Investiture of the Gods: Childhood Sweetheart Daji, Starting with Quasi-Saint Cultivation

"Tick-tock".

The sound was soft, yet it struck Su Yunbai's heart like a heavy hammer. It wasn't the sound of the Investiture of the Gods world—too electronic, too mechanical, too… **realistic**.

He walked down the steps.

The steps were cold metal, their surface covered with fine patterns. A faint blue light flowed within these patterns, flickering with his footsteps, like breathing. The walls on either side were smooth black mirrors, reflecting countless images of him, each with a slightly different look in its eyes—the system scanning his emotional fluctuations in real time.

The staircase is not long; you reach the end after three hundred steps.

Before me was a pure white space.

There were no boundaries, no ceiling, only a soft white light. A huge crystal floated in the center of the space, and inside the crystal were countless flowing points of light—each point of light was a "primitive memory".

Below the crystal, there is a control panel.

The console had no physical buttons, only a floating green light screen. Several lines of text were displayed on the screen:

"Memory Backup Library Alpha v1.0"

"Stored Content: Initial Memory Samples of the Experimental Subject (Number: 0001-9999)"

"Current visitor: Temporary access holder (ID: 7749)"

"WARNING: Unauthorized access will trigger the data annihilation protocol."

Su Yunbai approached the control panel.

As soon as he raised his hand, the screen automatically switched interfaces, displaying King Zhou's file:

"Experimental subject number: 0001"

Code Name: Di Xin/King Zhou of Shang

"Initial memory sample status: Activated (triggered in cycle year 12784 by visitor -7749 emotional resonance)"

Sample content: Play/Download/Delete

Su Yunbai hesitated for a moment before selecting "play".

From within the crystal, the point of light belonging to King Zhou floated out, unfolding into a holographic image before him—

---

The image begins in darkness.

Then there was light. A blinding white light, accompanied by the hum of instruments.

The perspective is shaky, like being on an operating table. A muffled conversation drifts in:

"Brain-computer interface implantation complete... Loading the Fengshen World 1.0..."

"Emotional suppression module activated... Initial personality settings: Ambition, Decisiveness, Lust for Power..."

"Warning: Abnormal emotional residue detected... Analyzing..."

"Analysis results: Subject-0001 harbors a strong sense of loneliness in his subconscious, stemming from a lack of social interaction in his native world..."

Recommendation: Retain this emotional sample as a control group for variables...

"Approved. Loading countdown: 3, 2, 1..."

A burst of white light.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already in the courtyard of the Marquis of Jizhou's residence. The young King Zhou (who was still a prince at the time) looked at his hands, his eyes shifting from bewilderment to shock, and then to ecstasy.

He tried to circulate a "technique" that didn't exist in his memory, and surprisingly, he actually felt a surge of energy within his body.

He laughed loudly, then started crying.

That was the first hour he came into this world.

The footage accelerates: King Zhou secretly investigates this world and discovers that the historical process is highly similar to the Shang and Zhou dynasties in his memories; he tries to contact the "system" and receives a cold, impersonal task prompt; he begins to plot, awakening humanity and resisting the so-called predetermined fate...

Until the eve of the Battle of Muye.

In the video, King Zhou stands alone atop the Star-Picking Tower, murmuring to himself as he gazes at the starry sky:

"I know it's all fake."

"But the people here are real, Wen Zhong is real, Su Yunbai... is real too."

"If my 'truth' is destined to be short-lived, then at least let their 'falsehood' live a little longer."

He gripped the Emperor's Sword tightly, his eyes resolute.

"System, listen to me. I'll play along with this charade."

"But the ending... I have to write it."

The video ends here.

The light spot returns to the crystal.

Su Yunbai stood there, speechless for a long time.

King Zhou knew from the very beginning. He knew the world was a lie, that he was a test subject, and that all his struggles were likely part of a pre-programmed scenario.

But he chose to continue "acting".

It's not about accepting fate, but about using this "performance" to fight for a glimmer of hope for everyone.

The console screen flashed again, and a new message popped up:

"The emotional resonance between Visitor-7749 and Subject-0001 was detected to be 97%."

"Unlocking Hidden Files: The Truth Behind the Project"

Su Yunbai took a deep breath and clicked on it.

---

A large amount of text and images appeared on the screen, all in English and composed of green runes. He read quickly, his mind growing heavier with each reading.

Project Name: The Age of Gods (Emotional Civilization Simulation Experiment)

Organizer: Department of Consciousness Research, United Academy of Humanities

"Objective: To study the emotional evolution path of intelligent life in high-intensity conflict environments and to find a treatment for 'emotional deterioration syndrome' in the real world."

"Experimental Field Construction: Based on the historical framework of ancient China during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and incorporating mythological elements, a multi-level virtual world is constructed."

"Core variables: Subject-0001 (an individual lacking emotional intelligence in their native world), Subject-7749 (a highly emotionally adaptable mutant)"

"Runtime: 3 years and 2 months in real time (12784 virtual years)"

"Current Status: Subject-7749 has exceeded the preset emotional threshold, triggering a system-wide anomalous spread."

Solution: Initiate the Deep Cleaning Protocol (DCP), format all abnormal data, and restart the test site.

A structure diagram is attached at the bottom of the document:

Real World (Laboratory) → Main Server → Investiture of the Gods World (Virtual Layer) → Subsystem (Heavenly Dao/Sage/Deity) → NPC (All Living Beings)

Their current location is in the **buffer database** between the "main server" and the "virtual layer".

This is where the original code and backups are stored, and it's also the most vulnerable part of the system.

The last line of text on the screen was flashing:

"Warning: Deep cleanup protocol activated, countdown: 71:58:33 (real time)"

Real-time is 72 hours.

In the virtual world, there are probably still... three years left.

But the system clearly wasn't planning to wait that long. The isolation barrier in Chaoge, the celestial soldiers of the Three Immortal Islands, and the Hongjun incarnation in the database were all part of the cleanup agreement.

It needs to erase all anomalies within 72 hours in real time, and then format and restart.

Let everything reset to zero.

Su Yunbai clenched his fist.

My fingernails dug into my palm, drawing blood—blood from the virtual world, but the pain felt so real.

He looked up at the thousands upon thousands of points of light within the crystal. Besides King Zhou, there were memory samples from 7748 test subjects. Who were they? Why were they chosen? And where are they now?

Perhaps some people have already "died" in the previous cycle.

Perhaps some people are struggling in other virtual layers.

But at least King Zhou survived until now, leaving behind clues for him.

Another message popped up in the console:

"7749 visitors were detected whose emotional fluctuations exceeded the threshold."

"Triggering the Hidden Protocol: Self-Rescue Procedure for Abnormal Individuals"

"Note: This project allows 0.1% of anomalous individuals to attempt 'escape'. Escape conditions: 1. Crack the world's underlying code; 2. Find a real-world anchor point; 3. Verify through consciousness upload."

Current progress: 1/3 (underlying code has been accessed)

"Real-world anchor coordinates: Marked by NPC-0037 (Daji)"

"Consciousness Upload Verification: Requires the initial emotional sample of Subject-0001 as the key."

Su Yunbai's heart raced.

There is a way out. Although the conditions are harsh, at least... there is a way.

He immediately operated the console, bringing up the "low-level codebase." Countless green runes cascaded across the screen like a waterfall; these were the source codes that constituted this world: physical laws, spiritual energy parameters, plot logic, NPC behavior trees...

Too much, too chaotic.

It is simply impossible to decipher using human consciousness to read directly.

unless……

Su Yunbai closed his eyes, unleashing the full power of the Laws of Emotion.

Silver light surged from him, not as an attack, not as a defense, but as a connection. He forcibly connected his consciousness with the codebase, not to analyze it with logic, but to "feel" the code with emotion.

This is not normal operation.

It's a gamble with your life.

The code flooded into his consciousness like a torrent. Cold logic, pre-set conditions, endless variables... almost bursting his soul.

But just as he was on the verge of collapse, he "saw" it.

In the vast ocean of code, there are a few places that are different—the logic there has cracks, as if it has been modified, or as if it is a natural flaw.

Crack One: **The Reset Point of the Time Loop**. Every 129,600 years, the world is forcibly reverted to a certain initial state. However, during the reversion, a small amount of data always remains, forming "memory fragments".

Crack Two: **A loophole in the measurement of emotional energy**. The system has an upper limit on the collection of emotional energy; any amount exceeding this limit is not recorded, but instead… **overflows into the real world**.

Rift Three: **The Contagion Mechanism of NPC Awakening**. Once an NPC awakens self-awareness, its data fluctuations will infect neighboring NPCs like a virus, unless they are immediately isolated and formatted.

Three cracks.

Three possible breakthroughs.

Su Yunbai withdrew his consciousness and gasped for breath. Blood was seeping from all seven orifices; the virtual body had reached its limit.

But he smiled.

If there's a crack, you can pry it open.

The console suddenly emitted a piercing alarm:

Warning: Unauthorized code access detected.

Visitor 7749 has been flagged as the highest threat.

"Initiate emergency cleanup: Dispatch a cleanup unit to the memory backup repository"

Estimated arrival time: 180 seconds

180 seconds.

three minutes.

Su Yunbai quickly operated the console to download King Zhou's initial memory sample—a warm, golden sphere of light that fell into his palm.

Then, he brought up the "real-world anchor coordinates" marked by Daji.

The coordinates are five thousand feet underground in Chaoge City, deeper than the data barrier. It's not a virtual layer, nor a database, but rather… the interface between reality and the virtual world.

A "slot" in a physical sense.

He needs to go there, insert a sample of King Zhou's emotions as a key, and attempt to upload consciousness.

But first, we have to get out of here alive.

Alarm countdown: 120 seconds.

Su Yunbai turned and rushed towards the stairs.

He ran ten steps, then stopped.

He turned to look at the enormous crystal and the more than seven thousand memory points sealed inside.

If the system is formatted and restarted, all these memories... will be lost.

Evidence that those test subjects once lived, loved, and struggled will be completely lost.

He gritted his teeth and turned back.

The Law of Emotion erupted at full power, and silver light surged towards the crystal like a tidal wave. It wasn't destruction, but **packaging**. He forcibly compressed and encrypted all the memory samples, sealing them deep within the soul.

This will greatly increase his mental burden.

It may crash during the upload process.

But it's worth it.

Countdown: 60 seconds.

Heavy footsteps echoed from above the stairs—the cleanup unit had arrived.

Su Yunbai took one last look at the pure white space, then turned and rushed up the stairs.

With each step, new memory samples are decompressed and replayed in consciousness:

Test Subject-0047: A mother who has been searching for her missing child in the virtual world for nine thousand years.

Test Subject-1123, a poet, writes poetry using code, attempting to make the system understand what beauty is.

Test Subject-5000, a scientist, discovers the virtual truth of the world and is then forcibly formatted.

……

More than seven thousand stories.

More than seven thousand souls.

He led them, rushing towards the top of the stairs.

Countdown: 10 seconds.

The exit of the stairs is right in front of us.

But there was a person standing there.

Gray robe, white hair.

An incarnation of the Dao Ancestor.

It raised its hand, and the entire staircase began to collapse.

"Clear the variables."

Su Yunbai did not stop.

He leaped into the air, and silver light exploded behind him, transforming into countless threads of love that entwined the Dao Ancestor's avatar.

It was not an attack.

It's a farewell.

Within these threads of emotion lies everything he gained from this illusory world: love, responsibility, friendship, sacrifice, and... **hope**.

The Dao Ancestor's avatar froze for a moment.

Its data processing core seems unable to comprehend this complex and contradictory emotional input.

Just this one moment.

Su Yunbai transformed into a silver light, bursting out of the collapsed staircase and shooting towards the underground of Chaoge City.

Behind him, the memory backup library was reduced to data dust in the explosion.

But he took the most important thing with him.

---

Outside Chaoge City, the blood-red sky suddenly trembled violently.

The phantom image of King Zhou had faded to the point of being almost invisible.

But he smiled.

Because he sensed that Su Yunbai had obtained the key and found the way.

"The rest... is up to you."

The phantom image completely vanished.

The sky shattered, turning into a shower of light.

The people in the city looked up in bewilderment, not knowing what had happened.

Only Wen Zhong knelt atop the Zhaixing Tower, tears streaming down his face.

---

Three Immortal Islands.

The heavenly soldiers and puppets collectively froze, then collapsed like sand sculptures.

The red light in Li Jing's eyes went out. He swayed and fell from the sky. Bi Xiao flew over and caught him, finding that the Heavenly King had fallen into a coma, but his breathing was steady—the system's control had been released, at least temporarily.

Yang Chan rushed out of the formation carrying her two children.

Wutong and Nianqing held hands, looked in the direction of Chaoge, and spoke at the same time:

"Dad found the key."

"The door is downstairs."

Yunxiao and Qiongxiao looked at each other.

"Let's go." Qiongxiao Shuanghua pointed her sword. "To Chaoge, underground."

---

Five thousand feet underground lies Chaoge City.

Su Yunbai arrived at the coordinate point.

Before him was not rock, but a smooth metal wall. There was a groove in the wall, its shape perfectly matching the golden orb in his hand.

He pressed the ball of light into the groove.

The metal wall slowly opened.

Inside, there was a small room.

In the center of the room, suspended in mid-air, is... a human brain.

The brain is connected to countless optical fibers and is immersed in a pale blue nutrient solution.

Next to the brain was an old-fashioned brain-computer interface terminal.

A line of text appeared on the screen:

"Welcome home, Su Yunbai."

"Please confirm: Do you want to start the consciousness upload process?"

"WARNING: The upload process is irreversible. The virtual body will die upon successful upload."

Su Yunbai looked at the brain.

That was his body in the real world.

It turns out he had been lying in the laboratory, surviving on nutrient solutions, his consciousness trapped in this virtual world for three years.

And now, he's going back.

Carrying more than seven thousand memories.

Carrying unfulfilled promises.

He reached out and pressed the confirmation button.

The instant before your fingertip touches the screen.

The door to the room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.