Rules of the Strange: I Became a God in a Bizarre World Through Taoist Arts

As Shen Xingzhuo finished speaking, Bai Xue's eyelashes trembled slightly inside the crystal coffin.

Her eyes slowly opened, and her deep blue pupils gradually focused.

It was as if a night that had been asleep for too long had finally ushered in its dawn.

Bai Xue's voice was a little hoarse, but her gaze toward Shen Xingzhuo was filled with almost devout tenderness.

"Thanks."

After a thousand words, all that remains is a simple "thank you".

Shen Xingzhuo looked at her, smiled, and shook her head.

"It's good that you're awake."

The two girls smiled at each other.

All the suffering has passed, and the bright future awaits us with the arrival of snow.

In the rose garden, the last shadow faded.

Sunlight streamed through the crystal coffin, leaving behind shards of gold.

……

[Waaaaah, why do I always have to cry at the end of every ghost story?]

I really think Sister Shen is so gentle. Recounting Bai Xue's ordeal again would only hurt her, so Sister Shen chose not to.

But isn't this too much of an emotional decision? What if we fail?!

Have you noticed? The ghost stories Sister Shen visits are terrifyingly realistic! Like they actually happened! But… can her mind really handle such empathy?

[Add one more comment! Sister Shen always has to empathize deeply, and her emotions are constantly under high stress. To be honest, I'm really a little worried about her...]

Although both ghost stories have reached a conclusion, I still feel that the Chosen One should be a more rational man!

Is cerebellar atrophy still not cured?

[Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits! May all evil spirits attack those fools who harbor such thoughts!]

[Official account of the Zhuhua Alliance: Our chosen one, Shen Xingzhuo, has performed exceptionally well in the supernatural tales! There is absolutely no reason to discard someone once the rabbit is caught, or to discard them once the birds are gone! After analysis, the recent calls to replace the chosen one are logically abnormal, suggesting possible severe mental pollution. We urge the relevant spokesperson to immediately cease disseminating this information and undergo quarantine and investigation!]

[Strongly support the official stance!!!]

【My sister Shen is the best!!!】

The comments section was filled with heated arguments, and even included a lot of vulgar and offensive language.

Guan Shanyue, in the command room, had an icy expression and instructed his assistant, Xu, to immediately silence those people.

"After the last strange tale ended, thanks to Xingzhuo's talent, our country received the buff of spiritual energy revival."

Although the purification speed is limited, it will absolutely not cause spiritual pollution such as dividing people's hearts and minds...

Guan Shanyue tapped the table absently with his fingers, inwardly scoffing.

"Well done, Alliance of Nations... You dare to do this? Just wait for my revenge."

No matter how turbulent the real world is.

The ghost story is still ongoing.

A strange, chilling sound of settlement echoed through the rose garden.

[The Chosen One answered question 2 correctly.]

[Congratulations to Shen Xingzhuo, the chosen one of Tianxia Kingdom, for perfectly completing the supernatural tale - "The Sleepless Night at the Thorn Hotel"!]

[Chosen Ones are now receiving their completion rewards!]

[Perfect completion, double the national fortune reward, Tianxia Kingdom's national fortune +300!]

The current total national fortune value of Tianxia Kingdom is 365 points! The conditions for opening the 'National Fortune Exchange Shop' have been met!

Due to the unique nature of the national destiny exchange, the exchange shop can open at any time. The chosen ones can discuss exchange items with their nation's commander after returning to the real world.

[The Tianxia Kingdom has received a land purification reward, randomly purifying 50 fallen cities within its territory!]

[The Chosen One's Talent Reflection Rewards...]

At this point, the ghost story paused again in an unnatural way.

[Tianxia Kingdom's "Spiritual Qi Revival - Level 1" buff: Gained 365 experience points. Current progress (365/300)!]

The conditions for upgrading the buff have been met.

【"Spiritual Qi Restoration - Level 2":】

Every time the Chosen Ones of Tianxia Kingdom are in the midst of strange tales, they will purify the ghostly mists of reality at a rate of 10% per day!

There is a 1% chance that a "Spiritual Qi Spring" will appear in the completely purified city! The water from this spring can completely eliminate mental pollution!

Shen Xingzhuo's eyes lit up; this spring was indeed a good thing.

If you can bring the spring water into the ghost stories, it will greatly increase the success rate of ranking up the ghost stories!

The entire Tianxia Kingdom was in celebration, especially the members of the Huaxu Squad, whose faces were all beaming with joy.

But surprisingly, the rewards from this talent reflection event in the ghost story go far beyond these.

Congratulations to the chosen one, Shen Xingzhuo, for obtaining the "Bewitching Heart - Level 1" buff!

Whenever a chosen one encounters something supernatural, they will randomly gain 3-5 minutes of 'Mental Resistance,' resisting the mental pollution caused by the supernatural!

Shen Xingzhu tilted his head slightly. This ability was better than nothing.

However, she had a vague premonition that this ability would bring her a lot of trouble in the future.

She began to consider the possibility of changing this ability, but when she thought about how she had been targeted by ghost stories before, she immediately dismissed the idea.

[Chosen One Individual Points Calculation:]

Unlock all scenes in the Ghost Stories - Add 200 points;

Unlock and integrate all rules - add 300 points;

Complete two hidden tasks – earn 1000 points;

Achieve a perfect S-rank mystery clear - add 1500 points;

First S-rank perfect clear - 1000 points added;

Gaining the gratitude of the main personality, Snow White—add 500 points;

Other rewards can be combined to reach a total of 650 points.

Congratulations! Chosen One Shen Xingzhuo has earned a total of 5150 points for clearing this stage!

Points can be used to redeem eerie items; redemption can be done before each entry into or exit from the haunted house!

The Chosen One obtains the eternally mysterious item—the Key of Thorns—which can be used to open a 'Safe House' once per ghost story. The Chosen One can instantly teleport to the Safe House regardless of their location.

The Chosen One obtains a special item—the Crystal Heart (a replica craft). The necklace has 12 empty slots for inserting crystals. Each successful insertion grants the Chosen One a random new permanent ability.

[This ghost story features 12 NPCs, and the chosen one will receive 12 Mysterious Crystals. These Mysterious Crystals can be used to exchange for special items!]

[Detected that the Chosen One has completed Snow White's redemption, gaining 12 points of Pure Willpower! This will permanently increase 'Luck' by 5 points.]

[The Chosen One's personal attributes have been updated.]

[The rewards for completing this ghost story event have been distributed. The next challenge will begin in ten days.]

[The chosen one must make sure to adjust their state of mind within these ten days.]

Have a nice rest!

The sounds of ghost stories gradually faded into nothingness.

Boundless pure white light gently engulfed everything.

When Shen Xingzhuo opened her eyes again, she found herself in a pure white space.

Just like before I left last time.

She opened the points redemption shop.

The goods inside haven't changed much; she can still only afford the same few items.

Considering that the country needs to cultivate more talents who can enter the world of online ranking, Shen Xingzhuo bought 15 bottles of physical enhancement potions, 10 bottles of mental enhancement potions and 5 bottles of spirit enhancement potions this time.

Subtracting the corresponding points and adding the remaining 1700 points from last time, she now has a total of 3600 points remaining.

Unlocking the Mysterious Crystal exchange channel requires 5 points, and purchasing the Life and Death Blade requires 10 points...

Shen Xingzhuo suddenly realized that the daylight was just right, perfect for a tense and exciting negotiation.

She spoke in a languid voice, "I know you're watching me exchange items."

"Now that we're all alone, shouldn't we talk about the things you've been withholding from me?"

A surge of energy emanated from the air.

Sorry, system detection shows that no reward items were deducted from the chosen one.

It was stated with absolute certainty.

Shen Xingzhuo wasn't angry; he just gave a wicked smile.

"I didn't mention it was a reward item, you're just admitting it yourself."

The air froze for a moment, then fell silent.

"Strange tales of rules, built upon rules."

"If ghost stories themselves disregard the rules because they can't stand losing, can I then conclude that the rules are invalid?"

"Then please answer me. Without rules, can ghost stories still stand?"

These three short sentences directly hit the nail on the head regarding the essence of ghost stories.

This is why Shen Xingzhuo, even though he could have easily used Taoist magic to quell everything in the ghost stories, still followed the story's progress step by step.

As the old saying goes, in the strange tale of rules, the rules are both a spear and a shield.

Her question was very pointed.

Even those who believe in ghost stories cannot afford the cost of denying their own existence.

The air fell silent for a moment.

[The Chosen One Shen Xingzhuo's statement has been verified. A compensation reward is now being issued to the Chosen One...]

"etc."

Shen Xingzhu interrupted it.

"Since this is compensation or a reward, shouldn't you ask me what I want first?"

Ghost Story: Taking an Inch and Wanting a Mile!

It was internally complaining, but dared not say it aloud.

Fearing that Shen Xingzhuo would make exorbitant demands, the ghost tale could only patiently go along with her words.

What kind of compensation or reward does the Chosen One want?

Shen Xingzhu smiled and said, "Three conditions."

"1. If it's fake, I'll be compensated tenfold by exchanging the reward items that were previously withheld from me for points."

"2. Upgrade my shop once. I request that the Mysterious Crystal exchange channel be opened, and that I can open the shop at any time in the Mysterious Tales."

"3. Find some time to go and talk to my commander about the compensation that Tianxia Kingdom deserves."

The ghost story wanted to refuse, but the three conditions proposed by Shen Xingzhuo were reasonable.

It had no choice but to grit its teeth and accept it.

【OK. 】

A crackling sound rang out.

[We are now offering compensation for the mission losses to the chosen one, Shen Xingzhuo.]

In "The Sleepless Night at the Thorn Hotel", Shen Xingzhuo, the chosen one, lost two mission progress rewards and two hidden mission rewards.

Given that this ghost story is of S-rank difficulty, the reward level missed by the chosen one should be A-rank or higher.

Therefore, after being converted into 10 times the points, the chosen ones will be compensated...

35000 points!

Shen Xingzhuo tried hard to suppress the corners of her mouth.

I already have a certain judgment in mind.

The fact that the ghost story accepted her claim was not actually a very important matter.

The important thing was to let her know that the strange tales were not the will of Heaven, but rather that someone else was manipulating them behind the scenes.

Moreover, it is very likely that...

All of this happening in the interstellar space is just a game played by higher-dimensional beings.

For some countries, 35000 points might be an unearned sum, even if they were to perish. But for higher-dimensional beings, it's merely a speck of gold slipping through their fingers.

Shen Xingzhuo concealed his calculating gaze, and when he looked up again, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

The compensation for the losses has been paid out.

Will the chosen ones choose to return to reality?

The ghost story couldn't wait to send her away.

Shen Xingzhu smiled, and after purchasing a certain number of items with his points again, he selected "yes".

A feeling of weightlessness washes over you, as if you are enveloped by gentle seawater, like a baby returning to its mother's womb.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Xingzhuo had already returned to the Zhuhua Alliance Command Headquarters.

Assistant Xu specially waited here for her to come home.

After exchanging pleasantries, Shen Xingzhuo tossed a huge package into Assistant Xu's arms.

"This...this is!!!"

Assistant Xu's perpetually squinty eyes widened in disbelief. Had their chosen one gone to rob someone?

He looked at Shen Xingzhuo in astonishment.

But the little girl just smiled and waved her hand.

"110 bottles each of physical enhancement potions and mental enhancement potions, plus 5 bottles of green mental enhancement potions."

"Don't get them mixed up when you use them."

"After everyone has improved next time, I'll exchange for more mental enhancement potions."

She yawned.

"By the way, please tell Captain Guan that I've arranged a meeting between her and the ghost story. If she's unsure when she'll 'meet' with the ghost story, she can wait until I wake up tomorrow."

After saying that, Shen Xingzhuo activated the backup floating platform, jumped on it, and flew towards his rest room.

Xu, the assistant, was left standing there in astonishment.

He slapped himself until a handprint appeared on his face and the pain shot through him, only then daring to believe what he had just heard.

His chosen one is so promising!

Assistant Xu stood there dumbfounded for a long time before returning to the command room with a large bag of things.

However, after he recounted everything, the command room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Guan Shanyue was deeply moved.

The voice murmured, "Indeed, divine soldiers have descended from the heavens."

……

For ten days, everyone in the Zhuhua Alliance was incredibly busy.

Su Anyu and Lu Qianling, as team leaders, led the Huaxu Squad's reserve members through their first training session.

Assistant Xu led the search and rescue team to complete the search and rescue work in the heavily polluted disaster area.

Guan Shanyue, after giving the All-Nation Alliance a good talking-to, then, accompanied by Shen Xingzhuo, held an equal negotiation with the "spokesperson" of the supernatural tales.

The back-and-forth negotiations between the two sides ultimately gave Tianxia Kingdom a certain degree of initiative.

While it may not have an overwhelming advantage, it is enough to ensure that children who enter the ranking legends will not be maliciously targeted by the legends.

Afterwards, Shen Xingzhuo returned to the base to rest.

Guan Shanyue, on the other hand, went off to attend to other matters.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

After everyone worked hard to compress the mission's progress, they finally made it in time to send Shen Xingzhuo into the next strange tale.

A white light enveloped everything, and the sky opened up.

Shen Xingzhuo reappeared in that white, empty space.

【Chosen One Shen Xingzhuo, we meet again.】

[Given your perfect clear of the S-rank mystery tale last time, and considering the results of our previous negotiations, you will have the right to choose from the following three mystery tales.]

Shen Xingzhuo's vision blurred, and the names of three strange tales appeared:

Category A Ghost Story – "The Happy Life of Nine Babies in One Pregnancy"

S-Class Ghost Story - Wedding in a Dream

SS-Rank Ghost Story - "Worshiping the Immortals"

Shen Xingzhuo's lips twitched. "One Pregnancy, Nine Babies" and "Wedding in a Dream" both seemed to have tragic fates.

Only "Worshiping Immortals" seems to be a good fit for the profession.

Just as she was about to make a choice, she heard the ghost story again...