While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 1 Yan Di, step back and let me handle this!
Wu Tan City, Xiao Family.

"Nalan Yanran, today, it is not you who is announcing the engagement, but I, Xiao Yan, who is divorcing you! From this day forward, you will have no further connection with my Xiao family!"

Xiao Yan roared and flung the letter of divorce in his hand. The paper drew a sharp arc in the air and finally landed at Nalan Yanran's feet.

"You...you dare to divorce me?!" Nalan Yanran's pretty face turned pale, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Get lost. See you at Yunlan Sect in three years!" Xiao Yan said coldly.

boom!
The Xiao family's gates slammed shut, and Nalan Yanran and her entourage left in anger.

Inside the hall, Xiao Yan clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood, but he was completely unaware of it.

"Xiao Yanzi, don't take it too hard." At this moment, a clear voice came.

Xiao Yan looked up and saw a familiar face—Lu Yu, the son of a guest elder of the Xiao family, with whom he had been friends since childhood.

The young man wore a dark blue robe, his figure was tall and slender like a pine tree, his black hair was casually tied up with a silver ribbon, and a few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead, which made his eyebrows and eyes look like a painting, and he was handsome and charming.

Lu Yu patted his shoulder and laughed, "She's just an arrogant woman. Three years from now, I'll accompany you to fight your way into the Yunlan Sect and let her know what regret is."

Xiao Yan smiled wryly: "Brother Lu, I'm not even a Dou Zhe yet, how can I fight her?"

“Who says it can’t?” A profound glint flashed in Lu Yu’s eyes. “If you want to, you definitely can.”

……

Not long after, at the back mountain of the Xiao family.

Xiao Yan and Lu Yu sat side by side on a large blue rock, several empty wine jars scattered at their feet. The night breeze was cool, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, but it could not dispel the melancholy between the young man's brows.

"Brother Lu, tell me... am I really ruined?" Xiao Yan tilted his head back and gulped down a mouthful of strong liquor. His throat burned, but it couldn't compare to the bitterness in his heart.

Lu Yu shook the wine jar in his hand, his gaze fixed on the undulating mountain shadows in the distance, and chuckled, "Little Yanzi, do you believe that some people are destined to soar to great heights?"

"Heh..." Xiao Yan gave a self-deprecating twitch of his lips, "What kind of trash can't even retain his Dou Qi? How can he fly?"

Before he finished speaking, a sudden gust of cold wind arose!
"Tsk tsk tsk, two little kids, in the middle of the night, being so sentimental?"

An aged laugh suddenly exploded in their ears. Xiao Yan's hair stood on end, and he jumped to his feet: "Who?!"

A phantom-like, aged figure slowly emerged, its white hair flowing, its face kind yet exuding an indescribable majesty. Most astonishingly, this figure was suspended in mid-air!
"Finally, Elder Yao has appeared!"

Lu Yu cried out inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, protecting Xiao Yan behind him.

"Brother Yan, step back. This old guy is obviously not simple. I'll hold him off. You go and get reinforcements from the family!"

The old man, completely unconcerned by Lu Yu's wariness, floated closer with a smile, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two: "Not bad, not bad. One is born with powerful soul force, the other is loyal and righteous. Both are rare talents..."

Lu Yu cautiously shielded Xiao Yan behind him, preventing him from getting any closer to Yao Lao, and asked with feigned caution, "Just who are you, senior?"

"I am Yao Chen," the old man stroked his beard and smiled. "You may call me Elder Yao."

Just as Lu Yu was about to speak, a piercing mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind:
[Ding! High-level energy body detected!]

[Future Simulator Activated...]

[Buzzing... Plane coordinate shift... Timeline shift...]

[Locked Dimension: The Main Dimension of the Great Thousand Worlds]

[Ding! The host has one simulation opportunity remaining. Do you wish to begin the simulation?]

"What? I'm already a Seven-Star Dou Zhe, and this cheat is only just coming?"

Lu Yu's pupils widened suddenly. Suppressing his excitement, he took a deep breath and quietly moved aside, revealing Xiao Yan behind him.

He immediately thought to himself, "I won't turn it on."

Seeing Lu Yu suddenly change his posture, Yao Chen's eyes flashed with a hint of amusement: "What, are you no longer on guard against me?"

Lu Yu remained calm and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "So it is Venerable Medicine in person. I had heard of your name while chatting with Xun'er, and I apologize for my rudeness."

Xiao Yan was startled upon hearing this: "Master Yao?"

"The little boy has quite a bit of knowledge." Yao Chen stroked his long beard, a hint of shame appearing on his aged face: "To be honest, the fighting spirit that Xiao boy has inexplicably dissipated over the past three years was actually absorbed by this old man."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply, and his fists clenched instantly, his knuckles making a "crackling" sound.

Lu Yu keenly sensed the change in his emotions and took a half step forward without making a sound, standing between Xiao Yan and Yao Chen.

“However…” Yao Chen’s gaze fell on Xiao Yan, and he suddenly straightened his robes solemnly. “I am Yao Chen, a peak eighth-grade alchemist. Today, I wish to accept you as my disciple as compensation. I wonder…”

"You old bastard!" Xiao Yan suddenly sprang to his feet, his eyes bloodshot as he lunged at Yao Chen. "Do you even know how I've been these past three years?!"

Lu Yu swiftly grabbed Xiao Yan's wrist and hissed, "Brother Yan!"

Yao Chen neither dodged nor evaded, letting Xiao Yan's fist pass through his illusory body, and sighed, "Indeed, I have failed you..."

"Your master?" Xiao Yan laughed angrily. "Who would acknowledge you as their master..."

"Brother Yan!" Lu Yu suddenly raised his voice, increasing the pressure on his hand. "Think about it calmly. What does a peak eighth-grade alchemist mean?"

Xiao Yan's struggling movements suddenly froze.

Seeing this, Yao Chen immediately took out a scroll that glowed with a blue light: "This is the recipe for Foundation Establishment Elixir, which can help you quickly restore your cultivation. In addition..."

He took out another jade slip, "This contains a low-level cultivation technique. Consider it my gift to you, young man Lu."

Lu Yu took the cultivation manual, patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder, and said softly, "Brother Yan..."

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, the anger in his eyes gradually replaced by reason. He stared intently at Yao Chen and said, word by word, "I want to become stronger, strong enough that I will never let anyone bully me again!"

Yao Chen nodded with satisfaction: "Good! With my guidance, let alone Nalan Yanran, even destroying the Yunlan Sect will not be a difficult task."

"From this day forward, you will be my last disciple, Yao Chen!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a clear and melodious voice suddenly came from not far away.

"Brother Yu!"

The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl in a purple dress gracefully walking across the rocks under the moonlight. The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with skin as white as snow, and beautiful features. Her long black hair was simply tied up with a purple ribbon, which fluttered gently in the night breeze.

“It’s Xun’er…” Xiao Yan said in a low voice, his expression somewhat complicated.

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Yu's eyes, then he smiled gently: "Xun'er, why are you coming to the back mountain so late?"

Xun'er landed lightly on the boulder, her gaze lingering for a moment on Yao Chen's illusory figure, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes: "I saw that Brother Yu and Brother Xiao Yan haven't returned late at night, and I'm a little worried..."

Yao Chen looked at Xun'er with great interest, then suddenly exclaimed softly, "What pure bloodline power..."

Xun'er's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and she subconsciously moved closer to Lu Yu. Lu Yu noticed her unease and gently took her hand: "Don't be afraid, this is the Medicine Venerable, who just accepted Brother Yan as his disciple."

Xun'er relaxed slightly, but the wariness in her eyes had not completely disappeared. She bowed to Yao Chen: "Junior Xiao Xun'er greets Senior."

Yao Chen smiled meaningfully: "No need for formalities. It's getting late, you should go back and rest. I've just woken up and need some time to recover, so I won't keep you any longer."

Lu Yu bowed in agreement and gently tugged at Xun'er's sleeve: "Let's go, I'll take you back."

Immediately, the three of them walked slowly down the mountain path. Xun'er hesitated several times before finally whispering as they were about to part, "Brother Yu, that Medicine Venerable... you must be careful."

Lu Yu smiled calmly and said gently, "Xun'er, don't worry, I have my reasons." He then naturally took her hand, "But you, your hands are so cold in the heavy night dew."

Xun'er's pretty face flushed slightly, but she didn't pull her hand away: "Since Brother Yu helped me regulate my meridians, I've felt much better..." Her tone carried a hint of sweetness that was hard to detect.

Lu Yu's gaze softened. In this life, because of his intervention, Xiao Yan and Xun'er were no longer bound by the bond of nurturing their meridians. On the contrary, after spending more than a decade together, the way this ancient clan's young lady looked at him had long since changed.

"We've arrived." Xun'er stopped in front of the boudoir, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and whispered in Lu Yu's ear, "That Medicine Venerable is no ordinary person. If you encounter any trouble, Brother Yu, you must tell me."

Having said that, without waiting for Lu Yu's reply, the girl in purple had already gracefully departed, leaving only a lingering fragrance.

Lu Yu watched the girl's disappearing figure, touched his nose, and muttered to himself, "How could I not know whether Elder Yao is good or not?"

"I originally wanted to hitch a ride on the coattails of the Yan Emperor and Yao Lao duo, but now that the cheat code is in hand, there's no need for that. Just maintain normal good relations."

……

(End of this chapter)