packing, and walked toward the door.

After Su Lin left, Song Shuhang hesitated and said, "Actually, I think Senior Su Lin like this is fine—isn't this maturity?"

"You've still interacted with him too little," Lu Mingfei's body emitted a transparent phantom—Old Lu, after his cooldown ended—shaking his head. "To others, this is maturity; to him, it's corruption."

Kleen pulled a cane from the historical projection, transforming into the form of Dorn Tange, and smiled.

"Let me put it this way: in other worlds, our information manifests as various works, and Su Lin is a character in one such book."

"Now that he's like this, every future day will be written as: today he cultivated this, tomorrow he cultivated that, the day after he realized this—"

"I get it—then this book will be abandoned," Song Shuhang slammed his right fist into his left palm, suddenly understanding. "So, to save Su Lin and save the struggling author of this world, we must guide Su Lin back to the right path."

"Exactly—he should thank us!" Lu Mingfei nodded seriously.

Even this Su Lin will surely travel to other worlds in the future, won't he?

So only we went through the chaos phase, and everyone else will only meet Gentleman Su?

No—absolutely not. The entire multiverse cannot allow such a serious Su Lin!

——————

In the empty courtyard, the shade of trees blanketed the ground, deepening its quietude. In one corner stood a pavilion, where three sat.

Since awakening, Zhongli had only spent two days regulating his breath before fully recovering.

Great peril holds great fortune; having survived that peculiar state, Zhongli gained deeper insight into spiritual and physical contamination, and began to perceive the foundational logic of cosmic laws.

Whether related to the group chat or not, despite enduring the dual contamination of the Primordial Fallen Goddess, He retained partial clarity until Su Lin absorbed all contamination.

After returning, Zhongli planned to thoroughly digest this experience. His cultivation speed was nearing its limit—his prior accumulation had accelerated his growth along the Immortal Path before becoming an Immortal, but now, things would differ.

Speaking of which, though called Immortal, one is merely a stronger cultivator.

After witnessing a broader world, the true concept of "Immortal" had become Zhongli's goal.

"Today's gains were abundant—thank you both," Su Lin lifted a jade-green teacup and drank the last sip.

"No need for formalities between us," Zhongli smiled warmly, placing a jade slip on the table and pushing it forward with two fingers. "Take this. After returning, try cultivating it—it supplements Gu Tianwang's method. Even if you abandon that technique later, it will help solidify your Nascent Soul stage."

"Thank you," Su Lin picked it up, glanced at it, stored it in his storage pouch, and rose to leave—efficient, no pleasantries.

Since his recent breakthrough, Su Lin had become this efficient, no-nonsense type.

"Seven Emotions Tea is harmless and even nourishes the soul—excellent for both of us," White Zunzhe lifted his purple clay teapot, examining it. "But do not cultivate within twelve hours after drinking—it will unconsciously release suppressed or deep-seated emotions."

"The three souls and seven spirits carrying past experiences will stir emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, making one more emotionally volatile."

"I still have some seeds, and earlier in the Nautical World, I found suitable soil to grow some, combined with Han Li's spiritual fluid and your authority—this rare treasure was quickly produced."

"With his current decisive nature, he'll begin cultivating immediately upon returning."

"With your luck, you may have already been preparing for today," Zhongli smiled faintly, refilling his and White Zunzhe's cups. "Tea has eight difficulties, seven emotions, six flavors, five natures, four energies—tasting more is always better."

"Perhaps," White Zunzhe's lips curved slightly. "With the revised technique, we can accumulate his awakened emotions without affecting his cultivation."

"But we still lack a trigger to ignite his instinct—and we still don't know what instinct he's most easily stirred by."

"I'll take care of this." Kleine stepped out from the empty air beside him, removing his hat in a greeting gesture.

Zhongli condensed a jade cup, filled it with Seven Emotions Tea, and sent it floating to Kleine's hand. "What are your plans?" he asked.

"For now, I'll keep it secret." Kleine maintained his smile, but his eyes carried an indescribable tone.

"One thing to note: due to accumulated emotions and instincts, once ignited, he will become highly agitated for a short time. You'd best cool him down, or it may affect his divine soul."

"Understood."

————————

The next day

Kleine knocked on Su Lin's door.

"Su Lin, are you in?"

"Just a moment."

Not long passed before Su Lin opened the door; compared to yesterday, his aura was disordered.

Su Lin didn't know what was wrong—he felt strange all over, and his divination yielded only a bizarre answer.

Since he wore the Tianhe Battle Robe and had no remaining spirit stones, he dared to cultivate in this world, but after last night's cultivation, he sensed unusual changes in his body's twelve meridians.

It might be a good thing, for now.

"I was just about to teach the final class for the Knights' class. After that, I'll head home." Su Lin opened the door and asked, "What's up?"

"To thank you for your contributions to this world, I'd like to invite you to breakfast—you know, mealtable customs are our tradition." Kleine studied Su Lin and noticed his aura seemed restless; he nodded inwardly.

"Hmm, no problem."

After tidying up slightly and arranging for the Light God's avatar to take over, Su Lin and Kleine headed to a restaurant from the Southern Continent; light snow fell today.

Oat bread with milk, stewed lamb with peas, baked beans in tomato sauce, cold smoked meats, Dixi pies, black pudding

"This breakfast is a bit too lavish," Su Lin said with his faint smile. "In a year of great calamity, this is excessive."

"You're joking today." Kleine set his hat aside. "Luckily, I don't have carp with fried noodles here."

"Do you?" Su Lin noticed several dark loaves of bread in the bread basket; his eyes flickered. "Has the relief work nearly ended?"

"The war has stopped. All sides are restoring order steadily. Most wounded have survived; disaster victims received relief supplies; reconstruction is organized by national governments." Kleine broke the oat bread into pieces and soaked them in milk, then scooped up the softened bits with a soup spoon.

The rich aroma of milk and oats spread through his mouth; Kleine paused briefly to savor it before swallowing, then continued:

"Everything is moving in a better direction. I sincerely thank you."

"No need for thanks. My own gains have been substantial." Su Lin picked up a Dixi pie and placed it on his plate. "This experience has been invaluable to me—I've seen much and experienced much."

"But you—if possible, I hope you and Lu Mingfei will stand out more in daily life. You've probably noticed by now: standing out helps my cultivation."

"By the way, where are Lu Mingfei and Zhongli? And why isn't Bai Zunzhe or Song Shuhang joining us for breakfast?"

Kleine shook his head. "They have other matters."

After finishing the meal, Kleine led Su Lin out of the restaurant. Street vendors shouted; carriages rolled over cobblestones.

The noisy environment didn't disturb his inner analysis.

'Humans have roughly fifteen instincts, arising from needs: physiological needs, safety needs, emotional needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.'

'What can be attempted right now, in plain terms, is eating, drinking, and amusement—but eating and drinking only have limited influence.'

'This sort of thing should be studied by Young Lady Justice, but since it involves privacy, I won't trouble her.'

'Too bad Adam is still asleep. Better not to seek Adam—the Sequence Struggle hasn't ended; he doesn't yet belong to our side. We should remain wary of him.'

Kleine feigned thoughtfulness, paused for a moment, then said to Su Lin: "There's something I think you should know."

"What?" Su Lin stopped walking and turned to Kleine.

"Follow me. It won't take long." Kleine waved for Su Lin to follow.

Moments later, they reached the rooftop of a clock tower in an office building.

Snowflakes drifted from the sky, but the weather wasn't gloomy; the light snow would likely end soon.

"What is it?" Su Lin glanced around. The buildings of North Aulit County weren't tall—the tallest clock tower was only seven stories; most buildings were three stories or lower.

The architectural style favored red; most buildings carried a red hue. Standing atop the clock tower, the distant deep-red, palace-like structures looked embedded in the snow.

"Look there." Kleine summoned gray mist from the Source Fortress to mask his aura, pointing in a direction. "That park."

Su Lin followed Kleine's finger.

It was a park thick with greenery, but most plants wore a thin silver veil. A woman in a black evening gown strolled leisurely, holding a black umbrella, pausing occasionally to admire the park's architecture.

Her profile was exquisite, her facial lines smooth, expansive, and fluid. Her long black hair fell naturally over her shoulders and back; her golden eyes stood out sharply.

"Who's this? She's beautiful—why does she feel familiar?" Su Lin felt he'd seen her before. He sifted through his memory album, comparing one by one, and froze for several seconds.

Similar—but she's even more beautiful, and she doesn't have a magic wand.

"Holy shit! Lu?" Su Lin's emotions surged visibly, though only his facial expressions shifted slightly.

Su Lin looked again; his emotions calmed quickly, yet he remained puzzled. "What's going on? Did you trick him?"

Kleine nodded, then shook his head.

"He tricked himself. That old dragon."

"We notified him too late. He obtained a Sequence 7 potion from Tracie on his own, and with Old Lu's deliberate guidance—"

"You get it."

"Impressive." Su Lin nodded. He saw Lu Mingfei staring blankly at a statue. "Earlier I saw him as male—how did he change back?"

"Didn't he revert after mastering the City of Calamity and that Sequence One extraordinary characteristic?"

"That was a disguise. The ritual had issues—because she forcibly assimilated the City of Calamity. The details would take too long to explain." Kleine glanced at Su Lin, suspicious.

"What were you rummaging for in the Historical Gap?"

"A camera and a sailor suit." Su Lin cut himself off, pulling his hand out immediately. "Sorry, just joking."

Kleine observed Su Lin and found his expression normal, as calm and detached as ever. He pressed down his hat slightly and said:

Under the interference of the Source Fortress, she can revert to male tomorrow, provided no Potion of the Assassin Path Sequence 7 or higher, or any Divine Characteristic, appears near her.

"Why is that?" Su Lin asked.

"She has an uncontrollable Sequence Aggregation effect. Though it has been greatly weakened and controlled, she still inevitably draws these things toward her," Kleine explained, his gaze fixed on Lu Mingfei, who sat on the bench, head tilted up toward the sky.

"What happens if she accidentally aggregates them?" Su Lin asked calmly.

"Let me think," Kleine seemed to be recalling, "Probably the duration will extend. A Sequence 7 Potion might extend it by about a week. But don't worry—I specifically divined it. This city has no related Relics and no Ascended of the Assassin Path."

"Uh, Su Lin, what are you doing?"

Su Lin leaned his upper body out the windowsill, slowly turned his head, wearing a strange smile, baring his teeth, eyes darting away.

"Oh no, I just slipped and dropped the Potion you gave me earlier."

"It shouldn't matter much—it's only a week anyway."

"Hahahaha!"

Kleine glared at him, turned, and leaned against the wall, his hat completely obscuring his face.

"All you know is eating, drinking, and fun—that's the bait, the entertainment."

Kleine's voice was muffled and indistinct, blocked by his hat.

"What bait? What eating and drinking?" Su Lin frowned, idly pulling a bag of chips from the Historical Gap. He suddenly realized something was wrong—how had he exposed his true self in such a dangerous world?

He immediately dove into a patch of light within the Historical Mist, leaving behind a Historical Projection in the outside world.

"Hey, Old Zhou, your true self is in this Gap too? Make room for me," Su Lin said, watching Kleine lying on a lounge chair, a formal coat draped over his head.

"You didn't tell me this sooner? You're treating me like an outsider?"

"I took photos on my phone. Let's develop them and each take one?"

"Still, it's strange that Lu Mingfei didn't bother you—did he already, and I just don't know?"

"If it were me, I'd shove you into a Witch's Potion bath. I wonder if your Witch form looks like Melissa's. Your base is perfect for a literary girl style."

"Hmm, add Amon, and the three of you could debut as a girl group. Hahaha~~."

"Old Zhou, is your true self asleep?"

In the real world outside the Historical Mist, Kleine lifted his hat from his face and sighed helplessly. "Maybe we don't need the Seven Emotions Tea or any cultivation technique at all."

He threw the hat out the window, where it flew into the distance.

Su Lin stepped forward, yanked off the black tailcoat covering Kleine's head, and asked in confusion, "What Seven Emotions Tea? What are you—"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Where's your brother, Young Lady?"

Beneath the torn clothing lay a girl with pale, lustrous skin, wearing a man's shirt, her face marked by several transparent wriggling worms.

"You should know—I don't agree with Lu Mingfei's proposal. Though I'm not the primary culprit, this situation did arise because of me," Kleine said, emotionless.

"And you, my friend, are the hero of this world."

"So my initial thought was to bear this punishment alone, silently."

"But now that you've discovered our secret—and just now, you decisively threw your own bottom line out the window—we no longer have any guilt to carry."

"Pretty, isn't it?" She blinked, offering Su Lin a doll-like stiff smile. "You can too."

Su Lin returned to his previous demeanor, as if nothing mattered—he pulled out his phone and took several photos of Kleine.

"One, two, three—cheese~."

Then Su Lin switched to selfie mode, striking a "V" sign alongside Kleine. "I don't think Lu Mingfei can corrupt me. Even the Mother of Corruption can't affect my true self."

The sound of a tram running echoed through the surrounding Historical Mist; buildings of wildly different styles gradually overlapped and merged with reality.

"Aura-chan~~~!" Su Lin waved toward the approaching tram, seeing Lu Mingfei tuck away his black umbrella and step aboard.

Swish-swish-swish—

The tram accelerated and vanished at incredible speed.

"Hey, where'd she go?"

"Heaven intends to destroy someone, first it drives them mad," Kleine said, lying on the lounge chair, his figure fading into the mist around him—here, only a Historical Projection remained.

Su Lin froze, then widened his eyes—he realized his Divine Avatar of the God of Light, moments ago teaching at the training ground, now found itself surrounded by shadowy houses and gray mist.

Streets rapidly materialized, the ground paved with iron-black tracks, each lined with long, parallel wires.

Horns blared, wheels rolled along the rails, wind howled—and a tram emerged from the gray mist, blurry at first, then sharply clear.

The tram halted beside Su Lin. A humanoid monster, covered in dragon scales, wearing a traditional conductor's uniform, spoke with a human voice.

"Captain, the train is ready."

"Childish," Su Lin said coldly, staring at the opaque windows of the carriage. "My avatar can be dismissed anytime. Gender differences exist—have your fun. I'm leaving."

Men and women think differently. Su Lin planned to hold a farewell ceremony for Kleine and Lu Mingfei's male identities using his Historical Projections and the dolls once he returned.

He'd already prepared the speech: "Today we gather here to honor our dear brother."

Hmm? Su Lin frowned—he realized his avatar could not be dismissed.

'How is this possible?'

The moment the thought arose, a cluster of transparent worms crawled out from beneath the train, roaring together, coalescing beneath a cloak-like Relic, whispering.

"Did you forget? Your Historical Projection is a Seer Path ability. I am the Fool."

"You may sever your consciousness and leave—but this avatar must remain. I need to take a photo with her."

Su Lin pulled out a monocle and placed it over his right eye, praising, "Impressive. Very impressive."

He had to admit—these two had used the Source Substance to devise such a boring scheme. Utterly childish. Su Lin refused to associate with them.

He condensed a beam of light into a sword and thrust it toward the sky. As the wildly different cities and gray mist trembled, pure white, holy light struck the false heavens, rippling the void.

"Genesis of Light!"

Soon after, the training ground of the Silver Hand.

The students had already left early; the earth had split open a bottomless fissure, and Su Lin's Light God "avatar" crawled out miserably from underground, his upper body propped on a floor like a "cliff."

"I'm not playing with you two."

"As long as I reach that place, as long as I get to the surface, this avatar of mine can dissipate and return to history."

As Su Lin muttered, he tried to push himself up and flip over, but those two things had brought the "Brass Book of Trenzostor" to ban flight.

Luckily, I ran fast enough—my true body will arrive soon to retrieve the Divine Persona.

"The final victor will surely be me, Su Lin ryyy!"

"Is there something to be happy about?" A familiar voice rang out.

"Uh…" Su Lin's Light God avatar's laughter abruptly stopped; he looked up ahead.

A figure clad in a classical black mage robe, wearing a tall soft hat, sat on a chair, watching Su Lin's "climbing" with interest.

"Anduin," Su Lin struggled to speak.

Amon rubbed his right eye socket and adjusted the position of his monocle.

"I heard the Holy Knight class dismissed early. Hmm, unexpectedly I sensed the aura of the Source Altar and Catastrophe here."

"It seems something interesting happened."

"Are you returning to history? Let me pull you up."

He grinned, revealing a row of neat, white teeth, his smile exaggerated, his gaze mocking.

If I returned to history in front of Amon, this Divine Persona fragment would surely be stolen.

"No, I can get out myself." Su Lin tried to scramble out of the abyss, pushing with his upper body and kicking hard against the rocks—next moment—

He found himself back in the exact same state.

"Hey," Su Lin's eyelids twitched wildly; a bad premonition came over him. "You… aren't your true body, are you?"

Amon walked up to Su Lin, looking down at him, and laughed. "What's wrong, Lord of Light?"

"Anduin."

"Hmm?"

"Mr. Error, if you keep doing this, I'll get angry." Su Lin glanced at the gray mist surging below and the Xiong Xiong flames, growing increasingly flustered.

"Interesting—this fissure has rule-based power. Quite dangerous." Amon grabbed Su Lin's hand to pull him out. "Don't rush—I'll help you right away."

He lifted Su Lin; just as Su Lin's foot was about to touch the ground, Amon's other hand plucked off Su Lin's monocle from his right eye socket, then released his grip and gave him a shove.

"Good thing you're safe, monocle."

Although he never had any expectations of Amon to begin with,

"You bastards!!!"

Pure white light flared again—but this time, members of the Silver Hand headquarters felt the presence of a deity descending, and reverently bowed toward the blazing pillar of light.

That afternoon.

"Perfect! This adventure has been perfect~~~"

Lu Mingfei, restored to his male form, whistled as he entered a pavilion within the villa.

"Su Lin, your Divine Persona." Lu Mingfei grinned and handed it over. "Don't just leave such a precious thing lying around—what if Amon happened to pick it up?"

"Thanks a lot," Su Lin forced a smile.

Song Shuhang froze instantly. Lu Mingfei was right—Su Lin really did have to thank them. It seemed Su Lin himself disliked that overly serious style. Too bad—that kind of senior's aura was so impressive.

"I'm glad to see you restored," Zhongli sipped his tea. "But could you explain how you regained it?"

"Who knows?" Su Lin summoned a new historical projection, shoved the Divine Persona into it, and stepped back into the historical fissure.

Su Lin's Light God avatar said: "Anyway, I don't really know."

He used a Using Cross-World rune to open a portal and stepped through first.

Post first, revise later.

Apologies added—felt splitting them up in the morning wasn't right, so merged them into tonight's post.

The Mystery Arc is temporarily over. How to say it? I wanted to summarize, but I have to work tomorrow, so I'll put it off for now.

As always, thank you all for your support!

Nothing to offer in return, only—

Bam! Bam! Bam!!!

(End of Chapter)